370 members of Unison and Unite
in West Yorkshire have been on a 3 day strike in protest at redundancies and
pay cuts. Admin and clerical staff at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust, which runs
Pinderfields, Pontefract and Dewsbury hospitals, are taking action in an
escalating dispute with managers. Changes to pay bandings to cut costs at the
cash-strapped trust could leave staff up to £2,800 worse off.
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370 members of Unison and Unite
in West Yorkshire have been on a 3 day strike in protest at redundancies and
pay cuts. Admin and clerical staff at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust, which runs
Pinderfields, Pontefract and Dewsbury hospitals, are taking action in an
escalating dispute with managers. Changes to pay bandings to cut costs at the
cash-strapped trust could leave staff up to £2,800 worse off. The action follows a one-day strike on
November 1, after more than 70 staff were placed at risk of redundancy at Mid
Yorkshire, which faces a £26m deficit at the end of the year. 88% of those
administrative and clerical staff balloted voting in favour of strike action.
Unison member and Senior Medical secretary at
Pinderfields Hospital near Wakefield, Karen Grimaldi told Socialist Appeal that the management of the Trust were
tearing up her contract and imposing a new one with lower pay bands and if the
new contract was not accepted she faced redundancy. “ My example is typical of
many administration and medical secretarial staff across the three hospitals
affected and I am prepared to
strike as many times as it takes for this matter to be resolved in our favour” Karens attitude was typical of those, mainly women
strikers, I met on the pickets lines of all three hospitals.
Over at the picket outside Dewsbury General Hospital, Jim
Bell the Unison Regional Organiser was just as adamant. He told Socialist
Appeal: “We want to get around the negotiating table with management. However,
although Stephen Eames, the Chief Executive of the Trust talks a lot on the local
BBC news about negotiating with us, we still await the call to get around the
table.” Bob said that Aimes also claims that the
strike is making no difference to the effectiveness of the service to the
public. To loud cheers from the demonstrators Jim responded to by declaring “.If
it’s more effective action that he wants then we can certainly oblige!” Jim also told me of the fantastic
support the dispute was getting from all over the country.
The present 3 day strike action is planned to finish today (22nd November)
at midnight following an afternoon joint rally in Wakefield but with the
determined mood shown by those
staff on the picket lines at all
three hospitals this dispute could go on unless there is a major climb-down by
management.
