UNISON ALL TOGETHER Leeds Teaching Hospitals
Forever defending your rights
The newsletter for UNISON Leeds Teaching Hospitals Members
Spring Special 2018
Our message to our members is: WE ARE AND WE WILL REMAIN
The threat’s not gone away... neither have we! It’s been a busy couple of weeks and there is a lot to update you on. UNISON Leeds Teaching Hospitals Branch wrote to the LTHT Chief Executive regarding our opposition to a proposed Wholly Owned Company in Leeds, which would endanger the NHS status of Estates and Facilities, Clinical Engineering, Supplies and Procurement staff. The Branch have now formally
registered a trade dispute with the board. Although we are more than willing to discuss alternate options for our members, our intention is to now move towards an Industrial Action Ballot. Given this news it is imperative that ALL members who may
be affected update their contact details with the Branch immediately: 0113 2064369 or unison.sjuh@nhs.net, or return the form at the back of this newsletter as soon as possible. Please pass this information to colleagues / members.
Tel: 0113 2064369 Web: www.lth-unison.org.uk Twitter: @UnisonLth Facebook: UnisonLth
Wholly Owned Companies Special The current situation You made your voice heard. You forced the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust Board to listen. We know that the show of strength from the campaign so far means that they had to pay attention to you and this is why the Board has put off making a decision. But other Trusts are still pushing ahead and the Wholly Owned Company is not off the table. There is still more work to do. We call on the Trust to set up urgent meetings with UNISON and Staffside to discuss options to: 1) K eep staff working for the NHS within Leeds Teaching Hospitals 2) Avoid a two–tier workforce We had a strong result with the indicative ballots and we know we can rely on you to stand up for yourselves, your families and your colleagues to defend the future of your NHS. So take a look at what we need to do to make sure that we are ready and waiting for any and all eventualities.
What is an Wholly Owned Company? A wholly owned subsidiary is an organisation set up at arm’s length but still owned by the trust. It means that those services currently provided inhouse will be provided by a separate company that will employ staff who currently work for the NHS. The NHS continues to face unprecedented financial pressures. Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust Board is not on its own trying to save money. The Trust Board recently deferred a proposal to create a wholly owned subsidiary company to deliver services. The proposal was to transfer approximately 2,300 staff which includes porters, cleaners, housekeepers, clinical engineers, procurement and supplies to the Wholly Owned Company. UNISON states that major savings will come from employing new staff on non-NHS terms and conditions with no access to the NHS Pension Scheme. Denise Carr UNISON LTH presented the Board with a petition with almost 2,000 signatures that had been gathered both on line and paper form in just 11 days. This shows the amount of passion that our members have for wanting to continue to work for the NHS and not IN the NHS.
NHS trusts across England are spending millions outsourcing staff to new arms-length companies Using a Freedom of Information (FoI) request, UNISON has revealed that NHS trusts are shelling-out huge amounts of money on consultants. These companies are advising trusts on the setting up of wholly owned subsidiaries, to which staff are then outsourced. UNISON says that these new companies appeal to NHS trusts because they can reduce their VAT payments, and cut the pay and pensions for any new staff recruited. The health workers
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that are being transferred tend to be the lowest paid within the NHS, such as porters and cleaners. Only 22 out of 31 NHS trusts that UNISON approached complied with the FoI request but the amount spent by just 15 of them is already in excess of £3.2 million. Topping the list of highspenders is Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Birkenhead, which spent more than £661,000 establishing a wholly owned subsidiary.
The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and Gloucestershire Hospitals Foundation Trust have both already spent a minimum of £400,000 setting up subsidiaries. Meanwhile, Airedale NHS Trust in Yorkshire spent an estimated £343,000 outsourcing staff. To put some perspective on the amount spent by some of these trusts, UNISON has found that the £3 million outlaid to date on transferring staff could have paid the annual salary of around 200 extra hospital cleaners
Wholly Owned Companies Special Wholly owned subsidiary created?
Expenditure
Consultants
Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust
Yes – PropCare
£661,335
Hill Dickinson, KPMG
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Yes – Gloucestershire Managed Services
£403,000, further anticipated spend of £15,000
DAC Beachcroft, KPMG
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
Subject to a final decision by the trust board
£400,000 (estimated)
KPMG Addleshaw Goddard Chase Reeves Bevan Brittan Currie & Brown
Airedale NHS Foundation Trust
Yes – AGH Solutions
£343,000 (estimated)
QE Facilities
Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust
Yes – Wiltshire Health and Care Limited Liability Partnership; Salisbury Trading Partnership; Sterile Supplies Ltd
£12,000 to date, expected expenditure £300,000
QEF Consulting, KPMG
Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation trust
Yes – Summerhill Supplies Ltd
£275,000
Deloitte, Wragges Solicitors
Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust
Still considering
£250,000
QE Facilities
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Yes – BFW Management
£218,492
KPMG, DWF LLP, BDO LLP Sellick Partnership
County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Yes – County Durham and Darlington Services
£167,905 (including VAT)
QE Facilities
Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust
Yes – WWL Solutions
£154,027
QE Facilities
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust
Yes – Harrogate Healthcare Facilities Management Ltd
£93,000
Hempsons, Ernst & Young
The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
No, still considering
£41,921 to date, plus further expenditure of £25,829
Attain Health Management Ltd Bevan Brittan LLP, KPMG
Birmingham Women and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
Yes – BWC Management Services Ltd
£12,133 (excluding VAT)
QE Facilities, Deloitte (trust is unable to access the invoice to confirm amount paid)
North Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
No, dropped plans
£12,000
QE Facilities
York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trusts
Yes – York Teaching Hospital Facilities Management Limited Liability Partnership
£8,000
Northumbria Healthcare Facilities Management Ltd
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Yes – King’s Interventional Facilities Management
Will not disclose on grounds that the information is commercially sensitive
Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Yes – Simply Serve
Will not disclose on grounds that the information is commercially sensitive
QE Facilities, Bond Dickinson LLP
Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust
Yes – QE Facilities
Established over three years ago but unable to provide the cost at the time of publication
Deloitte
Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust
No, still considering
None
Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust
No, still considering
None
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
No
None
NHS trust
(based on an NHS cleaner on band 1, spine point 2, on salary of £15,404). UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said: “The amount of public money being frittered away on transferring NHS staff to private companies
is a disgrace, especially at a time when there’s such a huge squeeze on resources. “These wholly owned subsidiaries are creating a twotier workforce where new staff are likely to be far worse off in terms of their pay and pensions.
There is also no evidence that these new companies improve efficiency or productivity. “Porters, cleaners and other staff chose to be part of the NHS team, not to be contracted out and treated like second-class employees.”
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Wholly Owned Companies Special
John’s Blog
Branch Chair, John Ingleson Hi Dudes, This latest blog arriving on your doorsteps, recently chewed up by the family dog and bursting with Trade Union intrigue. (Subsequent editions come with a free collectable Union hero. Next month your very own two inch ceramic Bob Crow). Thankyou all who turned up to our AGMs. We had our best turn out in terms of numbers in the Branch’s recent history. Officer positions were filled, speeches were delivered, and nobody fell asleep, so bravo to all. A busy year is certainly ahead of us, but to know we have our members support from AGM day really does boost our tired little brains. Due to recent events in the trust the meetings were certainly livelier than normal. I am glad we had our National Assistant General Secretary present to show the full time UNISON officials the strength of shop floor opinion on Wholly Owned Companies, and the dreaded pay cap. Now, onto those current events. The Trusts proposal to move its Estates, Facilities, Medical Engineering and Supply Staff into what’s called a Wholly
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Owned Company has prompted quite an impassioned reaction by staff directly involved and also by worried clinical staff who believe it is catastrophic for the NHS and “will be me next”. This silly scribbled blog is not the place to state why I think it’s a bad idea, and it’s not the place to express how our Branch and Regional officials will oppose the plans. If you want the details of our plans then please come to our many member meetings (I’ve had the opportunity to meet many of you at the meetings we have already have and what an enlightened and merrily vocal lot you are). The reasons I don’t want to go into too much detail now is I want to keep this Blog light, and these proposals are anything but light. Secondly I don’t want to get myself or my Union in bother. Dastardly lawyers can twist the written word and the Tory’s Trade Union Bill is designed to suffocate industrial conflict... so I’ll keep a lid on my concerns on here, but PLEASE come to our members meetings so you can be fully informed. What I do want to talk about though is the message we’ve
received universally from all members. You LOVE being NHS workers. We attended member meetings ready for questions on TUPE, and on terms and conditions, and pensions, and shift pattern changes but what we got was NHS, NHS, NHS. Your status as an NHS worker means so much to you. To potentially lose that status is what is worrying you. We hear your feedback guys. One fella I was talking to said “I’d never even thought about being proud to work in the NHS until it dawned on me I might not be – now I am proud, and I don’t want that to change”. Maybe it’s something people with a nonpublic service background will ever understand? NHS Facts The NHS was founded in 1948 by Labour Health Minister Nye Bevan who said: “The collective principle asserts that…no society can legitimately call itself civilised if a sick person is denied medical aid because of lack of means.” The NHS is the UK’s biggest employer (for now), and the 5th biggest in the world behind the Chinese army, McDonald’s, and Greggs.
Read John’s Blog regularly on the branch website:
www.lth-unison.org.uk The NHS is responsible for “discovering” DNA, establishing the link between smoking and cancer, polio vaccinations, the world’s first “test tube” baby, laparoscopic surgery, The UKs first organ transplants... I’ve been reading about these accomplishments and the list is endless and astonishing. No wonder you all want to retain your status as NHS employees. The second big “water cooler” (or in the north natter over a cuppa) discussion point is obviously the reaction to the pay cut... errr... I mean
pay rise which has just been announced. Your Branch will soon collect your opinions on this bigger than expected (but not big enough) proposal. Your views will then be fed back to the big cheeses. The negotiators have done their bit, it is now time to see if you want to accept this proposal. Your union, your choice. With what is going on I am sure you will see an increased UNISON presence around the Trust. Please stop and say hello and ask us those burning questions (cranberry juice). …Speak soon xxx
White Ribbon Campaign John Ingleson the Branch Chair is now an Ambassador for the White Ribbon Campaign. 25 November is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women also known as White Ribbon Day. This year, we're acknowledging the fact that men’s violence against women is everyone's issue. Get involved and spread the word today. https://www.whiteribbon.org.uk/
Important: Update your details NOW! This is the most important thing you can do. If we were to ballot for strike action we need to have accurate, upto-date information for the electoral commission. In order to keep you informed of the activities of UNISON and help us identify you when you need our support, we need help to keep complete and up to date contact details of all our members. If you move house, change job, either internally or within the Trust, or if you have moved to the Trust from another part of the NHS, we need you to inform us of the changes. Whether you’re paying through your wages or through direct debit, nobody other than yourself will tell us of any changes. So even if you simply change your surname, we are usually the last to know: Please make sure we have: • Your email • Your home address. Please contact the branch on 0113 2064369 or email unison.sjuh@nhs.net or use the form at the back of this newsletter and post to the office an update of your details. You MUST do this to ensure that your voice is heard!
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Branch Gallery March and Rally for the NHS The branch attended the March and Rally on Saturday in Leeds on Saturday 14th April. It was well attended by activists and staff from Leeds Teaching Hospitals. There were speakers before we set off on the noisy march around Leeds. We had great support from members of the public who readily signed our petition. We were all there for the same reason! – to defend our NHS. Everyone spoke passionately about their opposition and concerns surrounding Wholly Owned Companies.
ROGER McKenzie Denise and John sitting at a table at the AGM
Plenty of campaign goodies and advice available on the branch’s recruitment stall
LTH branch with local MPs Fabian Hamilton and Richard Burgon
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UNISON improving NHS Pay UNISON launched a consultation of health members at the health group conference in Brighton on April 16th and it will run until 5 June – we want everyone to take part: Members in England must decide whether to accept a three-year pay deal which comes with an extra £4.2bn worth of funding. UNISON led the detailed pay talks with other health unions, employers and the government that have resulted in the current proposals The main elements of the pay proposals are: • a fully-funded break away from the 1% pay cap, so
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pay rises won’t be paid for through cuts to jobs or services; m eaningful increases for staff at the top of their pay band – for most this would be worth 6.5% over the three years, plus a lump sum worth 1.1% in year two; m ajor increases for staff below the top of the band by deleting pay points and making it quicker to get to the top; e nding poverty pay through an immediate move to a new, above living wage minimum, with further increases for the lowest-paid staff by the end of the deal; i mprovements to starting
salaries to help the NHS attract the new recruits we need to reduce the pressures on existing staff; • r emoval of band overlaps to ensure proper pay rises on promotion. If the proposals are accepted, members will have additional money in their pockets from July. UNISON Leeds Teaching Hospitals will be holding meetings over the next few weeks to discuss the proposed pay and the Wholly Owned Companies. Please keep watch for the dates, venues and times on all our social media.
UNISON Self Organised Groups No one should experience unfair treatment at work or in society because of who they are. Everyone is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect. The ability to live and work without prejudice is a fundamental right, regardless of your background, colour or sexual orientation. One of UNISON’s main aims is to help workers fight for fairness and equality in the workplace and beyond. Challenging discrimination and winning equality is at the heart of everything UNISON does. Together in the union, workers gain strength to stand up for each other so that everyone can do better. In order to support members who are subject to particular discrimination, UNISON has “self-organised groups”. These are independent structures
for women, black members, LGBT and disabled members. Members in these groups lead the union’s work making sure that pay and conditions are equal, stopping prejudice, and campaigning for change in wider society. This year we celebrate UNISON’s 25 birthday, the 70th birthday of the NHS and 70th
anniversary of the arrival in Tilbury Docks of the MV Empire Windrush on June 22 1948. The ship carried the 492 Caribbean passengers. This took place because the government at the time requested these commonwealth citizens leave their homes in the Caribbean to help build Britain after World War II.
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Who’s who in your Branch Each Branch of UNISON is required in accordance with the union’s rules to hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) in the first quarter of the year. To ensure the branch is organised and administered effectively. To keep members informed of the work of the branch. To give members a voice in the running of the branch. To enable elections to take place. Nominations were received and the following activists were elected to positions within the branch: Branch chair John Ingleson Branch vice chair Nick Casey Branch secretary Denise Carr Industrial relations Denise Carr Treasurer Jon Pickett Welfare Officer Janet Dixon Health & Safety Officer Ian Dixon Equality Officer Claire Robinson Communication Officer Claire Robinson Affiliated Political Fund John Ingleson International Officer John Ingleson Learning Rep Rita Haligah Retired Members Chair Joseph Wielgosz Retired Members Secretary Neville Martin
Employment Relations Accredited Representatives Rashad Ali Billy Birkett Denise Carr Nick Casey Christopher Halliday Will Hand Elinor Hewitt Josephine Hirst John Ingleson Russell Midgley Jon Pickett Richard Steele Cristian Tepes Melanie Tetlaw Allen Wright Health & Safety Representatives Billy Birkett Ian Dixon John Ingleson Barbara Mootu
Contact your Branch: Email: unison.sjuh@nhs.net Telephone: 0113 2064369 Web: www.lth-unison.org.uk
Leeds Teaching Hospitals
UPDATE YOUR DETAILS to be entered into our PRIZE DRAW To enter just complete your details by completing the form below, or by email unison.sjuh@nhs.net or by contacting 0113 20 64369. For your chance to help make a decision by being able to complete a ballot, please contact us by May 23rd 2018.
Membership Number (if known) Name: Address: Postcode: Date of Birth: Phone No: Email: Place of Work:
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