Category: privatisation

Why insourcing isn’t always a win

On the final day of UNISON’s health conference, delegates heard a series of debates on defending the NHS against privatisation.

Tam Hiddleston for the service group executive warned that, while “we invariably think of insourcing as a positive,” some insourcing “is about private operators being brought into the NHS.”

UNISON needs to be very careful to monitor “any wider implications for Agenda for Change pay and conditions,” he continued.

Chris from London noted: “What’s the point of insourcing people and you just change their uniforms?”

Moving a motion on mega trusts for the Eastern region, Glen Carrington (pictured above) highlighted the rising problems facing staff in such trusts in his region.

NHS England is pursuing trust mergers in an attempt to save money, “but after 14 long years of Tory cuts, has anyone ever looked to see what the impact is on staff?

“The chances of starting a shift in Cromer and ending up in London happens all too often,” said Mr Carrington. “Don’t let anyone tell you big is always better.”

In another motion, conference heard of staff left devastated at learning that their jobs were being outsourced.

Yet even as outsourced services have been shown to cause major problems, it is an approach that continues, and causes even more problems – not least in the increase of a “two or three or four-tier workforces” as contracts are passed from one company to another.

That situation is a “national scandal that the Tory government continues to be complicit in,” said one speaker.

Steady recruitment of healthcare students

Also on Wednesday morning, conference heard of the “steady recruitment of healthcare students” and agreed that “continuing to recruit healthcare students to UNISON is an essential part of a strategy for a strong UNISON presence in the NHS”, and welcomed the success of the union’s Future Healthcare Leaders programme.

The motion, from the national young members’ forum, noted that a recent survey of heathcare students had revealed increasing struggles with the cost of living crisis and the levels of financial support they received, with 35% agreeing that they might not be able to complete their studies because of the situation.

Among a raft of calls, conference urged the executive to:

  • engage with regional health committees, the strategic organising unit, the national young members’ forum to build and develop strategies for recruitment and organisation of healthcare students
  • campaign for better financial arrangements for healthcare students
  • work with the national women’s committee to explore the additional financial challenges facing healthcare students with childcare responsibilities.

The article Why insourcing isn’t always a win first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Why insourcing isn’t always a win

On the final day of UNISON’s health conference, delegates heard a series of debates on defending the NHS against privatisation.

Tam Hiddleston for the service group executive warned that, while “we invariably think of insourcing as a positive,” some insourcing “is about private operators being brought into the NHS.”

UNISON needs to be very careful to monitor “any wider implications for Agenda for Change pay and conditions,” he continued.

Chris from London noted: “What’s the point of insourcing people and you just change their uniforms?”

Moving a motion on mega trusts for the Eastern region, Glen Carrington (pictured above) highlighted the rising problems facing staff in such trusts in his region.

NHS England is pursuing trust mergers in an attempt to save money, “but after 14 long years of Tory cuts, has anyone ever looked to see what the impact is on staff?

“The chances of starting a shift in Cromer and ending up in London happens all too often,” said Mr Carrington. “Don’t let anyone tell you big is always better.”

In another motion, conference heard of staff left devastated at learning that their jobs were being outsourced.

Yet even as outsourced services have been shown to cause major problems, it is an approach that continues, and causes even more problems – not least in the increase of a “two or three or four-tier workforces” as contracts are passed from one company to another.

That situation is a “national scandal that the Tory government continues to be complicit in,” said one speaker.

Steady recruitment of healthcare students

Also on Wednesday morning, conference heard of the “steady recruitment of healthcare students” and agreed that “continuing to recruit healthcare students to UNISON is an essential part of a strategy for a strong UNISON presence in the NHS”, and welcomed the success of the union’s Future Healthcare Leaders programme.

The motion, from the national young members’ forum, noted that a recent survey of heathcare students had revealed increasing struggles with the cost of living crisis and the levels of financial support they received, with 35% agreeing that they might not be able to complete their studies because of the situation.

Among a raft of calls, conference urged the executive to:

  • engage with regional health committees, the strategic organising unit, the national young members’ forum to build and develop strategies for recruitment and organisation of healthcare students
  • campaign for better financial arrangements for healthcare students
  • work with the national women’s committee to explore the additional financial challenges facing healthcare students with childcare responsibilities.

The article Why insourcing isn’t always a win first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Opinion: Thames Water makes case for renationalisation … now!

By UNISON’s head of environment, Donna Rowe-Merriman

Shadowy overseas private equity firms have sucked all the good out of Thames Water and saddled it with billions of pounds of debt. So reports that it is scrambling to find extra cash, after handing out millions of pounds to shareholders and bonuses to top bosses in recent years, are hardly surprising.

Even its shareholders won’t keep it afloat, having refused to pay £500m by the end of the month, saying regulatory requirements make its business plan “uninvestable”, and insisting that bills must go up – company boss Chris Weston told the BBC today that they need to rise by 40%.

It’s clear that the business model for Thames Water has failed and the company is unviable.

The company is privately owned by a mix of people and businesses. The consortium of pension funds and sovereign wealth funds owns the entire business. The largest shareholder, as of July 2023, is the Canadian pension fund Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (Omers) with approximately 32%.

Mr Weston also stated that it was “business as usual” at the company. The business appears to be lurching from one crisis to another, leaving staff with an uncertain future and customers facing ever more massive bills.

In the 21st century, the issue of water pollution is a national disgrace. The government and regulator have failed to stop water companies to pollute our rivers, canals and coastline.

Saturday’s Boat Race organisers have issued new safety guidance for the races, warning rowers not to enter the water and to cover any open wounds, after high levels of E.coli bacteria were found on the River Thames course.

Provision of water should never have been privatised, allowing millions to be taken out of the industry to line the pockets of shareholders and company executives, while infrastructure was allowed to crumble.

The government must intervene and take control of a business and renationalise Thames Water and now.

The article Opinion: Thames Water makes case for renationalisation … now! first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Opinion: Thames Water makes case for renationalisation … now!

By UNISON’s head of environment, Donna Rowe-Merriman

Shadowy overseas private equity firms have sucked all the good out of Thames Water and saddled it with billions of pounds of debt. So reports that it is scrambling to find extra cash, after handing out millions of pounds to shareholders and bonuses to top bosses in recent years, are hardly surprising.

Even its shareholders won’t keep it afloat, having refused to pay £500m by the end of the month, saying regulatory requirements make its business plan “uninvestable”, and insisting that bills must go up – company boss Chris Weston told the BBC today that they need to rise by 40%.

It’s clear that the business model for Thames Water has failed and the company is unviable.

The company is privately owned by a mix of people and businesses. The consortium of pension funds and sovereign wealth funds owns the entire business. The largest shareholder, as of July 2023, is the Canadian pension fund Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (Omers) with approximately 32%.

Mr Weston also stated that it was “business as usual” at the company. The business appears to be lurching from one crisis to another, leaving staff with an uncertain future and customers facing ever more massive bills.

In the 21st century, the issue of water pollution is a national disgrace. The government and regulator have failed to stop water companies to pollute our rivers, canals and coastline.

Saturday’s Boat Race organisers have issued new safety guidance for the races, warning rowers not to enter the water and to cover any open wounds, after high levels of E.coli bacteria were found on the River Thames course.

Provision of water should never have been privatised, allowing millions to be taken out of the industry to line the pockets of shareholders and company executives, while infrastructure was allowed to crumble.

The government must intervene and take control of a business and renationalise Thames Water and now.

The article Opinion: Thames Water makes case for renationalisation … now! first appeared on the UNISON National site.

UNISON wins huge settlement for school meals workers

After a three-year battle, UNISON members working for a catering company in the North West have won a significant wages settlement.

In December 2020, in the midst of the second COVID-19 lockdown, school meals staff employed by Dolce were told that their hours would be reduced by an average of 20-25%, with some as much as 40%, and others were told they would be moved to zero-hours contracts.

Many were still expected to work the hours that they were originally contracted to do; UNISON national officer Leigh Powell explained: “Workers on 30-hour contracts saw their hours cut to 25 and were told that, if they ended up working 30, that extra five would have to be claimed as overtime.”

The changes were imposed by the employer right before Christmas, which resulted in an immediate pay cut for workers with longer-term implications for their holiday and sick pay.

The majority of workers affected are low-paid, female workers.

Ms Powell continued: “The employer’s argument was that, on returning to school after the COVID-19 lockdowns, school meals uptake was low and therefore profits were too low.”

UNISON lawyers brought a claim of unauthorised deduction of wages on behalf of 50 workers and won thousands of pounds for UNISON members at Dolce. Further to this, 23 additional workers who had TUPE-transferred to different employers have also settled for a substantial sum.

UNISON Salford City branch secretary Diane Ogg said: “Members at Salford UNISON are ecstatic they have won their legal claim against their employer. These are people who were classed as frontline workers in the pandemic, and had to endure immense stress at the hands of an employer who informed them that their hours and pay would be cut.”

“Through sheer determination and with the support of UNISON, these workers have fought for their rights and claimed a victory.”

Ms Powell said: “Whilst we are delighted that our members have got the money they are due, this issue highlights how lower-paid workers, particularly women, are losing out in the fragmented market that our school meals service has been reduced to.

“Dolce, like any other business, was seeking to maintain profits and it tried to do so at the expense of the workforce. We should be spending public money on ensuring children are fed well, not directing it into the hands of private shareholders.”

The article UNISON wins huge settlement for school meals workers first appeared on the UNISON National site.

UNISON wins huge settlement for school meals workers

After a three-year battle, UNISON members working for a catering company in the North West have won a significant wages settlement.

In December 2020, in the midst of the second COVID-19 lockdown, school meals staff employed by Dolce were told that their hours would be reduced by an average of 20-25%, with some as much as 40%, and others were told they would be moved to zero-hours contracts.

Many were still expected to work the hours that they were originally contracted to do; UNISON national officer Leigh Powell explained: “Workers on 30-hour contracts saw their hours cut to 25 and were told that, if they ended up working 30, that extra five would have to be claimed as overtime.”

The changes were imposed by the employer right before Christmas, which resulted in an immediate pay cut for workers with longer-term implications for their holiday and sick pay.

The majority of workers affected are low-paid, female workers.

Ms Powell continued: “The employer’s argument was that, on returning to school after the COVID-19 lockdowns, school meals uptake was low and therefore profits were too low.”

UNISON lawyers brought a claim of unauthorised deduction of wages on behalf of 50 workers and won thousands of pounds for UNISON members at Dolce. Further to this, 23 additional workers who had TUPE-transferred to different employers have also settled for a substantial sum.

UNISON Salford City branch secretary Diane Ogg said: “Members at Salford UNISON are ecstatic they have won their legal claim against their employer. These are people who were classed as frontline workers in the pandemic, and had to endure immense stress at the hands of an employer who informed them that their hours and pay would be cut.”

“Through sheer determination and with the support of UNISON, these workers have fought for their rights and claimed a victory.”

Ms Powell said: “Whilst we are delighted that our members have got the money they are due, this issue highlights how lower-paid workers, particularly women, are losing out in the fragmented market that our school meals service has been reduced to.

“Dolce, like any other business, was seeking to maintain profits and it tried to do so at the expense of the workforce. We should be spending public money on ensuring children are fed well, not directing it into the hands of private shareholders.”

The article UNISON wins huge settlement for school meals workers first appeared on the UNISON National site.

NHS data: help stop the sell-off

NHS England is set to hand over its patient data and share of a £480m contract to US company Palantir in a plan to create a new database.

This marks the biggest IT contract the NHS has ever awarded.

Palantir is a spy technology firm that works with intelligence and military agencies in the UK and US, including the CIA.

UNISON is working alongside the campaigning organisation Foxglove to help challenge this. An emergency petition to health secretary Victoria Atkins has been set up, which UNISON members are invited to sign and share.

Sign the petition here

The petition calls on Ms Atkins to cancel the contract and design an NHS data platform that keeps the NHS public, respects patient choice and protects privacy.

UNISON policy officer Guy Collis said: “NHS data is far too important to be sold off in this way and patients are rightly concerned. It’s not too late for a rethink.”

The article NHS data: help stop the sell-off first appeared on the UNISON National site.

NHS data: help stop the sell-off

NHS England is set to hand over its patient data and share of a £480m contract to US company Palantir in a plan to create a new database.

This marks the biggest IT contract the NHS has ever awarded.

Palantir is a spy technology firm that works with intelligence and military agencies in the UK and US, including the CIA.

UNISON is working alongside the campaigning organisation Foxglove to help challenge this. An emergency petition to health secretary Victoria Atkins has been set up, which UNISON members are invited to sign and share.

Sign the petition here

The petition calls on Ms Atkins to cancel the contract and design an NHS data platform that keeps the NHS public, respects patient choice and protects privacy.

UNISON policy officer Guy Collis said: “NHS data is far too important to be sold off in this way and patients are rightly concerned. It’s not too late for a rethink.”

The article NHS data: help stop the sell-off first appeared on the UNISON National site.

Health conference asks why ambulance staff aren’t an emergency service

The final day of UNISON’s annual health conference in Bournemouth opened with delegates standing in a minute’s silence to mark the upcoming International Workers’ Memorial Day on 28 April (above).

Moving to the business of the day, debates were heard on a variety issues.

Retirement age parity

A motion submitted by the ambulance occupational group highlighted the disparity in retirement age between police, fire service and ambulance staff.

Peter Steventon, South East central ambulance, opened the motion saying: “You would assume that NHS ambulance staff would be recognised as an ‘emergency service’. You would be wrong – we are regarded as an ‘essential service’.

“We don’t retire at 60 like emergency services, ambulance staff starting their career today won’t be able to retire until 68,” adding :“It has been proven that ambulance staff suffer the most muscular skeletal injuries in the NHS.”

One delegate told conference: “When you get a bunch of ambulance staff together you regularly have the conversation return to: best pain killer; best app for back exercises; or why does my ankle make that clicking noise?

“After the recent strike the public have a deeper understanding of the strains of being ambulance staff and now is the time to capitalise on this.”

Ben Morris continued the debate, saying: “As a 26-year-old, I have 41 more years of work left in front of me. 41 years of carrying heavy equipment, 41 more years of carrying patients, 41 more years of stress and declining mental and physical health. This cannot continue.”

Fighting privatisation in the ambulance sector

Delegates at health cvonference holding up orange voting papers at health conference, Bournemouth

Jo Farrell, national ambulance occupational group moved the motion, saying: “Privatisation continues to be one of the biggest threats to the NHS. UNISON research indicates that ambulance trusts in England are spending £42 million a year on hiring private ambulances.

“In my trust, we have paid so much money to one company that they have grown from a small company with 10 vehicles to a huge company which now has four large ambulance stations, two HQ buildings and its own fleet workshop provision.

“Think about that. An NHS trust is using a considerable amount of its own budget, paid by taxpayers, to benefit a private provider and then that private provider is using that money to be in direct competition with the trust.

“It’s like turkeys voting for Christmas.”

Julie Reynolds spoke of her experience being a patient transport driver in the NHS before she was TUPE transferred to a private company.

She said: “I enjoyed my time in the NHS but private contractors just care about how much profit they make. They only care about KPI’s [key performance indicators].” She argued no health staff should be outsourced: “After all we are all one team.”

Halting privatisation and driving insourcing

Continuing on the theme of privatisation, a delegate from the North West region, spoke of the success the region has had in fighting for insourcing.

She said: “In the North West we have settled or taken industrial action in nearly 20 of these outsourced contracts. With workers winning AFC and higher pay and conditions.

“But like painting the Forth Bridge, it’s a never-ending job.”

Joyce Alrdidge health SGE, added: “Over the last few years UNISON, through our US2 campaign has been at the forefront of campaigning against the privatisation of services. Often undertaken by stealth by NHS trusts in a bid to cut costs.

“But the real costs have been to our colleagues in the erosion of their pay and terms and conditions. We must continue to challenge and stand up to these attempts to erode workers rights and pay. And we must remind the NHS bosses of the benefits of retaining in house services.”

The motion called on the health service group executive to campaign for a publicly owned and run NHS, co-ordinate an audit of rates of pay in all NHS contracts and provide guidance to branches to support local in-sourcing campaigns.

Making UNISON a ballot-ready health union

Bryn Webster chair of the national ambulance committee speaking at health conference

Bryn Webster (pictured above) opened debate on the motion, speaking of his experiences both nationally, as chair of UNISON’s national ambulance committee, and locally, as branch secretary of Yorkshire Ambulance service who achieved a strike mandate in the recent NHS pay dispute.

He told conference: “We should be proud of being the largest union in the NHS but with that comes great responsibility. We ended up with the largest turnout ever seen in UNISON with over 93,000 votes cast.”

“I was very proud that Yorkshire ambulance got over the line, but we weren’t as organised as we thought we were.”

Another speaker, Peter Steventon, branch secretary at South East central ambulance, told conference that at his branch: “We were 9 votes short of 50% turnout – it was heart-breaking for those involved.

“We can deliver industrial mandates, we can get over 50% – but there is no magic bullet.” Before highlighting how “It’s the boring stuff that gets you mandates,” – such as data cleansing, updating records and GDPR.

“Conference we can beat these Tory laws – but it takes a lot of organising.”

The article Health conference asks why ambulance staff aren’t an emergency service first appeared on the UNISON National site.