LABOUR leader Jeremy Corbyn has shown his solidarity with hospital workers on strike in Bradford. 

In a tweet, he said: "I send my full support to NHS striking workers at Bradford Hospital Trust fighting against the backdoor privatisation of their jobs.

"The NHS is our country’s proudest institution, and it only exists due to the hard work and determination of the workers within it."

It comes as Unison union members are due to meet tomorrow to vote on further action. 

The options to be considered are one week, two weeks or indefinite.

They are currently in a two-week strike, which began last Thursday. 

The trust management has asked to meet the union at 4pm today. 

Why are some hospital workers in Bradford on strike?

  • More than 300 staff who work in the estates, facilities and clinical engineering departments at the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which includes the BRI and St Luke’s Hospital, are currently in a two-week strike against plans to create a ‘wholly-owned subsidiary company’.
  • The Unison union fears the transfer will strip workers, including porters, domestic and security staff, of the protections they have as NHS employees.
  • The trust has denied it is privatising services and says the new company is the “best way of continuing to provide high quality care for patients”.
  • The industrial action began last Thursday and follows a week-long strike in July.

What has the hospital trust said?

When the latest strike was announced, John Holden, the trust's acting chief executive, said: “We continue to engage with UNISON and its members within our Estates and Facilities department as we move forward with setting up the new NHS owned company.

“The Trust believes this is the only model which in the long-term, set against the constant need to make savings, allows us to grow the business, protect our staff and continue to support patient care.

"The Board has discussed UNISON's strike action and the risks to patient care, but the decision to develop a wholly owned subsidiary company for Estates, Facilities and Clinical Engineering has not changed.

“The Trust will be the sole owner of the company – there is no external shareholder. We will never “sell off” the company; it will always be 100 per cent owned by the NHS. 

“We have listened to concerns from staff and union colleagues. All staff will have their terms and conditions protected by legislation at the time they transfer, on October 1, 2019. In addition, we have absolutely guaranteed to protect their terms and conditions for as long as the new company has the contract with the Trust, which is 25 years.  

“Staff will also have their membership of the NHS pension scheme protected; we will protect their terms and conditions if they get promoted, or increase or reduce their hours, and we will look to match the annual NHS pay awards to our existing staff.

“We have also taken an additional step by offering terms and conditions for new starters that are comparable to the Agenda for Change terms that existing staff will transfer on.”