On Friday afternoon, Sodexo workers at North Devon District Hospital finally won their battle for pay rises, sick pay, and a lump sum payment upto £3600.  The new terms and conditions, which apply from the 1st January of this year, are now in line with the Agenda for Change agreement.  The lump sum compensates the Sodexo workers for lost earnings from October 2006, when Agenda for Change was supposed to be implemented.  Years of requests from UNISON did little to move the Trust and Sodexo to honour the agreement.  It was the determined strike action taken that moved them, with the resolve of the strikers only deepening as the dispute went on.  The strikes were well organised and received widespread support from other hospital staff, the public, and other UNISON and union branches.

Saturday's rally in support of the Sodexo workers was transformed into a victory celebration.  Speakers rightly highlighted the importance of strong union organisation, which has only got stronger as a result of the struggle.  UNISON membership among Sodexo staff has risen from about 80 to around 200 (out of roughly 300).  The experience and confidence gained will be invaluable for future struggles, which as Jessica Pearce of the PCS union pointed out in her speech, are sadly inevitable.  Jessica stressed that a united struggle will be required in the face of the onslaught workers currently face, which is set to intensify over the course of 2010.

Workers who are employed by private sector contractors still face a raw deal in many parts of the public sector.  Alongside important struggles such as the one at North Devon District Hospital, we must continue to fight to bring back in-house all services performed in the public sector, and the renationalisation of services and utilities currently in private hands.  Only with publicly owned and democratically controlled public services can we be sure that workers and the public don't see wages and services cut to fill the pockets of shareholders and bosses.

HOSPITAL WORKERS NEED YOU!!

Hospital workers employed by Sodexo at our Barnstaple Hospital are still being refused fair pay and sick pay.  They need the public to come out and support them.

RALLY 12.30-1.30pm

SATURDAY 16TH JANUARY

BARNSTAPLE TOWN SQUARE

FAIR PAY FOR OUR HOSPITAL WORKERS!!

BRING KIDS AND FAMILY!!

SPEAKERS AND ENTERTAINMENT!!

Sponsored by UNISON

If anything, the temperatures at the picket line were colder than yesterday, though the poor conditions have done little to diminish the determination of the strikers.  As with yesterday, the superbly organised picket drew a great deal of support from passing motorists, and even succeeded in turning back two lorries which were delivering non-essential goods to the hospital.  There is growing anger at those few who have remained at work, undermining a strike which if successful will reap the benefits for them as well.

Although the Trust have again said very little, their actions have stooped to new lows.  Not content with encouraging NHS staff to strike-break by covering the work of those on strike (contrary to the clear instructions provided by UNISON before the strike), they have drafted in Sodexo staff from Hillingdon and St. Mary's Hospitals in London.  These 'flying scabs', as one striking Sodexo worker put it, are earning time and a half and double time, and are being put up in a Travelodge on the outskirts of town, all at the Trust's expense.  This is a further insult to the hardworking Sodexo staff at North Devon District Hospital, who are not entitled to even a weekend enhancement to pay.

As we have stated before, the Trust were given the money to implement Agenda for Change (which ends two-tier terms and conditions), but they used it to plug gaps in finances caused by their own mismanagement.  Now they squander money which could go towards fulfilling the agreement - which Sodexo workers are striking to uphold - on scabs.  In addition, it emerges that the Trust Board Chairman, a multimillionaire businessman, sneerily asked a UNISON rep "What do they need sick pay for?" when he was challenged about it.  He should try asking that to the kitchens worker who had to have a major operation and was unable to work for 10 weeks.  All of which was unpaid.

Heavy snowfall has done little to dampen the spirits of the Sodexo staff as they man the picket lines outside North Devon District Hospital.  Starting at 5am this morning, and continuing to around 10pm tonight, the well organised picket has braved the elements, with around 50 present at one point in the morning, a quarter of the total union membership on strike.  Strikers have received remarkable public support, including plenty of warm food and drink, as well as regular honking of horns from cars passing by and entering the hospital, as well as loud vocal support from the council gritter drivers.

Meanwhile, the Trust are getting ever more agitated.  At a meeting yesterday between the Union and the Trust, Trust Chief Executive threw what can only be described as a 'strop' at the Union representatives.  There have also been threats of job losses, and of disciplinary action against one UNISON branch committee member for circulating an email rebuttal to the falsehoods spread by the Trust.  Apparently, as a manager of a department, he should be fully supporting the Trust!  None of this has impacted on the strike today though, and there has been silence from the Trust so far.

Tomorrow sees another day of strike action, with more planned the week after next if the Trust do not implement what they agreed to do originally by October 2006, with backdated pay.

Please keep sending messages of support and donations (cheques payable to North Devon UNISON Health Branch) to:

Bindy Sumner, UNISON Branch Secretary, Suite 2, Munro House, North Devon District Hospital, Raleigh Park, Barnstaple, North Devon.

Bindy's email address is: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it