[A-List] UK labour militancy: hospital workers

["Michael Keaney" <michael.keaney@xxxxxx>]

In Scotland at least it is very clear which side New Labour and its local
lickspittles are on -- and there's nothing like political sectarianism to
add further "justification" for betraying your original constituency. Having
not long ago worked inside the health service I can testify to the grind
faced daily by poorly paid workers who are supposed to content themselves
with the knowledge of a valuable job well done.


Branch secretary condemned by own union
ALAN MacDERMID
The Herald, 12 November 2002

SHE is the ring-leader of a "wildcat militant strike". She is trying to
sabotage a national pay deal in pursuit of her political ambitions. She is
instigating the North Glasgow Hospitals strike for fear of losing "all her
power".

Ten years ago these might have been the words of a Tory minister or his NHS
place-man. Now, New Labour is running the show and Carolyn Leckie, midwife
and Unison branch secretary, is bemused to read that the comments have been
attributed to an anonymous official in her own union.

Could it be any coincidence, she wonders, that her political allegiance lies
with Tommy Sheridan's Scottish Socialist party, that there is a Scottish
parliamentary election just over the horizon, and Unison want to see the
North Glasgow Trust problem tidied up?

Her political persuasion is no secret. She is top of the SSP list for
Central Scotland and has stood in East Kilbride for the Scottish Parliament.

Ms Leckie, 37, divorced with two daughters, said: "My branch isn't full of
SSP members. There are men and women in the Labour party, in no party, women
who have worked for 20 or 30 years to keep their families without ever
dreaming of going on unofficial strike, women who would go pale at the
thought of getting a parking ticket, and here they are standing in the rain
with placards.

"Anyone with the idea they have taken industrial action because some
Svengali has beckoned them simply fails to understand the background to this
dispute and the bitterness that has ensued."

The hardest thing for her to accept is that the bitterest condemnation has
come from Unison, which last year handed her branch a national award for
organisation and recruitment.

In the two years she has been branch secretary, membership has risen from
3100 to 5000, accompanied by triumphs including the scrapping of private
cleaning contracts in Stobhill, the Royal Infirmary Sedexho dispute, and the
medical secretaries' strike - a dispute similar to the current one.

Success for the clerical and administration staff was also within reach -
without strike action - around the time Unison threw its weight behind a
campaign against "post-code pay", ending the right of trusts to set their
own pay scales and taking some of the power away from branches like Ms
Leckie's.

-----

Operations continue despite hospital strike
400 clerical staff take unofficial action over grading

ALAN MacDERMID
The Herald, 12 November 2002

OPERATIONS and clinics at seven hospitals in north Glasgow continued as
normal yesterday despite the spread of a strike by nearly 400 administrative
and clerical staff.

Managers at the North Glasgow Trust, who feared at the weekend that elective
work may have to be scaled back, said they were now hopeful that it could go
on as planned for the rest of the week.

The strikers include receptionists, ward clerks, and medical records staff.
Doctors and surgeons could not proceed with treatment unless they had
up-to-date patient notes.

The unofficial stoppage by Unison members over a grading dispute involves
the Royal Infirmary, Princess Royal Maternity, Stobhill, Western Infirmary,
Dental Hospital, Canniesburn, and Gartnavel General.

The trust said that 339 administration and clerical staff had failed to
attend work, but a spokesman said: "Encouragingly, a number of staff have
responded to the appeal from Tim Davison, the chief executive, to return to
work and were back at their desks this morning.

"At this stage, there are no plans to cancel operations or clinics as a
result of the strike action. The majority of health records for this week's
clinics and elective admissions are already prepared.

"In addition, the staff who have chosen to remain at work, together with
supervisors and managers, are continuing to ensure that emergency and
critical care services are covered."

The trust said it had come to light that many of the staff had not been
advised by the local branch of Unison that they would not be paid if they
went on strike.

"Any member of staff taking unofficial action of this sort is in breach of
contract. As a result, pay and calculation of annual leave, pension etc, are
suspended for the duration of the action. We are writing to the staff
involved again today to ensure that they are advised of their position."

Dr Bill Anderson, the medical director of the trust, said: "I am pleased
that we are managing to continue to treat our patients despite the illegal
strike. Our key priority is our patients, and we are doing everything
possible to minimise the impact of this unofficial action on them.

"I would like to thank those staff who are continuing to work to maintain
services at this difficult time and encourage those involved in this action
to return to work and await the outcome of national negotiations, which we
believe to be imminent.

"The trust fully supports this national process which is under way and which
should benefit both the lower-paid staff in North Glasgow and elsewhere. The
trust will not make a local offer which is out of step with these national
initiatives."

Carolyn Leckie, Unison branch secretary, said the dispute dated back to
January and they had reached an agreement in principal with the trust for
the regrading they had sought.

The prospect of a national agreement, which was intended to address minimum
hourly wage rates, had been sprung on them within the past two weeks.

The staff are seeking a step-up in their pay grades - which are based on the
type of work they do - without losing their increment points, which they
gain through length of service. Negotiations centred on how many incremental
points they would go up and over what period this would be phased in.

She added: "The trust were prepared to do business with us when the national
agreement seemed some way off. That would have put us in the vanguard and
they would have had to bring everyone up to the same level."

It would have amounted overall to an 11% rise on average, for workers
earning from £10,000 to, in a few cases, £19,000. "There are women who have
been working for 20 or 30 years still earning £11,200," she said.

North Glasgow Trust last night advised patients that prearranged operations
and appointments would carry on as normal.

Patients wishing to inquire about their appointments were advised to
telephone the ward or clinic at the number on their appointment card.