GMB announce further protest to take place outside Watford General Hospital in dispute over pay
GMB members at Watford general hospital announce further protest on 21st December in dispute over pay.
Workers do not want to go on strike because it is not beneficial to the patients they care for, so their only option is to protest until their voice is heard says GMB London.
GMB London, the union for staff in the health service, will stage a second demonstration outside Watford General Hospital gates on Wednesday 21st December from 12.00 noon until 4.00 pm in a dispute over pay. (See notes to editors for details of the first protest from 10th November).
Hospital cleaners, porters and hostesses are being paid only ten pence above the national minimum wage with no overtime payments or additional pay for working Bank Holidays or weekends.
The protest will be held on Wednesday21st December starting at 12 noon outside Watford General Hospital at the following address:
Vicarage Road
Watford
WD18 0HB
Mick Dooley, GMB London organiser, said, “The current UK living wage is £8.45 and NHS rates of pay are around £9.40 per hour. Watford General Hospital porters and cleaners get £7.30, ten pence above the National Minimum Wage. If it was not for the Labour Government introducing the minimum wages who knows what the workers would be getting paid.
Last month following a large demonstration involving around 40 hospital workers the Watford Hospital Trust HR Director Paul Da Gama stated the trust do not recognise the hourly figure being quoted by GMB. GMB state that it is an undeniable fact that hundreds of workers in Watford General Hospital are paid ten pence above the minimum wages and many are paid only the minimum wage.
Workers do not want to go on strike because it is not beneficial to the patients they care for, so their only option is to protest until their voice is heard. However, unless something changes there might be no other option but to go on strike.
More protests and further campaigning are planned and action is set to be more wide spread unless the employers reconsider the wages that are being paid to the hospital workers.
Many workers live in the local area and one Watford porter told me that “Christmas time is especially hard for us on the low wages we are paid. I have three children so my wife is not working, we just about manage with no luxuries. If it was not for our parents I do not know what kind of Christmas we would have.
Other workers are concerned about being told to work Christmas day like it is just any other day.”
End
Contact: Mick Dooley on 07773 061798
Paul de Gama, Watford General Hospital on 01923 436275
Katie Fisher, Chief Executive of West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust on 01923 436336
Notes to editors
1 Opportunities for photos at the hospital gate on Wednesday 21st December from 12.15pm until 4.00pm
2 Photographs from the protest on 10th November can be obtained by contacting Olivia.Pryle@gmb.org.uk
3 Previous GMB press release 4 November 2016
GMB PROTEST AT WATFORD GENERAL HOSPITAL ON THURSDAY 10th NOVEMBER IN DISPUTE OVER PAY
Patients deserve the best possible support available and that support should be fairly rewarded says GMB London
GMB London, the union for staff in the health service, are to protest over workers in Watford General Hospital being paid only ten pence above the £7.20 per hour minimum wage.
From 11 am leaflets will be distributed highlighting the low wages being paid in the hospital. At 12 noon a small demonstration will take place outside the hospital entrance and they will be joined by workers from the hospital.
The protest will be held on Thursday November 10th starting at 12 noon outside Watford General Hospital at the following address:
Vicarage Road
Watford
WD18 0HB
Mick Dooley, GMB London organiser, said, “Many local Watford people are working in Watford General for a pittance, I cannot think of such low wages being paid in any other hospitals. Obviously someone thinks Watford people can exist on gruel because with only ten pence above the minimum wage of £7.20 gruel is about all the workers can afford after rent, council tax and bus fares to work.
Quality patient support and fair pay to workers can be achieved in Watford General Hospital GMB call upon the Hospital Trust to ensure that all workers in Watford General Hospital should be paid on an equal basis which is in accordance with the NHS Agenda for Change contract.
Workers who maintain our NHS Services are not the property of the privateers and spivs, the NHS is our proud heritage and we should be ashamed to allow decent people to exist on ten pence above the minimum wage for a living working in our hospital.
Patients deserve the best possible support available and that support should be fairly rewarded. The workers do not want to take strike action for higher wages because of their commitment to the patients so we hope today’s protest, which is part of an action plan, will begin to focus the minds of the decision makers and ensure that we can bring an end to poverty pay at Watford General.”
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Contact: Mick Dooley 07773 061798
Contact details for Katie Fisher, Chief Executive of West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust: 01923 436336
