Hospital staff begin strike over job privatisation

Staff at Colchester Hospital are among those on strike

Hospital staff have begun their strike over plans to move their jobs out of the NHS.

Hundreds of cleaners, porters, caterers and other members of Unison who work at East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) walked out on Monday.

The industrial action will continue until Friday and will see sites including Colchester Hospital and Aldeburgh Community Hospital in Suffolk affected.

The trust said it was "working hard" to ensure patients would "receive the service they expect".

"Our top priority is patient care and safety and we are working hard to plan for the period of industrial action to make sure everyone who uses our hospitals continues to receive the service they expect," said chief executive Nick Hulme.

"We are disappointed to learn that Unison has gone down this route while we are still actively involved in ongoing conversations with them and their members.

"We are listening to our staff about the issues that are important to them."

He added that while a full business case had not yet been submitted to the trust board, it wanted to engage with staff and the union to get the "best possible service for our patients".

NHS foundation trust chief executive Nick Hulme said the priority was patient care and safety

Natalia Janusz, a housekeeper of six years at Colchester Hospital, said many of her colleagues felt they were just "a number".

"Everyone forgets about us but we are important, we are united and we are together," said the 36-year-old.

Tracy Lavery, who has worked at the hospital for 16 years, added: "We go above and beyond, we're not just cleaners - we're counsellors.

"We signed up to work for the NHS because it's something we really, really believe in and are passionate about.

"How dare they outsource us like we're nothing."

Natalia Janusz has worked as a housekeeper at Colchester Hospital for six years

Unison previously said members were concerned that outsourcing contracts would threaten pay and conditions, and put patient safety at risk.

It said the majority of workers affected by the issue were at Colchester Hospital with most "soft facility management" services at Ipswich Hospital already outsourced to a private company.

However, Unison said staff at Ipswich had received fewer days of annual leave and lower sick pay when their jobs were outsourced, and they had missed out on a one-off payment for NHS staff.