Hospital staff say they feel 'betrayed' by trust

Housekeeper, Tracy Lavery said she did not join the NHS to work for a private company

Hospital staff who have been on strike for more than 30 days over a decision to outsource their jobs have described the move as "a betrayal".

Employees of Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust have been protesting over proposals to move cleaning, catering, security and porter jobs to a private non-NHS firm.

On Monday the trust confirmed their jobs would be taken over by a private company, saying the move to using an external partner would result in a "single, consistent approach across all its sites".

Unions members have now extended their strike until the end of the year.

Striking porters, cleaners and other facilities staff are hoping their action will stop an NHS trust outsourcing their jobs

Tracy Lavery, who has worked as a housekeeper for 16 years at Colchester Hospital, said: "I'm absolutely livid. We all are. It's absolutely devastating."

"We all signed up to work for the NHS because it's something we feel very strongly about."

She said staff had been told by the trust that the service was badly managed.

"So sort your management out, do your job," she said.

"Don't be taking it out on all of us."

She said staff had worked tirelessly throughout Covid to ensure wards remained clean and functioning.

Ms Lavery described the chief executive, Nick Hulme's decision to outsource the roles as a "big time betrayal" after staff were told in May the decision was not finalised.

John Franklin says his colleagues are "like a family who look out for each other"

Hospital porter, John Franklin, previously worked in the Navy, and he said this was the first time he had taken strike action.

"The NHS has that same sense of camaraderie. We are family," he said.

He was particularly concerned about the loss of NHS benefits and any impact to sick pay and pensions.

"It's scary. People are really petrified about how this is going to affect them," he said.

"TUPE [the transfer of terms and conditions] is not perfect. It protects you up to a point.

"But there's nothing to stop that company in the future saying, we need to change for financial or restructuring reasons, therefore we have to give you new contracts."

Mr Franklin said the trust management board should have approached staff and explained its contract with the in-house firm ended in April, and that it was looking for ways to save money.

"We feel that we've been let down," he said.

Shen Batmaz, a union representative, says her members were concerned about how their terms and conditions would change under a private firm

Shen Batmaz, Unison union representative, said members had been employed by the NHS for between 20 and 40 years.

"If the trust come back with a guarantee in writing that their terms and conditions are going to be protected for the entirety of their contract, and if they can promise that they will continue to have union recognition and be looked after, then the members will be off the picket line," she said.

The industrial action was planned until 31 December but could continue until April 2025, Ms Batmaz said.

A spokesperson for the trust said previously that no more information could be given until at least 17 December "once the relevant due process has been completed".