Seasonal Greetings

Yet another busy week at NUHT!!

We have been telling the Trust that in the current economic climate there is no justification for a rise in car parking charges.

We have been pressing the Trust to provide us with the figures relating to car parking finances, and these figures show that after paying for the MediLink service, the Security contract and all the other things that this revenue is used for, there is a surplus of £149,000.

We believe there is no justification to increase car parking fees.

What we have also learnt this week is that the all of the services currently provided by Estates and Facilities are going through a 'market testing' exercise, which will lead to a tendering process, which could lead to wholesale privatisation.

NUHT's previous experience of having services provided by the private sector has been a very poor one, even by it's own admission.

The best way to prevent this mass privatisation is the collective strength of UNISON, so I urge all non- members to join us and existing members to get active in the union.

As we enter the last shopping days before Christmas, if you are going shopping this weekend or later next week for the sales please please please follow this simple rule:

Look where you are going or go where you are looking!!

Must go now as I have to explain what Saturnalia is to my neighbours.

LHS

Bennie

Under Pressure

I think the whole nursing community and beyond was deeply saddened by the death of the nurse from the Edward VII Hospital following the prank phone call from the Austrailian DJs.

What this shows, and I think this point has been missed, is the immense pressure that individual nurse are under. It would be wrong to speculate on an individual case but throughout the nursing profession there are dedicated, caring individuals whose first thought is always for the patient, and it is this that management play on as our terms and conditions are slowly eroded.

Since the 'election' of the Cameron/Clegg government (please note I use the word 'election' incorrectly) there are 5,000 fewer nurses working in the NHS, we are still in a pay freeze, our pensions are more expensive and for less return, staff are constantly unable to provide the nursing care that patients need and deserve, and yet there still remains the unwillingness of the nursing profession to take industrial action, citing patients will suffer if we do. I believe that patients are suffering because we don't.

On a more local issue, I blogged last week that the Trust had issued what were effectively 'complusary redundancy notices'. Well, I am happy to report, that due to UNISON's intervention, these notices have been withdrawn and we have made the Trust realise that it is not above the law.

Until next week,

LHS,

Bennie

This week at NUHT

Dear Reader,

What a busy week at NUHT!!

The number of cases keep rolling in, TUPE transfers, Dismissal Appeals, Sickness review meetings, the list goes on.

Lots of discussions with HR this week about the constant denial of our member's rights that we thought were enshrined in paragraph 3.2 of the Disciplinary Policy.

The greatest irony is that management appear to be ignoring this section of the policy, whilst at the same time disciplining our members for allegedly breaching other policies.

This appears to be one rule for staff and another rule for managers, and this is after we thought we had agreed these policies and fully expect them to be binding on both parties!!

Hay ho, we'll keep on raising these issues and we'll keep the pressure on HR to apply fairness.

We have been warning that the Trust will eventually have to turn to compulsory redundancy to meet the financial cuts they are faced with and we believe that a dozen 'redundancy notices' have been issued this week. The Trust have denied they are redundancy notices but we think any letter that informs a member of staff that they are losing their job IS a redundancy notice, an extremely unwelcome Christmas present!!!

Now is the time, more than ever, for you to be a member of UNISON.

On a completely different subject, I recall a famous quote " The only certainties in life are death and taxes", well, following a consumer boycott seriously effecting their profits Starbucks have been forced by people power to accept " death OR taxes" and have agreed to pay tax!

I hope the CEO of Starbucks has used his mobile to phone the CEO of Vodaphone to get them to do the same....I for one would drink to that...but not with a Starbucks coffee!!

Until next time,

LHS,

Bennie

Happy Saturnalia

Dear Reader,

Welcome to UNISON Nottingham University Hospitals branch's brand new blog!!

I have never blogged before so I hope I am doing this right.

I will endeavour to keep this blog updated so you are all aware what your local UNISON branch is up to and I guess more importantly, what the Trust is up to.

A lot of what I post may have to be coded so as not to fall foul of the rules on confidentiality, but I can promise you all that I will not post anything that is not accurate or truthful.

As the 25th December approaches and the commercialisation of this event begins to ramp up, I want you to take a moment to ask yourself what is the origin of Christmas?

The answer is the Roman festival of Saturnalia, a two week festival of merriment and partying, symbolised by master and servant swapping roles and servants being bestowed with gifts from the masters.

This festival was later hijacked by the Catholic church as very few were interested in a festival to celebrate the 'birth of Christ'.

So let me be the first to wish you Happy Saturnalia and invite you to reclaim the true meaning of this December festival and join us at The Rose of England pub, Mansfield Road, near Victoria Centre, for what is being advertised as UNISON's 'Christmas' Party (I still have lots of educating to do!!). 7pm till Late, tickets £5 from your local rep or from the UNISON office at CHN or QMC.

LHS,

Bennie