GMB members in Great Western Hospital in Swindon to ballot for action

12 December 2011

GMB is calling on Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust to investigate these allegations in the contract run in their name by Carillion.

150 GMB members employed by Carillion at the 400 bed Great Western NHS Hospital in Swindon run by the Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust, are to ballot for strike action over bullying, harassment and discrimination by their management. These members work as porters, theatre technicians, in catering and cleaning and other support roles in the hospital.

The hospital was one of the first to be built under the Private Finance Initiative at a cost of £148 m with Carillion as the lead contractor. The hospital opened in 2002 to replace the services previously provided at the Princess Margaret Hospital, which had served the town since 1959.

The facilities at the hospital include an accident and emergency department which sees approximately 50,000 patients per year, an Acute Assessment Unit, an eight bedded Intensive Care Unit, an intermediate care Centre on site, a health and social care education Centre called the academy, and a wide range of wards and clinics, including 400 in-patient beds, serving approximately 300,000 people.

Carole Vallelly GMB Regional officer said “GMB members at the hospital had a private meeting with Paul Kenny GMB General Secretary when he visited them at hospital today (Monday 12 December). He was told of the myriad problems members are experiencing at the hands of managers of Carillion. He was told that these problems have as their root the PFI contractor's failure to deal properly with concerns over holiday arrangements, shift arrangements and general consultation with the staff. Instead they face a culture of bullying, harassment and discrimination.

They asked that their concerns be reported to the Central Executive Council (CEC) of the union so that they could be given authority to ballot for strike action to get the problems addressed. I will now take steps to consult members to ensure that there is a full report to next CEC asking for authority to move to an official strike ballot on this matter.”

Paul Kenny speaking after his meeting with members said “GMB is calling on Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust to investigate these allegations of bullying, harassment and discrimination in the contract run in their name by Carillion.

There is no place in a modern health service for bullying, harassment or discrimination. Either the Trust takes action about this or the union members will”.

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