Exeter hospital porters appeal for support

Hospital porters in Exeter are gearing up for strike action this weekend over management attempts to move them onto 12-hour shifts – and asking for support from colleagues across the union. The porters at the Royal Devon and Exeter foundation trust are among some of the lowest-paid staff in the NHS, but 96% of them voted for industrial action, with a 24-hour strike due to start at 6am on Friday 20 October and an 8-hour follow-up strike from 10pm on Sunday 22 October. UNISON South West has also launched a Respect Our Porters campaign to support the workers concerned, who have been invited to meet their local MP Ben Bradshaw at Westminster on Thursday. The 26 UNISON members involved in the dispute currently work an eight-hour shift and are concerned that moving to the longer shifts would mean increased fatigue and sickness, affecting patient care. Local reps Alan Doyle and Greg Ticehurst say: “We push 600lb beds up and down miles of corridors at least a dozen times a day. “On our current eight-hour shift we walk on average 12 miles, we run to cardiac arrest emergencies and we run to the helipad. “We’ve all told managers in our consultation meetings that we are exhausted after our current eight-hour shifts – they won’t listen.” UNISON regional organiser Oliver Foster-Burnell says the dispute could be resolved if management dropped the new shift plans and working with the porters and their union on a more inclusive review to improve the service. The employer ar...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: Article News ancillary and maintenance health care NHS Respect our Porters unison south west Source Type: news