Support privatised workers - sick pay rights removed

Important news from Unite:

ISS facilities staff provide vital services to the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospitals, cleaning our hospital wards, transporting patients around hospital departments and cooking for patients, visitors and staff. Yet when they are ill and unable to come to work, they are being denied access to a fair sick pay scheme unlike that available to NHS workers and ISS workers at other trusts.

The Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen University Hospitals Trust outsourced the facilities management to ISS. The staff went from being NHS staff, to contractors on inferior terms and conditions. Their sick pay was reduced to 12 days, meaning that those who are the most seriously ill and most in need of time away from work - workers suffering from illnesses like cancer, heart problems, or physical injuries - are the people who are faced with the difficult decision of either working when unfit to do so, or facing severe financial difficulties due to not being paid.

The time has come to say 'enough is enough'. ISS workers are understandably upset at being treated as second-class workers within the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen hospitals.

A collective grievance containing over 270 names was submitted to management calling for the full sick pay scheme to be reinstated. However, ISS management have repeatedly ignored all attempts to discuss this issue with Unite officials and to bring this to a resolution. We will not allow the fight for fairness to be ignored and call on the communities of Liverpool to support the ISS workers;

Please support our campaign for a fair sick pay scheme for ISS workers:

• Sign our petition calling on ISS to negotiate with the staff and their reps.
• Contact your MP or councillor to ask them to support our campaign.
• Spread the word: ask your friends and family to support the campaign.

Click here for the petition, which you can print off. Completed forms can be either scanned or photographed and e-mailed to Irene Emery at Unite (Irene.Emery@unitetheunion.org) or posted addressed to Irene or Dave Kelly at:

Unite the Union, Jack Jones House, 2 Churchill Way, Liverpool, L3 8EF