Health Service Workers Industrial Union 610

All workers employed in hospitals and health restoration services.

Campaign for a Canteen - victory at Birmingham NHS Blood & Transplant centre

Posted Fri, 10/01/2010 - 11:58am by x344543

Workers at Birmingham's NHS Blood & Transplant centre in Edgbaston have just successfully organised to get a hot food canteen through a popular campaign.

Earlier this year office staff moved into former lab space left empty following cuts and closures. This influx highlighted and reminded people just how poor the existing catering on site was. Years ago there had been a full canteen serving cooked breakfast and the like, but the contract was operated by a local hospital and when that ended, no-one was willing to take it on, so the canteen was closed. Since then all that staff have had is over-priced vending machines which supply only salty, fatty and sugary junk food, and are frequently half empty. The dry sandwiches are universally hated. Considering the employer is the NHS, it seemed not a lot of thought had gone into how what employees eat effects our health, fitness, well-being, energy and concentration - especially those who work shifts.

This issue was something that absolutely everybody felt strongly about, so it was decided that instead of grumbling, which achieves nothing, a Campaign for a Canteen would be launched. The UNISON branch agreed to give the campaign its full backing. A petition was circulated and was signed by all, even visiting managers from other centres. An open meeting was also held so that ideas could be brainstormed to go into a written case.

Members of UNISON, Unite, IWW and also non-union members all came up with very strong arguments. The case was put together and presented to management along with pages of signatures, and a right earful from some of the most fired-up staff! Then, once we had made our case, many of us helped to keep the pressure up by sending the regional manager regular individual emails.

In the end management felt that our case was quite simply so strong and logical on all fronts that the only choice they had was to concede to our demand. Now we will be getting a full serving hatch which will give us access to hot fresh food and fruit and veg. This will be a good boost to morale and hopefully to people's health as well. Birmingham blood centre has lost a lot in the past few years and it's about time that we got something back! But this wasn't a gift - the truth is we wouldn't have got it if we hadn't organised.

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Minnesota Progressive - Trade Union Betrayal on Healthcare

Posted Wed, 01/14/2009 - 8:22pm by x344543

By Michael Cavlan - from Opednews.com, January 12, 2009.

On January 8, 2009, there was a Press Conference in the Minnesota Capitol in St Paul, organized by a coalition of "Trade Union" and so called "progressive" groups.

The organization included TakeAction Minnesota, AFSCME Council 5, Children's Defense Fund Minnesota, Education Minnesota, ISAIAH, Minnesota Nurses Association, SEIU Minnesota State Council, The AFL-CIO.

The Press Conference was organized to trumpet "coalition representing 350,000 Minnesotans will launch its "Make Health Happen" campaign to reform the state's health care system, which now leaves hundreds of thousands of state residents without health coverage and many thousands more underinsured."

These group of self described "progressives" support the "Minnesota Health Security Act" to be Introduced The group will also unveil the "Minnesota Health Security Act" (MHSA) which charts a clear path to guaranteed affordable health coverage for all Minnesotans, starting with children. It will be introduced in both the House and Senate. The bill is based on the Children's health Security Act, which successfully passed the state House in 2007. The bill's authors, Representative Paul Thissen and Senator Tony Lourey, will participate in the event.

IWW and Friends Prepare to Take on Useless Blood Service Bosses

Posted Wed, 02/06/2008 - 2:27pm by x344543

Originally published at UK Indymedia

The last year saw the IWW and their allies launch a nation-wide campaign to prevent NBS management from enacting dangerous cuts that will only serve to ease their own workload. IWW members in the NBS’s recognised unions (Unison and Unite) have also been at the forefront of the campaign to push the big unions to act against the plans, rather than seemingly roll over and let management do whatever they want.

NBS bosses plan to centralise thirteen blood processing centres into three ‘supercentres’ in Colindale, Manchester and Bristol. This means 600 jobs will be slashed and local economies and labour markets are going to be hit hard. What’s more, the transport of blood will be even more reliant on our already-overcrowded and polluting road system, with many hospitals more than 100 miles from the nearest centre. Put simply, these plans are a danger to workers, communities and patients.

IWW spurs Blood Service fightback

Posted Thu, 01/10/2008 - 1:31pm by x344543

January 7th saw the return of MPs to the UK Parliament. It also saw the IWW co-ordinate an international phone blockade. Wobblies chose to celebrate the occasion by sending a message to the Health Minister -Alan Johnson - that cuts to the National Blood Service are notacceptable. Phones were tied up all day as campaigners and supporters from as far afield as Poland, Canada, and the United States, as well as hundreds from around the UK, took part. The IWW in the UK has an active and growing job branch in an NBS processing centre. The action took place ahead of the NHSBT Board meeting on the 10th, where bosses have met to take stock of the management review into their cuts plans.

UK IWW fight against blood service centralisation plans

Posted Sat, 12/08/2007 - 1:28am by x344543

by IWW National Blood Service - IWW; Sunday, Dec 2 2007, 5:36pm
iww.nbs@googlemail.com

IWW launches second phase of fight against blood service centralisation plans

National Blood Service bosses in England and Wales plan to axe over 600 jobs and put patients lives across the National Health Service at threat.

The campaign, from workers in the National Blood Service and the IWW has become increasingly active, and the IWW is growing in the service. Now the IWW is launching a new phase of the campaign, to counter the employer offensive.

The IWW is fighting the closure of 10 blood processing centres across England. This is the largest campaign yet attempted by the IWW in the UK (BIROC), and has led to large scale regional mobilisations, and the distribution of 55,000 leaflets and 5000 targeted workplace bulletins.