GMB announce lunchtime demos to reverse East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust parking charge increases
GMB, the union for NHS healthcare professionals and support workers, are announcing two lunchtime demos in support of the on-going GMB campaign to halt unfair staff parking charge increases.
GMB members and staff are currently making their views and support known through an online petition together with a collective grievance on behalf of affected GMB members and staff seeking a change of heart by the trust.
Details of the demos are as follows:
Tuesday 4th September from 12 - 2pm
Eastbourne DGH Hospital
Kings Dr
Eastbourne
BN21 2UD
Wednesday 5th September from 12 - 2pm
Hastings Conquest Hospital
The Ridge
Hastings
Saint Leonards-on-sea
TN37 7RD
The enforced parking increases by the East Sussex Heathcare NHS Trust (ESHT), which are spread over two years, currently outstrip the recent NHS pay award increase which saw many hard working NHS staff either receive much less than they expected or as in some cases with spine point changes less money than they were paid prior to the pay rise.
The car parking charges will initially increase from 60p to 80p for part time staff / Band 1 and 2, and from £1 to £1.50 for all other staff!
There will be a further rise on the 1st of April 2019 taking the cost to £1 for part time staff / Bands 1 and 2, and £2 for all other staff, which will equate to a rise of around 66% and 100% respectively.
Gary Palmer, GMB Regional Organiser says: "Actions like this make you wonder if anyone at senior management and board level have any idea what its actually like to try to budget on an ever decreasing valued salary. To put up staff parking charges at the same time people have started to realise just how poorly they had faired from the recent disappointing NHS pay award, shows a total lack of understanding of how even a small change to income and/or out goings, can leave those already potential struggling in despair.
"ESHT staff like other NHS employees found they are to get less pay than they were anticipating and deserve by the government, and then find out that their uncaring employer wants them to pay more to come to work… to earn less money!
"Of course the trust then making disingenuous comments about wanting to incentivise schemes to reduce parking congestion, and create greener travel options for staff is just ridiculous. This is about revenue, it always is at ESHT.
"Reducing staff car parking numbers will just see the trust then looking to increase car parking charges for those who still choose to drive to work even faster as parking revenues decrease and to release staff parking spaces to increase public parking to again increase revenue even further.
"NHS staff shouldn’t have to pay to park when turning up for work and having an employer trying then to make an increased profit from you is possibly immoral.
"Members and staff have told us that if the trust can find evidence that staff parking up-keep and improvements exceed current income, then through full and open consultation, staff might agree to a nominal increase to cover any short term additional expenditure. However, this must be in the understanding that once funded, staff parking charges are reduced to its lowest level and are jointly subsidised by the trust and future staff parking charges.
"All ESHT staff who agree that the staff parking increases are unwarranted should consider signing the GMB’s Reverse East Sussex Healthcare NHS Hospital Trust unfair staff parking increases online petition, as many of their colleagues are doing and join us at one or both of the lunch time demos outside the trust’s two acute hospitals on the 4th or 5th September."
Contact: Gary Palmer GMB Organiser 07552 165 950 or Mark Turner GMB Branch Secretary 07860 787 973 or GMB Southern Press Office 07970 114 762
Notes to Editors: "Reverse East Sussex Healthcare Hospital Trust unfair staff parking increases!"
https://chn.ge/2Md28Vo
