GMB warn NHS not to give contracts to Thames Ambulance Services Ltd
“Yet again it is the workers who are paying the price for this long running disastrous privatisation”, says GMB Southern
GMB, the union for Ambulance Service workers will on Sunday warn the NHS to not giving contracts to Thames Ambulance Services Ltd at all costs.
Recently GMB members working for Thames Ambulance providing non-emergency patient transport services (PTS) in Sussex were issued with redundancy notices; this despite GMB warning that the staff should have been given the opportunity to transfer back into the NHS, where they belong.
On Sunday afternoon these GMB members will gather with local MPs and the Shadow Secretary of State for Health outside Labour Party Conference for a photo opportunity, to try to help others in the NHS avoid the problems they have experienced.
The photo op will take place:
Sunday 22nd September 2019
between 2.30pm – 4.30pm
Joined by Peter Kyle MP (3pm) and Lloyd Russell Moyle MP (4pm). They will also be joined by Jon Ashworth, Shadow Secretary of State for Health (time TBC) and Tim Roache GMB General Secretary (time TBC).
Members and MPs will gather outside the Costa Coffee (Odeon Brighton) which is to the right of the conference centre (when looking at it from the sea front)
The problems with Thames Ambulance originally stem from the disastrous Patient Transport Contract given to Coperforma in 2015.
Gary Palmer, GMB Regional Officer said: "Yet again it is the workers who are paying the price for this long running disastrous privatisation. GMB members through no fault of their own, now find themselves unemployed because of the failure of the private sector to provide high quality patient transport services.
"We are pleased that most of the staff who were originally affected are back in the NHS where they belong. However that doesn’t help these Thames Ambulance employees who have been thrown on the scrap heap by Thames Ambulance.
"GMB members will be coming together with MPs to highlight the shoddy practices of Thames Ambulance. We know that despite their poor performance on the Sussex contract they are now bidding for more contracts. We want to send a clear message that no public contracts should be given to Thames Ambulance Services Ltd.
"Thames Ambulance in Sussex have provided a substandard PTS services and when things got tough they have just withdrawn from the contract throwing workers on the scrap heap. They cannot be allowed to do this elsewhere as well.
"GMB are very pleased to have the support of Lloyd Russell-Moyle MP, Peter Kyle MP and Jon Ashworth MP and Shadow Secretary of State for Health continuing to support PTS workers in Sussex as they have throughout this long running saga."
Contact: Gary Palmer 07552 165950 or GMB Southern Press Office 07970 114762
