Week-long South London hospital strike to go ahead from Monday
Anti-union tactics won’t stop our members striking at St George’s Hospital strikes, says GMB Union
Cleaners and Hostesses at St Georges Hospital in Tooting will take a full week of strike action beginning Monday 20 June.
The workers, who are employed by NHS contractor Mitie, are taking industrial action with the support of their union, GMB.
The dispute, which centres around pay and conditions, has already seen large numbers walk out for three days.
The previous strike action led to at least one operation being cancelled and hospital wards going uncleaned.
Helen O’Connor, GMB Regional Organiser said:
“Our members have had enough of being singled out in meetings and being intimidated by Mitie managers who are using every tactic in the book to try to stop them fighting for their most basic rights.
“They are reporting that they are being physically intimidated, shouted at, questioned about their GMB membership and isolated in rooms with the directors and interrogated.
“Mitie have driven wages, terms, conditions and the standards of the cleaning and catering services downwards and enough is enough.
“GMB representatives have tried without success to encourage St George’s NHS to engage with us to resolve this dispute. They are responsible for the tender, the failures of this contract and the very poor treatment of the staff.
“The workers want to get wages owed paid on time and Mitie is failing to do this. The St George’s Hospital senior management team have the power to resolve this situation and stop these damaging strikes next week but instead of doing this they are burying their heads in the sand.
“The impact of a whole week of strikes will be very damaging, they know it but they are trying to pretend it’s not going to happen.
“The members are clear that they want Mitie out of St George’s Hospital, so GMB union is, not for the first time, calling on the trust to take this contract back in-house.”
Contact: Helen O’Connor on 07506 711 574
