Suffolk campaigners work on legal action over privatisation

Suffolk Keep Our NHS Public and Unite Community Union has instructed their lawyers to begin the process on taking against East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) - after their decision last week to privatise jobs of 1,100 cleaners, porters and other service staff across their sites. 

They had threatened the trust about this action before the trust's board made their decision on December 5. 

ESNEFT has been at the centre of a dispute with in-house staff, represented by UNISON,  since April after writing to workers about plans to outsource their work. 

The workers have taken several weeks of industrial action in response to the plans.

The campaigners claim workers had not been "lawfully consulted" over the decision to privatise. 

They said: “The trust has not complied with the statutory guidelines and their responsibilities to consult with stakeholders, in this case their own staff, before deciding to privatise and outsource their services. 

"We believe that the Trust has failed to meet these tests and are therefore considering legal action.”

ESNEFT declined to comment. 

UNISON workers have had several days of industrial action against this decision. (Image: UNISON)  According to UNISON, outsourced staff in Ipswich are generally cheaper to employ as they are entitled to fewer days of annual leave, less sick pay, and outsourced staff also missed out on an extra one-off payment of £1,655 that NHS staff received in the last financial year.

UNISON Eastern head of health Caroline Hennessy had previously said: “It’s incredibly disappointing to see ESNEFT make this reckless decision to sell essential cleaners, porters, caterers and other staff out of the NHS.

“Public, political and academic opinion is all turning against outsourcing because it’s worse for patients and worse for workers."

The decision will affect people at Colchester Hospital and community sites such as Aldeburgh and Felixstowe hospitals and the rehabilitation clinic at Bluebird Lodge in Ipswich.

Facilities at Ipswich Hospital, also run by ESNEFT, are currently provided by private contractor OCS - but this contract ends in April next year.