Trust’s bullying tactics undermine national negotiations
Published: 04 October 2012
Royal College of Nursing members at the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust have been advised not to sign any new contracts. The RCN is seeking legal advice after North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust issued advanced notification of redundancy forms to 5,452 staff, without any negotiation with unions.
The trust’s actions would mean that if staff did not agree to new terms and conditions by the end of March 2013, they would be dismissed and offered re-employment on inferior terms and conditions.
Northern Region Director Glenn Turp said that members are furious and “The trust is bullying and intimidating the workforce, to get them to sign new, less favourable contracts.”It is vitally important that you do not sign this new contract, because we believe that the trust’s proposals may be unlawful.”
“This is an incredibly confrontational approach, particularly as national negotiations are still continuing. It is almost as if they are deliberately trying to undermine national negotiations.
“In 30 years of working with NHS management, I don’t think I have ever seen a more bullying and intimidatory approach by a trust.”
Glen added that it is incredibly inappropriate for a trust to undermine national negotiations at this stage. “Our national negotiating team is already actively engaged with national Government negotiators, trying very hard to get a national deal done on new national terms and conditions.
“For whatever reason, it is clear that the trust has decided to go it alone, and it needs to be clear that we are not taking anything off the table in terms of the very robust response we are planning.
“This is a trust that is so financially desperate that it resorted to holding car boot sales recently, in a effort to shore up finances. You really couldn’t make it up.”
The RCN Northern Region recently launched a public campaign against regional pay and conditions in the NHS.