by London Socialist Party

Workers Rally at Whipps Cross Hospital — Workers rally at Whipps Cross
Photo: Isai Priya

Barts hospital workers will start a further fortnight of strike action on 28 February, following two weeks of solid strike action by 600 workers between 31 January and 13 February.

The workers, who provide essential services as cleaners, porters, patient food catering workers, reception staff, and security guards, work in the NHS on a contract run by private company Serco. As well as fighting for an improved pay rise, 15% for all NHS workers, they are fighting to bring the contract back in-house.

Serco has given the NHS Trust 18 months’ notice that it will be ending its contract in April 2023. It has made huge profits over the years by driving down the conditions of outsourced staff and keeping pay low.

We say, bring services back in-house now! The Barts’ bosses should be held accountable for the disaster which privatisation has meant for the staff.

Support the strike and join the picket lines!

Barts NHS strike — First round of solid action ends — all out again on 28 February

_{16TH FEBRUARY 2022}

by London Socialist Party

Following two weeks of solid strike action by 600 workers with big, bold and angry picket lines, the Barts hospital strike in east London has ended — for now.

Serco Group PLC had a turnover of £3.9 billion last year but the multinational has eventually offered just a 3% pay ‘hike’. The staff, which include cleaners and porters, are paid up to 15% less than directly employed NHS staff.

Picket lines have been huge, and strikers have been attending rallies at each hospital to bring the pickets together. The latest was a tremendous rally at Barts hospital on 9 February. The strike action has also encouraged more workers across the hospitals to get organised, and new reps have come forward.

Socialist Party members have been down to support the pickets every day and encouraged other trade unionists and campaigners to come. Other staff, patients and passers-by have all given enthusiastic support to the fight.

We say: bring services back in-house now! The Barts’ bosses should be held accountable for the disaster which privatisation has meant for the staff.

The Barts workers will start a further fortnight of action on 28 February. Socialist Party members in East London will continue to stand with them on the picket lines.

Force back Serco and Barts management!

_{11TH FEBRUARY 2022}

Fight outsourcing and privatisation!
15% pay rise for all!

by London Socialist Party

The Barts hospital workers’ picket lines in east London have been big, bold and angry. Strikers have made themselves heard, a clear message has been sent to management and Serco.

The strike has had other affects too. The action has already encouraged more workers across the hospitals to get organised and new reps have come forward.

Socialist Party members have been down to support the pickets. We have encouraged other trade unionists and campaigners to come, and spread news of the strike across the trade union movement, with hundreds of pounds raised in solidarity. Other staff, patients and passers-by have all given enthusiastic support to the fight. Most people are appalled to learn of the bullying behaviour, workloads and low pay outsourced staff at Barts Trust experience.

Serco has given the NHS Trust 18 months’ notice that it will be ending its contract in April 2023. They have made huge profits over the years by driving down the conditions of outsourced staff and keeping pay low.

We say: bring services back in-house now! The Barts’ bosses should be held accountable for the disaster which privatisation has meant for the staff.

Outsourcing is just an excuse for more companies to make a profit from our NHS. But these companies can be beaten. A number of strikes have been effective in getting workers brought back in-house. This can happen at Barts too!

If this strike wins a guarantee of being brought back in-house, especially with an early end to Serco’s contract, it can have an electrifying impact on the confidence of all staff.

All workers in the health service deserve a pay rise. As inflation rises and the cost of living increases, more NHS workers will struggle to pay the bills. Consultative ballots on pay at the end of last year got overwhelming majorities in two of the health unions.

Now a concerted effort to co-ordinate industrial ballots and strike action across all the health unions is needed. This is the only way to smash low pay in the NHS.

“Low pay, no way!” Strikers rally at Whipps Cross

_{9TH FEBRUARY 2022}

by Isai Priya, Waltham Forest Socialist Party

“Low pay, no way” and “Serco Serco, get out”. These were the messages given by the striking Barts health workers at the rally outside Whipps Cross hospital on 4 February. They also certainly know how to picket and rally – energetic, enjoyable and bold.

No one in the neighbouring area could have missed the loud chants of these determined workers fighting against low pay and privatisation – one of the key demands is for their services to be brought back in-house.

The Whipps Cross rally was joined by workers in the Royal London and Barts hospitals also on strike, and had a great line-up of speakers. Len Hockey, the secretary of Unite Barts and Socialist Party member, started the rally by congratulating the marvellous action taken by the workers so far. He was then joined by the Unite London and Eastern regional secretary Peter Kavanagh, who reaffirmed that Unite the Union will continue to support Barts workers, and one of the striking Unite reps at Whipps Cross.

Len Hockey speaking at Whipps Cross hospital. — Len Hockey speaking at the rally
Photo: Isai Priya

Linda Taaffe, Waltham Forest Socialist Party member and the secretary of Waltham Forest Trades Council, started her speech by pointing out the hypocrisy of the governor of the Bank of England who said workers should not demand a pay rise, and yet he gets paid £575,538! She gave solidarity from the trades council and reported that at its annual general meeting this month, they agreed to organise a public meeting to bring together the four industrial disputes taking place in the borough.

Rob Williams, the national chair of the National Shop Stewards Network, said: “This dispute could be settled today if Barts bosses committed to bring the outsourced workers back in-house on NHS contracts from day one.”

Other speakers included an RMT member and tube striker from Hainault depot.

The strikers and supporters then marched in one of the biggest demos by workers seen in Waltham Forest. It shows that workers are fighting back locally.

There were more speeches at the end, and Len Hockey, concluding the rally, outlined the plan for strike action the following week. The Barts workers are out until 13 February and then will start a further fortnight of action on 28 February.

Socialist Party members in East London will continue to stand with them on the picket lines.

NHS workers begin strike for 15% and against outsourcing

_{3RD FEBRUARY 2022}

‘Serco out, Serco go!’

by Socialist Party reporters

Hundreds of outsourced NHS workers in east London have begun a two-week strike for higher pay and an end to privatisation — key issues in the NHS nationally too.

Cleaners, porters, security guards, caterers and receptionists at Barts Health NHS Trust are employed by private company Serco. 600 members of general union Unite across three of the trust’s hospitals are in dispute.

The pickets at Whipps Cross in Waltham Forest, Royal London in Tower Hamlets, and St Bart’s in the City of London, were alive with chanting, singing, dancing and speeches. They have all had numerous visits from trade unionists and Socialist Party members.

Royal London Hospital picket line — Royal London picket line
Photo: Paul Mattsson

Other staff, patients and passers-by have all given enthusiastic support to these key workers fighting back. Even the BBC, usually a mouthpiece for the government and employers, woke up and took notice – running the Barts strike on breakfast, lunchtime and evening news!

Starting the picket lines at 5.30am, workers chant “Serco out, Serco go!” The energy continues all morning, and culminated on Monday 31 January in a rally at the Royal London Hospital at lunchtime.

Socialist Party member and Unite Barts branch secretary Len Hockey spoke to the rally calling for a 15% pay rise for all, and for Serco’s contract to be brought back in-house. Bosses at Barts Trust are to blame for these workers’ appalling pay and conditions, caused by outsourcing.

Outsourced Barts workers earn far less than their directly employed counterparts. Bringing them back in-house means bringing them back up to the rate for the job – which itself needs increasing. All NHS workers need 15% to start to reverse the money robbed from them by inflation.

The threat of strike action alone forced Serco bosses to raise their derisory 1% pay ‘increase’ offer to 3%. The workers have also rejected this – ‘RPI’ inflation has jumped to 7.5%, and the price of many essentials has risen even more!

Serco has given the NHS Trust 18 months’ notice that it will be ending its contract in April 2023 – unable to screw enough profit out of even this vulture arrangement. We say: bring it back in-house now!

The big numbers on the picket lines reflect the massive vote for strike action – 97%. One striker told the Socialist: “Serco do not treat us fairly. We want them to give us a pay rise – but also for them to go.”

The strike is due to continue until at least 13 February, with picket lines every Monday through Saturday at each hospital. As we go to press, strikers are due to rally at Whipps Cross on Friday 4 February at 11am.

For details of picket lines, rallies and how to support the strike, check the latest National Shop Stewards Network bulletin at shopstewards.net