Hospital workers' jobs protest

The lunchtime demonstration at Rotherham General Hospital was part of a European-wide Trade Union Congress day of action against public spending cuts.

Rotherham UNISON health branch chairman Alan Daw said that it was a lively protest, well supported by hospital visitors and passing motorists.

“The protest was held to reflect the anger staff feel at the threatened cuts in jobs and services at Rotherham General Hospital, which is part of the Government’s attack on public services and the cuts in the NHS,” he said.

“As a branch we will be continuing our protest when a delegation of union members goes to Birmingham on Sunday for a demonstration called by the Right to Work campaign and national unions outside the Tory Party conference.”

Union leaders negotiating to save jobs at the hospital claim that health chiefs from the Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, have announced that 58 of its staff had been placed “at risk” of the axe while 37 redundancies are already considered unavoidable.

UNISON officials say staff at the hospital have been left “utterly shattered” by news of these cuts.

In an announcement made last week, the Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust’s chief executive, Brian James, said that the staff cuts were being made among “back office” employees and would not effect front-line services.

He said that the move was an essential part of improving the trust’s efficiency.