GMB Scotland Calling Notice - ISS Hairmyres Demonstration

GMB Scotland Calling Notice

Where: ISS Hairmyres Demonstration - Scottish Parliament Main Entrance

When: Thursday 2 May 2019, from 11AM

“Pay us what you owe us!” Hard pressed Hairmyres staff call for political intervention over employer’s wage grab

GMB Scotland members in Hairmyres hospital will lobby the Scottish Parliament tomorrow (Thursday 2 May) over changes to their employer’s payroll system, which will leave many staff in the East Kilbride hospital short of one week’s wages.

NHS Lanarkshire facilities contractor ISS are rolling out new payroll arrangements across its UK operations, codenamed ‘Project Greenfield’, affecting over 300 staff currently paid on a fortnightly basis at the East Kilbride hospital.

The changes mean staff like cleaners, porters, laundry and finance workers, who should be paid today will have to wait until Thursday 9 May for their next pay date – a period of three weeks for receipt of two weeks’ pay in arrears.

GMB has written to the Chief Executive of NHS Lanarkshire Calum Campbell, copying in the Cabinet Secretary for Health Jeane Freeman MSP, asking for interventions to prevent hardship for NHS staff and to uphold the principles of the Fair Work Convention (GMB letter to Calum Campbell can be viewed here).

ISS has offered ‘bridging loans’ and ‘emotional support’ for affected staff, who have submitted individual grievances against their employer’s cash-grab and are also undertaking a consultative ballot for strike action.

GMB Scotland Organiser Karen Leonard said: “The payroll changes being imposed by ISS are an absolute scandal and run the risk of plunging hard working NHS staff and their families into unnecessary hardship.

ISS have failed to consult with staff trade unions and their actions are a complete contradiction of the Scottish Government’s Fair Work Convention principles - this shouldn’t be happening in our NHS.

The Chief Executive of NHS Lanarkshire has effectively washed his hands of the matter and we have heard nothing by means of response from the Cabinet Secretary for Health, which is deeply disappointing and left our members to fight this alone.

“There is no excuse for making staff work for a loan of their own wages, so tomorrow our members will go to Holyrood with a message for ISS that’s straight to the point: ‘We don’t want loans and we don’t your support – just pay us what you owe us’.

“We hope that any politician who believes that Scotland should be a fair work nation, and agrees that staff in our NHS should be properly valued and not punished for their hard work, will join us at the demo and support our cause.”

ENDS

Contact: GMB Scotland Organiser Karen Leonard, 07718 112031 or Peter Welsh, GMB Scotland Communications, on 07976 447077.