Facts behind the dispute of our hospital porters

We have produced regular press releases to keep the public informed and any support from the public and service users is a huge boost for our members involved in the dispute.

However, both readers seem to have incomplete or wrong facts on the issues, so as well as putting both their minds and the minds of any concerned readers of the Oxford Mail, at ease, I will also take the opportunity to correct these facts.

While our porters have indeed been in a protracted dispute since earlier this year, the UNISON branch has been supporting them throughout. We recently secured from Carillion, ACAS-facilitated discussions in an attempt to negotiate a deal that protects the porters’ jobs and from losing any money in the shift changes.

A team made up of porters affected and branch officers, with support from UNISON staff have been attending these discussions.

We will be meeting with our members soon on the outcomes of these negotiations.

They will decide whether to accept or not.

If we cannot secure a deal, our members will be taking strike action this Thursday and Friday, August 27 and 28.

We do have additional problems with Carillion that UNISON is dealing with, but it is unfair to say that because of these we are failing our members.

UNISON stewards and branch officers have been working extremely hard to support the porters throughout this dispute and as their trade union we will continue to support them until this dispute is resolved, regardless of how long it takes.

I’m unclear where either reader got their information regarding the dispute, but if readers want to know the truth about the porters dispute, they can contact the UNISON Branch and we will be happy to answer any questions or pass on messages of support to the porters.

JANE LACEY
Branch Secretary Oxfordshire Unison Health Branch
East Oxford Health Centre
Manzil Way, Oxford