A thousand porters, cleaners and catering staff at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London are celebrating after the contract officially came back in-house today (1 April).
The staff – who work in the trust’s five hospitals across the capital – previously were employed by private contractor Sodexo who held the contract since 2015. The trust announced its decision to bring staff back in-house on 30th January following negotiations with UNISON.
As part of the transfer back to the NHS, staff will see their pay, pensions and sickness allowances brought in line with other health service workers, ending years of unfair treatment, says the union.
UNISON Greater London Regional Organiser Debbie Eakins said: “‘In this most difficult of times for the country we welcome this news, this means that the delivery of crucial front line NHS services will be based on quality not cost.
“Now more than ever the role this group of staff will play is vital, it’s often the case that some of the most important jobs are done by the lowest paid staff and we welcome this step in addressing these inequalities.
“We look forward to working with the trust and continuing to make the case for all outsourced workers to be brought back into the NHS as soon as possible”