Keep Hospital Services in the NHS

The five board members in charge of Interserve, a private company which has taken charge of estates and facilities cleaning at three hospitals in Leicester, take home just under £3 million a year between them.

The company took over the contract in January 2013, when 2,000 NHS staff transferred under a TUPE agreement – which is meant to protect workers’ existing contracts. However, companies can use reorganisation as an excuse to reduce NHS terms and conditions.

Interserve is asking cleaning staff to do almost a fifth more work, in the same hours they have now, with no increase in pay. On top of this, 65 portering staff and support workers working for Interserve at Leicester Royal Infirmary have been told that they are under threat of redundancy.

This shows the logic of putting private companies in charge of services – they will want to make a profit, which is inevitably at the expense of workers and patients. By cutting the time cleaners have to do their job, this will inevitably impact on hygiene. People’s lives could be put at risk, increasing the risk of transmission of bacterial infections, such as MRSA.

In the run-up to the general election next year, Labour are attempting to position themselves to the ‘left’ of the Tories, saying they would allow public companies to compete with private companies in the railways and the NHS on a level playing field.

However, Labour encouraged privatisation when in power. Its track record shows that they can’t be trusted with the NHS.

The health unions are currently balloting for action to end a pay freeze – we support a yes vote for industrial action to protect pay, jobs and conditions. Action should be coordinated with other public sector unions to fight cuts and privatisation. Across the board, public sector workers are facing similar attacks.

The Socialist Party would end expensive and inefficient PFI (Private Finance Initiative) agreements. We would kick big business out of the NHS completely, bringing all services back ‘in house’.

We want the workers to have a say in the running of vital services – they are the ones who are best placed to make improvements. We also campaign for a living minimum wage of £10 an hour. Join us to save our NHS.

The Leicester Socialist Party is organising a public meeting on Wednesday 22nd October at 7pm titled “A strategy to defeat the cuts – one day general strike.” This event will be held at the King Richard III pub on Highcross Street in Leicester.