Protest of Homerton hospital ISS workers on 25 August 2016, photo by Clare Doyle (Click to enlarge)

Homerton hospital contracted-out staff fight threats from ISS

Claire Laker-Mansfield

"The private contracting company, ISS, are changing staff rotas, threatening redundancies, and all the while claiming that they are listening to and consulting with the union and the workforce. The reality is they have done nothing of the sort and have kept us in the dark as much as possible".

This was a summary of the outrageous treatment of domestic, catering and security workers at Homerton hospital in Hackney, east London, given by one Unison rep.

Around 50 workers and local people took part in a lunchtime protest on 25 August. The mood of the workers was determined and spirits were high. There are already signs that management is feeling the pressure and beginning to retreat under it. ISS had originally planned 89 redundancies, but this now seems to have been reduced to a much lower number - now the fight is on to stop any at all.

ISS worker, Homerton hospital, 25 August 2016, photo by Clare Doyle (Click to enlarge)

One of the leaflet-sized placards the workers were holding (see photo on right) refers to the Ł250 million profits that ISS is making out of the health service.

Speakers at the rally emphasised the need for the workforce to stick together and huge cheers went out for the junior doctors who have taken strike action. The rally was buoyed to hear solidarity greetings had been sent to the demonstration from Jeremy Corbyn, John McDonnell and Diane Abbott.

Len Hockey, a hospital porter and the branch secretary of Unite at Whipps Cross hospital, gave a speech drawing on his experiences of Whipps workers defeating profiteering companies like ISS through determined strike action. He raised the need for coordinated action by trade unions across the health service in defence of the NHS and supported the call for the TUC to coordinate generalised strike action against the rotten austerity government.

His contribution was met with loud cheers and applause, and workers enthusiastically snapped up leaflets for the upcoming National Shop Stewards Network lobby of the TUC taking place on 11 September.

With workers planning further protests and considering the possibility of strike action, it's clear that ISS has a fight on its hands - with a united and determined workforce.

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