GMB members at Chase Farm Hospital in Enfield, who are employed by ISS, are striking for respect at work

Workers who are cleaners, security workers and caterers are on strike at Chase Farm Hospital in London. They work in the NHS, but are not employed by the NHS, and that is the root cause of a world of pain. Their story is not unique. It is a story that is repeated across our public services

The new government wants to make all work pay and has said it wants to make workers know that it is on their side. Dealing with the consequences of outsourcing is part of the immediate challenge.

When you speak to them and listen, you quickly learn that they are proud of the contribution they make to the NHS, proud of the contribution they make to patient care, and they are proud of the work they do.

But here is the rupture; they work in the NHS, but they are not employed by the NHS.

The Chase Farm Hospital workers in the photo above are employed by ISS, the outsourcer that has contracts across our public services. G4S, ISS, SERCO, Mitie and Capita are outsourcing giants. The numbers on the balance sheet show that the NHS spends between £1.8 billion and perhaps as much as £2.5 billion each year on outsourced services. 

If you are one of the workers what this means is that you might be employed by one of the outsourced companies for years, but if it loses the contract in a re-tendering, you find yourself, if you are lucky, employed by a different company. If you are unlucky, you are made redundant in the inevitable restructuring, cost-cutting and intensification of work that follows a re-tendering.

And what of the day-to-day experience? Let’s be clear, when outsourcing companies say they bring private sector expertise to outsourced contracts they actually mean they make profits by squeezing the terms and conditions of their workers; worse pay, elimination of shift premia, worse pensions, minimum leave arrangements, worse sick pay arrangements, job losses and intensification of work.

The delivery of outsourcing contracts isn’t uniform, and some are managed better than others. But typically, workers employed on outsourcing contracts report that they are treated as units to be shifted about, and poor management and bullying are routine. Those outsourced workers who are proud of their work and proud of their contribution to patient care and to our nation’s NHS are not treated with the dignity and respect that they, and every worker, deserves.

More than a year ago GMB submitted a collective grievance on behalf of dozens of workers that are employed by ISS at Chase Farm Hospital. After months of negotiation resulted in a ‘failure to agree’ on members’ claims concerning working practices, workplace culture, elimination of bullying, equalisation of terms with NHS staff, and union recognition, the members were balloted on their employer’s proposals and 95 percent voted to reject and support industrial action.

These are ‘low-paid’ workers and going on strike inevitably means hardship for them, but they are demanding respect, dignity and a voice at work. They are saying ‘our work matters and we matter.

The workers began strike action 15 July and they were on strike 15-17 and 22-24 July. Paul Nowak, TUC general secretary, visited their picket line 23 July, with TUC LESE, to offer solidarity and to listen to reps and members to learn more about the dispute.

In the immediate and short term, the North London NHS Foundation Trust should be on the alert to ISS practices and behaviours, and it should put pressure on ISS to improve its employment practices. When the NHS procures an outsourcer to provide services it should be an active procurer, monitoring and driving performance.

In the longer term the delivery of Labour’s promise to deliver the biggest wave of insourcing in a generation is key, because it is so much easier to secure decent employment standards under the framework of direct employment.

If you agree that public services should work for people, not just for profit, please sign our record of support for Labour’s insourcing pledge

If you want to know more about the union movement’s Our Work Matters campaign, and how outsourced workers are organising, campaigning and fighting back, join our mailing list