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Protestors call on ISS to
treat Liverpool Hospital cleaners with dignity
A protest has been staged outside the
Make a Difference Awards in Liverpool, on 22 September 2017, where the private
outsourcer ISS is a sponsor. ISS facilities staff provide vital services to the
Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospitals, cleaning our Hospital wards,
transporting patients around Hospital departments and cooking for patients,
visitors and staff.
ISS stands accused by the Union of stripping its workforce at Royal Liverpool
and Broadgreen University Hospital Trust of a fair sick pay policy. The ISS sick
pay policy means the most seriously ill, suffering from illnesses like cancer,
heart problems, or physical injuries, could face with the unacceptable choice of
either working when unfit to do so, or facing severe financial difficulties.
Unite, Britain's biggest Trade Union, and they are currently calling for the
reinstatement of the NHS sick pay policy. The event is a staff awards event for
those employed by Trust, but despite ISS being a sponsor of the awards, its
staff, cleaners, porters, and cooks; responsible for keeping the Hospital safe
and running smoothly; appear that they not to be eligible for any of the awards.
On Wednesday, 21 September 2017 Liverpool City Council unanimously passed a
cross party motion requesting the Mayor write to the Chief Executive of ISS
Facilities Management calling for a fair sick pay scheme.
Unite regional Officer Keith Hutson said:-
"This is not just about workers at ISS being treated as 2nd class citizens,
they are being denied access to a humane sick pay scheme while working at a
Hospital of all places. The workforce has been stripped of a fair sick pay
policy. It has been replaced with an inferior scheme where employees can only
accrue 12 sick days per year. This compares to the NHS sick pay scheme where
workers get up to 6 months on full pay and a further 6 months on half pay. It
would take around 15 years' service with ISS, without a single day off work sick
to accrue 6 months on full pay. The ISS sick pay policy means the most seriously
ill, suffering from illnesses like cancer, heart problems, or physical injuries,
are faced with the unacceptable choice of either working when unfit to do so, or
facing severe financial difficulties. Stripping workers of their dignity does
nothing to help the workforce or the Hospital and we hope the Council will
support the workforce and call for the reinstatement the original scheme."
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