Health workers striking to stay in the NHS are up in arms after a leaked of the East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) chief executive surfaced suggesting the decision to privatise jobs had been made months ago, says UNISON today. The video – shot in May but only recently leaked to the Health […]
Press release

Hospital support staff from across Essex and Suffolk have written an open letter to the public today explaining that they have “no choice” but to strike to stop their jobs being sold out of the NHS, says their union UNISON. Cleaners, porters, caterers and other non-clinical support workers at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS […]

Councils across the east of England have a collective hole in their finances amounting to £218 million for the coming financial year, says UNISON research published today. New figures, based on information from local authorities across eastern England, show council funding is in a dire state with massive cuts likely to essential services and jobs, […]

Hundreds of cleaners, porters, housekeepers and other Colchester Hospital support staff are to stage a week-long strike as they battle to keep their jobs in the NHS, says UNISON today. The walkout – from Monday 19 to Friday 23 August – will also hit several community sites run by East Suffolk and North Essex NHS […]

Hundreds of cleaners, porters, caterers and other facilities staff at Colchester Hospital have voted to strike against plans to sell their jobs out of the NHS, UNISON says today. Workers voted 99% in favour of walkouts over the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust’s (ESNEFT) intention to outsource facilities staff, says the union. […]
More than 300 staff at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) have voted to strike after years of not being paid the full rate for the job, says UNISON today. An overwhelming 96% of clinical support staff backed strike action in a formal ballot, says the union. The workers, employed at the […]
Job cuts threatened at eight Norfolk primary schools could force teaching assistants to strike, UNISON warns today. Wensum Trust, which runs the schools, wants to scrap all 75 teaching assistant posts, with staff expected to compete for 48 pastoral support roles, focussed on supporting children’s emotions rather than helping them to learn, says the union. […]

Hundreds of cleaners, porters, caterers and other facilities staff at Colchester Hospital are to vote on whether to strike over plans to take their jobs out of the NHS, UNISON has announced today. Facilities staff at several East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) community sites are also balloting on strikes. ESNEFT also […]
Essex County Council has closed more children’s centres than any other local authority in England since 2010, UNISON research published today shows. The closures have devastated communities and left vulnerable families without access to vital education and health support, says the union. Freedom of Information (FoI) requests reveal that over a third (38%) of council-run […]
Huge cuts to youth services in eastern England risk creating a ‘lost generation’ of young people unable to access vital support at a crucial time in their lives, UNISON says today. New research conducted by the union has found that funding cuts have led to the closure of more than half of council-run youth centres […]
Hospital bosses want to let 150 staff go and mothball 150 beds across Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSEFT), UNISON has warned today. The trust plans to launch a voluntary severance scheme* next week to cut the 150 ‘non-frontline clinical’ posts. In a meeting with union reps this week, trust leaders were not […]

Healthcare support workers at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust have won higher wages and backpay after recent strikes, UNISON announces today. Hundreds of healthcare assistants, maternity care workers, theatre support assistants and other clinical support workers have agreed a deal that they believe properly recognises their work. The staff had been on band 2 of the […]
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) has told hundreds of cleaners, porters and caterers today their jobs could be moved out of the NHS, says UNISON. In a letter to staff, chief executive Nick Hulme says the trust is to privatise housekeeping, security and other services related to the running of Colchester […]
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) has told hundreds of cleaners, porters and caterers today their jobs could be moved out of the NHS, says UNISON. In a letter to staff, chief executive Nick Hulme says the trust is to privatise housekeeping, security and other services related to the running of Colchester […]
Hard-pressed Queen Elizabeth Hospital workers are being hit with a fresh financial challenge with the return of staff parking charges this week, UNISON warns today. NHS trusts in England stopped charging staff to park during the Covid-19 pandemic and many have kept parking free since then. Free parking is also available for hospital staff in […]