Privatisation-threatened domestics rally outside Princess Alexandra Hospital

Domestics at Princess Alexandra Hospital rallied today to keep their jobs in the NHS.

UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis joined dozens of domestics for a lunchtime rally outside the hospital to express their opposition to the mooted privatisation of their jobs.

UNISON warns that outsourcing would create a two-tier workforce and damage the hospital’s leading infection control rates.

The domestics are currently balloting on strike action to keep their jobs in the NHS, with the result expected next week.

UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “The cleaners at Princess Alexandra Hospital work incredibly hard and do a vital job. They’re essential to the smooth running of the NHS and to protecting patients.

“Keeping sick people safe from infection is life-saving work. But this will become harder if services are outsourced.

“This creeping privatisation of the NHS also threatens to undermine workers’ rights. Bosses must be stopped from robbing low-paid employees of decent wages for the sake of profit.”