Alan Lofthouse
924 posts
@loftyfubar
Dad, husband, dog owner and trade unionist. Sometimes DJ! Former chef, paramedic and now current Assoc CIPD member. Love the NHS and TECHNO. Views my own
🚨 BREAKING NEWS: UNISON win in Supreme Court to stop bad bosses from punishing striking workers 'The most important industrial action case for decades,' UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea The government must now act quickly to change the law and ensure no other employees are treated unfairly. Judges in the Supreme Court have told employers they’ll no longer be able to discipline their staff for taking part in legal strike action in a UK Supreme Court ruling today. UNISON took the case on behalf of care worker Fiona Mercer. Today’s judgment follows a two-day hearing in December. UNISON took the case to the Supreme Court to overturn an earlier Court of Appeal decision. The union had argued this had left the UK in breach of international law and striking employees without proper protection. The Supreme Court judges were scathing of the government’s failure to provide the minimum protection UK workers should have been granted, says UNISON. UK law prevents employers from sacking employees who take legal strike action, but until today, it offered no protection to anyone subsequently picked upon for walking out in a dispute. Fiona had originally taken a case against her then employer, Alternative Futures Group (AFG), a charity based in the north west of England, to an employment tribunal in 2020. She had been involved in a dispute over AFG’s plans to cut payments to care staff who did sleep-in shifts. Fiona’s employer wasn’t happy, singled her out, suspended her and barred her from going into work or contacting colleagues during the action. Fiona’s case wound up at an employment appeal tribunal (EAT) in 2021, which found in her favour. It said UK law must protect her from being victimised for going on strike. That should have been it, says UNISON, as the charity had then decided it wasn’t prepared to proceed any further. But the then business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng intervened and took the case to the Court of Appeal, which subsequently decided to reverse the EAT decision in March 2022. Back to where it started, UNISON sought permission on behalf of Fiona to take the case to the highest court in the land, and this led to the judgment handed down today. UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea @cmcanea “This is the most important industrial action case for decades. It’s a victory for every employee who might one day want to challenge something bad or unfair their employer has done. “Rogue bosses won’t like it one bit. They’ll no longer be able to punish or ill-treat anyone who dares to take strike action to try to solve any problems at work. “No one strikes on a whim. There are many legal hoops to be jumped through first. But when a worker decides to walk out, they should be able to do so, safe in the knowledge they won’t be victimised by a spiteful boss. “The government must now close this loophole promptly. It won’t cost any money and isn’t difficult to do. Today is a day to celebrate.” Fiona Mercer said: “I’m delighted at today’s outcome. Although it won’t change the way I was treated, it means irresponsible employers will now think twice before behaving badly towards their unhappy staff. If they single strikers out for ill-treatment, they’ll now be breaking the law.” Another amazing win by @UNISON_Legal to protect our members and the rights of working people.
A new survey shows NHS staff in England suffering a shocking amount of abuse. Harassment, abuse and discrimination have no place in a 21st century NHS. "Harassment or ill-treatment of any kind is simply wrong. NHS staff must be able to get on with their jobs without the fear of abuse, assault, or ill-treatment from bigots, racists and sexual predators," Alan Lofthouse UNISON acting deputy head of health “The number of sexually motivated incidents is shocking. Health and emergency workers caring for people and saving lives shouldn’t ever have to suffer attacks, unwanted advances or inappropriate comments. “Employers need to do more to ensure everyone working in the NHS, using its services or visiting patients knows how to behave and what will happen to them if they don't. “That means senior managers working closely with unions and staff to make the NHS workplace a safer, kinder, fairer and nicer place to work. One that’s completely free from discrimination, violence and harassment. “The chancellor says he wants the NHS to become more productive. But the lived experiences of staff, squeezed resources and record low pay is forcing many to leave the jobs they love. “With more than one in five NHS workers admitting they want to quit in the next year, the government needs to tackle wage rates right away. Staff satisfaction with pay is almost the worst it’s ever been. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out why. “The NHS simply couldn't function without its workers. That’s why it’s so important staff are rewarded properly with a decent pay rise when it’s due in couple of weeks.” @UNISONOurNHS
📺 WATCH: As part of our Pay Fair for Patient Care campaign; Healthcare Assistants have come together and submitted a collective grievance signed by nearly 800 UNISON members at Kettering General Hospital and Northampton General Hospital 💷✅➕💊
