Hospital bosses dismiss union’s ‘mean-spirited’ claims over bank holiday row

10:18am Friday 1st June 2012 in News

YORK Hospital has defended its decision not to recognise Tuesday as a bank holiday after appearing on a “name and shame” list published by the UK’s biggest union.

The hospital featured on a list of 113 health trusts, along with Yorkshire Ambulance Service, which are not recognising the extra jubilee bank holiday and not offering staff payment or a day in lieu. Unite’s head of health, Rachael Maskell, accused the trusts of “flouting the spirit” of the jubilee and behaving in a “mean-spirited” fashion.

But hospital bosses hit back, saying all its workers have been given an extra day of annual leave to take when they choose.

A spokesman for York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: “It has been agreed that Tuesday, June 5, will be recognised as a normal working day, and any staff who wish to take the day off will need to apply for annual leave in the usual way, following their local department’s procedures.

“In recognition of this agreement, annual leave entitlement for this year has been increased by one day for every member of staff, and they may choose to take this day off at another time if they wish.”

Stephen Moir, deputy chief executive at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said: “All staff at Yorkshire Ambulance Service have been credited with an additional day’s annual leave to reflect the additional public holiday.”

Comments(10)

holgatebob says...
12:06pm Fri 1 Jun 12

This makes the union look stupid. People are getting an extra day holiday entitlement, so what's mean spirited about that.

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electricwarrior says...
12:29pm Fri 1 Jun 12

Sounds like a good idea to me, giving staff the choice, not everyone wants bank holidays off.

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Barstool Knowall says...
12:52pm Fri 1 Jun 12

It also takes into account that in the NHS work has to go on regardless of the occasion. (Though, as with many other places "Open as normal" I have no doubt there will be very few managers around on Tuesday)
Also some people couldn't care less about Royalty. I certainly won't be "celebrating" the fact that the Royals have been leeching off us for another 60 years!

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Pete the Brickie says...
2:05pm Fri 1 Jun 12

They are regognising it as far as most companies, ie a day off with pay. The NHS however is not like a factory or building company which can shut down on the day so giving it as an extra days holiday is the only realistic option. What the union really means is that staff are not being given double time on top.

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Jo13 says...
6:48pm Fri 1 Jun 12

I think this is very sensible when you have an organisation that simply can't shut down. Even if they were giving people the day off they'd have a lot of staff that had to be paid or take a day in leiu because they need the staff to work. Even if you reshedule regular clients whose weekly treatments are on mon or tues there will be some whom this isn't safe for and there will be new emergencies and people too sick to go home. This way might give people a day's leave they could take when they really wanted to, like for a wedding or a child's school play or something, rather than simply a day's extra pay which won't be much for many people and, for many will end up meaning they are a tiny bit less tight in the month, but won't do anything more!

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velvetdixie says...
7:33pm Fri 1 Jun 12

The time for unions has come and gone. Mrs. Thatcher had the right idea but didn't carry it quite far enough.

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zaccwm says...
8:38pm Fri 1 Jun 12

The NHS staff do not get double time on any bank holiday. Time plus 60%, the same as Sunday, time plus 30% on a Saturday. York and a number of other Trusts are aiming to ditch these payments to staff.

This is in addition to expecting staff to contribute up to about 50% extra to pension contributions, which will be up 300% within a few years for some. Also work 13 years longer and get less when they eventually retire etc. Many staff will in the future die in service rather than within a few years of retirement, and thus never receive their pension.

Perhaps those who are so scathing of NHS staff should consider how they will feel if they or their loved ones suffer because the staff are no longer capable of running the length of the ward/hospital to attend to emergencies.

Most staff do not mind working the 24/7 shift patterns, but the workload has been constantly increasing, most do unpaid overtime, miss breaks (statutory or otherwise) and family life is sacrificed to public service. Terms and conditions are being constantly eroded and thus less are entering the profession than need to, to care for our demographically shifting population.

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sperare e coraggio says...
9:52pm Fri 1 Jun 12

No one in the NHS is being denied an extra bank holiday this year. They all get an extra day off with full pay - just not all on Tuesday 5 June. The Union is making a fuss about nothing. There will be little public sympathy over this one. They should choose their battles more carefully. Most people value the Hospital and the hard working staff. But this is not an issue which warrants a union objection.

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Even AndyD says...
10:01pm Fri 1 Jun 12

sperare e coraggio wrote:
No one in the NHS is being denied an extra bank holiday this year. They all get an extra day off with full pay - just not all on Tuesday 5 June. The Union is making a fuss about nothing. There will be little public sympathy over this one. They should choose their battles more carefully. Most people value the Hospital and the hard working staff. But this is not an issue which warrants a union objection.
Agreed. You can talk sense when not trying to belittle people.

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piaggio1 says...
11:16pm Fri 1 Jun 12

Royals have been leeching off us ????

god i hate republicon scum.
dont like it ?? go live somewhere else then...........like ireland (the south)

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