IWGB members and other affected staff have submitted a series of Freedom of Information requests to Health Education England as a result of the ongoing PGMDE consultation process whereby 41% of staff stand to lose their jobs.

The requests, which are due responses in the next couple of weeks, are below. We hope you will agree that they are questions well worth asking, and that the responses should be extremely interesting!

If you would like to submit an FOI yourself, just contact hee.foia@nhs.net.

Under the Freedom of Information Act can you provide how much HEE London and Kent Surrey and Sussex (KSS) spent on agency staff in the financial year 2015/16?

Under the Freedom of Information Act can you provide the equality impact assessments HEE London and the South East have carried out in relation to their current restructuring proposals?

Under the Freedom of Information Act I would like to request the expense that the new IT Systems for HEE London and the South East is estimated to cost after all new systems have been implemented?

Under the Freedom of Information Act I would like to request evidence that the proposed 41% headcount staff reduction at HEE London and the South East will improve the service that the organisation delivers.  

Under the Freedom of Information Act can you provide the contingency plan that HEE London and the South East have in place if the new structure that they are proposing results in a deterioration of the service that the department provides?

Under the Freedom of Information Act can you provide the rationale for reaching 30% cost savings by April 2017 when the organisation is not required to make these savings until 2020?

Under the Freedom of Information Act can you provide the rationale for implementing cost savings for HEE London and the South East first rather than any other HEE region?

Under the Freedom of Information Act can you provide risk assessments that have been undertaken by HEE London and the South East on the impact the new proposed structure will have on patient safety?

Under the Freedom of Information Act can you state exactly which external stakeholders you have informed of the ongoing consultation and expected 41% headcount reduction in staff?

Could Health Education England disclose all relevant emails, meeting minutes and other information relating to the decision which led to Ian Cumming’s letter to the Trust Chief Executives dated 15 February 2016 (https://www.hee.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/documents/IC%20Letter%20to%20Chief%20Executives_150216.pdf)?

Attention all University of London members! Ballot papers are being posted out to your homes today over this year’s ridiculously low pay offer. Please vote as soon as you can!

This is the sixth consecutive year of low-ball offers, meaning in real terms our pay is going down. The employers’ offer is an ‘increase’ of 1.1%, although all unions had made a claim for 5% to make up for previous years and many vice chancellors enjoyed average rises of 5–6% last year. HE institutions have plenty of money – they just don’t want to spend it on staff pay.

We know our members feel strongly about this, so we need a good, strong result to show the employers that we mean business. Please vote yes to strike action over pay!

Your ballot paper includes two possible modes of action: strike and action short of strike (which would be things like refusing to stay late or do things not in your JD). Please vote yes for both. This gives us more options when it comes to taking action.

A full-day walkout is the most likely, as we aim to support similar actions that will be taken by the other HE unions (also balloting now). If we all act together, we can make a show of force to make the employers think again!

Please vote yes for action – a strong result in the ballot is vital to show that we want a better pay deal and we’re prepared to fight for it!

As always, any questions or comments, please feel free to email Catherine – catherine.morrissey@london.ac.uk.

Health Education England (HEE) employees, based in Stewart House at the University of London and involved in the current consultation process, which threatens to reduce posts by 41% among staff who recruit and train junior doctors, have issued a series of key demands.

• No compulsory redundancies.
• Current staff to be retained to oversee transition to new technologies.
• No selection process.
• Full risk assessment audit to be conducted.
• Full equality impact assessment to be conducted.

The consultation period closes on the 7th of September, and it is clear that HEE management have been shaken by the degree of opposition to their plans (a petition against them already has nearly 500 signatures), which would see the workforce cut by more than two-fifths on the back of plans which some staff have described as ‘back-of-an-envelope stuff’.

‘It’s astonishing that such a massive decision,with such potential catastrophic effects on doctor numbers and patient safety, should have been made with no proper risk assessment’, said one employee, who did not wish to be named for fear that this would count against them in the forthcoming selection process.

Over 10,000 trainees are currently looked after by just 180 staff – but this number is set to fall to just 111 if the proposals are adopted.

Health Education England claim that these cuts have been forced on them by reductions in the NHS Education budget – but while other regions are delaying implementation until 2020, the London Region have set March 2017 as the date by which the new structure will take effect.

The IWGB is fully supporting its members as well as other affected staff. One member told us: ‘We have to fight this. London is being used as a guinea pig – if they get away with it here, the same cuts will happen across the rest of the country’.

Staff plan to target stakeholders such as the British Medical Association as part of their campaign, and have not ruled out strike action.

For further information please contact Danny at dannymillum@iwgb.org.uk.

The IWGB today notified the University of London that it would be formally balloting its members for strike action as part of the ongoing pay dispute.

The current pay offer is a desultory 1.1%, well below the national average.

Members should receive a ballot at the end of next week – please email uol@iwgb.org.uk if you don’t – and we urge you to vote YES to strike action. We have received an effective cut in income of 14.5% since 2009, and the branch believes that only by withdrawing our labour can we demonstrate what it is worth.

We have been in consultation with other unions, so should the ballot be positive any strike action will take place in conjunction with UCU and UNISON, probably at the start of October.

You will need to return the ballot by 20 September! More info to follow!

IWGB members and supporters were out leafleting this lunchtime outside University College Hospital, as we continue our campaign against the proposed 41% cuts to PGMDE staff at Health Education England.

We got plenty of support, and loads more signatures on our petition against the cuts, which has now been signed by more than 400 people – https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-job-cuts-at-health-education-england.

We will have a full update on campaign plans on Friday at the monthly branch meeting so please come along and find out how you can help!

Any questions please email danny.millum@sas.ac.uk .

Please make sure to come to the monthly branch meetings:

Friday 26 August at 12.30pm in the Lower Mezzanine Room of the IHR (just come to the 3rd floor of Senate House and we’ll come and find you)

AND

Saturday 27 August at 1pm in the NEW OFFICE! 12-20 Baron Street, Angel N1 9LL, 2 mins walk from Angel tube. If you get lost just call Henry on 07922810798.

We will be talking about pay, Cordant contracts, Health Education England Campaign, Deliveroo and more.

See you there – any questions or suggestions for agenda please send to catherine.morrissey@london.ac.uk.

The IWGB has moved into a new office! You can now find us at 12-20 Baron Street, Angel N1 9LL, just 2 minutes walk from Angel tube station.

While we’re waiting for the landlines to be connected, please call the union mobile on 07786087722.

Thanks to everyone who helped with the move!

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-job-cuts-at-health-education-england

Below is the letter we have just sent to the University, having discovered that some new Cordant workers are being issued with contracts without sick pay and with minimal holidays. Any questions henrychangolopez@iwgb.org.uk.

Dear Sir Adrian

My name is Henry Chango Lopez, and I am President of the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain, the union which represents the majority of the outsourced workers at the central University of London.

As you will recall, following the IWGB’s 3 Cosas Campaign, from November 2013 all outsourced workers at the UoL had new contracts introduced, which guaranteed them a minimum of 25 days holiday and sick pay of up to six months depending on length of service.

The University at the time made a public commitment that all contractors would adhere to these minimum conditions.

However, it has come to our attention that new employees working for Cordant are being issued with contracts (see attached) which provide no sick pay AND only the statutory minimum holiday allowance.

Can you confirm for me that the University maintains its commitment to the 2013 levels of sick and holiday pay for outsourced workers it so publicly announced, and that it will take immediate steps to end this practice on behalf of its contractor?

Yours sincerely

Henry Chango Lopez

President

IWGB

http://iwgb.org.uk/