Hospital strike

Uniite Strike

Hospital staff from Rochdale joined other Pennine hospitals workers in the one-day strike by the trade union Unite in their action against changes to the NHS pension scheme. The Royal Oldham Hospital, Fairfield General and North Manchester General were all affected by the one-day strike.

Unite Representative Liz McInnes, a Biochemist and Rossendale councillor spoke to Rochdale Online from the picket-line at North Manchester General Hospital: “Under the new scheme, health staff will have to pay more in, work for longer and stand to take less out at the other end. Our members are very angry about this.

“It takes a lot to make NHS staff strike but there is a great strength of feeling on this issue and the government needs to do a rethink.”

A former Rochdale midwife who asked not to be named added: “This month I had an extra fifty pounds of my salary deducted in pension contributions and I will now have to work two extra years before I can retire. Add this to the fact that almost two hundred Pennine staff are being made redundant and you get a picture of just how despondent staff are feeling.

“All we ask after a lifetime of hard work and dedication is to be able to retire at a reasonable age and live with dignity.”

Unite represents hospital staff working in laboratories, trades staff such as plumbers and electricians as well as some nurses, midwives, health visitors a speech and language therapists. Unite had agreed to provide emergency cover.

The strike follows on from a similar action in November last year.