Branch active and campaigning against the PFI pro£iteers in Hairmyres and Wishaw

We have had a great response from the staff and general public at our two stalls in Hairmyres on Tuesday and Wishaw General today, with over 1,000 signatures collected in support of our campaign.

Thank you to everyone who has supported our campaign so far, and to those who have already committed their support to the Branch.

Keep an eye out on our Facebook page for more campaigning and perhaps a sighting of a Fat Cat!

An easy way to contact your local politicians.

We have produced a put online a draft letter for you too use/adapt while writing to local politicians, which can be downloaded. Below you will find the same text and a link to send it to your local politicians MSPs, MPs and Councillors simply by imputing your postcode. Simples! Copy and paste the letter below and then visit this page .

Suggested letter

Dear

NHS LANARKSHIRE: HAIRMYRES AND WISHAW PFI CONTRACTS

I am writing as a constituent who has grave concerns surrounding the proposals of NHS Lanarkshire to extend the Soft Facilities Management (cleaning, portering, catering, and security) contracts with private contractors Serco at Wishaw General and ISS at Hairmyres Hospital.The NHS Lanarkshire Board requires to make this decision by the end of 2014.

It is my understanding that the Board intends to simply roll on the contracts with the existing Private providers, thereby continuing to pay taxpayers money to the shareholders of SERCO and ISS, for the provision of public services. UNISON and the other Health Unions and Professional Associations are campaigning to have the services brought back in house, and I as a constituent and service user support this view and would request your support to lobby the Board on this issue.

I firmly believe that staff employed in Wishaw General and Hairmyres should be employed by the NHS and not private companies who are in the NHS to bleed money from it. There is a real opportunity for NHS Lanarkshire to bring back in-house these services and ensure quality and public control of public money.

I look forward to hearing your view of this vitally important issue.

Yours sincerely

We would like to thank those friends and supporters who have already acted on this request. Please share widely and encourage others to do likewise remember PFIs bleed the NHS dry!

The Monklands Mouth

Come along to the UNISON stall in Monklands tomorrow and pick up copies of our branch newssheet for Monklands - official known as 'The Monklands Mouth'.

See you at the restaurant!!

Finance staff strike at Monklands and lunch time protests

UNISON Lanarkshire Health Branch would like to put on record our thanks to our membership in Finance at Monklands Hospital who undertook strike action today.

Their generosity in taking action on behalf of the wider membership and their contribution today was greatly appreciated by the branch as a whole.

Many thanks colleagues for making a such a serious issue as strike action - a good humoured day!

Additionally we would like to thank our fellow workers who came out at Kirklands, Wishaw General and Hairmyres in lunch time protests in support of the action.

Solidarity forever the union makes us strong.

Some of the strikers at Monklands today.

The Roadshows Continue

In the past week we've been meeting and greeting old members and welcoming new members at Roadshows at  Wishaw General and Monklands .

We've got more to come and next week we'll be at Hairmyres Hospital in the dining area on Tuesday 7th February and Monklands at the Choices Restaurant on Thursday 9th February , both events will run from 9.30am till 2pm - so why not come along and say hello , have a blether or pick up some info on the benefits of being part of the biggest Union in the Health Service.

Monklands Hospital Roadshows

Come along and see us at the Choices Restaurant on the Lower ground Floor of Monklands Hospital - we'll be there every Thursday between 9am  and 2pm until the end of  February .

Whether you want to join , have a blether ,pick up some info or nab one of our famous Branch Pens we'll be delighted to see you  .

We'll be organising more Roadshows all over Lanarkshire shortly so check back for details.