- Conference
- 2009 Health Care Service Group Conference
- Date
- 10 December 2008
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes the recent pilot organising project in the Greater London Region and congratulates the region on their work to encourage different and innovative approaches to organising health workers.
Conference notes that the project, based on the model used by the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers, highlighted the dedication of health workers to the NHS and aimed to build a sense of community through this shared dedication.
In particular, the initial project focussed on a primary care trust and aimed to overcome some of the difficulties of organising in workplaces that were often geographically dispersed or involved a multitude of employers. Conference notes that other branches are involved in a second phase of the pilot.
Conference notes that this pilot has lessons that can be applied across the NHS, especially given the increasingly fragmented nature of healthcare provision. Conference also notes that the project was rolled out to a small number of branches across the UK to see how these lessons could be applied in other locations.
Conference therefore calls upon the SGE to:
1.analyse the results and methods of this project and where successful to encourage other branches to adopt these methods;
2.provide guidance and assistance to branches and regions on using these methods;
3.campaign to ensure that NHS employers comply with the Agenda for Change facilities agreement to ensure that branch officials are able to carry out their duties to build a stronger union.
4.publicise the results and methods of the project throughout the union.