UNISON members at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust are staging a demonstration tomorrow, in protest at attempts to cut their terms and conditions.
All 5,452 staff employed by the trust have been issued with HR1 notices and given a 90-day consultation period to introduce new contracts of employment. The trust operates two hospital sites in Stockton and Hartlepool.
Staff have been told that they will have to consult on new contracts or face dismissal. The trust is supposed to defer introducing new contracts until April 2013.
However, staff who are new starters, those who gain promotion and those going onto flexible working, will be put on the new contract from 1 November 2012.
The staff affected includes nurses, porters, professional staff, domestic, catering, medical records, midwives, phlebotomists, medical laboratory and all other trust employees.
Most of those affected will be band one and nursing staff, predominantly women.
UNISON joint branch secretary Ann Brewer said: “Members are angry because they feel that the trust is treating staff in a despicable way.
“Many of our members and colleagues are already feeling the strain of keeping their families financially afloat.
“To cut wages and devalue the work that we do is not only insulting to us, but threatens the quality of service that we provide to the public.
“Tomorrow is an opportunity for us to show the trust just how strongly we feel.”
The rally will start at 1pm at the University Hospital of North Tees, Stockton, Hardwick Road.
Messages of support can be sent to unison@nth.nhs.uk.
