Union will fight health job cuts

The union says NHS "foot-soldiers" should not go

A South West health union has vowed to fight any compulsory redundancies at hospitals in Devon and Cornwall.

Unison described the 200 proposed job cuts at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth and 300 at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro as "ridiculous".

A spokesman said the NHS had seen a huge injection of government cash and the crisis could only have been caused by mismanagement or incompetence.

Both hospitals said the proposed cuts were financially necessary.

Resignations expected

In a statement, the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust, said: "We recognise and respect the position that Unison have taken and it has always been, and continues to be, our intention to keep any compulsory redundancies to an absolute minimum.

"We are working in partnership with our trades unions to fully exploit all options, including redeployments and secondments, before any redundancies are considered."

Ian Ducat, the regional secretary for Unison South West, said if the NHS budget crisis was the result of poor management, people at the top should go.

He said: "I shall expect the resignations of NHS Trust chairs and chief executives and dismissal of finance directors before a single nurse, technician, porter or secretary is sacked.

"It is not acceptable that the foot-soldiers pay the price again."

Mr Ducat said if the union was notified of a single compulsory redundancy, it would immediately ballot its members.

"We will not stand idly by and allow our members to pay the penalty for incompetence or political expediency," he added.

He vowed Unison would not stand back and watch workers sacked and said the health minister was ultimately responsible and would be in the union's firing line.