PLANS for strike action at Barnsley Hospital after bosses ‘threatened’ almost half the workforce with a fire and re-hire process have been put on hold because the ballot turnout was too low, the Chronicle can reveal.
Since August, the ruling trust has been working with union representatives to seek agreement on the proposed move from paid to unpaid breaks.
Workers were involved in a three-week consultation, which ran from late October to mid-November, and saw union members reject the hospital’s preferred outcome.
A letter sent to employees states the changes were being done to ensure ‘consistency and fairness’.
The note - sent jointly by executive directors Sarah Moppett and Steven Ned - said employees had until the end of January to agree to the revised terms or face a ‘dismissal and re-engagement’ phase.
Staff who agreed to the changes would receive benefits but those who do not and are subsequently re-hired under the controversial practice would not have access to those same benefits.
GMB, the union working with the staff at the Gawber Road site, say that the majority of those affected are nursing staff working on the wards.
It was announced in February that hundreds of workers took part in a ballot which sought to find out their views on potential industrial action.
It resulted in more than 97 per cent of staff voting in favour, according to the union.
A formal ballot subsequently took place with a deadline being set for April 10.
But the Chronicle can reveal that GMB have had to halt the strike proposals due to a lack of interest from its members.
Rachel Dix, GMB’s regional organiser, told the Chronicle: “GMB members at Barnsley Hospital didn’t get the turnout required for a legal strike mandate.
“Getting legal approval for industrial action in the UK is an outdated and unnecessarily draconian process - the Labour government has now passed legislation to address this.
“GMB has now had positive talks with the trust and is hopeful of a resolution.
“We will now meet with members to discuss whether to continue with these talks, or move to a fresh strike ballot.”
A spokesperson for the hospital told the Chronicle: “We continue to hold discussions with GMB and are hopeful that a resolution to this matter can be found.”
