Dispute over staff contract changes at Cheswold Park hospital
A hospital has refused to update some staff contracts to match NHS standards, creating a "two-tier" workforce, according to the union Unite.Staff at Cheswold Park, a mental health hospital in Doncaster, were employed by private company Riverside until late 2024, when the NHS was asked to take over the site.A spokesperson for South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said staff were "fully supported" following the change and all workers would be moved on to NHS contracts once the "financial position supports the move".Chris Rawlinson, regional officer at Unite, said NHS values were "not being upheld in their treatment of workers".
More than 170 workers had launched a collective grievance against the Trust, Unite said.The union also accused the Trust of "trying to take advantage" of contract disparities to save money on redundancy packages and sick pay.It said one woman, who had worked at the hospital since it was run by Riverside, returned to work against her doctor's advice after a miscarriage as she was not entitled to sick pay.
The Trust said it "did not accept the position" described by Unite."It does not accurately reflect the situation in Cheswold Park, nor acknowledge the support being provided to staff at the hospital," a spokesperson said.The Trust aimed to ensure patients and staff could "remain at the hospital whilst returning it to a stable financial position", they added."In respect of staff terms and conditions we have always followed our legal obligations and continue to do so.""We have not in any way changed the terms and conditions of employment of staff who have transferred over to the Trust," they said.Mr Rawlinson said taking members on strike over the dispute was "a last resort", but they would be given the option if the employer refused to budge.Unite general secretary Sharon Graham described the situation as "absolutely sickening"."The Trust's leadership should hang their heads in shame for allowing it to happen," she added.
Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
8 minutes ago
- The Independent
Expert tips on growing the most strawberries you can this summer
British strawberries are enjoying a stellar start to the season, with growers reporting one of the best early harvests in recent memory. Warm days, cool nights and record-breaking sunshine levels have combined to create perfect growing conditions, according to British Berry Growers. The Wimbledon Tennis Championships traditionally mark peak strawberry season, with around 200,000 portions of strawberries and cream consumed during the tournament. However, there's nothing quite like the taste of home-grown strawberries picked fresh, and they aren't difficult to grow for yourself. The weather makes a difference 'The weather has been very kind to all growers,' says Jim Floor, managing director of berry growers Hall Hunter. 'We had a very cold February and March, then from April onwards it's been sunny – and strawberries love sunshine. 'The nights have been quite cool and the perfect environment for strawberries is 20 degree days and 10 degree nights.' Plenty of bees help If you have a garden with plenty of plants which attract pollinators, such as open-flowered geum, iberis, cranesbill geraniums, lavender and heathers, you're likely to get better crops because the bees will pollinate the strawberry flowers. For the biggest harvests… You'll need plenty of space for a strawberry patch if you want a huge crop, and will need to plant numerous plants. Alternatively, you can grow strawberries in pots but because of the limited number of plants you can accommodate, your yield may be limited. Many types produce new runners after flowering, which create new plantlets on their own. You can also plant different varieties of strawberries to extend the season – summer-fruiting types, perpetual strawberries which produce a smaller quantity of fruit from summer until autumn, and Alpine, or wild, strawberries, which bear small crops of tiny berries spasmodically during summer. Plug plants are a good bet and are available in garden centres and nurseries from late spring onwards, or alternatively you can buy bare-root plants, known as runners, which look like root clumps, in late summer or early autumn, and again in spring. Plant in full sun or in polytunnels where they will be warm and won't become damp, or if outside a raised bed or grow bag is a good option, Floor suggests. 'I grow them in a hanging basket (at home) because they tend to do much better if they're not (at ground level) in the soil, where there are lots of pests and diseases.' During the growing season, make sure they are fed and watered regularly. 'I would recommend a balanced multi-purpose liquid feed. 'If you want sweeter strawberries you might want to put more potassium in, but you need to be careful because any overfeeding of potassium, calcium or nitrogen could give you a problem. ' Calcium can burn the leaves, potassium could potentially kill the plants and (overfeeding with) nitrogen, you will get 100% leaves and no fruit. Possible problems Slugs are a threat, he warns. 'Last year because of the mild winter and the wet year the problem was slugs, particularly if you were growing strawberries in the ground. 'This year it's been about keeping everything irrigated. As long as the plants have plenty of water, they will do well.' Birds may also feast on the fruits, so it would be wise to cover your strawberries with netting if you need to keep them at bay. As the fruits emerge, place straw underneath them so the fruits don't brush against the ground and rot. When are they ready to pick? When they are evenly red, he says. 'They don't necessarily come off the stem quite easily. If the fruit comes off easily it may be over-ripe.' After fruiting 'De-leaf the plants a little bit, getting rid of the debris and dead leaves, and there's no reason why they couldn't be kept for another year,' he suggests. Good varieties Strawberries which have received the RHS Award of Garden Merit include 'Hapil', which produces large red fruits and is lauded for its vigorous growth and is well-suited to light or drier soils and to containers; and the late season 'Florence' which has 'exceptional disease resistance' and whose large dark red fruits are produced in mid-July.
The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
Value of UK merger and acquisition deals jumps to highest level for two years
The value of UK merger and acquisition deals has risen to its highest level for more than two years, according to new figures. This was partly driven by more deals by international investors and companies to snap up UK-based firms over the first quarter of the year. The Office for National Statistics said a number of particularly large agreements helped increase the provisional value of all inward and outward M&A (merger and acquisition) deals to their highest level since late 2022. However, the number of domestic and cross-border deals including changes of ownership dipped to 395 for the three months to March, from 497 in the previous quarter. Statisticians highlighted that this included a reduction in activity in February, as some firms were cautious in the face of wider economic uncertainty. In March, Bank of England officials said in a report for the quarter: 'Mergers and acquisitions activity shows some signs of improvement, but growth is constrained by caution among buyers and sellers. 'Restructuring and insolvency activity remains slightly higher on a year ago.' The latest data showed that deals by foreign firms to acquire UK companies were worth £19.2 billion over the quarter, jumping from £15.2 billion in the previous period. This included the £3.3 billion deal by Danish brewing giant Carlsberg to buy J2O maker Britvic. The jump in the value of deals was also supported by the £5.8 billion takeover of paper and packaging firm DS Smith by US rival International Paper. Elsewhere, the value of outward M&A, where UK firms bought foreign companies, rose to £9.4 billion from £1.8 billion in the previous quarter.
The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
Wheelchair user left on a plane for almost two hours after landing
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner, who uses a wheelchair, was left waiting for more than 90 minutes for assistance after all other passengers had disembarked a 13-hour flight from Singapore to Heathrow. Gardner criticised Heathrow Airport for its poor service towards disabled passengers, questioning why they should receive worse treatment than others, and noted similar incidents have occurred in the past. According to Gardner, a Wilson James operations manager informed him that two of the five medical lifts had gone out of service overnight, contributing to the delay. A Heathrow spokesperson apologised for the delay, citing a medical emergency that reduced available vehicles, and offered to cover the cost of Gardner's additional waiting time for his car as a gesture of goodwill. Gardner praised the British Airways crew for their support, with the captain refusing to leave the plane while Gardner was still on board.
