Disparity resulted in worker suffering miscarriage complications returning to work against medical advice

A worker at Doncaster Cheswold Park Hospital had to return to work against her doctor’s advice after suffering miscarriage complications due to being treated as a second-class employee.

South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust refused to give the woman, who it employs, sick pay so she had to return to duties to avoid financial hardship despite not being fit to work.

Workers at Cheswold Park, which provides mental health services, were employed by private health provider Riverside until late 2024 when they were transferred to the NHS.

Despite now being NHS employees, the trust is refusing to update the medical and non-medical workers’ bare minimum contracts. This has created a two-tier workforce at the hospital as new employees, as well as those moving from other parts of the trust, are on NHS contracts that provide fairer pay and terms and conditions.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This case is absolutely sickening - the trust’s leadership should hang their heads in shame for allowing it to happen.

“The creation of a two-tier workforce at Cheswold Park is totally unacceptable. Unite will not rest until it is brought to an end.”

More than 170 workers have launched a collective grievance against the trust over its refusal to give them NHS contracts. It has responded to the grievance with non-committal and opaque answers about the possibility of updating the contracts at an undisclosed point in the future.

The trust is also trying to take advantage of the contract disparities to make redundancies of long serving and dedicated staff on the cheap.

It is looking to remove former Riverside roles that do not have equivalents in the NHS. However, it is keeping staff on the former contracts so that it can get away with paying them the minimum amount of statutory redundancy pay, rather than the fairer redundancy terms they would be entitled to on NHS terms and conditions.

Unite regional officer Chris Rawlinson said: “The trust’s behaviour towards these workers is totally immoral. There is no excuse for treating them as second-class employees and trying to deny long serving and dedicated staff fair redundancy packages. Unite will not allow the trust to kick this issue into the long grass – we will back these workers every step of the way.”

ENDS

For media enquires ONLY contact senior Unite communications officer Ryan Fletcher on 07849 090215 or 020 3371 2065.
 
Email: ryan.fletcher@unitetheunion.org

Unite is Britain and Ireland’s largest union with members working across all sectors of the economy. The general secretary is Sharon Graham.