ISS Hairmyres

Dear GMB Member 

GMB Scotland in ISS Hairmyres – ISS paid what they owed 

For the last six months our union has been in dispute with ISS over the proposed (and subsequently imposed) changes to your payroll system, that saw you work for three weeks but paid for just two. 

Throughout our member meetings, consultative ballots, workplace visits and industrial action ballots, you have been clear and consistent that you objected to the detriment you were subjected to as a result of “Project Greenfield”, and wanted ISS to pay what they owed.

Through the collective strength of GMB members who stood together and were prepared to take strike action, we brought ISS back to the table with an offer that put your hard-earned wages back where they belong - in your pockets. 

And last week you voted unanimously to accept that offer. 

There are a number of important lessons we can take forward from the last six months:

·         We need to be organised - if we are organised and ready to stand together then we can

 defend our interests;

·         We cannot rely on anyone else to help us - no other organisations, not NHS Lanarkshire

 and not the Scottish Government; and

·         Workers in the NHS employed on PFI contracts are an easy target - this would never

 have been allowed to happen to directly employed NHS staff.

You remained solid in the face of hostility from your employer, from the ‘hand-washing’ of the health board and the ineffectiveness of the Scottish Government, and you won for you and your families. In the final analysis, ISS paid what they owed.

But we cannot rest on our laurels; we need to continue our campaigning and organising at Hairmyres. So if you know a colleague who isn’t yet a trade union member, there’s never been a better time to join Scotland’s campaigning trade union, GMB. You can do so online at www.gmb.org.uk/join 

As ever, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact your GMB workplace reps, contact me on 0141 332 8641 (Quote: “Hairmyres” during office hours) or email KL.Leonard@gmb.org.uk   

Karen Leonard 

GMB Scotland Organiser

• Accept:           100%
• Reject:               -

Dear GMB Member

GMB Scotland in ISS Hairmyres – ISS Meeting Update

I wanted to give as quick an update as possible on today’s (Wednesday 28 August) meetings at Hairmyres with ISS, and particularly for those of you who were unable to attend any of the events. Quite frankly, it was a sham and a stitch-up.

ISS executives came to Hairmyres today not to engage in a meaningful dialogue, or to avoid a strike or to return wages to staff, but to act with total impunity and treat our members with utter contempt.

It is now clear that ISS, left unchecked, has no intention of returning your wages. Instead they told us that they have worked with NHS Lanarkshire and other stakeholders to plan cover for a strike rather than work with us to resolve the dispute by paying what they owe.

We were also told that the money saved by not paying striking staff their wages on Monday will be used to help pay for the redeployment and accommodation of staff from their operations in NHS England, which will total around eighty people.

Furthermore, and in measure of what we are up against, ISS also confirmed that it will cost them more money to break this strike than it would do to return the total cost of the wages owed to staff at Hairmyres.

ISS has clearly demonstrated that they are not fit to operate services in NHS Scotland – they should be stripped of this contract as soon as possible.

It is disgusting that the leadership and bureaucracy of NHS Lanarkshire have washed their hands of our campaign for the rightful return of your wages. It also sets an appalling precedent in NHS Scotland and makes a mockery of the Scottish Government’s so-called ‘fair work’ agenda.

The truth is that GMB members - dedicated frontline workers in NHS - have been left alone to fight for the return of their wages while highly paid leaders in politics and the health board allowed ISS to put everyone over the barrel for their own interests.  It is a shameful situation.

We will be in constant contact with reps and members tomorrow and will issue further communication ahead of the weekend but in the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact me on 0141 332 8641 (Quote “ISS”) or email KL.Leonard@gmb.org.uk

Karen Leonard

GMB Scotland Organiser

Dear GMB Member,

ISS Demonstration and First Minister’s Questions

I want to thank those of you who joined us at our demonstration outside the Scottish Parliament yesterday, as we called on the politicians to support our campaign to put a stop to “Project Greenfield”.

For those of you who couldn’t make it, you can see in the video below that the campaign was raised in the chamber at First Minister’s Questions, where Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that NHS Lanarkshire has proposed solutions to ISS that would keep your wages where they belong, in your pocket.

It is now up to us to keep the pressure on ISS to take up one of these options and put a stop to “Project Greenfield”.

If you haven’t already, you can send a message to your employer by voting in the consultative ballot which closes on Tuesday 7th May.

After the ballot closes and your reps have counted the votes, we’ll communicate the result to you and plan the next steps for the campaign.

Drew Duffy

GMB Scotland Senior Organiser