As an attachment to this month’s pay slips staff received a letter which informed them of changes that management wish to make to contacts of employment. These relate to statements concerning infection control.

Whilst I am certain that all staff would wish to support the Trust in the aim of reducing and controlling infection, UNISON is concerned about the methods that management have used to implement these changes to your contracts.

There are several ways that your contracts of employment can be changed. We feel that asking you to individually sign and thus accept a change to your contract, in this way, is undermining our ability as your representatives to raise legitimate concerns about the intended changes. Many staff have contacted stewards to say that with the pressures on the service the statements, as written, may be unachievable and would therefore put them at risk.

We would advise all our members to consider the implications of signing this statement and discuss their concerns with their line manager and their UNISON steward before deciding to sigh and return the statement.

In the meantime UNISON will be approaching senior management to raise our concerns about the methodology used in this instance to get your agreement to alter your contracts without appropriate consultation.

Ian Hopkins, Branch Secretary