Hospital Car Parking Dispute
Tuesday 22nd February
2011
GMB TO CAMPAIGN AGAINST
IMPOSED STAFF CARPARKING
ARRANGEMENTS AT HEATHERWOOD & WEXHAM PARK NHS TRUST WHICH
DISCRIMINATE AGAINST THE LOWPAID
& WOMEN WORKERS
GMB does not accept that the
hospital car parks are over subscribed or that the Trust can
impose a charge for a permit that was issued free to members as
part of their conditions
GMB members employed at Heatherwood
Hospital in Ascot and Wexham Hospital in Slough are to campaign
against a car parking scheme which was introduced on the
2nd February 2011. Under the scheme members are not
allowed to park their cars if they live within 3.5 miles of the
hospital where they work and have had charges of 1% of their salary
imposed on them for staff car parking permits if they live beyond
the 3.5 miles radius. GMB has taken up a large number of grievances
on behalf of individuals who have not been allowed to park and is
planning a campaign including demonstrations to get the charges
rescinded.
Traditionally all hospital staff who
applied for a free parking permit got one. The Heatherwood &
Wexham NHS Foundation Trust is citing the car parks being over
subscribed as the reason for refusing permits to those who live
within a radius of 3.5 miles from both sites and to introduce a
charge of 1% of salary for the permit for those who live beyond the
3.5 miles radius.
Keith Roberts, GMB Organiser said,
"GMB reject the imposed policy on staff car parking
arrangements and will actively campaign until we have overturned
them.
GMB does not accept the basic
reason put forward by the Trust that the car parks are over
subscribed. GMB consider that the Trust is introducing these new
arrangements to raise funds towards the £20 million deficit that
has been run up by bad management.
GMB does not accept that the
Trust can impose a charge for a permit that was previously issued
to GMB members as part of their employment conditions without their
agreement. Some 80% of these members travel to work by car. Those
who qualify for a car park pass have now had a 1% charged deducted
directly from their salary without agreement. This amounts to a pay
cut. Higher paid staff have their charge capped, generally
resulting in them paying less that 1 per cent of salary which is
discriminatory.
GMB also consider that the new
arrangements have adverse and unreasonable impact on GMB
members. The main criteria for being entitled to apply for a
car park pass is one of distance from the workplace that staff live
which takes no regard for the personal circumstances of staff
members.
Parents & carers with
childcare and dependants are forced to make longer and alternative
transfer and 'drop off/ pick up' arrangements to arrive for work at
on time. In most cases this adds 2/3 hours to their travel
per day, severely impacting on them, their mainly nursery and
primary school age children and dependants. At least one GMB
member will have to rouse her 20 month old child at 5am to get to
work on time.
In addition to rejecting
appeals from staff with child and carer issues, the Trust have also
rejected appeals from women workers who have cited personal safety,
walking along secluded paths and alleyways in the dark. This
puts an already vulnerable number of staff at greater
risk.
GMB is also aware that all
consultants have been issued with a car park pass irrespective of
how close they live to hospitals."
Ends
Contact: Keith
Roberts GMB Organiser on 07852 182348 or 01256 308080 or GMB Press
Office on 07921 289880 or 07974 251823.