Dundee porters in sixth week of all-out strike and still going strong

Philip Stott reports from Dundee

The Dundee hospital porters are into their sixth week of all-out strike action and they are as strong and determined as ever.

Initial discussions are due to start this week as part of the NHS Scottish Terms and Conditions Committee (STAC) review of the porters grading. The STAC process was offered by NHS Tayside management to ”provide the platform upon which the dispute can be resolved”.

This was only after it began to dawn on them that the 117 Unite members would not be going back to work. Not until they had their grading changed to Band 2 and compensation for historic underpayment.

A porter on a Band 1 working 37.5 hours a week at Ninewells and Royal Victoria hospitals are currently taking home around £250 a week. Moving to a Band 2, in line with the majority of porters across Tayside and Scotland, would mean around £50 a week increase.

The propaganda offensive against the strikers by NHS Tayside bosses has continued. They have been accused of “refusing to provide emergency cover in critical areas”. Unite, said NHS Tayside Chief Executive Lesley McLay, was acting “contrary to what we would consider to be the normal actions of a reasonable trade union.” The message from striking porters like Mark Gilligan, Mark McDonald and Graham Nelson is “welcome to the new normal”. They are, along with scores of other porters, the backbone of the daily protests outside the hospital as well as helping to build solidarity for their action.

“The solidarity is still pouring in”, they told the Socialist. Unite senior steward Graham Nelson added; “We’ve now had over £20,000 in donations from the public and cheques from other trade unions across Scotland and the UK.”

Graham addressed the recent May Day march in Dundee, the biggest for years, as hundreds of trade unionists, led by the porters, marched through the city to huge public support. Typical of the public support was a woman who stopped her car at the protest line and handed over £100. The Mid Yorkshire Health Unison branch send £250 with a message from branch secretary Adrian O’ Malley; “Solidarity in your fight for Band 2 for the Dundee porters. No health worker should be one Band 1. Victory to the Dundee porters!”

The backing given to the strike by TUSC supporters and Socialist Party Scotland members – combined with the complete lack of support from the SNP and the Scottish Government – resulted in many of the porters voting for Jim McFarlane, who was the Dundee West TUSC candidate in the election. As senior Unite steward Ronnie Heeney, who spoke at the Dundee TUSC public meeting said, “Not one Labour, SNP or any other candidate apart from TUSC have taken the time and effort to visit our picket lines. Why would I support someone who can’t show any support for me. My X went proudly in the TUSC box.”

A coach-load of porters will be in Glasgow this week to show support to the striking Glasgow homelessness caseworkers. They will also be protesting the Scottish parliament next week.

Send support and solidarity and requests for speakers to: 

colin.coupar@unitetheunion.org 

Donations to Unite, 110 Blackness Road, Dundee DD1 5PB (cheques to Unite)

For speakers phone Graham Nelson 07749241470 

Facebook: Support Ninewells Porters