News

04/09/2008

UNISON AND Cheadle Royal Hospital announce partnership

Britain's and Europe biggest public sector trade union UNISON is pleased to announce a recognition agreement with Cheadle Royal Hospital, operated by Affinity Healthcare, which was signed by both parties on 11 August.

UNISON and Cheadle Royal Hospital will now work closely to help sustain good employee relations resulting in the best possible service to patients receiving care at the hospital.

Frank Jeffers a UNISON senior stewards said: "We will work on behalf of our members to develop and improve wherever possible the services that we're proud to provide, working closely with managers at every level to achieve this through good communication and organisation within the workplace."

Sarah Humphreys, Human Resources and Development manager at the hospital said: "UNISON first approached us over 12 months ago and we're delighted to have been able to negotiate an agreement that will benefit both staff and patients. The agreement means that we'll consult with UNISON on matters affecting the majority of our staff which includes pay, policies, holidays, facility times and shift patterns."

As part of the agreement, both parties have signed up to a number of performance objectives to ensure that good employee relations are maintained. The aim is to have seven accredited UNISON representatives at the hospital, which will mean that staff will have access to an accredited union representative 24 hours a day. The representative will also help undertake health and safety inspections on a quarterly basis.

Commenting on the new working partnership UNISON North West Regional Officer, Chris Parkes said: "We are delighted to have reached agreement with Cheadle Royal Hospital and are committed to working in partnership with them for the benefit of both our members and the hospital.
CONTACT DETAILS
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