Dorset County Hospital in jubilee day off row (From Dorset Echo)

Dorset County Hospital in jubilee day off row

3:00pm Tuesday 14th February 2012 in Local News By

UNION leaders are calling on Dorset County Hospital to reverse a decision to not allow staff an extra day off to celebrate the Queen’s jubilee.

Worker’s union GMB are calling on Dorset County Hospital Foundation Trust to change its decision and allow up to 2,000 staff the extra holiday on June 5.

This year’s May bank holiday has been changed to June and an extra day added to give people across the country a four day-long weekend to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s diamond jubilee.

The union claimed it had been told that a lack of funds was behind the decision.

Nichola Nixon from the union said: “This is unfair to these NHS staff.

“The proposal has never been put to GMB members in the trust.

“Not giving the additional day to staff on grounds of costs is a mean act towards these hard working and loyal NHS staff particularly as everybody else will be enjoying a day off.”

But a hospital employee, who did not wish to be named, said that staff representatives had actually put forward the proposal about not recognising the bank holiday themselves.

The idea had been mentioned when negotiations about staff terms and conditions were taking place some time ago when the hospital was struggling financially.

No one was available for comment at the hospital.