Trade Union Sets Dates for Strikes against NHS Logistics Privatizaton
The Unison trade union is announcing a 24-hour strike later this year to protest the British governement’s recent decision to outsource some of its healthcare procurement services to DHL and Novation. See this Reuters article for details.
Unison is the largest trade union in the UK affiliated to the Labour Party which it accuses of “market madness.” According to a press release it is also seeking a judicial review of the government’s decisions to hand over 1.6 billion pounds (about $3.5B) of NHS business to DHL for 190 years. The case is expected to be heard before the end of the month. NHS Logistics was set up six years ago and seems to have delivered on its goals, but the government expects further cost savings and a wider product selection from the private contract.
September 19, 2006 Related topics: Group purchasing & GPOs