Never again must any government allow the private sector to become the NHS provider, says GMB Southern
GMB, the union for workers in the health and care sector, say that the new report from the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Work and Pensions Committees confirms the warnings from GMB and others about Carillion.
The report concluded that Carillion’s board presided over a “rotten corporate culture” and was to blame for its “costly collapse”.
Thousands of employees lost their jobs after the company collapsed under a £1.5bn debt pile in January.
In Swindon, GMB had spent years campaigning to remove Carillion from its Great Western Hospital, with 21 days of strike action by members in 2012. During this time, GMB uncovered Carillion’s participation in the unlawful practice of ‘blacklisting’.
Carillion also received a one-star rating at the hospital from the Food Standards Agency over food storage temperatures and other matters.
Paul Maloney, GMB Regional Secretary said:
“From the outset of the Private Finance Initiative (PFI), GMB warned the NHS against the perils of PFI, in particular Carillion who has ripped the health service off since its first engagement as PFI provider.
“They charged maintenance rates in hospitals sometimes by 4 times the commercial rates, and treated staff abysmally as we have seen in Carillion.
“Never again must any government allow the private sector to become the NHS provider.”