Poots axes 60 healthjobs at Gransha

Health Minister Edwin Poots gave the green light for the axing of the 60 jobs under a proposed new shared services model on Monday.

Under the new regime payroll will be based in Belfast, human resources (recruitment and selection) in Armagh, finance payments in Ballymena and the finance income function in Omagh.

Mr Poots seems to have taken account of concerns in the North West, however, with the announcement of a temporary satellite office in Londonderry although his reflections haven’t been enough to promote Gransha to ‘Centre of Excellence’ status.

Derry City Council Town Clerk Sharon O’Connor recently wrote to the Health and Social Care Board (HSC) and the Health Minister Edwin Poots to register the Council’s “robust rejection” of the proposal to relocate the 60 jobs.

She claimed the move would not save money and would mainly affect young women staff many of whom have children.

Announcing the Gransha jobs were doomed on Monday Mr Poots stated: “The staff most affected are concentrated in Downpatrick and Londonderry, and many are women in the lower pay bandings, often working part-time and with family or other caring commitments.

“While each person has the right to ‘follow their job’ to one of the new centres of expertise, distance may rule that out as an option for some staff.

“Equally, the low turnover rates currently experienced in the HSC means that staff cannot be guaranteed that a vacant post will become available with their existing employer in their current location.”

In order to ameliorate the impact of the proposed cuts Mr Poots said he would delay the transition until March 2013 and also establish a 15 strong ‘recruitment and selection’ satellite team at Gransha.

He stated: “I expect HSC staff to be treated with consideration and respect, in addition to the obligations under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. I have therefore decided to make two key changes to the original proposals.

“First, I have decided, as part of the transition to the four shared service centres of expertise, to create a temporary ‘accounts payable satellite office’ of 25-30 staff in Downpatrick and a temporary ‘recruitment & selection satellite office’ with around 15 staff in Londonderry.

“I believe that these arrangements, which would last for a maximum of two years, will considerably reduce the displacement difficulties for the affected staff and will provide additional time for employees and employers to come to a mutually acceptable arrangement, as far as possible taking into account the personal circumstances of staff.

“Secondly, I now intend that the transition of support services to the new centres of expertise should begin slightly later than previously scheduled, starting in March 2013 rather than the later part of 2012.

“This brings a two-fold advantage: it means that priority can be given to the implementation of the new systems which was requested by many consultees, and it will also give us slightly longer to manage the staffing implications and allow the personal circumstances of staff to be as fully catered for as possible.”

But Trade Union UNISON said the implementation of the Shared Services model across the Health Trusts will leave many workers disappointed.

“Trade Unions had jointly advocated that new technology systems should be embedded in advance of any decision to move to newly located Centres of Excellence.

“We did so on the grounds of serious concern for those who will face compulsory relocation or redundancy that will undoubtedly arise as a result of this approach.

“Many women occupying the lower paid grades to be affected will be disappointed that their lobbying was largely ignored.

“Notwithstanding the fact that two additional hubs to the already selected centres of excellence will be established on an interim basis, which the Minister suggests will relieve the pressure on workers having to move, we remain very concerned.

“UNISON will consult with its members as to how we intend to address this decision,” a spokesperson stated.

SDLP Foyle MLA Mark H. Durkan said: “This will come as a major blow to low-paid back office health service employees who are being forced to travel a considerable distance if they are to keep their jobs.

“Many of those affected have young families and the demands that working as far afield as Belfast or Armagh would place on them make it unfeasible for them to remain in their current employment.

“The consultation process carried out by the Department of Health on the relocation of these jobs has been a shambles from start to finish.

“I commend everyone who has been involved in making representations in responding to the consultation. However, it appears that people’s fears that this was already a done deal seem to have been well-founded.

“It galls me that the Minister today tried to sell this as a positive story that 15 workers in Derry will get a two year stay of execution. I have asked Minister Poots if money will be made available for further voluntary redundancies now that these workers finally know what lies ahead of them.”