While banks profit, workers asked to give up leave to save NHS

It shows how bad things have become when nurses and health workers are asked to give up leave to bail out the NHS (and by extension, the banks). http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/health-news/2010/12/13/nurses-asked-to-work-for-free-in-run-up-to-christmas-by-hard-up-health-trust-115875-22779937/

Epsom and St Helier Trust is cutting its budgets by £30m before April next year and is already in the process of making staff redundant. The call from the chief executive to work for free is all the more grotesque amidst reports that London bankers and financiers will be spending £1 billion of their 2010 bonuses on luxury homes in the capital. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-10/london-bankers-will-invest-1-6-billion-of-bonuses-in-homes-savills-says.html

To pile irony upon irony, the Trust in the constituency of coalition health minister, Lib Dem Paul Burstow.

UNISON Regional Officer Michael Walker said, "This financial crisis shows how bad things have become in the NHS under just six months of Coalition Government, a situation whereby hard working and dedicated nurses and health workers are asked to give up leave to bail out the NHS."

"This gives a lie to the Coalition Government claims that there are no cuts in the NHS"

"UNISON has written to the the local MP and Health Minister Paul Burstow to urge him to personally intervene and make the money available to his local hospital and avoid overstretched staff being forced to give up their leave in order to provide vital patient care".