UNISON President Angela Lynes praised the workers for their effective protest. Condemning the Northern Ireland budget and the effect it will have on the health service, Angela called for pressure to be put on all the candidates standing in the Assembly elections. “The secret McKinsey report which seeks to destroy the National Health Service as we know it cannot be allowed to survive” she said.
Highlighting the proposed cuts and charges in the report - attending A and E £40.00, attending your GP £15, In-patient charge £15.00 per night, X Rays and Scans £40 minimum charge to name a few – the Branch said it was vital that the community understood the level of threat these proposals represented.
With members in the City hospital contemplating balloting for industrial action over the scale of the cuts Angela praised the members in Northern Ireland for their efforts in protecting public services especially in Education and Health.