Bad Subcos: AGH Solutions
At Airedale NHS Foundation Trust in Bradford, the warnings about subcos have once again come true. In 2018, the trust created AGH Solutions, a wholly-owned subsidiary set up to run estates and facilities services. Just like what’s being proposed in Dorset, staff were assured that NHS values would be protected.
But now, six years later, we can see the reality.
Unequal conditions
Porters, cleaners, and security staff working under AGH Solutions no longer enjoy the same pension, sick pay, or annual leave as their NHS colleagues. This has created a two-tier workforce inside the same hospital. Staff doing vital frontline work, but treated as “second class citizens,” in the words of their union.
Strike action
This week, GMB members at Airedale voted overwhelmingly, more than 90%,to take strike action unless conditions are levelled up. They say they don’t want to walk out, but have been left with no other option after years of unfair treatment.
Management’s response
AGH Solutions admit they are “in essence a private company with different terms and conditions from the NHS.” Some staff who were transferred over in 2018 still have their protected Agenda for Change rights, but the majority are now employed directly on inferior contracts.
The managing director insists they’ve “significantly improved” AGHS terms, but unions say that still leaves workers worse off than their NHS colleagues.
This is exactly why staff at Dorset County Hospital, University Hospitals Dorset, and Dorset HealthCare are fighting the SubCo plans. Airedale shows us that:
- Promises made at the start don’t always last.
- SubCos create division and inequality among staff.
- It takes strikes and disruption to force management to even listen.
When management in Dorset say “the triple lock will protect you” remember Airedale.
When they say “this won’t affect your NHS conditions” remember Airedale.