We Won: SubCo Stopped in Dorset!

After months of campaigning, lobbying, protests, postcards, and an overwhelming strike ballot result, we finally have the news we’ve been fighting for: the Dorset SubCo has been stopped.

A letter from the CEOs to UNISON confirmed that the plans to move 1,700 NHS staff into a private subsidiary company have been dropped. That means services will remain in the NHS, exactly where they belong.

This victory belongs to you. It was achieved by porters, cleaners, caterers, estates staff, and their supporters standing together, refusing to be pushed out of the NHS. It was won by members talking to colleagues, signing petitions, marching, and showing that we would strike if necessary.

It’s proof that when we act together, we win.

There will still be talks at ACAS, but these will be on the basis of services staying within the NHS. For now, we can pause, take a breath, and celebrate a huge achievement.

To everyone who stood strong in this fight: thank you. You’ve shown that workers’ voices matter, and that collective action can stop privatisation in its tracks.

There will always be further battles. But today, Dorset health workers can hold their heads high. We fought, and we won.