In the beginning of December they announced an across the board 10% pay cut and the abolition of incremental pay and the maternity benefit scheme. At the time of writing these cuts are due to be implemented next week even though they have not gone through the legal formality of getting the workers to give their ‘written consent’ to alter the terms of their contract so there is likely to be a legal challenge on top of the ballot for industrial action that was agreed by the workers at a joint mass meeting of SIPTU and INWO members.
One worker told me “The Hermitage management are the most autocratic I have known. In particular they are terrorizing the staff from outside the EU, Philipinos and Indian, threatening that their VISA’s will be revoked if they lose their jobs, a complete lie. The key investors in the Hermitage inlcude meat industrialist Larry Goodman and property developer Sean Mulryan who are interested in profits and not patient care. They do not recognise the union and have refused to negotiate over the cuts forcing us to make this stand.”
A question will be put by Independent TD Maureen O’Sullivan to the Minister of Health Mary Harney on the level of state support this private hosptial has received.
The Socialist Party supports these workers and calls for the Hermitage to be taken into public ownership as part of a properly funded one tier health care system to guaruntee the workers’ jobs and patient care.
Peter Hadden died peacefully at his home in Belfast on 5 May 2010 and was cremated at Roselawn Cemetery on 10 May. Peter, who died of cancer which he had fought every inch of the way over the previous three years, was 60 years of age. 
Is the worst over?
Since August, 37 workers at Greenvale leisure centre in Magherafelt have been fighting to save their jobs after Magherafelt Council announced they would be sacked due to an 18 month facility refurbishment programme.
In the vast acreage of print devoted to last week’s two political retirees, former parliamentarians George Lee and Deirdre de Burca, there was little recognition of the real lessons which are, that personality politics holds nothing in the way of a solution to either our economic or political problems and secondly that ordinary people should not put any faith in establishment political parties or politicians.