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Valentine's Blood Service protest

NBS SOS | 13.02.2007 22:30 | Health | Workers' Movements | Birmingham

Valentine's Day Wed 14th Feb 2007

Staff at National Blood Service centres around the country will be protesting between 12 noon + 2pm.


We are angry at reckless new reconfiguration strategies which plan to condense 11 local processing + testing sites into just 3 'supercentres'. Donated blood will have to be driven up to 200 miles + back after it leaves your arm. It puts more reliance on an already overloaded + frequently clogged up motorway network. In case of major incident - how do you feel about for example only 1 centre (in Manchester) handling the blood needs of the whole of northern England's hospitals? These plans WILL affect the patient in the bed.

+ let's not forget around 600 skilled staff thrown onto the scrapheap...

If you're free to get down to your city's local blood processing/testing centre around dinner time, any show of support however small will be gratefully received! In Birmingham this is on Vincent Drive, Edgbaston, right next to the QE hosp, uni campus + University station.

NBS SOS

Additions

Report back!

14.02.2007 20:34




Today's Birmingham protest was quite a good success with a max of maybe 50 staff out at same time. It helped raise our profile with passing traffic who gave us good support, + upset the Chief exec. Big thanks to members of the public + other campaigning groups who came along to back us up! Saga FM, Kerrang radio, BBC WM, Heart FM, Socialist worker + BBC local TV all came along to record it + interviewed lots of staff. This was sadly heavily undermined by a management PR goon who appeared near the end to tell the media that the service to hosps would not be affected by the new plans. Confusingly they keep using the line that 'the blood centre is not closing' - OK, there will technically be one lab left! But all the others will most definitely be gone! We need to counteract this soundbite in the papers or people will not support our cause.
Other centres around the rest of the country also reported successful demos with a lot of media attention.
So what next?
We will taking a big contingent to the TUC's NHS Together day of action rally on March 3rd in Victoria Sq Birmingham, + making links with the City/Sandwell hosp staff + other NHS workers in dispute. Meanwhile internal consultation is ongoing. As for industrial action, nothing has been ruled out yet.

NBS SOS
- Homepage: http://www.keepournhspublic.com

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Can you post a follow up report here please :)

14.02.2007 10:02

ta

count on dracula

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Report back!

14.02.2007 20:45




Today's Birmingham protest was quite a good success with a max of maybe 50 staff out at same time, plus a full-time Amicus officer visiting. It helped raise our profile with passing traffic who gave us good support, + upset the Chief exec. Big thanks to members of the public + other campaigning groups who came along to back us up! Saga FM, Kerrang radio, BBC WM, Heart FM, Socialist worker + BBC local TV all came along to record it + interviewed lots of staff. This was sadly heavily undermined by a management PR goon who appeared near the end to tell the media that the service to hosps would not be affected by the new plans. Confusingly they keep using the line that 'the blood centre is not closing' - OK, there will technically be one lab left! But all the others will most definitely be gone! We need to counteract this soundbite in the papers or people will not support our cause.
Other centres around the rest of the country also reported successful demos with a lot of media attention.
So what next?
We will taking a big contingent to the TUC's NHS Together day of action rally on March 3rd in Victoria Sq Birmingham, + making links with the City/Sandwell hosp staff + other NHS workers in dispute. Meanwhile internal consultation is ongoing. As for industrial action, nothing has been ruled out yet.

NBS SOS
- Homepage: http://www.keepournhspublic.com

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