GMB TO BALLOT FOR STRIKE ACTION AT SOUTH LONDON HEALTHCARE NHS TRUST OVER AWARD OF PATIENT TRANSPORT CONTRACT TO DIRECTOR WITH RECORD OF SERIAL INSOLVENCY
NHS Rules Broken Says GMB
Thursday 5th August 2010
GMB TO BALLOT FOR STRIKE ACTION AT SOUTH LONDON HEALTHCARE NHS TRUST OVER AWARD OF PATIENT TRANSPORT CONTRACT TO DIRECTOR WITH RECORD OF SERIAL INSOLVENCY
GMB call for heads to roll as senior officers of the NHS Trust seek to ignore representations that procurement rules were broken and to dismiss evidence that the company plan to ignore the law after the transfer.
GMB is balloting for strike action and has called for heads to roll at South London Healthcare NHS Trust over the awarding of a patient transport contract to a company called Savoy Ventures Ltd. The contact covers employees working out of Greenwich, Barnhurst and Bromley Ambulance stations. They transport patient attending Guys & St Thomas, Kings College, Lewisham and Royal Marsden Hospitals. They cover most of South East London, including Woolwich, Barnhurst, Erith, Sidcup, Welling, Lewisham, Farnborough, and Biggin Hill.
GMB have told senior managers at the Trust that the award is in breach of public procurement rules. GMB has also advised the NHS Trust that Savoy Ventures have told 78 GMB members due to be transferred from London Ambulance Service who currently run the contact that they have no intention of being bound by TUPE Rules re transfer and that the members face huge cuts in terms and conditions of employment.
Savoy Ventures Ltd is run by Robert Lawrence Adams who has been involved with four previous companies that were wound up owning large sums of money to HM Revenue and Customs. Robert Lawrence Adams is a director who has been involved in two companies that were subject to a creditors voluntary winding up and two companies were wound up under the 1986 Insolvency Act. See Note 1 below for details of the 4 companies and the dates that there were wound up.
On 9th March 2007 Savoy Ventures Ltd acquired the business and assets of one of these companies Select Hospital Services Ltd which was subject to a creditors voluntary winding up on 7 March 2007. Robert Lawrence Adams is one of 3 directors of Savoy Ventures Ltd (the other possibly his brother, Jonathan Clive Adams and the other living in Malaga). At the Creditors Meeting of Select Hospital Services those voting in person or by proxy were HM Revenue & Customs owed £400,000.
South London Healthcare NHS trust put the contract out to tender and it was won by Savoy Ventures Ltd. The new contract commences on 1st September 2010. The GMB invited Savoy to a mass consultation meeting at Welling Football Club on Wednesday 4th August which was attended by members due to be transferred.
At the meeting Savoy Ventures Ltd stated that:
1. All of the staff would lose their outer Londonweighting (worth up to £4,100) as the contract location would be moved from London to Stone Castle in Kent.
2. They did not recognise trade unions, and would not be deducting check off subscriptions from source;
3. That employees would be moved from a final salary pension to a 6% matched stakeholder pension;
4. That shift patterns would be changed;
5. That they would not rule out downward harmonisation to match salaries with their existing lower paid employees in the future.
6. That they were refusing to accept responsibility for some employees (managers / possibly coordinators), as was LAS leaving the employees in no mans land from date of transfer.
Rob Macey, GMB Regional Officer who represent members at London Ambulance Service, said " GMB officers have drawn to the attention of senior managers at South LondonHealthcare NHS Trust that public procurement rules have not been followed on awarding contacts to firms whose directors have a track record of companies they have been involved with being wound up. Neither have the rules been adhered to regarding awarding of contracts to companies whose directors have been directors of insolvent companies owing money to the tax authorities. GMB have also advised the NHS Trust that Savoy Ventures Ltd have told our members that the company has no intention of adhering to the law of the land regarding the transfer of employees. GMB has had no response from the Trust on any of these three points.
That the public procurement rules were not followed in the first place is bad enough. What is far worse is that senior officers of the NHS Trust seek to ignore representations that the rules were broken and dismiss evidence that the company plan to ignore the law after the transfer.
GMB are calling for heads to roll at South LondonHealthcare NHS Trust for this. GMB will now move to ballot members for strike action to cancel the contact being awarded and to get cast iron assurance that the rules on procurement and transfers will be adhered to. GMB will also seek to reopen the awarding of contracts at KingsCollegeHospitaland LewishamHospitalto this same company."
End
Contact: Rob Macey 07710 618 908 or Justin Bowden 07710 631 351 GMB Press Office Steve Pryle 07921 289880
Notes to Editors
DIRECTOR
Appointed: 13/04/1993
Occupation:
COMPANY DIRECTOR
Company Number:
02754967
Company Name:
SELECT HOSPITALS SERVICES LIMITED
Liquidation
Creditors voluntary winding up
At the Creditors Meeting, those voting in person or by proxy were:
HM Revenue & Customs owed £400,000
Compstat Supplies Ltd owed £5,968.93
Administrators appointed 7 March 2007
Sale of business and assets to Savoy Ventures Ltd on 9 March 2007
DIRECTOR
Appointed: 24/08/1995
Dissolved: 11/11/2009
Occupation:
COMPANY DIRECTOR
Company Number:
03095063
Company Name:
SELECT EXECUTIVE LIMITED
Dissolved
Wound up under the Insolvancy Act 1986 on 16 December 1997 upon the petition of the Commissioners of Customs and Excise
DIRECTOR
Appointed: 25/02/1993
Dissolved: 11/11/1999
Occupation:
COMPANY DIRECTOR
Company Number:
02754971
Company Name:
SELECT CARS AND COURIERS LIMITED
Dissolved
Creditors voluntary winding up
Preferential Creditor:
Customs & Excise (VAT) £15,000
Non-preferential claims:
Trade & Expense Creditors £7,350
Corporation Tax £344.75
Directors £20,549
Natwest Bank plc £43,000
Customs & Excise (VAT) £60,810.80
DIRECTOR
Appointed: 18/10/1995
Dissolved: 27/07/2001
Occupation:
COMPANY DIRECTOR
Company Number:
03089202
Company Name:
SOUTHERN COUNTIES AMBULANCE SERVICE LIMITED
Dissolved
Wound up under the Insolvancy Act 1986 on 12 July 1999 upon the petition of the Commissioners of the Inland Revenue
Thursday 5th August 2010
GMB TO BALLOT FOR STRIKE ACTION AT SOUTH LONDON HEALTHCARE NHS TRUST OVER AWARD OF PATIENT TRANSPORT CONTRACT TO DIRECTOR WITH RECORD OF SERIAL INSOLVENCY
GMB call for heads to roll as senior officers of the NHS Trust seek to ignore representations that procurement rules were broken and to dismiss evidence that the company plan to ignore the law after the transfer.
GMB is balloting for strike action and has called for heads to roll at South London Healthcare NHS Trust over the awarding of a patient transport contract to a company called Savoy Ventures Ltd. The contact covers employees working out of Greenwich, Barnhurst and Bromley Ambulance stations. They transport patient attending Guys & St Thomas, Kings College, Lewisham and Royal Marsden Hospitals. They cover most of South East London, including Woolwich, Barnhurst, Erith, Sidcup, Welling, Lewisham, Farnborough, and Biggin Hill.
GMB have told senior managers at the Trust that the award is in breach of public procurement rules. GMB has also advised the NHS Trust that Savoy Ventures have told 78 GMB members due to be transferred from London Ambulance Service who currently run the contact that they have no intention of being bound by TUPE Rules re transfer and that the members face huge cuts in terms and conditions of employment.
Savoy Ventures Ltd is run by Robert Lawrence Adams who has been involved with four previous companies that were wound up owning large sums of money to HM Revenue and Customs. Robert Lawrence Adams is a director who has been involved in two companies that were subject to a creditors voluntary winding up and two companies were wound up under the 1986 Insolvency Act. See Note 1 below for details of the 4 companies and the dates that there were wound up.
On 9th March 2007 Savoy Ventures Ltd acquired the business and assets of one of these companies Select Hospital Services Ltd which was subject to a creditors voluntary winding up on 7 March 2007. Robert Lawrence Adams is one of 3 directors of Savoy Ventures Ltd (the other possibly his brother, Jonathan Clive Adams and the other living in Malaga). At the Creditors Meeting of Select Hospital Services those voting in person or by proxy were HM Revenue & Customs owed £400,000.
South London Healthcare NHS trust put the contract out to tender and it was won by Savoy Ventures Ltd. The new contract commences on 1st September 2010. The GMB invited Savoy to a mass consultation meeting at Welling Football Club on Wednesday 4th August which was attended by members due to be transferred.
At the meeting Savoy Ventures Ltd stated that:
1. All of the staff would lose their outer Londonweighting (worth up to £4,100) as the contract location would be moved from London to Stone Castle in Kent.
2. They did not recognise trade unions, and would not be deducting check off subscriptions from source;
3. That employees would be moved from a final salary pension to a 6% matched stakeholder pension;
4. That shift patterns would be changed;
5. That they would not rule out downward harmonisation to match salaries with their existing lower paid employees in the future.
6. That they were refusing to accept responsibility for some employees (managers / possibly coordinators), as was LAS leaving the employees in no mans land from date of transfer.
Rob Macey, GMB Regional Officer who represent members at London Ambulance Service, said " GMB officers have drawn to the attention of senior managers at South LondonHealthcare NHS Trust that public procurement rules have not been followed on awarding contacts to firms whose directors have a track record of companies they have been involved with being wound up. Neither have the rules been adhered to regarding awarding of contracts to companies whose directors have been directors of insolvent companies owing money to the tax authorities. GMB have also advised the NHS Trust that Savoy Ventures Ltd have told our members that the company has no intention of adhering to the law of the land regarding the transfer of employees. GMB has had no response from the Trust on any of these three points.
That the public procurement rules were not followed in the first place is bad enough. What is far worse is that senior officers of the NHS Trust seek to ignore representations that the rules were broken and dismiss evidence that the company plan to ignore the law after the transfer.
GMB are calling for heads to roll at South LondonHealthcare NHS Trust for this. GMB will now move to ballot members for strike action to cancel the contact being awarded and to get cast iron assurance that the rules on procurement and transfers will be adhered to. GMB will also seek to reopen the awarding of contracts at KingsCollegeHospitaland LewishamHospitalto this same company."
End
Contact: Rob Macey 07710 618 908 or Justin Bowden 07710 631 351 GMB Press Office Steve Pryle 07921 289880
Notes to Editors
DIRECTOR
Appointed: 13/04/1993
Occupation:
COMPANY DIRECTOR
Company Number:
02754967
Company Name:
SELECT HOSPITALS SERVICES LIMITED
Liquidation
Creditors voluntary winding up
At the Creditors Meeting, those voting in person or by proxy were:
HM Revenue & Customs owed £400,000
Compstat Supplies Ltd owed £5,968.93
Administrators appointed 7 March 2007
Sale of business and assets to Savoy Ventures Ltd on 9 March 2007
DIRECTOR
Appointed: 24/08/1995
Dissolved: 11/11/2009
Occupation:
COMPANY DIRECTOR
Company Number:
03095063
Company Name:
SELECT EXECUTIVE LIMITED
Dissolved
Wound up under the Insolvancy Act 1986 on 16 December 1997 upon the petition of the Commissioners of Customs and Excise
DIRECTOR
Appointed: 25/02/1993
Dissolved: 11/11/1999
Occupation:
COMPANY DIRECTOR
Company Number:
02754971
Company Name:
SELECT CARS AND COURIERS LIMITED
Dissolved
Creditors voluntary winding up
Preferential Creditor:
Customs & Excise (VAT) £15,000
Non-preferential claims:
Trade & Expense Creditors £7,350
Corporation Tax £344.75
Directors £20,549
Natwest Bank plc £43,000
Customs & Excise (VAT) £60,810.80
DIRECTOR
Appointed: 18/10/1995
Dissolved: 27/07/2001
Occupation:
COMPANY DIRECTOR
Company Number:
03089202
Company Name:
SOUTHERN COUNTIES AMBULANCE SERVICE LIMITED
Dissolved
Wound up under the Insolvancy Act 1986 on 12 July 1999 upon the petition of the Commissioners of the Inland Revenue
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