Outsource move puts jobs at risk (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Outsource move puts jobs at risk

11:00am Wednesday 2nd January 2013 in News

Nearly 30 jobs are at risk according to union bosses following a decision to partially outsource Airedale Hospital’s 42-year-old laundry service.

Airedale NHS Foundation Trust has confirmed it will outsource a large part of the provision. A union organiser said he and his colleagues were “shattered” to hear the news, and branded the move short-sighted.

Rob Demaine, regional organiser for UNISON, said the decision would return to haunt the hospital when the chosen contractor increased its prices. Linen assistant Jeanette Wilson, who lives in Steeton and has worked at the laundry for 17 years, said she and her colleagues felt “gutted”. “I love my job and this has really come as a blow,” she said.

The partial outsourcing will mean some staff will stay at Airedale to receive and distribute laundry across the hospital’s wards and departments. They will also deliver laundry to community sites, such as Skipton Hospital.