Thursday 25 September 2025
For immediate release
NHS staff vote to strike in outsourcing row, says UNISON
Health workers in Dorset have voted for strike action over plans that could see thousands of employees transferred out of the NHS, says UNISON today (Thursday).
Just days ahead of the Labour Party Conference, the union warns there could be further walkouts by NHS staff up and down the country if the government doesn’t clamp down on hospital trusts farming out support services to subsidiary companies, known as SubCos*.
Low paid staff at three NHS trusts in Dorset have overwhelmingly backed industrial action. In the ballot that closed yesterday, 94% of workers, including porters, caterers and cleaners, backed strike action over their employers’ plans to move them from the NHS to a new company.
The trusts – Dorset HealthCare University, Dorset County Hospital, and University Hospitals Dorset – want to move over 1,700 mainly low-paid support workers to a SubCo.
Ahead of last year’s general election, Labour promised to “bring about the biggest wave of insourcing of public services in a generation”.
Despite this, UNISON says NHS England is promoting the idea of trusts moving support staff to SubCos to cut costs by reducing their VAT bills.
The union is bringing a motion on SubCos to be debated at the Labour Conference, which begins in Liverpool on Sunday, to bring to the fore the promises the party made to reverse outsourcing.
The motion says proposals by health trusts for greater use of SubCos are a direct contradiction of the party’s pre-election pledge to bring privatised public services back in house. The union says without prompt action, there could be widespread strike action across the NHS in the autumn.
UNISON has written to all NHS trusts highlighting the dangers of setting up SubCos and reminding senior managers of campaigns fought and won by unions the last time these companies were used by desperate health bodies.
Many trusts have heeded the warning, but some, like those in Dorset, are ploughing ahead regardless and risk facing strike action, the union says.
UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “Before the election, Labour promised to bring workers on private contracts back into public services.
“They need to make good on that promise and quickly, or they risk seeing widespread disruption in the NHS in coming months.
“The overwhelming vote by Dorset support staff demonstrates just how strongly health workers feel about any erosion of their pay and conditions.
“The NHS depends on support staff to keep hospitals clean, safe and running efficiently. Many are already low-paid and farming them off to subsidiary companies will leave them with an even worse deal.”
Notes to editors:
– * SubCos are companies owned by NHS trusts but set up at arms-length as non-NHS bodies. NHS trusts set up SubCos to allow them to outsource support services and their staff, like those in facilities or administration. NHS England reportedly sees them as a quick fix for trusts to slash VAT costs and make savings to reduce their deficits.
– In its New deal for working people, Labour promised to “bring about the biggest wave of insourcing of public services in a generation.” The Labour manifesto said the new deal would be implemented in full.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy.
Media contacts:
Dan Ashley M: 07508 080349 E: d.ashley@unison.co.uk
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk
The article NHS staff vote to strike in outsourcing row, says UNISON first appeared on the UNISON National site.
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