Sunday, January 07, 2007

Carles Martinez COHSE Guildford & Dist 1333 Retires

Carles Martinez

Carles Martinez the COHSE & UNISON Branch Secretary at the Royal Surrey County Hospital (RSCH), Guildford is retiring (November 2007).


Carles born in Barcelona in 1939, came to London for work in 1963.




After a spell of hospitalisation at King George V Hospital, Godalming, he secured a job at the hospital started at Hydestile hospital in the Catering Department

In 1968 he was elected Chairman of the Confederation of Health Service Employees (COHSE) the main hospital workers union in the area. In 1966 he took over from Les Bennett (right in photo) as Branch Secretary and held the position to date (January 2007).

A very popular Branch Secretary, he built up a branch (which covers West Surrey) of over 2,000, the vast majority of whom are nurses and encouraged a large number of branch activists including three UNISON full time officials.