Wexham Park hospital 1982

Controversy over injections of patients by nurses at Wexham Park hospital in August/September 1982

Student Nurses Lobby Parliament - 4th May 2016

Nursing Students - People's Assembly March Saturday 16th April 2016

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Unison Nursing Student Rally 9th January 2016

Gail Adams UNISON Head of Nursing speaking to 5,000 nursing students in London
9th January 2016

Student Nurse Campaign 2016

Hunt To Axe Bursaries for Student Nurses

Under the Tories a newly qualified nurse will have £50,000 of debt.

As they axe bursaries and introduce University fees.

This while the NHS is critically short of nurses.

UNISON has long argued that Project 2000 ran the risk of student nurses being treated like other students.

We have always demanded minimum wage (now Living wage) for hours on the ward and "honorary contracts" with local NHS hospital Trusts.

London Nurses Demand Affordable Housing

London nurses campaign for affordable housing circa 1997 at Battersea power station, London

Nursing Students Fightingback 2000 - Fighting Eviction

Nursing students at Woodlands Nursing Home, Greenwich, London faced immediate eviction from their nursing home in February 2000, with little notice, no alternative accommodation and in the middle of their nursing examinations.

UNISON organised the student nurses who ran a high profile campaign, starting with the storming of a Greenwich hospital board meeting and then went public about their plight, they also successfully balloting for strike action, securing a 99% mandate for strike action.

The huge opposition from the nursing students to the plans and support from the public led to the plans being put on hold until after the exams, a rent cut, a moving allowance and help with finding alternative accommodation

Unison Student Nurses Campaigning Against Poverty Pay 2000

Unison nursing students campaigning for better pay in 2000 outside St Thomas Hospital with Florence Nightingale masks

Nursing Students - Defending the NHS - Join the Resistance !

Nursing students showing support for the NHS at Kings College Hospital

Join the UNISON Resistance !

COHSE Student Nurses Charter 1989

The National Learner Forum has been established as the result of a resolution submitted to COHSE Annual
Delegate Conference in 1989 by South Sheffield Branch in recognition of the special needs of all learners, both
inside and outside COHSE.

We intend to formulate and promote a Charter for Learners which consists of the basic rights that we feel all
learners should have and for which we intend to campaign.

The NLF intends to take an active and helping role in establishing a learner group network throughout the
organisation, specifically:

• LOCALLY - promoting and campaigning for local learner groups, to relate to local issues, to promote national
campaigns (for example the Charter) and to encourage learner participation in COHSE at branch level;

• REGIONALLY - promoting regional learner forums to work closely with Regional Councils, liaise with local
learner groups within the region and, once established, to elect representatives to the NLF. We feel regional
groups of learners are imperative to enable NLF representatives to represent more fully learner members;

 • NATIONALLY - to provide a national voice for COHSE learners on the many issues facing them, both within
the union and publicly to lead the campaign for the charter of learner rights.

The NLF is determined to achieve quickly an accurate reflection in its membership of the COHSE learner
population. This means actively seeking and encouraging participation from previously under-represented
groups such as ethnic minorities.

We intend to take a major role in promoting learner recruitment campaigns within COHSE and feel that offer-
ing a supporting and campaigning learner network will be a major attraction in the recruitment of new members.

 We also aim to co-ordinate and organise opportunities for education through a continual programme of national
workshops open to all learners.

 We intend to liaise on student affairs with the National Executive Committee and Regional Councils and to
work actively with the National Union of Students to promote learners' interests.

We anticipate taking a full and active role within COHSE and look forward to the COHSE organisation's full
support in this initiative.





The COHSE National Learner Forum was established in response to a demand from learners for a voice within the union to represent their special needs.

The forum consists of two delegates from each region of COHSE plus two members of under-represented ethnic groups. Primarily these delegates are learner nurses, but we wish to include learners from other health care professions - such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and radiographers.

Since its inception the Forum has drawn up a
Charter for Learners. This charter is intended
to attract attention to these areas where we feel
our rights have been neglected and to declare
our intent to fight for these rights.

Our main aim, alongside the adoption of the
charter by educational establishments, is to
build a network of regional and local learner
forums to increase our quantity and quality of
representation and to support learners at local,
regional and national level.

COHSE CHARTER FOR STUDENT NURSES

The COHSE National (Student Nurses) Learner Forum believes all learners are entitled to the following
rights:

i) Fair remuneration - as a first step equivalent to at least the Trades Union Congress minimum wage threshold;

ii) The same employment protection and representation on disciplinary and grievance matters as other NHS workers;

iii) To appeal against examination/assessment failure in the same way as learners in higher education institutions;

iv) Opportunities to undertake clinical experience in training in an environment with adequate staffing levels and adequate support from qualified mentors/supervisors;

v) Access to designated independent learner counsellors;

vi) Security of tenure if renting accommodation from a health authority;

vii) An effective voice locally in order to influence decisions which affect their working lives (for example through a COHSE Learner Council);

viii) To opt out of training placements in the private sector where public sector alternatives are available;

ix) To act as accredited union representatives without harassment or intimidation;

x) Support and protection in the event of giving information through the appropriate channels with regard to malpractice(s);

xi) To join the trade union of their choice free from any undue influence. The NLF commits itself to do its utmost to ensure the achievement of the above rights.

1988 COHSE Nurses Special Duty Payments Campaign

LONDON NURSES
FIGHTBACK TO KEEP
SPECIAL DUTY PAYMENTS

LOW PAY - NO WAY

London's low paid and dedicated nurses now face pay cuts of up to £40 per week(£2,000 per year) as a direct result of the Conservative Governments proposals to stop special duty payments and replace them with a fixed hourly rate of £1.20. This will affect all grades and all specialities and will surely lead to more nurses leaving the NHS, worsening the already horrific nursing shortage in London.

PAY JUSTICE FOR LONDON'S NURSES

The Tory Governments proposals will mean the scrapping of special duty payments of 30 per cent extra for night nurses and the extra 60 percent payment for Sunday and holiday work leading to cuts in pay from 35p to £3.06 per hour for London's nurses.

COHSE- London's nursing union says enough is enough COHSE nurses demand pay justice in 1988. London's nurses will not sit and watch our profession undermined due to low pay - join the COHSE resistance.

DEDICATION DOES NOT PAY THE RENT MANAGEMENT'S PROPOSALS

1. Ending of Special Duty Payments and their replacement with a flat rate payment of £1.20 an hour for all night and weekend work.

2. Flat rate payments of 60p an hour for Stand-by Duty at place of work and just 30p an hour for On-call Duty.

3. A change to Excess Hours (overtime) payments.

4. No payment of Special Duty Allowances while attending any courses that lead to promotion or a change of post.

5. A Sleeping-in at work Allowance of 90p an hour.

6. A national agreement covering staff accompanying patients on holiday. This would entitle staff to 12 hours at plain time rates and 12 hours at Sleeping-in Allowance rates for each 24 hour period.


LONDON COHSE NURSES DEMAND

NO CUTS IN SPECIAL DUTY PAYMENTS

£1,000 INCREASE IN LONDON WEIGHTING

20%INCREASE IN NATIONAL NURSES PAY

NO POLL TAX FOR STUDENT NURSES

NO CUTS IN LONDON'S HEALTH SERVICE

PAY JUSTICE

NOTE

As a result of the campaign waged by COHSE and NUPE nurses Special duty Payments were saved.

Action by nurses and donor carers in the Blood Service, followed by industrial action in North Manchester put an end to the Conservatives plans to cut Special duty payments.

A campaign waged by COHSE (as part of the general 1988 nurses industrial Acton) to secure an increase in London weighting was also successful in 1988 securing the biggest increase every won.

Irish Student Nurses Fighting Back !

Student nurses warn of cut backlash

By: MARTIN WALL, Industry correspondent
February 16, 2011

The Irish Times

Over 3,000 student nurses and midwifes have taken part in a rally at the Department of Health in Dublin today in protest at Government plans to

phase-out and ultimately eliminate payments for their mandatory 36-week placement in hospitals.

Siptu nursing official Louise O'Reilly said that nurses would punish those who made the decision to introduce the cuts in the forthcoming general election.

Liam Dolan from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation urged student nurses to tell their TDs that they would not vote for them if they did not pledge to reverse the cuts.

Mr Dolan said that the unions would meet with Fian na Fáil on the issue tomorrow.

Des Kavanagh of the Psychiatric Nurses Association said the decision to make the cuts was a final act of betrayal by the former minister of health Mary Harney.

He said the Opposition parties should be clear and unambiguous in their support for student nurses and that "woolly soundbites are not acceptable."

Minister for Health Mary Coughlan last week has asked the secretary-general of her department to carry out a review of the decision to abolish student nurse payments from 2015.

It is understood the review will focus only on the plan to abolish completely the payments from 2015 and plans to reduce the level of payments made to student nurses and midwives over the coming years will remain in place.

The Government announced in late December that it planned to reduce and ultimately abolish payments made to fourth-year nurses and midwives in training during their mandatory 36-week placements in hospitals.

They are currently paid 80 per cent of the salary of a staff nurse during this period.

The Department of Health estimates the cuts will ultimately generated savings of €28 million.

About 3,500 student nurses and midwives took part in demonstrations at 13 hospitals around the country last Wednesday against the planned cuts as unions promised to make them a major issue in the general election.

Wednesday February 16 2011

Irish Independent

Angry student nurses have warned politicians they will be punished in the General Election unless plans to abolish their pay during ward placements are reversed.

Up to 3,000 protesters marched through Dublin and staged a rally at the Department of Health over proposals to phase out payments to fourth-year students working on wards during a nine-month internship.

Security staff padlocked the gates around Hawkins House and senior health chiefs quickly left for lunch before nurses and midwives arrived en masse to hand in a letter calling on the in-coming minister to reverse the plan.

Louise O'Reilly, Siptu's national nursing official, told noisy demonstrators the cuts were a new low for the Government.

"We will hold our politicians to account and shame those cowards who will not pledge to reverse those cuts," she said.

"We say no to slave labour and we will punish those on February 25 who try to introduce it."

Student nurses and midwives are currently paid 80pc of the salary of a staff nurse during their mandatory 36-week placements in hospitals.

Tanaiste Mary Coughlan has asked officials to carry out a review of a decision to reduce and ultimately abolish payments over the next four years.

Four-year-old Ella Dowd dressed in a nurses uniform to support her mother Tara and aunt Maria, both from Swords, north Dublin.

Tara, a second-year psychiatric nursing student at Trinity College, fears she could be forced to leave her course if her pay is cut in her final year.

The 26-year-old lone parent already studies, has placements in St Patrick's Hospital, works weekends for an agency and cares for her daughter.

"This would make a huge difference. I'd probably end up dropping out because I couldn't afford to run my home, Ella's creche and a childminder for weekends," she said.

Maria, 20, a third-year psychiatric nursing student, added: "Next year I will have my own patients and will be administering their medications.

"That is a huge responsibility for anyone to have. Intern doctors will still get paid, why are intern nurses getting cut?"

Union leaders from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA), and Siptu are holding talks with members of each political party, including Fianna Fail, for their stance on the cuts.

INMO general secretary, Liam Doran, warned his members and their families, who wield more than 200,000 votes, will be told the reply from each party before they go to the ballot boxes.

Fourth-year pre-registration nurses and midwives will also be balloted for a withdrawal of labour in early March if they do not secure a resolution.

French Nursing Students - Fighting Back

JOIN THE

FRENCH RESISTANCE

Thousands of French Nursing Students, members of UNISON’S sister union the CGT have been staging demonstrations in Paris over their poor treatment.

In November Nursing Students had been asked to work in army run swine flu vaccine centres on a voluntary basis but the Government then introduced draconian laws to force Nursing Student to work in centres.

This lead to the spectre of Nursing Students being woken from their beds by the police, to be escorted to work to ensure they did not abscond.

The CGT complained that Nursing Students had received little or no training and the centres were operating in a totally chaotic basis, where bullying was rife.

Nursing Students were being forced to work 14 hours a day, (8am –10pm) seven days a week with few breaks. They even have to pay for their own transport to the army run centres.

The initial result from the CGT nursing students campaign has been that the Conservative French Health Minister, Roselyne Bachelot, has been forced to issue advice stating that Nursing Students cannot be “requisitioned” for more than ten hours a week, the CGT has also won better pay for Nursing Students.

UNISON Nursing Students have an equally proud record, having defeated attempts to make them work millennium eve/day, we stopped the introduction of payments for uniforms and we are also the only union to fight for a wage and employment rights for Nursing Students.

Nursing Students are demanding “Dignity and Respect”. You can join the UNISON Nursing Student e-mail network by contacting your local UNISON Representative stating your name/University or UNISON Direct 0845 355 0845

Nursing Students Campaign Guildford 1977

A branch of COHSE formed only three months ago (December 1976) in Guildford, Surrey, has initiated a campaign in the area against all public sector cuts, the threat following student redundancies at the Royal Surrey County Hospital and St Luke's Hospitals, Guildford, Surrey.

The branch, with a hundred COHSE members, sprang 'into action in December 1976 when twenty-two out of sixty students qualifying as State registered Nurses (SRNs) and State Enrolled Nurses (SENs) were handed their cards.

A meeting of the Hospital District Management Team (DMT) was picketed and all unions affiliated to the local trades council contacted, together with other COHSE branches.

A big demonstration in Guildford was planned for 26th February 1977 (pictures above). 'We have so far only managed to get jobs for one or two of the nurses,' says Branch Secretary Peter
Midmore. 'And without jobs, the others are inevitably drifting away.

'We are working hard to build the anti-cuts campaign now, so that when the next batch qualify we will not be in a position of trying to shut the door after the horse has bolted.'

Response to the campaign has been encouraging, with over twenty unions represented at the first meeting, where a joint steering committee was formed.

Surrey was the first county to slash its education budget early last year, and local trades unionists hope that united opposition to all cuts will result from the new initiative.

COHSE Journal 1977
Click on pictures to enlarge


The COHSE No cuts march was support by a large contingent of nurses from Milford and Hydestile.

Note COHSE Hydestile banner (Hospital sheet), ASTMS (now Unite) Surrey University banner and Surrey University Student Union,

Robin Jago (Theatre technician) was also very active during this period.

Nursing Students at Guildford would also play a key role in the 1982 Pay Campaign and fight to secure transport to the Guildford hospitals. while students at Surrey University circa 2000,


NOTE

COHSE (now UNISON) was established in Guildford (South West Surrey) in July 1943.

The separate Guildford branch was later amalgamated into the stronger COHSE 1333 Hydestile branch lead by Branch Secretaries Carles Martinez 1977-1973, Les Bennett (1948-1976), and Harry Stock (1943-1947).

The union meeting in it's early at the Three Crown's public house (Watney's), Godalming.

A branch of the National Union of County Officers (later Hospital & Welfare Services Union, later COHSE) was already existent at King George V Sanatorium Hospital prior to the Second World War (Branch Secretaries George A Gill and Mr Gilliam).

COHSE Brent Banner

COHSE Student Nurses leading the COHSE Brent (Central Middlesex Hospital) 670 branch banner during 1982 hospital campaign.

Traditional hospital sheet.