A CALL has been issued for Health Minister Edwin Poots to veto a controversial proposal to transfer 33 finance staff based in Downpatrick to Ballymena.
The Business Services Organisation (BS0) is proposing to transfer the local staff to Co. Antrim as part of a radical shake-up of health administration services across the Province aimed at saving an estimated £100m over the next 10 years.
Staff and local politicians have expressed concern at the move and at a public meeting in Ardglass last week, the Down Community Health Committee called on Mr. Poots to shelve the proposal.
Currently, each of the Province’s five health trusts has its own administration department which includes payroll and human resources, but the Department of Health wants to centralise the services in four centres.
Community Health Committee chairman Eamonn McGrady said the Downshire jobs issue must firmly remain in the public domain and highlighted the need for everyone concerned about the move to work together.
One of the group’s vice-chairmen, Dermot MacNabb, said he cannot understand why modern technology cannot be utilised to allow the finance staff to remain in Downpatrick, while veteran health campaigner, Dick Shannon, said the Downshire finance staff have the “full support” of the local health committee.
Speaking at the meeting in Ardglass, Mrs. Rosemary Bonner, the manager of the local finance staff, said they have 370 years’ experience between them and explained the proposed transfer of jobs to Ballymena would have a major impact on workers and their families.
She also rejected claims in the BSO consultation document that it would be more cost effective to manage finance services in Ballymena.
Mrs. Bonner revealed 999 of the 2,496 responses to the BSO consultation on its future plans came from the Down area and said the South Eastern Trust is attempting to redeploy finance staff within the organisation, rather than have to work in Ballymena.
“Our staff have 370 years’ experience between them, yet there is no centre of excellence proposed by the BSO for the South Eastern Trust area,” she continued.
Mrs. Bonner said if staff move to Ballymena they are entitled to an excess mileage allowance of 24p a mile which can be claimed up to four years, but she argued this would cost the BSO money, not produce a saving.
She added: “Our staff have mortgages to pay and will have to go where the work is, but what about those who work reduced hours? They couldn’t afford to travel to Ballymena.”
Unison official Marion Ritchie said the organisation is vehemently opposed to “moving staff across the country to fit a new model someone at the BSO has come up with.”
She added: “Unison has addressed its concerns about the BSO proposal with Mr. Poots. The so-called model of shared services introduced in England has not been a success and Unison is concerned about the BSO proposals for Northern Ireland. Locally, it will mean mums won’t see their children and have no family life if they have to work in Ballymena.”