1 December 2016
As NHS privatisation gathers pace, these
workers are taking action for the first time ever
On Thursday 1 December,
Canary Wharf in London saw the exposing of another NHS privatisation
scandal. And the revelations about the selling-off of some essential services
will have a massive impact on both staff and patients alike.
A flash protest
The National Union of
British Sign Language Interpreters (NUBSLI) held a flash
protest outside the offices of LanguageLine Solutions (LLS).
NUBSLI was demonstrating about the government’s awarding of contracts to the
company. The union says that LLS – an
agency for interpreters and the main NHS provider of interpreting
services – has slashed its staff’s pay since it took over NHS contracts in
Sheffield:
The protesters from NUBSLI chanted “Hey! Ho! Language
Line must go!”. Security staff were present, but did not interfere with the
demonstration:
Roger Lewis from Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) said that LLS
treated sign language like ‘mime’. He also accused LLS of being a “cowboy
company”, only interested in “making money” out of deaf people:
Targeting workers
LLS won three contracts to
deliver British Sign Language (BSL) interpreting services in Sheffield. But
NUBSLI claims that the
company achieved this by reducing interpreters’ pay and altering contracts,
without any union consultation. The union also says that LLS has
effectively reduced interpreters’ pay by 33%:
The substantial cut to
fees… threatens the sustainability of the interpreting profession in this area,
and as a result the access provision for the deaf community. Interpreters
in London will also face the same cuts from 1 December 2016.
NUBSLI says it is with
“reluctance” that it is now calling on its members to boycott LLS. This is the
first time in the industry’s thirty-year history that interpreters have taken
action. The union is asking interpreters not to accept any contracts with the
company. It claims that LLS is
trying to make “the interpreting community… simply comply with a huge cut to
their fees”.
Directly affecting patients
But it’s the reality of the
effect LLS cuts to pay will have on deaf patients that’s most worrying. As a blog on NUBSLI website
outlines, interpreters will now have to take on multiple appointments to earn
enough money. But this could mean patients’ appointments will have to be
shortened. Or even missed altogether. This is because of delays, a lack of
services at hospitals and waiting times. And overall, this has a negative
effect on patients, due to increased anxiety, confusion and stress. As the
anonymous blogger said:
Interpreters can’t rush
health appointments. There is too much risk involved and deaf patients deserve
a quality service. They won’t get this when interpreters are clock watching and
worried about getting to the next appointment.
Ironically, now the UK has
voted for Brexit, the EU parliament just passed a resolution demanding
the number of sign language interpreters is drastically improved. EU law on
interpreters had not been updated since 1988. But the EU parliament’s first
deaf female MEP, Helga Stevens, said of the resolution she helped initiate:
There is a clear shortage
of sign language interpreters. Many deaf people are unable to fully take part
in society. This resolution is a milestone for deaf people and sign language
interpreters alike. […]
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