City council chiefs have apologised to care staff and pledged to launch a review into their “appalling” treatment following the controversial decision to shut South Bristol Rehab Centre. The 40 workers, almost all women, were originally set to be transferred to similar jobs with Sirona at South Bristol Community Hospital after Bristol City Council’s cabinet approved the rehabilitation unit’s closure in January to save more than £500,000.
But the move via TUPE regulations fell through and they spent months in limbo before being given the choice either to apply to join the community healthcare provider in a “preferential recruitment process” or be redeployed within the local authority, but no option of redundancy, to the anger of the GMB union.
Now, GMB senior organiser Rowena Hayward is demanding – and appears to have won – an investigation by council bosses to learn lessons from the debacle. She told a recent council meeting: “The way this workforce has been treated by senior management has been absolutely appalling.”
