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Date: 14th May 2004. UNISON call for sacking of private contractors
following TV food exposeScotland's largest health care union UNISON have
today called on the Scottish Executive to sack the private catering companies
at Glasgow and Edinburgh Royal Infirmaries following last night's (Thursday) expose
on Channel 4 which highlighted unacceptable breaches of food hygiene regulations. Speaking
today UNISON Scottish Organiser on Health Jim Devine said: "Last night's
expose on Channel Four highlights unacceptable breaches of food hygiene regulations. "Recruitment
and training policies were shown as flawed. The most worrying being the working
practices, which prevailed in the factory The programme showed one worker spitting
frozen peas back into patients' meals while another worker ate chips from a plate
and dipped them into a communal gravy tin. "Food containers were inadequately
cleaned to the extent that E-coli was identified as being present. Scotland
needs no reminding about the devastation that E-coli can cause." He
added: "The food processing procedure literally removed from the meals the
vital ingredients that patients need for recovery. " Last year UNISON
Scotland launched its ‘Food for Good' campaign which called on the National Health
Service to cook traditional food on the day of consumption and in order to do
this, the service would have to be brought in house. This campaign has attracted
cross -party support in the Scottish Parliament and that is why I can today call
on the Scottish Executive to sack the private contractors from Glasgow and Edinburgh
Royal Infirmaries and bring the service in-house." ENDS For
Further Information Please Contact: Jim Devine on 07876 441239 or Ahrlene
Ferguson on 0141 342 2819. Chris Bartter (Communications Officer) 0845 355 0845(w) 0771 558 3729(m) Index | 
