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Date: Thurs 24 Sept 2009
UNISON car parking campaign gains huge public support
UNISON, Scotland’s healthcare union, today welcomed unprecedented
support for their campaign on car parking charges, and urged MSPs
to back a private member’s bill to ditch them.
The campaign calls on MSP’s to support Paul Martin as he attempts
to introduce a bill in the Scottish Parliament which will tackle
the charges which still exist in some hospital car parks and require
NHS Boards to have managed car parking schemes.
The campaign has already generated over 2,000 emails and 5,000
postcards to MSPs.
UNISON Regional Organiser Matt McLaughlin said, “UNISON is right
behind this bill and so are our members and the general public.
It is a scandal that NHS staff are being forced to park in back
alleys and side streets putting themselves at risk of criminal
harm through fear of incurring a charge for coming to work.”
UNISON emailed 9,000 members asking them to email their MSP and
to date 2,000 emails have been generated via the unions web link.
However, some MSPs are refusing to back the bill meaning it is
at risk of falling.
UNISON is reacting angrily to the response received by some members.
Matt said, “Not surprisingly Tory MSPs have refused to support
NHS workers. But it is also obvious from the responses from SNP
MSPs that they are merely toeing a central party line, and refusing
to back staff and patients on this issue. This do-nothing approach
from the SNP will be a surprise to many people – after all their
party was very vocal in the opposition to parking charges when
they were in opposition.”
And Matt called on MSPs from other parties to back Paul Martin’s
bill “With over 5,000 signatures gathered in less than 3 weeks
on this issue it is clear that staff and public are not convinced
the current measurers are working and think further action is
required. UNISON calls on all the major parties not to let them
down and to back this bill, ensuring that staff and patients get
a fair deal from their NHS.”
For Further Information Please Contact: Matt McLaughlin
(Regional Organiser) 07904 341 979 (m) Chris Bartter (Communications
Officer) 0771 558 3729(m)
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