Super six scoop organising representatives of the year award

Six women at the heart of the campaign to prevent large scale changes to administration services at Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust have been recognised at UNISON South West’s Get Active awards ceremony.

The dispute was over the Trust’s attempt to restructure admin services and down-band staff, which lasted from November 2018 to August 2019.

They recruited members, helped to organise two days of lunchtime demos across workplaces in December and May, and mobilised turnout for a formal strike ballot in May. The ballot returned a huge turnout and mandate for action.

Most importantly, when the Trust’s new Chief Executive started in August the reps were instrumental in persuading him to scrap the Admin Review, saving an overwhelmingly-female staff from a difficult process which would potentially have down-banded many and seen teams reduced to unsafe staffing levels.

Read more: Plans to review admin services withdrawn at Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership Trust

Read about all the Get Active award winners