Unite, Britain's biggest union, has called for the resignation of Nigel Clifton, Chief Executive of the Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Foundation Trust. The union believes he was responsible for wasting taxpayers money on unnecessary legal action which it resoundingly lost.

The union has learnt that the Trust spent £32, 000 of taxpayers money on legal costs defending its decision to withhold payments to some staff which they were entitled to recieve under a national agreement. The Trust's attitude also forced workers at the hospital to take strike action causing disruption to services.

In spring 2007, 28 Maintenance Craftsmen employed by Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Foundation Trust were refused payment of a Recruitment and Retention Premia. The premia was part of a national agreement called Agenda for Change which identified certain groups of workers within the NHS who were entitled to receive around £3000 per year backdated to October 2004. The maintenance craftsmen were one of those groups and this payment was theirs by right.

Despite the unions best efforts the Trust carried on ignoring the agreement and withholding the members pay. As a consequence of the employers attitude strike action took place during November 2008. The trust still refused to pay in spite of pleas from MP's such as Caroline Flint to "pay up".

Further strike action took place at Easter 2008 and an Employment Tribunal Application was submitted. The tribunal heard the case in August 2008 and the decision delivered in September was solidly in favour the Unite members. They were owed around £16,500 each and this is now in the process of being paid. The trust board decided not to appeal. It was a resounding victory for Unite and its members.

Unite's Regional Secretary, Davey Hall, said: "Nigel Clifton must take responsibility for this charade and hand in his resignation. We believe the Trust wasted thousands of pounds of taxpayers money on legal costs. It caused a strike which could of been avoided and all because senior management refused to accept an agreement which they had no other choice but to accept.

"Unite's action was a resounding victory for our members but unfortunately the Trust's behaviour caused a great deal of unnecessary distress for the workers involved."

Unite The Union