Mark Dunne, a Unite representative at East London Foundation Trust, faces redundancy. NHS activists and Unite members rallied in support of Mark and against coming cuts, Lucy Nichols reports
“Union Busting is disgusting” was the chant of the day outside East London Foundation Trust’s (ELFT) headquarters this Thursday.
NHS workers, activists and trade unionists rallied in East London to oppose the sacking of Mark Dunne, ELFT’s most senior trade union representative. This move is seen by workers as an attempt at union busting, as Mark Dunne’s has been heavily involved in pushing back against cuts and job losses.
This redundancy comes after the trust announced a huge £24.9m in cuts in 2026. This will mean 330 job losses and will affect the Tower Hamlets psychology service, where the workforce will reduce by 5%. There will also be a smaller cut in Newham CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) and a palliative care ward closure at East Ham Care Centre in Newham.
The rally heard from Mark Dunne, who spoke about his years of dedicated service in the NHS and his disappointment at the Trust for refusing to listen to NHS workers, and for, in his view, punishing him for standing up against cuts. Dunne explained how the latest round of cuts mean the Trust has cut £70m since 2024.
Steve O’Donnell, the Unite Secretary for the London and Eastern region also spoke, detailing the worsening conditions across the NHS. He explained that the level of crisis was severe, citing corridor care as an example. O’Donnell had heard of NHS corridors being re-labelled as wards, and nurses hired specifically to staff corridors.
The rally also heard from local campaigners from Hackney Coalition Against Palantir, Unite, and Mental Health Watch.
Unite the Union has accused ELFT of breaking with proper procedure: “the Trust should notify government and engage in an extended consultation process… Instead of presenting the whole plan and following the statutory process, the trust is drip feeding these cuts one at a time.”
NHS workers have also argued that as demand for these services grows, “cuts can only add to our workload and harm our patients.” A Unite representative called on the government to return to true Labour values, and provide public services, including the NHS, with the money they need to survive.
The NHS crisis must be urgently turned around. With the right political will, this is more than possible, and could prevent cuts and job losses such as those coming to the East London Foundation Trust. The Government must make this a priority, or we will continue to see rises in corridor care and avoidable deaths.
Keep Our NHS Public extends our solidarity to Mark Dunne and everyone facing job losses at ELFT. We will continue to put pressure on Andy Burnham to reverse the crisis in the NHS.
Please sign the petition in support of Mark Dunne.
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