Bridgwater Trades Union Council Backs Yeovil Hospital Workers' Campaign to Abolish Parking Fees

At their May meeting, delegates of the Bridgwater Trades Union Council unanimously agreed to fully support local hospital workers in their fight to eliminate staff parking fees at Yeovil and Musgrove Park Hospitals.

The campaign, initiated by the Royal College of Nursing, involves 14 health service unions and also seeks fairer parking charges for members of the public attending hospital appointments.

Currently, hospital staff living more than 15 miles from their workplace pay £50 a month to park. Those living within a 15-mile radius are charged £13 a day, with additional fees if their shifts overrun. These high costs also apply to visitors, who face a four-hour limit before incurring extra charges. One patient reported being kept waiting in the accident and emergency department for over four hours, resulting in an additional £2.50 charge.

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These charges have led to staff and patients seeking free parking in nearby streets, impacting the local community. Bridgwater Trades Union Council argues that hospital workers should be allowed to park for free at their place of work.

The car parks are managed by Q-Park, which receives all the income from these fees. The council asserts that NHS trusts must be held accountable for allowing such profiteering at the expense of often poorly paid staff. They insist that NHS workers, and all employees, must have the right to free parking at their workplaces.

Bridgwater & District TUC supports the ongoing campaign, which has included pressure tactics like postcard campaigns. However, they emphasize that the parking fee issue affects the broader community, including patients, carers, friends, and family visitors. The council is prepared to support public protests and demonstrations outside Yeovil and Taunton Hospitals if necessary, following the lead of the involved trade unions.

"The practice of charging staff for parking must end now, before it spreads to other hospitals in the area," a spokesperson for the Bridgwater Trades Union Council stated. "We stand with our hospital workers and the wider community in this fight for fair treatment."