Some 140 nurses have seen their jobs downgraded. Photograph: David Sillitoe
With fears of a recession growing by the day and analysts warning of significant job losses to come in the UK's financial service sector, it was ominous to read about a deal which has been brokered to avoid the threat of redundancies in two of Derby's hospitals.
According to the report, the Derby Hospitals NHS Trust - bidding to save £55m over three years after the government cut its annual budget - has agreed a deal with the Royal College of Nursing which will result in 140 nurses having their jobs downgraded.
Those affected will also lose thousands of pounds a year in salary - but on the positive side, they will still have their jobs. Unison has as yet refused to accept the deal on behalf of its members in the hospitals, but is coming under pressure to do so.
By agreeing to the downgrading of its members' jobs, has the RCN acted in their best interests, or should it have held out in the hope that the trust would back down? Does downgrading jobs set a dangerous precedent for bosses who want to trim back their departments without resorting to job cuts? Or is it better to have a job that pays less than no job at all? Vote in our poll and give us your thoughts below.
