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Strike row boss ambushed

Amanda Crook
20/11/2007

STRIKING nurses ambushed their boss today as she returned to work after a luxury sunshine holiday - and won the promise of breakthrough talks.

Sheila Foley, chief executive of Manchester Mental Health Trust, turned up at her HQ at 7.30am after her trip to Dubai.

She had caused controversy when she jetted off on the day 100 psychiatric workers walked out in the row over the sacking of senior nurse Karen Reissmann.

Union officials confronted Mrs Foley as she arrived back at work and handed her a letter asking for talks.

After a few minutes she returned to the protesters, agreeing to meet them.

They then went into talks at the trust's Chorlton headquarters at 9am for the first time since the dispute began in June. They met for half an hour for a preliminary discussion.

The all-out strike of community staff, who care for 1,000 seriously ill people across the city, started after Ms Reissmann was sacked for allegedly bringing the trust into disrepute for speaking to the media.

Today, after the surprise agreement for talks, Ms Reissmann said: "We are pleased they say they are prepared to talk. We hope they are serious, as we do want to resolve this dispute.

"If they reinstate me pending appeal we will call off the action today. We do not want to be on strike - we want to be looking after our patients."

Pickets, including Ms Reissmann, arrived before 7am and around 40 people were waiting to meet Mrs Foley who looked tanned but tense as she arrived on foot.

She pushed through the group as they called out for her to reinstate Ms Reissmann and asked her about her holiday.

Unison official Ben Jackson handed her a letter asking for constructive talks and she returned to the picket a few minutes later saying she would meet him when she had settled in.

Within half an hour Mrs Foley came to the front of Chorlton House, in Chorlton, and arranged for talks to begin at 9am.

Trust bosses are now considering Unison's offer to return to work if Ms Reissmann was reinstated pending an appeal.

Mrs Foley's decision to go on holiday as her staff began their walkout has been criticised by politicians and patient groups.

The care of mental health patients had been disrupted by more than 14 days of strikes over the summer before the continuous walkout began.

In a statement, Mrs Foley, said: "Today we are starting fresh negotiations to resolve the dispute with Unison."

You can see the moment Sheila Foley was ambushed on Channel M news tonight (Tuesday), and by clicking the video window.