It’s about time that key workers like Peckham’s Kabiru Ogundipe, named the UK’s best hospital porter, started getting the recognition they deserve.
The 51-year-old said getting the MyPorter award was “amazing”. But he also said the work of porters in hospitals, along with security staff and cleaners, is often “forgotten”:
After what we experienced during the pandemic – remember Clap for the NHS – many were predicting a sea change; a new dawn for underpaid and under-appreciated key workers. But that hasn’t happened. The UK remains a hostile place for the people who keep our national services running.
While the NHS gave workers Covid-related bonuses, private medical companies often initially dug their heels in and refused, despite making billions from the pandemic. Only last November, cleaners at the London School of Economics were striking, claiming their holiday pay was less than they were owed. The UVW union was able to secure them a pay deal but only after months of industrial action. Meanwhile, in pay disputes across the country, the government has often refused to negotiate, putting huge strain on our NHS and transport services.
It’s no overstatement to say people like Kabiru are heroes. Let’s start treating them as such.