Unite Welcomes GHA’s Acquisition Of The Rooke
Unite has welcomed the GHA’s acquisition of The Rooke, saying the move is positive for staff and residents.
The union says employees will remain with the GHA and that consultations will continue ahead of the planned move later this year.
A statement from Unite the Union follows below:
Unite, the union for workers in Gibraltar, have today (1st September 2026) reacted positively to the announcement as to the Gibraltar Health Authority’s acquisition of The Rooke and the transfer of employees and residents to the new facility.
Officials from Unite met today with the Minister for Health, the Director General and other GHA senior management to commence initial discussions on the establishment of the new site at The Rooke with the transfer of employees and service users from the current ERS sites at Mount Alvernia and the Cochrane Ward, as well as transferring long stay patients at St Bernard’s to the new premises. It was confirmed that the GHA would be acquiring the Rooke site and the service would remain within the current GHA structure and that there would be no change of employer.
Commitments were provided that largely for employees this only represented a change of workplace, further commitments were provided around filling vacancies with the ERS and that The Rooke would remain as part of the GHA and the public sector under the current Government’s vision for the Health & Care Sector. The announcement will trigger a period of consultation with all stakeholders including Unite where any issues and challenges can be resolved ahead of a planned move later this year.
Stuart Davies, National Officer for Unite Gibraltar stated: “This is really positive news and demonstrates an on-going commitment to maintaining public services and ensuring that these stay rooted where they belong, in the public sector. There were a number of rumours and concerns that an announcement could have involved a private provider which would have been highly problematic so this significant commitment to and investment in the public sector is very welcome.
“There will undoubtedly be teething problems and issues that need to be worked through, Unite will be engaging with our members and the GHA to resolve any issues or concerns that arise, but broadly speaking the move to a new, modern facility will be positive for members, residents and their families. A number of reassuring commitments were received in our initial meeting and whilst the union recognises that there will be concerns and anxieties within the membership, we are confident that we will be able to work through these successfully via the regular and planned consultation with the employer.
