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 at 5pm.
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lets hope common sense prevails
Where are the politicians that we the public elect? It is hoped that come the next local and national elections the public will remember how their MP's and Councillors represented them throughout this disgraceful Trust operations. For Basil Curley to say that Sheila Foley CEO, deserved to take a holiday on the day Nursing staff began industrial action and that he was happy with the service patients receive shows he is totally out of touch with his electorate. Come any new management of Manchester Mental Health Trust then patients and carers must be given positions on the board that include votes and the right of veto. Patients are the only ones who do not hold any other agenda then making sure a professional service is offered to all with mental health problems. From the beginnings of this Trust to present day it has been a disaster for those in society who deserve better. Manchester you have let your people down. Shame on you.
come on sheila, see sense for once, you're nearly there
Lot's of people go on a 'luxury sunshine holiday'. She paid for it out of her own money and if she had cancelled it would have lost the money. Why should anyone have to do that? It matters not if you are a cleaner, nurse, surgeon or head of a trust.
It's not always been convenient when I have go on holiday but I get twenty five days so I take them, even though I end up being on the phone for most of it.
Did any nurses take a holiday at this time of crisis? With some nurses striking surely they would have cancelled their holidays to look after patients.
That goodness for sense - but what difference will it make to reinstate Karen unless there is a proper informed review of the Trust - the services will continue to struggle and Karen will continue to speak out and I have no doubt we will back in the same place. The Strategic Health Authority and Manchester City Council need to accept that the Trust whilst established with all good intent has not been the success it thought it would be.
These yobs should be fined or given an asbo for attacking this lady. Surely "Everybody" is entitled to a holiday now and then. These people should just grow up.
of course people are entitled to a holiday but not everyone has just sacked a nurse and yrade unionist for speaking out about the mess manchester mental health trust is in,nor are they the chief exec of a trust in the nhs where mental health staff were on their first day of all out strike.By the way this eas not Sheila Foley's first holiday to Dubai since strike action first began in june!!!!!
Dont concern yourself with Lisa moore..she's a wind up merchant and goes on a lot of sites!!
I guess the MEN don't believe in freedom of speech either.
fancy sacking a senior nurse knowing it would lead to an all out strike-then jet off to your holiday home in Dubai?
Get your priorities right Sheila Foley and resign.
Since your arrival you've done nothing for mental health in Manchester accept taking industrial relations back to the 1980s- bit like your hairstyle.
Time to go Sheila- your not wanted.
Ambushed??? This is her place of work!!! Do you not think that she knew what to expect when she came in that day?
Luxury holiday? We all should have one, we all have families, we all need one!!
Yes she is the cheif exec of a trouble Trust but it's not trouble because of her, she is there to sort it out, it's gonna be hard
I think the press in this country have a lot to answer for and these personal attacks by the 'Caring' profession on this lady is shocking...
The treatment that staff not on strike have had from unison members is dreadful, the bullying, intimidation, anonymous phone calls....are we in a play ground!!
And as for the people on strike.....what make Karen think that she is above the law and rules....it's a joke
Admin staff are even on strike, why??? Would anyone strike for them??
Half of them dont even know why they are striking, some don't wanna be there but feel pressured.....and well done to Karen and the press for painting this so awfully wrong picture.. the press will never get it right!!
yes poor sheila fogey, why can't she be left alone to sack trade unionists in peace?
It's not poor Sheila Foley and it's not poor Nurses or Karen.
Both sides are wrong....
Both sides are causing damage
This is a no win situation
And when people return to work the damage will be noticeable....