Protesters from three London campaigns confronted senior managers of Barts Health NHS Trust yesterday to accuse bosses of sacking a long-serving occupational therapist for trade union activities.

Five representatives from Newham Save Our NHS, Tower Hamlets Keep Our NHS Public and We are Waltham Forest Saving Our NHS read out a statement in support of ex-union rep Charlotte Monro before the start of a board meeting at Newham General Hospital.

The protesters declared: "The government states that it wants staff to feel safe to speak out if they see or hear anything that could compromise patient care. Barts Health says it subscribes to the same policy.

"Yet Charlotte Monro has been sacked, we say because of her work as a trade union rep, not for the main issue she was originally dismissed for - speaking to her local scrutiny committee.

"As a trade union rep she had consulted some of her members on what you claimed was a confidential plan and for assault charges she had not disclosed, dredged up from 30 years ago in protests which resulted in encounters with the police.

"In other words you were determined to get her."

Ms Munro, who had worked at Whipps Cross hospital for 26 years, was dismissed on October 30 following an investigation that began after she addressed the local scrutiny committee for Whipps Cross hospital in east London.

The committee is a body made up of local representatives such as councillors and other concerned individuals charged with ensuring that local citizens receive the services to which they are entitled.

Ms Munro's dismissal was justified on the grounds of bringing the Barts trust into disrepute by speaking to the scrutiny committee and of speaking to staff prior to the official opening of a consultation on the unit's future organisation.

She was also charged with failing to disclose previous convictions, relating to protest activities that occurred back in the 1970s.

On appeal the charge of bringing the trust into disrepute was dropped, but the breach of confidentiality and the failure to disclose the convictions were upheld.

The protesters demanded the reinstatement of Ms Monro before leaving the trust board meeting.