Louise Nousratpour in Manchester
Tuesday September 14, 2010
The Morning Star
TUC Congress: THE government is gambling with the nation's health and taxpayers' money by pressing ahead with plans to rip the NHS apart, TUC delegates have warned.
The NHS white paper heralds the biggest shake-up the service has ever seen and if not resisted could spell the end of publicly-owned free health-care in Britain.
Chartered Society of Physiotherapy delegate Lesley Mercer told Congress in Manchester that the proposed changes - estimated to cost £3 billion - had made the future of the NHS "more uncertain than any time since its foundation in 1948."
Moving a motion instructing Congress to challenge the changes, she said that the "eye-watering" cuts represented "the biggest gamble with this nation's health and taxpayers' money.
"It's equivalent to floating the NHS on the stock market and see what happens.
"As the role of the state shrinks to 'light-touch regulator,' the service might even be scrapped altogether - what you can afford will dictate the quality of care you get."
Ms Mercer, whose motion was passed unanimously, called on the TUC to challenge the proposals "legislatively" and by organising joint campaigns with staff and patients.
She added that the public wanted a "publicly funded, publicly provided and publicly accountable service."
The NHS has been ordered to find up to £20bn in savings over the next few years, contrary to David Cameron's pre-election pledge to ring-fence it.
"This was a blatant lie," Unite delegate Joyce Still said, also questioning whether the Tory premier would fulfil his other much-vaunted pre-election promise of 4,000 extra health visitors.
Ms Still rejected the government's divide between frontline and other NHS staff, insisting: "All NHS workers are frontline staff and they are already seeing the impact of cuts and loss of vital jobs.
"Privatisation, cuts and the race to the bottom in pay and conditions will destroy our NHS."
Unison has already launched legal action against Health Secretary Andrew Lansley's refusal to consult the public and staff on proposals contained in the white paper.
The Green Party also passed a motion at its annual conference last week vowing to campaign against Con-Dem plans for a fully-privatised "Tesco-style" health service.
TUC pledges support for women workers
Louise Nousratpour in Manchester
Tuesday September 14, 2010
The Morning Star
TUC Congress: GOVERNMENT attacks on women and their hard-won rights are "plain criminal" and will be resisted through joint union action, TUC delegates have vowed.
They claimed government departments were breaching equality laws by "conveniently forgetting" equality impact assessments (EIAs) when slashing budgets and jobs.
The tests are vital in ensuring new policies do not discriminate against women, black and ethnic minority, LGBT and disabled workers.
"Many higher education institutions are rife with inequality and unfair treatment," Alan Whittaker of teaching union UCU told conference.
"EIAs are a powerful collective tool for unions and the TUC needs to co-ordinate campaigns to protect and enforce them," he said.
Other speakers warned the cuts would disproportionately impact on women, who make up a majority of public-sector workers and users.
More than 70 per cent of the cuts will affect women, who are already paid up to 40 per cent less than their male counterparts.
Equality group the Fawcett Society is challenging the Con-Dem budget in the High Court following the Treasury's failure to provide evidence of EIAs.
Sue Bond of public-sector union PCS warned that the cuts would lead to "the deepest level of inequality in a generation" and called for joint action to stop the rolling back of hard-won rights.
Many of those rights gained under Labour are now under attack from the coalition, which has already slashed pregnancy grants, Sure Start nurseries, and funding to combat domestic violence.
Ms Bond reported that the Equality and Human Rights Commission budget would be slashed by more than half.
"This is plain criminal and must be resisted," she declared.
Delegates also condemned the new Equality Act being phased in from next month which seeks to dilute equality responsibilities by employers and deny equality reps statutory rights.
Moving a motion on behalf of the TUC Women's Conference, Unison's Clare Williams called for an organised fightback.
"Women will not pay the price of an economic crisis created by the corporate elite dominated by men," she said.
Tuesday September 14, 2010
The Morning Star
TUC Congress: GOVERNMENT attacks on women and their hard-won rights are "plain criminal" and will be resisted through joint union action, TUC delegates have vowed.
They claimed government departments were breaching equality laws by "conveniently forgetting" equality impact assessments (EIAs) when slashing budgets and jobs.
The tests are vital in ensuring new policies do not discriminate against women, black and ethnic minority, LGBT and disabled workers.
"Many higher education institutions are rife with inequality and unfair treatment," Alan Whittaker of teaching union UCU told conference.
"EIAs are a powerful collective tool for unions and the TUC needs to co-ordinate campaigns to protect and enforce them," he said.
Other speakers warned the cuts would disproportionately impact on women, who make up a majority of public-sector workers and users.
More than 70 per cent of the cuts will affect women, who are already paid up to 40 per cent less than their male counterparts.
Equality group the Fawcett Society is challenging the Con-Dem budget in the High Court following the Treasury's failure to provide evidence of EIAs.
Sue Bond of public-sector union PCS warned that the cuts would lead to "the deepest level of inequality in a generation" and called for joint action to stop the rolling back of hard-won rights.
Many of those rights gained under Labour are now under attack from the coalition, which has already slashed pregnancy grants, Sure Start nurseries, and funding to combat domestic violence.
Ms Bond reported that the Equality and Human Rights Commission budget would be slashed by more than half.
"This is plain criminal and must be resisted," she declared.
Delegates also condemned the new Equality Act being phased in from next month which seeks to dilute equality responsibilities by employers and deny equality reps statutory rights.
Moving a motion on behalf of the TUC Women's Conference, Unison's Clare Williams called for an organised fightback.
"Women will not pay the price of an economic crisis created by the corporate elite dominated by men," she said.
TUC urged to back debt cancellation
Louise Nousratpour in Manchester
Tuesday September 14, 2010
The Morning Star
TUC Congress: TUC affiliates have been urged to join campaigns for Haiti's national debt to be cancelled following the disastrous earthquake in January which killed more than 200,000 people.
The country is struggling with 1.3 million people still homeless and hundreds of thousands of children left orphaned as authorities attempt to slow the spread of disease without a proper health structure and amid a collapsed infrastructure.
Presenting a motion from the black workers conference Micky Nicholas called on delegates to support a Jubilee Campaign demand for Haiti's debts to be cancelled.
He added: "I hope affiliated unions encourage branches to continue to send aid to Haiti. They need to know that we stand in solidarity with them."
Unite delegate Alexis Chase argued that if the country had had the resources for better infrastructure and a properly funded health service the disaster would not have killed so many.
She added: "We should look to countries like Cuba and Venezuela who were the first to arrive in Haiti after the disaster and are doing a good job in flood-stricken Pakistan."
In a separate motion, TUC delegates reaffirmed their support for the people of Vietnam and their "incredible" achievements in rebuilding their country after defeating the US 35 years ago.
Tuesday September 14, 2010
The Morning Star
TUC Congress: TUC affiliates have been urged to join campaigns for Haiti's national debt to be cancelled following the disastrous earthquake in January which killed more than 200,000 people.
The country is struggling with 1.3 million people still homeless and hundreds of thousands of children left orphaned as authorities attempt to slow the spread of disease without a proper health structure and amid a collapsed infrastructure.
Presenting a motion from the black workers conference Micky Nicholas called on delegates to support a Jubilee Campaign demand for Haiti's debts to be cancelled.
He added: "I hope affiliated unions encourage branches to continue to send aid to Haiti. They need to know that we stand in solidarity with them."
Unite delegate Alexis Chase argued that if the country had had the resources for better infrastructure and a properly funded health service the disaster would not have killed so many.
She added: "We should look to countries like Cuba and Venezuela who were the first to arrive in Haiti after the disaster and are doing a good job in flood-stricken Pakistan."
In a separate motion, TUC delegates reaffirmed their support for the people of Vietnam and their "incredible" achievements in rebuilding their country after defeating the US 35 years ago.
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