Defend jobs, oppose privatisation, build the union in the NHS - Lilian Macer‏

Lilian Macer, Chair of the UNISON service group executive opened conference with a comprehensive speech setting out the challenges facing workers in the NHS. “One thing that health workers have in common throughout the UK is a massive concern about the prospect of public services cuts, regardless of the outcome of the election. The recent budget confirmed that billions will be coming out of the Department of Health’s budget, in what they are calling ‘efficiency savings’ but as we all know this means cuts. And if the Tories get in the cuts will be worse. Far worse”

Lilian condemned the irresponsibility of speculators and bankers which had caused the economic crisis “what hey have achieved is to privatise the profits and socialise the debt.”

The well received speech concluded by noting two major areas of success for the health group in the past year:

TCS
“Probably the greatest achievement in health over the last year has been the work of the union to force the Westminster government to back track on its previous plans to maximise the role of the private sector by announcing that the NHS remains the preferred provider. I was very proud to be the mover of the UNISON led composite on the NHS at last year’s TUC which denounced the market driven approach embodied at that time in the transforming community services (TCS) programme and the infamous competition panel.”

Recruitment

“Our recent achievements in recruitment have been exceptional in 2009 health added more members than any of the other UNISON service groups. We have used new recruiting techniques and embraced the wider Three Companies project to make advances in organising.”