http://thecommune.wordpress.com/2010/05/21/building-alliances-against-cuts-and-privatisation-of-public-services/
Gall notes that in many unions there is ‘some appreciation that to effectively fight the forthcoming cuts and privatisation agenda in the public sector that new civil alliances of the providers and users of public services are required’ and acknowledges that with campaigns such as UNISON’s million voices campaign we are not starting from scratch.
Why are alliances essential?
As a starting point there must be recognition that individual unions acting alone cannot effectively resist cuts and privatisation. Gall identifies two key considerations:
“The first dimension is that critics will find it very easy to portray the unions’ action as nothing more than the protection of sectional and vested interests and thus to the detriment of the greater good in the new age of austerity. By creating these alliances of providers and users this criticism can be potentially circumvented and negated because ‘vested interest’ is situated within altruism and on pursuit of the common good. The second dimension is that linking the providers and users of the public services helps establish the intimate and tangible link between the jobs and their terms and conditions of the job holders, on the one hand, and the quality of the services provided, on the other.”
Potential problems
The problems in constructing such alliances can be anticipated as relating to:
1 Mobilisation – the difficulty of creating unified action when cuts in services have a differential impact on communities and individuals
2 Unity – differences and rivalry between union organisations both tactical and political (and at times self interest)
3 Diversity of service users and civil organisations – often of limited campaigning capacity and organisational mass
Gall rounds of his thought provoking paper on an upbeat note: “the problems are not insurmountable but will require deliberate and united actions from the unions to stand a chance of success.”