4 October National March & Rally - programme confirmed

#4Oct British trade unions are facing a full frontal attack. Government spending on public services and the welfare state is being rolled back decades. It has never been more important for trade unionists to protest. The TUC has published details of the upcoming demonstration at the Tory Party conference in Manchester on Sunday 4 October:
https://www.tuc.org.uk/about-tuc/no-austerity-yes-workers-rights-national-demonstration-conservative-party-conference

Click here or on the graphic for leaflets and posters to download and print.

All roads lead to Manchester on 4 October

Building on last Saturday's larger than expected anti austerity protests in Glasgow, London and other cities, the TUC is calling a national demonstration in Manchester on Sunday 4 October to coincide with the Tory Party conference. Over 50,000 attended a similar demonstration in 2013.
    TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady said: “This October’s march and rally will allow thousands of ordinary people to show the government exactly what they think of their policies. The Conservatives’ planned attack on trade unions and extreme cuts are an assault on working people at a time when they should be focused on securing the UK’s fragile recovery and creating better jobs to boost productivity.”
https://www.tuc.org.uk/about-tuc/regions/tuc-organise-national-demonstration-during-conservative-party-conference

The funding sting in the tail of Devo Manc

UNISON North West has produced an excellent policy statement on Devo Manc. They are rightly concerned by the blurred lines of accountability, future funding and how services will be delivered or commissioned in the future.
http://www.unisonnw.org/unison-north-west-agrees-position-statement-on-devo-manc/
    One of the key areas to be included in Devo Manc is health spending. Labour’s vision for greater integration of health and social care was a strong concept which the Labour Party placed as a central plank of its NHS policy. Devo Manc appeared to wrong-foot Andy Burnham pre-election and led to accusations of a policy rift with the regions Labour leaders. Whether this is true or not it appears to me that Andy Burnham is the critical friend who should be listened to.

NHS Devolution - another Trojan Horse?

Greater Manchester is to take control of the region’s Health and Social Care spending. Yesterday George Osborne announced that from 2016 Greater Manchester’s combined authorities will take responsibility for the entire £6 billion health and social care budget. The deal is being hailed by council leaders across Greater Manchester but Andy Burnham is urging caution and warns that the proposals could lead to a break up of the NHS and an inconsistency across the country in the provision of health and social care.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-31656313
     This is a massive change to the way health care is funded in England and the proposals need to be critically analyised to see if the argument that it will improve health outcomes for the people in Greater Manchester really do add up.

Privatisation is as innovative as a quill pen

As reported once again in the Manchester Evening News Trafford’s new young Tory leader at aged 26 and three quarters thinks he is ahead of the game in developing a mass outsourcing of public services. As you might expect the lure of the private sector selling promises of services the same if not better than they are now, and for cheaper, is a sum which only adds up to those yet to be introduced to an abacus board.
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/manchesters-town-halls-joint-plan-7072170
   Which may in fact be the case with Sean Anstree. What however is alarming is the seeming silence of the sensible – and yes I know that they are Conservative - backbenchers at Trafford Council who appear to be naively sleepwalking into this chaotic nonsense. Given:-

Hands off our NHS says Prentis

#nhs299 (and @BBCNews in case you're missing this) UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis, in a speech to the 'wonderful people' at the Manchester rally, says the union will fight to keep the privateers out of the NHS.
   "55,000 people marching, speaking with one voice a clear message to the Tories, hands off our NHS", said Dave. He pledged support to the fight against privatisation at George Eliot hospital and for UNISON ambulance workers about to ballot. 
    He warned privateers would 'suck money' out of the NHS. "The NHS loses out, patients lose out, staff lose out: the only winners are the shareholders. Even the NHS chief executive now agrees that the government's ridiculous competition rules are holding back quality improvements.
   "Cameron said he could sum up his priorities in three letters: NHS. It turns out he was right. But in Tory language, this stands for 'National Hospital Sell-Off'."
   See also UNISON head of health Christine McAnea's speech on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b5iYLfBlv8&feature=youtu.be&a

Let's hear it for the Future Directions workers

#nhs299 Joining the Manchester rally are UNISON members from Rochdale on a 10 day all out strike in their campaign to reverse cuts in pay following outsourcing of adult social care services to Future Directions a community interest company 100% owned by Calderstones NHS Foundation Trust. http://unisonactive.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/future-directions-workers-striking.html

Photos from the march in Manchester today

#nhs299 As thousands upon thousands march for our NHS in Manchester, photos are coming in thick and fast from the front line.....

Andy Burham, Dave Prentis and Frances O'Grady head up the march in glorious sunshine

The myths behind NHS privatisation

#NHS299 Dr Jacky Davis outlines the main myths behind the drive to privatisation of our NHS - with patient choice and value for money among the familiar bogus justifications for opening up health services to private companies:
http://www.redpepper.org.uk/mythbuster-health-warning/

NHS - The Road to Privatisation. Say NO on 29 September

#NHS299 Check out this superb campaigning video made in response to the Government's continued programme of cuts and privatisation of the NHS. It includes a call to march to save the NHS at the Tory Party conference on Sunday 29 September 2013 in Manchester
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS8N0BHiVKg

NHS UK Plc

David Cameron bangs on about trade union donations to the Labour Party. He says it proves that Labour is in hock to the unions. Some may say if only. What then does Cameron call a £17000 bung from Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) to his party’s coffers? The Electoral Commission records show that the huge US health corporation has donated £17000 to the Tories since August 2010.
http://www.hsj.co.uk/news/nhs-contracts-firm-gave-to-tories/5062889.article?blocktitle=Most-commented&contentID=-1

The NHS is not a market commodity - say it loud on 29 September

The medical profession has finally woken up to what is really going on in the NHS. An article in this week’s Lancet exposes the government's real agenda for health:
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(13)61729-8/fulltext

Manchester remembers Peterloo

Progressive actor Maxine Peake led yesterday's commemoration of the 1819 Peterloo Massacre by reading out the names of the 15 protesters killed by the army at the Manchester demonstration for political rights. The massacre was a seminal moment in the peoples history of Britain and Maxine backed a call by local campaigners for Piccadilly Station to be renamed Peterloo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_jaLfyGrBI&feature=player_embedded
http://www.itv.com/news/granada/story/2013-08-15/peterloo-memorial-ceremony/#maxine-leads-tribute-to-massacre-victims_246683
http://www.peterloomassacre.org/index.html

September 29 – Stand up to the Tory Anti-NHS Lie Machine

‘The Tories and their camp followers invented 13,000 hospital deaths in hospitals ahead of a report by NHS chief Bruce Keogh. The figure was a complete fabrication, denounced by a mystified and angry Keogh. Cameron and Hunt are taking people for fools. The NHS remains the nearest we have to a national religion. The backlash when it comes, and it will, is going to be ferocious’ wrote Kevin Maguire in yesterday’s Mirror: http://www.mirror.co.uk/opinion/news-opinion/kevin-maguire-david-cameron-smears-2100255

Happy Birthday NHS - Now what are we prepared to do?

#NHS65 Tonight Dave Prentis will celebrate our cherished NHS's 65th birthday at a rally in Manchester. We are rightly proud of our NHS but as it faces death by a thousand cuts, are there enough of us with Bevan's 'faith to fight for it'? As Polly Toynbee points out today: "How the NHS looks at 75 depends more on the future of politics than on economics".

Save our NHS - all roads lead to MCR on 29 September!

#undc13 The Con Dem coalition poses the biggest threat to the existence of the NHS in its 65 year history - a theme which ran through many debates at conference and was fully addressed by Composite D on NHS Campaigning. The motion was moved by Debra Turner (pictured) of Central Lancashire health branch who called on members to 'work with other trade unions, patient groups, community organisations to fight for the future of the NHS. We need to take our message and our vision to our communities'.  Debra's full speech can be read below...
http://www.unison.org.uk/news/news-articles/conference-says-nhs-privatisation-gravy-train-must-be-stopped

Manchester demands Coalition drops NHS Bill

Over 1,000 people packed Manchester's Albert Square yesterday in a rally to save the NHS. Organised by NW UNISON and supported by NWTUC and NW Labour Party, the rally called on Cameron, Lansley and Clegg to listen to the voice of the nation and drop their NHS and Social Care Bill.

Manchester ravaged by Con Dem austerity & cuts

A recent survey carried out by the Manchester Business School has concluded that by 2015 spending cuts will have taken £10bn out of the economy of Greater Manchester. Other key findings include:

• The regional economy lost 34,000 jobs and £1.5bn from the 2008 recession, even before the spending cuts began.

• Another 15,000 public sector jobs in Greater Manchester have since been lost or are under threat.

• There has been an 80% reduction in regional economic aid. http://www.mbs.ac.uk/about-mbs/news/view/?guid=f89bed32-50c8-43d6-9619-71a6fbdafdab  Two reports on the Manchester economic survey were broadcast on Radio4's PM programme on 22 and 23 December and can be heard at the following link within the next three days http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qskw

Massive anti-Tory mobilisation in Manchester

A large UNISON contiingent was at the forefront of yesterday's 35,000 strong TUC organised March for the Alternative at the Tory Party conference in Manchester. UNISON Deputy Regional Convenor Rena Wood addressing the rally condemned Con Dem attacks on pensions which were 'paving the way for privatisation of public services' and called for a Yes vote in the ballot for strike action planned for 30 November: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/oct/02/protesters-manchester-conservative-conference

Con Dem Cutastrophe in Manchester

The cuts programme has so far been regarded by many in our communities to be something of a phoney war. Job loss numbers have been known but no one quite knew which jobs would go. Local residents knew services would be cut but not which services they would lose. But the phoney war is now over and the battle of the cuts has truly begun.