GMB members, in dispute with Carillion at Great Western PFI Hospital in Swindon since December 2011, today demonstrated at Southmead Hospital in Bristol over the on-going dispute and blacklisting by Carillion. 150 GMB members employed by Carillion at Swindon have taken 21 days of strike action over the persistent failure of the Carillion management to deal with evidence [...]
Posts under ‘Public services’
First anniversary of GMB strike action against Carillion
Feb 14th, 2013 by Andy Newman.Today is the anniversary of the first of 22 days of strike action by GMB members at the Great Western Hospital (GWH) in Swindon, one of the earliest Private Finance Initiative (PFI) build and operate hospitals, and only the second opened by Carillion. This long running industrial dispute between the union and Carillion, over the [...]
How is this avalanche of cuts really hitting the poor?
Jan 16th, 2013 by Michael Meacher.My own constituency, Oldham West, is one of the poorest in the country. How are they being affected by the cascade of cuts? Housing benefit cuts in April will particularly impact on pensioners, families on low incomes, disabled people (many already traumatised by Atos assessments of their alleged capability for work), the long-term sick , [...]
Ten years of Carillion putting profits before patients at PFI hospital
Dec 3rd, 2012 by Andy Newman.This week marks the tenth anniversary of Swindon’s Great Western Hospital (GWH) opening in Swindon, one of the earliest Private Finance Initiative (PFI) build and operate hospitals, and only the second opened by Carillion. The anniversary was marked today by a dozen GMB shop stewards protesting outside, highlighting the long running industrial dispute between the union and [...]
Navigating to Welsh unity against austerity
Oct 26th, 2012 by Gordon Gibson.The call was for ‘Plan B’ but unity was the dominant theme at Compass Wales’ panel debate in Cardiff this week. A fine array of speakers, led by Guardian columnist, John Harris, came together to debate Compass’s ‘Plan B’, their alternative to austerity. Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood, the Green Party’s Anthony Slaughter and John [...]
The practicality of a general strike
Oct 24th, 2012 by Andy Newman.Len McCluskey appeared to throw down the gauntlet at the Hyde Park rally following last Saturday’s march in London. He is reported in the Morning Star to have said: “When the horrific welfare cuts bite in April the situation will be even worse, but we should take heart from this demonstration because we represent millions and [...]
The boos won’t help, but Ed is wrong, wrong, wrong on austerity
Oct 22nd, 2012 by Jon Lansman.Standing twenty metres from Ed Miliband during his speech in Hyde Park on Saturday, the crowd around me clapped and cheered loudly, as I did, when he referred to “a Chancellor of the Exchequer who tries to travel first class on a standard class ticket“. Again, louder still when he attacked the ”incompetent, hopeless, u-turning, pledge-breaking, [...]
The speech of a “benefit scrounger”
Oct 21st, 2012 by Newsdesk.Sue Marsh who blogs at Diary of a Benefit Scrounger, and co-wrote the Spartacus report on the abolition of the Disability Living Allowance, made the following great speech at the TUC demonstration in Hyde Park yesterday. Bookmarks Hide Sites
Why we need to get out and march
Oct 19th, 2012 by Jeremy Corbyn.Last weekend I tweeted a message calling for support for the big anti-austerity march and demonstration this Saturday. Quite a few people quickly retweeted this message – a few thousand people informed in a few moments. Then I got a reply from someone who said in effect: “What is the point? One day won’t make any [...]
What we can learn from the Olympics – the benefits of state intervention
Aug 13th, 2012 by Michael Meacher.After an unexpectedly brilliant Olympics – 29 golds and 65 medals, unprecedented for more than a century since 1908 – pleading questions are being asked whether it will bring about a transformation of Britain. It will not. It has certainly provided an enormous morale boost for the national psyche and made a naturally self-deprecating and [...]
