Barnet Alliance for Public Services - residents, local organisations and trade unions campaigning for high quality public services in the London Borough of Barnet.
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Barnet Spring march
Read about the march at the Times website here.
Follow us on Twitter: @BarnetAlliance - hashtags: #BarnetSpring #OurBarnet #OneBarnet #Crapita
Messages of support
“Once more Barnet is in the forefront of the struggle. The more outsourcing, sub-contracting and privatisation fail, the more they are pressured. Job losses, lower wages, poorer services – this is the legacy that the privatisations are having.
We look in vain for a strong lead from the Labour Party – no wonder, when Blair and Brown were equally responsible for privatisations. The Trade Union leaders need to be more aggressive in their resistance. You deserve the support of the national unions, up to and including coordinated strike action. We have great strength but we don’t use it.
Everyone you talk to asks the same question: why do we allow it to happen? It’s about time we joined forces and put an end to this divisive and failed policy. It strips out so much that we value from a civilized society.
The Battle of Barnet in 1471 made a decisive change in the War of the Roses. Maybe the Battle of Barnet in 2013 will decisively halt the march of the privatisers and profiteers.
Best wishes and solidarity”
Ken Loach
“The TUC is proud to offer our 100 per cent support to your campaign to resist the senseless, ideological cuts and privatisations that are destroying public services in Barnet. By bringing together trade unionists, community activists and local people, your grassroots campaign has had a huge impact and where Barnet has led others need to follow. Barnet Trades Council, the Barnet Alliance for Public Services and everyone involved in the campaign deserve enormous credit for what you have achieved. But with the council slashing the facility time that enables union reps to do their jobs, and with Capita set to be awarded contracts worth up to £1 billion to run services in the borough, we need to step up our campaigning. The people of Barnet and the people of Britain do not want Ryanair-style public services where nothing’s included and everything costs extra. Together we can make a difference: as we’ve seen with Friern Barnet library, collective action gets results.”
Frances O’Grady, TUC General Secretary
“DPAC fully supports the campaign to oppose the privatisation of public services in Barnet. What is happening in Barnet is important to everyone because Barnet is only just the beginning and if this is allowed to happen in one area it could happen anywhere.
“Disabled people have fought long and hard for public sector duties to promote our rights, and privatisation will cynically evade responsibilities towards equality and inclusion.
“Where private companies are squeezing profit out of already under funded services the result can only be sub standard services. For disabled people who rely on services that means people’s lives on the line.
“Disabled people have seen the care that private companies have for us from our experiences with the Work Capability Assessment where they compete for contracts to profit out of pushing disabled people into poverty.
“Selling Barnet public services to Capita will mean more tragic stories and less accountability. It must be opposed.”
Ellen Clifford, National Steering Committee, Disabled People Against Cuts
“Just as Greece is being use as the test-bed for ‘shock doctrine’ in Europe, so Barnet Council is the guinea pig area for total privatisation in the UK.”
Paul Mackney, Vice Chair, Coalition of Resistance, former General Secretary, NATFHE (now in University and College Union)
“Best of luck with this campaign.”
Jean Roberts, ATL executive member
“…there is a strong joint interest in fighting the privateers, outsourcers and neo-liberals.”
Keith Flett, Secretary, Haringey TUC
“Tower Hamlets will send a delegation to join the Barnet Spring on 23 March. Your campaign has highlighted how Barnet’s privatisation project is destroying local democracy and accountability and economically damaging the whole community by exporting jobs and services. You have created a united response across the community and the workforce – to let Barnet’s Tory administration know that your services are not for sale.”
John McLoughlin, Tower Hamlets UNISON
“We support your campaign against the Tories’ crazy plans to privatise everything that your people rely on. You are right to say that your services are not for sale and that this will be a test bed for further sell offs elsewhere.
In Hull the tories are decimating our city, taking £100 million from our council and £99 million from our health services. We say: Drive out the Con Dem scum and victory to Barnet Alliance for Public Services.
In Solidarity”
Andy Reed, Vice President, Phil Sanderson, Secretary, Hull and District TUC
“On Saturday, 23rd of March, there is a march against privatisation of public services in Barnet - organised by Barnet Alliance for Public Services . Many residents and students in Barnet think that this is ideologically driven and will not improve service delivery standards. Our students’ union, being the only HE university students’ union in Barnet, is strongly opposed to this onslaught of privatisation. Until now, the pavements we walk on and many other similar services are run by public authority, not for profit. The moment it comes under a business firm for profit, it is highly probable that it will cut corners and give a bad service to people living in this borough, which includes thousands of our students as well. A recent example was a programme called ‘Your choice Barnet’, which ran for profit. It cut wages of workers and compromised with the service of disabled people in the borough. Therefore, I would encourage students to join the march.
Thanks BAPS for standing for what is right.
In unity”
Shreya Paudel, MUSU President
“The Save Lewisham Hospital campaign sends solidarity greetings to the Barnet Alliance 4 Public Services march on Saturday 23 March. Your fight against the attempt to privatise Barnet services is one that we fully support. As in Lewisham, where our main hospital services have been threatened with closure and downgrading, the strength of community opposition means that we will fight these measures, and will not back down until we win.”
Save Lewisham Hospital Campaign
“The Social Work Action Network (SWAN) and SWAN London offer their full support and solidarity to the principled campaign by Barnet Alliance for Public Services (BAPS) and Barnet Unison to fight off the ‘One Barnet’ privatisation scheme. All social workers that believe in decent relationship based social work must support this campaign; this scheme is a new grim signpost on the same journey of managerialisation and marketisation in local authorities and state social work which we has patronised and deskilled social workers, ratached up caseloads and tied practitioners to their desks. It is the same ethos which turns the people we work with into numbers and targets, but which often does little to improve the lives of individuals or communities despite the best efforts of workers. Social workers should work for social justice as a first principle of practice - the is no justice in putting profit before people. That is what is a stake and why all social workers should join local people and trade unions on Saturday 23rd March in support of the Barnet Spring.”
Dan Morton, SWAN
“Kensington and Chelsea will be in marching because your fight is our fight! Privatisation of services can only lead to lack of political democratic accountability, deterioration of services and massive job losses, all which will impact on local people! Keep campaigning and Solidarity forever!”
Sonya Howard, UNISON Branch Secretary, Kensington and Chelsea
Speakers
Tony Benn
John McDonnell MP
Owen Jones - journalist
Christina McAnea - UNISON Assistant General Secretary NHS
Shirley Franklin - Defend the Whittington Hospital Coalition
Dan Morton - Social Work Action Network
Ellen Clifford - Disabled People Against the Cuts (DPAC)
Fiona Evans - Save Newcastle Libraries campaign
Andrew Dismore AM - Barnet and Camden, Greater London Assembly
Jenny Jones AM - Green Party, Greater London Assembly
John Sullivan - resident, campaign to bring ‘Your Choice Barnet’ back in-house
Shreya Paudel - President, Middlesex University Students Union
Stan Davison - Barnet 55+ Forum
Tom Youlden - Save Barnet NHS
Peter Phoenix - Occupy
Paul Kershaw - Chair, Unite Housing workers
John McLoughlin - UNISON SGE
Paul Nicholson - 1,000 Mothers March
Nick Grant, NUT, NEC
Sarah Sackman - barrister for Friern Barnet Community Library
Alistair Smith – Anti-Academies Alliance and NUT
Mary Turner – GMB
Max Watson – UNISON NEC
Dr Tony O’Sullivan – Save Lewisham Hospital Campaign
Maureen Ivens - Save Friern Barnet Library Group
Ed Bobber - Norfolk Coalition Against the Cuts
Alon Or-Bach - Finchley & Golders Green Labour Party
Pilgrim Tucker - Unite community London & Eastern coordinator
Jeremy Corbyn MP
Barbara Jacobson - Barnet Alliance for Public Services
Linda Perks - Unison Greater London Regional Secretary
Andy Reid - PCS NEC
Phil Fletcher - Pinkham Way Alliance
Maria Nash - Disabilities Rights Campaigner and Barnet resident
Contingents joining the march
Barnet TUC
Brent Fightback
Barnet 55+ Forum
Camden UNISON
Coalition of Resistance
Hackney UNISON
Haringey UNISON
Kensington & Chelsea UNISON
Lambeth UNISON
London Metropolitan University UNISON
Middlesex University Students Union
Middlesex University UNISON
Southwark UNISON
1,000 Mothers in Haringey
Tower Hamlets UNISON
Defend the Whittington Hospital Coalition
Save Lewisham Hospital Campaign
Unite Housing workers
Disabled People Against the Cuts (DPAC)
Camden United for Benefits Justice
WinVisible
Campaign to Bring Your Choice Barnet Back In-house
GMB
Save Barnet NHS
Anti Academies Alliance
Save Friern Barnet Library Campaign
PCS
Unite Communities
Social Work Action Network (SWAN)
Save Newcastle Libraries Campaign
NUT
Norfolk Coalition Against the Cuts
OccupyLondon
1 Comment
Join the Barnet Spring march this Saturday! | Red Pepper blog | Red Pepper
Mar 22, 2013
[...] Supported by the Barnet Alliance for Public Services, the Occupy movement, Unison, the TUC and many more. The march will move off at noon and proceed to the Friern Barnet Community Library. share [...]