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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“100 per cent support” for Barnet Spring march - Frances O’Grady, TUC
The new General Secretary of the TUC, Frances O’Grady, has sent us this message of support for the Barnet Spring march in Finchley on Saturday 23 March:
“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.”
DPAC fully supports the campaign to oppose the privatisation of public services in Barnet.
We received the following message of support from Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) for our Barnet Spring march on 23 March. They tell us they will be promoting Barnet Spring across their networks and will send a speaker.
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.
In Banstead last week a disabled older woman unable to leave her bed died after her outsourced care agency was shut down and she was left completely without the support her life depended on.
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
To add your support for the march, or to propose a speaker, please email [email protected]
Organisations supporting Barnet Spring
UNISON branches
Barnet
Camden
Hackney
Kensington & Chelsea
Southwark
Tower Hamlets
Barnet GMB
Barnet NUT
Barnet NASUWT
Barnet TUC (Barnet trades council)
Individuals
Phoenix Rainbow Occupy
Andrew Dismore GLA
John McDonnell MP
Jon Rogers, UNISON NEC
Jenny Jones GLA
Barnet Bloggers
Barnet Eye
Citizen Barnet
Mrs Angry
Mr Mustard
Mr Reasonable
Organisations supporting and speaking at the march:
Barnet Labour Party
Brent Fightback
Coalition of Resistance
Defend the Whittington Hospital campaign
Save Lewisham A&E
Save Newcastle Libraries
Social Work Action Network
TaxpayersAgainst Poverty
Unite Housing workers
Unite the Resistance
