Greenwich Unite members oppose cuts, privatisation and racism


Onay Kasab, Greenwich Unite

Unite members in Greenwich, south London, were out in force for the second Saturday running on 21 January, fighting to stop the council privatising the library service.

Stalls in Eltham and Greenwich have attracted great public support. Not a single member of the public has said they want the service privatised.

The union believes that if Greenwich Leisure Limited takes over the service, as the council plans, this will be followed by cuts, closures and the introduction of charges.

The union has already rumbled plans to scrap the mobile library and use volunteers to provide the service for the housebound.

Racist intimidation

The stall in Eltham was abused by racist BNP thugs who drove past several times in a BNP campaign lorry. Their friends were at the bottom of the high street handing out disgusting leaflets claiming that those convicted of the murder of Stephen Lawrence were innocent.

This made our stall, which put forward a united working class opposition to all cuts and privatisation, all the more important.