AROUND 30 staff and supporters lobbied the local health trust on 9 November, demanding they drop plans for sweeping cuts to community mental health-care in Manchester. The bosses see mental health-care as an easy victim for cuts.

Hugh Caffrey

Cuts to community mental health-care mean less staff to help mental health patients in the community. There will be 33 less nursing posts and 75% of service users will lose their key worker.

Fewer staff, an even more over-stretched service - and another 24 managers! It's proposed to put four specialist community teams out to "open tender" - Blairite speak for privatisation.

No to a mini-Railtrack in mental health-care!

The staff union branch has called a mass cavalcade of cars in protest at the cuts on 5 December from 12-1pm.

The trust board will begin its proposals with a freeze on nursing jobs on 11 January 2007 - staff have called a mass lobby against the cuts on the same day.

If management won't drop the proposals, an indicative ballot this month will prepare for a full strike ballot for action in January.

Send protests to trust chief executive Tracey Ellery at Chorlton House, 70 Manchester Rd., Manchester, M21 2UN.

We're working to link all the anti-cuts campaigns together across the conurbation to prepare for further protest actions before Christmas.

Greater Manchester Keep Our NHS Public meeting,
Wednesday 22 November 7.30pm,
Friends Meeting House, central Manchester