The Socialist 16 April 2008

‘We’re striking against low pay’

'We're striking against low pay'

Birmingham strike

Editorial: 24 April strikes: step forward in pay battle

Unison witch-hunt: Defend 'the four'

Stop the witch hunts!

National Shop Stewards Network

Re-elect a fighting PCS leadership

News in brief

Global food prices: anger erupts in mass protests

How the other 0.01% live

Elections 2008

Health campaigners fight council cuts

Standing up for socialism: candidate list

Campaign for a New Workers Party - conference 2008

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill: why all the controversy?

Housing crisis: Britain's house of cards

Tax attack hits low paid workers

Water 'regulators' hide real prices

Rising class struggles across Europe

Italian election: new Berlusconi victory will provoke mass opposition

France 1968: 10 million workers occupied factories

France 1968: month of revolution by Clare Doyle

The radical life of Martin Luther King

Portsmouth Activists Academy day of debate

Previous issues, etc

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Water 'regulators' hide real prices

ONE OF the many myths about privatisation is that privatised industries are 'regulated' to stop them carrying out anti-social activities. The water industry regulator Ofwat negotiates with the private water companies and announces every spring how much water bills will be allowed to rise.

Last month they announced that water and sewerage charges across Britain would rise by an average of 5.8%. In fact the average increase is well above this.

United Utilities was said to have agreed a 7.5% rise in water bills for its north-west customers. However, unmetered customers will be paying between 8.5% and 8.9% more.

Likewise Thames Water was supposed to bring in a 3.8% rise but unmetered customers will see bills rise by 5.4%, low-user metered customers will pay 6.4% more, while high-use meter users will pay 6.9% more. Similar hikes were seen all over the country.

Ofwat, it seems, included a number of customers who were expecting to change to a meter in their calculations - some of these customers in big houses using little water would see their bills come down, thereby reducing the 'average' rise.

Regulation for Ofwat seems another word for hiding the truth about their charges' anti-social activities. Renationalise all privatised utilities such as the water companies under the democratic control of working-class people!

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'We're striking against low pay'