The Socialist 18 August 2010

Action now to defeat cuts!

Action now to defeat cuts!

Pakistan: Workers' solidarity urgently needed

Floods in Pakistan bring devastation - poor suffer most

Youth must fight for a future!

Student demo should be start of the fightback

No to advice service cuts

Decent pay for interns

Uni bosses say cuts will cause closures

Forecasts of fragile economic growth

Cameron sticks the boot into our council housing

Private-profit company granted 'snoopers' charter'

Private Finance Initiative: A licence to print money

Coventry Against the Cuts challenge councillors' 'legal obligation'

Northern Ireland: Belfast Stop the Cuts Alliance established

Bromley care workers fight privatisation and job cuts

Defend Our Community Services launched in Bracknell

Cuts devastate mental health services

The legacy of Leon Trotsky

Kirklees Unison strike ballot launched

CWU members accept BT pay deal

Debate how to fight back at Socialism 2010

Tube staff vote for action against cuts

Jobs under threat at Ministry of Justice

Airport workers win improved offer from BAA

Workplace news in brief

Socialist Party summer camp - book now!

Russia's raging wildfires - a crisis of government policies

Bradford must organise against the EDL

Birmingham: Community says 'No' to racist spy cameras

Previous issues, etc

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Bromley care workers fight privatisation and job cuts

Care workers in Bromley, south east London, will fight plans to end elderly and disabled home care, following a workplace meeting of 100 carers on Monday 16 August.

Bromley currently provides 5,000 home care visits a week to residents deemed to be in "severe or critical" need of care. This service is provided by 146 low paid, part time home helpers who are vetted and trained by the council.

Council management is now proposing that councillors hand over the whole of this service to private profit making agencies.

Despite the council's own surveys, showing that 96% were satisfied with the service, it looks as if the residents of Bromley are not even being consulted about whether they want the change or not.

Elected staff representative Glenn Kelly said: "At a time when all the talk is about giving residents more control and choice over their services, it seems Bromley's management will be saying to the elderly of the borough 'you can have any service you like as long as it is not from us!'"

It is now anticipated that up to 60% of the home care staff will face the risk of redundancy despite having given literally hundreds of years of service between them.

"This is the brutal reality of the cuts in public services, it's not the senior management that will suffer but the low paid and the most needy in our borough," said Glenn.

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Action now to defeat cuts!