The Socialist

The Socialist 25 July 2012

Olympic Britain - We’re priced out

The Socialist issue 728


On your marks.... Get set.... Fight back!

Outsourcing fails again. For publicly owned and run services!

£13 trillion hidden from tax by super-rich

Not-guilty verdict in Ian Tomlinson case

Olympic Watch

Them & Us


Kazakhstan - Workers struggle against bloody, corrupt regime

Spain's austerity government is facing revolt from below

Miners light up Madrid and show the way to struggle!


1972: dockers face down the Tory government


Austerity Games highlights plight of young people

Save our jobs: We need a 24-hour general strike

Newcastle pride

Pre-emptive arrests: "straight out of 1984"


Kick private profiteers out of the NHS

Virgin vultures swoop on vulnerable people's services

Leicester: Not one cut in the NHS

Kirkby campaigners get support

Olympic protest as South London Healthcare trust forced into administration


Olympic victory for London bus workers

Solidarity with PCS members fighting to defend services

RMT demo in Portsmouth against Condor's 'sweatships'

Remploy strike a big success

Workplace news in brief


TV review: "What have the Olympics done for me?"


Save our server!

Summer printing schedule

Socialist Party Summer Camp

 
 
 
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Socialist Party Policy statements
Socialist Party contemporary Marxist analysis

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Solidarity with PCS members fighting to defend services

A dispute over job cuts and privatisation in the Home Office is likely to result in strike action on 26 July unless ministers begin meaningful negotiations.

In a vindication of the PCS union's argument about cuts, a home affairs select committee report has criticised the UK Border Agency - the largest agency in the Home Office - for failing to tackle a total casework backlog of more than 270,000. The report points out that the immigration group, the section with the largest backlog of work, has seen the biggest cuts in staffing.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "UKBA is clearly unable to cope and the backlogs are simply staggering... The Home Office simply cannot cut 8,500 jobs, a third of its workforce, and expect to maintain services to the public and the report exposes the folly of the department issuing compulsory redundancy notices to staff when it is clearly unable to cope with its workload."

Culture, Media and Sport secretary Jeremy Hunt has further inflamed the situation by raising the possibility of sacking Border Agency staff who go on strike at the start of the Olympics.

The Guardian also reported that London's mayor, Boris Johnson, is among senior Tory figures urging the government to introduce a new minimum vote threshold for strike ballots.

The Socialist has previously highlighted the hypocrisy of this - austerity chancellor George Osborne, for example, received only 37.6% of the electorate in May 2010.

Other proposals, that must be resisted with the full strength of the trade union movement, include setting basic requirements for public services during strikes which would cover transport, hospitals, education and border control.

As we go to press the government is reported to be seeking a high court injunction against the action.

In the meantime please send messages of support to: solidarity@pcs.org.uk

Also send complaints to the Guardian: letters@guardian.co.uk and the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/complain-online/


In this issue


Socialist Party news and analysis

On your marks.... Get set.... Fight back!

Outsourcing fails again. For publicly owned and run services!

£13 trillion hidden from tax by super-rich

Not-guilty verdict in Ian Tomlinson case

Olympic Watch

Them & Us


International socialist news and analysis

Kazakhstan - Workers struggle against bloody, corrupt regime

Spain's austerity government is facing revolt from below

Miners light up Madrid and show the way to struggle!


Socialist history

1972: dockers face down the Tory government


Socialist Party reports and campaigns

Austerity Games highlights plight of young people

Save our jobs: We need a 24-hour general strike

Newcastle pride

Pre-emptive arrests: "straight out of 1984"


Stop NHS cuts & privatisation

Kick private profiteers out of the NHS

Virgin vultures swoop on vulnerable people's services

Leicester: Not one cut in the NHS

Kirkby campaigners get support

Olympic protest as South London Healthcare trust forced into administration


Socialist Party workplace news

Olympic victory for London bus workers

Solidarity with PCS members fighting to defend services

RMT demo in Portsmouth against Condor's 'sweatships'

Remploy strike a big success

Workplace news in brief


Socialist Party review

TV review: "What have the Olympics done for me?"


Socialist Party appeal & news

Save our server!

Summer printing schedule

Socialist Party Summer Camp


 

Home   |   The Socialist 25 July 2012   |   Join the Socialist Party

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Related links:

PCS:

trianglePCS plans further strikes against cuts

triangleBritish Library strike action

triangleBedroom tax non-implementation

trianglePCS conference 20-23 May

triangleParliament's security staff striking tomorrow

Strike:

triangleTeachers strike to defend education and assistants' jobs

triangleYeadon Mill strike 1913

triangleWorkplace news in brief

triangleCWU supports 24-hour general strike

Cuts:

triangleCardiff: TUSC Against Cuts fringe meeting at Wales TUC

triangleGive us jobs, not Tory lies

triangleStop the health cuts!

BBC:

triangleBBC reports on TUSC

trianglePeter Taaffe speaks on BBC radio