Doncaster Care UK workers protesting outside Care UK owners Bridgepoint private equity, photo Paul Mattsson (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)
Alistair Tice
As we go to press, having already taken 48 days of strike action, Doncaster Care UK workers are in the second week of their current three week strike.
Since February, Unison members have taken strike action against imposed 35% pay cuts after their jobs were transferred from the NHS, and now for a decent pay rise.
Their determination to fight NHS privatisation and pay cuts has been an inspiration to health workers and trade unionists around the country.
More Care UK staff have joined this round of action because of their treatment from management, refusing their days off and holidays to be used to cover for strikers.
Strikers are keeping the pressure on Care UK’s owners, private equity firm Bridgepoint, by bringing a coachful down to its London offices every week.
The tour of protests and meetings has visited Sheffield to join the People’s March for the NHS and will join the lobby of the TUC conference in Liverpool called by the National Shop Stewards Network (see page 12).
On a visit to Newcastle, strikers were met and supported by former miner and care worker, Dave Anderson, Labour MP for Blaydon.
This prompted Roger Hutt, strike committee chair to say: “Bit of a bugger when you have to travel 120 miles for a Labour MP to show solidarity to the care UK strikers, when you’ve got three on the doorstep, who have yet to show their faces on the picket line. Shame on them.”
The three on the doorstep includes Labour leader Ed Miliband, who supposedly wants to put the NHS at the centre of his general election campaign.
