Sarah Sachs-Eldridge, Socialist Party national organiser
They’re everywhere! Money-grubbing, private claws – sinking talons into our public services and workers’ pay and conditions.
Circle’s withdrawal from Hinchingbrooke Hospital (see page 3) shows what privatisation means for the NHS. Patients’ and workers’ needs are trodden underfoot in the stampede towards profit. This is anathema to how working class people see the NHS and our public services.
The magnificent strike by London bus drivers, demanding one rate for the job, highlights this too. The break-up of services into different private companies is used as a weapon against hard-won workers’ rights. Like in every race, the race to the bottom in wages, conditions and rights delivers winners and losers. The bosses and shareholders of the bus companies win, and workers suffer.
In poll after poll it’s clear that working class people reject privatisation. Protest and strike reports in the Socialist prove workers will take action when given a lead. At every stage, the Socialist Party proposes a strategy that puts the potential strength of workers’ united struggle at its centre.
When organised, the working class is a powerful social force capable of forcing concessions from employers. In 2012, a London bus workers’ strike won an Olympic bonus that the bosses had no intention of paying.
The Socialist Party explains that privatisation is a logical approach for the super-rich. The capitalists grab a greater share of wealth from workers – both in the form of lower wages, and in payments from councils and governments for services.
The Socialist Party therefore fights to end privatisation through mass action by workers. We also campaign for representatives in councils and government who would reject and reverse privatisation. We fight to transform society; to end the rule of profit.
