
The Socialist 19 June 2019
Trade union action can end low pay

While the Tories elect a new leader - prepare action to remove the lot of them
Welsh government must block NHS privatisation or face workers' action
Council cuts continue while reserves rise
Cancer stats reveal deep inequality
Stop climate change - fight for socialist change
What way forward to tackle climate change?
Trade union action can end low pay
Schools unions must turn anger into a fight against funding catastrophe
Unite must be at the head of fighting for a general election and against council cuts
South Western Railway staff strike for safety
Ford Bridgend workers vote to fight to save threatened plant
Bluestar bus drivers' strike over pay
East London bin workers call 12-day strike over wage grades
Swansea Parcelforce workers picket depot in support of victimised rep
Harrogate academy workers strike against closure
Chinese regime's puppet government in Hong Kong pushed back by mass protests
Sudan: The revolution under threat
Angry Barking residents' meeting demands answers and action following fire
Orgreave injustice - 35th anniversary march and rally
Oppose big business's sphere of influence!
Young Socialists - re-establishing Rhondda's fighting traditions
North Shields: second march and rally to #SaveOurBridge
Newton Abbot says no to Tory privatisation of the NHS!
Worcester: Building on our successful library campaign
Defend free TV licences for over-75s!
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Welsh government must block NHS privatisation or face workers' action
Beth Webster, nurse
Two Welsh health boards have announced plans to privatise their hospital pharmacies.
Betsi Cadwaladr and Cardiff and Vale health boards say they cannot afford to employ sufficient dispensers to maintain an adequate service. They predict that outsourcing outpatient services to a private, community pharmacy will improve inpatient pharmacy services by reducing workload.
This is yet another consequence of the Welsh Labour government repeatedly refusing to bail out health boards that are over-budget, and its demand on health boards to make cuts to break even. Health boards across Wales are £97.4 million in deficit.
The Welsh government stands by as poverty increases, contributing to the strain on the health service. It blames the Tories in Westminster, instead of joining with trade unions to demand more funds to meet rising need.
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Public sector union Unison has condemned the proposed privatisation. It has used the example of Carillion's collapse to illustrate the dangers of NHS privatisation - that private companies will prioritise profit over patient need.
Unison stated it would be willing to work with health boards and the Welsh health secretary to jointly lobby Westminster.
Unfortunately that opposition has so far not been translated into a campaign to explain to union members how privatisation puts their job security, pay and terms and conditions at risk.
Private companies cut costs not primarily by making processes more efficient, but by increasing the exploitation of those who work for them.
Lloyds pharmacy workers took strike action in Ireland last year over the company's refusal to allow union recognition, and poor pay and conditions.
It is the job of unions to organise workers for a fightback, not to passively wait for workers to move into struggle without a lead.
Many health workers feel their unions have not put up a fight as conditions in the NHS have deteriorated over many years. This can create temporary doubts about whether it's possible to fight and win.
Domestic workers in Unison at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow stopped their jobs being outsourced when they threatened a six-day strike, showing how effective workers' action against NHS privatisation can be with the support of their unions.
Unions should build campaigns with pharmacy workers and link them with other campaigns against attacks on the NHS, such as the hospital downgrades in West Wales. A public campaign opposing privatisation would have massive resonance with NHS staff and the public.
And it would build the basis for the workers' action needed to save the NHS.
In this issue
What we think
While the Tories elect a new leader - prepare action to remove the lot of them
News
Welsh government must block NHS privatisation or face workers' action
Council cuts continue while reserves rise
Cancer stats reveal deep inequality
Climate change
Stop climate change - fight for socialist change
What way forward to tackle climate change?
Workplace news
Trade union action can end low pay
Schools unions must turn anger into a fight against funding catastrophe
Unite must be at the head of fighting for a general election and against council cuts
South Western Railway staff strike for safety
Ford Bridgend workers vote to fight to save threatened plant
Bluestar bus drivers' strike over pay
East London bin workers call 12-day strike over wage grades
Swansea Parcelforce workers picket depot in support of victimised rep
Harrogate academy workers strike against closure
International socialist news and analysis
Chinese regime's puppet government in Hong Kong pushed back by mass protests
Sudan: The revolution under threat
Socialist Party reports and campaigns
Angry Barking residents' meeting demands answers and action following fire
Orgreave injustice - 35th anniversary march and rally
Oppose big business's sphere of influence!
Young Socialists - re-establishing Rhondda's fighting traditions
North Shields: second march and rally to #SaveOurBridge
Newton Abbot says no to Tory privatisation of the NHS!
Worcester: Building on our successful library campaign
Opinion
Defend free TV licences for over-75s!
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