Month: August 2011

Notts Save Our Services statement on the August Riots

Notts SOS recognises that the causes of the riots and looting has to be
seen in a context of mass youth unemployment, public sector cuts and
police harassment.

Whilst the motives of individuals might vary, we do not doubt that
attacks on jobs and public services and a grossly unequal society within
a system which depends on persuading people that they must demand more
and more material goods to stimulate “growth”, and yet which denies some
people the means to access even a decent living, is a society which
cannot prosper.

Cutting public sector jobs, reducing social support and community
initiatives, making the vulnerable even more so, whilst allowing the
wealthy causers of the economic crisis to go unpunished, contributed to
the recent disturbances.

Actions to prevent further similar disturbances would need to be wide
ranging and involve deep seated change, but would be aimed at creating a
fairer society in which everyone can be treated justly, play a part,
live decently, and feel self respect and respect for others.

—

Nottingham Students Against Fees and Cuts have also produced a statement which can be found here:
http://nsafc.wordpress.com/2011/08/12/root-causes-statement-uk-riots-august-2011/

SAVE OUR NHS protest in Nottingham on 6th Sept in advance of public meeting on 22nd + other meetings

SAVE OUR NHS Protest!
Old Market Square, Nottingham
From 5.30pm Tuesday 6th September 2011.

Download flyer: NHS Protest 6th & Meeting 22nd Sept 2011

This is the evening before the final reading of the Bill in the House of Commons. Despite their “listening” exercise, they are still determined to put profits before patients. Don’t be fooled by cosmetic changes. We must say “NO!”

Come along to help save our NHS. Tell people to attend. Bring banners, placards, flags, love and rage. Wear NHS uniforms.

Public Meeting
Thurs 22nd September, 7 – 9pm
Mechanics Institute,
3 North Sherwood St NG1 4EZ
Speakers:
Dr Wendy Savage, co-Chair Keep Our NHS Public
Barrie Brown, UNITE National Health Officer
Gill George, UNITE Health Sector
Organised by UNITE 713 Branch, with UNITE Heath (Nottm) & UNITE East Midlands Region
supported by Notts SOS & Nottingham Trades Council

Other meetings that may of interest/opportunities to make feelings known:

1. Sept 6th 6-8pm – High Point Health, the Clinical Commissioning Group for Mansfield & Ashfield, are holding a Big Health Forum at The Towers, Botany Avenue, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, NG18 5NG. (The event is open to anyone who is interested in health and having a say in the planning and commissioning of health care in Mansfield and Ashfield. It will be an opportunity for you to:

· find out about the work of High Point Health from the clinical lead

· get an update on proposed changes to the NHS

· meet members of local Patient Participation Groups

· contribute to the development of plans for involving local people

To register, please call 01623 673329 or email ppi@nottspct.nhs.uk

2. Sept 22nd 10.30am – AGM of NHS Nottinghamshire County at Birch House, Ransom Wood Business Park, nr Rainworth NG21 0HJ. To register communications.team@nottspct.nhs.uk

3. Sept 28th 1-3pm – AGM of NHS Nottingham City at Council House, Old Market Square. Info 0115 9123384

PATIENTS, NOT PROFITS!

Our National Health Service is under vicious attack from the Coalition Government. For decades people in Britain fought to establish a universal health care system, the NHS, which was born on 5th. July, 1948. Now Health Minister Andrew Lansley’s Health and Social Care Bill aims to destroy OUR NHS.

SPENDING CUTS: At the last General Election David Cameron said he would protect spending on the NHS from cuts. Now he wants £20 billion cut from the NHS budget by 2014.

PRIVATISATION: The Government want most NHS patient care provided by private, profit-making companies. This will not mean better care for patients but huge profits for owners of private firms.

STAFF CONDITIONS: Already the pay and conditions of medical staff are deteriorating as they are pushed out of NHS employment into private companies. The Government aims to carry further this attack on our medical carers.

KILL THE BILL!

For other Notts SOS activities see our website and get involved.

NOTTS SAVE OUR SERVICES
Website: www.nottssos.org.uk
Contact: nottssos@gmail.com
Twitter: @NottsSOS

ATOS Healthcare medical examiners & admin under fire for bad-mouthing ‘customers’ and improper conduct

Highlighting the level of contempt for people receiving sickness and disability benefits, that has been cynically mounted by politicians and amplified by the media over the past few years, a medical examiner working for the private company ATOS Healthcare has been caught calling people they are assessing ‘the down and outs’ on Facebook, whilst an administrator called them ‘parasitic wankers’. ATOS Healthcare, a division of ATOS Origin, is operating under a multi-million pound private contract to the Dept. of Work and Pensions to carry out computerised face-to-face medical assessments of all people on disability benefits. This is a programme of harassment of claimants and those on essential disability allowances which can readily be identified as being part of a as an ideological attack on welfare provision by successive governments. This revelation follows news that twelve ATOS medics are under investigation by the General Medical Council for improper conduct.

ATOS Healthcare are not only involved with medical testing. They have also also dabbled with private running of NHS facilities, winning a bid from the Primary Care Trust to run a GP surgery in Tower Hamlets. But they had to leave the 10 year contract as they were not up the to job and due to considerable local protest. “Local doctors passed a motion of no confidence in Tower Hamlets PCT. Angry medics and patients, fearful of the potential impact of the privatisation of this part of the NHS, staged a protest march, and wrote to MPs and the PCT to complain about the decision.”
This is only one part of the stuggle against NHS privatisation which obviously needs to be linked to the attack on benefits as well. A meeting about NHS privatisation will take place in Nottingham on September 22nd. In Nottingham, ATOS Healthcare runs an examination centre on Stoney St. in Hockley/Lace Market.

New!: ATOS take legal action against Carerwatch and get their bulletin taken down. (temporarily we hope).

New: ATOS take legal action against Carerwatch and get their bulletin board taken down.

Save our NHS: Kill Lansley’s ‘amended’ Bill – public meeting in Nottingham – 22nd Sept 2011

Public meeting hosted by UNITE the union with Keep Our NHS Public. Supported by Notts TUC and Notts SOS.

Save our NHS: Kill Lansley’s ‘amended’ Bill
7:00-9:00pm Thursday 22nd September – refreshments from 6:30pm
Nottm Mechanics Institute, 3 North Sherwood Street, NG1 4EZ (Near to Orange Tree pub)

Speakers: Wendy Savage : co-chair Keep our NHS Public
Barrie Brown : UNITE – Health National Officer
Gill George : UNITE NEC
Chair: Garry Guye UNITE Officer – East Midlands Health Section

Download flyer: UNITE KONP public meeting

Some useful reading matter:
For-profit companies will strip NHS assets under proposed reforms, British Medical Journal, BMJ 2011; 342:d3760, 15 June 2011.
Department of Health guidelines falsely inflate NHS costs, False Economy website.

Notts Uncut: Tour of Tax Avoiders – report and photos from 13th August 2011

Notts Uncut visited Vodafone, NatWest, Top Shop/Top Man and Boots, continuing the UK-wide network of groups’ mission to highlight the massive amount of money avoided by tax avoidance schemes of corporations and money paid to bankers as bonuses after their being bailed out for billions of pounds using public money.

Vodafone’s tax avoidance was sanctioned by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs when an official let the company off passing future trade through Luxembourg with a much reduced tax bill for past trade, allowing the company to avoid £6 billion pounds of tax after the deal was made. Top Shop/Top Man is one of government advisor Sir Philip Green’s high street stores in the ‘Arcadia group’ whose ownership was passed to his wife who is based in the tax haven of Monaco, whisking £285 million of UK tax away in the process. Boots moved it’s HQ to Switzerland recently to avoid £100m of UK tax. All daylight robbery achieved without breaking any windows but by use of the machinery of capitalism that allows money to be moved around the world whilst governments say there is no alternative to cuts in services we need. Another Sir, Richard Branson is considering a move abroad for his Virgin enterprise as the rich show their contempt for the rest of us after using the UK as their money-making playground.

Read story and see photos on Nottingham Indymedia plus more photos on Facebook.

Before the protest, the growing group announced,

“Notts Uncut will be coming together again to remind the tax avoiding banks and corporations based in Nottingham that we haven’t gone away and we haven’t forgotten what they’re up to.

While the Con-Dem government is getting increasingly cut-happy, telling us that there is no money for homeless shelters and women’s refuges, that we can’t afford to give charities government grants, that students must pay £9000 a year for degree courses, that people living on the breadline must survive on less and less there is a select group of people who are not suffering from the cuts – the bankers and corporate fat cats. While ordinary people are suffering these people are still paying multi million pounds worth of bonuses and avoiding billions of pounds worth of tax. Let’s get out there and make sure the government and their super wealthy tax dodging mates know that we’re onto them!!”

Anti Cuts Demo at a Nottingham Job Centre – Friday 12th August 2011, 2pm [report & photos added]

Update: links to report and photos – http://nottingham.indymedia.org/articles/1993 & http://nottingham.indymedia.org/articles/1994

An Anti Cuts Demo has been called by Notts Uncut to coincide with a visit of Baroness (Tina) Stowell, conservative peer of Beeston, to a city job centre,
in the face of massive cuts to welfare and particular victimisation of disabled and ill claimants.
Location: Parliament Street Job Centre, Nottingham
Time/Date: ‎2.00pm-4.00pm Friday, August 12th.
More info on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=236067013098958

See also: Unemployed people ‘bullied’ into unpaid work at Tesco, Primark and other multinationals

Further Notts Uncut dates for August: https://nottssos.org.uk/2011/08/11/notts-uncut-diary-dates-in-august-2011/

Notts Uncut Diary Dates in August 2011

Notts Uncut have announced the following events relating to cuts to services amidst massive tax dodging by corporations like Vodafone, Boots and Arcadia group shops like Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins and Topshop, plus the banks that have been bailed out and are still paying massive bonuses. For more details of the companies concerned and the direct action being taken, visit http://www.nottsuncut.co.uk/

  • Saturday 6th August. Notts Uncut does Barnsley. Notts Uncut are travelling to Barnsley to support their debut action. Meet at Nottingham Railway station between 9-9.15am
  • Saturday 13th August. ‘The Tour of Tax Avoiders’. Local action. Meet in the Arboretum Park, near the bandstand, at 12.30 to move onto secret target. If you are coming along later call 07856565214 and we’ll tell you where we are.
  • Monday 15th August. Notts Uncut are hosting a discussion on direct action following a screening of “Just Do It-A Tale of Modern Day Outlaws”. Broadway Cinema. Film starts at 7.45pm. Tickets £9. Concessions available.
  • Saturday 27th August. Notts Uncut planning meeting. Near the bandstand at the Arboretum. 2pm. All welcome.
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