What cuts – Page 8 – Notts Save Our Services

Over 1200 march in Nottingham during a great show of solidarity on the June 30th coordinated strike day

Nottingham coordinated strike day 30th June 2011

Workers, students, unemployed, a wide spectrum of people of Nottingham City and the County including families with their children joined the National Union of Teachers (NUT), Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), University and College Union (UCU) and the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) at the Forest Recreation Ground in a large show of solidarity against pension threats, job losses and pay cuts in the public sector.

These pension threats are part of the ongoing attack on the wages of workers whether immediate or deferred and the push to make us all work harder and longer to pay for the profit losses of the banks with their market manipulations. A crisis not of our making. All this while the rich are all but unaffected, the banks have been given billions, and corporate interests are taking the piss with massive tax dodges.

March, Rally & Meeting

Amongst a sea of trade union banners, trade unionists, services users and those threatened or already suffering from service cuts marched to Trinity Square. Anti-cuts activists involved with Notts SOS were prominent in the events. Trade union activists then marched to the Albert Hall for an indoor rally and campaign meeting. Speeches in Trinity Square continued to outline the threat to education, the NHS and local services from government policies. At County Hall, Notts Unison members and supporters protested against cuts and axing of vital services supporting people in the County.

At the same time as the Albert Hall meeting, after packing up began at Trinity Sq., Notts UnCut visited the usual targets of tax-avoiding companies in the city centre to protest against the hypocrisy of companies like Boots who now have their HQ abroad to avoid tax. All this whilst the Chamber of Commerce of Derby and Notts has the audacity to complain about the loss to UK PLC of one strike day. Especially galling as this was the same day that Lloyds TSB bank said they aim to axe 15,000 more jobs (on top of 27,500 losses already announced) as part of a review to get them back into the black – showing again that it is workers who are paying for the crisis, while it was reported by the Daily Telegraph that “Investors welcomed the results of the review sending Lloyds share price up more than 6pc in early trading to 47.17p”, showing which side private investors are on.

Notts Cold Cuts

Earlier in the morning, from 8am, Notts UnCut and Notts Save Our Services activists, including some individuals from unions not on strike today but supporting the strike action, went round pickets at Job Centres, Courts and the Tax Office handing out sandwiches, cake and chocolate, giving a boost to the official pickets.

The night before, other activists reported having superglued the locks to the doors of Job Centre Plus on Canal Street, and also Atos Origin on Stoney Street (who carry out health examinations which are being used to carry out government policy to kick a lot of disability claimants off vital benefits). Elsewhere in the UK, activists made the links between unemployed struggles and the PCS dispute.

Some of the high points: It a was a large and passionate march from the Forest and families with children who were missing school due to the teachers’ strike came along to support their school teachers. Royal Mail workers refused to cross picket lines. Workers asked for union application forms on pickets. Lots of honking of horns supporting the pickets and march, including bus drivers.

Some of the low points: At one point picket supporters were chased and shouted at by G4S security staff at the Tax Office for going off the right-of-way through the middle of the office grounds in order to find the strikers. Then at Castle College we heard that Teaching Assistants were disgracefully covering lecturers’ classes. Elsewhere some individuals seemed to have fallen for politicians’ rhetoric about pensions and against strike action.

But this will not be the end of the strikes and other actions against austerity. In fact action against destruction of the NHS will take place next week on Tuesday 5th (NHS founding anniversary) and a major day of action on Saturday 9th of July. Activity on the 5th will be in North Notts as well as Nottingham. Full details elsewhere on the site or coming soon. The next Notts SOS meeting is on Monday 4th July at the usual venue – YMCA International Community Centre on Mansfield Road, starting 7.30pm. Come and get involved with saving your services!

Other reports/photos: http://nottingham.indymedia.org.uk. See also UCU Castle College picket photos on facebook.

Nottingham joint strike and anti-cuts action day – Thursday 30th June 2011 – final details

Join the Nottingham unions NUT, ATL, UCU, PCS joint strike march from The Forest and city centre rally at Trinity Square on 30th June, then meeting at Albert Hall with many solidarity actions. Supported by Notts Trades Council, Notts Save Our Services, Nottingham Students Against Fees and Cuts, University of Nottingham UCU Local Association, Notts Uncut, plus Notts Unison action at County Hall West Bridgford against cuts to social care provision in the County.

* NO PENSION CUTS!
* NO JOB CUTS!
* NO CUTS TO SERVICES!
* Bring banners, friends and family!

Timetable

8.00am. Notts UnCut. Meet up at Nottingham Railway station to feed pickets and engage in solidarity action. Download Notts UnCut latest newsletter
8.30am. Unison action against major cuts to social care provision – assemble County Hall, West Bridgford. Download leaflet: Notts ASCH demo 30 June 2011
11 am. NUT, ATL, UCU, PCS joint strike march – assemble from 11.00 am, Forest Recreation Ground (Goose Fair site). Download: 30 June 2011 joint strike leaflet Nottingham
11.30 am. Marchers leave The Forest, march down Mansfield Road, on to Milton Street and then in to the Trinity Square.
Noon/12.30 pm with the arrival of the march in Trinity Square. Speakers, stalls, refreshments and more in Trinity Square. There will be face painting and other activities for younger people.
13.30 pm. March continues along Burton Street, South Sherwood Street and Parliament Street to the Albert Hall on Derby Road for speakers and debate on the way forward for the dispute. There will be live music provided by Banner Theatre, Trade Union speakers and an opportunity to contribute from the floor. Ending 3pm approx.

Background: Striking for pensions | Striking against Job cuts | Striking for you and your services
Teachers, lecturers, and civil servants, in the NUT, ATL, UCU, and PCS are being forced to take strike action on 30th June.

The strike is against Con-Dem plans to:
– cut public sector pensions by a third;
– increase the public sector pension age to 68;
– make public sector workers pay 50% more for it!
– cut jobs, hundreds of government jobs have already been lost in Nottinghamshire
– close workplaces, such as DWP Sutton and Mansfield
– Cut all public sector pay at a time when inflation is above 5% and utility bills will be increased by 19%!

This strike action is not happening because union members and their families are greedy; pensions are a vital part of our pay. These union members have chosen to work in the public sector because they believe in providing good public services for all and taking strike action is never an easy decision.

The attacks on the public sector are part of a much bigger agenda. The Con-Dems want to privatise the NHS, cut spending on schools and services, price our kids out of college and university, cut benefits to those in need and see unemployment soar.

In essence, they want to attack every service that we value and hold dear.

Yet none of this is necessary. The richest 1000 people in Britain have seen their wealth increase by £130 BILLION in the last two years to a staggering £396 BILLION. Instead of cutting staff the Government should employ more tax inspectors to get in the £120 billion in avoided, evaded and uncollected tax by the rich, such as the reported £6 BILLION owed by Vodafone.

We’re taking action to stand up for pensions and public services for all. Bring your family and join us on the demonstration and rally to show your support for public services and public servants.

Unison action at County Hall. Please back demonstration ahead of the Full Council meeting on 30 June. We’ll be protesting from 8.30am (the council meeting starts at 10am). All staff, service users and community groups welcome. Make some noise so your councillors can hear you!!!
Adult day care centres forced to close. The council plans to close 35 specialist adult day centres, and replace these with just 13 generic ones. UNISON fears this will leave too few centres, forcing elderly or vulnerable people to travel further. Over 118 care staff face the sack.
Supporting People budgets halved.The council also plans to cut £10million of funding to ‘Supporting People’ projects—with many axed or cut as much as 50%. The council under-spent by £24million in the last financial year, but intends to cut frontline services to the most vulnerable and needy. The council claims it has consulted widely on these plans, but UNISON fears these cuts have yet to be fully explained to those most likely to face them.

UKUncut support: Notts Uncut will be supporting the June 30th strikes by members of NUT, ATL, UCU and PCS.
Nottingham UKUncut will be involved in several activities throughout the day and would love as many people as possible to come along to any or all of them, starting the day by visiting the picket lines and delivering some breakfast to the strikers, meeting at 8am at the front of the railway station. After the pickets have all been fed we will be forming a Notts Uncut bloc on the march. Assemble at the Forest Recreation Ground at 11am and look out for the Notts Uncut banner. If you are able to come along at 8am to feed the pickets can you send us a message to let us know please – everything else, just turn up.

University of Nottingham UCU Local Association and Nottingham Students against Fees and Cuts. Those university staff who are able to take the day off (UCU has a seperate pension scheme not controlled by government in which changes have been railroaded by employers) will join at the Forest at 11am and March to Trinity Square. The key message from Nottingham University staff and students is that cuts to university teaching budgets by 80% and enormous rises in student fees will price out students of less wealthy families or leave them with crippling debts. Due to pension changes staff will get a pay cut and worse standard of living in retirement. Government and employers have chosen to make the people pay for the mistakes of the banks. Trade unions are right to defend the terms and conditions of ordinary workers. We urge you to support the actions on 30th June.

What can I do?

There has already been a great deal of work done but there is still much to do. Joint union leaflets are being produced and should be available for collection / distribution on Friday 24 June. Your help distributing these leaflets will be invaluable. I have attached an electronic copy for e-distribution, attachment to web sites etc but to order paper copies, please contact paul.williams@dsa.gsi.gov.uk 07771 940812.

Saturday 25 June

There will be an opportunities to leaflet in the Market Square, Nottingham from 12.00 and at Long Eaton Carnival, West Park, Wilsthorpe Rd from 12.00. Support at Long Eaton would be especially welcomed.

Thursday 30 June

It is hoped that p1cket lines can be advertised on the Trades Council website so please ensure you keep checking for updates.

ATL, NUT, PCS and UCU members will be delighted to see you and your members visiting their lines, marching with your flags and banners, celebrating in the Trinity Square and rallying in the Albert Hall so PLEASE publicise these events to your own membership, encourage them to pop along and show your support. We’d be delighted to pass on any messages to members in the participating unions so feel free to send them to this address.

If you are free on the day and would like to help out on the day, please let us know. Stewards are always welcome and ‘gophers’ a necessity. Anything you can do would be appreciated.

Speakers are required for the Trinity Square celebration – if you or a representative of your union or a campaign group you are involved in would like to speak in support of the action, please contact Cara Nurse of PCS at cara-lee.nurse@dsa.gsi.gov.uk, Paul Martin at nottspcs@hotmail.co.uk or 07986 351807

Reports on Pickets of NHS ‘Listening Exercise’ evenings, Tues 17th & Wed 18th May, Nottingham & Edwinstowe

notts sos stall nhs listening event 18 May 2011 — Nottingham NHS 'Listening Event' 18th May 2011

Reports on Pickets of NHS Listening Exercises

Nottingham, Wed 18th May 5.30-8.15pm

About 20 of Notts SOS turned out on 18th May to picket the NHS ‘Listening Exercise’ held at the Belgrave Rooms in the city. Placards and notices saying Kill the Bill, Bin the Bill, Hands Off Our NHS, Sickness is Not a Profit Making Industry, made our point clear. Many people arriving for the event stopped to look at our stall, pick up information and our newsletter and talk, and passing vehicles hooted their support. Our new printed waterproof banner with our name and logo on was ready for the event, and tied to the front of the stall. Some of us then went inside to join the exercise when it began at 6pm, but a presence was kept outside throughout and interested members of the public continued to stop and ask what it was all about.

The listening exercise was run jointly by Nottingham City and Nottingham County PCTs (Primary Care Trusts). Present were PCT staff, and Vicky Bailey who is a member of the government’s NHS Future Forum and chief officer of an existing GP consortium (Principia). The chair of the Future Forum, Prof. Steve Field, said earlier this week that the proposed NHS reforms were unworkable. The Nottingham meeting was overwhelmingly opposed to competition in the NHS and the use of private contractors. But the impression gained by the audience of about a hundred, was that the exercise was only concerned with making cosmetic changes to the underlying plan, and leaving the marketisation of the NHS untouched. Those present who left their names and addresses were promised that they would be sent a copy of the summary of opinion that will be forwarded to the Future Forum. No-one who attended could be left in any doubt that the public are overwhelmingly opposed to this government plan.

Edwinstowe, Tues 17th May

Bassettlaw and Notts SOS supporters also attended the listening event in Edwinstowe on the previous day and here is a report. There was a protest outside organised by the Bassetlaw group and gave out leaflet: SAVE OUR NHS FROM LANSLEY wearing their Robin Hood hats with ‘Robin Hood says Keep our NHS public’ and ‘Robin Hood says the NHS belongs to the people not big business’. About 100 people attended the listening event, mainly older people. There was considerable opposition to the Bill proposals particularly to the privatisation of the NHS. It was quite heated and people were keen to ask questions from the floor. The meeting was fronted by Zoe, the PCT Public Involvement Manager who was asked difficult questions and took the flack – apparently no one from the Future Forum had been able to attend. There was a presentation on what’s happening (with much interupting by questions) and then group work (based on the 4 topics in the Listening exercise) and feedback to the whole group. Responses will be collated and fed into the DH. There were no GPs or MPs present, as far as this reporter was aware. It was round table stuff – but every table reporting back made it quite clear privatisation was not an option and the reorganisation should be shelved. Note: Bassetlaw is not part of NHS County – it is joining up with Doncaster and Rotherham.

Forthcoming event: Saturday 21th May. Visit (and/or help with) Notts SOS health campaigning stall from 12-2pm in Market Square, Nottingham. There also will be an opportunity to sign a ‘Keep the NHS public’ petition.

If you would like to get more involved with Notts SOS and Save the NHS activities, do get in touch via our usual address (see https://nottssos.org.uk/contact/ ). You can be added to our announcements list. Alternatively consult the diary dates on this website and or subscribe to receive messages when they are posted to the website (fill in form on the right of the home page).

notts sos NHS listening event picket 18 May 2011 — Some of the Notts SOS placards at the Nottingham NHS Listening Event picket 18 May 2011

Week of action against ATOS Healthcare and the DWP over ‘Work Capability Assessments’ starts May 9th

Disability activists, claimant groups and anti-cuts campaigners have called a week of action against ‘poverty pimps’ ATOS Origin beginning on Monday 9th May 2011, the same week that 1000s of people will march in London or take part in a ‘virtual’ online protest under the banner ‘The Hardest Hit’, against cuts to welfare benefits and allowances for disabled people. Calls have also been made for the media to stop demonising disabled claimants.

Update: Watch video on Guardian website (after annoying advert): Disabled people protest against Atos Origin.

Join Local action: Meet at 11am outside Office Angels (located in the city centre past the right lion. Next door to MAC and opposite The Square bar/club). Angel House, 12-13 Cheapside, City Centre, Nottingham, NG1 2HU. This is an action against treatment of temp workers that will continue at the ATOS Healthcare assessment centre on Stoney Street, Hockley.
Continue reading “Week of action against ATOS Healthcare and the DWP over ‘Work Capability Assessments’ starts May 9th”

Notts Uncut facebook page taken down – plus interview with local group about it

On Friday April 29th – royal wedding day – Facebook deleted around 50 profiles belonging to political groups, most of them involved in anti-cuts activity. Notts Uncut was one of them …
Continue reading “Notts Uncut facebook page taken down – plus interview with local group about it”

Lobby against Playworkers redundancies and privatisation of Learning Disability Services – Notts Unison report 4-5-2011

Notts Unison found out at very short notice that the County Council were proposing to rush through legislation relating to the privatisation of local Elderly persons Homes and learning Centres for people with Disabliites and mounted a lobby of council on 4th May 2011. Full story: http://www.nottsunison.org.uk/lobby4may11.html

Nottingham Mayday 2011 photos – and (partial) list of services due to close in the County & City

The Nottiingham Mayday celebrations for 2011 took place in Victoria Park and the Market Square with a march between.

Why were we celebrating? Mayday has been going at least since 1886 when workers in the USA began a general strike for an 8-hour day. See photos on Indymedia (including Chesterfield as well as Nottingham and reports about both).

Why were we marching, demonstrating and making public speeches? Take a look at this list of services due to close in the city and county. Many more are closing or threatened. Get in touch with Notts SOS (or comment on this artilcle) if your service is not listed here.

How much more will we be forced to work or suffer cuts to pay, pensions and services to bail out the debt and bank bail-outs caused by capitalist speculators and sanctioned by our rulers?

Save Hayward House Daycare submissions to Scrutiny Committee needed before 23rd May 2011

This is a gentle reminder that we need people to make written representations to the Scrutiny Committee concerning the proposal to ‘transfer services’ in cancer care from the City Hospital site by closing Hayward House Daycare (please see the website www.savehaywarddaycare.org.uk). We don’t have long. Maybe if you know someone who has difficulty writing for reasons of health, confidence, eyesight or whatever, you might be able to help them?

VERY IMPORTANT: JOINT HEALTH SCRUTINY COMMITTEE

The proposed closure of Hayward House daycare has to be examined by the Joint Health Scrutiny Committee, which combines both City and County Councillors. The meeting at which HH will be on the agenda is on June 14th (starting at 10.15am in room LB41, Loxley House). The role of the Committee is to consider:

Whether, as a statutory body, the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Committee has been properly consulted within the consultation process.

Whether, in developing the proposals for service changes, the health body concerned has taken into account the public interest through appropriate patient and public involvement and consultation.

Whether a proposal for changes is in the interests of the local health service.

The Committee can then make recommendations on the basis of what it hears. The Committee has the power to refer the matter to the Secretary of State for Health either where it believes that consultation with patients, and the public has not been satisfactory or where they consider that a proposal of an NHS body is not in the interests of the health service in the area. Where a referral has been made, the Secretary of State may send the referral back to the NHS (in effect, the SHA) for local resolution or may ask the Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP) to advise him on the matter. The IRP has been set up to provide expert advice on proposed NHS reconfigurations or significant service change. The IRP believes that local determination is the best solution and, before accepting a referral, will wish to be satisfied that all options for local resolution have been fully explored.

The Committee’s response will depend on the evidence that it hears at the meeting on June 14th. Written submissions are essential and will be included within the Public Papers that will be made public on June 6th.

All written submissions will need to be received by May 23rd, so that the committee section have time to turn these into a report for the Chairs Briefing on May 25th.

All Submissions need to go to Kim Pocock ( Scrutiny Co-ordinator ), Loxley House, Station Street, Nottingham, NG2 3NG.
So if you feel that the PCT’s decision to close HH daycare does not pass any of the above tests, 1, 2 and 3, then please send in a submission.

THIS IS AN IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY TO FORCE THE PCT TO THINK AGAIN.

Save Hayward House Daycare in Nottingham – campaign and website

Hayward House ‘hospice within the hospital’ at City Hospital, Nottingham cares for terminally ill patients. Its methods encompass compassion, dignity, and clinical expertise in palliative medicine. Its approach integrates medical, social, personal, emotional and community care in a way unique in Nottinghamshire. This has brought quality of life back to the last months and days of many patients. Nottingham PCT are closing daycare from September 1st 2011 – we cannot let them.

Visit the website: http://www.savehaywarddaycare.org.uk for more information and how to get involved.

On Wednesday, April 20th, 8.00am News on BBC Radio Nottingham plus news bulletins throughout the day will feature the proposed closure of HH daycare. Also watch BBC East Midlands News at breakfast, lunchtime and early evening. Also, look at the Evening Post on (we think) Thursday, 21st April.

On Saturday April 30th, Save Hayward House Daycare Campaign will be having a stall at the Mayday celebrations. Assemble in Victoria Park, Bath Street, near the Victoria Leisure Centre at 11 am. The march will leave the Park at 12 noon; why not join us? Bring your Save Hayward House Daycare placard! There will be speakers at Speakers’ Corner near the statue of Brian, then back to the park for music, food, more speakers, more food etc, etc.