Barnet Public Services Alliance launch, Thursday 23 September - and why we need it

Last post for today, on a busy news day in Barnet. This only reflects the quickening pace of the cuts, privatisations, fake consultations, etc, that are going on, and that's just in our little London borough.

This story, again culled from the Times series, is about the cuts in pay and conditions of the Street Scene Department. This is basically the blokes (mostly) who clean the streets and do the dirty jobs that others would rather not do.

They are angry at the cuts that are being threatened to their pay, particularly in the light of the rise Tory councillors have voted for senior councillors' allowances, and they are muttering darkly about strike action. (This is not just rhetoric: staff in LB Barnet really are miffed at what they see as councillors' hypocrisy.)

Read the story here.

This only makes me all the more happy to tell you of the public launch meeting of the Barnet Public Services Alliance. This is an anti-cuts, anti-privatisation campaign for residents and workers in Barnet. The meeting is on Thursday 23 September, from 7.30pm at the Emerald Suite, North London Business Park, Oakleigh Road South, N11 1GN.

We are lining up guest speakers now, but the main business of the evening will be to share ideas for concrete campaigning. For more information please email info@barnettuc.org.uk. We will have street stalls around the borough on Saturdays 4, 11 and 18 September to build for this.

There is a statement to sign, which reflects the core positions of the trades council. If you or your organisation or campaign would like to sign, please email info@barnettuc.org.uk. We would like to publicise the names of those who have signed, so please get in touch if you are happy to go public!

You don't have to agree with the full statement in order to attend the meeting or get involved with the Alliance. We hope we can provide a meeting point for disparate groups and views.

Statement:

We champion democratically accountable, high quality public services. We reject the idea that public services should be cut in order to bail out the banks.

We reject Barnet council’s plans for mass outsourcing of its services – no to easyCouncil!

We oppose privatisation and cuts to public services, whether NHS, education, or local authority, and will resist them.

We oppose free schools and the extension of academies.

We demand that Barnet council reverses its recent decision to pay the council leader and cabinet members higher allowances.