United Left

Unite challenges Lansley on community services’ cuts

Unite warns that patient safety is being threatened by the level of cuts to NHS community services.

The union backed up the latest research which reveals that NHS community services are close to breaking point.

Unite, which has 100,000 members in the NHS, said that the feedback from its own members showed that those community services that were being particularly hard hit were:

Community nursery nurses
Speech and language therapists
Those working for the ambulance services
District nurses having to deal with an increased number of housebound patients with long-term conditions.

Unite warned that patient safety was being compromised by the cuts being imposed by NHS employers in a bid to implement the government’s £20bn worth of savings for the health service and the privatisation changes in the Health and Social Care Act.

Unite health workers on strike on 10 May

Ian Duncan-Smith accuses Remploy workers of being unproductive

The Sunday Express was present a few days ago when Ian Duncan-Smith baited disabled workers present with:

“Is it a kindness to stick people in some factory where they are not doing any work at all? Just making cups of coffee?"

www.express.co.uk/posts/view/318425

Some years ago I worked in a Remploy factory and can therefore vouch for the productivity and industriousness of these workers. Workers in Remploy, when given proper investment in opportunity, in work, and in training proved more than competent to carry out complex tasks as well as being inventive enough not to let their disabilities beat them.

“I promise you this is better. Taking this decision was a balance between how much do I want to spend keeping a number of people in Remploy factories not producing stuff versus getting people into proper jobs.” Sneered IDS.

Austerity pushing UK economy towards a Greek-style crisis warns union leader

An economic spectre is haunting Britain and the path to austerity will propel it into an economic crisis on a par with Spain and Greece, warned Tony Burke, Unite assistant general secretary.

Addressing trade unionists, on 3 May from across Europe at a major EU conference on the economy in Manchester, Burke said:

“Europe is the spectre now haunting Britain. A deep crisis has gripped the Eurozone and is affecting the UK. Britain’s Con-Dem government has made a mess of managing the economy. We are already in a double dip recession, and David Cameron has us sitting on the subs bench of Europe rather than being on the pitch.

OECD asked to probe ‘blatant violations’ by Liverpool packaging firm

Top economic organisation, the OECD has been asked to investigate the ‘blatant violations’ perpetrated by Liverpool packaging company, Mayer-Melnhof Packaging (MMP), which has unlawfully dismissed more than 140 workers.

Unite, the largest union in the county, said that the Austrian-owned company has flouted the guidelines laid out by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Unite said that the object of the complaint, which has TUC backing, was to stop further illegal breaches of commonly accepted labour standards and to have meaningful negotiations with the parent company, Mayer Melnhof Karton AG (MMK).

Grim future for Remploy workers - see Morning Star article

Ray Dearman booms: "It's not a day centre. I had a bloody good job."

The former forklift driver is close to tears, but the small crowd of disability campaigners and trade unionists cheer him on: "Our people rely on working in Remploy factories because they're treated with respect."

Dearman would know. He was cut loose in 2008 after 12 years when the company's Brixton factory shut up shop.

He says he hasn't been the same since.

Between rising unemployment and employers' prejudices against his learning disability, his career over the last four years has consisted of a single three-week work experience scheme at Asda.

Help save Remploy - sign the petition

The government has announced the closure of 36 of the 54 remaining Remploy sites. 1752 people will be made compulsorily redundant - of whom 1518 have disabilities - by 17 August this year.

Please sign the petition in defence of Remploy - and ask everyone else you know to sign it too.

Follow this link to sign the Remploy petition.

Submit amendments to the Policy Conference motions

Download the preliminary agenda for the Unite Policy Conference 2012 here.

Each Unite branch and constitutional committee can submit one amendment to one motion.

This includes Regional and National Industrial Sector Committees (RISCs and NISCs), regional and national Equality Committees, Area Activist Committees (AACs), and Regional Committees (RCs).

Amendments must be in by 18 May 2012.

Delegates to the policy conference have already been elected via RISCs and NISCs.