of local authority services. ROGER KLEIN explains.
The Birmingham Tories came to office last May on a platorm or pulting many of the council's services private tender. This is part of the policy of "lories' national selling off profitable nute serve alu ru ing down the rest.
Birmingham Tories refined this. They use the threat of contractors to get existing council workers to cut their own speed up and cutbacks.
Under Labour in Birm. ingham, the number. of collectors in ten years from 540. The Sutton Coldfield sports centre was hived off to private contractors.
This did not leave the Tories much scope to cut things further without frontal assault on the city's city's refuse CULICCIULS have acreed to 200 mor redundancies and massive Cleaners The cleaners dinner ladies heading towards the same disastrous path of tendering for their own KUWS Social workers the 9000 strong NALGO oration were Ouroxed Dy the Tory leader Bosworth, despite deterined strike late last cooperation year.
Resistance to privatisation has been a shambles. The Tories have capitalised on real discontent with existing services — waiting lists, post office queues, inadequate education ser8K154 8 GAS When vices. The process seen eviradie, in une same way as redundancies often are.
meant steady of stream cut any struggle. Official Lue wol resole 1a0 been half-hearted.
blind sometimes turned to proposals for in-house tenderTake place, in ere is a relocs Where action does СОФІО Є MSI in case it costs too much trom There has also been a dismal failure to involve the users The NAS dispute shoves. services struggles that such support can be organised.
Campaign A campaien is needed to improve services as part the anti-privatisation action. Too often workers encouraged to cil'. This is used as an alternative to anv struggle or to put the brake on ones that do break out in case they 'alienate' people.
success is possible in the few places where multi-union campaigning has taken place, faking the case to users. • Roger Klein is a staff member of the new BirmResources Centre formally openeu or 16 March Fredrick Street BirmЗНЕ. (Tel 021-236 8323). The Centre provides printing, layout advice, research. facilities and plans to offer meeting rooms and a cinema.
Scottish weekend home, Two women occupy Nechells School in Birmingham to protest the Tory closure. THE TORIES' aims are clear:
economic event. For example, papers.
contractors either unionised.
disputes.
that savings through privatisation. the contractors get a toehold. about public service not public spending.
cuts ing. between ministeries, councils, committees, inquiry and the contractors.
the Hospital Corporation of America:
'The growth chicken.' Why privatisation?
To roll back the welfare state and leave individuals to cope as best they can. Until recently this was a minority view even in the Tory Party: But the growth of monetarism is more than an the end of the NHS has been floated in Cabinet discussion • To bash the public sector unions. Private non-union or poorly Threatened use of contractors can lead to big concessions from existing public sector workers. Tebbit's law would prevent uniononly contractors and cut across solidarity in • To use privatisation to enforce cash limits monetarism. Arguments are brought forward in the public sector These savings are often completely phoney. At best they only last while Socialists talk We don't get involved in arguments about savings. These lead workers to accept wages and job To help their pals in private industry with fat contracts. The money involved is enormous. So are the companies. The typical contractor chasing public sector loot is a giant multinational These companies can afford expensive lobbyThere is constant exchange of personnel The mentality of the privateers is shown ir this remark from Jack Massey, chairperson of potential hospitals is unlimited. It's even better than Kentucky Fried