Protesters to rally in Hackney over US trade deal
David Babbs, executive director at 38 Degrees, said: “Ordinary people have had enough of corporations bulldozing through our public services.”
Protesters will march in Hackney today (Saturday) as part of a national day of action against a trade deal which campaigners argue will have a detrimental effect on the NHS .
The demonstration will attempt to raise awareness about the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) – a deal between Europe and the USA which, according to campaigners, could force the NHS to compete with American private healthcare providers.
The TTIP will allow multinational businesses to sue the UK government if British laws affect their profits or if private health services are brought back into public ownership.
Dr Coral Jones, GP at London Fields Medical Centre, is taking part in the protest. She said: “This treaty and the investor dispute mechanism, which is an entirely secret court where companies can challenge governments over loss of profits, are a threat to all public services and especially the NHS, and remove power from elected governments to legislate for the public good.”
The protest aims to encourage local people to contact London MEPs and ask them to oppose the trade deal in the European Parliament.
It is being organised by campaign group 38 Degrees and more than 180,000 people have signed a petition against the TTIP.
David Babbs, executive director at 38 Degrees, said: “Ordinary people have had enough of corporations bulldozing through our public services.
“This deal is a threat to the NHS: it would give multi-national corporations the rights to carve up our health service, and sue the government for loss of profits if they didn’t make enough money.
“This Saturday should be a wake-up call to MEPs: it’s time they stood up for the people who voted them into power, not big business. That’s why thousands of 38 Degrees members will be taking to the streets.”However, others are in favour of the trade agreement.
Sam Bowman, from economic thinktank The Adam Smith Institute, said: “TTIP is a great opportunity to grab one of the last pieces of low-hanging fruit in terms of free trade.
“The EU and US are, by far, the largest economies in the world, and opening each other’s markets to increased trade means we can all get richer, faster.
“Opponents of TTIP are basically either clinging to antiquated pre-Smithian economics or are deeply misinformed about what TTIP actually does. They should be ignored.”
On Saturday, protests will also be held in Twickenham and Dagenham. The protests will rally outside Westminster at 2pm.
In Hackney, protests will start at 11am outside Hackney Town Hall and Broadway Market at the entrance to London Fields. For more information, click here.
lets hope they can divert past the striking charity workers outside St Mungo’s Mare street hostel who are coming out for 7 days from this friday in protest at new CEO Howard Sinclair’s imposition of massive pay cuts for new staff and tearing up of union recognition agreements whilst awarding himself a 30k payrise and proposing to buddy up to … [deleted by moderator]… Serco: http://www.housingworkers.org.uk/readnews.html?con_id=94
Picket line at 146 Mare Street hostel from 0800 Friday 17th October
Support the picket line at Mare street hostel and protest AGAINST cuts to the salary of front line workers while the executive team trouser massive pay rises. Howard Sinclair is leading a quality organisation towards a race to the bottom which will have a huge impact on the vulnerable residents St Mungos Broadway support in Hackney.
Hackney Citizen why arent you running a story on this? it affects vulnerable people and workers in your community
there were large pickets outside hostels in hackney this morning and more next week plus a demonstration outside the town hall
I echo Howard the Duck ‘s call for you Hackney Citizen to cover this story. In full support of the picket line outside Mare st hostel this morning. A sad state of affairs that dedicated workers need to go on strike to protect their service and the vulnerable residents who live there and that their work is being devalued by pay cuts that are already in place after a ‘retrospective consultation.’ Wasn’t aware that a retrospective consultation even existed. You learn something new everyday!
While Unite apologists are not admitting to it, the new management team have improved the management of the hostel significantly. Until the police and the council told them to lift their game, the staff regularly turned a blind eye to parties that went on half the night, screaming from in and around the hostel, drinking in the dispersal zones, fighting, begging, assaults, dealing, pimping and a disregard to security, that went on with their clients and those who camped around the hostel after being excluded.
Del,
The new management team you rightly commend were on the picket line this morning fighting for their service and terms and conditions. It is the new senior management team in charge of St Mungo’s Broadway who are imposing the changes without any consultation. As you say Del they do a fantastic job of managing an environment that supports very vulnerable Hackney residents and this benefits to the local community. Unite are representing the staff concerned at these imposed changes as they were not consulted and are not being listened to. This is affecting the livelihoods of dedicated people who are losing a weeks pay to protest and bring this to everyone’s attention. Essentially if these staff are devalued the service will suffer. At what cost to the local community and the vulnerable people they support?
I have sympathy for people facing cuts – but my point is when the local community had to get the cops involved to limit the every day impact of a team of people doing a shoddy job, or not doing their job at all, Unite was nowhere to be seen. Cut the salarys for the same people and Unite are all over it – and at the same time disrespecting the senior management team who stopped the rot. A wee bit cynical. no?
I think you are missing the point. The people who have stopped he rot are on the picket line with the workers who are supporting the service and by no means doing a shoddy job. Unite is not responsible for your view that in the past you think a team of people were doing a shoddy job?
The senior management team only took over. The organisation in April and have had no impact on the way this service is managed apart from destabilising the entire organisation by changing terms and conditions for staff without consultation. As you can read in other articles in the Independent and Inside Housing while workers on the frontline are taking at least a 5 k pay cut Howard Sinclair the new CEO has taken a 30 k pay rise. A wee bit cynical. No?
Exactly
Since March or thereabouts the external impact of Mungos has improved significantly. This followed a period of deterioration lasting 2-3 years where ASB originating from the hostel grew and grew to the point the police had to be involved, partly made necessary because Mungos frontline staff hostility and defensiveness prevented serious issues being addressed to them.
I have not taken a view on the HR policy, but for Unite to run down the people who clearly instituted a much needed culture change in support of the people that let things slip so badly is indeed cynical.
I don’t think you have taken much of a view on anything Del. Unite are not running down anyone merely pointing out what is happening to all staff in St Mungos Broadway, not just those you currently praise in Mare st hostel. Do read the literature available regarding the facts and if you have time pop down to the picket line and speak to the team as I did today.
Also as pointed out above the so called culture change you allude to has nothing to do with the current encumbents at the top of the organisation but the staff in the hostel on the frontline who are doing a cracking job. It is easy to criticise staff who do a tough job managing challenging situations Del but as a professional who has worked in the borough using this service for a number of years your comments do not reflect my reality of the staff or service or my colleagues who have really valued this team and service over the years.
Del
whatever your problems with this hostel
– and i do know that most of the people who hang around drinking in the streets etc in the well street /mare street junction area are not from the hostel and are as much a problem to the hostel residents who they prey upon and hostel staff who are often threatened by these people when they attempt to persuade them to move away-
do you think reducing pay for staff by 20% and a higher turnover of inexperienced staff will improve these problems or make them worse?
the idea that the new executive team have had any input whatsoever into this hostel since they took over is ridiculous!
Couldn’t agree more. What the new senior exec team know about the recovery process wouldn’t fit on a postage stamp. How could this merger happen? An organisation (Broadway) led by a failing senior management team with a failing mode leading to year on year deficits has taken over a thriving successful organisation with year on year surpluses. Howard Sinclair you are a chancer, a Del Boy who has bitten off more than you can chew. Time to resign mate. Lions led by donkeys.