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Thousands of trade unionists will tell the Conservative Party conference to ‘save our NHS' as anger mounts at the effects of cuts, privatisation and the increasing fragmentation of the health service. Marchers will speak out for jobs and services as they bring their opposition to austerity to the opening Sunday of the Manchester conference.

date: 24 July 2013

embargo: For immediate release

Thousands of trade unionists will tell the Conservative Party conference to 'save our NHS' as anger mounts at the effects of cuts, privatisation and the increasing fragmentation of the health service. Marchers will speak out for jobs and services as they bring their opposition to austerity to the opening Sunday of the Manchester conference.

The Save Our NHS march and rally takes place in the city on Sunday 29 September. People from across the North West and beyond are being urged to join the three-mile march, which will begin forming up on Liverpool Road near the Museum of Science and Industry at 11am.

At 12.30pm the front of the march will set off via Deansgate and John Dalton Street for Whitworth Park, where the rally will take place - opposite the Manchester Royal Infirmary - from around 2pm.

The full listing for the rally is still to be confirmed but will include a range of national and local speakers, including TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady.

Save Our NHS is being organised by the North West TUC and unions in the region. There has been close co-operation with Greater Manchester Police and Manchester City Council to ensure that it is a safe and family-friendly event. There is a launch event in Manchester at the Mechanic's Institute this evening (5.30pm) to encourage charities and community organisations to get involved.

The September protest will highlight the impact of huge job losses and spending cuts across the health service, as well as the rapid sell-off of the most lucrative parts of the NHS to private healthcare companies - many of whom like Circle are also Conservative Party donors.

The event will also raise concerns about the wider effect that government economic policies are having upon communities across the UK, and the TUC will be encouraging people from across the North West, and from further afield, who want to send a strong message to the Conservative part of the coalition to do so across a range of issues.

These might include, for example, calls for the bedroom tax to be scrapped, a halt to plans to privatise the Royal Mail, the introduction of proper job guarantees for the close to a million young unemployed, and an end to austerity and damaging spending cuts.

Commenting on the Save Our NHS event, TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady said: 'As the effects of the government's NHS changes become more apparent every day, anger is growing. Before this government came to power satisfaction with the NHS was high, now it is falling as cuts, privatisation and fragmentation bite. '

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- The TUC's campaign plan can be downloaded from www.tuc.org.uk/campaignplan

- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk

- Congress 2013 will be held at the Bournemouth International Centre from Sunday 8 September to Wednesday 11 September. Free media passes can be obtained by visiting www.tuc.org.uk/media_credentials and completing an online form. Applications must be in by noon on Wednesday 28 August. Any received later than that will be processed in Bournemouth and will cost £75.

- Follow the TUC on Twitter: @tucnews

Contacts:

Media enquiries:
Liz Chinchen T: 020 7467 1248 M: 07778 158175 E: media@tuc.org.uk
Rob Holdsworth T: 020 7467 1372 M: 07717 531150 E: rholdsworth@tuc.org.uk
Alex Rossiter T: 020 7467 1337 M: 07887 572130 E: arossiter@tuc.org.uk

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