Solidarity from global unions

Solidarity messages

NHS Rally 7 March

29 February 2012

• Solidarity message for the Save Our NHS - 7 March Rally from the International Trade Union Confederation General Secretary, Sharan Burrow

Greetings and congratulations the International Trade Union Confederation. Congratulations for standing up for quality healthcare for all.

In the middle of an unprecedented crisis of unemployment and mindless austerity measures by your Government you face yet another attack on an essential service for all citizens.

Private-public partnerships and profit making enterprises in healthcare and other public services are routinely repeated as the way to lead to more growth, efficiency, the improvement of services and the lowering of their cost. However, the reality has proved them wrong.

More often than not, the private sector's involvement in health services led to disasters. The service quality suffered and costs increased, making access to healthcare more difficult for millions of working people and those who suffer from unemployment and underemployment. The reality is that that the private sector's involvement introduces profit-based management motives and the Government knows this. It seems that your Prime Minister, David Cameron supports companies putting the 'return on investment' in the centre of their operations rathervthan the needs of patients

The private sector's involvement in public services is also problematic in terms of governance and transparency. In many cases, the private companies cannot run the service within budget and governments are forced to provide additional funds to make sure the services don't collapse. Experience shows that private companies have invested too little and got back too much out of the so-called private-public partnerships. This has happened already in the UK in several cases including rail

Where was the economic sense in Fazakerley prison in Liverpool where the company was given 23 years of pure profit in return for an investment that was paid back in only two years' time.

The bottom line is that given the same level of funding as before, it is simply impossible for a private company to make a profit without cutting costs by lowering the standard of care and reducing staff and their wages. Simultaneously, the workers and other tax-payers of this country will have to pay any difference until they reach their promised levels of profit.

Health should be provided on the basis of solidarity, it should be universal, it should be accessible by the poor and those who need it the most. It is a matter of principle and the mark of a just society

You have our solidarity and our support for this vital struggle.