Greenwich Save Our Services

Cuts for us... buts it's party time for councillors!

2011-05-17T03:12:00.000-07:00

The council is spending £30,000 on an inauguration for a new mayor. The event will take place at the Painted Hall at Greenwich University on 25^th May.

Greenwich Save Our Services will picket the event in protest at the council spending so tax payers on a lavish party while the rest of us face attacks on our jobs and services. The protest will take place on 25^th May at 7:30PM, at the Painted Hall at the Greenwich Maritime campus, Park Row, SE10 9LS.

Onay Kasab, Branch Secretary, Unite 2050 Greenwich branch secretary (personal capacity) and GreenwichSOS supporter says “This is a disgusting waste of money at a time when the council claims that it hasn’t got enough money to fund jobs and services. While members of my branch don’t know if they will be able to put food on the table the councillors will be living it up and we’ll be paying for it. That money should used to fund services like libraries, care for the sick and elderly, schools and parks. Council workers will rightly see this as a slap in the face. We will be protesting to tell the council that we will not accept these cuts and to demand that they stop wasting our money”

Paul Callanan, GreenwichSOS spokesperson and Youth fight for Jobs, National Organiser says “This is an absolute travesty. We have seen the biggest attacks on education in generation and the council wants throw a party. And to rub salt into the wound they are holding at a campus that faces the closure of a popular philosophy course. While youth unemployment stands at almost 1 million and graduate unemployment is at 20% the councillors will be gorging themselves on food and drink. This shows just how out of touch they are. We will be protesting to demand free education, decent jobs and a future for young people”

Victory for anti-cuts candidates

2011-04-27T03:40:00.000-07:00

Greenwich Save Our Services supporters have been elected as to the leadership of the newly merged the merged Unite Local Government branch. Socialist Party member Onay “kaz” Kasab has been elected branch secretary. While fellow Socialist Party member Chris Slater is Branch Treasurer. Pam Mcguffie is elected Branch Chair. And Alf Wright was voted in as assistant Branch Sec.

The new branch leadership has vowed to use his victory to build a united fight back of workers and service users in the borough against the vicious austerity packages being pushed by national and local government alike.

Greenwich Save Our services has called a meeting for the 19^th May. All trade unionists, students and anti-cuts campaigners are invited to attend to discuss how we build locally to defeat the cuts.

Kaz said “We are now in a great position to take the fight to the council. After the outrageous Unison witch-hunt, where I was eventually expelled despite a court ruling in my favour, it is time to focus on the job at hand. Fighting for our jobs and services. I intend to call a meeting of trade unionists and campaigners in Greenwich to discuss how we build a movement against all cuts”

Paul Callanan, Spokesperson for Greenwich Save Our Services said “This is great news not just for Greenwich Council workers but for everyone in Greenwich who is opposed to the council’s savage cuts package. Our campaign seeks to unite all those who want to fight against the cuts. We need a united campaign of workers and service users. It is the organised working class that will ultimately defeat these cuts. Only the working class can bring this country to a standstill and defeat these attacks from central government and local councils alike. That’s why it is vital that we now have a trade union leadership in Greenwich that is prepared to fight for its members and our services”

Library uniform scanadal

2011-04-22T06:17:00.000-07:00

PRESS RELEASE

GREENWICH COUNCIL UNIFORM SCANDAL

Campaigners in Greenwich have greeted with rage the news that the Council is about to spend tens of thousands of pounds to kit out library staff in a uniform. The plan was resurrected after it was ditched some 4 years ago when it was originally proposed as part of the opening of the Eltham Centre. Now, while the Council has begun implementing a cuts programme of over £64 million which includes consideration of "outsourceing" the library service, the Council has decided that it will place staff at the library in the new Woolwich Centre in a uniform. The cost is likely to be over £50,000. The cost will need to take into account the fact that library workers are "generic". This means that they work in libraries across the borough. Therefore, the council will have to pay for a uniform for an individual who may only work in Woolwich once a month.

Paul Callanan from Greenwich Save Our Services stated "This is an outrage. While services are being cut and charges being raised and increased for services such as day centres for disabled adults, homecare, parking, allotments, tennis courts and burials, the Council nevertheless thinks that it is important to spend tens of thousands of pounds on an uneccessary uniform for library staff. What exactly will a uniform achieve? No doubt it is something to do with image - in other words our services are being cut and destroyed, but dont worry because the uniforms look nice! Greenwich SOS wants to know which Council Officer came up with the idea and further, demands that that Council officer goes out and justifies the proposal to those whose services are being cut"

For further details contact Paul Callanan on 07952255333

Greenwich March against the cuts

2011-04-22T05:59:00.000-07:00

Sorry this has taken so long (nearly three months in fact!) fighting the cuts is busy work and i just haven't had time to give this blog the attention it deserves. Any way report of the Demo in February follows.

On Saturday 12 February around 200 trade unionists, community campaigners and service users marched in Greenwich borough, south London, against the local council's brutal cuts package.

Paul Callanan, Greenwich Save Our Services

The march was called by Greenwich Save Our Services which was initiated by Socialist Party members. Banners and flags from local branches of Unite, PCS, NUT, NSSN, the Pensioners' Forum and Keep Our NHS Public were all present. The march grew as it went through Woolwich's busy high street.

Greenwich council has unveiled a cuts package that will 'save' £90 million over the next four years.The first wave, which will slash £30 million in one year, includes cuts to carer's allowances, parks and open spaces including the closure of a popular animal park in Charlton, the closure of advice centres for teenage mothers, and a 40% voluntary sector cut.

The Labour council has also handed out redundancy notices to all its workers. Workers are told to accept new contracts on worse terms and conditions or face losing their jobs.

At the rally, Mick Callanan, a Unite grounds maintenance steward and Socialist Party member, pointed to the student protests at the end of last year and said that "they showed the way in the fight against the cuts and now we should be good parents and join them". Onay Kasab, Unite 1563 branch chair, said that the march needed to be the "start of the movement in Greenwich against the cuts".

Press release

2011-02-08T03:45:00.000-08:00

Consultant Scandal At Cuts Council

While making over £65 million of cuts, Greenwich Council continues to engage armies of consultants. In one division of Childrens Services there are nearly 30 consultants currently being paid by the Council. These will be paid at hourly rates well above the rate paid to most employees. Their are also consultants engaged in Human Resources where staff were taken on despite redundancy pay outs to staff who left.

Paul Callanan from Greenwich Save Our Services stated "The Council must get rid of these consultants before making any cuts. The position is dubious to say the least. Who decides which consultants are taken on and what they are paid? The system is clearly not transparent and open to abuse. We demand to know how many consultants are currently engaged and at what cost".

Greenwich Save Our Services is holding a demonstration for Jobs and Services on Saturday 12th February. The march will assemble on Creton Street, Woolwich at 11:30PM

ENDS

For further information contact Paul Callanan on 07952255333 or Email paul_callanan_reddevil@yahoo.co.uk

MARCH TO SAVE OUR SERVICES!

2011-01-23T06:25:00.000-08:00

12TH FEBRUARY 2011
ASSEMBLE 11.30 OUTSIDE RIVERSIDE HOUSE, CRETON STREET (OFF POWIS STREET), WOOLWICH, LONDON SE18
MARCH WILL BEGIN AT 12 NOON
UNITE NOW TO SAVE OUR SERVICES! MARCH AND DEMONSTRATE AGAINST THE CUTS!
WHY SHOULD THE BANKERS GET BONUSES WHILE WE GET CUTS?
JOIN THE DEMONSTATION TO DEMAND NO CUTS!
CALLED/SUPPORTED BY GREENWICH SAVE OUR SERVICES, GREENWICH UNITE AND GREENWICH AND BEXLEY TRADE COUNCIL

We now face the most brutal cuts to our services in decades. But we don’t have to accept them. Greenwich Council wants to cut services by over £67 million. Why should we pay for an economic mess that is not our fault? Why should those who can least afford it take the blame?

Greenwich Council is preparing to cut our services. In total, we are facing over £65 million of cuts. The first £27 million has been identified. This first stage alone includes 240 job losses in areas including Older Peoples Services, Childrens Services and Services for the disabled. But this is more than just about job losses, bad as these are. Services to the public will suffer drastically. Waiting times will dramatically increase for services such as Occupational Therapy, responsible for providing adaptations to allow disabled people to live at home rather than go into care.
No area is safe. There will be cuts to posts in Day Centres and Care staff working with the elderly. The Play and Youth Service will disappear. The Council says it will look to other providers. The truth is that they are just passing on the responsibility for making the cuts. Mother and toddler groups will also go.
Charges will rise for Council services including Homecare, Day Centres, Allotments, Parking and Removal of trade waste from small businesses.
Just as importantly the wonderful animal park at Maryon Wilson could go. It will also become expensive for local families to use the Boating Centre at Southmere. These are just as important as the other cuts quite simply because they allow families affordable leisure. This is why we are also fighting proposals to transfer libraries to a “Trust” or to have them run by volunteers. Again, the Council will only transfer the responsibility for making the cuts. This is because library closures are politically unpopular. The Council has already tried to close libraries, including the mobile library service. This was only prevented when unions publicly exposed the plans.
This is all happening in a borough where residents on the Ferrier Estate have been issued with eviction notices as part of the Councils redevelopment of the area.
We now need to unite across the borough and say no to all these attacks.
JOIN THE MARCH
DEMONSTRATE AGAINST THE CUTS
STAND UP FOR YOUR SERVICES AND YOUR COMMUNITY!

DATE SET FOR GREENWICH MARCH AGAINST THE CUTS

2011-01-18T12:48:00.001-08:00

CALL GOES OUT TO COMMUNITY - DEFEND OUR SERVICES!

12TH FEBRUARY - DAY OF ACTION!

Campaigners against Greenwich Councils cuts programme have set the 12th February as the date for a march through Woolwich to protest against what they say are the most devestating attack on our communities for decades.

Paul Callanan from Greenwich Save Our Services, one of the organisers of the march stated:

"Now is the time to send a loud message to this Council. We will not accept these cuts. We call on the Council to get up off its knees, stop apologising and instead join with us, the people, the communities, the workers, students and the elderly and tell this ConDem government that we will not pay for this crisis, a crisis caused by bankers and financiers, a crisis of a system where profit comes before people. The tragedy is that these cuts are not neccessay. The Council has £133 million in reserves, The Council should instead set a budget based on the needs of the community, dip into the reserves and if neccessay borrow while at the same time leading a campaign amongst workers and service users, students and pensioners in Greenwich, a campaign to win resources for the borough. Why should we lose jobs and services while the bankers and the rich continue to live it up at our expennse?.

If you want to defend services, jobs and pay, if you want to fight closures and privatisation, if you want future generations to have a future, join the demonstration"

For further information contact Paul Callanan on 07952255333 or Email paul_callanan_reddevil@yahoo.co.uk

PRESS RELEASE

2010-12-19T08:21:00.000-08:00

COUNCIL SECRET CUTS AGENDA

Greenwich Council recently agreed to begin making £27m of cuts as part of a cuts package that could eventually top £90m. What Councillors failed to mention was that the Directorate of Culture and Community Services is to be disbanded and that services such as libraries will be transferred out of the Council. While no firm proposals have emerged yet, the options include setting up a "trust", transferring to an established trust or to charities. Their is a real danger to the library services as a result. Previous attempts to cut libraries have been met with huge opposition. When previous plans to close libraries were leaked, the Council were forced into a u-turn following a union led campaign.

Greenwich Save Our Services secretary Paul Callanan accused the council of dishonesty: "This move is not about saving the service, in fact it is a very dishonest and cowardly proposal. As well as not mentioning it at the Council meeting, what the Council are doing is transferring the service out and hoping that somebody else makes the cut. This is what happened when the Glyndon Community Centre was transferred to a trust. Charges have gone up and the Trust now say that staffing costs are too high. We will fight together with library users against this attack on our library service"

Statement of intent

2010-12-18T08:37:00.000-08:00

Greenwich Save Our Services is a coalition of trade unionists, campaigners, service users, local workers and students who have come together to form a local campaign to fight the attacks on services, jobs and pay. Over £70 million of cuts are to be imposed. The group will publicise the cuts, show the effect on the community and most importantly oppose the cuts.

The cuts being carried out by the ConDem government are not borne of economic necessity, they are ideologically driven. It was the bankers and bosses that plunged the economy into recession. They recklessly plunged the our economy into crisis by gambling away the wealth created by ordinary working class people. The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union estimates that £150 million worth of tax a year is avoided by the super rich and no-doms. Yet we are being told by the media and the government that we have to pay for this crisis with our jobs and services.

Labour councils, like Greenwich don’t have to implement the cuts handed down to them by the government either. They could take the stance that the Militant led Labour council in Liverpool did from 1982-87. They refused to implement the cuts, set a budget based on the needs of people in that city and launched a huge campaign to get the money off the government to pay for it. Their campaign forced the Thatcher government, the most anti-working class government until now, to back down and hand over £30 million over to the people of Liverpool. The achievements of that council still stand in bricks and mortar. The money was to pay for a massive social housing programme, leisure centers, nursery’s, schools and a whole host of other services. The also employed thousands of people who otherwise would have been on the dole.

It’s fine for Greenwich council leader Chris Roberts to go to the councils propaganda rag the Greenwich Times and lament that “there is no mandate for these cuts” that will affect “every family in the borough”. Yet he still implements the cuts, this year alone the council will cut £30 million worth of our jobs and services. We say that Greenwich council should adopt the slogan of Liverpool council in the 80’s and say ‘its better to break the law than break the poor’. Any councillor that does stand up against all cuts and votes against them in the chamber is more than welcome to fight alongside us. Those that don’t should expect a massive campaign in defence of against them in defence of our rights and living standards.
We aim to do this by building the maximum unity amongst those who oppose these attacks on our public services.

Members of the UNITE 1563 union branch sent the following message in launching the campaign:

"Let us unite now, let there be no petty sectarian squabling. There is too much to lose. Unite now to save our services"