Unions act on health and safety in south London

Members of public services union UNISON in health and local government are protesting at plans to privatise parts of the NHS in south-east London.

As part of the Keep Our NHS Public campaign, workers from the union's Greenwich branch demonstrated at a local Primary Care Trust consultation meeting on 1 February in protest at plans to set up an independent (i.e. privately run) treatment centre in nearby Sidcup.

The campaign is working with the Bexley branch of Who Cares? - a health workers' initiative run by professional union Amicus - to oppose the creation of the new centre, which will deprive local NHS hospitals of vital resources.

"The government knows full well what the people want," said Onay Kasab of Greenwich UNISON. "We want a privatisation-free NHS, an NHS free to provide much-needed services and an NHS that provides free treatment. This so-called consultation is a cosmetic exercise."