Not content with the rushed privatisation of Education Management last December, we learnt from the media today that 'Wightcare' is to be privatised without any veneer of recourse to democratic process. I heard about this last Friday from my contacts and have waited, naively, for some sort of proper decision-making process. But no ! Nothing !
So scores of low-paid, mainly female staff will be pushed out into the even lower-paying private sector - no doubt with zero-hours contracts to come in the future. And of course the service to vulnerable service-users will not be the same. A little bit of research will point to the failures of such privatisations - both for customers and transferred staff.
The irony of who the Cabinet Member for this area of service is has not been lost on me. Someone who always used to be deeply committed to keeping care workers in the public-sector as only they looked after vulnerable people properly.
As a member of the Policy Commission for 'Care', Health Scrutiny and Housing, I am particularly peeved that I have to learn about this from the media. Comments will be made....
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
The whole issue is quite outrageous! I know people who have worked for Wightcare in the past. The job is challenging enough without employees having to worry about their future working conditions as a result of cost cutting.
Now this is strange. All the old folk who make up the Tory party on the island will be happy the local tax rise is so low until they need the services now being cut. Who will shout the loudest then? Not the most vulnerable but the most vocal tory voters. And who will they blame the Labour Government, of course.
How cynical am I?
Post a Comment