Campaign news

Appeal for Doncaster Healthcare Strikers

29th September 2014

Appeal for Doncaster Healthcare Strikers

By Val Graham

Yesterday I was in Doncaster (more pawnbrokers and loansharks in the high street than pits still open) to protest outside the UKIP Conference. Pride of place in the audience was a large group of healthcare strikers from UNISON who have put up a magnificent fight against their employer Care UK who, after winning the contract, tried to tear up conditions and pay. They have put up a magnificent fight and deserve the support of the whole labour movement.

If you can get your union branch or party body to support them with messages of solidarity and donations to their strike fund. These should be sent to the Doncaster Unison Health Branch. It wasn’t an accident that UKIP chose to meet in Doncaster where Ed Miliband’s constituency is and the Care UK strikes are taking place on Ed’s watch and they haven’t heard from him.

Tomorrow they start a 3 week strike over pay- a week before health workers across the country strike on 13th and other groups of workers on 14th and 15th.

I want a Labour leader who stands up for workers like those at Care UK because, if he doesn’t, then the promises about rescuing our NHS are hollow. They are in his constituency and I want you all to do something. Send a message to Ed and get others to do it. You can email him at the House of Commons but better, if you have a TWITTER account, please tweet him and ask him to publicly support the Care UK Strikers in Doncaster. I will do it every day they are on strike. Don’t forget to copy in the Labour Party, Care UK Strikers and UNISON because I bet Dave Prentis is not bending Ed’s ear about this long running dispute either.

Just Do It.