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From The Socialist newspaper, 20 February 2008
Exeter students fight privatisation
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Exeter Socialist Students organised a protest outside the office of the university vice-chancellor, photo Exeter Socialist Students |
EXETER SOCIALIST Students recently organised a protest by 55 students, parents and workers outside the office of university vice-chancellor Steve Smith. He is pushing through the privatisation of campus child care facilities, a blatant cut for the sake of big business profits.
Allan Coote, Exeter Socialist Students
This is the first protest Exeter Socialist Students has organised on its own. 11 copies of The Socialist were sold, many other students showed interest in joining Socialist Students and we were also on the local ITV news and in the local paper.
The privatisation of the Family Centre is not just a one-off, it is part of New Labour's trend of stealing away our public services for profit. Privatisation of these facilities leads to inadequate pay for workers, poor conditions, a worse carer/child ratio, unqualified staff being used etc.
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Exeter Socialist Students organised a protest outside the office of the university vice-chancellor, photo Exeter Socialist Students |
Privatisation also does not improve public services. Cambridge University was the only one of the top 20 universities to privatise its childcare facilities, and the only one to fail its Ofsted report, while Exeter campus's childcare has achieved Ofsted's 'outstanding' status!
Unfortunately this is just the latest cut that students and workers at Exeter have faced after the privatisation of halls, sub-contracting of canteens and the closure of "unprofitable" courses like chemistry and music.
Clearly the university bureaucrats will not easily give concessions. The campaign to save the University Family Centre must now be strengthened and gain even more tempo if we are to defeat it. Please send emails of protest to Steve Smith at [email protected]
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In The Socialist 20 February 2008:
Demonstration
Socialist Party news
Stop the witch-hunt: Defend the Sheridan 7
Prison officers fight Labour's strike ban
Battle for Shropshire schools goes on
Coventry protests at Widdecombe's attacks
Football: Top of the League for greed
Socialist Party Marxist analysis
Northern Rock - Labour's reluctant nationalisation
1918-2008: Clause 4 and nine decades of workers' struggles
Socialist Party NHS campaign
London's health care under further attack
Fighting back and building a demo
"Not making sufficient profit"
Socialist Students
Universities in crisis: Fees favour the rich
Exeter students fight privatisation
International socialist news and analysis
Kosovan independence - a dangerous mirage?
Greece: Second general strike in two months
Socialist Party review
Science, Marxism and the big bang
Socialist Party workplace news
It's official - Unison launches witch-hunt on Socialist Party
Socialist gains in Unison branch elections
Collection cuts and bullying equals bin strike!
Victory for council street wardens
Workplace news in brief
Marching against single status
Solidarity with Pakistan workers
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