Catalyst newssheet for October 2005

Support for sacked Gate Gourmet workers

Airline catering company Gate Gourmet deliberately provoked a dispute & sacked 670 workers at Heathrow in August, immediately bringing in temporary workers to replace them. The sacked workers continue to demonstrate daily at Heathrow, and there are solidarity actions and meetings across the UK, including picketing in Liverpool (see picture), of the offices of Blue Arrow, the agency providing many of the temporary workers used by Gate Gourmet.

Stok wins, but questions remain

It’s good to hear that the graffiti artist Stok has been cleared of all charges for displaying his work on a building in Roscoe Street, after the owners of the building - Frensons - failed to turn up in court. Why was the prosecution brought in the first place?
In the last edition of Catalyst we implied that the council had laid the charge, but apparently it was the Merseyside police.
The police seem to be getting more involved in 'crimes' of this sort. The Echo recently reported a 'Police blitz on graffiti' as part of the fight against anti-social behaviour. Additional police officers are part-funded by the local authority. (See: We WILL take back our streets: Liverpool Echo, 21 September 2005)
What's behind this totally out of proportion linking of graffiti with 'Yobbish' behaviour, and the push for the police to proscecute artists?

Campaign to ‘Keep our NHS Public!’

Government plans to privatise more of the NHS has created a strong reaction from health workers and others. The following is a statement from a group called ‘Keep our NHS Public’:
“At the heart of the changes is the creation of a market that welcomes profit-driven international corporations who answer to shareholders, not patients. This market will compel hospitals and health professionals, who have traditionally cooperated to deliver healthcare, to compete with each other and with the private sector. Far from supporting the NHS, the private sector is in competition with it, and is already draining away resources and staff.”
For more on this see: www.keepournhspublic.com
Also check out the Politics of Health Group: www.pohg.org.uk

War on 'Yobs'

The Echo's recent series on 'Yobs' has failed to mention the Council 'Yobs' who have allowed the demolition of beautiful buildings to be replaced by non-descript boxes. An example of this is shown below in Kingsley Road. See: ‘Liverpool - Culture of Disrespect for Residents’. www.corporatewatch.org
Also it has been reported that eight out of 10 pubs that close down are converted into homes. Each closure represents a loss to the local community. Check out: www.communitypubs.org

Book Reviews - Adrian Mole/Hugo Chavez and the Bolivarian Revolution/Authenticity. Read more