As the RMT Health and Safety Conference takes place, the union is calling for urgent action on crisis of work-related stress, understaffing and the growing threat of workplace assaults. RMT leader EDDIE DEMPSEY explains
THE Conservatives’ main response to the coronavirus crisis has been handing out contracts to their favoured corporations: instead of strengthening the NHS and other public health authorities that are our best defence against infection, the government is increasing privatisation.
What qualifies these corporations to get public cash to fight the pandemic above the NHS or local authorities? If you look at one firm, Mitie, the two main qualifications seem to be employing Tory insiders and a record of dirty, badly run services.
Mitie are one of the contractors getting coronavirus work: the key to controlling coronavirus is a “test and trace” system, with widespread testing to find those — possibly unknowingly — infected with coronavirus, and then tracing all their contacts to stop the disease spreading.
First the government were late to develop this. Then they decided to do it through a “car park and call centre” approach: other nations have successful test and trace regimes run by local health officials. Our government has turned to our big generic privatisers.
Despite Labour’s promises to bring things ‘in-house,’ the Justice Secretary has awarded notorious outsourcing outfit Mitie a £329 million contract to run a new prison — despite its track record of abuse and neglect in its migrant facilities, reports SOLOMON HUGHES



