The public spending cuts, the attacks on the welfare state and the ideological offensive to promote the sanctity of the nuclear family will have major repercussions for women.
The Tories have launched an offensive on the welfare state motivated by European integration and the general economic crisis. Their need to reduce the £50 billion public spending deficit in order to join the European Monetary Union logi. cally means a massive attack on the pub lic sector.
Women make up the majority of the workforce in the public sector, the majority of users of public services, and will suffer most from their reduction. The fight to defend the welfare state raises rundament gucsoons about women s position within the family, the workforce and the whole nature of women's oppres sion.
The idea that the workforce and the community and service users somehow be refuted. The left must learn to move beyond the narrow terrain of defence of jobs and to build broader alliances with welfare state"
The massive cuts in central funding of local government services and creeping pavaustion impact sharpsy on womch. As the cake has got smaller the competition for the crumbs has become more ruthless and divisive.
Non-statutory services are pitted often the biggest losers. Competition has ensued between wages and conditions and redundancies. In Haringey, north London, sickness and maternity pay for the local authority workforce has been pitted against redundancies.
Many services previously provided by local authorities are now privatised, and there is more on the way. Local government and civil service unions have fought hard to win improved equal opportunities policies and maternity and sickness conditions. Privatised services are often •staffed by workers with no job security and no Ten million British workers currently CHRIST STREET HEALTH CENTS OUR HEALTH SERVICE!
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