Report on Leeds Trades Union Council Delegate meeting

The Leeds Trade Union Council Delegate meeting took place last night.

Delegates heard from Delegate Mike Davis about the changes proposed by the Tory coalition to the NHS which will effectively abolish Primary Care Trusts and place the NHS is the hands of Commissioning 'GP' Consortia.

Mike explained that these proposed consortia could be run by any group including private companies and it would be the consortia which would 'commission' groups to provide health care services.

Again health care providers under the new system can be any group including private providers and Mike explained that one private company called Leodis Healthcare LLP is already looking to become a Commissioning 'GP' Consortia and approved health care provider so it can effectively commission services from itself.

The proposals mean that the public will be paying tax into private companies and they will inevitably end up paying the public money they receive to wealthy shareholders and directors bonuses.

Not only that, the profit motive will result in greater pressure to reduce costs and skimp on safe health practices and patient care.

The meeting agreed to try and build links with:

Health Emergency

Keep Our NHS Public

and

Leeds Hospital Alert

The Delegate meeting then heard reports from Leeds against the Cuts and the Million Green Jobs meeting among others.

It was agreed that all delegates should build and advertise the public meeting planned for the Leeds against the Cuts group on 25 November 2010 at Leeds Civic Hall.

It was also agreed to support the Reclaim the Night March planned in Leeds on Saturday 04 December 2010.

Finally a motion was passed which asked the Leeds Trades Union Council to oppose Leeds City Council's proposed new incinerator in East Leeds and to ask Leeds City Council to scrap its plans for it.

The meeting agreed that Leeds needed to think more seriously about reusing and recycling waste rather than simply burning it and that the effect of the released pollution and dioxins from the incinerator would badly affect the health of those living near it and the workers at the incinerator.