Private sector vultures are preparing to move in to take over an important part of our health service.
The Royal Victoria Hospital Trust are currently tendering for procurement of the new Women’s and Children’s hospital under the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) scheme.
A bid for the project has already come in from the multinational investment company Deloitte & Touché.
Previous experience with PFI has shown that it has a detrimental effect on employment conditions, rights and wages as well as on health care and so it must be robustly challenged at every level.
All unions within the trust have unanimously opposed the introduction of PFI, but so far have limited their opposition to lobbying MLAs and proposed public awareness campaigns.
A motion opposing PFI was passed through the Belfast City Council, with the exception of the DUP, but this is not enough. The main parties have shown that, through their tacit acceptance of water charges they cannot be trusted.
The only way forward is a broad public campaign involving shop floor activists leading grassroots industrial action with the backing of all sections of the community.
