Showing posts with label Serco. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Serco. Show all posts

Tuesday, 16 February 2021

Profit & Misery.


           I wonder when we will grab the bull by the horns and create a civilised society, a society where the locking people up in cages is finally recognised as barbaric and inhumane. When will we see a society where the only reference to this savage activity is in our history books.
         The fact that these degrading institutions are more and more being run by large corporations for profit, makes them even more unacceptable to civilised people. Inflicting misery and violence on fellow humans for corporate gain condemns them beyond the pale. Profit will always strip away at conditions, making prisons even more damaging to the mental and physical health of those caught up in this human crushing machine. In these inhuman institutions there is never enough money for medical care, security and profit come first. So it comes as no surprise that there have been approximately 260 people infected with covid19 in Kilmarnock prison. This particular human degradation institution is run by SERCO, a company that is no stranger to useing human misery to enhance its profit margins. Apart from prisons, Serco have been grabbing a slice of public money to harvest a profit from the misery of migrants.
        As long as we follow the economic madness of the capitalist system, making money from human misery will be an acceptable method of enhancing shareholders' bank accounts. If we dare to call ourselves civilised, then we have to erase any possibility of this type of enterprise entering the human chain of thought. A civilised society will only grow from the dust of demolished prisons and an end to the profit motive.


Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk  

Sunday, 5 August 2018

Shelter Is A Huma Right.

           Once again solidarity has proved itself to be a powerful weapon in the struggles of the ordinary people. The growing support by the people of Glasgow to stand up to injustice, and take on the corporate juggernaut of SERCO and its partner in crime, the home office, has met with success, albeit, temporary success. Only the continued growth of that solidarity can turn this into a permanent victory. Shelter is a human right, not a privilege in the hands of corporate bodies or the home office to be handed out on ideological whim and/or profit motive. Well done to all those involved, and continue to grow our solidarity.


      Living Rent Scotland's tenants union has welcomed today's announcement by SERCO to immediately halt their proposed evictions of up to 300 people in Glasgow, it comes as the Tenants union was preparing to mobilise hundreds of volunteers to defend the doors of those facing eviction by SERCO
       Over 500 people have now signed up to a call out by Living Rent and were preparing to mobilise on Monday morning to defend the doors of their neighbours who are threatened with eviction by SERCO, it comes as part of the ongoing campaign by campaigners across the city to put a stop to SERCO's plans to evict up to 300 people across Glasgow
       "We welcome this decision by SERCO to put a temporary halt to any lock changes, but let's be clear it's temporary. This concession from a multi-billion-pound multinational has only come about through the combined mobilisation of ordinary people and dedicated organisers; this belongs to the people and its only through our continuing mobilisation that we can ensure this victory is seen through.
         The best way to ensure a victory in the courts is to show that the ordinary citizens of Glasgow are ready to take to the streets in defence of their neighbours no matter what. We have been planning and building up our capacity for neighbourhood defence all week in preparation for SERCO's attempt to evict people, we have seen a massive response from the people of Glasgow who are rightfully horrified and angry at these plans by SERCO. In less than a week we have already shifted the balance of power - over the next 21 days we need to gather our forces to finally show Serco and the home office that we mean business"
         We will continue our plans to mobilise our members and all those who pledged to volunteer this week, everyone who has got in touch and pledged their support should keep Monday morning free if possible and we will be in touch as soon as possible.

Onwards!

Living Rent Glasgow
http://www.livingrent.org/

Visit ann arky's home at radicalglasgow.me.uk
 

Wednesday, 1 August 2018

Glasgow Welcome Refugees.



       Wednesday's protest in Glasgow against the planned eviction of around 300 immigrants was very well supported. Several hundred people turned up with an array of banners and home-made placards, showing their anger at the government's policy being carried out by the money grabbing Serco. Glasgow already has a problem with homelessness, to callously throw another 300 individuals on to the street, is not just inhumane, it is criminal.
      The protest continues, today, Wednesday August 1st. the protest shifts to:
365 Paisley Road West
G51 1LX Glasgow, United Kingdom

12:00-13:30. 
   I'm sure the people of Glasgow can provide more support today and improve on the grand figure of hundreds that turned up yesterday evening.
Useful links: 

Refugee Survival Trust - http://www.rst.org.uk/
Glasgow Night Shelter - https://glasgownightshelter.org/
Glasgow Asylum Destitute Action Network -
Positive Action in Housing - http://www.paih.org/
Scottish Refugee Council - http://www.scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk/
Govan Community Project - http://www.govancommunityproject.org.uk/
Ubuntu Women's Shelter - http://ubuntu-glasgow.org.uk/
Scottish Detainee Visitors - http://sdv.org.uk/
Maryhill Integration Network - http://www.maryhillintegration.org.uk/
Maslow's Community Shop Govan -
Right To Remain Toolkit - https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/
Report on Asylum Destitution in Scotland:
https://digitalpublications.parliament.scot/Committees/Report/EHRiC/2017/5/22/Hidden-Lives---New-Beginnings--Destitution--asylum-and-insecure-immigration-status-in-Scotland

Here are some photos from yesterdays protest.















Visit ann arky's home at radicalglasgow.me.uk

Saturday, 31 May 2014

Class Warriors See Off ATOS.


 More photos on Glasgow Against ATOS.
 
       Friday, 30th. May, saw the last picket held by Glasgow Against ATOS, and though I couldn't make it, I think I can safely say, from all accounts, it was a large, colourful, noisy, cheerful picket, that can claim success. All of us must take our hats off to this ever growing army of class warriors, that saw injustice, got together, and stood on the line. For almost two years, month after month, in wind, rain, hail and frost, there they were, outside the ATOS offices at Corruna House in Cadogan Street in Glasgow. 
 
      The dogged determined campaign to highlight the traumatizing, intimidation, and humiliation heaped on our most vulnerable, by the profit junkies ATOS at the direction of the Cameron millionaire cabal, spread nation wide. Through the continued bad publicity being brought to the public's notice by this army of class warriors, ATOS decided to pull the plug on its despicable operation. The campaign succeeded in doing what it set out to do, getting ATOS off the backs of our disabled. 
 
    ATOS may have gone, but the millionaire vermin that sits in the Westminster Houses of Hypocrisy and Corruption, has in no way changed its policies. They still want to remove benefits from our disabled. Their first hatchet man has gone, we can rest assured that they are already looking at what vampire squid to hand the lucrative contract to next. Will it be the ruthless, bungling G4S, or perhaps the mighty  Serco, the company that has been dogged by scandals from overcharging for prisoner tagging to allegations of sexual assault at an immigration detention centre. The choice our parasitical millionaire government has to do its dirty work, is wide and vile.
 
     So Glasgow Against ATOS, well done, you are class war heroes, but, keep your powder dry, the enemy is re-arming.



Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Wednesday, 28 May 2014

Vulnerable Children, Profit Making Entities?


      The plan rolls along merrily, privatise everything that they can make money from, whether it be education, health or child care. The millionaire Oxbridge cabal in The Westminster Houses of Hypocrisy and Corruption are pushing hard the ideology of the financial Mafia. We had ATOS killing the disabled, now it is the turn of vulnerable children, as Gove looks at ways of getting such humanitarian institutions as G4S, ATOS and Serco to squeeze a profit out of our vulnerable children. No doubt if this goes ahead, the children involved will suffer the same stress, humiliation and trauma that the disabled suffered under ATOS.
An appeal from 38 Degrees:
      Would you trust private companies like G4S, Atos or Serco to look after vulnerable children? Or to influence decisions about taking children into care? Protecting children is one of the most difficult and sensitive roles for a government to perform. But education secretary Michael Gove is consulting on whether to outsource this role to profit making companies.
       If we want to stop this, we don’t have long - the consultation closes this Friday. So far, the issue’s had very little media coverage, and the consultation has barely been publicised. If thousands of us write in today, we can show Michael Gove that we’re watching - and make sure he drops these plans.
Please can you write to the consultation today:  
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/childprotection
        Decisions by child protection professionals affect lives and can break up families, these decisions should be kept miles away from any hint of a profit motive. Adoption services have already been protected from privatisation. And there’s no evidence to suggest that outsourcing services is a good idea anyway.
       The government’s proposal argues that letting private companies provide children’s services will encourage innovation. But we all saw the mess that G4S made of providing security at the Olympics, would we really want them to care for vulnerable children’s lives?
       Experts have already voiced outrage at the plans, now we need to hammer the message home with people power. Previously when 38 Degrees members have responded to Michael Gove’s consultations, our voices have been heard loud and clear. Last year, he dropped his plans to remove climate change from school curriculums after we wrote in our thousands to oppose them.
Can you write into the consultation and help stop these plans today:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/childprotection

Thanks for everything you do
Robin, Ali, Blanche and the 38 Degrees team

NOTES:
[1] The Guardian - Privatise child protection services, Department for Education proposes: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/may/16/privatise-child-protection-services-department-for-education-proposes
[2] Public Finance - Child protection: not for sale: http://opinion.publicfinance.co.uk/2014/05/child-protection-not-for-sale/
[3] The government proposal: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/304660/Powers_to_Delegate_Con_Doc.pdf
[4] The Guardian - Child protection services too important to be privatised: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/may/16/child-protection-privatised
[5] 38 Degrees blog - Victory: Climate change will stay in the curriculum: http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2013/07/09/victory-climate-change-will-stay-in-the-curriculum
Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Friday, 1 November 2013

Dignity And Respect Are Universal Rights.



       Grabbed in a dawn raid, sent to a detention centre to be returned to a land where your life might be in danger, and before you are dispatched, you are raped. Not in some far-away dictatorship, but here in the so called civilised UK.
This appeal from The SumOfUs:
       Serco, one of the largest and most powerful companies in the UK, privately runs Yarl’s Wood in Bedfordshire -- an immigration removal centre where vulnerable women are detained and in some cases, raped and sexually abused by the staff who are there to protect them.
        The Chief Inspector of Prisons released a report this week on Yarl’s Wood, urgently calling for a ban on male staff entering the rooms of female detainees uninvited and for the urgent recruitment of female staff. We want more than that. We want Serco to get out of the detention business altogether.
      “They choose younger girls, the most vulnerable. They do whatever they want." That’s what “Tanja”, one brave witness and detainee at Yarl’s Wood said. The staff have worked out a convenient way to abuse the women in their care - in the upstairs room set aside for asylum-seekers to take family photos. There's a nice sofa, curtains, and no CCTV up there.
      We have to act quickly. The alleged victims and witnesses who are coming forward and testifying are being deported by the Home Office. Several of them were put on a flight to Pakistan on 1 October. We can’t let this go on another minute.
      Serco will hear us. Their reputation is already in tatters. They’re hoping that if they make a few concessions, and sack a few staff, the controversy will die down. We won’t let it. We won’t accept the sexual abuse and rape of vulnerable women by Serco staff.

       This is part of a pattern of abuse. In 2010 a 30-year-old woman became pregnant by an officer in Yarl's Wood. And many other women may be too fearful to testify or are deported before their case is sufficiently examined. These women are not criminals - many have been victimised by traffickers or were in abusive relationships before they were detained.
Corporations have been left unaccountable for too long. Help hold Serco to account for their behaviour.
Thanks for all that you do,
Hanna, Kaytee, and the rest of us at SumOfUs.org
      p.s. To make things worse, Serco also services our schools. They manage the Local Education Authorities in Bradford, Walsall, and Stoke-on-Trent... that’s right.
 
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More information:

Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Friday, 6 April 2012

A PERSON IS A PERSON, IS A PERSON, IS A PERSON!!!

Stop the evictions
No deportations
End destitution now

 


Rally and protest
Red Road / Petershill Rd
Thursday 12 April 5.00 – 7.00pm

Called by:
Glasgow Campaign to Welcome Refugees,
National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns,
The Unity Centre,
YPeople Glasgow Residents Association

       Up to 140 Glasgow asylum seekers are to be evicted by their landlord, Ypeople, in the next few weeks, and left without home, and without access to work or any benefits or state support whatsoever.  
     These people have had their claim for asylum refused even though most are unable to return to their countries because they are too dangerous. They include Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Zimbabwe and others. 
      Ypeople, a charity funded to provide accommodation to vulnerable people, claims they have to do this before handing over the housing of asylum seekers to Serco, a giant multinational making money for its shareholders out of running prisons and detention centres. 
The handover period runs to November, yet Ypeople have decided to evict everyone right now. Community groups say they will not be able to cope.
     We call on Ypeople to act with humanity towards these extremely vulnerable people and on Glasgow City Council and the Scottish Government to step in and stop this disaster before it happens. What kind of city and what kind of Scotland are they governing that allows this kind of humanitarian outrage to occur? 
      Finally we call on the British government to honour its international obligations in the spirit as well as the letter by granting protection and the right to work for all people seeking sanctuary.
      Come and support the demonstration next Thursday. Bring friends, family, workmates, trade union branches, churches and other organisations, banners, placards etc.


If you wish to add your organisations name to the list of supporters of this demonstration, please email ncadc@ncadc.org.uk

Please circulate this message round your networks.

ann arky's home.