“The fundamental financial weakness of Hackney Council.” This is, according to a government (DFES) sponsored report, the reason for the new proposal to shut down Hackney Local Education Authority (LEA) and replace it with a quango type trust in August 2002.

By a Hackney Unison Shop Steward.

The government are now in effect running Hackney Council and the decaying local democracy is effectively being shut down. Fearful of the consequences of being associated with failure the government have stopped short of a direct takeover. Instead they are issuing binding directives reinforced by regular closed door meetings with senior council executives.

The disposing of the LEA is just the beginning. There has already been talk of selling of the entire remaining housing stock and the staff that administer it, to a private company. Council officers have been instructed to slash a further #50 to #75 million from the budget in the next 24 months. This from a council already stripped to the bone.

It is often the little things that demonstrate how bad things have become. For example within the last few months the council have put every childrens playground in the borough up for sale. How long before safe play areas become car parks and yuppie flats?

The very future of every council job is at risk, within 24 months over half the workforce could be sacked or banished to the darkest regions of the private sector. Hackney Unison is completely opposed to the dismantling of our local authority and having replaced by a myriad of unaccountable bodies or companies.

While warning workers about the dangers of these new developments we have to carefully pick the right issues on which to do battle. Many workers and residents, quite rightly, have complete contempt for our local councillors. Amongst some, the attitude to new trust type bodies will be to give it a chance. After all, many will say, nothing could be worse than what we have at the moment!

Nonetheless, industrial clashes are inevitable. In the past two weeks Gardeners and estate cleaners have unofficially downed tools over what we believe is an unlawful deduction of wages by the council. The council have imposed (perhaps unlawfully) new contracts on workers after considerable opposition and six days of strike action. Part of the package was a guarantee that no worker would lose more than #1,500 per year or drop below #15,600 per annum (where there wages were more than that before 1st Oct) as a result of single status and the removal of bonuses. There was outrage on the first payday of the new contract when hundreds of workers saw that the council had taken far more than this. Legal action is being initiated and 5 departments have requested ballots for strike action.

Monday 5th November marks the first anniversary of our struggle against the financial crisis in Hackney. We are calling residents and trade unionists to join our protest in defence of services. As Hackney Unison branch secretary John Page said “The council has decided to abandon its obligation to the vulnerable in this community and meet only its obligations to the banks.”