Health

Derby care homes saved + BT terms fight + NHS safety scandals

In the face of a union campaign and mounting public pressure, Derbyshire county council last week announced a reversal of plans to close seven care homes in the county.

Black and Asian nurses struggle to get vital protective kit

A shocking new report says that black and minority ethnic (BME) nurses find it harder to get Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) than their white colleagues.

Tory ‘test, track and trace’ plan is in tatters before it’s begun

After months of failures, Boris Johnson claims he has a new contact tracing strategy. But as Sarah Bates reports, the scheme is already in trouble

Race—a capitalist invention

Scientists are struggling to understand how Covid-19 affects people differently. Socialist Worker shows that the construct of race has more basis in exploitation than biology

Protests over coronavirus safety rattle the Tories - we need more of them

The mood against the Tories is beginning to be seen more strongly on the streets. A number of cavalcades, stunts and socially-distanced protests took place on Thursday.

Report exposes shocking call centre conditions for workers

Call centre workers are risking their lives on a “dangerous frontline” in the coronavirus crisis. A new report says that, “Without exaggeration the severity of the hazards from Covid-19 and the effects on these workers make for shocking reading.”

Tories are still leaving care home residents to die

14 May 2020
Government coronavirus failures in social care continue to endanger the lives of hundreds of thousands of service users and workers.

More die at home from other illnesses due to virus crisis

11 May 2020
More than 8,000 more people have died at home since the start of the coronavirus crisis than would have done in normal times.

Fury at Johnson’s plan to reopen schools means potential for real resistance

11 May 2020
Parents and school workers have reacted with fear and fury to Boris Johnson’s announcement that schools could start to reopen from next month.

Boris Johnson speech clears way for dangerous return to work

10 May 2020
Boris Johnson has opened the door to herd people back to work before it is safe. But widespread support for keeping the lockdown stopped him from going as far as he wanted in his speech on Sunday night.

‘Put our safety first, not money,’ say activists on day of action

07 May 2020
Trade unionists and campaigners are staging a day of action to demand “no return to unsafe workplaces”.

‘Why did Scotland follow Johnson?’ asks new report

04 May 2020
Nicola Sturgeon and the Scottish National Party Scottish government are coming under increased attention

Weekly claps for carers can become big protests over coronavirus

28 April 2020
Health workers and campaigners have been raising slogans against the Tories during the weekly Clap for the NHS on Thursdays.

Workplace action must be central to fight

28 April 2020
Worker's Memorial Day on Tuesday showed there is bitterness and anger among the working class about how people have been treated during this crisis.

Keir Starmer’s ‘real opposition’ leaves the Tories unscathed over virus response

28 April 2020
Media pundits and right wing Labour politicians are hugely impressed by Labour leader Keir Starmer’s response to the coronavirus. Few ordinary people will have noticed.

Tories failing to provide tests and protective gear

27 April 2020
The failures of the Tory government are continuing to threaten the lives of millions of ordinary people

Cuts and Covid-19 are a deadly cocktail for social care

26 April 2020
The death toll from the coronavirus in care homes is a scandal, yet workers’ demands for safety measures are still being ignored, reports Sarah Bates

Letters - Remember the dead but keep up fight for the living

24 April 2020
In the midst of a global pandemic it is easy to forget about other health hazards. But asbestos is still the number one occupational killer in Britain with over 5,000 deaths per year.