Southern Cross Care Homes

The article on the One Show this week was unfortunately too one sided. This tone of discussion can easily frighten potential staff ( already a problem given the financial difficulties ) but more importantly upset residents and their families.
The team should visit Revelstoke Lodge in Plymouth. This is a home which could well close, does not get enough funding, and probably has the barest minimum of staff.
These staff are incredibly badly paid, highly qualified and wonderful carers ( obviously not in the job for the money )
Go to this home, interview families and residents and see if it is the type of place you would want to spend your twilight years and please, please try to avoid giving such a bad impression.
Put these staff in front of the camera so the public can see the passion with which they care for their people.

Southern Cross Care Homes

I am fearful for elderly residents of Revelstoke Lodge in Plympton who could be forced to move home due to the collapse ( restructuring ) of Southern Cross. Everyone seems to write about what the causes of the collapse are, who to blame etc, but no one seems to write about these elderly people, some in their nineties, who have made Revelstoke their home but who may now be forced to move if it is closed. Imagine your own elderly and possibly frail relatives being told they can no longer live in their home but will have to move somewhere else. Write to councillors, MP's, millionaires, philanthropists, Bill Gates - anyone who can have some influence on their future. Don't let this go - spread the word in the hope that some useful contacts may be made. Send me links to MP's, personalities, anyone you can think of who might have even the slightest influence.

Check out this link http://www.gmb.org.uk/newsroom/latest_news/gmb_letter_to_sx_landlords.aspx

Read other pages by GMB.

Come on someone - do something.

Look at the web created to create wealth for a few at the expense of many.

http://www.gmb.org.uk/default.aspx?page=1761

Maybe it is time to boycott Sainsbury's until something is done.

I am not generally a great supporte of unions but the GMB is doing an amazing job on this case.

Pensions

The lunatic fringe are at it again!!! When will people learn that there is no money left in the safe. Unions are calling for strike action against changes to the public sector pensions. What the hell do they think has been going on in the private sector. My contributions went up from 8% to 13% and they are complaining about 6% to 9%. We have had a pay freeze for 3 years also. I read a statement the the Local Government Pension scheme is not funded by the taxpayers but by underlying investments of employees and employers contributions. Where do they think the employers portion comes from and do they think the employees will not want more basic pay if forced to pay additional contributions? The rest of the public will be expected to cough up in both cases.

The public sector used to have low wages and that is why they were protected with generous pension schemes. They are no longer the lowest paid in society. Few of them would work for the wages of carers working for Southern Cross, for example, let alone do the work they have to do and almost none of those workers will get a pension at all.

Of the 6.2 million workers in the public sector it expected that .75 million will come out on strike and try to hold the country to ransom.

Are the other 23.1 million workers going to let them do this? Probably. But there will come a time when the Silent Majority will unite and rebel and there will be a backlash against those who are not prepared to be "in it together".

Spread the word, unite the Silent Majority, show you really care. No action other than send a link to this blog to ALL your friends. One day we will be able to be a force for the good.