Local jobs for local people

The proposed offshoring of jobs by Birmingham Council does seem daft in many ways.

This is - however - the direction in which privatisation leads (and smashing up union organisation by Regional supervision can do lasting damage to the ability of workers to resist it would seem).

My own employer, whilst pleading its commitment to fighting local worklessness, fails to deny that it might tolerate jobs being moved out of the borough on privatisation to save money.

I'm not against "offshoring" jobs for nationalist reasons. I am not one of the sad twits who think that the job of socialists is to "rebuild Britain." (It is rather to organise the working class).

I am, however, a local government worker and I therefore believe in "local jobs for local people" - meaning that local government should aim to create employment within the "travel to work area" of its citizens.

Seriously - we need to defend the idea that local government should create employment for local people. We may have a fight on our hands.

Update on Sunday afternoon - full marks to John of Barnet for this timely warning to our members.