In recent weeks outsourced services company Serco has seen many of its workers walk out on strike. On 23 June, civil enforcement officers in Ealing launched a 72-hour strike against union-busting. Two days earlier, workers at the Royal London hospital began five days of strike action, after years of bullying from management.
Made infamous by its cover-up of widespread sexual abuse at the Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre, Serco has a long record of treating its workers with contempt. Often limited to university campuses, the demand that Serco belongs nowhere near public services provides an avenue for escalating these recent strikes.
Countless people have experienced Serco: from transporting prisoners to providing catering services, there is a wealth of experience to draw from. Striking workers must call on this common experience, within and beyond their workplaces, to build practical solidarity and mass support. Without this, they will remain isolated and vulnerable to attacks from management.
