YANA PETTICREW explains what’s behind the strike and how the entire sector rests on super-exploiting an unorganised workforce

IN the countdown to the general election, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch’s message is resolute: “The main task ahead of us for anyone that’s in any way progressive — is to get the Tories out.”
The Star caught up with him amid a barrage of pre-election interviews and just ahead of the union’s AGM.
RMT has not shied away from criticising Labour — as a socialist union, it’s hard not to. Yet Lynch remains practical — the only way to end the Tories’ 14-year reign is by getting Labour in.

Government urged ‘to tackle the root causes’ of the NHS crisis and improve ‘social care services’

Meanwhile, Defend Our Juries say the fact that only half of the protesters faced arrests ‘shows how unworkable and unenforceable this ban is’