ATTAC* LONDON

Invites You to an Open-to-All and Free Conference:

STILL AT YOUR SERVICE?
GATS, PUBLIC SERVICES AND PRIVATISATION IN THE UK

Saturday, 16th November, 11am - 5pm
LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS
Clement House
Aldwych
LONDON WC2
(Tube: Holborn or Temple)

1. What are the realities and consequences of the privatisation of education,libraries,health
care, transport, pensions and police functions in the UK?

2. What are the connections between privatisation, the Private Finance Initiative
(PFI) and public-private partnerships (PPPs) and the World Trade Organisation's
(WTO) General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS)?

3. How are local, national and international policies turning public services
into private ones?

Is there really no alternative?

Speakers and presenters from UNISON, Public and Commercial Services Union
(PCS), War on Want, Public Services International Research Unit (PSIRU),
the Critical Academic Network, UK GATS Network and ATTAC London.

For those interested in LIBRARIES and EDUCATION, the Conference includes
workshops on:

GATS and the Privatisation of Libraries (Ruth Rikowski, University of Greenwich,
Book Reviews Editor for Managing Information & ATTAC London)

The Business Takeover of Education (Glenn Rikowski, University College Northampton
& ATTAC London)

Marketisation of Higher Education (Les Levidow, Open University & Critical
Academic Network)

For a detailed programme go to http://www.attac.org.uk/

*ATTAC is the Association for the Taxation of Financial Transactions for
the Aid of Citizens

Please circulate

Best wishes

RUTH RIKOWSKI
Ruth Rikowski is member of the European Bureau of Library, Information &
Documentation Associations (EBLIDA) WTO Working Group. She edited the Special
Issue of Information and Social Change (No.14, winter 2001/2002) on 'Globalisation
and Information', see: http://libr.org/ISC/ She has a number of articles
on Rory Litwin's 'GATS & Libraries' web site, at: http://libr.org/GATS/
Ruth organised a Fringe Meeting at IFLA 2002 in Glasgow on "The Profit Virus:
Globalisation, Libraries and Education'.

And

GLENN RIKOWSKI
Glenn Rikowski is author of "The Battle in Seattle: Its significance for
education" (Tufnell Press, 2001), see: http://www.tufnellpress.co.uk and
an article on "The Great GATS Buyout" in the latest issue of 'Red Pepper'.
Also see a more detailed version of this article, "Schools: The Great GATS
Buy" at The Institute for Education Policy Studies web site: http://www.ieps.org.uk