Campaigning organisation 38 Degrees took to Lincoln’s High Street today in order to protest the Transatlantic Trade Investment Partnership (TTIP), Oliver Winston reports.
The team of activists are striving to inform Lincoln citizens on the controversial free trade partnership between the European Union and United States.
The Free Trade Agreement boasts of improving the trade of goods across national borders by reducing import duty tariffs, as well as offering rights of protections for transnational companies to invest in services.
However, this is argued to be an oversimplification and does not outweigh the affects of the Free Trade Agreement, including the privatisation of public services such as the NHS.
38 Degrees activists in Lincoln today sought to bring more attention to this matter, in order to amend the TTIP or abolish it totally.
“It is not just the NHS which is at stake, but it is the whole monopoly of public services,” a protester proclaimed today. “Already we see outsourcing, and we see zero hour contracts, an increase in in-work poverty, and we just say that enough is enough.”
The treaty has yet to be given a date to be signed by, another factor equating into its reputed secrecy.
Watch the video below, as some of the protesters talk to The Linc to explain why they felt the need to be out on the streets.
Gregor Smith contributed to this report.