Rover plant in Solibull have presented Leyland's speed-up attack at its Cow- that redundancios can be avoided hy perSTUDENT JDENT STOP Having been let down by their union leaders in the wages struggle, nurses and other health workers are now taking the future of the health service inte cheir own hands-implementing Labour Party policy from below by banning private patients. No wonder the press is so upset —the idea might catch on elsewhere! Members of NUPE have forced the new El2 million Charing Cross Hospital in Futham to shut down its private-patients' wing.
Explaining their action: Esther Brookstone, Jocal branch secretary of NUPE said: "We are trying to make a better h patient» raff getling rid oi private patients in this hospital.
SABOTAGE
Some well paid consultants have tried to sabotage the workers' action by refusing to allow their well-heeled patients to be moved. However, the angry union members have given the hospital authorities until Wednesday night to move out all the patients. Unless this is done, then all services to the patients will end on Thursday morning.
noises about banning private patients it has never got around to taking any action, In fact Bernord Dix a NUPE spokesman described the COUSE decision to introduce a permanent ban on private patients in NItS hos pitals and on working with agency nurses as "polly. Dix claimed that a ban on private patients must be coordinated, with everybody laboratory, clerical and ancilary people as well as nurses - keeping in line.
redundant.
-service for everyone and that means Although NUPE has heen making medical, attacks on the NHS NEW ATTACK ON CAR WORKERS MANAGEMENT at British Leyland's shop stewards with an ultimatum on ed Irom 400-450 cars a day to over 700 all "surplus labour" will be made WOMENS MOVEMENT Nine hundred women uttended the - say nurses Fisher, NUPE general sccretary did was decided to surgend industrial an agile about face on this. After the action by his members at Charing Cross he lamely admitted: 'We bave not yet detormined a firm line of policy as a union on private patients.* Feeling the hot breath of his members militancy he added but this does not mean that we do not support actions being taken at Charing Cross.
EXAMPLE The action of the NUPE members at Charine Cross has sel an example to health workers throughout Britain.
Already other health service workers are acting, inspired by the lead from Charing Cross. NUPE members-at the St. George's Hospital Group-have arranged meetings at St. George's Hospital, Hyde Park Corner, St, George's, Tooting, the Atkinson Morley. Wimbledon and the Royal Dental, Leicester Square he union leaders have dineren and procrastinated -nothing bas happened. The rank-and-tile have now moved -and shown the way They bave also shown that they are fighting in the interests of the whole working class against capitalist action Meanwhile COHSE- the union that KING This threat fits in with British ley plant and elsewhere, and with speed up. Unless production is increas the redundancy dris which last year British Leyland makes rodonduncles and Jed to 2,000 workers leaving the Austin Longbridge plant So far however the Sobshall workers TOr: has made the most militant sounds has caved in on the wages battle. At a two-bour emergency meeting of the union executive last Saturday. It action in support of the pay claim.
This follows Mrs Castle's announce ment that she would consider making an interim award if the Halsbury Report on nurses' and midwives pay was seriously delayed Union general secretary Albert Spanswick claims that if the Halsbury Committee gives a date for sts findings later than 31 August further action will be taken.
BEST REPLY
Spanswick did some militant cheatheating and said the action we have taken so far would he mild compared with the action we would take in those circumstances" This ignores the fact that the industrial action taicen by bcalth workers has been a hig factor in encouraging sympathy strikes of other workers, Furthermore, his bravado about future action lakes away the most decisive weapor in influencing the Committee's finding The best reply to the COHSE executives capitulation has come from its members at a psychiatric hospital in Maidstone. Ninety five per cent of the COHSE members have voted to continue with induscrial are not giving in und other struggles fa strike over grading) have not beer However the plant leadership is suying sode memen, bot tac crises In spoed up absolutely noccasury for mannow will not halt redundancy bat will strengthen the managemeat's position. The fight back must take up the demand: