Hospital workers at the Morriston Hospital Swansea, are out on strike again.
On Saturday 15 February, after a four-day strike over the admission of a private patient, the 500 workers returned to the hospital. But within two hour they were out again after the West Glamorgan Area Health Authority had said their return-towork tetms were "impracticable".
Last year, after Morriston hospital workers had got local nuers to come out on a one day sympathy strike in support of the nurses' pay dispute, Ken Price, chairman of NUPE at the Morriston hospital, told Red Weekly: 'If management admit a patient to the only private bed in the hospital NUPE will come'out on strike" These were not empty threats. On Tuesday I1 February NUPE staff at the hospital took strike action on precisely that issue.
RESPONSE The action quickly gained a res ponse amongst other health workers. Meetings were beid at the Singleton and Mount Pleasant hospitals in Swansea and also in hospitals in Neath, the Raouuda, and as far cast as Newport. Mount Pleasant struck, and the others voted to take support action in line with anything decided at last Friday's NUPE meeting at the Morriston.
Support was also pouring in from Port Talbot steel workers, from miners, students and the local Labour Party. There are four private beds in Swansea — one in Morriston, three in Singleton. But the authority has not dared to use them during the last year because of the militancy of local health workers.
The first strike ended atter votes were taken on three resolutions! proposing a boycott, escalation, or an unconditional return to work -the latter being completely rejected. The NUPE meeting voted to return to work, but to boycott any ward in which the "floating private bed was located.
The boycott was not only to apply to private patients but to all consultants who have private patients. They decided not to serve the consultant with food, answer the telphone or provide any other services for him. ACCUSATION The boycott was a response to accusations that NUPE was jcopardising the health of many NHS patients due to their action over one private patient. This boycolt put the responsibility squurely on the shoulders of the consultants and the authorities. All the authorities and the consultants had to do was to put the patient in an isolated ward —and Teed her and change her bed linen themseives!
But the consultants would prefer the NIS to do the shit work, and the authority have backed up the consultant (Dr. Lawrence) by refusing to move the patient, Instead they have launched a slander campaign through the local press, accusing hospital stalf of closing the maternity beds (the private patient had had a caesarian operation).
During the week student nurses in NUPE were threatened with the ending of their training (nurses have to satisty very vigorous duty requirements to qualify as a state registered nurse -SRN). Three were forced to leave the union. To back up this campaign, the local press eagerly published a letter from a bandful of nurses attacking NUPE The health authorities have clearly provoked the hospital workers action in an attempt to defeat and weaken the growing strength workers who attended a conference on the Crisis in the NAS organised by the Central Landon Medical branch of ASTMS. I's mainly made up of doctors and medical students who are very concerned about the state of the NIS. The total collapse, because wen Goremment has falled to put en. ough money into the welfare state.
SUITCHBE ERE CHOCO DE ELSE TOU SOCISI their real wages, and unies the labour movement takes action now to defend their health service, things will get even worse, How does private practice fit into to everyone when they need it: But at the moment the NES simply cannot -we need 75,000 more nurses alone because health workers are so badiy paid, about three quarters of the hosp atal beds in this country are in buildings put up hetore 1918; and more than half that private practice will expand, because anybody who can afford to bypass the NHS to got quicker and more comfort ahle treatment will naturally do so We would then get a rwo tier system rather like they have in the USA, where you set as good an you can pay for. and the of NUPE in the area. The response of local bealth workers has so far been excellent, but in the face of such attacks support action and messages of support from other hospital workers and indeed all sections of the labour movement will be crucial.
sent to: Ken Price, Chairman Marriston NUPE, Morriston Hospital, Swansea, West Glamorgan. Swansea IMG.