Only Strikes Can Save Ega!
Socialist Press1978 1978-06-07Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 12 →
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ESS The fight to save the Anderson Hospital is impetus in the trade to gain union movement while the dangers to the threatened hospital become more acute.
Last week team of plain-clothes policemen were seen looking round the hospital, inspecting all exits and windows, perhaps in preparation for another Hounslow-type raid.
A lead in the fight against closure has been given by EGA workers and stewards themselves.
In a meeting last Wednesday, members of NUPE, COHSE, ASTMS and NALGO in the hospital pledged to stop the rémoval of patients and equipment.
The determination of workers to fight for the EGA was reflected at a conference of all NUPE branch secretaries and chairmen in the London Division on Monday evening.
The resolution proposed by the Divisional Council and adopted by the conference included the call for "rolling one day strike action" through London boroughs in defence of the it will be dominated by the SWP's reformist call for a 35-hour week and for bans on overtime-policies long ago verbally adopted by the TUC leaders.
The whole focus of the march will be diverted away from the actual struggle for leadership that is actually going on in the trade unions.
It was the SWP who gave EGA.
However, many speakers from the floor including representatives the threatened St. Nicholas Hospital, St. Bartholomew's Hospital and the Divisional Council itself spoke of the inadequacy of one-day strikes and argued for indefinite strike action as the only way to save the EGA.
Despite the militancy shown from the floor a member of the NUPE NEC calmly announced from the platform that it: was "very unlikely" that the EC would give support to strike action.
The strongest attack on this scandalous | betrayal came from Arthur Çhurchley, an EGA steward, who stated that now he was expected to go back to his members and inform them that the EC was not prepared to support strike action.
If this was truly the attitude of the NEC, he went on, then it showed that their opinion of the 2year struggle by EGA workers was that it was a complete waste of time.
An exemplary stand has been taken by COHSE members in the London Emergency Bed Service.
On the same day that Ennals announced the July 21 closure date, the EBS were instructed not to refer any more patients to the