Public sector - spread the RIGHTNIG FOR STRIKE ACON

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The Daily Mirror reported your call for all out strike action when the platform was taken over at Central Hail. What happened on the day of action?

Well, the mass mobilisation on January 22 ended up in the march to Westminster. The hall was packed and it was a very militant atmosphere.

The workers there had followed their leaders' call and now they wanted leadershipthey wanted to know what to do next.

They didn't get the answer to that one did they?

Of course not. The leaders refused to hear speakers from the floor-an ambulanceman from Thanet wanted to speak and the crowd was chanting Socialist Press: What stage ering the RHA's 13% offer.

Our claim for £65 would be 'let him speak', but the bureaucrats rejected this call.

They presented the day of action as if that was it-as if it was the end of the campaign rather than the beginning.

Not a single one even called for more strike action.

They kept talking about 'inquiries' into low pay and telling the workers how badly paid they are-as if they didn't know.

Was the platform actually seized?

People started to move towards the platform and I was one of them.

The bureaucrats tried to finish the meeting with a "thank you very much for coming" and people were incensed by this Gillian Las Tuesday Pru Chamt Eas London's Str atford 1lmost inaudible above reckling-Basnett kind of treatment.

• got up towards the platform and I was helped over the bannister.

Somebody shoved the microphone in my hand-the Daily Mirror was not telling the truth when it said I seized it.

Anyway the bureaucrats switched off the thing before I could use it. It was very confused but people were chanting 'let the nurse speak' I shouted as loud as I could that one day protests could not win our claim and that only all-out strike action could set us on the road to victory. I thought that was the most important thing.

As a militant nurse working in NUPE, what problems have you faced in the period up to 22 January?

It was a hard fight to mobilise for the day of action. I went round five hospitals talking to nurses individually.

Many are afraid to act because of fear of victimisation -nurses are always in a very precarious position.

Their jobs depend on ward reports from Sisters.

The key problem is unionisation-the fight to show that the so-called 'professional organisation' can do nothing for nurses layne spoke ntainer base. -that's the RCN, the Royal College of Nursing.

You see, nursing officers have even intimidated nurses for attending union branch meetings-never mind striking! What does the RCN do on pay?

Well, the best example was last year. They said that the fact that we only got the government's 10% was a 'victory'!

They said it was a victory of 'professionalism' over industrial ism.

Anyway we managed to get a small group out on the day of action-it's. a question of breaking down the fear of victimisation.

How are these problems going to be overcome?

By further recruitment into NUPE and genuine trade unions as a first step.

But the problems only start there. The present leadership of the unions can't offer any serious perspective to nurses, they couldn't even be trusted to wage a proper fight against victimisation. -insults When nurses join the rest of the working class in the unions they have to be brought to see the need to build new leader ship.

At Central Hails you called for all out strike action; Why do you attach such importance to this policy—who else calls for it?

It's so important because the union leaders are afraid of the massive mobilisation of the working class.

And fighting for it has been hard. Just before the day of action other groups started to talk about it! Hospital Worker, supported by the Socialist Workers Party, put out a leaflet.

But that was when it was clear to everybody that large ISt sections of workers were already prepared to take such action.

It's not enough just follow along. It's necessary to organise, prepare and give clear leadership in advance.

And for months before 22 January the only paper in the labour movement putting forward this policy was the Socialist Press.

John Seymour is a shop stewärd in the Cressy Road refuse section of Camden theLow General branch of NUPE.

He has been a steward in the section-representing 90 st st AY)

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has the dispute reached? The Regions are consid-

HUPE says: Camden

out Minst