Partial Victory in Hospital Fight

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This is why the WL has featured at the forefront of pay struggles in British Leyland and the public sector, in the fight against redundancies and closures, in struggles against the cuts, unionisation fights, and the fight for This method of approach - rejecting any descent to simple trade union militancy or concession to the labour bureaucracy - is of course essential not only in Britain In taking up international issues in the labour movement the WS stresses not only the obligation of British workers to support the Irish liberation struggle and revolutionary struggles such as those in Iran and Southern Africa, but also the necessity for the reconstruction of the Trotskyist Fourth International as the organising centre of the world party of socialist revolution.

The WSL is not the biggest movement on the left in Britain; but its approach to both theory and practice make it the only really serious revolutionary movement.

Fill in the form below for more details, your local branch, who will gladly supply mation about our programme, policies, and St. Columba's Hospital on Hampstead Heath is still open and the health authorities have been forced to concede that normal patient admission prodecures can be resumed for three months.

This partial victory is a tribute to the workers at the hospital-who declared an occupation to prevent closure-and to persistent and principled opposition to. cuts by the joint shop stewards committee for the health district to which St. Columba's is attached.

The District JSSC has now won three important battles in the last 12 months against the local District Management Kensington, Westminster Authority.

Team and the Chelsea and Area. Health Leading role They have played a leading role in delaying the decision to run down St. Mary's Hospital in Harrow Road; in reversing the decision to close Hereford Lodge in Bayswater, and now in forcing the AHA to call off its 'temporary' closure at St. Columba's. The AHA decision to close St. Columba's 'within four weeks' was taken on 14 February 1979.

On 26 February, the DJSSC held a meeting at St. Columba's at which a unanimous decision was taken to support the workers there if they decided ocçupy against closure.

The stewards pledged to call for supporting strike action in their own hospitals if any attempt was made to go ahead with the closure.

A week later the occupation was declared.

Following direct approaches by the shop stewards, the medical staff at the hospital agreed to defy the DMT and admit some new patients on 'humanitarian' grounds.

Lobby

On 6 April, the shop stewards held a further meeting at'St. Columba's at which they urged the staff to attend the next Area Health Authority meeting STRULT THE 4T HIERNT STDALST RE workers in to grasp the ution.

democracy in the labour movement.

but internationally.

WHY NOT JOIN US? and to fight for the resumption of normal admissions.

On 11 April,: shop stewards and St. Columba's workers, together with supporters from the local community, attended the AHA meeting.

After the protestors had presented their arguments by constantly interrupting the meeting, the AHA voted overwhelmingly to re-open the hospital to full admissions pending the outcome of the statutory consultation procedure.

The sudden and callous move to close the hospital had been made as part of a plan to cut back on £400,000 overspent against' 'cash limits by the North West District of Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster GOT LEAGUE WORKERS SOCIALI WANEN LEA4UE IKÀ xt1 1C for socialist revolor approach more inforperspectives. Public Service Wor * 8* 49446 West