Nhs Cuts with Strike Action!

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Strikers PHOTO: Laurence Sparham, IFL de anti-union bOss The Tory offensive to smash the basic right to a decent health service now takes on a particularly sharp form in the London area. .

On Wednesday 11 July Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster Area Health Authority meets to discuss proposals from its three Districts to cut spending by £2 million in the 'remainder of 1979-80 financial year.

These cuts will give effect to government imposed 'cash limits' aggravated by increased VAT.

Socialist Press has warned that such an attack would come, but the speed and scope of it is still breathtaking.

Risk to As a Joint Shop Stewards Committee Bulletin points out:

«The administrators themselves say that clinical services will be drastically cut, standards will tall, resulting in increased illness and risk to life."

The list of closures and cuts is too enormous to recount, but virtually every variety of staff cuts, bed closures, ward closures and closure of hospitals as a whole is posed, as well as cuts in training, catering, drugs provision, maintenance, research and other vital services.

The AHA expects resistance and has made plans accordingly.

To avoid lengthy consultation procedures all the cuts will be called "temporary' and commence immediately.

Further, the standard grievance procedures are to be suspended making it impossible for workers (O.K. I75 ADEAL - OH NO. NOT AGAIN! affected to appeal.

The AHA has been aided in its build-up to these attacks by the attempts of the press to confuse workers.

For example both the Paddington: Times and Nursing Times presented the plan as one aimed at saving St. Mary's Hospital on Harrow Road.

Vengeance

• In fact beds would be reduced from 400 to 100, supervised by local GPs,, around 500 jobs would go.

It is not merely within this authority that attacks are coming through with a vengeance.

The Tories had claimed in their first few weeks of office to have 'saved' the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson women's hospital in Euston.

But now, with f1½ million slashed from health services in Camden and Islington this year and more cuts on the way, the EGA is to be wound up as a general hospital and will receive funding only for gynaecolM... GENTLEMEN! AS CHAIRMAN OF NALGO GOTIATORS, I MUST WARN YOU.. IF THIS CLAIM ISN'T MET.. ogy and related services.

Beds will drop from 137 to 40, outpatient clinics will close, jobs will be lost with no security to staff: and the gynaecological unit itself will not open for three years!

Campaigns are underway to fight these attacks, but the urgency of the fight must now be brought home to every worker.

Particularly central is the task of transforming lobbies of AHAs and protest meetings into a fight to commit the powerful NUPE Divisional Committee and other union bodies to honour their stated opposition to the cuts.

This means that they must back an extensive programme of strikes and occupation action against them, calling on other unions and the whole of London's labour movement for practical support. Only the mobilisation of the power of the unionswhich requires a fight against those 'leaders' who stand in the way-can save London's health service now.

THEREIL BE SELECTIVE ONE-HOUR STOPPAGES... WE'LL EVEN PULL OUT KEY PERSONNEL... IF ALL ELSE FAILS, WE'LL...

HA HA HA!?

OH STOP IT, O' FISHALL -IT'S TOO MUCH!!!

GENTLEMEN, QUICK-START MOANING ABOUT THE COST OF THE SETTLEMENT OR WE'RE REALLY FINISHED!!!

EMPLOYERS.