Court threat to nursery sit-in

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The main' lines of argument in the recent meeting to save the Perivale Maternity Hospital (West London) from closure were put by May Keywood, Ealing Labour Councillor and a member of the Area Health Authority.

She stated that there aré too many maternity beds in the AHA and that too much money is being spent on the NHS in London.

All she objected to was ma'king Perivale the recipient of the cuts!

Marion Stern, however, of the Ealing Community Health Council, pointed out that there was something like a 70% occupancy of the maternity beds in the AHA and as it is impossible accurately to predict the birth rate it is therefore impossible to say if there are too many beds or not.

Good case

She went on to put forward an extremely good case for the retention of Perivale.

The area it serves has a high number of women of child-bearing age, and has poor housing and social services.

She told the meeting "the number of babies who die in the first days of life is highest in Ealing compared to surrounding areas. Ealing needs a good ASTRIAL NEWS maternity service." • Sister Lee. from the hospital stated the opposition from the entire workforce to the closure and the members of COHSE at the hospital have now sent their reply to the AHA consultative document.

In speeches from the Councilior Heywood's arguments were attacked.

Chopped

She was simply saying that beds in another part of the AHA -such as the West London Hospital maternity unit-which are under threat, should be chopped.

The need was for a united fight against the cuts as a whole. and not arguing over "priorities"

The two senior nurses also at the meeting stated categorically that the hospital would not be occupied because of the danger to the patients of inadequate medical cover.

But what other action can be taken to ensure the welfare of the mothers and babies?

Obviously preparations have to be well laid for such an occupation; these should include:

*enlisting the support of local GPs to keep referring patients;

*ensuring that ambulance workers will continue to bring patients in;

*getting sympathetic consul tants and other doctors to continue giving adequate cover;

*taking up the offer of the AHA Joint Shop Stewards Committee to give full supportincluding sympathetic strike action;

*making sure that supplies of linen, etc., continue to be ordered;

*continuing the campaign for support locally.

Other points can be added to this list. Pete Rowlands, Secretary of Hounslow Trades Council, pointed out that even if this year's cuts are pushed through the AHA will have a deficit of £2.3 million. • The time to fight is now. Unfortunately he did not bring out the past record of Councillor Heywood, who was deeply implicated in the vicious closure of the occupied Hounslow Hospital.

A lobby has been called to protest at the closure of the AHA on 21 May.

NOW AVAILABLE Labour movement bulletin on Ireland with back-: ground articles on witch-hunts in Oxford and Tameside. 25p' including p&p from WSL, BM Box 5277 London WCIV 6XX.

Witch-hunts:

The occupation of the Wandsworth Day Nurser y in Nightingale Road is in its sixth week.

•Gas services were cut off last week despite the fact that NALGO has given support and the local NALGO official Stan Bush had written a letter to this effect.

Gas workers who came to turn off the supply were told of this union support and to check with Bush-but returned an hour later with a supervisor to disconnect services. Bush was telephoned but refused to budge from his office-which is only ten minutes away from the occupation.

Bush has no doubt made glowing speeches in the past and no doubt will make them in the future on the destruction of the welfare state brought about by the cuts.

But he and his fellow union ótticials are aiding and abetting the Tories by their refusal to act to defend the services actually being cut.

At a recent council meeting it was agreed that the officers can apply for court proceedings for repossession of bulidings occupied by "squatters" without referring back to a council meeting.

The occupation has now been served with notice of the court hearing which will be on Friday 25 April at mid-day at the High Court.

This means that the Sheriff of London will be carrying out the eviction.

No doubt Wandsworth Tories believe that media coverage will go in their favour and deter others in the area from taking similar action.

Yet this may not be the case. St. Margaret's Nursery at Battersea have been informed that their nursery is next for the axe and have asked Nightingale Lane occupiers to speak at a meeting of parents and workers on how occupations are run.

Ironically the eviction of Nightingale Lane Nursery may occur on Monday April 28.

This will be exactly twó years to the -day after the eviction of the occupied South Oxford Nursery Class under the Labour government.

Then, as now, the hard task has been fighting for union officials to lead action that will make an eviction impossiblei.e. supporting strike action.

Just the threat of such action two years ago at the EGA hospital in London made the Labour government retreat from the closure-which was eventually carried through by the Tories.

The leadership of the unions SUBSCRIPTK refused to fight the Labour leaders and is not prepared to fight under a Tory government.

Increasingly the need for a change of leadership in the working class is posed both at local and national level if we are not to see further defeats.

Wandsworth occupiers now have time to get the vital support that is needed: but at the same time pressure must still be brought to bear on trade union and Labour leaders in the area to black any future use of the building to be run as a private facility and to cut off their services.

INTERNATIONAL LIAI COMMITTEE

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