Labour Counci Bid to Close Nurseries

Scan page 10

Liverpool health workers fight cuts mingham City Council decided on Wednesday to close all the residential nursery places in the city.

Another four children's homes are under threat of "changed use" which will in all probability mean closure for these homes as well.

This move comes after an attempt two years ago by the then Tory council to close 18 children's homes. A campaign by NUPE-the main union involved-prevented the closure of 14 of the homes and was therefore partially successful.

However the campaign mainly revolved around the use of stunt tactics and so enabled the council to try again two years later, hoping that through negotiations they would not have to fight vigorous opposition.

Rumours

Following rumours of proposed closure of the homes, a joint NUPE/NALGO meeting was called a week before the council decision. There it was decided to set up an action committee comprised of stewards of all the homes involved and other members of the two unions.

The meeting also resolved itself to be totally opposed to the closure of the homes and to fight the closures through occupation if necessary..

Hospital workers on Merseyside have forced Liverpool Area Health Authority to retreat over plans to make ward closures at Newsham General Hospital despite an official union/management collaboration agreement.

At a mass meeting two weeks ago, 1500 health workers packed into the city's St. Georges Hall and overwhelmingly rejected the agreement recommended by their full time officers which promised the AHA cooperation over service cuts and closures in return for assurances that there would be no compulsory redundancies.

Liverpool AHA faces overspending on its budget for the year to the tune of £3.5 million and management threatened sackings if they could not cut overtime and beds.

Already however the campaign has come up against the official trade union bureaucracy who have been discussing with management "to protect the interests of our members" the terms of redundancy and severence payments.

It is quite clear though that the workers in these homes are determined not to give in and just accept redundancy. The effect of the closures (in the face of a well-publicised fostering campaign by the Social Services Department which has miserably failed) will be devastating.

Nursery age children in care, many of whom suffer from mental and physical handicaps, need the specialist care of residential nurseries and cannot possibly be easily assimilated into children's homes where the children are older and where staff are neither experienced or plentiful enough to deal with the particular problems of young children and babies.

It is clear that the management has been planning the closures for a long time and has run homes down accordingly. The campaign is therefore determined to collect is own information of what the need and provision for children in care is and to set up alternative structures under workers control to keep the homes in full use so as to prevent an easy closure by management.

The meeting responded in no uncertain terms. They pledged themselves by a massive majority to fight both cuts and any resulting redundancies.

Following • this decision, Liverpool AHA moved quickly to try and push through the closure of two wards at the Newsham General Hospital, ostensibly "for safety reasons". 115 beds are planned for axing out of 650.

The workers responded by barricading a geriatric ward where eleven male patients were due to be removed and the beds dismantled.

Narsing and ancillary staff were joined by patients who lined up behind food trolleys placed across the entrance to the ward. Two porters who refused to cooperate in breaking the barricade were sent home but the action forced the management to back down temporarily.

Bringing together recent material published in Socialist Press, this new pamphlet details the crisis in BL, the collaboration of the union leadership with Edwardes on the future of BL and explains how BL management are manoeuvring on this year's pay Price 42p including p&p from WSL, BM Box 5277, London WC1V 6XX.

Later in the week, a peaceful picket of a female geriatric ward by about 50 staff took place to prevent the removal of patients and to demand the reinstatement of the two porters.

Nursing staff at the hospital are refusing to discuss the issue of redeployment. The COHSE Branch Chairman on the site, Val Duncan, stated "as far as we are concerned the wards will not close"

In the face of this principled and resolute action by the hospital workers, the AHA agreed to "postpone" the closure plans subject to further discussion with the CHCs and the unions.

Although the fight is not yet won, staff of Newsham General have given the possible answer not only to the hospital management and the AHA but also to the spineless collaboration of their full-time officers. CAR INDUSTRY CRISIS IBL FORI WORKERS Halethals' A SO A WS Pamphlet JUST OUT A new pamphlet produced by the North West Area of the League exposing the betrayals of the trade union leadership in the fight against factory closures and the policies needed to defend jobs.

Price 27p including postage from WSL, BM Box 5277, London WC1V 6XX RATES:

Trial sub (U Six issues..

Six months One year..

Europe:

Six months Rest of the World:

Six months.

of Socialist Press. I enclose...

Name..

Address 6XX.

For clear lead in the struggle against wage control, cuts and redundancies .22 £8.00 :14.00 £9.00 £10.00

----- pull-quotes -----

OU now.

iET SOCIALIST PRESS