Move to Occupy London Hospital

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Workers at the Elizabeth Jarrett Anderson (EGA) hosItal in London have voted to scupy the hospital in resunse to threats to close it. At a mass meeting called by DPE and ASTMS, the main ions in the hospital, a motion to cupy the hospital if the DHSS L not agree to a series of demands fading the upgrading of the hostal on its present site, the removal I private beds, and full access to • hospital for trade unionists furring into the structural state of e hospital - the reason given for I closure, was adopted nem con.

STEWARDS The motion also called on the #a Health Authority Joint Stew1 Committee to organise strike bon in surrounding hospitals in apport of the occupation. Abeady University College hos di COHSE, ASTMS at the yal Froe Hospital and the North don Health branch of the DE. have pledged support. Athough the hospital has been duled for closure for some ec - along with another 130 local spitals in London - the present • has occurred because manageding is structurally unsound. i The unions have responded to • by demanding a workers' quiry into the lift, and the local IPE branch has approached the Time. assessing the alleged damage.

Two weeks ago management closed the hospital's maternity annexe, ostensibly because a doctor was leaving and no replacement could be found, although the trade unions have since discovered that the doctor who left had offered to stay on so that the annexe could stay open. Management refused.

With medical staff at the main hospital reduced to nine, and with holidays and study leave granted to most of these for the next few months, staff fear that the main hospital will be closed using the same excuse.

The tactics adopted by management raise the question of the opening of the books of the Area Health Authority, to reveal the manoeuvres of management, to give prior warning of closures, and to reveal the need of the local and - -di-- -1 This demand, together with that for a workers' enquiry into the lift can be used to mobilise support for the defence of the EGA from all sections of the working class.:

It is around policies such as these that the strength of the EGA campaign lies. Its weakness lies in the domination of the Joint Shop Stewards Committee by Stalinist and Labour Party self-styled "lefts".

These people have already postponed any action in defence of the EGA even though a full stewards' committee had voted in favour of strike action to support the EGA occupation.

Instead, they proposed a delegation to David Ennals, the minister responsible for implementing the NHS cuts, together with a one hour picket of the EGA!

Chairman of the committee, Councillor Jim Warner also announced that it was in any case impossible for the joint stewards to become involved at this time because he was going on holiday!

WSL members and their allies who challenged this abject retreat were accused of "splitting" the committee and wanting to destroy it, ignoring the fact that it was these comrades who had fought for the establishment of the committee in the first place.

Certainly, if the EGA is saved, it will be in spite of the activities of the dominant bloc on the stewards committee, who see that a fight to save the EGA could become a rally-

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at say that the lift in the main apital is dangerous, and that the

ELIZABETH GARRETT ANDERSON /