[The occupation at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson hospital…]

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The occupation at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson hospital in Central London is the beginning of the fight against the hospital closures being implemented by the Labour EGA workers have shown the way forward in fighting cuts in general and closures in particular.

However the unanimous vote for occupation was a result of the bitter experiences the staff had been through in their struggle for the defence of the hospital against the Area Health Authority and Barbara Castle, the then Minister of Health.

It was only when all protest actions and pressure to change the government's policy - like lobbying the AHA and discusssions with Labour MPs - failed, that the staff themselves took action to keep the lospital open.

As the NUPE shop Socialist Press:

"It was Barbara Castle who broke her promise - she first offered a whole unit at the Whittington but ended up offering only 3 odd wards, which meant we couldn't have operating facilities and our own nurses. It is they who broke their word, and the AHA never consulted the unions."

The occupation has had the complete support of the patients, who are not only backing the fight by the staff to defend services but are also themselves joining the fight.

When asked what she thought of the AHA policy of closing the hospital, one of the patients told Socialist Press:

"It is a disgrace. I will give full support to the staff, they do a marvellous job. I blame the Labour Fisher government. I think Members of Parliament should take a cut in their salary."

Ambulancemen, too, have given their support - refusing to take any patient out of the hospital without the agreement of the shop stewards.

The occupation has drawn out some very important lessons for the EGA workers in particular and public service workers in general. It is clear that the EGA fight is against the policies of the Labour government, and because of this the EGA workers in their struggle have exposed the role of both "left" wing Labour MPs and their trade union leaders.

These issues were brought out steward, an interview with Socialist Press:

"We are in occupation to save the EGA and we are aware that this means taking on the government's policy", , he said.

Asked his opinion of the 'left" MPs his reply was clear:

"They should fight the cuts by voting against them in Parliament.

As for the Social Contract:

"What kind of contract is it that means cuts and unemployment? Under these conditions Alan Fisher should give us support, which he has not done up to now. After all, the November 17th demonstration made the feeling of the working people clear."

Clearly as the struggle to defend the EGA means taking on government policy, the way forward must be to widen the struggle. As Arthur Churchley said:

"We need support from all hospitals facing closures. This support must not be in words only but they must do what we do."

The proposed all-London solidarity conference on 11th December is a step forward in this direction.

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page 6 SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday December Ist, 1976.