Sheffield Unions Fight Cuis

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At a mass meeting • of the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield, last week, members of NUPE and COHSE voted overwhelmingly to refuse to prepare and serve continental breakfasts consisting of a bowl of serial and a bread roll which has been introduced into the hospital in place of the usual three course cooked breakfast as part of the cuts.

A continental breakfast would mean not only a reduction in patient services, but also reduction in the number of catering staff required to prepare the meal.

The mass meeting took this decision despite the union leaders' attempts to avoid a struggle.

The union leaders tried to reverse the vote by inviting the catering manager to address the meeting on the "merits" of the continental breakfast. One shop steward even went so far as to say that he would refuse to implement the decision of the meeting saying that a continental breakfast is better than no breakfast at all.

At a second meeting the leadership made yet another attempt to reverse the decision but were again PUT OFF The hospital management have now been forced to temporarily put off the introduction of the continental breakfasts.

This shows that the cuts can and must be fought - not only against the Area Health Authority but also against the union leaderships.

The fight must be taken up now by all hospital workers for joint shop stewards committees on an area wide basis to be established to prepare local strike action against the cuts.

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A call for one day all out strike action by T&GWU members in Oxford to support striking hotel workers has faced the local bureaucrats with a major problem.

The strike would close down the Cowley factories and bring Oxford to a halt - actions that the bureaucrats will fight to the finish to avoid. But at the same time they have pledged themselves to support* 35302 51293 BRANCH COVLEY 3-25 • si. se 0510: 35X38 RANDAE