[I SANDWELL Thirty-two sacked ancillary workers at the…]

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I SANDWELL Thirty-two sacked ancillary workers at the Manor Hospital Epsom were reinstated on March 31, after a two week picket of five hospitals in the area.

The workers, members of the TGWU, had been in dispute since January against the introduction of mew duty rotas which made the care of the children of married couples working at the hospital virtually impossible.

The workers went on strike in the middle of March after weeks of high-handed inaction by the MidSurrey Health Authority, which, after one week of the strike, dismissed them.

But the workers faced more problems than their bosses.

Though they got a good response from fellow TGWU members to their picket, th e local branches of COHSE and ALGO ¡re reported to have oppos ed the #trike.

While the strike was made official by the TGWU Jack Jones and local officials threw • their weight into preventing the of picketing to other hospitals in the area. • The officials were responding to the vile witch-hunt to which the Erikers were subjected-from Health Minister David Ennals, the BBC and the capitalist press, Especially the Daily Mail.

The slanderous campaign was given an additional chauvinistic lone by the fact, which the press did not neglect to mention, that many of the strikers were Spanish. ment that patients will be moved out on that date.

The EGA shop stewards have called for a mass picket and supporing official strike action by the health service trade unions on the day of the proposed move.

The latest situation at the EGA was reported by NUPE shop steward Arthur Churchly, at a meeting of the Committee of London Area Stewards in the Health Service, (CLASH) on 6 April.

Delegates at the CLASH meeting also received a first hand report of the work-in started at the Hounslow hospital on 21 March.

WORK IN At the west London hospitai, also threatened with imminent closure, a mass meeting had voted to start a work-in although this had not yet begun.

Since the EGA occupation began 15 November 1976 the closure test of the occupation itself particularly of the support of the doctors and nurses, most of whom do not belong to a union.

Despite its weaknesses the EGA has become a symbol of the fight against the cuts. Defeat would be a blow against the whole movement.

On the other hand, while the hospital remains open it provides an important example to workers in other small hospitals facing closure.

If the EGA is to survive many more days it is essential that the 24-hour picket is immediately strengthened and that the maximum possible support is mobilised for the mass picket on 18 April.

The management must be prevented from moving out patients and equipment. At the same time, no opportunity should be lost to expose the treachery of the trade union bureaucrats who have refused to call for official supporting strike action.

The strike by 2,000 Sandwell Council direct labour building workers ended after 14 days in total victory.

Wage cuts were withdrawn, lump labour was removed from the site and unacceptable parts of the bonus scheme were referred to arbitration.

The last meeting of Warley East GMC congratulated the building workers on their success but concern was expressed that some councillors and members of the council administration were trying to get round the ban on lump They were advising self employed building workers to register as companies at a cost of £250 each.

Building workers' leaders have threatened a further strike if any of the lumpers reappear on the site on this basis.