Hounslow: Strikes Are Needed

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The initial development of North Sea Oil has provided British capitalism with a birthday present of enormous size, enough to attract foreign capital.

Although it can only provide profits for a relatively short period, that is no barrier to money which is as easy to take out of the country as it is to bring in.

Profits rise

In addition, profits among businesses in this country are on the rise.

A Sunday Telegraph forecast which predicts that wages will rise by 13-14% next year also predicts company profits will rise by 23%.

The third major factor to attract international finance into Britain was that the US dollar weak, which in itself made the pound look strong.

For all these reasons funds were flowing in, but this increase in cash was proving an embarrassing risk to the Labour leadership's strategy for wage cutting.

Foreign money would find its way into the economy, encourage firms to expand and encourage employers to buy off trouble by increasing wages by much more than the sticking point of ten per cent.

The decision to float the pound was therefore a reaffirmation of monetary • policy by the government which will lead to massivily higher Over 150 delegates and observers attended an emergency "Fightback Conference" against cuts in public expenditure called by Hounslow Hospital Occupation Committee in London last Saturday.

The intention was to bring out the lessons of the raid on Hounslow Hospital, to discuss the fight against the cuts and spreading the fight onto a broader basis in the working class.

Present were delegates and observers from unions including NALGO, NUPE, ASTMS, COSE, AUEW and the TGWU.

Devastating

Speaking from the platform Brother Dominic Costa (Hammersmith Hospital JSSC and CLASH) illustrated the devastating extent of cuts in the Health Service so far.

He went on to describe London Area Health Service Shop Stewards Committee, in mobilising strike action in 10 London Hospitals after the Hounslow raid on 6 October.

Sister Cath Cooney, from the Hounslow Occupation Committee and Sister Pam Jones from the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson spoke of the importance of hospital occupations as a focal point in the struggle against the cuts.

Speakers from the floor were in general agreement on three points.

*The scandalous role of the trade union leadership in sabotaging the fight against the cuts.

*The derisory effect of token one-day stoppages.

*The need for indefinite strike action as the only way to stop the cuts once and for all.

There was disagreement, however, on how to continue include workers outside the public sector.

Various arguments were put torward, such as the formation of local "action committees" and the need to by-pass the trade union bureaucracy and build rank and file support.

It was left to Julia Redman (ASTMS, Liverpool) Rosie Peazer and Dai Stephens (both ASTMS, London) to make the correct point that the real fight is against the leadership in the public sector unions.

These union leaders have the power to mobilise health workers against the cuts, and they must be forced to do this or else be thrown out.

Only after the public sector is strongly mobilised can outside unions be expected to join the fight.

The conference ended with a vague resolution calling for support for the lobby of Hounslow Area Health Authority and the DHSS In 9 November. cation of a newsletter to build for "mass action" mobilisation for the November 21 "week of action" , and for a recall conference in the New Year.

There was some confusion when Brother Carl Brecker (Hounslow Area JSSC), one of the organisers, called on delegates to vote for this resolution which was to be "suitably amended" afterwards to the "mood" of the conference!

ASTMS leader Jenkins -could mobilise actior

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