WEST LONDON hospital workers scored a big success in their fight Health Service cuts last Joined by industrial workers, including a large delegation from Heathrow Airport, over 250 workers occupied Hounslow Old Town Hall, where the local Area Health a spiral closures in the Houstone Authority was meeting to give the three more district.
As the AHA began to discuss the cuts, Carl Brecker of NALGO demanded that-ine assembied workers present their point of view to the meeting. This request was turned down on the grounds that workers nae Deen consulted already. But lobby stewards began to put their case.
POLICE The AHA adjourned and memhers tried to leave to avoid hearing the workers' policies. Only after note nae beer called lito them out was this permitted by the hospital workers, who sealed off the The demand that the AHA should follow the example of the Clay Cross councillors and refuse to Sement the cuts won massive audience. those who spoke to the assembly was George Raine, consultant in the area who would play a key role in maintaining treatment of patients at any possible work-in in the threatened Hounslow hospital.
The outcome of the meeting was ACTION CHRIS POTTER Ealing, Hammersmith and Houns low union committee, minese curs go through, women will be forced to stay in the home and give up their obs to nurse the acainst the AHAisa Torwaro acainst une cuts.
CSCUEL BILL GEDDES Hospital shop steward facing the sack. They are going to have to drag Meoul. AS a GIViSional CounCE officernewill be coine alloutto cel lay representation on the organising committee for the 11 May day of action. "It's got to be a massive stoppaGe.
of the AHA decision that no decision would be taken Area stewards committee, put out the call for the lobby, afterwards decided that all future AHA meetings closures would be the focus of similar direct action.
The meeting heard from Richard Lugg, Heathrow convenor, gave the date for a mass meeting of airport workers to listen to the case against the hospital cuts in the area.
Chairperson STEWARDS The struggle of two other hospitals, the Hammersmith and West big step London, represented at the shop stewards mccung coming to a head.
Workers at the hospitals (who had struck to join the lobby) will now be confronted with "hard-line' cutbacks, including a call to the AHA to withdraw its commitment to 'no redundancies'.
Management anyway ov in the catering department. One of them is Bill Geddes. chairperson of the local NUPE branch and the Hammeremill Hammersmith Hospital joint shop stewards committee.
STRIKE Unless une AmA backs down or inerequest area-widestnike action Is and Situation through regular sectional and mass meetings and will continue the vital which WOYCHICHE MOTION discussing workers to fight for:
London mass lobby of the Steering Committee soon be nationally coordinated MAY intend to start sacking two workers We are preparing for this narrowly National conference The NUJ movemen has interpreted this to correspondents exists to the mass mecias olas.
conference on Thursday:
private confined by spectrum, to deride LOHDON campaign for support in the labour The demand for national strike action is vital to the success of every struggle going on against the cuts. Our branch has passed the following motion which I urge all public sector "This branch calls upon NUPE Executive Committee to organise a conference aMaren. central canaround te demand that our trade union leaders in the public sector organise e one day Public Sector General Strike against the cutbacks in the public services. already put out by the London Regional Division of NUPE for a Day of Action against the cuts on 11 ROS BUTLER [NUPE Shop Steward, Hammersmith Hospital]. Two hundred and twenty delegates attended last Saturday's conference ir the boardroom of the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson women's hospital, called by the EGA shop stewards committee Delegates saw the EGA as one of the major focuses for fighting hospital closures across London attempt by the Terusine to accob any SITe IMG successfully moved an amendment recommending a campaign tor Londor divisions and national councils of health service unions to call Strike action of all their NHS members across London in the event of any such attempt by the AHA. The union leaders should be instructed to convey this decision to all the nearn authorities covering Greater London.
Frank Dowling, the full-time officer of the Association of Scientific Technical and Managerial Staffs responsible for the EGA, stated that the through pickets, resolutions, etc Rank-and-tile action bureaucrats wores to me les!
and endorsed the shop stewards' position of Area Health Authority to move Dominic of these unions were "fully behind the • struggle will put the
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Sister Stella Roe, Branch Secretary of Ealing and Hounslow NUPE Nurses, addresses the assembled workers after most members of the Area Health Authority had chosen to adjourn rather than hear the case against cuts An emergency meeting of the