Management threat to break into St Mary's union office

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put out of the occupa- partment, St tion! pital, Harrow Socialist Organiser Alliance To make Socialist Organiser a real campaigning paper that can organise the left in the movement, it needs its own organised activist support - and money.

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Fill in the form below and send it to: Socialist Organiser 1 want more information•/I wish to become a Socialist Brian Yates AS THE OCCUPATION at St Mary's Hospital, Harrow Rd, enters its eighth week, we have started to see how management plans to-implement the cuts.

Documents from the Unit Management Team have fallen into the hands of the workers' Occupation Committee, and show that they plan to close down three wards - Wards 4, A2, and A3 - cutting our bed-state to 308.

This follows the two wards and the rheumatology unit which have shut in the last 12 months.

But last week we won a small victory.

A leak from District on Thursday 6th told us that nurse recruitment would be frozen. Student nurses and others would not be taken on, as from September.

Hurried

A hurriedly arranged meeting in the canteen on Thursday evening decided to hold a mass meeting on Friday afternoon.

On the Friday morning, management announced that it was all a terrible mistake, and adverts for new staff went to the nursing magazines before dinner time.

Under these circumstances only 45 people turned up for the meeting on Friday afternoon.

But those who did included many nurses previously inactive.

They heard the spell out the lessons of what had happened, and stress that unity was the key to saving the hospital.

St Mary's staff are hoping now that unionised nurses will apply for these vacancies.

Management. harassment of staff continues, and a domestic has received a warning for not conforming to instructions to clean floors.

Management has also threatened to break into the TGWU offices. The union has refused to move to make way for the new handicapped unit that they are erecting until management offer adequate alternative facilities - which they refuse to do.

Meanwhile, nothing has been heard from the Minister. It is possible c/o 28 Middle Lane, London N8.

Organiser supporterD

Address CLP that the decision about closures has already been taken, but has not been announced because of the occupation.

On Saturday atternoon, 8th, only one doctor was working in the threatened casualty unit, and patients were forced to queue for five hours and more. Management had ruled that staff could not call in extra doctors.

They are apparently intending to run down this hospital by giving it a bad name and making patients suffer.

If they are incapable of providing an adequate service, and spend their time harassing staff and attacking the unions, then it's time they were Phone ..TU. CHRISTINE CADIN T& G branch secretary Joe Beckles Messages/money: John Dolan, c/o Cashier's DeOXFORD TRADES Union Council president GERRY CASEY told us:

"I welcome the weekly *Support the picket line: Sam to 8pm every day. Mary's HosRd, W9. THE FINANCIAL Times is set on breaking the strength of the print unions Nineteen NGA machine managers have rejected the bosses' proposed pay-andconditions agreement, and scheduled a strike for September 4th. The Financial Times has replied by announcing that it wil lock out all 600 printworkers from September 4th, and continue publishing the paper 'by any means it can' Frankfurt This probably means printing abroad - perhaps on the FT's existing Frankfurt presses.

When the Times locked out its workers, it tried printing in West Germany, too - and had to give up the idea after demonstrations by West German trade unionists.

Blacking action by SOGAT distribution workers could equally block the FT's union-smashing plans.

Organising for solidarity should start now.