BL's bid to vet workers' private lives

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PRESIDENT Sadat of Egypt has followed last : week's purge in which over 1500 people were arrested by announcing a series of further repressive measures.

Several publications have been closed down, including the weekly paper of the Socialist Labour Party (which, together with the National Progressive Union, constitutes the only legal politica opposition in Egypt).

Journalists, broadcasters, lecturers and teachers have been transferred to other jobs, Moslem and Christian Coptic religious societies have been banned, and the Coptic Church's Pope dismissed.

In June and July there were religious riots directed against the Copts by Moslem fundamentalists, for the first time in ten years. These serve Sadat as an excuse for his measures - and for general political repression.

Dettie THE DECISION by the so-called Minister of Health, Gerard Vaughan, to go ahead with the decimation of the service at St Mary's Hospital, Harrow Road, has brought together those who are determined to fight to maintain and expand the health care in W.9.

Vaughan has sanctioned he closure of two medical and two surgical wards, and the complete shutdown of 11, rehabilitation beds, making a total of 120 beds.

The rheumatology unit is not to be re-opened, and casualty is to be open only for 'walking wounded'. All these proposals are meant to be implemented by midOctober.

However, the workers in che hospital and their supporters throughout London have different ideas.

Occupation

The Tories are intent on destroying the NHS, particularly in the capital, and lives lost mean nothing to them. Attempts have been made over the last four years to destroy the W9 hospital as a full general hospital, but they have always been resisted.

Now, for the first time in a general hospital, an occupation has been declared.

Since the decision to оссиру was made two THREAT TO ( months ago, the struggle in defence of manning levels has been the key issue, and the need to fight against the victimisation of workers who have stood by union policy.

Bed occupancy has been monitored so that now it will be obvious if it is run down. Union support has been built up both inside and outside the hospital.

Vital

This support will clearly be even more vital now; we need commitments from unions, Labour Parties and other organisations to help build up a picket rota and to be able to respond in an emergency to a call from the occupation committee.

The Joint Shop Stewards' Committee will need to be strengthened to act as the driving force in mobilising the workers.

At the mass meeting last week it was decided that there should be no cooperation with the management's departmental meetings, which are designed to put pressure on individuals to move to other hospitals -the document informing statt says, 66 ... some individual members of statt may wish to move to another hospital for personal reasons..."(!)

A vital speaker at the mass meeting last week was Terry Ventham of the London Ambulance Service, who brought assurances trom the ambulance convenors that ambulances would continue to bring patients into W9, despite instructions from the Waterloo control centre.

To make sure that adequate medical cover is available to deal with these patients, further nurses will be recruited. NUPE London Division has agreed to do some work on contacting unemployed nurses.

They have also agreed to support industrial action taken by NUPE members in defence of W9. They are well aware that if the hospital is isolated, it will be the sure recipe for defeat.

Region 1 of the T&G-has been asked to campaign for the same thing. A motion passed by the W9 T&G branch can perhaps be used by other branches. After a preamble recognising the vital importance of the struggle at W9 to the fight against Tory government cuts, the branch demanded that the Region:

1. Circulate all branches with requests for money, and a request • for each branch to take a time on the picket line.

2. Mobilise supporting strike action if the occupation is threatened or any member is sacked for carrying out union policy.

3. To guarantee to make up the wages of any member sacked for following union policy, while the dispute lasts.

4. To support the Day of Action on Saturday October 3rd.

NUPE London Division has agreed to support the Day of Action, and other organisations are asked to send delegations with banners to assemble at 1lam at the main gate on Harrow Rd.

There will be a demonstration, and a debate later on health cuts to which Vaughan has been invited to justify his policies.

There will be exhibitions, theatre and visits to patients, plus a social in the evening.

Messages/money to: John Dolan, c/o Cashiers' Office, St Mary's Hospital, Harrow Road, London W9. LAST THURSDAY, 3rd, at a works conference held in the Cowley Assembly Plant, BL management again refused to recognise Alan Thornett in any senior capacity should he be re-elected in the elections due in December.

Alan Thornett, well known as a member of the Workers' Socialist League and as part of 'the militant leadership in the Assembly Plant, has remained victimised for over seven years now.

In April 1974, BL refused to recognise him in any trade union capacity. After a month-long strike, B restored his recognition as a sectional shop steward, but continued to refuse to recognise him as deputy convenor. Alan Thornett For the past four years he has been repeatedly electBILL to do with BL.

The first is Alan Thornett's presence on the picket line at Adwest Engineering Reading on July 14th 1980 - during the works annual holiday. After that picket Thornett was convicted of obstructing the highway.

The second incident, also last year, took place late on a Friday night after a meeting of Oxford Trades Council.

Thornett was convicted of giving a black eye to Mick Soans, the then president of the Trades Council. An argument had arisen after Soans, a leading member of the Communist Party, called Thornett a 'scab'.

The other part of BL's case is 13 strikes which have taken place in the transport department, where Alan Thornett is one of the shop stewards, October 1980.

These particular allegations will be dealt with at a separate conference because the AUEW is involved. But management have made no effort to substantiate the allegations except to say that they "hold the accredited representatives responsible".

TGWU Oxford district secretary David Buckle, leading the trade union delegation at the works conference, told management that what employees do in their own time has got nothing whatsoever to do with BL. Their position was totally unacceptable and a failure to

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adat bid crush critics

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