[fights health charges kicking. On Thursday 3rd they…]

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fights health charges kicking.

On Thursday 3rd they planned to close Ward 3 m but were thwarted by workers and supporters who occupied the empty Ward 7, where the administration had planned to move the Ward 3 patients.

The next day a militant demonstration, including contingents from Oxford, Leicester and Brighton as well as London, marched from the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital in Euston Road to W9, getting a big response on the way from workers at St Mary's Hospital Praed St. A mass meeting after the march decided to join the people maintaining the occupation of Ward 7.

Management had immediately gone to the courts to get an eviction order for Ward 7, and they finally evicted the occupiers on Tuesday 8th. But a 24 hour occupation had been maintained for four days, often with large numbers in the ward.

Stealthily Ward 4 was closed swiftly and stealthily on Friday morning, 4th. But now both management and workers know that no further closure is going to be easy.

If management get their way, St Mary's will very soon be a cottage hospital with a walk-in casualty - as preparation for total closure.

But London™ ambulance workers are deliberately bringing as many patients as possible to W9. Similar solid support from other workers and labour movement organisations for the fight to stop closure, to get new admissions, and to win reinstatement for shop steward Mick Woods, sacked for fighting the closure, can defeat the cutters. (Manchester Health Service Branch ASTMS)

A DAY conference in Manchester on the Tories' plans to charge for NHS treatment was attended by nearly 80 people from across England on Saturday November 28. The school was convened by the newly-formed Race and Health Group, which has delegates from health service unions and local black groups.

The conterence heara of the latest developments in the proposals from George McLean (Manchester NHS ASTMS) and Steve Cohen (Manchester Law Centre). As reported in SO 47 everyone wanting NHS treatment will have to prove their entitlement, which could ultimately depend upon presentation of la passport or a work permit.

Jigsaw

These so-called 'charges for : overseas visitors' regulations will clearly mean that certain groups will be singled out for questioning - that is, people with strange accents, unusual names, and black skins.

The plans are yet another piece in the jigsaw of racist legislation with wl rich the Tories are seeking t o divide and ride over the working class.

Twist

In October the DHSS held little-publicised trial run in about ten hospitals around Britain in which patients were questioned about their nationality and residency. The conference heard that the results of this scheme showed predictably that any plans to introduce another layer of bureaucracy to net a few overseas visitors would cost far more than could be recouped.

In March, the then DHSS Secretary, Patrick Jenkin, had claimed that f5 million was being lost by the NHS due to people receiving free treatment to which they were not entitled: this out of an NHS budget of £11½ billion! Despite the latest DHSS report Jenkin's replacement Norman Fowler is determined to make the charges law next year.

Jane Salvage of the London-based Politics of Health Group told the conference that the Jenkin/ Fowler Plan would give another push to the privatisation of health care. Health Minister Vaughan has already said he would like to see 25% of the NHS hived off to private schemes. Obviously, to avoid the degradation of having to convince a hospital clerk of their entitlement to free NHS treatment, many people will take out private health insurance.

Amrit Wilson of the Black Workers and Patients Group, London told delegates that the main impact of the proposals would be to entrench further the divide between black and white, and rich and poor, and to give another twist to the racist knife held in the hands , of many health service staff.

The workshop sessions proved valuable in identigying the problems which will have to be faced in fighting the Jenkin/ Fowler plan. At least two main issues were isolated.

First, there is the need organise on a hospital trades union leve.. NALGO, NUPE and COHSE have pledged support for oppoare not prepared to accept the bully-boy tactics of Thatcher's henchmen. They will be exploiting the sition to the plan. However, the trial went ahead.

These unions have taken the stand that the proposals will not save money and will mean too much extra work for their members. This is a valid and understandable trade union list. Yet, can the grass roots activists rely on the union hierarchy to give them full backing against hospital management pressure?

This led on to the second point. Should not the real issues on which to fight the Plan be that it is anti-black and anti-working class? But it was seen that the endemic racism in society, reflected in the NHS (black women have a higher pain threshold than white women"), would be a problem here.

Undeniably, the longterm active process of education is needed to eliminate as much of this attitude as possible, but it hardly touches on the urgency of the need to organise now against the Tory proposals.

The conference concluded that all delegates must now spread the word about this divisive legislation, and co-ordinate activities at local level between 40p fron 28 A then refuse the interview, and get in touch immediately with your social worker or MP' unions and between hospitals. To this end, the Race and Health Group was given unanimous support and many of the delegates will attend future meetings to report on individual progress.

It seems likely that Fowler will force the regulations through Parliament within the next couple of months. This makes it all the more urgent that activities in other hospitals in Britain are publicised and supported.

Please send information to George McLean, Pathology, St. Mary's Hospital, Manchester.

Pomphiet plus postage 1 Socialist Organiser, liddle Lane, London Association has asked for volunteers from a committee of the local TGWU District organisation to help run the unemployed centre. This request was turned down.

We also asked for information from the STUC and to be kept on the mailing list and this was turned down too.

Clearly, the trade union hierarchy do not car to be bothered about unemploymie of able of giving token verbal ment. They are only capsupport at rallies etc.

The UWA in Stirling feel that the time is now ripe for unemployed people to demand recognition and support from Trade Unions, the TUC and the Labour The problems of the unemployed have no meaning for many Labour Party leaders. All they can do is help Thatcher, by starting witchhunts against Tony Benn and the left who threaten their so-called 'democratic' existence. - We say to the unemployed: Unite and fight -fight for the right to work, demand trade union recogntion from the tuc by (a) securing places on the General Council for unemployed associations; (b) having delegates to trade union and Labour Party regional committees; (c) demanding that the Labour Party fight for the unemployed by attacking Thatcher and her policies, instead of the Labour left.

Demand jobs and free transport in your area to National Unemployed Workers' Movement.

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KICK OUT THE TORIE Labour democracy fight for a WORKERS Orgoniser

GOVERNMENT culo