Work to rule against cuts

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council to cut back on maintenance workers' bonus payments has been met by an effective work to rule.

The almost unanimous vote came after the shop floor had been pushed back over the last year under the pressure of the Government and Land Act, and the failure of any leadership from the national IN THE Royal Edinburgh Hospital, understaffing, overwork and overcrowding have produced a situation which is an insult to the people who live and work there, -For years, the staff of the hospital have toiled under the strain of NHS cutbacks, low pay, and low staffing levels. Over the past few months, unions have repeatedly approached management to demand that more resources be I made Books available f Socialist Organisen include:

Cannon; Notebe of an Agitator, E2.20 asky, The T Programnien ase add postage order from Se Middle Lane London N8 unions or Labour councils in combatting the Tory offensive.

The reaction of the concil to the work to rule has been to declare it a breach of contract and to stop payment of wages from next week, effectively declaring a lock-out.

The response of the maintenance stewards was available to care for the chronic sick and elderly.

In one ward in particular, the staff have been singularly courageous in protesting about the plight of the patients. Understaffing is so bad there that an elderly bed-ridden woman was once not attended to for eight hours. This patient was n the terminal stages of her Tiness, ane heson c buldr provide the dy care nanager But this legal move is seen as only one strand in the fightback.

Many maintenance stewards see the need to place no reliance on the courts, and to continue (if necessary, to escalate) the fight on the shop floor whatever the outcome in court.

MICHAEL O'SULLIVAN The staff were forced to admit failure in providing basic nursing care.

On night duty conditions are just as bad. In one clinic shifts can be up to seven trained nurses short: and wards are sometimes left unstaffed. -Management still ofers nothing but exauses; SO the unions have been mandid by their members to pose ametotam zan on Work to emancin 260 WORKERS at the G.H. Heath factory, one of the biggest, textile mills in North Staffordshire, are on strike.

After receiving no pay increases at all for the last two years, this year they were offered a rise working out at £3.70 a week.

The company, a subsidlary of Nottingham Mills, offered package of £50,000 for the year, to be shared out among the 260 workers. hey wanted union to determine how money ullhe ish

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