[to do it any other way! As Murray…]
Socialist Organiser1982 1982-05-13Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 14 →
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to do it any other way!
As Murray drove off, hospital workers shouted: "That's our car" you're driving, that's our suit you're wearing". We were disgusted by his attitude.
At 1pm the press were ushered inside to hear Albert Spanswick deliver the press statement. We tried to follow them but we were roughly pushed out and the doors were locked.
Posters saying 'The TUC locks out workers" were stuck to the doors, which caused them great embarrassment!
Eventually a porter came out to tell us that the committee had decided on calling a 24 hour national strike, followed by weekly two hour At 2pm, Bob Jones of NUPE came out to confirm the news. As the delegates came out, we shouted "What do we want? All out national strike! When do we want it? Now!" They went off with the message ringing in their ears that only all out action would win the 12% claim. And we went away feeling that it had all been worthwhile.
Our lobby had added to the pressure on the TUC leaders. And we saw ourselves on both national television channels when we got home.
Meanwhile, action is now starting to hot up following the NUPE Executive's recommendation to reduce the NHS to an accident and emergency service only. In the Manchester area over 1,000 workers in Oldham took strike action on Monday 10th. Three workers were arrested during militant picketing.
On Tuesday, workers at Salford Royal Hospital took one day strike action.
Nationally many hospitals have been put on an 'accident/emergency only' footing. Last Friday NUPE staged a one-day strike in Northern Ireland. There will be a three day strike this week in Camberwell, in London.
Local inter-union coordinating committees and joint shop stewards committees are being set up all over the country.
Health workers are angry that our union leaders will not use the mandate they have been given to call all-out national action (with emergency cover under workers' control), instead leaving the initiative mostly to local branches. But we are determined to use every opening that the official calls to action provide, to step up the pressure.
All NUPE branches that can should submit emergency resolutions to the forthcoming national conterence, demanding that NUPE set a date for all-out striké action.