Nhs: Act on Nupe Strike

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The Falklands Ad Hoc Committee is not 1.30pm, and feeder marches assemble at The Ad Hoc Committee is also calling a calling demonstrations of its own on Sunday Belvedere Road, Hampstead Road, and public meeting on Thursday June 3(7.30pm Socialist Organiser calls on all readers and speakers including John Pilger, E.P. Thompturnout of marchers carrying anti-war plac- supporters to be there with their placards and son and Hilary Wainwright. ards and banners on the 'Reagan Reception' banners, calling for immediate withdrawal of Other 'Reagan Reception' activities include the fleet, blacking of war work, and class war a demonstration in Grosvenor Square (MonSOME 8,000 Argentinian troops in the Falklands face a British force of some 25,000 men. Both governments have publicly pledged themselves to continue battle to the last drop of blood for control of the islands. Thatcher declares there will be no truce before military victory.

Hundreds or thousands of conscripts and 'economic conscripts will be killed or maimed. The 1500 islanders, if not slaughtered in the cross-fire, face the prospect (whichever side wins) of their farms and villages being a small suburb of a huge military garrison.

And the workers of Britain and Argentina stand ENERA TION only to lose from this war.

The recent publication of the two governments positions at the breakdown of negotiations shows conclusively that neither is sending its troops into battle for any great principle. They are fighting for military glory and to assert and defend their power at home and in the world.

Neither the islanders - whose (valid) rights are aced hv Thatcher as a nratart northa warharo of MOVU UY AMALIVE AS A PIVIVAL HUI LIE WUINCIS UI Argentina and Britain had any say in the negotiations or the launching of this military showdown.

Thatcher is sending the troops into battle to boost the prestige and military power of the British ruling class, both in Britain and in the world.

British workers have no interest in seeing Thatcher's fleet triumphant. Our main enemy is at home - it is our warmongering, profit-hungry, world exploiting, ruling class, and the Tory government which represents it. Our interest is in pursuing the class struggle, blacking work for Thatcher's war, forcing immediate withdrawal of the fleet, and stopping this war.

On the streets.

May 30 or June 6, but is calling on supporters Ladbroke Grove at 11am. to put all their efforts to get the maximum June 6!

demonstration on June 6.

The main rally on June 6 is at Hyde Park at against Thatcher's war.

IUPE Conference this week oted for a serious sti ruggle or the NHS 12% pay ‹ claim.

An emergency resol lution emanding that the Et C call definite strike action from une 4 was passed un animusly.

There is no doubt t this as given the EC a clear mandate to call its mes mbers ut.

The task now is t o get tl le resolution translater 1 into ction. From what isher has said it seem is the NUrE leaders UPE leaders are not going to take all-ou › take all-out action a day June 7, 5.30pm).

By Anna but will stall on the excuse that they need other unions to support first.

There is no sign of such support. Indeed GMWU official Charles Donnet has launched a scandalous attack on the NUPE vote which is likely to be more or less openly echoed by other right wing union bureaucrats.

Under these conditions hospital workers must keep the pressure on the NUPE leaders to call action - then argue from a position of strength that other unions should follow NUPE's lead.

If this does not occur there are real dangers. There was a magnificent response on May 19, but many members now have mixed feelings about more 24-hour strikes. They realise that more is needed to win the 12% claim.

Already health workers in Edinburgh and Rotherham are on all-out strike. They must be strengthened and not isolated. Wherever possible other sections should come out before June 4.

The potential for solidarity action has already been shown with miners in Yorkshire and South Wales; the same solidarity must be shown by NUPE members in the water industry and local government.

And we need to link the NHS pay fight with the fight against Tebbit. A fight for strike action on June 10 -the TUC's "Union Day" is doubly important to make it a day of mass action a dav of maso antion - for our pay claim and in defence of our unions. at Friends House, Euston Road), with

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Socialist Organiser, Thursday 27 May, 1982 Page 2 Foot - peacemonger except when there's a war on THE HORNSEY Labour Party General Management Committee voted by a huge majority to endorse Tariq Ali's membership at its March meeting - despite continual baying, points of order, and disruptive tactics by a right wing rump including the New Statesman's chief pontificator on the Labour Party and Andrew McIntosh (well known to nature against Jeremy Corbyn as Party chair and Pauline Ashbridge, a Co-op delegate.

The report has now been seen by the officers of the Hornsey Party and it is a couple of pages of hysterical and totally inaccurate criticism of the Party and its officers. It also shows an extreme bias against the Party locally by a paid THE last Socialist Organiser delegate meeting decided to open a discussion in our columns on whether• the time has come to start a new campaign for challenge to Michael Foot this year for the Labour Party leadership.

As part of this discussion, we reprint part of the editorial from the current London Labour Briefing. n Londe fing. The Labour Party leadership over the last few weeks of the Malvinas crisis has revealed itself to be totally bankrupt.

Not a single voice in the Shadow Cabinet has been raised against Thatcher's war. Those who now call for negotiations but supported the sending of the fleet are hypocrites. For no one can be surprised that a "show of strength" results in death and bloodshed.. And the blood that has been spilled is on the hands of those Labour MPs who supported the government as much as it is on the hands of Thatcher and Nott. The fleet has merely done the job it was sent to do. No one who supported its sending is now entitled to complain about the result - least of all those closet imperialists on the Labour front-bench.

Regrettably, Michael Foot's position has been the most pathetic and hypocritical of all. Apparently, he is in favour of war, but against bloodshed. "I am an inveterate peacemonger" , he told the Labour Party Annual i Conference only eight months ago. The Ag qualification which appears he omitted to add was "except when there's a war"

Many may now feel, quite justifiably, that Foot is not the right man to lead Labour into the next General Election. His role in this whole affair has been hugely damaging to the Labour movement. This year's Annual Conference will be the last opportunity to replace him before that election, and pressure is bound to grow for someone to come forward and challenge him for the leadership.

For such weak, decrepit and clapped out leadership is an electoral liability. This was apparent in the council elections where Foot's 'national unity' stance actually encouraged those who felt that they had to use their vote to express support for the Government and its 'national war effort' '. It also alientated that large and growing section of the British public which is totally opposed to the loss of life over islands to which we have no claim to sovereignty.

ains PHOTO: JOHN HARRIS