A Chance Sheffield's Out Nhs

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advice to branches about which will affect the organgetting the members isation of the union. One involved. of them gave District occurred over full-time Committees a larger officers. The EC defended number of delegates on appointment of officers Area Committees, thus against a barrage of increasing Branch represamendments calling for entation. Another disallowtheir election by the ed retired members from Delegates pointed out Branches, something which the hypocrisy of the situa- should change the make-up ¡tion where unelected full- of next year's conference. timers were arguing for the Overall, an opportunity mandatory reselection of to bring greater democracy Delegates supporting the into a more eitective, tightEC position failed to take ing organisation was lost. Dispire a tough debate, conference voted to retain the isstem under which officials like gen'ral secretary Rodney 'B: erstaffe (above) are appointed, not elected mendments to an Executire Council statement on the organisation of the anion.

The EC's attitude was basically to leave things as they are. They presented no more than half a dozen minor amendments to rule. istan anot of thia Anenmont. rest mas taken up with good The most heated debate membership as a whole.

MPs.

Amendments

Unfortunately, the effects of a lack of debate throughout the union, and some hard lobbying by the full-timers, made themselves felt, and the amendments were heavily lost.

A number of minor amendments were carried holding office in their to the union and to turn it Report from Ellen Taylor (NUPE), member of joint union strike con nmittee, Middlewood Hospital, Sheffield.

THERE HAS been a lot of energy put into this campaign by many pepple at Middlewood. After May 19 we carried on visiting workplaces, asking for moral, financial and active support in the form of strike action. This has resulted in the South Yorkshire miners agreeing to cooperate with us in our dispute.

It looks like they will be coming out on 24 hour strike with us on June 8 and joining the mass demonstration in Sheffield.

River Don steel workers will be out too, and other factories will be sending delegations. NUR and ASLEF have sent donations to our strike fund and they too will send delegations.

The dispute is not just about pay but about defending our health service. I think many workers are realising that this is their fight too.

The general mood in Sheffield was for united all-out indefinite strike which would get this dispute over and done with as quickly as possible. An emergency motion was taken to NUPE Conference, and after many problems with Standing Orders, accepted.

We were excited - and then deflated a little by the confusion created by the national leaders who pointed to the clause in the resolution calling for united action as an excuse to do nothing until every union was agreed.

Last Tuesday 25th, a 60-strong meeting ot the UNITE FOR THE FLE CLAIM Sheffield joint shop stewards committee voted unanimously for all out action from June 4. We are now holding mass meetings all over Sheffield to try and dispel any confusion.

In Sheffield it will not just be NUPE striking on the 4th, but all the health service unions. Let's make our leaders follow our lead.

After the call for indefinite strike, press slander has really started. Doesn't it always? Can you remember the disco-dancing drunken drivers of the ASLEF dispute! weir we are nuw unt • .Ł-•] тITa1 -eat roar treeT thars heartless, wicked NUPE members.

We must try to combat these lies by explaining to other workers that it is precisely because we care about our health service that we are prepared to fight for decent wages and decent hospitals.

It is going to be a difficult fight but I think we have more support than any other group of workers for a long time. With this, our own energies and our understanding of what we need to do, we can win this battle. IED LEET W2 sons • on strike and on the picket line