[Jenny Fisher surveys local preparations for September 22…]

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Jenny Fisher surveys local preparations for September 22 EXOCET reys local preparations The publicity around the last electricians' solidarity strike has shown the value of action in the media: disruption of papers and television will really bring the dispute home!

The solidarity action is by no means restricted to the media. All over the country, workers are meeting and making plans to show support.

Way behind

The TUC has called for action at last, but they're way behind what is needed.

The TUC Health Services Committee has let this dispute drag on for months, and only the determination of the rank and file health service workers has forced them to call for any action.

Even so, many TUC officials and union leaders are standing in the way of the action, not encouraging it. For three years they have sat back and let the Tories wage their war unhindered against the working class.

Even now that the need for a class response is so clear, labour movement leaders are hastily qualifying their support.

As little as possible, as late as possible, is their motto. The lead has come not from the top of the unions, but the local rank and file.

In Islington, a Health Workers' Pay Campaign has been organised by health workers with the local Labour Party and other unions. It has already called a local day of solidarity strikes on September 3, and is now campaigning for the 22nd.

In Coventry, a shop stewards' conference has been called for Tuesday 14th, to plan for the 22nd. In Scotland, the Scottish TUC called a conference of shop JOHN HARRIS • Torpedo the Tories! stewards and officials which voted unanimously for all-out strike action.

This sort of local organising and alternative leadership is what we need to make the 22nd a success.

The best results have come from the areas where trade union activists have already started planning for the day of action.

In South Yorkshire, a Joint Shop Stewards' Committee has been coordinating plans for the past two weeks. They have made contacts in local unions, and organised health workers to speak to union meetings.

Already, steel and engineering workers have pledged action, as have bakers in Rotherham.

The Trades Council has called a march and rally, which will be the focus for local strikers, together with mass pickets on local hospitals.

In Leicester likewise there will be a mass picket - outside the Royal Infirmary - as a focus for local strikers. Local health mentioned in Parliament by local Labour MP lan Mikardo, who asked the Home Office about the tapping of their phone. Who had authorised it?

Vicki Carter, the worker who heard her own voice played back on the phone from Leman St Police Station, described it:

"I had just had a conversation with an officer about a case we were taking up, and put my hand on the receiver to clear the line prior to making another call. Then I heard my call all over again.

"We would be naive not to recognise that the police are interested in our calls, and we have always had a common sense attitude to the use of the phone. We are not raving paranoids. We are running a service which is basically working for police accountability in an area where no such workers expect this to be supported by gas workers and workers from several factories who have agreed to stage 24 hour all-out strikes, as well as teachers, who are likely to stop work for the day.

Workers with a tradition of strong militant action are particularly prominent in the pledges of support to the health service.

Dockers in Hull will stop work for 24 hours. Liverpool dockers too have already voted to come out.

Miners are standing by the solidarity pledge from their union president Arthur Scargill, particularly in South Wales and Scotland.

But every section of the labour movement has a part to play.

In Coventry, for example, the Labour council (following a resolution from Coventry South West CLP) has agreed to cancel business for the day, and is publicising its action.

This occurs in an already militant area. Many hospitals in the West Midlands are already down to accident and emergency cover only. Action by clerical and computer staff has stopped payment of bills to nationalised industries, and one District Health Authority has been threatened with having its phones cut off as a result.

The NHS dispute has now grown into a battle about much more than a 12% increase, and it is the resilience and determination of the health workers which has made it so.

The 12% must be won: but the battle to win it has shown the other important aspects of the dispute.

It has shown the need for trade union solidarity, and why the right for workers to take solidarity action must be safeguarded. It has also thing existed. Obviously we expect to be watched"

Now CAPA is supporting prosecutions against racists where the police are ignoring, and by neglect condoning, racism. For too long the police have been allowed to run roughshod over people's rights.

They don't want organisations like CAPA, or the louder calls for accountability to the community that the labour movement is putting forward. Thanks to Labour GLC funding and CAPA's determination, many more people will not be wrongly convicted, fewer young unemployed people will be harassed, and fewer racists will escape scot-free.

shown - by the backing down of the court in the Geraghty case - that only the very action itself will protect the right to take solidarity action.

It has also made clear that solid trade union action will make the Tories back down - they have done so partly already, and can be forced to do so again.

All out for the 12 cent means you, too!

by Alan Clinton chief whip, Islington council)

ISLINGTON'S Labour Councillors have been active in recent weeks in support of the pay campaign of the health workers.

At its meeting on August 2, the Council passed a motion expressing its full support for the 12% pay claim.

Before and after that time groups of councillors have supported the picket line at the Whittington Hospital, and supported the campaign in many other ways. On July 21 a 300 strong demonstration in support of the Health workers set out with a speech from the Town Hall steps by Council Leader Margaret Hodge. On August 12 a large group of Councillors supported a street meeting and leafletting at Archway tube station. Deputy • Leader Valerie Veness spoke at a public meeting held that evening.

Perhaps more significant was the active support by Councillors for industrial action in support of the hospital workers. The local day of action on September 3 was supported not only by active participation in the picketting and demonstrating on that day.

This support contributed in some degree to the strong turn out on the September 3 Day of Action from large sections of the Council workforce, particularly on the manual side. At least 2,000 of the Council's employees were on strike and nearly 500 marched from Whittington hospital to St. Bartholemew's during that day as part of a further demonstration of support.

Strong efforts are already underway to get further industrial action in Islington on September 22 and i is hoped to exceed the turn out of the earlier day from those who strike also and attend the national demonstration Hyde Park.

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