At last . moves spread DHSS strike

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BACK S&K THE determination of the Birmingham and Oxford DHSS strikers is finally being rewarded. In standing fast in their refusal of the offer which guaranteed no permanent new posts, twice recommended for acceptance by the CPSA national leadership, they have forced those same leaders to start concrete action to escalate the dispute - starting with a department-wide one-day strike on December 3. Mick Duggan, CPSA national executive member allocated to the Oxford dispute, and Phil Yewdall, section executive committee member and regional secretary for London North, spoke to Socialist Organiser on the Oxford picket line.

«The NEC meeting on Monday 22nd voted 24 to 4 for a one-day strike in every area of the DHSS, including Central Offices and headquarters, on December 3.

"There will be a national voluntary levy from every section in the CPSA. Plans for escalation are to be Brian Mathers, 917 Victoria St West Bromwich B17 8HY, to the appropriate National Trade Group secretary at Smith Square, London SW1, and to the District Office, Short St, Coventry CV1 2LS - copies to the strike committee.

Send donations to the S&K strike fund, _c/o 88 King George's Ave, Foleshill, Coventry.

Bill McKeith ospiti ON Friday November 25, at 7pm, a group of health workers and members of the Wirral T&G unemployed branch started an occupation of the administration block of the Wirral health authority. The occupation was part of a day of action organised by the health unions and the Trades Council in protest against the massive cuts in health care locally.

The cuts proposed by the health authority are the closure of a psychiatric day hospital and the geriatric wing of another hospital, and the loss of the last 18 beds at the Victoria Central hospital.

The geriatric patients will be moved from fairly pleasant surroundings to a number of Nissen huts. Health workers have informed us ti do tea maady.. drawn up with the SCPS, and will be put to both unions' special pay conferences at the beginning of December"

Mick Duggan added: "It will probably include plans for an all-out strike in the New Year. We will stress to strike committees that greater efforts must be made to make the strikes completely effective in Birmingham and Oxford.

"A lot hinges on the success of the one day strike on the 3rd"

Phil Yewdall continued:

"If you limit your demands you get limited industrial action. If you expand the industrial action, you've got to expand the demands.

"In my personal view this means stopping all cuts, a freeze on staffing ievels as they are at the moment, and definitely no reductions until an end to the review of the complementing system. All cuts from November 24 should be halted.

"We've got to start the campaign to build for an all- out strike - not merely to support Oxford and Birmingham but to come out fighting for demands that would benefit every DHSS office in the country"

Meanwhile the Joint Coordinating Committee between the strike committee and the Claimants' Defence Committee, NALGO, NAPO, and the Unemployed Workers' and Claimants' Union has just launched important new initiatives in support of the strikers.

Local neighbourhood information centre workers will start a week of solidarity action on Monday 29th which culiminates in a lobby of local Tory MP Patten at his surgery on December 3.

A tour of local estates with a video of the 'Oxfraud Incident' (BBC2 Grapevine programme on the Operation Major police swoop on homeless claimants), a DHSS striker, and a Claimants' Union speaker, is being planned.

Members of the Claimants' Union will be active.

ig down at the Emergency Payments Office at South Oxford Middle School asking claimants to support a mass letter-writing campaign to the DHSS Regional Controller supporting the strikers and demanding that the DHSS settle the dispute by granting their demands for extra staff.

The fifth strike bulletin, issued jointly in the name of the committee, will call on claimants and employed alike to support the all-day mass picket at Harcourt House from 7am on December 3.

Claimants' organisations and public service unions in Birmingham should approach the Birmingham DHSS strike committee with a view to forming a Joint Coordinating Committee there.

Claimants and unemployed groups everywhere should join with DHSS strikers on the picket lines on the 3rd. Unemployed and employed unite: one cause, one fight! Stop the cuts in the DHSS!