Birmingham picket

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HospItal SIt-In AS THE DHSS dispute reaches its 11th week, strikers in Birmingham have been holding a series of mass pickets in preparation for the CPSA/SCPS one day national strike this Friday (Dec. 3).

Nearly 100 strikers turned up on Monday to picket the weakest of the 11 Birmingham • offices, Perry. Barr, where the majority of staff are still sit-i that this sort of move can result in a number of deaths.

The cuts will also mean a loss of 400 to 500 jobs.

The day of action left the Wirral with only emergency cover in all. hospitals, and there was a large demonstration in Birkenhead. From the day of action, it was decided that the occupation would become indefinite.

The response of the health authority was to put a summons on the front door and to go to the County Court on Monday 29th.

The occupation was a success, with good local media coverage; but it's only the start of the fight against the cuts. The T&G unemployed branch is discussing plans for further action.

Mick Cashman 7urti.lworking.

Morale amongst the pickets was good, but many expressed bitterness towards the national CPSA leadership, and distrust of the motives. behind Friday's strike call. One picket told us:

'Our executive is supposed to be so left wing. We've even got a President who supports the dreaded 'Militant' tendency.

'But they're all piss and wind as far as I can see. They never wanted this strike, and they've given us no real support up until now.

"Twice they've tried to get us to accept a sellout deal involving 45 temporary new jobs and a lot of promises from management that no-one in their right mind could believe.

'Now they've called for a national strike on Friday. But a lot of us think they'd be quite happy to see the one-day strike flop. That would let them off the hook very nicely.

*For instance, they've refused to even produce a bulletin to put across our case amongst DHSS workers in the rest of the country' It is vital for the success of the dispute that Friday's day of action is strongly supported, and used as a •. * **3*+EZ spring board for spreading the action nationally.

Messages ot support, donations, etc., to: Richard Horton, CPSA, Room 337, Five Ways House, Islington Row, Birmingham 15. A PROPOSAL to "condemn the National Executive Committee for recommending that the Birmingham and Oxford strikers accept management's latest derisory offer" was moved at last weekend's conference. of the CPSA Broad Left by Nottingham member Penny Barnett.

The motion additionally called for extending the dispute into an all-out national strike. It was opposed mainly by Militant sapporters, who are influential inside the Broad Left.

Despite a letter from the Oxford DHSS strikers themselves , eing read out, supporting the motion, it was defeated. Those opposing 'it said that at present all efforts should go into building the DHSS one-day strike on December 3. It was not clear what strategy (if any) they had for the campaign after the 3rd.

Mike Grayson

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Socialist Organiser no. 111, December 2, 1982. Pase 15 and Porcies There has been the grot-