Spanswick twists the knife

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IN THE immortal words of Oliver Hardy, "That's another fine mess you've got me into"

Delegates át the CoHSE special conference on the NHS pay dispute put it rather more regretfully. Many recalled that, "If Fowler: well may he smirk only we'd done the right thing in June, the whole situation might be different now"

Indeed, most of the 520 delegates were the same people who had in June been bludgeoned and intimidated by general secretary Albert Spanswick into rejecting a resolution calling for an all out strike with emergency cover.

In Bridlington on Tuesday they were ironically offered a resolution apparently urging them to undertake even more drastic action, a stoppage with no emergency cover. But Spanswick - still adamantly opposed to any serious strike action - and most of the NEC knew in advance that there was no prospect of such a resolution being carried.

Many delegates pointed out that despite their own wish to strike, they were mandated by their branches to oppose it and accept the Tory offer - though only for a one-yea. settlement.

In this they echoed similar views in the other health unions. NUPE branches have reportedly voted by four to one in favour of accepting the offer for this year, though against a two-year deal. A NALGO conference voted to accept the deal as it stands.

But 'he CoHSE bureaucrats could not resist a final twist of the knife. In drawing up standing orders for the special conference they placed first on the agenda a motion for acceptance of the offer. If carried, that would have meant all other motions, including opposition, to two year deals and opposition to any differential between nurses and ancillaries, would have fallen.

The conference rejected this manoeuvre by a large majority, and carried these two stipulations before voting down proposals for all-out strike action with emergency cover.

CoHSE is now nominally still committed to continue the level of action it has maintained since the summer: but it is plain that after eight weary and frustrating months the combined forces of the Tory government and the TUC leaders have finally ground down the militancy of the NHS workers.

The scope and strength of that militancy took Thatcher and the union bureaucracy by surprise. During the summer and autumn their pay battle rallied unprecedented solidarity action from miners and other sections of the trade union movement -action which could have been still further extended had NUPE acted upon its conference policy for an all-out strike, and other health unions not obstructed every move in that direction.

Precisely what detailed arrangements will now be made by the union leaders to conclude this marathon dispute are not clear as we go to press.

But, while the bureaucrats heave a sigh of relief and seek to blame their betrayal on the membership, the lesson of the vast reserve of militant struggle among the rank and file of the working class - and particularly the working women who comprise 70% of the NHS labour force -must not be forgotten.

It is that strength which offers the only hope for defence of NHS jobs and services in the struggles to come.

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Socialist Organiser no.113 December nion