Health Fightback 84

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Longworth, Bethnal Green, Etwall, Princess Mary and others.

There was then a lull, although the cuts continued to bite. Yet in 1983 the tactic of occupation was used again to defend threatened In August workers at Thornton View in Bradford occupied their hospital following a Regional Health Authority vote to close it. They provided a real boost for workers nationwide who were determined to fight the Tory rundown of the National Health Service.

Following the Bradford lead, workers at Hayes hospital and Northwood and Pinner hospital, both in Hillingdon, occupied the week before their scheduled closure date. Both have since been reprieved During an occupation the workers take control of their hospital, particularly monitoring and controlling admission and discharges.

Many workers do not know exactly what is entailed in an occupation. Does it mean that they will not get paid? Do they have to sleep at the hospital? What about their families? Will they be sacked? Will 'Health Fightback 84' conference: at Community Build. nurses be struck off? Should management be barred?

ings, Bradford University, Great Hordon Rd, Bradford. In fact, unlike in industry, during NHS occupations the workers continue to receive their pay. This is a major advantage.

Workshops on: • Occupations: how and why As long as there are patients in the hospital the District Health Authority are required by law to ensure that treatment is provided and supplies are maintained. Workers cannot be locked out or lose • Law: How to get the law on your side, • Health Authorities and CHCs: how you can use then Questions such as banning management will vary according to the • Nurses: organising nurses in a campaign, circumstances and are decided by the workers themselves.

The call for supporting strike action from health workers and other • Publicity/media: how to get your views across, A lot has been learned about occupations and defence of services • Campaigns: how to set up an anti-cuts campaign, in the past few years. With the increased attacks on the NHS under • Creeping cuts, ward closures, unfilled vacancies: how Thatcher's government, the need to organise a coherent fightback is essential. That is why this conference has been called.

to fight them. Also: Thornton View occupation video.

The conference has been convened by hospital occupation committees with the intention of covering a whole range of methods and tacOpen to all health workers and to delegates from health tics for fignting health cuts. The lessons that health workers have campaigns, CLPs, and trade union bodies. For credentials This conference will hopefully be a beginning for nationwide links send £2.50 to Health Fightback 84, 12 Shiplake House, which will ensure the future and continued development of the NatNAGEMEN Saturday February 25, 11am to 5pm.

• Privatisation; how to fight it, A creche will be available.

Calvert Avenue, London E2. hospitals. and are still open. trade unionists is, however, essential. learned must be shared and consolidated.

ional Health Service. 10p Lon Inland Revenue Staff Federation, are among 438 staff sent home without pay from 14 West Midland tax offices for refusing to cooperate in a pilot programme prior to the introduction of a £200 million nationwide computer tax assessment throughout Britain by 1988.

The tax inspectors contend that the Inland Revenue has broken their terms of service agreement by trying to comple them to accept an essentially different job - substantially that of computer operators -from the job they have been employed to do.

Initially staff had co-operated conditionally with the installation of the computer equipment, but when safeguards of no consequent redundancies or deterioration in working conditions were sought from the Inland Revenue and not given, then staff refused to continue using the new equipment.

. 1' • A Clasol Fighter pamphlet 10p plus postage from Sickert Court, đon N1 2SY.

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Sociálist Organiser, 26 January 1984 Page 15

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