Keep our NHS public

ABOUT 80 delegates and visitors at the Keep Our NHS Public (KONP) conference on 31 May discussed the consequences of this Labour government's "disguised and devious" privatisation policies in the NHS and the inadequacies of the trade union leaders' response.

One delegate from the floor said he would raise these concerns on a Labour Party committee. A platform speaker wished him success but didn't hold much hope that this government would change anything!

Delegates pointed out that many NHS workers are not aware of the privatisations and the consequences for them. One health worker said that their involvement would need to be linked to a pay campaign, but no-one mentioned that health service members of several unions have rejected the three-year pay 'deal'.

The trade union leaders set up the "NHS Together" campaign to divert support away from campaigns like KONP. Against this background, KONP's voluntary organisers have done well to pull so many local campaigns together.

Even if no mass national demonstration takes place, delegates said many local protests were being organised for the NHS's 60th anniversary on the first weekend in July and after. Watch this space.

Keith Dickinson, West London KONP delegate and Save Charing Cross Hospital Campaign.