IN THE last few days, more than 4,000 health service jobs have been
threatened, including those of doctors and nurses. Thousands more could
follow. 1,200 of the job cuts already announced are in Stoke. This
report shows how to build the campaign to stop these savage cuts in the
NHS.
ON 22 MARCH, angry health workers met to launch a campaign to defend
the NHS in North Staffs from the attempted butchery of 1,200 jobs and
160 beds at our University Hospital. The meeting was organised by the
local Campaign for a New Workers’ Party (CNWP).
Andy Bentley
Out of the more than 100 who attended the meeting at very short
notice, 80 were NHS workers who were incensed at these latest attacks.
All those present voted to launch a campaign to defend our NHS.
Local New Labour MPs have spoken only of money to retrain staff and
the New Labour-controlled city council has been virtually silent.
If left to New Labour locally we will have JobCentre workers under
threat of redundancy directing NHS workers, who now face the sack, to
apply for jobs on the council – where they want compulsory redundancies.
Or they could send them to Stoke-on-Trent College to be retrained by
lecturers, 155 of whom are to be sacked!
But NHS workers and people in North Staffs don’t want New Labour’s
jobs merry-go-round madhouse. They want action to defend our NHS
services!
A petition launched by Stoke Socialist Party has already collected
over 2,000 names. Socialist Party councillors Dave and Paul Sutton have
ensured that, despite resistance from New Labour councillors, the
decision to slash jobs inspired by the government and announced by
hospital management will be ‘called in’ to the city council’s scrutiny
commission which has the power to refer them to the health minister.
This will take place on Monday 10 April in the Civic Centre in Stoke.
We want NHS workers and local people to attend a protest outside this
meeting to show our anger and opposition.
We are now building for a march and rally through the city which will
take place on 29 April and will be linking up with other NHS defence
campaigns nationally.
We are demanding an immediate injection of £15 million from the
government to make up the shortfall and prevent the job losses and
inevitable reduction in quality of patient care. The government plans to
build a new hospital in North Staffs by using private money. It will
cost £50 million to build but taxpayers will actually pay £150 million
over 25 years to swell the profits of a private company.
This new hospital should be built with public funding instead, which
will save up to £100 million. This is more than enough to stop the
cuts.
- No to job losses, cuts and closures.
- New hospitals to be built with public funding, not for private
profit. - For a national campaign against cuts and privatisation.
- Demand the trade unions call a national demonstration to link
together local NHS campaigns.
