NHS in crisis: Join the fightback now
OVER 7,000 NHS jobs slashed. Up to 100,000 jobs at risk. Operations
delayed, services cut and hospitals facing possible closure.
This is the health service nightmare under New Labour. And yet Tony
Blair tells us we have to "hold our nerves" while his market madness
wrecks the NHS!
But all over the country local communities and health workers are fighting back against these attacks. The state of the NHS is becoming the main issue in many local election campaigns.
The Socialist Party has been fighting for unity of all the local
campaigns against NHS cuts and privatisation.
Socialist Party member Adrian O’Malley successfully moved the following resolution at Wakefield UNISON health branch to go forward to the national UNISON health conference taking place in Gateshead from 24 to 26 April.
THIS CONFERENCE condemns the recent deluge of redundancies
announced by trusts across the country. In an indecent rush to balance
the books 1,000’s of jobs have been lost in Staffordshire, Cornwall,
London, Sussex, Plymouth, Leeds and NHS Direct to name just a few.
UNISON is appalled that after reaching every target thrown at them
by the government in recent years NHS workers in these trusts will
have the added pressure of maintaining these targets with less staff.
Conference congratulates the thousands of community and trade union
activists who have organised demonstrations in towns and cities
nationwide against the job losses and cuts in local NHS services.
Conference believes that the numerous local campaigns should be
brought together in a national campaign of action in defence of the
NHS. We congratulate and support the Keep Our NHS Public campaign’s
call, made at its conference on 25 March, for the TUC to organise a
national demonstration against the cuts.
Conference also believes that as the largest and most influential
NHS trade union UNISON must be pro-active and take the lead in the
campaign. We therefore call on the SGE (section group executive) to
name the date for a national day of action against the cuts.
Conference supports and encourages all UNISON branches facing cuts
in jobs and services to organise where possible industrial action on
the day of action.
