Doctors and teachers lead buoyant London march
Paula Mitchell, London Socialist Party
“It’s fantastic!” shouted a junior doctor as she marched past Big Ben. As the first day of the 26-27 April junior doctor strike action drew to a close, thousands marched in a London joint demonstration called by the North and South Thames region of the British Medical Association (BMA) and the London region of the teachers’ union NUT.
London, 26.4.16, photo Judy Beishon
As well as supporting the junior doctors, teachers were keen to link up because they are themselves preparing to ballot for strike action in July on the issue of forced conversion to academies.
This trade union demonstration was supported by the London regions of several other unions, with notable contingents from the rail union RMT, civil service union PCS, lecturers’ union UCU, and Unite local government workers, bus drivers and health workers, to name a few.
Nurses fighting to save their bursaries took part.
Socialist Party placards saying “Teachers and doctors strike together” were snapped up. Socialist Party members in the trade unions and National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) worked hard to help this demonstration take place and will continue to help build up the links between doctors and teachers. For example, in Waltham Forest junior doctors have visited schools to discuss with groups of teachers.
Also taking part in the march were Labour Party leaders Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell (see photo below), who both addressed the end rally in Whitehall.
This demo gives us a taste of the response there would be if the TUC called a national demonstration in support of the junior doctors. It certainly helped buoy up the confidence of the picket lines the next day!
Click here for doctors’ strike picket line reports
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This version of this article was first posted on the Socialist Party website on 27 April 2016 and may vary slightly from the version subsequently printed in The Socialist.