The Socialist 31 May 2007

No to McJobs

Protest against the G8 leaders

Protest at arrest and prosecution in Bolivia

Campaign brings victory against cuts

Local campaign successes show effective leadership in action

National Shop Stewards Network founding conference

Southern Ireland general election: Smaller parties squeezed

Wales - Labour rule under threat

Talking about the 'real world' at Wales TUC

A double bonanza for big businesss

Fight against destructive school policies

Stop and question: A dangerous kite to fly

Unhealthy surpluses on NHS underspend

Defend and expand public housing

Refugee camp siege compounds Lebanon's deep political crisis

Protesters cleared

The Merthyr Rising 1831

Repression of Gay Pride in Moscow

Homophobia: it's not over

Hull UNISON takes historic step

Remploy try to close factories

Previous issues, etc

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Unhealthy surpluses

THE NHS underspent by a massive £500 million in the last financial year as a result of New Labour's health cuts policies. Provisional results from strategic health authorities suggest there are now surpluses in most regions of the country, although many Trusts are still in deficit.

Workers' wages and our health paid for these surpluses. NHS workers were paid less - many nurses were offered a miserly 1%. 22,300 jobs were lost, including 1,446 compulsory redundancies. Wards were cut. Hospitals were ordered not to carry out operations in the final months of the financial year.

As the health service 'overspent' in 2005-6, health Trusts were under pressure from health minister Hewitt to make underspending authorities spend even less to compensate for 'overspenders'.

The NHS is still in crisis. Health workers and campaigners should now mobilise for the NHS's 59th anniversary on 5 July, when there will be a protest in Parliament Square and for the 13 October union-organised national demonstration in defence of the NHS.

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No to McJobs