The Socialist 9 September 2009

We demand real jobs!

One million unemployed young people: 'We demand real jobs!'

Youth Fight for Jobs action

Youth unemployment: Future jobs or fake schemes?

Bring the troops back now!

TUC conference: Workers willing to fight - in spite of leadership

Socialist Party TUC meeting

No to bosses' agenda

Time to fight back!

Workers' action can stop NHS cuts

PCS members prepare to fight cuts and privatisation

Unite election: United Left hustings

Witch-hunted Unison member given extra charge

Construction workers protest

Inaugural meeting to establish a North Wales branch of the National Shop Stewards Network

Socialist Party trade unionists meeting

Postal workers national ballot: Vote 'yes' for strike action

Protesting against scabbing managers

RMT action: Bus workers strike for pay rise

Vestas workers: Stop the blades

Comment: Vestas protest

RMT wins no compulsory redundancy position but future battles loom

Marxists and the Second World War

Return of al-Magrahi to Libya ignites a political storm

Northern Ireland: Councillor joins Socialist Party

Failing academies

City of Life and Death

Previous issues, etc

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Workers' action can stop NHS cuts

NHS demonstration, photo Paul Mattsson (Click to enlarge)

THE TORIES' scare tactic, exposing New Labour's threatened 137,000 NHS job cuts to save £20 billion, is sheer hypocrisy. Whichever political party wins the next general election the scenario facing healthworkers will be the same. All the three main establishment parties are offering up a diet of cutbacks, closures, further privatisation, redundancies and pay cuts.

Mick Griffiths, Unison Wakefield and Pontefract branch secretary (personal capacity)

The NHS trade unions have a duty to seriously organise an effective campaign of co-ordinated industrial action in defence of jobs, pay and conditions.

Even before the predicted massive NHS funding cuts some NHS Trusts are already facing financial difficulties are attempting to make the workers pay for these crises. (By coincidence, the proposed £20 billion 'savings' is the same as the cost of the various privatisation schemes in the NHS).

Recently, in Wakefield and Pontefract Hospitals as a result of the new PFI (Private Finance Initiative) hospitals development, management attempted to inflict new jobs on the workforce at lower grades ie less pay.

This was met with determined resistance by the local Unison and Unite branch memberships. A massive 95% of union members voted to support strike action in a consultative ballot.

Despite management's claims that the job changes were contractually set in stone, the ballot result forced them to withdraw all the proposed downgradings.

Unison membership increased significantly during the ballot and the idea of taking collective action has been significantly heightened amongst healthworkers.

Our dispute shows that with a determined union leadership and a determined rank and file, management attempts to attack healthworkers' conditions can be defeated.

In this issue

One million unemployed young people: 'We demand real jobs!'