Radiographers perform vital x-ray work, photo by Yale Rosen (Creative Commons)

Radiographers perform vital x-ray work, photo by Yale Rosen (Creative Commons)   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

Socialist Party reporters

For the first time the Socialist Party took part in the annual conference of the Society of Radiographers. In 2014 radiographers took industrial action over pay for the first time since 1982 with the brilliant slogan “no raise means no rays”!

The loudest and longest applause during conference was for Socialist Party member Delia Hazrati when she moved a motion from the South East region on trade unions and the need for recognition in the private sector.

She talked of how having a rep has made a difference in her workplace, introducing proper lunchbreaks and reducing the working day to 12 hours as well as defending members at disciplinaries. Delia ended her contribution by saying: “this government wants to crush trade unions, it wants to crush our union, to stop us from having the right to strike.

“We need to send a message: we may be small but we are going to fight back!”

We handed out plenty of ‘support the junior doctors’ stickers, as well as Socialist Party pamphlets on the NHS. We arranged for about 30 delegates to join the junior doctors’ picket line on 26 April to hearty cheers and thanks from the doctors on strike at Leeds General Infirmary.

Delia gave a short interview to a local news channel explaining why the radiographers saw this as their fight too as we will be next in line if the junior doctors do not win!