IN AN ATTEMPT to obliterate the memory of a historic victory against the effects of privatisation, bosses at Whipps Cross Hospital Trust in East London removed a collection of photos of striking porters and domestics from a union notice board. The photos were taken away by management from a locked notice board without consultation.
The workers greeted with anger and disbelief the written response from the Trust which stated that the photos had been removed because they were “political and offensive”.
One Unison member told The Socialist: “What is political and offensive is this millionaire government’s failure to disclose their secret plans to destroy our NHS during the general election campaign”.
Health workers also find “unelected and unaccountable Trust bosses that are currently privatising whole swathes of our services and jobs” highly political and offensive.
Another union member said the return of the photos was being sought and that: “Attempts to deny workers their rights and roll back previous union advances underpinned this act. But its effect will be to educate and alert workers and reinforce their resolve to act in united action with other public service unions and the community to defeat all attacks”.