Holly Johnston, nurse and GMB union rep
We know the government could invest properly in health, but over the last decade and more, we’ve seen it doesn’t have the political will to do so. Instead it turns to private-sector providers which have failed the NHS time and time again.
Government policies and the crisis of capitalism have led to growing levels of inequality which have exacerbated the crisis in the NHS. We need emergency funds to make up for the annual deficit of £35 billion. We need to invest in a fully, publicly owned NHS that guarantees free healthcare for future generations. And we need to pay all workers properly in order to recruit and retain staff.
Part of the fight for the future of the NHS is led by striking NHS staff. We fight for fair pay after years of real-terms pay cuts, but we also strike for the future of the NHS as a whole. At present the health union leaders have paused strikes to enter talks on pay – a pre-condition set by the Tories. There will be discussions around ‘productivity savings’ and ‘efficiencies’ which do not fill staff with confidence. We say any offers must be put to members to vote on whether to accept or reject.
It is likely that the government will play one group of workers against the next, nurses may be offered something different and so on. Although we don’t know the details of any offers as yet, staff are beginning to feel that there are attempts to divide the NHS workforce. It’s vital we stick together and that unions push for a deal that respects the current ‘Agenda for Change’ pay scale so all our NHS colleagues are included and no one gets left behind.
Health unions have said strikes will return with a vengeance should the talks break down. The worry is that the government will delay talks and push through new anti-trade union laws in the meantime – the Strike (Minimum Service Levels) Bill which, if passed, would allow the secretary of state to make regulations setting out the minimum service required in certain sectors during strikes. Unions and workers would be expected to comply with these or face losing protections from being sued or dismissed.
NHS staff, supporters, patients and the public are marching on the 11 March in the ‘SOS NHS’ national demonstration. We want to show the government that people are defending the NHS, that we won’t back down, and we stand by NHS staff forced to take action. The NHS and its staff have mass public support despite the attempts by the Tories to turn people against them. We need a 24-hour general strike, coordinated with all workers fighting on pay, and a new mass workers’ party to fight Tory and Labour attempts to destroy our NHS.
See ‘The Fight for our NHS – new wave of struggle faces new phase of crisis’
