Support the paper that supports struggle
Take out a May Day greeting!
Len Hockey, Secretary, Unite the Union, Barts Health NHS Trust (personal capacity)
International Workers’ Day is a time when we express solidarity with all parts of the movement. Central to this is approaching fellow trade unionists in your workplace to build support for a May Day greeting in the Socialist newspaper.
Using petition sheets to collect names and pledges helps support our paper and politically connect with colleagues.
The consistent record of the Socialist newspaper at my hospital over the years has enabled me to successfully make the case for financial resources for the party to hospital workers. This has included publicising strikes, raising solidarity and providing workers and their union organisation with a strategy to win.
Through individual discussion, highlighting current political and industrial initiatives that the party is involved in, this has made for successful May Day greetings appeals.
Serious approach
I was able to point to the serious approach of socialist fighters and our policies and programme.
This was particularly the case after we successfully encouraged five Whipps Cross health workers to stand as part of the Trade Unionist and Socialist (TUSC) 2014 local election challenge. I also stood in last year’s general election, along with fellow Socialist Party member Nancy Taaffe in the constituency where the hospital is.
The contrast between us and careerist pro-capitalist politicians was clear – summed up in our demand of ‘a workers’ representative on a worker’s wage’.
In this, the year of the 90th anniversary of the great British general strike and the current magnificent determination of junior doctors to struggle to defend our NHS, these lessons and experiences can translate into a deepening resolve to build a real, enduring socialist solution to the unending nightmare that is capitalism.
For petition sheets, model motions, prices and advice, contact [email protected] or phone 020 8988 8781