Time to…

Stand up to NHS cuts!

15,000 NHS job cuts have been announced in England and Wales since
February this year! Every week the jobs cull gets bigger – but these
cuts are not going unanswered. Local campaigns are springing up in many
areas to fight to save the NHS.

LEN HOCKEY, a porter and joint branch secretary of the health union
UNISON at Whipps Cross hospital in Waltham Forest, northeast London,
spoke to the socialist about the attacks in his area and how the local
community are fighting back.

"AT WHIPPS Cross we are facing what is possibly the greatest attack
on people’s healthcare rights that I have seen in 17 years of working
there. There is a government-sponsored destruction of not only acute
health care services but primary health care services as well.

They put forward the spurious argument that this is all about
ensuring that people don’t have to go into hospital in the first place
– that they’ll get treated outside of a hospital. That’s fundamentally
a lie. They are axing £15 million worth of primary health care at the
same time as closing four wards, two theatre suites, numerous
outpatient facilities and axing 400 jobs. A hatchet-man is being paid
£1,200 a day to find more cuts!

So we are appealing to the wider community. This is the time we
really need to organise a broad campaign, linking up with the health
workers’ unions nationally. We need to ensure that this New Labour
government, which is openly now a government of the rich, is
confronted. They’re on the back foot and are clearly seen for what
they are – a leaner, meaner vehicle in the interest of big business.
We need to stand up and face them down."