Ballots and lobbies in Pontefract

PONTEFRACT’S 70-strong "Keep Our NHS Public" meeting unanimously
supported the proposal to set up a broad-based campaign to defend local
health services and fight NHS privatisation. If we don’t organise a
fight-back now, the health service will be destroyed.

Mick Griffiths Wakefield and Pontefract hospitals UNISON
branch secretary (personal capacity)

The follow-up organising committee meeting of 25 people decided to
organise regular public activities to build local support for national
lobbies of September’s Labour conference and of parliament on 25
October.

We plan a march and rally in Pontefract on 30 September and possible
lobbies against the local health Trust Board and against all four local
New Labour MPs who kept silent while the Trust was making health
workers’ jobs redundant.

The Royal College of Nursing together with UNISON have lodged a
collective dispute against the Trust calling for a halt in the staffing
review process. In its haste to make ‘savings’, the Trust tried to
railroad through huge workforce changes. We’re demanding the status quo
while real negotiations take place.

Management made no concessions at the 18 August dispute hearing. So
the joint trade union staff side unanimously decided to conduct a
consultative ballot for industrial action.