27 articles from the Socialist, issue 440

18 May 2006

Blair’s market madness wrecking the NHS

BECAUSE OF New Labour’s attacks on the NHS, hospital Trusts are threatening to sack health workers, cut beds and close down wards. Around 13,000 jobs have already been placed at risk, including 1,000 at the NHS Direct helpline. Jon Dale, Bolsover Socialist Party writes.

Save jobs and services

Unison – RCN lobby of parliament in 2006, photo Paul Mattsson

WHIPPS CROSS hospital Trust in east London recently declared a £24 million deficit. 400 jobs are already under threat as are some elderly care beds. The Trust are cutting overtime and agency staff but 50 compulsory redundancies are predicted.

Environment: not safe in their hands

Global warming threat: ACCORDING TO the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report global warming, caused by ‘man-made pollution’ ie capitalist production, is at a critically dangerous level…

Join the Campaign for a New Workers’ Party

A party for the millions – not the  millionaires: AFTER THEIR disastrous showing on 4 May, New Labour now has fewer councillors than at any time since 1973. Tony Blair is clinging to power by a thread – as Labour MPs and councillors realise that their own careers are, writes Hannah Sell, Socialist Party executive committee and assistant secretary CNWP.

The Venezuelan president’s ‘vision of socialism’

Chávez in London: VISITS BY presidents to other countries are usually met with protests or indifference, but the visit by Hugo Chávez to London on Sunday was met by hundreds of people ready to welcome him to the city and eager to listen to what he had to say, writes Denise Dudley.

Building on our election successes

Socialist Party National Committee report: FRANCE, GERMANY, Italy… no not the World Cup finals but Europe in revolt against neo-liberal policies – this was the inspiring final discussion at the Socialist Party (SP) national committee meeting on 13-15 May, writes Alistair Tice, Sheffield.

Solidarity with Venezuelan workers

Caracas, Wednesday 16 May 2006: The Executive Committee of the trade union Suprofrad, which organises the pharmaceutical workers in Caracas, Venezuela denounces the company RACE C.A for its refusal to recognise our trade union…

Female factory workers in Russia start hunger strike

Six female workers at the ‘Kholodmash’ factory in Yaroslavl city, Russia, including the leader of the plant’s trade union, Olga Boiko, started an "indefinite hunger strike", on 16 May…

Ailing German capitalism slashes workers’ wages and conditions

WHEN THE Socialist Party’s general secretary Peter Taaffe visited Berlin last month to speak at the very successful Socialism Days meeting, he found a marked difference – evident in the conditions of the city’s poor in particular – from the situation when he last visited a few years ago…

Germany: WASG rebels suspended

IN AN unprecedented but not unexpected act, the national executive of Germany’s new left party, WASG (Election alternative – work and social justice), suspended the regional executives in the federal states of Berlin and Mecklenburg Vorpommern, writes Tanja Niemeier, Committee for a Workers’ International.

Massive European Social Forum rally in Athens

Socialist policies needed to resist war, cuts and capitalism: ON 6 May, in Athens, up to 100,000 Greek workers and young people including around 9,000 political activisists from the rest of Europe marched against war and capitalist exploitation, writes Andros, Xekinima (CWI, Greece).

How students and staff saved Chemistry at Sussex

A TWO-month campaign led by students and lecturers has checkmated the University of Sussex’s senior management’s plan to close down its Chemistry department, writes Richard Mullin Socialist Students, Sussex.

Pensions ‘crisis’ – working class will pay the price

TONY BLAIR, we were told last week, wants to see major reform of Britain’s decrepit pensions’ system as his ‘legacy’. Given the state of some of his previously desired ‘legacies’ – Iraq, the NHS, education, reform of public services…

Rail unions battle over pensions

THE RAIL network across the whole of Britain looks to be heading for a long hot summer of discontent. The four rail unions, RMT, TSSA, ASLEF and the CSEU have joined forces in an attempt to safeguard their members’ pensions, writes Gordon Martin, branch secretary Wishaw and Motherwell RMT, personal capacity.

Postal workers prepare for action

AS THE CWU national conference begins, the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) national executive committee has called an industrial action ballot of its postal members against the 2.9% pay rise imposed by Royal Mail, writes Gary Clark, vice-chair, CWU Scotland No 2 Branch.

Privatisation fails workers and customers

COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY NTL have announced over 1,500 job losses. They recently merged with Telewest after both companies ended up in financial difficulties. This highlights the need for a democratically controlled public, writes Bernard Roome, CWU NEC, personal capacity.

Fighting strategy needed to save jobs

WORKERS AT Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port plant are facing massive job cuts. GM Europe want to cut 12,000 jobs as part of its ‘restructuring’ plans and Ellesmere Port could lose at least 1,000 jobs…

Northumbria lecturers forced to strike

Northumbria University: "UNIVERSITY MANAGEMENT are acting like 19th century industrial capitalists using draconian strike breaking tactics" a geography lecturer at Northumbria University in Newcastle told the socialist…

Lecturers continue the fight for decent pay

AUT conference: FROM 10-12 May, higher education union AUT held its last annual council (conference) before its merger with NATFHE to form the University and College Union, UCU, writes Thomas House.

A matter of life and death

LORD JOFFE’s Physician Assisted Suicide bill was blocked in the House of Lords on 12 May but he has pledged to reintroduce it at a later date…