Health Workers Almanac

Health Workers Almanac circa 1979 - excellent little bible for rank and file hospital stewards

Written by Hospital Worker supporters. that is those close to the SWP

Hospital Workers Charter

(Circa 1977)

AGAINST ALL CUTS - DEFEND AND IMPROVE THE NHS

No cuts in staff at any level

No cover of unfilled vacancies

No jobs lost : for all trained Hospital Workers

For the improvement of our buildings, facilities and equipment.

NHS staff to replace all voluntary workers , agency workers and outside contractors.

All hospital workers fighting the cuts should campaign in the local TU movement for active support.

WAGES AND CONDITIONS

Against all loss of earnings through cuts in overtime and bonus levels; For a decent living wage for all Hospital Workers.

Against all forms of pay restraint.

For a 35 hour week; without loss of pay, To force more jobs.

FOR STRONG HOSPITAL TRADE UNION ORGANISATION

For 100% Trade Union organisation

Monthly branch meetings in working time

Shop Stewards regularly elected for every department at departmental meetings

No participation in Joint Consultative Committees: for the building of strong Joint Shop Stewards Committees at Hospital, district and area level.

FOR UNION DEMOCRACY

Annual national conferences to be the supreme policy making body

Full-time union officials to be elected annually by the members, on the same pay as the members, and recallable by their members at any time.

SPECIAL DEMANDS

Against all racial discrimination

For the automatic renewal of work permits

For the abolition of private practice inside and outside the NHS

NOTE:

Hospital Worker was primarily a publication of the Socialist Workers Party established in 1973 at conference in Birmingham. In 1975 it dissolved national editions into regionaal broadsheets, but a new national bulliten was re-established in October 1976 which survived until about 1982

By the early 1980’s, the SWP’s increasing sectarianism and famous “down turn period” forced it’s closure.

Bill Geddes 'Rich Bastards' PP Speech 1979

Bill Geddes' speech to NUPE Conference in Scarborough May 1979

used by the Daily Mail to attack the unions campain against private patients

‘I don't want to spend time convincing you that private practice is evil. I would hope that every delegate to this hall is opposed to privilege and all it stands for.

We have already made some progress on this issue. But the problem is that this process is taking so long that the private health service, the BUPA vultures, are being given more time to build up their facilities.

All over the country applications are in the pipeline for permission to build private hospitals and clinics. These establishments are going to draw their staff from the NHS. Look at Camden, North London for example. At one end of the borough the Area Health Authority claims it cannot get enough trained staff to keep the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson hospital open.

At the other end of the borough the private Wellington Hospital is trying to extend its operation with one hundred new beds. They are not going to train new staff for this themselves. The only way that they can staff those beds is to leech off the NHS.

The private sector has its hand round the neck of the NHS..'

Skilled doctors and nurses will be lured away having had the cost of their training paid for by people who can't afford private practice for their bloody cats, never mind themselves.

These people have been trained at the expense of working people and they should not be allowed now to go away and make fantastic money for themselves.

This is a motion with teeth which will succeed if the union begins a campaign from today. It is saying that from January 1 next year, 1980, all NUPE members will refuse to provide any services to private patients, something we've' done in the past but haven't been very well organised in doing it. It gives us seven months to prepare, seven months for the Executive committee to educate the membership on what private practice is and the need to abolish it.

On that day every single rich bastard who comes into the hospital will only be treated on the basis of being a National Health Service patient and not because he's got a bit of extra money to pay the consultant.

The private sector has its hand round the neck of the National Health Service. I think it is our duty in this conference to cut that hand off.

Note:
Bill Geedes NUPE Branch Secretary Hammersmith Hospital
born Scotland 1943