Etwall Hospital Occupation - Work-In Dec 1979 - March 1980

The decision to close Etwall hospital (Derbyshire) was resisted by COHSE and the Etwall Community Action Group who in December 1979 occupied the hospital and set up a work-in. The work-in was ended in December 1980

Click to enlarge article

Hounslow Hospital Occupation 1977

Leeds Hospital Laundry Workers Work-In

Leeds Hospital (Laundry) Sit In 

Circa 1981


Community Action No 62

Attempts by health chiefs at St.James Hospital, Leeds , to slash laundry workers wages by 5% and cut bonuses from 33% to 27% have been met with fierce resistance from staff.

Workers are staging a sit-in  at the hospital which is just one of the many which have the £600.000 - £800,000 hacked off the Leeds Health Authority budget this year.

Average take-home pay at the laundry is £45 for the women, who work on average 32 hours per week, and £77 for the men, who average 46 hours a.week.

 Suzi Armitage, COHSE Branch secretary, explained that £160.000 is  to be cut from the laundry service
  over the next two years, as the authority plans to bring 'manning  levels' into line with reduced demand.

 Management are likel.y to introduce a number of proposals to make efficiency savings,.including natural wastage and the threat of bringing in private contractors.

 Laundry services are among the areas of hospital work ear-marked for orivatisation by the government, which issued a circular to health authorities telling them to look at contracting-out such
services far more.

The main point of the threat of  privatisation is to drive wages down to the lowest possible levels as has been happening in council services privatised. If the workers won't accept pay or job cuts from the authority, then contractors are brought in to enforce them.

 But the workers are ready to fight. As the one health union official put it :
 "If we let them get away with this , riding roughshod over agreements, then. they'll be able to get away with anything". 

With further he'alth cuts on the way,and privatisers hungry for proftable contracts, the attacks will no doubt increase. The battle in Leeds could be a vital early one in a long war.

St Mary's Hospital (Harrow Road) - Work-In and Occupation 1981

On December 17th  the Defence Committee of St. Mary's Hospital, Harrow Road, held a press conference at which Tony Benn and Ken Livingstone declared their full support for the struggle of the staff to defend their hospital against the loss of 100 beds and eventual closure.

St.  Mary's, Harrow  Road, has been under threat for the last four years and in the past only the vigorous opposition of the staff has prevented its total closure;

The hospital serves the Paddington and Kilburn area and local residents have seen the decision to close "their" hospital and move surviving services to the prestigious St. Mary's Teaching Hospital in Praed St.

The press conference heard Terry Pettifor, NW Convenor of the London Ambulance Service Shop Stewards, describe the effects of the run down of the Casualty at Harrow Road (which is the major accident unit in the District) and pointed out that the remaining casualty facilities in the District are inadequate to cope with the number of casualties which could easily arise in an accident at the nearby Paddington Station or in a major fire.

Terry pointed out that a relatively small fire in Bayswater the week before had stretched the District's capacity to the full.

The fight in the hospital has been particularly sharp since the declaration- of a work-in on June 26 1981 . In the course of this fight staff have twice occupied areas of the hospital—the first time the administration offices were occupied for 13 days and the second time a ward was occupied for five days to prevent closure. On both  occasions court orders were used to evict.staff.

Police and security guards have been brought into the hospital no less than four  times  to  support  management's plans. A TGWU shop steward was sacked, and a nurse was suspended for a week, for attempting  to  prevent  the  forcible removal of patients from a ward.

Throughout this struggle no more than token support has been gained from the unions involved-TGWU, NUPE, COHSE and the failure of the labour movement to evolve its own strategy on health care has been partially responsible for this state of affairs.

The leadership of the TGWU-which has been most centrally involved in the struggle—has effectively washed its hands of any responsibility. Despite policy won at  the  1981  BDC  it  has  consistently refused to mobilise its great industrial strength behind this key battle.

 With a few honourable exceptions there has also been little support from CLPs outside Paddington. It is essential that  the  labour  movement  begins to evolve its own strategy to defend and extend the principle of free and adequate health care for all which was enshrined in the formation of the NHS by the 1945-51 Labour government.

It is impossible to see the defence of the NHS without the political mobilisation of the labour movement as a whole to defend our health service—any narrow economism of "leave it to hospital trade unionists" merely puts the onus on the weaker sections of our movement.

The Labour Party must see the fight for health as being one of the key questions that faces it. It is not enough to ritually denounce private practice if we lack the political answers and will to mobilise the community around this key question.

There is undoubtedly a move towards smashing the growth of trades unionism within the NHS. Julian Nettel who is now at St. Mary's was involved in the closure of St. Benedict's. In the last two years
over 20 militants have been victimised out of the NHS. In St. Mary's, Rita Maxim, a TGWU shop steward who has Stood up to management all the way, faces the sack for refusing to do two jobs.

Management obviously intend to continue this strategy in St. Mary's now they have succeeded in closing the first three wards in the hospital. They have also sacked a telephonist for leaving work at the end of his shift without waiting for a relief.

Trades unionists in the hospital realise they have lost the first battle but the war is far from lost. Help us fight to win.

Send donations and messages of support to Mick Woods, c/o TGWU Office, St.   Mary's   Hospital,   Harrow   Road, London W9.
Mick Woods, Brent E. CLP and former TGWU shop steward  St. Mary's Hospital.

The Battle to Save - St Leonards Hospital (Hackney)

Demonstration 26th September 1983

St Leonard's, (Hackney) Hospital Occupation 3rd July 1984 - 16th July 1984

In 1979 despite opposition in the form of a day of action and a a march attended by over one thousand people, St Leonard's Hospital (Hackney) A and E Department was closed.

By the early 1980's the future of the whole hospital was looking bleak, by late 1983 the Health Authority was actively looking to close the hospital under pressure from a Conservative Government keen to make cuts. A large rally was organised to oppose closure plans on 26th September 1983  addressed by Rodney Bickerstaffe  NUPE General Secretary and Tony Benn MP, 

At a Health Authority meeting to ratify the cuts and closures at Hackney Town hall on that day ( 26th September 1983) the Health Authority and its multi millionaire, Jockey Club chairman Louis Freedman were overwhelmed in a turbulent day of protest culminations in them being forced to abandon the meeting after the town hall surrounded by thousands of angry locals opposing the closure plans,   

As Millionaire President Louis Freedman refused to use his casting vote to settle the closure issue, demonstrates demanded increasingly vocally that he use his vote (To save the hospital) in his prevaricate to vote the doors to the Council chamber were barred and padlocked after a 20 minute stand off he was escorted out of the building with the help of local Labour MP Brian Sedgemore.

Freeman who lived in a central London penthouse and had private health insurance said in the Daily Mail "We might as well be living in a dictatorship"

The incident was labelled a riot in the Evening Standard and Daily Mirror, and while their was an attempt to keep the Board members in the meeting and to stop them voting in private, not one person was reported as being injured on either side.

The disturbance was carried on all the main news channels that night and newspapers the next day and ensured health moved nationally up the political agenda.

On the 7th June 1984 Norman Fowler, Tory Secretary of State announced his decision to close all wards and remove all beds at St Leonard's and leave just a first aid unit and  a handful of community based services.

 In response a small working group was established by the staff and Hackney health emergency  to look into the possibility of the 180 staff working at St Leonard's organising an occupation or work-in of the hospital

A decision was made to occupy the hospital on the 3rd July 1984

The occupation was ratified by a staff meeting of eighty staff on 4th July

But by the  5th July (NHS Day) the management had somehow managed to secure and issue writs and summons against the key stewards. As NUPE had not made the occupation official, and fearing an injunction (similar to that used against the Miners) NUPE officers removed NUPE placards and began to distance themselves from the occupation..
 
The legal situation must have been worrying for staff and the union,  because it was against the backdrop of anti union legislation which was still confusing and unstable. 
So on the 16th July management reposed the hospital, sending in security staff  and bailiffs (probably illegally) to end the occupation.

In the next three days management systematically interviewed staff and reps and suspended key stewards.


However, local trade unionists organised  a picket line has been maintained 24 hours a day outside the hospital and the drivers from the London Ambulance Station  refused to move the patients out

Not satisfied with victimising local  union representatives,and intimidating other members of staff involved in in the occupation, the management also seem to have gone out of their way to make life uncomfortable as possible for the patients remaining in the hospital (who refused to move, by threatening legal action).

After the Occupation was smashed and in order to proceed with their closure plans against management employed a whole private army of security guards.
This gang of mercenaries, as one local campaigner described them, cost the Health Authority almost £1,000 a day, money which was desperately needed to restore the crumbling services in the District.

There were also horrific reports of frail, elderly patients being bundled out in the early morning or late at night, driven to other hospitals, torn away from staff they knew and their possessions being sent on much later because they hadn't been told they were to be permanently moved.

So ended another brave attempt to defend the peoples health service in Hackney.

 

Hospital Closurers

Poplar Hospital closed in 1975
Metropolitan Hospital closed in 1976
Plaistow Maternity hospital closed in 1977 (after an occupation)
Invalid and Crippled Cchildren's hospital closed 1977
Bethnal Green Hospital 1978 (Occupation June 1976-Dec 1978) saved

Key NUPE People involved

Dorothy Hardon NUPE Area Officer
Ian Barber NUPE Area Officer
Jim Bewsher NUPE Area Officer
Harry Barker NUPE London Divisional Officer
Godfry Eastwood NUPE Asst London Divisional Officer

Morris Kollander NUPE Branch Secretary St Barts
Mike Gamble NUPE Secretary Group Six Hospitals

Geoff Craig NUPE Steward

Harpenden Hospital Occupation 1985

COHSE midwives occupied the Harpenden Memorial hospital for two weeks in February-March 1985 in order to stop the sacking and transfer of Midwives at the Hospital. 

The Unit was due to close on February 28th 1985, however staff with community support occupied the hospital.

 All management were refused admission unless it was on clinical grounds. 

The occupation secured wide support from the community and local GP's

The Occupation secured jobs for all Midwives on the closure of the Harpenden Memorial Hospital 8 beded Midwifery Unit and a say in the future provision of GP maternity services

COHSE Kumar Sandy Regional Officer paid tribute to those who had supported COHSE members in their fight "We now know that any threatened hospital can be run by the staff. We gathered 3,500 signatures on a petition in two weeks. And now we know how to set up and run an occupation....As a result of our sit-in the health authority was forced to meet COHSE's demands for alternative jobs for the midwives"

Daphne Hutchins COHSE steward at the hospitals stated

 "There is a vast difference between a GP run maternity unit and working in a consultant unit"

"The mother comes in relaxed, there is a friendly atmosphere and the midwives build up a rapport with the women. here the midwives look after the mothers all the way through and wave good-bye on the door step" 

Cane Hill Hospital Work-In August 1976

 Cane Hill Hospital Sit-In
Cane Hill Hospital Occupation
 
wins 40 more Nurses
18-21 August 1976


An allocation of ten additional nurses for each day of action - that's the balance COHSE nursing at Cane Hill hospital, Surrey are making of their four days of struggle.

Steps are also being taken to fill vacant posts for unqualified staff, and action is now being considered on an area or regional basis to deal with massive under-staffing.

From 18 to 21 August, staff at the psychiatric hospital in Coulsdon, Surrey, provided emergency service
only.

With laundry and linen rooms shut, no domestic services, and no occupational or industrial therapy.
many staff were in effect sitting-in.

Care of patients was restricted to their basic physical needs, with a total ban on new admissions. Drivers
were available for emergency duties only.

 After at first refusing to even discuss Cane Hill's chronic under-staffing, Bromley AHA's eventual offer of more nurses for the hospital was forced up to 40 at a meeting on 21 August.When this was put to a mass
meeting of staff, there was a narrowmajority in favour of calling off the industrial action.

'We would have backed a strike all the way,' says COHSE branch chairperson W Glynne John.

'We want two hundred more nursing staff across the psychiatric division, and if the discussions the
AHA has now agreed to hold do not result in a big improvement, we will seriously consider further action.

'The staffing situation in the whole of the area and region is scandalous,' Glynne adds, 'and we are now looking to action at this level.'

Neighbouring Surrey Area Health Authority appealed last March for £2,250,000 for desperately needed psychiatric
staff. Instead, its budget has been cut by £2 millions.

Advertisements have already been placed for Cane Hill's 40 nurses, who will increase the complement to 610.


The four days' action also resulted in: full information on staffing estabishment and costs; prior agreement
before staff are moved; proposals for local consultation procedures; and improvements in the pay system.

COHSE branch leadership included W Glynne John, COHSE stewards Colin Brown and Roy Brown, and Regional Secretary Bob Harmes 

Picture is from the Morning Star of Cane Hill Hospital nursing staff at a mass meeting 18 August 1976.

Brookwood Hospital Occupation 1978

The public must be made aware that there is a desperate staffing problem and that more money must be made available to the health service.' These words from Joe Fleming COHSE Branch secretary and chairperson of the Workers Council of Brookwood Hospital 1978.
 
Hospital, highlights what many of us in the Health Service face with the carrying out of the cuts.

Management at Brookwood have consistently refused to employ more nurses. Out of an establishment of 805,
only 420 staff are in post. On many occasions there was one trained nurse iivcharge of three wards and having to
give out drugs on their own.

The grievances at. Brookwood have piled up over several years. Complaints range from waiting three weeks for a new washer to the Divisional Nursing Officer issuing orders to ward sisters telling them when nurses should take
their tea-breaks. When proper consultation  revealed  that  more staff were needed, management simply withdrew
from the procedure.

But staff were most angry at the raising of the nursery charges. COHSE had an agreement with management
that if there was any proposals to increase prices they should be consulted. They weren't. That was when
hospital staff decided that they would run the hospital more efficiently and without all the aggravation of manage-
ment.

A Workers Council was formed and consists of all the stewards and branch officers in the hospital, plus the NUPE
branch secretary and a steward from the District General Hospital at Frimley Park.

Within two weeks of staff taking this action,  the Area  Health  Authority agreed to hold an enquiry into the grievance. But most important is the setting up of the Joint Brookwood Hospital  Committee  comprising  an  equal number of staff and management representatives, to deal with all matters affecting  services  and  facilities  at Brookwood  Hospital  and  staff employed within the Division of Psychiatry.

Brookwood have shown that it pays to dare to take action when you know it's right.

Longworth Hospital Occupation 1981

COHSE members had always been at the forefront of the campaign to defend NHS services.

In early December 1980 a brave fight was waged by COHSE nurses and NHS staff to keep open a rural 50 beded care of the elderly hospital called Longworth in Oxfordshire. 

Faced with immediate closure of 13 beds on the top floor of the hospital, staff knew it would only be a matter of time before the rest of the hospital would be closed and the patients transferred to Whitney hospital eight miles away

So with held from Oxford Trades Union Council the hospital was occupied by the eighty nursing and support staff. 

Assistant COHSE Steward Myra Bungay stated to the Health Service Journal

"We're fighting for the life of the hospital.........Most of the patients have been here a long time and Longworth is now home to them"

The refusal of Ambulancemen to remove patients from the hospital also strengthened the occupation.

Typically the Royal College of Nursing General secretary Catherine Hall condemned the action demanding that the "Management regain control of the hospital for the sake of nurses and patients" local Rcn Regional Officer Bill Reynolds said"The AHA have lost all control of the hospital" he also claimed a Rcn steward at the hospital had been transferred to another hospital "because the AHA cannot guarantee her safety"

However the courageous fight was to be a brief one, In early February (Tuesday 10th ?) 1981, in a surprise raid by management, the vulnerable patients were removed from the hospital by force and moved to the Churchill Hospital.

As was well documented many of the frail elderly patients now seriously disorientated did not survive many weeks after they were ripped from their homes and the staff the knew (later know as the relocation effect

Police sealed off roads around the hospital to prevent supporters defending the hospital.

The Area Health authority claimed it had raided the hospital because COHSE nurses refused to call off the work-in

Ernie Brook COHSE Regional Officer stated " The Area Health Authority gave verbal assurances it would retain the beds for the next three or four years, when I went to receive its written assurance of the agreement, this sticking point was not included"

"Our COHSE members had fought bravely to defend patient care and the hospital'

Longworth Hospital closed soon after the occupation.

NHS Direct staff stage "Work-In" at Nottingham to defend Patiet Care

East Midlands NHS Direct staff have been joined by colleagues in Cornwall as they stage a "work-in" to expose problems with the replacement 111 service being rolled out from August.

Nursing and Health advisors providing NHS Direct helpline services to Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire are reporting for work in their own time to take calls to highlight the valuable work they do and ensure that patients get the best possible quality of service on the NHS's 64th birthday.




Staff are deeply concerned about the affect the change will have on patients and on health services. The new 111 service has far fewer nurses taking calls - 75% of calls to NHS Direct are currently taken by a nurse, under the new 111 service only 17% will be. NHS Direct has two qualified nurses to every health advisor – NHS 111, has six health advisors for every nurse.




The 111 service will not clinically assess patients, or give them access to emergency dental or contraceptive advice. People suffering mental health problems from patients engaged in self harm or depression will not longer be able to get the help they need by calling NHS Direct. This will lead to more patients being sent to A&E, GP surgeries and more ambulance 999 call outs, and could see longer waiting times as these health services are pushed to breaking point.

UNISON has also repeatedly requested that the Department of Health publish the findings of a report undertaken by Sheffield University into the new NHS 111 service which we believe highlights the likely impact on A&E and GP Services.

Sandra Maxwell, UNISON NHS Direct Nursing Convenor, said: “UNISON nurses and health advisors will be taking action on 5th July 2012 (NHS Day) - the 64th anniversary of the founding of the NHS - to urge the Department of Health to stop rolling out the 111 service until it has been fully evaluated. It must also come clean and publish its evaluation of the NHS 111 service.

“Those living in rural areas seeking advice on injuries they have had or their child’s illness, will have little option but to travel long distances to attend A&E, when advice previously given by a qualified NHS Direct nurse may have resolved the issue.”

Michael Walker UNISON National Officer, said: “UNISON has repeatedly called on the Department of Health to publish the Sheffield University evaluation into the NHS 111 pilot services and to undertake formal public consultation on the closure of NHS Direct, with the public, GP's and health professionals. Despite a legal requirement, this has not happened to date.

“UNISON is particularly concerned that the new 111 service has fewer nurses available to take calls and therefore unqualified staff will be unable to carry out vital “clinical assessments”. This will inevitably lead to a huge increase in people turning up to A&E departments, to ambulance call outs and more patients being referred to GP surgeries.

UNISON estimates that 50 extra patients a day could present themselves to A&E departments and 1,000 extra ambulance call outs (costing £800 a time).

As staff in Truro took the same action in soludarity, Michelle Goodman UNISON Nursing Rep at Truro said: "We feel passionately that as nurses we need to let the public know what is happening at NHS Direct and in particular the loss in access of emergency nursing advice under the new NHS 111 signposting service"

St Benedict's Hospital (Tooting) Occupation 1978-1980

LEAFLET

SUPPORT ST BENEDICT'S

23 arrested while defending St Benedict's Hospital

For 6 days in mid-September, St Benedict's Hospital..work-in was systematically and viciously raided by the Wandsworth,Sutton and East Merton Area Health Authority (AHA), backed by a large force of police and a scab private ambulance company, Junesco.

By September 19th, 63 patients had been Forcibly removed from the friendly security of their beds and wards and dispersed in chaos to a variety of other hospitals in the area.

The staff at St Benedicts began their official work-in:to prevent closure of their hospital on November 15th 1979. A very strong support committee was organised in the local community with backing from Battersea and Wandsworth Trades Council, local pensioners and others who wanted to maintain the high level of geriatric care at St Ben's. Local London Ambulance Service (LAS) ambulance drivers pledged their support and refused to cross the picket line except for normal transport.

IT WAS BECAUSE THE WORK-IN WAS SO SUCCESSFUL, that management (with the agreement of Patrick Jenkin, secretary of state for Health and Social Security) was forced to resort to intimidation, confrontation and violence to break the staff and campaign organisation, and force closure of the hospital.

DIRTY TRICKS

1) To break the strength of the work-in, the AHA took legal action by serving injunctions against 8 leading members of the work-in' This included 4 staff members (from COHSE, NUPE and the RCN), 3 union officials (NUPE and COHSE) and 1 local campaigner.

This was to prevent those named from doing any thing to prevent the removal of patients and to prevent the union-officials from entering the building.

2) The police used the excuse of the new Employment Act to impose an arbitrary limit of 2 pickets only. Then on the fourth day of the raids, they refused to allow any pickets on the gate at all, and the private ambulances got through.

3) As a direct result of the raid, 23 pickets were arrested. The charges range from wilful obstruction to criminal damages. One woman who works in administration at a nearby hospital was suspended from duty, although she was at the picket line on her day off. (She is now waiting the outcome of an inquiry

St Benedict's campaigners calculate that fines arising from the charges may cost several thousand pounds.

THE FIGHTBACK GOES ON

34 patients remain at St Benedict's, and will probably remain there til November. Meanwhile the campaign against cuts, job loss and for decent health care for all continues, all over the country.

JOIN YOUR LOCAL CAMPAIGN. TAKE ACTION TO STOP CUTS.

GIVE GENEROUSLY TO OUR APPEAL FUND

ALL CHEQUES AND MONEY TO :

Battersea and Wandsworth, Trades Council
St Benedict's Defence Fund, 19 Oakland Rd., London SW11

WE APPEAL TO YOU - SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE FIGHTBACK AGAINST CUTS AND CLOSURES

Produced by FIGHTBACK (against health cuts) For St Benedict's Campaign
c/o Arthur Hautot, St Benedict's Hospital, London SW17


30 Camden Rd, London NW1

NOTE

St Benedict's was occupied by staff against closure from November 1978 until the raids in September 1980 and thus one of the longest running hospital occupations in Britain.

After the closure of the long stay geriatric hospitals, reports on the impact on patient care began to emerge labelled "relocation effects" it highlighted for the first time the impact of speedy closures on patients. Close to a third of patients forcibly moved in the "raids" dying within the first six months.

Arthur Hautot was later a St James Hospital (Balham) COHSE Steward, husband of June Hautot (picture below)

June Hautot

Arthur Hautot (left)

Greek hospital now under workers' control

Libcom.org

Health workers in Kilkis, Greece, have occupied their local hospital and have issued a statement saying it is now fully under workers control.

The general hospital of Kilkis in Greece is now under workers control. The workers at the hospital have declared that the long-lasting problems of the National Health System (ESY) cannot be resolved.

The workers have responded to the regime’s acceleration of fascism by occupying the hospital and outing it under direct and complete control by the workers. All decisions will be made by a ‘workers general assembly’.

The hospital has stated that. “The government is not acquitted of its financial responsibilities, and if their demands are not met, they will turn to the local and wider community for support in every possible way to save the hospital defend free public healthcare, to overthrow the government and every neo-liberal policy.”

From the 6th February, hospital workers will only deal with emergencies until their wages, and monies owed have been paid. They are also demanding a return to wage levels prior to the implementation of austerity measures.

The next general assembly will take place on the 13th, and a related press conference will be given on the 15th.

The following statement has been issued by the workers:

1. We recognize that the current and enduring problems of Ε.Σ.Υ (the national health system) and related organizations cannot be solved with specific and isolated demands or demands serving our special interests, since these problems are a product of a more general anti-popular governmental policy and of the bold global neoliberalism.

2. We recognize, as well, that by insisting in the promotion of that kind of demands we essentially participate in the game of the ruthless authority. That authority which, in order to face its enemy - i.e. the people- weakened and fragmented, wishes to prevent the creation of a universal labour and popular front on a national and global level with common interests and demands against the social impoverishment that the authority's policies bring.

3. For this reason, we place our special interests inside a general framework of political and economic demands that are posed by a huge portion of the Greek people that today is under the most brutal capitalist attack; demands that in order to be fruitful must be promoted until the end in cooperation with the middle and lower classes of our society.

4. The only way to achieve this is to question, in action, not only its political legitimacy, but also the legality of the arbitrary authoritarian and anti-popular power and hierarchy which is moving towards totalitarianism with accelerating pace.

5. The workers at the General Hospital of Kilkis answer to this totalitarianism with democracy. We occupy the public hospital and put it under our direct and absolute control. The Γ.N. of Kilkis will henceforth be self-governed and the only legitimate means of administrative decision making will be the General Assembly of its workers.

6. The government is not released of its economic obligations of staffing and supplying the hospital, but if they continue to ignore these obligations, we will be forced to inform the public of this and ask the local government but most importantly the society to support us in any way possible for: (a) the survival of our hospital (b) the overall support of the right for public and free healthcare (c) the overthrow, through a common popular struggle, of the current government and any other neoliberal policy, no matter where it comes from (d) a deep and substantial democratization, that is, one that will have society, rather than a third party, responsible for making decisions for its own future.

7. The labour union of the Γ.N. of Kilkis will begin, from 6 February, the retention of work, serving only emergency incidents in our hospital until the complete payment for the hours worked, and the rise of our income to the levels it was before the arrival of the troika (EU-ECB-IMF). Meanwhile, knowing fully well what our social mission and moral obligations are, we will protect the health of the citizens that come to the hospital by providing free healthcare to those in need, accommodating and calling the government to finally accept its responsibilities, overcoming even in the last minute its immoderate social ruthlessness.

8. We decide that a new general assembly will take place, on Monday 13 February in the assembly hall of the new building of the hospital at 11 am, in order to decide the procedures that are needed to efficiently implement the occupation of the administrative services and to successfully realise the self-governance of the hospital, which will start from that day. The general assemblies will take place daily and will be the paramount instrument for decision making regarding the employees and the operation of the hospital.

We ask for the solidarity of the people and workers from all fields, the collaboration of all workers' unions and progressive organizations, as well as the support from any media organization that chooses to tell the truth. We are determined to continue until the traitors that sell out our country and our people leave. It's either them or us!
The above decisions will be made public through a news conference to which all the Mass Media (local and national) will be invited on Wednesday 15/2/2012 at 12.30. Our daily assemblies begin on 13 February. We will inform the citizens about every important event taking place in our hospital by means of news releases and conferences. Furthermore, we will use any means available to publicise these events in order to make this mobilization successful.

We call
a) Our fellow citizens to show solidarity to our effort,
b) Every unfairly treated citizen of our country in contestation and opposition, with actions, against his'/her's oppressors,
c) Our fellow workers from other hospitals to make similar decisions,
d) the employees in other fields of the public and private sector and the participants in labour and progressive organizations to act likewise, in order to help our mobilization take the form of a universal labour and popular resistance and uprising, until our final victory against the economic and political elite that today oppresses our country and the whole world.

Libcom.org

South London Hospital For Women - Occupation 1984-1985

South London Women's Hospital, Clapham, South London occupied by staff and supporters 26th July 1984 - 1985.  

The primary leaders were radical RCM reps who had to not only fight the Conservatives closure plans but their own union, and later womens occupation committee,  The Hospital is now a 




Tesco's supermarket

Hayes Cottage Hospital will be open this Christmas, and every other Christmas

Hillingdon Health Emergency Leaflet

Hayes Cottage Hospital will be open this Christmas, and every other Christmas

On the evening of Tuesday 25th October 1983 the staff at Hayes Cottage Hospital occupied in a bid to keep the hospital open. This action uas taken after a lot

of thought but it was clearly the only way to stop the closure after other avenues had been exhausted.

The reaction of the people of Hayes has been really magnificent. We have had visitors coming round with food, supplies and money. Messages of support have

been flooding in from all over London while a delegation from Charing Cross Hospital came over to see us. Ken Livingstone sent a message of congratulations saying 'This will be an example to other parts of the London Health Service faced with cuts in vital jobs and services. Best wishes for the struggle ahead.'

The best bit of news recently has been that the G.P's connected with the hospital are to start admitting patients again so we will be running just as before. Certainly, the patients in the Cottage Hospital are solidly behind the "work-in. Fifteen of them have signed a petition demanding the retention of the hospital and one patient has insisted that if any attempt is made to move her she intends to die in the ambulance......

Our aim in this struggle is to force the District Health Authority to take their proposals for cuts out to full public consultation. We believe that the people of Hillingdon have a right to a say in the sort of Health Service that is provided instead of a totally undemocratic and unaccountable group of individuals dictating from on high.

We believe that we are going to win the battle for Hayes Cottage Hospital but to do so we need the help of the ordinary people of Hayes. WE NEED MORE PEOPLE TO GUARD THE GATES, DAY AND NIGHT. We also need letters going to the DHA demanding that no violence will be used and that patients will not be forcibly removed against their will. This is a real possibility and it must not be allowed.

Hayes Cottage Hospital is an integral part of the community in this area. It provides a type and a quality of care that is not available at a big unit like Hillingdon. Closing our hospital will mean that many old people and parents will have long journeys if they need medical treatment. These cuts are going
to hit most those people that need the IMHS while the people With the money Will have their own private care. THIS MUST NOT BE ALLOLWED. The NHS Was set up through the struggle and toil of our older folk and we pay for it through our taxes. In any civilised society decent health care should be a right not left to charity.

HELP US DEFEND THE HEALTH SERVICE. HELP US SAVE HAYES COTTAGE HOSPITAL.

The Hillingdon Health Emergency Campaign had a spontaneous beginning. Members of the public had attended a meeting of the Regional Health Authority on 27^th September 1983. At that meeting, the proposed cuts in Health spending ware announced - including the proposed closure of the two Cottage Hospitals
Hayes and Northwood and Pinner.

There were immediate protests from the public gallery and four people were ejected from the meeting. Later an impromptu meeting of the protesters took place in the Civic Centre electing a committee which immediately went into action to arouse public opinion and protest against the cuts.

Leaflets were produced; public meetings held; petition forms distributed, resulting in thousands of signatures. Letters were written to the press, M.P.'s, Councillors and other public figures inviting their support.

Trade union branches were heavily involved and asked to support, both financially and physically. To date, nearly £1000 has been raised. The support received from the public has given a great boost to the campaign, which stepped up its supporting activity following the decision by the Staff to occupy the two threatened hospitals.

It is the policy of the Committee that the campaign against Health service cuts will continue, whatever the outcome at Hayes and Northwood. They therefore continue to ask for public support and feel sure that it will be forthcoming.

Hilllngdon needs its Health Service. Support the Campaign.

Hillingdon Health Emergency (GLC Funded) 2a Botwell Lane, Hayes, Middx

Steve Clare Secretary Hillingdon Health Emergency:

Marjorie Bayne NUPE Hayes Cottage Hospital Steward (blonde-right in photo)
Sylvia Tebbenham NUPE Hayes Cottage Hospital Steard (Left in photo)

Supported by unions at EMI, KODAK, Express Dairy (TGWU), NALGO,NUPE, AUEW and Tenants & Pensioners Groups

Cane Hill Hospital Sit-In 18-21 August 1976

Cane Hill Hospital Sit-In 18-21 August 1976

An allocation of ten additional nurses for each day of militantc action — that's the balance sheet COHSE members at Cane Hill are making of their four days of struggle.

Steps are also being taken to fill vacant posts for unqualified staff, and action is now being considered on an area or regional basis to deal with massive under-staffing.

From 18 to 21 August 1976, staff at the psychiatric hospital in Coulsdon. Surrey, provided emergency service only. With laundry and linen rooms shut, no domestic services, and no
occupational or industrial therapy, many staff were in effect sitting-in.

Care of patients was restricted to their basic physical needs, with atotal ban on new admissions. Drivers were available for emergency duties only.

After at first refusing to even discuss Cane Hill's chronic under- staffing, Bromley Area Health Authoruty eventual offer of more nurses for the hospital was forced up to 40 at a meeting on 21 August. When this was put to a mass meeting of staff, there was a narrow majority in favour of calling off the industrial action.

'We would have backed a strike all the way,' says COHSE branch chairperson Glynne John.

'We want two hundred more nursing staff across the psychiatric division, and if the discussions the AHA has now agreed to hold do not result in a big improvement, we will seriously consider further action.

'The staffing situation in the whole of the area and region is scandalous,'Glynne adds, 'and we are now looking to action at this level.'

Neighbouring Surrey AHA. appealed last March for £2,250,000 for desperately needed psychiatric staff. Instead, its budget has been cut by £2 millions.

Advertisements have already been placed for Cane Hill's 40 nurses, who will increase the complement to 610. The four days' action also resulted in: full information on staffing establishment and costs; prior agreement before staff are moved; proposals for local consultation procedures;and improvements in the pay system.

Other COHSE stewards involved Colin Brown and Roy Brown, and COHSE Regional Secretary Bob Harmes

COHSE Journal picture Morning Star of Mass meeting