Sunday, September 21, 2008
12% Campaign - Coventry Hospitals Bike Ride 1982
1982 Coventry - London 12% campaign Bike Ride
By JIM SAUNDERS
August 1982
health workers are biking to downing street as part of the action week, starting today fourty Coventry health service workers will carry their protest against the government's pay policy by bike to London.
They will leave Coventry today, calling en route at Banbury, Oxford, Hillingdon and arrive in Central London midday Friday.
Among the bike's are six tandems. The riders include nurses, ancillary and maintenance wor-
kers as well as professional and technical- staff drawn from Coventry's hospitals.
They will deliver a petition to No. 10 Downing Street and present a bill for
£325,000 to Health Minister Norman Fowler.
This is the amount the Coventry District Health Authority would have rto find to meet the government's health service wage formula. It has already overspent on its budget.
"The truth is," says Lloyd Randall, secretary of the NUPE hospitals branch in the city,
"there is not a 6 per cent offer.
It is just 4 per cent and an offer to cannibalise the service to meet the other 2 per cent."
PICKET LINES
In addition to being divisive. the Tory government tactics will also mean the loss of up to 80
jobs in the city's hospitals.
The bikers will link up with local health service co-ordinating committees on their journey.
They are offerins to join picket lines at hospitals and speak at meetings. But they also hope
that other trade unionists will turn out in force to greet them.
They will be joined in London bv strikers whose seven week action has reduced the central sterile supplies depot to emergency only.
Nurses at the outpatients department oi the Coventry and Warwick Hospital, as well as
maintenance and boilerhouse workers in Walsgrave and other hospitals also plan to impose
sanctions in the coming week.
A meeting in Birmingham ot local health service union co- ordinating committees support-
ed calls from Coventry for the TUC to sharpen up the action on health service pay.
AN ULTIMATUM
A resolution adopted "calls on the TUC health service committee to support a call for an ultimatum for an all-out strike from September 1 by all TUC health service unions, if an im-
proved offer is not made or if the dispute is not referred to arbitration."
Another resolution urges the TUC not to accept any offer which is not fully funded by central government. To do so, it says, would mean accepting cuts in the service.
There is; also a strong feeling that local co-ordinating committees should have more discretion over implementing accident and emergency cover. The TUC's code of conduct is seen as being so wide as to be ineffective in some areas.
There is a call for a review and a tightening up of the TUC's emergency cover procdures.
August 1982
health workers are biking to downing street as part of the action week, starting today fourty Coventry health service workers will carry their protest against the government's pay policy by bike to London.
They will leave Coventry today, calling en route at Banbury, Oxford, Hillingdon and arrive in Central London midday Friday.
Among the bike's are six tandems. The riders include nurses, ancillary and maintenance wor-
kers as well as professional and technical- staff drawn from Coventry's hospitals.
They will deliver a petition to No. 10 Downing Street and present a bill for
£325,000 to Health Minister Norman Fowler.This is the amount the Coventry District Health Authority would have rto find to meet the government's health service wage formula. It has already overspent on its budget.
"The truth is," says Lloyd Randall, secretary of the NUPE hospitals branch in the city,
"there is not a 6 per cent offer.
It is just 4 per cent and an offer to cannibalise the service to meet the other 2 per cent."
PICKET LINESIn addition to being divisive. the Tory government tactics will also mean the loss of up to 80
jobs in the city's hospitals.
The bikers will link up with local health service co-ordinating committees on their journey.
They are offerins to join picket lines at hospitals and speak at meetings. But they also hope
that other trade unionists will turn out in force to greet them.
They will be joined in London bv strikers whose seven week action has reduced the central sterile supplies depot to emergency only.
Nurses at the outpatients department oi the Coventry and Warwick Hospital, as well as
maintenance and boilerhouse workers in Walsgrave and other hospitals also plan to impose
sanctions in the coming week.
A meeting in Birmingham ot local health service union co- ordinating committees support-
ed calls from Coventry for the TUC to sharpen up the action on health service pay.
AN ULTIMATUM
A resolution adopted "calls on the TUC health service committee to support a call for an ultimatum for an all-out strike from September 1 by all TUC health service unions, if an im-
proved offer is not made or if the dispute is not referred to arbitration."
Another resolution urges the TUC not to accept any offer which is not fully funded by central government. To do so, it says, would mean accepting cuts in the service.
There is; also a strong feeling that local co-ordinating committees should have more discretion over implementing accident and emergency cover. The TUC's code of conduct is seen as being so wide as to be ineffective in some areas.
There is a call for a review and a tightening up of the TUC's emergency cover procdures.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Federation of Ambulance Personnel - FAP
Federation of Ambulance PersonnelThe Federation of Ambulance Personnel (FAP) was a union formed to cater for Ambulance staff then working for local authorities. Unlike many other unions formed to represent ambulance staff FAP was keen to safeguard the right to take industrial action. FAP actually lead the way on strikes amongst ambulance staff in pursuit of better pay and recognition. FAP meet stiff opposition from NUPE who opposed ambulance staff being transferred to the NHS.
The Federation of Ambulance Personnel finally joined COHSE in the late 1970's and its General secretary Ernie Brook became an officer in COHSE. In 1969 FAP claimed a membership of 600 amongst the Greater London Council's 2,000 ambulance staff. On the 27th August 1969 they took industrial action in 34 stations to secure recognition of FAP by the GLC Bob Salmon was General Secretary, Richard Harmer London regional Secretary and Keith Best liaison officer in Scotland of FAP.
Richard Harmer London Regional Secretary stated in the Times 28th August 1969 "Up to now we have been keeping our consciences clear while making ou
r protest"..."If the GLC sent home men who were voluntarily operating emergency services ambulance stations would close and life could be most certainly endangered" Alan Fisher NUPE General Secretary stated that their action was "a deliberate and desperate attempt by a minority group to wreck the established negotiating machinery"
In 1973 FAP took part in industrial action over pay, and as part of COHSE in 1979 , 1980 and 1989-1990 led by COHSE ambulance activists such as the late great Bill Dunn of Hanwell, West London who always fought for the maintenance of "Emergency Cover" during industrial action.
FAP's union journal was called "Knight of the road"
Breakaway, often no strike, ambulance unions have always been problematic in the NHS the biggest being the Association of Professional Ambulance Personnel (APAP) formed in the 1980's allegedly to promote professionalism but who were famously duped into agreeing an inferior pay deal with the Conservative government 1989-1990 Ambulance dispute. A position it never recovered from. Another breakaway union was the Ambulance Services Union (ASU) was formed in Liverpool in the late 1999 but in 2008 joined the GMB general union.
All attempts to form separate Ambulance unions failed because they could never secure a majority and the resources required to truly represent ambulance staff legally and professionally as well as skilled negotiators requires immense resources only available from a general union.
COHSE London Ambulance Service branch (699) established November 1964
Branch Chairman Bert Conaway, 10 Silver Walk, Rotherhithe (ex docker for 15 years) Ted King (Secretary) 16 St Stephen's, Bow (ex bus driver) both worked at West Smithfield Ambulance Station (known as Whisky Station - from their radio call signal) since 1962.
First COHSE LAS branch meeting held at Hop Pole Pub, Gambia Street, London S1 on 17th December 1964 (with 80 members)
Eric Roberts (ex NUPE) is now Branch Secretary of the powerful UNISON London Ambulance Service Branch