All Out, Stay Out! (24 February)

= ‘oe

“LONDON FEBRUARY 241

Red Pulse

Health Bulletin of the Workers Power Group

ALL OUT AND STAY OUT!

‘EBRUARY 3rd saw thousands of health workers .aroughout the country striking against low pay and cuts in the NHS. Since then mere one day strikes have sappened in Manchester and Liverpool, days of protest have been organised by COHSE South-East region and the Scottish TUC.

The actions by hospital workers and the support from other trade unionists have been tremendous. But how can can we turn this anger and protest into action that will win?

The union leaders have abandoned the ‘wait and see’ approach they took towards 3 February. Then they waited and saw that thousands of their members took strike action— organised not by the national unions but by local strike committees. These head office bureaucrats now want to take control of the action to make sure it doesn’t get too serious -

they fear that co-ordinated strike action will frighten off that public opinion they value so highly—the opinion not of the working class but of the media and press! If they want to see the real effect of strike action on the working class they should join us on the picket lines and see how many workers support us and are even preparing to take action with us.

The way that the ustion leaders are trying to take control of “he dispute is througit calling one-day actions here there and sverywhere to make sure we all think they are doing some-

ord workers showed that the bosses can be made to retreat when workers take ali out strike ection. By stopping the flow of profits they so alarmed Ford sosses in America that they in turn

shake the Tories and force them to retreat, this would be helped enormously if we win workers like those in Fords to strike with us. They would hit their bosses profits again, and this can only help our

thing. They will not call strike action and will try to mak: that whatever action does happen is ‘rolling’. That is, © region rolling out as another rolls back in again!

The problem with these one-day and regional actio that they just don’t work. The 1982 dispute showed us (»: organising one-day strikes and then back to work, then iw. day strikes and back to work. The Tories were able to sit bac !: and watch us all wear ourselves out, the hospitals functione<, and in the end health workers got demoralised and the union sold us out. This happened again with the teachers and civ servants who tried selective action. ©

The only way to show the depth of our anger, and to fore the Tories to retreat is to go out and stay out!

The day of action called for 14 March must be turned ir a massive strike. On the day every hospital should bo! mass meeting of strikers to discuss the way forward—-an° vote to stay out until we win.

But we can’t trust the union leadership to organise 4”) effective action. Whilst we call on them to organise an ail «1 strike we must not rely on them. We should organise stril committees in every hospital, send delegates: to the all London strike committee which has been set up, and suppor: their call for a national conference of stewards and stiri’: committee delegates on 26 March.

Build Solidarity action

lists of local workplaces, contacting ti< stewards, asking to speak at meetings a’. leafletting the workers. Post office sorting offices, local transport workers Fords and Kent miners - we should vis’

‘orced Ford UK to improve their offer. cause by putting even more pressure on them ail! Although not a complete victory (the our bosses. Hopefully many workers will vote to Geal was still lousy!)}, it does demon- This is why links must be made with come out in support onl4 March. But »

strate how hitting profits hurts private sector workers as well as those in can make this more effective by actual!y bosses, : the rest of the public sector. We must start sending flying pickets out on the 14th - NHS workers are, by themselves, in 2 to build now for solidarity strikes on the worked at Frickley colliery on 3 Febnixcaker position than Ford workers. We 14 March. We should use every opportu- ary! That way we can turn the massive create no direct profits, we only help to bity to go out to other workers and argue sympathy other workers have for our maintain the health of those who do. for solidarity action. This means local cause into solidarity strike action to he! Whilst an all out strike in the NHS would —_ hospital strike committees drawing up us win!

P&P Workers Power BCM 7750, London WC1N 3XX

on een eh eR

on 3 February, Frickley miners struck in support of ‘he health workers. In doing so they broke the law. Vvhen Vauxhall workers at Elismere Port struck in support of us, they too were breaking the law.

‘Thatcher has made it illegal for workers to strike in solidarity with other workers. And she has made it illegal to strike without a secret ballot.

Our own leaders have paved the way for this attack on wade unionism. Their bureaucratic rule, their refusal to hsten to the voice of their members, has allowed ‘Thatcher to pose as the friend of the rank and file.

The bosses claim their laws have made the unions more democratic. They are lying through their teeth. What they are trying to do is to stifle the workers’ Jemeocracy and solidarity on which our strength de-

This is what the compulsory secret ballot is all about. When workers decide on whether or not to take action they need full debate and discussion in their ranks. That is the purpose of mass meetings. They need to know who will and who will not act. Thatis the purpose of the show of hands voting that workers have traditionally employed when deciding on action.

SECRET BALLOTS

The Tories’ laws put an end to all that. Instead workers must decide on action in a secret ballot. They must do so without a clear knowledge of the balance of forces in their ranks. In other words it isolates workers from each other. This in turn leaves them open to press and media campaigns against action.

In addition, a secret ballot takes time. Sometimes many weeks. This delay helps the bosses. It allows time for workers’ anger to drain away and for the trade union leaders to do dirty deals with management.

‘You may have thought democracy was about the rule of the majority. Not according to the Tories. They now want to introduce a new law which will make itillegal for 2 union to discipline members who refuse to abide by ‘democratic decisions’. They will make it against the

| Red Pulse is a health workers bulletin produced by

' supporters of the Workers Power Group, which is a

revolutionary communist organisation. Workers Power

BCM Box 7750 London WCIN 3XX.

TORIES OUTLA\ EFFECTIVE ACTIC

SAN A EE TE MONIES UBER

law to try and stop scabs. A government officer will appointed to aid and abet the scabs against the union In fact the Tory laws are aimed at stopping siike action, behind the facade of democracy. Thatis why they outlaw solidarity strikes altogether. That is why th make the nurses picket line at Frickley colliery flicgal. |: we do not break the law we cannot beat the the Tories We need mass meetings and mass decision m aking. We need more and more solidarity action. That is we need to trample on their laws. And why we must back any group of workers that the laws are used epainst.

TREVOR CLAY has just called 2 secret ballot to decide whether the RCN should drop iis no-strike clause. Does this mean he has had 2 change of Inc: and is now committed te militant industrial action‘ Far from it! :

The fact is that up and down the ceuntry ham dreds of nurses have been leaving the RCN to jain trade unions - NUPE and COHSE branches have been running out of memebrship forms! Clay is desparate to stop this flood out of his college and hopes that raising the possibility of strike action i: the future will keep some of ‘his’ nurses from leaving.

He, of course, is still against strike action, and i no doubt confident that the large numbers of managers and their stooges in the ranks of the RCN will vote to keep the clause.

Any nurses whe think that winnings this balict would turn the RCN inte a real union should think | again. The no-strike clause is only one of the prot lems with the RCN. Even without it the RCN would still be a ‘professional’ association cawinnit ted to negotiating codes of conduct and iraprevin,, its own status rather than fighting for the interests of its members. Because it fs dorninated by management grades in nursing it ca® never represetit most nurses and students whe need a union ite figh for better pay and conditions.

Nurses need to be in a TUC-affiliated union alongside other health workers, not 2 professiona' college with their managers! Ignore the ballot! Leave the RCN, join NUPE or COHSE and strike on March 14th!

A CNN RE RAS A a oR

P&P Workers Power BCM 7750, London WCIN 3XX