NHS and health

Health workers to ballot for strikes: unions must coordinate the action!

Public sector union Unison has confirmed it will ballot its 300,000 health sector members from 28 August to 18 September for strikes against the “1% or increment” offer from the employers (which Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt believes is already too high!). Unite, GMB, and the Royal College of Midwives have also announced they will ballot for strikes. If the ballots return a yes vote, they create the potential for a coordinated mass strike on 28 September (the date Unison has announced for its next local government strike, and in which the other public-sector unions which struck on 10 July could...

Lifeworks NHS occupation ends in victory

Lifeworks is a Complex Cases Service drop in centre which currently supports over 70 people with complex mental health problems in the Cambridge district. Following a deeply flawed decision by Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust to close the Lifeworks centre in a bid to ‘save’ money, taken behind the backs of those using it, a group of service users decided to occupy it. (We covered the struggle extensively: see here for our 7 May interview with the occupiers). After four months in occupation a legal agreement has been signed confirming the service will continue, as before...

FGM still increasing

On 3 July a parliamentary committee reported that “Female genital mutilation is an ongoing national scandal which is likely to have resulted in the preventable mutilation of thousands of girls to whom the state owed a duty of care”. There has long been law against doctors and parents who are party to mutilation of young girls’ genitals. But the committee still found a “growing prevalence of FGM”. Its recommendations include: • Failure to report female genital mutilation should be made a criminal offence if reporting of the practice does not increase in the next 12 months • Headteachers and...

Victory for Lifeworks!

Service users protesting at the closure of a mental health drop in centre have had a victory after four months in occupation. Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust had previously tried to close the Lifeworks centre in favour of a countywide service, which would force all patients back to their GP and through a series of assessments without any support available. Management have agreed to keep the Lifeworks centre open for five years, with hospital transport for those that require it and the open clinic being open two days a week. The chairman of the county council's health...

Tens of thousands join anti-cuts demo

Tens of thousands, carrying hundreds of union banners, joined the anti-cuts march in London on 21 June called by the People's Assembly. Workers' Liberty was well-represented on the march and we sold about 200 copies of Solidarity . At the end-of-march rally, people cheered when Unite union leader Len McCluskey said that the fight back must be ready for all tactics, "including a general strike"; but the cheering faltered when he added: "when that becomes necessary". No one expects a general strike immediately. But if we can win a clear policy in the unions for a definite plan of action to...

Lewisham Hospital Worker #41 — 7 May 2014

A workplace bulletin by Lewisham Hospital workers, for Lewisham Hospital workers. This issue discusses the NHS pay fight as well as local and workplace stories. Click here to download the PDF.

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