• To call for an emergency Labour Party conference to implement the last Labour conference's resolution on the near service - composite resorulion 30, which opposed all cuts and private practice.
These first steps to unify the fight against cuts in the London region have not come a moment too early. The last year has seen a steady growth of activity against different aspects of the cuts, and without a report of a new local campaign, council chamber lobby, hospital picket or other local attempt to halt the flood of welfare cuts in London.
Only if these varied local responses are welded together in a united drive against the cuts package as a whole and the Labour back the Government's centralised onensive answer to the housing crisis. Militants must Han rouEn unce acuons o! tenants, squatters, trade unions, and of demands which can lead to a workers' solution.
must be set up in areas, to prevent the implementation of the cuts and organise against particular evictions, lay-offs and barricades against eviction etc. These bodies must have a clear perspective o1 seeking support for their actions from trade unions. pour ranges ano al organisations of the labour movement to draw together the widest possible A programme of demands to unite these struggles would include:
• For a crash programme of Government-funded repairs and building to ene nome essness ame unemDIo chi in the building industry the building industry to do it.
• Reverse the cuts in housing and all social spending.
• Stop the Criminal Trespass Law proposals and all other moves against the right to picket, squat and occupy.
• Requisition all empty housing for Ine nomeiess.
Nationalise the banks and finance houses under workers control - end interest repayments on money borrowed for housing and the social services.
PIERS CORBYN Piers Corbyn speaking on behalf of the London Squatters Action Council at last Satur day's demonstration against the Criminal Trespass Law proposals not a week has passed since January leaders who are responsible for them can there be any chance of turning Housing and cuts struggle committees the country.
SHEFFIELD nanonalise pital workers provide HULL Hence on the cuts.
La local buretin bers locally. One of the many actions against the cuts in London-picket of Hammersmith Hospital last Friday against the diversion of resources into private practice The TUC's collaboration with the Labour Government's cuts in spending on the NHS is not going unchallenged. Resistance to the attacks on the NHS and the threat of the growth of private practice is growing around Below we report on some of the activities of local action committees. These point the way forward in building a campaign against the health cuts which can force the TUC to break with the policies of the Labour Government, and secure a recall of the TUC to organise a united response to these attacks In Sheffield the Trades Council has z3 agreed to organise a local conference to •Iscuss now to mont ine curs. As bar of the build-up to this, the local Action committee togetner with the socialis Medical Association locally is organising a public meeting on 1 April. It is hoped that the local Labour MP will agree to speak. The Red Ladder Theatre Group are aso seino invited to cive a perrorm ance of their play on the NHS in Sheffield, particularly aimed at the local hos In the long term the Action Committee hopes to mount a local campaig acainst tne lack or casualty debartments In tne area — in nettiele inere is oniy one casualty department open at night, which the hospitals take it in turn to In Hull the local Action Committee is campaigning for the Trades Council to supoort ine nocine or a recional conter This would involve not just hospital workers but also unions in the social services and education, win me aim or planning a common tes ponse to me erects or me curs in tne area. They are also hoping to produce The Humberside Committee is also engaged in building support for psychiatric nurses facing forced early retirement, which is being fought by COSE memSOUTHAMPTON In Southampton the local Action Com mittee is supported by the local NUPE oranch. and is nobine to involve borr Photo: ANURE WAR ne ASTS and several Labour Party wards in its activities. It is producing a monthiy bulletin which is distributed widely in the local labour movement, and ask ing for reports on the effects of the cuts zocav rom me restor me aoour move ment to include in the bulletin.
The main activity of the Committee so tar has been to mount a campaig against the building of a private hospital Just outside soutnamoton. As Dart o this a joint demonstration was organised with Portsmouth Action Committee outside the County Council building to oppose the granting of planning per mission. ney are blannine a recional conference in the south to continue the campaign against the building of the private hospital and to build for the 25 April NCC demonstration. WALES A big delegation from the South Wales Miners, Swansea Trades Council and hun oreds or wore nean workers omeo a Nur-soonsorea demonstration acainsi the cuts last Saturday. Well over a thousand demonstrators, boosted by students from nearly every college in South and West Wales, marched through Cardiff and then sent a call to the TUC to launch opposition to the Government's cuts in ine weilare state The demonstration rounded off an excerent cousie or weeks in tne owanser area, where health workers at the Morriston Hospital, scene of several strikes against pay beds in the last two years, have set up a committee to defend the NHS. Already a conference sponsored by Swansea Trades Council has been organised for mid-March. Full detail next week.