5 NOVEMBER sees conference on cuts and hospital closure called by the Hounslow Hospital occupation committee. The conference organisers want lo hammer out a programme to defend the hundreds of hospitals now facing Healey's bulldozer. Our correspondent RICH PALSER argues for national campaign against hospilal closure, and deals with questions now being raised by health militants.
Uter seeing whar happened a foursion, should other hospit work-in tactic?
Yes, If the objectives of the work-in are clearly understood. Its main purpose must be to stop Доріан hospital exert total control over patients, and all other internal Winning support from the local labour movement to maintain the hospital running order, persuading als to col tinue to nomit paisents organising other trade unionists to maintain a detensive pocket are the kind of ractics required to achieve this The work-in can also provide an organssing ccowe lorra cald paining ali the worker in re against hospital closure. aspers or soc campaign mongo egular mass meetings and an elected action committee But Of there are 30, rather than Clearis not Esch work-in may be a thorn in the side of the Labour Government, but the these thorns out low, then the EGA, and so on. The test of any work-in must be whether it prepares the ground for a mass response when forced casure is attempted. SErike action must be won from workers in industry, Aler all 10 15 EOCIE heath care which is at stake possible if hospital workers are not organised to demand beir supporl. This means workers in the hospitals in the same district as the hospital facing closure refusing to accept the transfer of patients, resources, and equipment from the sure. This should be backed up - first Houns- by selective industrial action in those hospirals, such as working Once a forced closure is allmpced. squ boch to defend the threatened Hotels and to in action be ct and regional shop steward odies are also required in th NES This wit 3Ran 150wn 31 Hounslow, ( Hotorion atwards body he CLASH which was vital i organising even the one-day prothreatened clo enough?
union leaders.
action Strang distworkers. material to campaign for suppon in the labour movement and se up a nabona land drive national campaign which demo craved in the hat again hospital closure could do more.
It could provide the necessary rank and file bospital workers to mount uniled national protest aloo, wage a cause mad the unions for action, and con greatly 1o building all cuts. Such tactics will not be y to implement Homever it is the only strateg Which Proves a CalLic Do for haking all closures and all cuts, l was Ony D BAKE THE SLEEKY 8S A SETONI oint that the one day action b ondon hospitais to Hounslow was won.
Emergency
Flehiback Conference Saturday, 5 Nov.
London School of Economics, Houghtan Street, WCI. WORKERS LEAGUE welcomed the launch of Social 1051 mont Members ware called on to contribute news and discussior to the paper, which could play regroupment as a forum discussion, debale and 8xchange of intermation on the The welcome came an part of Laague's position on regroupcontral to the bullding revolutionary party: but this was rocees of relation between existing loll groups.
Joint work with other group outward" tha stabement healthy basis for clertying the considerable political ditf In this context, the aggregat resolved to follow up or develos other especially oint work with the SWp 0840188851 opportunities fo There was less agroement would Identify the organisatio too closaly with the politica o the ING the work or hate comrades me The aggregate arg selling Socialist Challenge and working with readers group alod. And it was agreed that th canin and relevance, and the extent of agreamant in practice.
The meeting also decided t sand delegatas to the Sociallet Unity conference Correction: We omitted to men tion that it was Jonathan Silber man who Interviewed Arthur Scareil in ast woek's issue Apologies also to Arthur Scargill for attributing to bim, part of s posed by the mict viewer. (The first two paragraphs of Scargill's reply to penul. misie Queston were sn tact par of the question).
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Workers' League Socialist Challenge
role of dilferent ergenisations he Background of their contribute