Nurses' militancy cough up makes Govt.
Unions and the alidarity action of trade side the NS far bigger have been inade. r same militancy must now he harnessed to fight against increases in lodging charges, against attempis to reduce staffing levels, for the reduction of the working Week rejected by Haisbury and to prepare for a new wage WAGE RATES ON 1 APRIL 1974 STOP equipped NHS. 63.222 £2,460 12,160 NUS.
E1,632 11,338 £1,380 £1,200 age 21+ £1,065 age 18 E816 age 19 E850 age 20 E900 age 21 11.053 NHS eroding away.
class.
the NiS = contract of private medicine itself.
For the well oiled consultants private practice is a bonanza-in 1969 7.000 consultants raked off L7.7 million out of E1S.1 million doled our by private health schemes. For the working class it is a leech which sucks off the already under-financed, underThe continued existence of private practice, whether inside or outside the NHS, throws into sharp relief noi only one of the main traits of the ultra-respectable medical profession -the exploitation of sickness for gain but the growing failures of the INABILITY The material basis for private prac lice is the inability of the NES to provide treatment at the time it is needed, Waiting lists have always been a feature of the Health Service Bul as the crisis in the NHS has worsened. the queues for treatment-over half a million-and waiting times (anything up to 23 years) have escalated. It is this situation that consultants and private health insurance firms such as BUPA have waxed fat on.
Now these people are looking for even richer pickings as they see the I included, have cut back NiHS expen:
Successive governments, Labour clas: 7 diture in order to defend the interests 2 of British capital-the rate of profitagainst the interests of the working The present Labour government's recond in this respect is little better of 140:
can to a desrt, Nurses have also felt the "cold comfort of Labour's socia ACTIONS The actions taken by hospital workers against private practice have an importance beyond just the issue What is at stake is whether the chises in the Health Service is going to be solved in the interests of the working class a woricers solution or in the interests of the caputalist Actions such us at Charing Cross and Hammersmith Hospitals point the way forward. By direct action hospital workers forced the Labour govern ment to begin to take seriously its own policy on private practice within the NHS by seming Honeser Thesho that Labour will implement effective action, even against private medicine Already private insurance firms and part-time consuitants are laying plans for the growth of private health schemes outside the NHS-private hospitals have been built or planned. NHS staff have been recruited far hospitals like the Wellington in North London Nothing short of the total abolition of private medicine in and outside the NHS is necded to halt the drain, distortions and abuses on the NHS that private practice represents The campaign against private prac tice must be spread not only among all sections of hospital workers but into the wider lahour movement. To wag this campaign effectively it must be used us the first step to developing anted working class action to impose a workers solution to the crisis of the NHS by taking up demands such Immediate injection 1000 million into NHS budget for this year Sliding scale of NHS expenditure so that the NHS budget keeps pace month! with the rises in costs Nationatisation of all ancillary industries (drugs, building)
In this campaign hospital workers must take the lead by calling on the Jocal trade union movement such as trades councils to organise confer ences to enquire into the running of the NHS, what steps and demands are necessary to defend and extend the health care of the working class and to plan joint action in support of hospital workers.
Tus & the way to lay the hasis for united action of the lahour movement in propatation for the coming strugples in the hospicals, most importantly the ancilary workers ray claim in the COLIN SPENCER
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