WHY NOT OR THE LAND WE DEMAND & MERCHANT NAVY NA GREEN TALUSIOP AT CARUSE thing, on the increase. victimisation at work, or fascist This meeting coming a week before to-rule.
A campaign of this sort cannot and more than a lash in the pan, theo From this point of view, it was particularly unfortunate that there The pampered, well-heeled consultants who leech on the National Health Service have started a workThis action is being taken agrinst Labour's proposals to phase out pay-beds in the NIS.
Rowland Cowley, a leader of 1hc consultants- who represent nine per cent of the country's doctors- made no bones about the motives behind their action. He says. Want Mrs. Castle doesn't realise is that doctors are so angry and resentlu. that they are now prepared to allow the hospital scevice to collapse ratber than accept another seriaus crosion of their standard of living' In August consultants in the north-castthe area where Cowley practises-signed a petition daring the technicians" dispute declaring "patients were at risk Now their patients' lives particutarly their working class NIS patients" lives cant go to bell because the consultants' incomes are at risk.
PIOUS
All the pious and hypocritical mouthing of the consultants slope when they realise that they can no longer line their pockets at the expense of the sick and infinn. Life for these people is not worth living if you cannot sell a place in the queue.
The conservative British Medical Association is a little coy about sup porting the ben. This year's wave of hans of private patients instituted by the rank-and-lie health workers has rocked the medical establishment.
The more sophisticated BMA елbers would prefer a back-stage deal with the pliant Mrs Castle ruther than unleash a movement aside the NOS that puts a compléte ban on all Nurses threaten Following the thocat by nurses in Biniquicker pay out of the Halshury award Huddershold murses are also dicatening M Storthes Hall Hospital, Hudderfield, 000 nurses plun to gu aa total strike on 20 November unless they get Secretary of COISE, We a sick of thus procrastil Meanwhile the health authorities ane hiding, behind the Whitley Connel as thair shield for not posing the award private patients. Only the intervenLion of Mrs. Castle at the Charing Cross Hospital private patients" dispule stopped that movement spreading. Her promise to phase out all private beds in this parlia mentary session" has acted as a brake on militant action against pay-beds The BMA hopes to use the line gained to screw concessions Iront the Government such as big cornpensatory pay rises for those consul tants who will lose incomes from private patients. They also want to win the right for consultants to have private patients outside the NHS TO HEEL The work-to-rule conseltants can and must be brought to heel. Heulth workers should refuse to let them use any facilities in the NIS for the private paticats. An embargo should be put on pay-heds. X-ray equip ment should be denied to them. porters should refuse to move their patients, nurses should refuse to give thei any attention and they should not he allowed any food.
One arrogint consuitant in London threatened: Instead of five minutes per patient we will give 35 minutes per patient as we are ethically entitled to do; Of counse il will bring the bospital service to u standstill. Junior doctors and otbers opposed to the consultants should start to organise an alterna tive service now for NHS patients who are being made to suffer he cause of the consultants actions The consultants bare upped the stakes. They can only be defeated hy the NIs workers who must now go forward to impose a complete national blacking on all pay beds and insist on the ending of private practice inside and pulside the NHS Jeit King • iwedstely, Trevor Hallett, district administrator of the Kirkloes Aren -Hisleb Aathority resconcisle for th Storthes Hall Hospital claims, This is a national issue, not a lacal one. No payments can bo made until the Whitley Council nacher agrooment."
The underpaid nurses did net ex actly heak the wages record when they got their latest pay award. Now they are expected to calmly wait while In Birnangham and Hadderstichi th Lucatened action the nurses shou the way Forward. The Whitley Council when they are laced with militant action other nurses follow these leads the back-pay will arrive a good deal more quickly