HEALTH SERVICE for a 12 per cent pay rise. On 29 April, the TUC refused to take industrial action.
hour strikes, working to rule and banning non-emergency admissions in many areas.
Correll spoke to Steve Ferris who is secretary of Southampton Hospitals branch of the National Union of Public Employees, about the issues.
Health service workers have been made a "final' offer of 4 per cent. What has been the reaction of vour membersr My members understand very well that 4 wclil. £1.50 per week full time is a drop in real *OTKE! wages. With some grades as hittle weekly we can't afford to settle for less than the full claim 12 per cent.
Alan Fisher is in favour of taking the claim to arbitration. What is your reaction?
Arbitration takes the claim zul ul c darus orıne members, and relies on a supposedly HuC CICIl zody that will side with the Ecvernment.
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unions have backed widespread industrial action to win their claim health services committee announced further that none of the 14 unions represented had going to arbitration is tantamount to abandoning the tull claim. It we are go ing to will. will be larouga mass acnon. BOT dealings smoke-filled LOUIS.
HELP USS HEL Will action include nurses?
Nurses form half the NHS workforce, about half a million, and I think it is essential they wal" ticipate. This will mean stopping routine admiseach 12 month inland subscription to Weber (normal price f2.95) or Autobiography of sions, and providing only emergency cover.
The government have tried to split the health service by offering nurses 6.4 per cenksulanis would mean 2.4 per cent coming existing nicaltn service that Iwo ia about 5,400 jobs then be cut.
For these reasons would urge nurses to reject this offer, and fight alongside the rest of the health service to the full 12 per cent.
Doesn't the cash limit system mean that winning the claim can only mean more jobs lost?
Settling lor 4 per Coll wouldn't save a single job. Mrs Thatcher wants to cut wages and jobs. If we are defeated this time on pay she will be back again to take more jobs.
We are determined to protect both pay and jobs, and torce her to abandon the NHS cash limit. That's our claim includes a thirty-five hour week and increased holidays.
Can the government afclaim?
Yes. Many other groups of workers have succeeded in breaking the 4 per cent limit: local go ver ment. workers got per. cent miners and firemen got 9 and the police got 13 - a small rise in real terms.
The full cost of the claim about £200 million. The present aaventures in tne iviaivinas could end up costing that much, wach saows the money is there. It only Teoue a politica dec!. sion by the government to use lt How will you be able to take on the government?
can only do this by fighting back on a national scale — - this dispute can't be won hospital hospital. It also means that workers the NHS must unite in an agreed campaign of massive dustrial action, and we will need the solidarity WUIKCIS other industries.
My branch is in favour of forming an all-union strike committee, ine NUrt Annual Conference we will be fighting hard to see that the union leadership Ul zansc US CN sort of strike action that we need to win.
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COHSE members are now carrying out two- Socialist Challenge correspondent Richard
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