EVERY MORNING on the week of action from 9 to 11 o'clock the street outside Selly Oak hospital was lined with ancipary staff out on strike for their 12 per cent claim.
Elizabeth, where the Central Sterile Supply Unit out for three days causing a reduced service at Solihull, as well as the East Birmingham. were pushed into the city centre, high streets were leafleted.
Dudley Road hospitals had all come out. anne was among health workers. In Coventry the Central Sterile Supply staff have been out for a full five weeks. GRAHAM COULTAS report.
Strong organisation in the hospitals will obviousinfluence the response of the workers to any call trom the regional co-ordinating committee but the picture the picket lines was not one of NHS staff wanting - in - 18% FOr JOLES domestics Lightning strikes took place at the Queen at the East Birmingham Hospital, came Beds By Friday the Good Hope, Rubery Hill and The one of a rising curve of activity TOPPLEY and VALERIE gencial - to hold back om a condone w the government The Co-ordinating Committee were the ones seemed MOIC CUllcerned about 'holding back' on the action than the pickets. According to Alan Clark the regional committee did not call a city-wide rally this time round because they wanted the TUC to call a national rally.
However, as Dave Selby Rowley. a porter al Oak Hospital pointed out this meant neither took place, saying.
having demonstrations we're getting the support from other unions we did have Need Missing from this week of action has been a clear lead either trom the TUC the Regional Coordinating Committee the West Midlands. As late week regional committee colo besssue go ccarl• structions for coordinated the health unions should take. This had it's inevitable says health worker Janet Maguire of action. willingness to take prepared to support our claim.
The electricians in Fleet Street set an example of working class solidarity that inspired every striking health worker, But instead of welcoming this Albert Spanswick appealed to the print unions not to take inaction. The National Graphical Associauno mater responded to his appeal, but luckily for us, the electricians led by Sean Geraghty ignored Spanswick and came out, shutting Street aown.
Never has been so finely balanced On one side we have the growing support tor our case from big sections of tie tade umon movement representing millions of On the other hand have a Tory Thatcher result. Flare ups of millancy by aomeslics al Selly Oak, Porters and Central Sterile supply staff at every ferent ancilliary worker at of the day at the Queen Elizabeth Dul essenuar •it was lett with the local branches to take the Pickets not suprisingly were divided about the need for action. Rose Leech, NUPE branch secretary at Selly salu uncle was no afford to lose she that domestics could from an all-out strike. But there was not unanimity on this point. Other domestics Selly wanted action arguing that they'd win the claim, and the back pay, more quickly through that action. Alan Heard, NUPE shop steward at the *We can win The health workers have fought another week Once again they have shown their on the government. Likewise other workers have shown how much they value the NHS and how much they are cares about the health or government neither the working people, nor about the living standards of the health workers. Nevertheless, this government could be forced to pay our claim if the labour movement was called into direct action.
Unfortunately the TUC and its health committee is more rightened of the mass labour movement than it is of Thatchel and Fowler. Instead of calling for a wave of coordinated solidarity strikes they have sat on the sidelines trying to look statespersonlike. They have organised any mass secondary picketing to show we ae serious about winning this break her legislation if GENERA