Victimised for supporting the health workers

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MARCH of 500 healthworkers and their supporters would be impressive at any time. But the strong demonstration in Stretford Manchester on 8 March was particularly special.

It took place outside a factory, not a hospital, and support of engineering was workers, rather than workers in the NHS.

However the demo was still part of the campaign in defence of the NHS or rather it was to defend the right of workers side the NHS to take industrial action in support of the health service. Thorn-EMI strenore issued threats of dismissal against GMBATU CULL and Keith Davenport and Hodgkinson, Kevin Frisby, GMBATU and AEU stewards, for ignoring a court injunction and organising a strike of workers February in support of the health workers' day of action.

North General hospital The three were also threatened with legal acreclaim £45,000 tion Thorn-EMI say they lost in production because of the Writs also threatened against Bill John Edmonds, general secretaries the AEU GMBATU On hearing of the Thorn threats management Greater Healthworkers Shop Stewards organise protest action. The of testimony to the need that healthworkers see to defend other workeers, their ability to mobilise After seven hours of secret EMI, John talks Tocher, with Thorn- divisiona organiser of the AEU, hatched up a deal which involved: final warnings for Dave Hodgkinson and Keith Davenport, and an official warning for Kevin Frisby While this represented initially managemell, included a major threat to organisation in the plant that Thorn's managment would 'review' the position of its fulltime convenor.

Thorn-EMI of the few plants in the Trafford Park area that has a full time Convent, therefore the 'review' was a The AEU locally has not confined itself Borore the 19 February day cooking this deal. of action the Manchester Confed unanimously decided on a one day strike support of the health service, but then did nothing whatsoever to win support for this.

Only two factories Massey Ferguson Thorn-EMI decided carry out the Confed decision, and both were met b! injunctions the employers. The Massey • workers backed down, and Thorn workers were lett isolated However the unity of the Thorn's workforce and solidarity tron other workers have achieved vicThorn-EMI tory, occause management have now forced to withdraw occ. their threat to the full time convenor position.