result from the required restrictions.
call 'enough is enough' Services Secretary, Norman Fowler.
Almost ten district health authorities up and down the country have rejected the Tory cuts.
This only scratches the surface of a campaign involving ordinary working people in the collullly health service, who are organising mass meetings, lobbies demonstrallons reject cuts, closures, redundanof ces the NHS.
of these campaigns began in the months following the general electie NHS with 'the safe with us, speech still ringing in their ears. Campaign organisers were already active against the spring 1983 cuts when they heard of Lawson's treasury proposals and the planned redundancy These further cuts are devastating news for the health authorities. While the regional health authorities rubber stamped the instructions - with one or two exceptions the district authorities hesitated.
The district health authorities have nowhere tell urn because iney have carried through cuts programmes since Callaghan Healey started it all in the IMF year of 1976.
They have only two options now, closure redundancy or take stand, under the pressure ol me local community and health workers.
Figures from the four London regions illustrate the absolute savagery and impossible disorganisation the Tory plans will bring.
The inner London borough of Islington suffered a f¾ million annual this Lawson y cal ordered another £1⅓ million cut 1n July and finally Fowler has demanded that 100 jobs go, with another £½ million drop in spending.
Greenwich suffered by £½ million 1983 chop, with Lawson now demanding another £1 million and Fowler ordering 150 job cuts with a further £¾ million slice.
All these cuts are to be implemented within four months. bv March 1984;
London is hit hard, with a 2.4 per cent net 1ob loss, compared to one per Kent, is now being allowed to overspend because 'serious redundancies and substantial cuts' would Even the Royal College of Physicians is about to and the British Medical Association is seeking an urgent meeting with Social cent nationally. These cuts atfect those in posts on 3] March 1983. But around tour per cent of jobs are already frozen with DECVIOus Ward closures reorganisation. So district health authorities in Greater London face a five to six per cent loss of established posts in medical, nursing, paramedical and ancillary jobs by March 1984.
By an ASTMS healthworker These job losses will be impossible without hospital closures and compulsory redundancies.
Waltham Forest are planning to close four hospitals and Hackney three St. Leonard's District General, the Mother's Maternity and the German.
After the magnificent local ana nanonal strike action last year for a decent living wage, local and community campaigns have been left to fight the government on. their own.
NALGO and NUPE have had limited publicity campaigns and there have been some union pamphlets agallsl But the national leaders of the TUC and Labour Party are dragging their feet — the TUC being too busy having cucumber sandwiches at Number Ten to organise an adequate campaign of action.
Action to turn the tide against Thatcher is coming LEON De ow. Workers at Thornton View Geriatric Hospital in Bradford have been occupation for weeks against closure, ancillary Barnett General Hospital take part in rolling one day lightning strikes every three days against private tenders.
Union and community boundaries have been surmounted to defend the NHS, with joint shop stewards' mass meetings at Charing Cross, St Mary's Hammersmith Hospitals, involving hundreds of health workers.
There have also been mass lobbies and occupations of district health authorities, with the disruption of the Hackney meeting grabbing headlines. The TUC Health Services Commit tee has organised nothing yet.
Now, under pressure trom these actions.
initiated East Region of the TUC organised subVid. committee. Trade union, and cam. paign activists are beginning demand regional and national action.
In London, a steering committee was elected at a GLC sponsored meeting in County Hall on '17 October. This has delegates from district based health campaigns, hospital joint shop stewards' committees, NHS UMOl SUID committees, the Greater London Association of Trades Councils and the South East Region of the TUC Mass action campaigns against cuts, closures, redundancies ard privatisation will have to be built from such beginnings. we mobilise with a Massive la while the iron is hot and Lories al c • Ul0
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THE TORIES are retreating on their plans for the A Tory District health authority, Bromley and