A number of activists in the Confederation Health Service Employees met in London September and the COHSE Socialist Alllance. The call came from a meeting of 23 delegates al the union's last conference, disatistied by the leadership's support for the contract, and determined to organise union for cles.
The new tends to campaign around issues such as pay, the cuts, and women's rights. PATRICK SIKORSKI, East Birmingham branch secretary in COHSE member of the alliance, puts forward his views on what the left should be fighting for in the union.
CORSE has 200,000 members. Unlike other unions that organise health workers, all of COSE's members are in the NHS. It is with great pride that it calls itself "Britain's NHS trade union', and it is on this slogan that it bases its membership recruitment campSo great is COHE's desire to be NHS Leadershin would have us believe the other unions in the bealth shop stewards committees in the hospitals and sucas mes consistently opposed by union leadership. And Jomr act ion with other unions is only undertaken when the leadership feels it has no choice bur to participate → as was the case on the big anti-cuts demonstration Two weeks later in Birming we had spectacie of CORSE Tory press me te National Union of Public Em ployees Midland strike against of on continued soclal In the 1974 nurses strike the socialist polialliance incontract.
and a Led usionisation unionism.
PRESSURES this summer motions on the DOCT the pate in the joint stewards in the union disgusting democracy in the union.
Far from the test of a union being whether is only has mem bers ill the NHS, # 1s how a interests counts. In this respect, COHSE has far less of a claim to fame, That is and its consistent refusal to work with other unions only weakens our members" fight against the COHSE was one of the first reglater bership.
opportunistically put on a militant act to win nurses to the anion, and then helped sell out the strike through the Halsbury Committee, The union leader for united One soci > make th union is changing was once amalgamation of two psychiatric living standard hospical unions, with a tradition AT MOSO 0Y0 of women has forced even the Royal College of discuss the Nurses to turn towards trade workers' claim - CONSES amal conferen ressures were rellecte The number of leaders stick to genda dealin cuts from 3 to committees from none to four The obvious need to partici- = 35 hour comvoting to support them — in spite every locally of the executive's opposition. thai.
The CONSES membershi membership have barely begun to be teflected For its lendership This is in part doe to the lack of Many of the delegate aL CASH LIMITS conterence ste not mandared a motions, and little discussion is held in the branches abou supporters conference motions. Many deleselves gates are branch secretaries who make up their own mind on the issues, and there is no standing orders committee elected from the Moor to ran the conference. alternative is needed la CONSE WITHE - an organised apposition to the union leadership which can offer socialist policies lo changing concerns of the teur FIGHT FOR PAY goaL Cleariy, the most hurning issue in -Here, too, th union leadership's failure to fight action with unions will hit the membership bard. With cash limits imposed hipping boy for Labour's wa sector the restraint, united action to restore is essential executive is handi likely to fight for thai united those action when it supports Phase That's why in Birmingham we ept together with othe • NUPE and the T&GWU 1 hospital ancilliary in November. All the NHS union have different wage tangers NUPE a t50 minimum wage; the G&MWU E55 minimum; CONSE has no target at all! St we worked out a claim which we will jointly demand the ubion We decided on: a ES5 mini mum wage; the consolidation of Phase Ooe and Two rises into hasic rates an automatic thresh hold to compensate for inflation;
Week, and five wee noual paid leave. I think the pi claim should be jolotly discussed wich each of the health unions in We are taking it further than We are getting with other public sector workers regional public sector conference for sbop stewards to be held on The cash Limits mean that better wages and sopping the culs are building for action through local, regional, hopchily national doll NITS stewards meetings.
One of the mom important issues in the union is thal o women's rights. Over 85 per cen of the union's membership are women, yet only a fifth of the conco Goal were wo men and the proportion is even Lone formal polities en union on womens rights are ver it supports the demand of the Working Women's Char ter. But it stops short of action a: the internal life of the union At conference a resolution alling 10 opposition ro the Benyon Bill restrictions on abo was defeated, despite the fact that delegates had jost called doc free nhortion an Gemand b passing the Charter, Among War the conference anti-abortion leaflets printed by the British Movement.
CHANGING MOOD On all these issues the chang ing mood membership must be given a direction — and that requires the left organising to offer an alternative That why the COHSE Socialist All lance must be built COHSE's membership target of minions Ten leader of a million.
hip socos to forget that it wi luring the 1974 nurses strike th its bigar growth in memberstup place. Pretending the acher NHS unions don't exist will not build COHSE into a by policies which can advance members' interests, and a willing best to wage a united fight for the he nest meeting of the CONSE Socialier Alliance is ou 19 November. at 144 Piccadilly.
ere Parick in Monklands. Lanarkshine, ha sparked off talk of getting the ara tich the teen - BE which, the strikers have dismissed as rantatti. All counci workers in the Monklands dis trich are now on strike agains IT DOULICS and support ha been received from the posta workers' union locally Banes Whelan, chairperson of the Monklands LOSTUCHE is one ol the workers whom the Labour con chop. He argues:
talks can take place we wars the status quo maintained and no action takeil on the redund The Monklands dispute shows bow to fight the cuts. There has been instant scrike action, soli darity from other workers and a firm stand on trade union prin ciples.
The milirant atmospbere in heth district i and Mind officials little option lo fallen the course on which the rank and file have embarked. As long a the workers don't falter. Monk lands Labour council will take a
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