ONE million workers can't be wrong. The action taken by determination to win has made the government very nervous. The solidarity action from union leaders further than they ever intended. All this at a time when the ASLEF dispute promises to push the Tories back against the wall.
The unity of the healthworkers is upsetting the well laid plans Health Minister, Norman rowier. he wants to arive wedge between nurses ancillary offering the nurses a better To date he has not been successful.
LIC beginning of June the Royal College of Nursing. which organises 230,000 nurses, voted to reject the 6.4 per cent offer. And despite the initial acceptance of the new improved oTTel LOI nurses, the RCN is facing revolt in Hundreds of nurses are the RCN, which cannot take strike action and is not affiliated to the switchboards are jammed protests members. health service unions, and boycotting the negotiating noov. tae walev cour cil, it becomes more to negotiate separately Health service workers and all those workers who have been out on the picket lines supporting them, know that what is at stake in this dispute is the very existence of the National Health Service itself. A defeat over pay now will mean the winding down of the NHS and the introduction ot a two tier health system.
Already the number of private beds has risen from 23,346 in 1970 to 31,875 in 1980, while huge cuts have been made in the NHS. Laundrv. and other ancillary services may be contracted out.
The present has strengthened and united the NHS unions and their members but both sides know that the stakes are high. For the the overlicit to deal with the NH$ unions becomes even more paramount as it attempts to force the public sector keep the health workers and their lesignated pay norn inquiry on pay in the civil will report. It Will give full backing to the government's opposition to comparability for public sector workers with workers in the private secThe Tories want to LU1. continue with pay policy that results in judges and top civil servants receiving 18° per cent increase health workers are offered a miserable 6 per cent. It is in the front line, seriously challenging the ment's pay norm.
The dispute in the NHS challenges ine poncies of the Tories every level. They WalL dismantle our welfare state, deal with the unions and make the workers pay for the crisis.
estimated what is at stake.
hat is why the suDport the health workers have received so far has been vital has to continue to grow The leaders of the NH. unions have not to date called their OuL membership for the next days of action, 19-20 July, but the pressure 1s on them.
This dispute is a matter for workers everywhere. All trade unionists should be
----- pull-quotes -----
other key sections is unprecedented in the life of this government and has pushed the trade