Unison health conference

Fight to rebuild the NHS!

Socialist Party correspondents

The Unison Health Care conference took place at a time of unprecedented attacks on the NHS, pay and workers' terms and conditions.

"Unison members are in the eye of the storm and we need to make a stand," commented Unison general secretary Dave Prentis.

But what followed showed the abject failure of the Unison leadership to provide any way forward.

Rather than "making a stand" the Unison Service Group Executive (SGE) opposed every single motion and amendment that called for the union to mobilise its strength to fight the cuts.

There was even opposition to the call for a national demonstration in defence of the NHS.

Yet the answer to the lie that NHS workers are not prepared to strike is given, for example, by the magnificent struggle of Unison members in the Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust and Thera East Midlands, reported in previous issues of the Socialist.

Len Hockey, from the Waltham Forest Health branch, pointed out that: "26 March 2011 saw 750,000 take part in the biggest ever labour movement demonstration.

"This was followed by the 30 November and the biggest coordinated strike since 1926. We can deliver mass support for action when we act."

The Unison leadership opposed this saying: "let's keep a national demonstration as an aspiration and make sure there is a demand there first."

John Malcolm, from Tees Esk and Wear Valleys Health, effectively answered this capitulation by highlighting the huge demonstrations of over 25,000 in Lewisham and up to 50,000 in Stafford that proved "when a lead is given there can be a response".

Speaking to a composite on pay Socialist Party member Roger Davey called for a ballot for industrial action unless the pay review body increases its 1% pay cap.

Helen Ridett from South Lewisham, Gary Freeman, Brian Loader and other Socialist Party members brought crushing examples of the way in which the cuts were affecting members and the huge potential to organise a struggle.

The SGE's response was: "we only fight if we know we can win, pay is not an issue just now, it's defending jobs and conditions."

But the leadership were also opposed to national action over attacks to terms and conditions. National agreements have been eroded as a result of concession bargaining.

Rather than placate employers, this has only emboldened them to go further in attacking national agreements.

It's clear from the conference that the Unison leadership sees no alternative to cuts. 'Wait for a Labour government' is the largely unspoken strategy of the leadership. Yet Labour has refused to commit to reversing any of the Tory cuts.

Socialist Party members are standing in the current national executive council elections to provide a fighting leadership, a leadership that rejects concession bargaining and fights to mobilise the members and local communities into a mass movement to defend and re-build the NHS as part of a struggle to defeat austerity.

Donate to the Socialist Party

Finance appeal

The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.

The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.

The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
We must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.