Socialist Resistance

An archive of socialistresistance.org, 2002–2022

UNISON Save Our

by Molly Cooper  |  Socialist Resistance no39  |  page 5

This is scanned newsprint, not web text. The original PDFs carried no text layer at all, so every word here was read off the page by OCR. Expect dropped opening letters, run-together words and wrong characters. There was no contents page to cut the paper up by, so the articles were found from the size of their headlines: a headline may carry its kicker, and where an article ran beside a boxed panel a few lines of the neighbour can appear. The scanned issue is the authority; this text is here so the words can be found at all.

growing increasingly concerned about this situation.

"Therefore we are campaigning nationally around our 5 healthier options for the NHS in our Say YES to 5 campaign. UNISON branches are also campaigning locally. We are calling on the government for:

1. financial stability for the NHS

2. co-operation not competition in the NHS

3. patients before cuts

consultation with patients and staff

5. Saneares for patients and staff."

This timid expression will not set campaigners afire -nor will it convince ministers oat une unons de senous un mounting this challenge.

In building the November 1 lobby, local campaigners must toughen up the message,

cash-driven cuts, closures, redundancies, outsourcing and privatisation -and demanding ministers cancel the dead weight of historic debts which are forcing Trusts and PCTs into fresh cutbacks. We need local action by the unions to challenge these policies.

The Keep Our NHS Public campaign, which has now established a large number of local campaign groups across the country, has played a key role in keeping the pressure on union leaders and politicians.

UNISON and other health unions owe KONP a debt of gratitude for keeping the flame of campaigning alive -and should now name the date for the promised national demonstration in the new year.

I Iniversit OFFICIAL PICKET al UNISON Porters picketing Whipps Cross hospital in the battle with Rentokill Initial UNISON Save Our