All Out Now!

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Registered by a euspaper at in Post Office. Sigmed alites o/not meresarily repent the views or the so dondon by Anna THE pay fight in the NHS has now reached a crucial stage. Hospital workers are becoming increasingly impatient with the campaign of selective strikes, limited industrial action and 24-hour stoppages.

Many are now calling for indefinite, all-out action as the only way to win their 12% claim. The TUC Health Services Committee on 9 June promises to be a landmark in the struggle.

If the NUPE representatives can commit the other TUC Health Service unions to calling all-out action in line with the NUPE confer: ence vote, we shall see a much-needed escalation of the dispute.

Unfortunately, the emergency resolution calling for all-out action which was passed unanimously at ....NUPF conference, contained» i a let-out clause for the Executive as the resolution stated that industrial action was to be taken alongside other health service unions.

This has enabled the NUPE Executive to stall on the date of June 4 as stated in the resolution, by. saying that they will have to consult the other unions first.

This is despite a petition signed by 400 delegates at the conference demanding that NUPE take a clear lead by calling all-out action anyway.

Strength

There is no doubt that if NUPE had called out its Health Service members from June 4, it would then be arguing from a position of strength on the TUC Health Services Committee for the other unions to give their support to that action. • A large and vocal lobby , London E2. of the TUC Health Services Committee is now needed to put pressure on the other health service unions to accept - the NUPE recommendation.

Some areas have already decided to take all-out action from the 4th or the 8th (when the next 24hour strike is scheduled to take place).

It is vital that militants argue for their hospitals to join those that are already out by taking all-out action from the 4th or the 8th in advance of the TUC decision. This would be the best way of putting pressure on the TUC Health Services Committee to call all-out action.

Promises of help and financial support from industrial workers are now coming thick and fast. The overwhelming vote of the South Wales miners to take 24 : hour strike action in solidarity shows the potential for turning the fight against the 4% offer into a national working class offensive against the Tories.

Such solidarity action would be completely illegal under the Tebbit Bill and combined with the restrictions on picketing contained in the 1980 Prior Employment Act, will make the miners' action a direct challenge to the Tories' attempts to shackle the trade unions.

Threat

And from June 7 there is possibility of industrial action on the railways over pay and closures.

The possibility of determined all-out strike action in the health service, linked to other struggles could provide a real threat Tories' attempt to drive down working class living standards.