MILITANCY among health workers is rising as the Tories' health 'reforms' run into ever-growing crisis.
In London, a successful ballot for a one-day token strike against ward closures and job losses at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital for Women was followed by solid action from COHSE and NUPE members.
Around 50 people joined the picket line at lunch time, while leaflets warning of the threat to the very existence of the hospital, as Bloomsbury and Islington health authority searches frantically for cash savings.
NUPE and COHSE are calling for women and labour movement organisations throughout London to help in the fight to save the capital's last surviving specialist women's hospital.
Contractors
A strong response from nursing staff in South Wales against the threat to standards posed by private contractors helped win a substantial victory over cleaning firm HCS, which has just taken over the domestic contract at Cardiff's Ely Hospital.
350 nursing staff voted in a ballot to take industrial action if necessary to challenge the appalling standards and inadequate staffing levels of the contractors.
This followed an earlierfightback by cleaning staff and nurses which had forced the firm to reinstate a supervisor sacked for complaining at having to work an unscheduled 14-hour shift.
The threat of industrial action, and the likelihood that it could spread to other hospitals covered by the firm led to a rapid climbdown by the firm's management, who have brought in numbers of extra staff and provided the cleaning materials which were lacking when they began the contract.
In South London, solid strike action from domestic staff employed by contractors RCO at the Maudsley Hospital secured substantial pay and conditions improvements.
Way forward
COHSE, which organised the strike, argues that this shows the way for other low-paid contractors staff working in many hospitals at below even NHS pay rates.
Meanwhile it is becoming ever more obvious that the Tories 'internal market' system in the NHS is leaving not only opted- out Trust hospitals, but many other units desperately short of money.
As managers hold back on announcing cuts and closures to spare government blushes in the event of an early election, they are storing up even bigger cutbacks to come in the winter as they face the need to balance their books by next April.
Already it seems clear that Health Secretary William Waldegrave will have to intervene to restrict the full implementation of the internal market next year if he is not to trigger a huge cash crisis and bankruptcies in well-known London hospitals.
The next issue of Socialist Outlook will carry a full analysis of the looming crisis in the NHS.