Swansea fights the cuts

SWANSEA TRADES Council and Swansea Unison Health branch held a successful public protest meeting over the local Trust's decision to close 86 beds and get rid of 750 health workers, almost half of them nursing staff.

Alec Thraves, Swansea Trades Union Council and Socialist Party

Last year, a Trades Council-initiated NHS campaign resulted in a moratorium on the proposed closure of Fairwood hospital, Ward 1 at Hill House and the transfer of the city's neurosurgery to Cardiff. As Trades Council speaker Rob Williams told the packed meeting: "Campaigning and fighting back can get results!"

However, even temporary victories have to be won again and again when you have a big-business friendly government at Westminster and Cardiff Bay who put balancing the trusts' books before patient care.

The Trades Council called the meeting because the Trust said the changes were not significant enough to warrant public consultation! Try telling that to the hundreds of stressed-out, angry health workers who signed the Socialist Party petitions over the past few months in Swansea city centre.

Swansea trade unionists have made it clear they will support any action Unison members take in defence of jobs and services and will urge affiliates to join the Unison health national demo on 3 November.

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In The Socialist 17 October 2007:

National Health Service Cutbacks and privatisation kill