Management have said that this will be take place through ‘natural wastage’ and voluntary redundancy, but the closure of the Elliott Dynes Rehabilitation Unit shows that these assurances from the Belfast Trust’s bosses are worthless. Regardless, medical secretaries are skilled workers who perform vital administrative work, allowing the health service to function. The loss of these jobs will inevitably lead to a less efficient service and longer waiting lists. The number of people awaiting hospital appointments has already increased 27% over three months this year!
Through the demonstrations they have held and their positive response to consultation about action from their unions, it is clear that these workers are determined to fight the Trust’s proposals. Any action taken by these workers must receive the support of all trade unionists- they are not just fighting to defend their jobs, but our health service. It will undoubtedly be the first of many struggles to come, as the parties in the Assembly deepen their assault on public spending, which has already seen £813 million cut from our health service since 2009.
Defend the Civil Service Compensation Scheme
Review of Trotsky, a Biography by Robert Service
How did Ireland's national problem arise? What was the reason for partition? Does the British ruling class really want to pull out? Must the working class always be divided on this issue? This landmark publication looks again at Irish history right up to the present. It refutes much of what has become the accepted wisdom of current academics who see no way of overcoming the sectarian division. It offers something unique - a programme on the national question to unite, rather than divide the working class. For those seeking ways in which the national problem can be overcome, this challenging book is a must. First published in 1995.