WEEKLY writes on the Junior Hospital Doctors' claim.
moment) by the NHS's 20,000 junior hospital doctors (JHDs).
Like other workers they are fighting This Barbara Castle But the economic crisis of capitalism STRANGE RESULT registrar told a meeting:
Meanwhile the British Medical Assowe create."
This, however, is written A significant number of JHDs support But there National Co-ordinating Committee against the cuts in the NHS, The attempts by Barbara Castle and the ruling class to solve the crisis in the NHS are receiving a terrible buffeting. Looming on the horizon is the first ever national strike (only partial at the Dominic Costa, himself a junior doctor In one teaching hospital in London a very militant right-wing senior surgical We are al here to destroy the NHS and build something better from the rubble that At the Middlesex Hospital, traditional conservatism turned into outright reaction when doctors took total strike action against the NHS and in favour of private practice. They demanded that their overtime pay should be financed by charging NHS patients £10 per night for being in hospital!
At St Bartholomew's Teaching Hos pilat in London, the senior registra bluntly stated that they were not taking ment. strike action for better pay. They would only do this for the fight to maintain their "freedom' to practise "privately All over the country these ideas are being raised. The 'unity of the JHDs and the consultants masks two oppos ne points or view, nowever. the reactionary, anti-working class doctors are saying that fighting Barbara Castle means attacking the whole idea of the NHS rather than defending the NHS against the cutbacks imposed by the Labour Government. But the doctors who support the principle of a free health service are totally confused as to what to do about the already inadequate facilities, disorganised postgraduate training, and the drastic cutbacks and closures The Castle pay offer for overtime (less than 30 per cent of the normal hourly rate) is seen by local Area Health Authorities as a chance to employ fewer JHDs for longer hours. They think this can help to save money and help to introduce cut-backs. Unless the JHDs can be won to the side of the working class against Castle's proposals, in fighting the cutbacks and defending the health service, they will be swallow ed up by the reactionary anti-working class senior doctors; and the whole national fight will turn against the interests of working people.
CONDITIONAL Working class militants cannot therefore give unconditional support to the national action of junior hospital docl0is. Only those doctors fightine for adequate overtime pay in the context of defending the NHS against the attacks of private practice merit the support of workers inside and outside the This support is important. If these doctors can see that they can only win their strike with the mobilisation of broader sections of the trade union and labour movement, then not only might they win their demands, but a national struggle could be launched against Labour's attacks meriting the active support of the entire workers moveRIGHT TURN Unless these very basic points are cleared up, thrashed out and carried through, then it is quite possible that the JHDs' strike action will take a rightwing turn via an anti-working class alliance with the consultants. If this is the basis for action, then militants must not only refuse to give support, but must start a campaign against it in the local labour movement - in defence of the NHS, but against Castle's cut-backs AFRICANS