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www.socialistworker.co.

uk

Jeremy Hunt must go:

BACK JUNIOR DOCTORS


SAVE OUR NHS
T

ORY HEALTH SECRETARY Jeremy


Hunt last week announced that
he was imposing a dangerous
new contract on junior doctors.
This is a threat to the whole NHSand
a threat to the whole trade union
movement.
The new contract rips apart terms and
conditions and puts patient safety at risk.
The BMA was right to reject it.
As Johann Malawana, chair of the
BMAs junior doctor committee, said,
Our message to the government is clear.
Junior doctors cannot and will not accept
a contract that is bad for the future of
patient care, the profession and the NHS
as a whole, and we will consider all
options open to us.
The Tories real aim is to force all
NHS staff to accept reduced unsocial
hours payments. This would also make
the NHS more attractive to private firms
to take over more services for a profit.
The Tories thought that junior doctors,
who hadnt previously gone on strike for
40 years, would be an easy taregt. They
were wrong!
The junior doctors are now in the front
line to save the NHSeveryone should
get behind them.

Threat

Hundreds of junior doctors have been


attending meetings this week to decide
what action to take next in reponse to
Hunts diktat.
But the imposition of the junior
doctors contract is a threat to the whole
trade union movement and everyone
fighting austerity.
If the Tories get away with imposing
a new contract on the junior doctors that
worsens terms and conditionswho is
next? What is to stop them doing the
same to Unison members, or to Unite
members or postal workers?
There must be a clear and firm
response to Hunts imposed contract
from the whole trade union movement:
The BMA should immediately
announce more strike datesand
the strikes should be longer with
consideration of an indefinite strike.

Emergency protest at Dept of Health

The BMA should ask other unions


to join it in a mass protest outside the
Department of Health.
Every union must put out a clear call
to all of its members to join any future
junior doctors picket lines. These need
to be mass mobilisations, with hundreds
if not thousands of trade unionists
joining each picket line.
Every trade unionist should invite a
junior doctor into a union or workplace
meeting to explain their case and to lay
the basis for much wider mobilisations
of support for their strikesand every
union branch should immediately send
a message of support to the local junior
doctors promising support for their fight.
Every other health union should call
on Hunt to rule out any attempt to reduce
unsocial hours payments for their
members and if he refuses, they should
ballot for strike action.
The TUC should call a national demo

in defence of the NHS and the right of


unions to negotiate and not have attacks
on terms and conditions imposed by the
employer and government.
The Labour Party now needs to
come out firmly in support of the junior
doctors strikes. There is no room for
neutrality when the fate of the NHS
and the right of unions to negotiate
freely is under direct threat.
The junior doctors cant be left to
fight alone.
All out to build solidarity and to
save our NHS!

Dont let them divide us.


Stand Up to Racism,
Refugees Welcome here.

Demonstrations in London, Glasgow


and Cardiff.
Saturday 19 March.
See: standuptoracism.org.uk

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