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news report
 Friday May 23, 2003 16:07 by Joe Carolan
 40 people came together to form a Health Action Group for the North Inner City last Thursday in Phibsboro. With job losses, bed closures and cancellations of operations on the way in the Mater Hospital, local people are coming together with trade unionists in the health service to mobilise community support for the coming fightback, which the Irish Nurses Organisation is preparing for in June. Jo Tully, Shop Steward with the INO in St James’, outlined the horrific nature of the cutbacks on the hospitals. “Emergency beds are already full- with the result that there are no beds when urgent cases arrive at A and E. There are now queues for the trolleys that are waiting for beds.” Jo also talked about the anger of rank and file nurses, and their willingness to stand up and take strike action against Michael Martin’s attacks. Tommy Mc Donald, a SIPTU Shop Steward at the Mater, spoke about the reality behind the cutbacks there. 104 beds to close, threatened job losses of 160 positions across the board, would mean even more pressure on the already strained A and E unit, a situation which one Mater consultant has compared to “decommissioning the lifeboats on an already sinking ship”. Joe Carolan, SWP, called for an end to the two tier health system, and a properly funded free universal health care system for all. This was echoed by Joe Costello, TD from the Labour Party. Local reps from the Socialist Party, the Greens and Sinn Fein also attended.. The Health Action Group then debated how was this to be attained- a hopeful Fianna Fail local election candidate saying that a TV3 poll showed that people did not want to pay more tax. The audience rounded on him, saying too right, the vast majority of tax revenue raised in this country came from PAYE workers. Multinationals and big business only pay 12.5% corporate tax- many of the richest in Irish society were tax exiles in the Bahamas or Gibraltar. The rich are the ones who must pay if we are to have a proper health service. The North City Health Action Group is putting up a weekly picket at the A and E entrance to the Mater, every Saturday at 1pm, determined to fight for every job and bed. Links are being made between the health unions and the community- people in Monaghan and Louth have already shown that thousands of people are ready to march and support strikes to defend our hospitals. The North City group is hoping that other communities across Dublin will now begin to set up action groups in their areas, to organise and support the coming revolt this Summer. North City Health Action Group- |
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Comments (11 of 11)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11The meeting was 'organised' by the group that was only set up at the meeting? Did you borrow the IRSP Time Machine?
Who the fuck do you think you are kidding?
Well someone has to initiate campaign groups, etc. You can spout sectarian shit, which is what most of what indymedia site is full of. FAair play to SWP for taking the initiative, if they did in this case. I don't see TEE Hee organised public meeting to organise to fight Health Cuts! So until Tee Hee gets off his/her arse to do something constructive...fuck off!
Annoyed
Good for those that are actually doing something about this appalling issue.
What is the thinking behind picketing the A&E entrance as opposed to the Minister's constituency office?
but might find it hard to get one with the health cuts. Psychiatric care has especially long waiting lists. By the colour of the rant i'd say old tee hee has a bit between their teeth already.
If you think this is anything more than a SWP Front set up to recruit papersellers.
I don't like the SWP's politics but if they set up a local action group fair play to them. If it is another front organisation and we think it is important enough then lets set up something ourselves that functions democratically.If it is not a front then we should get involved or support them.
I should add that if those so-called 'workers' in the health service and their cohorts in their failed trotskyite groups such as the likes of the SWP with their outdated, failed marxist bullshit weren't going on strike at every opportunity to get their outrageous pay deals, and robbing our hard earned taxpayers money, and that if they weren't basically on the doss at every opportunity they wouldn't have the alleged problems in the health service that they claim exist.
That was not by me, the vast majority of health workers give more than value for money. They dont need a Troskyist albatross turning people off.
How is this group getting on or has it been put back on the shelf?
Answer: Tee Hee was right, it was a one-off recruitment-front-of-the-week campaign. To those who say "at least the SWP are doing something" - all they are doing is pissing people off and making them cynical about such community campaigns.