Invitation to Sheffield Save Our NHS AGM

A message from "Sheffield Save Our NHS"(SSONHS) Chair, our very own, Mick Suter. SSONHS "are a grassroots movement of people from all walks of life. We also strongly oppose the creeping privatisation of the NHS by successive governments". We should encourage similar groups in Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster!

"Dear Supporters,

All welcome and please circulate to friends, colleagues, workmates, flat mates and family.

INVITE TO SHEFFIELD SAVE OUR NHS (SSONHS)   ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING WEDNESDAY  on 10TH MARCH 7pm  ZOOM MEETING

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83146223801?pwd=ZTVkeDRTOU9adFFOaW52U3RLSndwUT09

Meeting ID: 831 4622 3801

Passcode: 909123

Discussion:

ONE YEAR ON FROM THE START OF THE PANDEMIC

LESSONS FOR THE NHS

Speakers:

Mike Forster - Co Chair Health Campaigns Together

Holly Johnson - Nurses United and Sheffield NHS workers say No

Care Worker – TBA

Covid deaths have gone over 100,000, and the UK has recorded the highest per capita death toll in the world. The endless squeezing of NHS staff pay and conditions has led to enormous staff shortages and now, as the pandemic reaches new heights, 46,000 hospital staff are off sick with Covid-19. The shocking deaths in care homes, now recorded as over 25000, and the incompetent Government response in sending care patients back to homes and lack of PPE must not be forgotten or forgiven.

Millions more have been thrust into poverty during the pandemic. The misery of the pandemic clearly isn't universal. Oxfam calculates that the combined wealth of the ten wealthiest men in the world increased by £400 billion from mid-March to the end of 2020 - more than enough to vaccinate everyone in the world against Covid and reverse the increase in poverty it has caused!

The total wealth of billionaires hit £8.8 trillion in December - the same amount the G20 governments have spent on Covid recovery. What are the lessons of the pandemic on the NHS?  Did this have to happen? How do we respond to the future of the NHS? The Tory Government in February has proposed a draft white paper to reorganise the NHS in England - What are these plans ? What does it mean for the staff and public who rely on the NHS? Come along and discuss these important issues.

ALL WELCOME

The SSONHS  Annual General Meeting will also receive reports on our activities for the past year and elect the officers for the next year.

AGM AGENDA

7pm - ONE YEAR ON FROM THE START OF THE PANDEMIC - LESSONS FOR THE NHS

8.30PM – OFFICER ELECTIONS AND REPORTS

9.00PM – CLOSE

ELECTION OF OFFICERS

We will be electing 4 officer positions – CHAIR, SECRETARY, TREASURER AND PRESS/MEDIA SECRETARY. If you would like to be considered for any of these positions please send your nomination to mickpsuter@gmail.com by 5pm Monday 8th March.  If no nominations are received for any position, we will take nominations from the floor of the AGM."

Rotherham Socialist Party Support the GMB Union and Striking Engineers.

Last night, Del Mansell of the GMB (General Municipal Boilermakers" Union) representing striking British Gas Engineers in Rotherham, spoke at our meeting to outline what they were striking about, how the campaign was going and to answer any questions about how they could be supported.

What he told us about what British Gas were trying to do beggared belief, and he was quick to point out that if the company were succesful, it would not be end with British Gas; other companies are certainly watching, waiting to implement similiar policies.

Engineers are facing 'fire and rehire' policies and were presented with an ultimatum to agree to terms, and accordingly voted to strike:

GMB Strikers in Wickersley

"The strike ballot of GMB members returned an overwhelming 89% vote in favour of industrial action. Alongside the 4,500 service and repair gas engineers being called out on to strike will be 600 central heating installers, 540 electrical engineers, 170 specialist business gas engineers, and 1,700 smart metering engineers."(1)

Del echoed what had been reported recently in The Socialist, regarding the incompetence and arrogance of British Gas management.

He was eager for any help from the public, stressing the importance of sharing Social Media posts as widely as possible (especially using hashtags #stopthebritishgasfire #nowayoshea), showing public support for the striking workers in anyway and said that we would be welcome to join the pickets to show support and solidarity, "even if it's just for half an hour".

Members of Sheffield SP branch have managed to get to the pickets in Rotherham, where they first met Del, and the ongoing dispute with British gas continues to be followed in The Socialist.

(1) The Socialist 6/1/2021

TUSC Local Elections Conference

A few bits from the last few weeks:

TUSC LOCAL ELECTIONS CONFERENCE

Hannah S (T), Clive H (M), Pete M (B)

Last Sunday saw the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition Local Elections conference.

Around 550 (reportedly peaking at around 575) people joined the TUSC conference, to hear opening
remarks from Jared Wood (RMT), Hannah Sell (Socialist Party), Clive Heemskerk (TUSC National Steering Committee), Pete McLaren (TUSC individual Members Rep) and a representative from the Resistance Movement.

Many contributions came from the floor, and many more weren't able to speak because of time constraints, even though most comments were able to stick to a 3 minute time limit!

Around a dozen SY/SP members attended the meeting.

The general feeling was that although TUSC doesn't aim to be THE new working class party, the current 'post-Corbyn' political situation really presented a chance for TUSC to be deeply involved in the process of winning political representation of ordinary working class folk, and the elections in May were seen to be a major and important step for the development of the movement. 

More reports are sure to follow, but the agenda and propsed amendments to the draft core policy platform can all be found online.

Branch report 3/2/2021

Last Wednesday's meeting was due to be introduced by a speaker reporting back from the national women's meeting, but unfortunately was not able to attend the meeting at the last minute. Another member of the branch had attended a talk given by the original speaker and was able to stand in on her behalf and kick off a good discussion.

More general discussions about TUSC in the second half of the meeting, and a reminder for all possible to attend the TUSC conference on Sunday 7th.

TUSC/SP at RMT Doncster meeting.

On Monday 1st Feb, SP members were given the opportunity to address Doncaster RMT as TUSC representatives and to try and build up links.

We were received warmly, and although there weren't many questions or contributions from members present, the chair did express interest and a willingness to offer any help asked for, allowing it is sanctioned by the National Executive.

"If you think bus and rail services are crap, sign our petition to take them back!"

Over the next few weeks, we'll be posting bits and pieces about what we've done over the past years. This week, an article from one of Rotherham's own that appeared in The Socialist early last year (2020).

"The actions of these profiteering companies have direct consequences on people's lives. They neither realise nor care about this as long as the shareholders are in pocket.

We say take them back."

https://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/1070/30148/22-01-2020/if-you-think-bus-and-rail-services-are-crap-sign-our-petition-to-take-them-back

TUSC South Yorkshire Public Meeting report.

This week, SY SP branch joined the public meeting of the SY TUSC (Trade Unionist & Socialist Coalition; an anti-cuts and socialist electoral alliance involving the RMT transport union and Socialist Party and others). TUSC has recently recommenced electoral activity after suspending it in 2018 so as to not muddy the water under Corbyn’s Labour leadership.(1)

In view of developments in the Labour Party, TUSC is now holding meetings at National, Regional and Local levels to organise the campaigning for the May 2021 elections. (2)

The online meeting was attended by around 55 people, who heard Dave Nellist (TUSC Chair), Gaz Jackson (RMT Nat. Exec. Yorks & Lincs.), Chris Williamson (ex-Labour MP, now representing the Resistance movement, that has affiliated to TUSC) and the thoughts and contributions of SY Trade Unionists, Socialists and community activists.

Gaz Jackson (L)
with RMT Humber Shipping Branch

Gaz Jackson, a guard on Trans-Pennine trains, opened the discussion, with expressions of enthusiasm. He commented that ‘it is an honour to have an association with an organisation that wants to fight cuts’ and that having the ‘support or like-minded people is very, very important’. While praising Corbyn, Gaz continued that despite Corbyn’s best efforts, ‘he can’t do it on his own’.

Gaz also reported that his regional areas and branches therein receive regular news and updates about TUSC from Jared Wood (RMT Nat. Exec. representative on TUSC steering Committee). He also went on to say that the RMT are prepared and willing to support TUSC candidates, and he encouraged appeals for financial support from the union, indicating that it would be forthcoming if approved at the National Executive level.

Reporting on the specific problems facing RMT members, he warned of a ‘tsunami’ of situations where workers will be ‘scapegoated’, by being forced to pay for the mess made by Covid with their jobs, indicating that the RMT represents not only Rail workers, but Bus and Ferry workers, mentioning the recent announcements about the Ferry routes from Hull being scrapped.

He warned that we all need to be prepared, and that there was more trouble in the pipeline.

Next Dave Nellist gave his comments. Discussing the coming period in which the government would be seeking to ‘recoup the COVID spending’ and the cuts which would inevitably materialise, he said that this would be ‘the backbone of the May elections’. Labour councils have been cutting and it is Labour councils that will be filing for bankruptcy, citing Croydon and Northampton Councils (amongst others) as examples.

Dave Nellist TUSC Chair (C)

Dave drew attention to the fact that the Tories have and will carry out massive cuts, and these will only deepen because they were ‘picking up on the signals’ from the Trade Unions and the Labour that the government would receive no opposition.

He went on to point out that after the 2008 financial crash, it was recognised that there was a ‘crisis if Working Class political representation’, which lead eventually to the setting up of TUSC.

Calling on the unions, he put forward the idea that the unions should call a general conference to discuss Working Class political representation, and to include in those discussion Socialists from both within and outside the Labour Party, noting the mass resignations from Labour membership and where these ex-Labour supporters might go next.

Reporting to the meeting that TUSC had decided, that very day in a steering committee meeting earlier, to adopt policies from Corbyn's 2019 election manifesto that can be implemented by councils if they wanted to, he urged that no councillor, from any branch of the establishment, who is committed to cuts, should go unopposed in local elections.

Chris Williamson

After a few contributions from the audience, Chris Williamson of the Resistance movement (4) was able to join the meeting. Unsurprisingly, he had little more than scorn for the Labour Party, commenting that if the Labour Left had strongly fought the smears and back-stabbing against the leader and other left MPs (such as himself) then in Winter 2019 we could have had a Corbyn premiership and a left Labour government. He likened his own suspension from the Labour party (of which he had been a member for 44 years) as ‘a bereavement’.


He went on the suggest that with these actions and others, such as the undermining of the grassroots membership at the national conference, Labour had lost it’s chance to change itself into a party of it’s membership, that is, of the Working Class. He also commented that TUSC could act as a ‘lifeboat’ for all the disgruntled, and now politically-homeless, ex-Labour party members.

Chris then appealed for unity of the Left, saying it was essential if TUSC were to make electoral gains, and that we should attempt to focus on those things that we agree on and unite us. He also went on the say that TUSC should not be about elections only: “People let you down in politics”, so we’d need strong grassroots campaigning and a structure in TUSC that could recall wayward MPs and councillors.

In a similar vein to Dave, Chris suggested that Trade Unions urgently need to discuss ‘defunding and disaffiliating’ from Labour. Now, he said, after Corbyn and the mess in the Labour Party, we have an opportunity to build something big, to build hope and consciousness in the Working Class.

The meeting ending with announcements about the National TUSC Local Election Conference (7^th Feb 2021), and an invitation to anyone interested in being a candidate or being on the SY steering committee to get in touch with TUSC or affiliated groups.

(1) https://www.tusc.org.uk/17409/08-11-2018/tusc-suspends-electoral-activity-national-steering-committee-statement

(2) https://www.tusc.org.uk/17410/04-09-2020/back-at-work-tusc-to-stand-in-elections-again-against-pro-austerity-politicians

(3) https://www.rmt.org.uk/about/branch-directory/yorks-and-lincs-branch-directory/?preview=true

(4) https://www.resistmovement.org.uk/

2021 Update on Rotherham SP Branch.

In mid 2019, Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster Socialist Party branches merged temporarily into the South Yorkshire Branch, on the grounds that each branch had not been at full strength for some time and it was felt by members of each branch that joint meetings, with more people in attendance, would be more useful and inspiring.

Since March 2020, we have moved to online zoom meetings, apart from a brief spell in the summer when physical meetings were still possible.

Over the past few months in particular, we have had some really good meetings, and have seen a lot of new faces. So far in 2020 at least 12 participants have joined the discussion each week, and non-SP members have been welcome and encouraged to contribute.

Meeting topics for the coming weeks have yet to be agreed, but there will be reports from the Women's meeting, the Youth meetings, and discussions around organising for the May elections.

Obviously campaigning is limited to online activity for the most part, but standing TUSC candidates in the local elections in May will probably be the main project we will be working on together, with more localised TUSC public meetings being planned to try and bring other groups and activist into the coalition.

Swinton Comp. Strike report.

Report from the Rotherham NUT picket lines at Swinton comprehensive school Tuesday 17th April, by Alistair Tice.

Two dozen teachers at Swinton Comprehensive School, near Rotherham, members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) took one day strike action on Tuesday 17th April, to oppose compulsory redundancies.

Mirroring last year's dispute at Rawmarsh Community School in Rotherham, previous serious financial mismanagement compounded by budget cuts resulted in a £800,000 deficit last year. The new Head announced a "robust recovery plan" this January which included a staff restructure which had the potential for eight teachers to lose their jobs.

Through going part-time etc, ie taking a cut in hours and therefore pay, 7 teachers have avoided redundancy, but the Head still wants to get rid of the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) whose work will be shared by other teachers for no extra pay.

So the NUT members voted by 93% in favour of strike action which began on Tuesday. A few teachers have left the union but more, about ten have joined.

The school, a secondary, was closed for the day, but pickets still braved the wet and windy weather at both gates in the morning, getting press and radio coverage.

Significantly, Chris Cooksey, the school NUT rep, who was first at the picket line, was approached at the school gate by the Head who suggested that they, face to face, could sort this out. Whilst there'll be no closet meetings, hopefully this means that the strike, and threat of more, will force the Head to back down and withdraw the compulsory redundancy.

Please send messages of support to Chris at ccooksey@swinton.rotherham.sch.uk