When Workers Occupied Their Hospital

In recent months we have again seen doctors take to the picket lines in struggles over pay. In the 1970s against the backdrop of a wave of cuts and closures, hospital workers took action to try and save their worplaces. Workers took action at Whitechapel Hospital, Bethnal Green Hospital and Brookwood Mental Health hospital. But at the forefront of this struggle was the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Women's Hospital, where workers staged a ’work-in’ where they occupied the hospital, keeping it running themselves for 22 months. The campaign ultimately succeeded in winning the hospital many reprieves and eventually saving the hospital from closure in 1979.

Here we republish several articles from the time, first published in Workers Action, the forerunner of Solidarity, the newspaper of Workers' Liberty.

Workers Action No.37 November 1976
WORKERS TAKE OVER AT THREATENED HOSPITAL

Hospital Workers at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital in North London occupied the site on Monday 15th November in protest at the proposed closure of the hospital.

The decision to occupy has been taken early on by the Joint Shop Stewards Committee to prepare for the closure when it comes. They explain in their Manifesto: "It may be now that the Area Health Authority officers will act arbitrarily to close the hospital, as they closed the EGA Maternity Home. The staff are extremely frustrated that the case for maintaining the EGA has never yet been adequately examined by the authorities, and that all kinds of tricks have been tried to disown and dishonour this unique women's hospital."

All of the workers in the hospital — covered by eleven unions — are supporting the occupation, and very importantly support is also coming from other local hospitals — the Royal Free, University College Hospital, the Whittington, Queens' Square and Maida Vale, some of which are only waiting for the axe to fall on their.heads as well.

During the occupation a 24 hour picket is being maintained and the hospital is continuing to run as usual, with one big difference —the workers themselves are running the hospital and taking all decisions. There is some friction between management and the workers as the workers are starting to assert their own interests — for example they have withdrawn one of the workers from the project which was working out the move of the hospital.

Aware that the rundown and closure of the EGA and other hospitals are just a part of the massive cuts in social spending being made by the Labour Government, the EGA sent a huge 2000-strong contingent on the national demonstration on the 17th against all cuts in social spending.

The work-in and occupation will continue until the Secretary of State for Health and the Area Health Authority enable the hospital to continue on its present site, by repairing the lift and undertaking needed maintenance. The workers need messages of support and donations.

Marian Mound

Workers Action No.39 December 1976

The Work-in and occupation to prevent the closure of the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson hospital for women is continuing. The health service is running as normal, with the workers monitoring those entering and leaving the hospital, ready to stop any equipment being moved out.

David Ennals [Labour Health Minister] has announced that the remaining in-patients should be moved to the Whittington Hospital by the end of the year. The EGA workers are demanding the Area Health Authority and the DHSS should enable the hospital to continue on its present site by mending the lifts and carrying out the necessary repairs.

This Saturday, December 11th, the EGA joint stewards' committee have called a conference to discuss the occupation and how to fight hospital cuts throughout London. All organisations of health workers and the broader labour movement are invited to send representatives at: The New Ambassadors Hotel (The Gold Room), Upper Woburn Place, London WC1 (11am to 4pm).

With 120 hospitals threatened in London alone, it is vital to support this occupation.

Workers Action No.40 December 1976
HOSPITAL WORK-IN GAINS SUPPORT

67 hospitals across London are known to be due for the chop, and the number increases daily, a shop steward and health worker from Greenwich told the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson [EGA] hospital support conference on Saturday 11th December. The Department of Health and Social Security proposes to rationalise the service so that we are left with just 20 inner London hospitals out of 150.

The EGA — a unique hospital, staffed by women, for women patients — is scheduled for closure. The Minister involved, Ennals, has commented: "The EGA never really taken it seriously. It's just an issue for cranks and lesbians".

Both local Labour MPs, Lena Jeger and Jock Stallard, have failed to support the fight against the closure. But, by occupying the hospital, the EGA workers have shown they realised the only way to stop the closure was to take things into their own hands. They have been told they must be housed temporarily at the Whittington, in wards of a lower standard, and are turning this down.

One of the consultants from the EGA pointed out that the DHSS had gone back on the promise made by Barbara Castle (then Health Minister) in March, to find the hospital another site, and that the authorities have no intention of find-ing EGA another place.

The conference also heard of the cuts elsewhere — and the fightbacks elsewhere.

Colin Kenny, from St Mary's Hospital joint shop stewards' comm-ittee, the NHS advisory service of ASTMS, and Westminster Trades Council, pointed out that closures in his area closure of Joyce Grove, Princess Beatrice, and two acute wards of St Charles, among others, are called by the DHSS a 'standstill'.

From Hounslow there was a report of a campaign committee, linked to shop stewards' committees, to defend the three hospitals in the area. 400 health workers have marched through the High Street against the cuts.

Another important move is the conference organised on 23rd February 1977 for all London shop stewards in the health service.

But one thing that did not come out clearly from the conference was whether or not the EGA campaign was organising a workers' cooperative — or an occupation under workers' control. It was disturbing that, with all the talk of workers' control, the workers themselves are having to solve many of the problems that are not their responsibility, but the Area Health Authority's. For instance, when the heating broke down, the EGA workers got in their own engineer to repair it against the instructions of the AHA.

It was a victory in that the authorities could no longer use the heating as an excuse to close down the hospital. It will be a victory if the money is found and the lift is repaired, it will be a victory if £1,000 is found to replace the tube that has gone in the X-ray machine. But for how long can the EGA workers solve these head-aches themselves?

The conference, in an amendment moved to the main resolution, called for an immediate injection of funds into the NHS, and for a scrapping of the Rourke report, which bases the cuts in London on a reallocation from “overprovided" areas of London, hypothetically to worse-off districts.

The amendment also called for all NHS unions and all other unions to organise a day of all-London strike action against the closures.

The problem with this part of the amendment was that only some of the 80 people present at the conference were delegates. The conference lacked the authority to send repres-entatives back to stewards' committees, trade unions, and so on to organise such a day of action.

Part of the resolution called for the conference committee to explore the possibility of a full delegate conference in the New Year. This should be built for now, and the call for all-London strike action should go out from that conference. The 11th December conference recognised that it is vital that health workers go out and win the support of industrial workers in their fight against the cuts.

The EGA campaign can be contacted at 30 Camden Rd, London NW1, where it meets every Tuesday night at 6.30pm. Pickets and resolutions of support are needed.

Marian Mound

Workers Action no.42 Jan 1977
EGA LEADS LONDON HOSPITALS FIGHT

The schedueled date of closure for the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson women's hospital in Camden, North London, is now less than one month away.

The Area Health Authority have said they will begin moving equipment out on 28th January, in preparation for closure on 15th February — and they might try a surprise move at an earlier date. The EGA workers, who have occupied their hospital and intend to continue running it themselves, need support for mass pickets on those dates. They are also organising a 'Save the EGA' delegate conference on 12th February.

Their determination to resist has been strengthened by reports of the wards being prepared at Whittington Hospital to receive the EGA patients. Large rats are still to be seen there, even though the rat holes have been cemented up.

The weakest point in the EGA workers' campaign is, however, the lack of support from trade unionists at Whittington Hospital. The principal union there, the GMWU, are refusing to black work on the wards being prepared for EGA patients.

Mary Corbishley

The Elizabeth Garrett Anderson struggle is the spearhead of a sharpening situation over the cuts In London Hospitals.

• Workers at the Prince of Wales hospital in Tottenham, North London, had a half-day strike and demonstration on Monday January 10th, against the run-down and threatened closure of the hospital.

• At St Bartholomew's teaching hospital, 500 ancillary workers went on strike last week, and were supported by Industrial action from other hospitals. When three porters were suspended after refusing to carry patients' files, which is not their job. The porters have now been reinstated. New rotas for kitchen staff and porters, which would have meant the work-ers losing £6-£12 a week in over-time pay, have been withdrawn by the hospital administration.

• At St Marks Hospital, which supported the action at St Bartholomew's, the ancillary workers are refusing to serve private patients In protest against the closure of a NHS ward.

• And in East London: All outpatients in the area are being closed, with the exception of the East Ham Memorial Hospital, where they are shutting down two wards. There was a promise of a new hospital at Woodside, which was used as an excuse for shutting down the children's hospital at Balaam Street. Needless to say, Woodside has not been built yet. Poplar Hospital has been closed for two years. Plaistow Maternity Home is getting the chop, and the Seaman's Hospital has only two wards left. The nurses at Plaistow Maternity Home were told by the hospital management that if they went to any public meetings about hospital closures, the public would not take kindly if they protested, and anyway it would spoil their 'career prospects'. The decision to close Plaistow was sprung on them, they were being played off against the staff at Forest Gate maternity, which was also under threat. Now Forest Gate is the only maternity hospital in Newham.

Workers Action no.44 Feb 1977

At the Tribunal on Abortion Rights last Saturday, 29th January, Pam Jones, shop steward at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson women's hospital in North London spoke on the effects of the cuts in the NHS. She said that 300 abortions per year could no longer be performed at the EGA because of the Area Health Authority's refusal to repair the lift, and that plans to open day care abortion facilities have been stopped. The EGA has been occupied since 15th November, to prevent the AHA's plans to close it being carried out. Previously the AHA had said they would move out equipment on 28th January, In preparation for closure on 15th February. But last Thursday they backed down, and have extended their ultimatum for another eight weeks. In that time, they say, they will Improve the wards at the Whittington hospital, where they intend to move EGA patients.

Certainly it is about time the AHA did something about the conditions of some of the antiquated wards at the Whittington hospital. But that should not be used as an excuse for closing the EGA!

The EGA workers are calling for support for the "Save the EGA" conference on 12th February.

Workers Action no. 110 July 1978
EGA "WE STAY OPEN"

Workers at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson women's hospital in North London are determined to resist the latest scheme for the closure of their hospital.

In response to a Government ultimatum setting the closure for July 21st, the EGA Action Committee decided in May to step up their picket line. At a special meeting called on 5th June by the London Division branch secretaries of NUPE (the main hospital workers' union) it was decided to call strike action in all London hospitals in support of the EGA.

Health Minister Ennals then proposed another stay of execution, the fifth so far. A 'working party' should be set up.

The last 'working party' Ennals set up decided to remove the patients from the EGA to the Whittington hospital! The only representation on it from the EGA workers was two doctors. Ennals refused to allow union members to be represented on the grounds that it would be "too cumbersome".

EGA shop steward Arthur Churchley told Workers' Action: "This time the EGA want at least 50% represent-ation on this new working party". But, he said,

"we will not take part in the working party unless the disciplinary action that has been imposed on five ambulance men from the Emergency Beds Service is withdrawn". Five workers were disciplined for taking patients to the EGA against health authority instruction. "Ennals promised that the action would be withdrawn. It wasn't, and the workers received formal warnings". If any of the five receives two more warnings, he will be dismissed.

On 4th July there is to be a mass picket outside the EGA by EGA work-ers, going on to march to the Houses of Parliament. They will be joined by hospital workers from Hemel Hempstead who are demanding new premises in place of their present post-World War 2 Nissen huts.At nine o'clock the same evening there will be a torchlight vigil in memory of the birth of the NHS in 1948. The EGA will carry a coffin, and there will be torchlight vigils at eight other London hospitals, and in Manchester, Oxford, and Cardiff.

As Arthur Churchley says, "No matter what happens, no matter what the decision of the working party, this hospital stays open".

Fran Brodie