‘EALING Hospital A&E and Maternity must not close and it’s a disgrace that the Labour candidate refuses to commit to this,’ Scott Dore, Workers Revolutionary Party candidate for Ealing Central and Acton said yesterday.
On Wednesday afternoon, the WRP Scott Dore campaign team was in central Acton, where the Labour Party was also handing out leaflets urging a vote for the Labour Party candidate Dr Rupa Huq.
The Labour leaflet stated: ‘Don’t let the Tories get away with closing our hospitals. The government has closed two local A&Es. They plan to close two more and our state-of-the-art maternity unit at Ealing Hospital.’
News Line asked Dr Huq if a Labour government would reverse the Tory policy of closing Ealing A&E and Maternity and Charing Cross Hospital A&E.
She replied: ‘We can’t say yes. We’ve been promised a review. Andy Burnham has told me that Labour will not reopen what’s closed already but anything that’s not closed can be reviewed.’
Her colleague, Ealing Labour Councillor Hitesh Tailor said: ‘One of the difficult things about the closure of the maternity is that GPs are already referring mothers elsewhere.’
Scott Dore told News Line: ‘I think it’s a disgrace that the Labour candidate has not come out and said they would stop the closure of the A&Es.
‘They say they are fighting for workers but they’re not. They are turning their backs and refusing to commit to anything.
‘It’s not acceptable. That’s why our campaign is to occupy to stop the closures and make the trade unions take action. We are getting tremendous support for this.’
In Acton town centre, people spoke out in support of the Vote WRP, Vote Scott Dore campaign.
BMA member, Dr Najib Ahmad told News Line: ‘The government are playing games with the NHS.
‘I strongly condemn the planned closures at Ealing and Charing Cross. The people have many needs.
‘Physical and mental health needs are increasing. There should be more hospitals, not less. I will vote for Scott.’
Childminder Mandy Smith said: ‘Apparently Ealing Council have got to save 92 million pounds next year, that means they’re going to cut everything for the working class.
‘The main issues in this election are health, hospitals, zero-hours contracts. My daughter, Jackie, was on one. She was paying 20 pounds a week for a travel card, having to get four buses a day, but she was only getting four to six hours a week.
‘These apprenticeships are a con too. They get the money from the government and then they get rid of you.’
The Vote WRP Scott Dore team was campaigning outside the closure-threatened west London hospital yesterday morning, and heard that another dispute is brewing with the privateer Medirest.
Last year 150 GMB members employed by Medirest took strike action against low pay and won an immediate £1 an hour pay rise along with the promise of a further £2 an hour rise on 1st April this year.
GMB member Mahmad told News Line: ‘Medirest promised they would give us a £2 pay rise from April 1st, and they and the NHS both signed a letter promising this. But they haven’t done so. The deadline was yesterday, 8th April, and the GMB has sent a letter asking what’s going on.
‘We are waiting for a meeting with the GMB and we will vote for strike action again if they don’t pay up.’
Scott said: ‘The Workers Revolutionary Party and Young Socialists fully supported the Medirest workers during their brilliant strike last year and we back them all the way today.
Nurse Sophia Moochi, a Unison member, told News Line: ‘Ealing Hospital must not close. With a high population nearby, this maternity and A&E are completely vital. If you close them you lose the whole hospital.’
Meanwhile, in Sheffield yesterday WRP candidate Mike Driver was out on the streets.
Sheffield Central constituency candidate Driver won support from shoppers in the city centre for a workers government to defend the NHS.
Maha Abdulrub said: ‘The Cameron government has cut so many things. I used to be able to study in English classes but now adult education has been cut.
‘They have also cut services at the hospital and at the social services department at Howden House – there are always big queues to use the telephone.’
