MORE than 25,000 angry workers, trade unionists, youth and local residents marched through Lewisham in south-east London on Saturday, determined to stop the closure of the much-needed Lewisham Hospital.
At the rally in Mountsfield Park at the end of the march there were huge cheers in response to calls from the leader of the Fire Brigades Union, a senior Unite official and the leader of the North East London Council of Action, for a policy of occupying to stop closures.
Fire Brigades Union General Secretary Matt Wrack said: ‘We are facing exactly the same struggle in the fire service as you are facing in the NHS.
‘We face 12 fire station closures in London and more around the country.
‘Did this government build this hospital or these fire stations? No. They are not theirs to close. They are ours.
‘We are not going away. But we have to think what we are going to do now.
‘Back in the 1970s, when workers were facing similar attacks, they responded by taking over those hospitals and those fire stations. We have to do the same today.’
The government is planning to close the Accident and Emergency Department and Maternity Units at the Lewisham Hospital, as part of its £20 billion NHS cuts programme, and Health Secretary Hunt is set to ‘rubber stamp’ the closure decision this Friday.
Hundreds joined in the slogans ringing out from the delegation marching behind the South East London Council of Action banner – ‘Defend Lewisham Hospital – Occupy Now!’ and ‘Defend the NHS – Kick This Government Out!’
Lewisham Hospital workers and others spoke to News Line before the march set off.
Tamzin Bunton, a nurse at Lewisham Hospital, said: ‘Closure would be terrible for the local population, which is a population in need. It is unfair and unacceptable.’
Theresa Ross, a Unite member, said: ‘I work for Lewisham Healthcare and I’m very concerned about closure which would be devastating for the whole population.
‘Closure will have a terrible impact on services. We’ll have to stop it come what may.
‘I’ve worked at Lewisham for 41 years and will do whatever is needed to defeat this government. We are showing the way and the rest of the country will have to follow our lead.’
Jill Elmes, a Unison member who works for the Lewisham Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service, said: ‘All the unions should come together to defeat what this government is doing – privatisation through the back door of all public services.
‘We have to save Lewisham A&E.
‘There is a world of difference between an A&E and a minor injuries unit, which is what they propose to replace it with.’
Lucy and Andrea, Millwall FC press officers, were on the march with the club’s Lion Mascot.
They said: ‘The FA Cup match with Aston Villa, which was due to be played today, was played last night instead. When the suggestion was made to switch the game to Friday night the club fully supported it.
‘The club’s been supporting the campaign right from the off.
‘Lewisham is the hospital at the heart of our community.
‘Our players have been very supportive. They come and visit the children’s ward every Christmas and have done for years. They’ve been wearing “Save Lewisham A&E” t-shirts for the last two home games.
‘This campaign must succeed,’ they insisted as the huge march set off.
There were two enormous Unison balloons, the Greenwich GMB banner, hundreds of placards saying:
‘750,000 people – One A&E! Save Lewisham A&E and Maternity’. The South East London Council of Action banner said: ‘Hands off our Council Housing! No Hospital Closures! Keep Fire Stations Open!’
The London Region FBU banner was on the march, so was the SOAS Unison banner and the RMT European Passenger Services banner.
Sydenham GP Jim Sikorski, who was carrying the Lewisham BMA banner, told News Line: ‘Closure of the A&E would completely destroy the admitting part of the hospital, acute medical emergencies and acute surgical emergencies. It would also destroy training.
‘The trade unions are very well represented here today. They should all act together to defend public services.’
GMB Senior organiser Andy Prendergast said: ‘This is a really strong march with all the unions very well represented.
‘The concern is that the report calling for the closure of Lewisham A&E and Maternity will simply be rubber stamped by Hunt next Friday.
‘We are here to show that this will simply not be acceptable and this campaign will be escalated if necessary.
‘We have to look at every option and that will include industrial action and also more direct action.
‘The Tories said before the election they would protect the NHS. They have no mandate for these closures and we have every right to resist them in whatever way is necessary.’
Charlotte Thomas, from Lambeth Keep Our NHS Public, said: ‘The NHS was founded on the principle of free care at the point of need and it must be protected.
‘I fear that we are in danger of losing our NHS and going back to the days where if you don’t have money you don’t get treated.’
Emily Botterman, who was on the march with her daughter, ten-week-old Florence, said: ‘We had such good maternity care all the way through. The midwife services are absolutely excellent. At the birth, when things got a bit tricky, the response was amazing.’
Sarah and Ben Norris were on the march with their triplets, Dylan, Eve and Lola, who carried placards saying: ‘I’m a triplet born at Lewisham’.
Sarah said: ‘They came early and we had a lot of extra care. We were all out on the last march. This is a vital service we can’t allow to be cut.
‘I’m really angry. The PFI must be simply scrapped and thrown out. If they get their way here they will proceed with all the closures all over the country.’
John Stevens, from Peckham Fire Station, was carrying the London Region FBU banner. He said: ‘The threat to Lewisham Hospital is disgusting, yet another attack on a vital public service.
He added: ‘We are all furious that Mayor Johnson is choosing to ignore last week’s vote of the London Fire Authority. He says he is going to use his Mayoral authority to push the cuts through and close 12 London fire stations.
‘He’s being provocative. By closing any fire stations in London you are endangering the lives of members of the public. All public sector unions should get together to defend the Welfare State.’
Oliver Pereira, who was carrying the Lewisham NUT banner, said: ‘We sent a child to Lewisham A&E by ambulance only this week, with a playground injury.
‘We need joint action across the public sector, a general strike to defend the NHS, education and all public services.
‘All the struggles are linked up. We have to stop this closure.’
Penelope Jarrett, Secretary Lewisham Division BMA, said: ‘There are so many things going on.
‘The government is about to impose a disastrous new contract on GPs and there is huge concern about A&E closures.
‘We still need standard A&Es. I’m a GP and urgent care centres are no substitute.’
Chidi Ejimofo, Lewisham A&E Consultant, said: ‘The arguments for closure are based on false assumptions, but on a purely moral level it cannot be right to destroy a monumentally successful organisation because another one is said to be failing.
‘However, the financial arguments are a smokescreen, the point is, the closure would jeopardise lives and it must be stopped.’
A message of support was read out from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, condemning the ‘scandalous’ closure plans.
Lewisham Hospital Unison rep and deputy regional convenor, Conroy Lawrence said: ‘Many of our members are local residents as well as workers at the hospital, so they cannot accept closure.
‘The only people who want this hospital to close are the government.
‘We’ve got a clear message to them – we won’t stand by and let them close our hospital.’
Unite national officer Steve Turner said: ‘I was born at Lewisham Hospital 50 years ago, I live locally and my family relies on it.
‘I am speaking on behalf of over one million members of Unite and our General Secretary Len McCluskey and we are determined to ensure that Lewisham A&E and Maternity continues.
‘Our parents and grandparents fought for our Welfare State and our NHS will only exist as long as we are prepared to fight to defend it.
‘If it’s occupying that is necessary then we will support it.
‘There’s a sign on the side of Walworth Town Hall – “The health of the people is the highest law”.
‘That is what we believe and that is what we will fight for.’
Bill Rogers, Secretary of the North East London Council of Action, invited Lewisham marchers to join the Chase Farm march through Enfield this Saturday.
He said: ‘We have been fighting for six years at Chase Farm.
‘These hospital closures are all to do with the £20 billion of cuts this government is making in the NHS.
‘But this money is not being saved, it is all being handed over to the private sector.
‘Next Saturday, 2nd February, please come and join us on the march through Enfield.
‘Like the last speaker finished up on, occupations are the only way to stop these closures.’
The Save Lewisham Hospital Campaign said ‘At least 25,000 people turned out in the late January sunshine to give Secretary for State Jeremy Hunt a resounding message: “Save Lewisham Hospital and Save our NHS!”
‘The November march of 15,000 was held in the pouring rain – now this march produced towards double the numbers in an entirely peaceful protest and in an unequivocal show of support for Lewisham Hospital and the expert services it offers.
‘Proposals to demolish 60% of this Top 40 Hospital were collectively seen as nothing short of a ludicrous act of vandalism’.
Speakers included popular consultants Dr John O’Donogue and Dr Chidi Ejifomo who were joined by local musicians and Olympic drummers to beat out the message that spending millions to offer Lewisham people nothing but a two hour bus trip to the nearest A&E would cost lives as well as money.
MPs Dame Joan Ruddock and Heidi Alexander were there to explain that all SE London members of Parliament across the parties have told Hunt that to proceed with the plan would be ‘a pure act of folly, which would leave surrounding services under huge pressure – an expensive plan costing more than a £1billion which would needlessly cost lives as well as losing money.
‘Most people expect their government to be most interested in developing services which look after the country’s citizens, not turn them to rubble – and with that in mind a 200 foot petition was filled with signatures, ready to be presented in Whitehall on Wednesday morning along with the now approaching 50,000 signatures already received.’
Local rapper, Question, whose life was saved as a teenager premiered his new track ‘Sign Up!’ due for release on Monday and written in support of the campaign and with backing from the Lewisham NHS Healthcare Trust Choir and campaign members.
Campaign chair Dr Louise Irvine said: ‘This phenomenal show of support to an event we’ve planned in just three or four weeks shows just how deeply people care about the NHS as well as a growing understanding of the nonsense of this Kershaw Plan.’
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