On Tuesday evening we held an informal Zoom WFTC. 12 delegates joined in, and 2 wanted to, but couldn’t connect.
So here a few notes for your information.
Len Hockey Unite Sec for Bart’s Trust led off with a graphic description of the situation in Whipps Cross. He outlined how 30 years of neo-liberal polices had left the hospital in a woeful position to react to this crisis, with privatisation, outsourcing, marketization of everything, and the casualization of jobs.
His main worry was the scarcity of PPE. Although PPE is arriving, it’s not necessarily reaching some wards. Every discipline is scrambling around. Some days the full kit is there, other days it’s not; some workers are, understandably, holding onto “expired” masks for several days. He compared it to a game of musical chairs, and sometimes you are the one left standing!
All staff, though never flinching in their duty of care, are worried for their patients, for themselves, and for their families. There is fear, also anger and, unfortunately, some demoralisation. All NHS workers appreciate immensely the weekly applause from local residents. It’s great. However, Len asked the Trades Council if we could do something to invite trade unionists and local residents to also put some further pressure on the Trust to get adequate PPE, and the training that goes with the wearing of PPE.
At root it is the incompetence of this Tory government and the total inadequacy of this capitalist system that is to blame. Ordinary people have shown their willingness to help by raising money, delivering food, volunteering in a myriad of ways. More importantly for us, workers have shown they can win safer conditions through collective struggle.
In the discussion it was noted that there were other workplaces in the borough where workers were struggling to get PPE including firefighters, lecturers and bus workers.

We agreed to
1. Launch a local petition to increase the pressure on Bart’s Trust to ensure PPE for all workers, along with the proper training.
2. Convene a Zoom WFTC meeting open to all trade unionists and local residents in about two weeks’ time to discuss ideas on
“How to help our heroes at Whipps get proper PPE”.
3. Draw up a WFTC poster that people can print off and put in windows; and to circulate posters from organisations and campaigns that defend NHS
4. Develop our WFTC website to show real examples of where workers have won through action and struggle in their unions.