Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th January 2025 in Bristol
We are militant healthcare workers, largely employed in the NHS, and we see our work as a vital area of struggle for creating both better healthcare and a better world. We think that creating this new world has organising at work as a fundamental part of what we need to do.
We need to collectively break through the isolation we have as individual workers, so we can reflect on our potential to create strength, solidarity and struggle across different Trusts, hospitals, workplaces, bands, departments, and professions.
We also have to develop our own organisations that we can use to direct our own struggles and stay independent from parliamentary parties and trade unions.
Exchange and discussion between us workers is paramount so we invite you to a gathering over the weekend of Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th of January 2025 in Bristol, the actual venue and accommodation will be announced nearer the time.
Let us know by mid-December if you are interested in attending the meeting and if you have suggestions regarding its content. Below you can find a draft agenda, but we are open for changes and other suggestions.
Contact us at: vitalsignsmag@proton.me
In solidarity!
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Draft Agenda
*** Saturday
Introductions
- Who are we and where do we work?
- What are the main issues / conflicts there?
- Have there been any collective / trade union actions recently?
What could a national network of militant health workers do?
- What are existing networks, e.g. NHS Workers Say No?
- What could we do together as a new network & how could we collaborate?
Presentation of Vital Signs project
- Friends from Bristol present their health workers magazine (Vital Signs) which they circulate at two local hospitals.
Discussion: Can medicine be cured?
- Ideas of the book and critique of the perspective.
Previous health workers’ struggles & lessons from them?
- Some short films about historical health workers struggles (1970s Italy, 19902 Germany and France, 2020s Germany, USA & UK) plus possibly a Zoom talk and discussion from nurses in the US and Germany.
Social and meal out in the evening
*** Sunday
Discussion on the current moment in the NHS
- What are the main tendencies currently?
- How do we see the Darzi report and changes planned by the new government?
- Militarisation of the NHS: what is the role of health work in global wars?
- Where do we see potential for future workers’ actions?
Making collective plans
- Ideas for main research and interviews?
- Common leaflet / blog etc.?
- Another meeting?
- Other ideas?
