Reinstate Karen Reissmann! Manchester Mental Health Workers' Strike Update

The strike in defense of Karen Reissmann, suspended for leading a union fight against cuts, is continuing with two days of strike action, Wednesday and Thursday, this week and further strike action planned. This is a strike the whole labor movement should support because it is about defending an activist who is defending the NHS and winning it would strengthen us all.

Karen was suspended from her post as community psychiatric nurse on charges of bringing the trust into disrepute because she said, on various platforms, quoted in various media, that cuts in the NHS are wrong and should be opposed. For this and this alone she has been suspended. The Trust obviously has no issue with her work because on the same day she was suspended she received formal notification of a promotion!

Pickets at the MRI site on a cold September morning were lively and determined with passing traffic and pedestrians offering their support.

Wining this strike would send an important message to the privatising bullies trying to push through market reforms not just in the NHS but in social care, local government and education and it would send a message of strength to all workers- union action can win and we will defend our own.

It is essential that we get this message out wide and clear across the whole labour movement and workplaces and continue to bombard the union branch with messages of solidarity, copies of protests sent to the trust and to MPs, ministers and newspapers, invites to speak at meetings and most of all money.

If you have not done so before raise this at your workplace, write personal messages of solidarity and donations, collect and send donations from your work mates, fellow students, neighbours, raise it in your union branch or campaign. If you have done some or all of these things do them again!

“The Trust have handled this really badly and compromised patient care,” said one of the strikers, “We feel there is some movement in government on this, with a real possibility we can win if we keep pressing home our advantage. That’s why we must have a big push on getting support from the wider movement. We need your help and support!”

E-mail protests to sheila.foley@mhsc.nhs.uk
Sheila Foley,
Chief Executive,
Manchester Mental Health & Social Care Trust,
Trust HQ,
Chorlton House
70 Manchester Road
Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Manchester
M21 9UN
Send copies to and messages of support to unison @zen.co.uk, webmaster@ reinstate-karen.org and karen@ reinstate-karen.org

Thu 27, September 2007 @ 10:59