Health workers in east London get organised at work to take on the racists

Health workers in east London are organising to take the fight against racism into their workplaces.

A new Stand Up To Racism workplace group at Mile End hospital is getting an echo among people who are new to politics.

Salma is one of the health workers who came to the group’s organising meeting in the hospital canteen last Wednesday.

“I’ve only been involved for around two months, I didn’t think of myself as political or active before,” she told Socialist Worker.

“But with all that’s happening, I wanted to see what I and the group could do.”

Splinter

Theresa May’s refusal to guarantee European Union (EU) migrants’ rights is a big issue for health workers. Goulshana, another health worker, said. “The NHS is already starting to splinter with privatisation and if we got rid of migrants it would totally go.”

The experience of people from across the world working alongside one another is an opportunity to build unity.

As Salma said, “In the NHS we work with people from all sorts of backgrounds and we live alongside people from many parts of the world.”

Workplace meetings like this can help build people’s confidence to take on racism.

Goulshana said, “Something like this can make you feel like you can make a difference.”

Health workers plan stalls in the canteen and one at Mile End Tube station as part of SUTR’s day of action this Wednesday.