Saturday, March 13, 2010

Hillingdon Local Government UNISON AGM - “Why you should be a Pension rep”

This is a bit late but playing catch up on a few things tonight. Earlier this month I was invited to attend this AGM as a guest speaker on becoming a local government pension rep. Following campaigning nationally by UNISON there is pressure to increase representation of trade union reps on local pension panels and committees. Hillingdon Council have offered an extra seat on its panel (currently they have one). This of course falls short of the UNISON demand for 50% representation but is a start.

My main theme was that it is absolutely imperative that we have trade union members on pension bodies in order to defend the local government pension scheme. We need to make sure that all schemes are properly run and the only real way of doing so is to make sure that we have effective representation by those whose money (deferred pay) it is in the first place. I was pleased that one member did at the end “express an interest” to become a rep.

I really enjoy visiting London region branches and would welcome the opportunity to visit any London branch meetings to make the case for pension reps.

I was also allowed to brief the meeting on the Notting Hill Housing Trust strike on Monday.  Which the branch secretary offerred to send a message of support.

My fellow East London Labour Party loyalist and blogger mucker, Dave Osler, will be pleased that in the collage is a picture of Hillingdon UNISON member and local MP John McDonnell who was also at the meeting!  I had to go before his Parliamentary report to the meeting.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

We may seriously differ with Comrade mcDonnells support for cults in UNISON
but no one would disagree hes a good local MP

Anonymous said...

well, I do