NEC Elections 2021: Community General
Seat & Female Seat Nomination Request
John
Gray Denise Thomas
24 January 2021
Dear Branch Secretary and Chair
Your branch is entitled to nominate
candidates to the two Community seats for this year’s National Executive
Council elections. We're asking that you put this
request to your community members for consideration - John Gray
for the General Seat and Denise Thomas for the Female seat.
We are standing on a platform to unite the leadership of the
union. Our new General Secretary needs unity in the National Executive
Committee not factions of politics fighting internally. A united leadership
will ensure UNISON concentrates on taking on the government making sure our
members don't pay for the cost of Covid and fighting their plans to divide
public service workers over the pay freeze. We can't do any of that if we don't
have unity in UNISON's leadership.
There's been a change this
year in how Community seats can be nominated to. This guarantees that members
of the Community Sector can have their say. Please ensure you consult with your
Community Sector members in time for your Branch Committee to nominate. Both of
us are more than willing to
attend (virtually) any hustings you may arrange with your community members to
decide upon your nomination.
Denise is currently the NEC member for
Community (Female seat). Her background is working
in the Voluntary and Community sector for the past 28yrs supporting adults
with learning disabilities and works for a national organisation. She holds Regional positions as Branch Black Members Officer and Welfare officer for
Ymlaen/Forward Cymru Wales.
John is also currently a NEC Community
member (General seat) and has been an activist in UNISON for many years and
held a number of different branch and regional positions. He works for a large
Housing Association and is its National Convenor. He is the former Branch
Secretary and Chair of the GLR Housing Associations Branch.
Denise has
served as a NEC member on Policy Development & Campaigns, Trustee for “there
for you”, Labour link. Branch Resource working group and International
Committee.
John has served as an NEC member on the Policy Development & Campaigns, Trustee on the UNISON staff pension fund, Chair of Investment Sub-Committee, National Labour link and Vice-Chair of the Industrial Action Committee.
Covid 19 Pandemic This past year has been the most difficult time in our lifetimes. AS NEC members we are so proud of our members for continuing to provide much needed public services and also UNISON activists and staff who have supported sometimes very frightened members and fought hard for adequate PPE and risk assessments. But the impact of the pandemic on our members physically and mentally can't be underestimated- proper support needs to be in place for those who got the country through the pandemic as we hopefully come out of this crisis
Austerity. All of us deserve decent wages and decent terms and conditions. Instead many of us are facing cuts in pay, reduced benefits and redundancies. Both of us as your NEC members will be working and campaigning even harder with branches and regions to oppose these measures. We believe that Community members must play our part in opposing further Covid related austerity.
Equalities: We welcome that public service employers have acknowledged systemic racism in their structures, procedures and in society. The pandemic has highlighted the health inequalities with women and Black communities impacted the hardest. UNISON should be leading campaigns to end the disgraceful health inequalities in this country and holding the government and employers to their commitment to end systemic racism. We also support the Community specific campaigns below:-
- Better funding & resources for
branches that support Community member who often work for small employers
and in isolated workplaces.
- No public money for “union
busters”. Any employer that does not have a union recognition
agreement should be barred from public grants or contracts
- Sector Wage Councils.
Set up to decide the pay and conditions of all staff by collective
bargaining including a real living wage minimum for all Community workers
and agency/sub-contractors.
- UNISON Ethical Care Charter.
All employers must be called upon to sign up.
- Better governance and
democracy. Many of our employer
management boards are unelected and unrepresentative.
- Defend Pensions. Protect
the Social Housing Pension fund and the Pension Trust from further cuts. A
decent defined benefit pension scheme for all.
- Better health & safety
at work in particular protecting members by supporting the UNISON “End
Violence at Work” charter.
- Recruit & train
more activists to support members
We believe that we both work together
well as your Community NEC team. While Denise’s employer is a charity, John’s
is a housing association, so we represent and complement both of the major
sectors in the Community Service Group.
You can contact Denise on denise_thomas2@msn.com
or John on john.gray2012@icloud.com.
Denise Thomas & John Gray
3 comments:
PART 1 of 2
May be the Unions can debate this one:
Since 5th January 2021, we have been in national lockdown. However, there are a number of people who still have to go to work.
In my opinion, all businesses should display outside their premises and on their web site, the number of staff who are and were infected with the virus.
Next time people order something on Amazon, they may like to know, the impact on staff.
How many times have we heard of infections at food processing plants, spreading like wildfire?
People in supermarkets, off license, chemists, banks, delivery vans, postal workers, police officers, medical workers, chemists, teachers, food production, diy stores, home stores, estate agents, public transport, social workers, opticians, cycle shops, builders, constructions worker, tradesmen still have to work despite the lockdown.....
A friend works in a bank. The branch manager told the staff, a colleague they work with, had tested positive for the virus. They became alarmed. The colleague had turned up to work, but rushed home, after his wife rang him to say she had the virus. He got himself tested. The infected colleague was at work, but had no symptoms. All the staff at the branch had some exposure to him. The staff are all worried, as they can spread it to their loved ones. The staff got a COVID test (even though it was n't company policy). They used the rapid test provided by local authorities. They were all clear. Whilst it was useful test, but it was too early, as the test needs to be done about after 5 to 6 days after exposure, as the virus has an incubation period. It is n't detectable by the test. No one knows when that is and it depends on exposure. The staff should be tested on a daily basis for 14 days.
The rapid test misses 60% of positive (based on mass testing in Liverpool). (See link below). This is another problem.
The staff assumed the bank would tell them to isolate for 9 to 14 days, as they had been in contact with a person who tested positive. Instead the staff were told, there is no need to self-isolate (unless they had symptoms) and no obligation to carry out mass testing of the staff. So the infected colleague, could have potentially passed it on to 10 - 12 other co-workers. These staff use public transport. They may potentially pass it on to other travellers. So how are cases going to come down and how do they bring the R number down?
My friend is worried, because any of his colleague could turn out to be positive next or himself. It is a time bomb. Not everyone has symptoms, when they have the virus.
PART 2 of 2
My friend tried to book a NHS COVID test (PCR test), which is more accurate (as it is lab based testing), but the website will not send a home testing kit or give an appointment for testing, unless people have symptoms. Why is n't there an option to say "been in contact with an infected person". The Government web site is blocking people who don't meet set criterias. The PCR test is more accurate then the rapid test. It seems absurd, people cannot get a test, if they have been in contact with someone with a virus, even if they are critical worker. The only option is a private paid for test.
Unless, my friend lies on the Government web site and claims they have a temperature, fever, loss of taste…. . They phoned NHS 119, to explain the situation, but could not get a PCR test organised.
NHS 119 was a farce, as the first advisor told them they should self-isolate. So legally they can't go to work, but they did n't receive anything in writing. They told their boss, they are not coming into work, but the boss did n't accept it. Then when they called NHS 119 for help, they said they don't need to self-isolate, as they were wearing masks at work. Who is right?
They contacted their Union, but it was n't much help. They quoted the company handbook.
When his bank told him, not to self-isolate and come into work the next day. He felt it was just like those soldiers in the Great War, when they were ordered to climb over the top in the face enemy fire.
The HSE and ACAS web site remain silent on what happens in a situation where a co-worker is infected.
It seems Critical workers (and their families) are free for the slaughter, where as Zoom workers (professionals) and others can stay at home safe. Why is n't there mass testing, to stop the spread for those on the Critical list?
The Bank maintains their workplace is COVID secure. They were told, they should be fine, because they were wearing masks (most masks on sale are not medical grade).
No one from NHS Track and Trace called any of the staff. If they had been called, staff would have been legally ordered to stay at home.
Workers are falling through the cracks.
It has made me re-think about the people who work in supermarkets and elsewhere, who may still have to come to work despite a colleague getting infected. They are paying the price for the rest of us. My friend at his bank said, some customers came in for trivial matters, for which they don't need to visit the branch. For some, it was a day out.
This is why if they displayed covid infection rates on the front of the branch, it would make people re-think, if they really need to come in. I have decided to stop buying stuff on-line, because I know there are a chain of people, I would be put in jeopardy….. everyone from warehouse stuff to parcel delivery….. I am going to hold off until cases, as low.
(1) Experts call for rethink of lateral flow mass testing for Covid in UK
www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/12/experts-call-for-rethink-lateral-flow-mass-testing-covid-uk
REPOST
PART 1 of 2
May be the Unions can debate this one:
Since 5th January 2021, we have been in national lockdown. However, there are a number of people who still have to go to work.
In my opinion, all businesses should display outside their premises and on their web site, the number of staff who are and were infected with the virus.
Next time people order something on Amazon, they may like to know, the impact on staff.
How many times have we heard of infections at food processing plants, spreading like wildfire?
People in supermarkets, off license, chemists, banks, delivery vans, postal workers, police officers, medical workers, chemists, teachers, food production, diy stores, home stores, estate agents, public transport, social workers, opticians, cycle shops, builders, constructions worker, tradesmen still have to work despite the lockdown.....
A friend works in a bank. The branch manager told the staff, a colleague they work with, had tested positive for the virus. They became alarmed. The colleague had turned up to work, but rushed home, after his wife rang him to say she had the virus. He got himself tested. The infected colleague was at work, but had no symptoms. All the staff at the branch had some exposure to him. The staff are all worried, as they can spread it to their loved ones. The staff got a COVID test (even though it was n't company policy). They used the rapid test provided by local authorities. They were all clear. Whilst it was useful test, but it was too early, as the test needs to be done about after 5 to 6 days after exposure, as the virus has an incubation period. It is n't detectable by the test. No one knows when that is and it depends on exposure. The staff should be tested on a daily basis for 14 days.
The rapid test misses 60% of positive (based on mass testing in Liverpool). (See link below). This is another problem.
The staff assumed the bank would tell them to isolate for 9 to 14 days, as they had been in contact with a person who tested positive. Instead the staff were told, there is no need to self-isolate (unless they had symptoms) and no obligation to carry out mass testing of the staff. So the infected colleague, could have potentially passed it on to 10 - 12 other co-workers. These staff use public transport. They may potentially pass it on to other travellers. So how are cases going to come down and how do they bring the R number down?
My friend is worried, because any of his colleague could turn out to be positive next or himself. It is a time bomb. Not everyone has symptoms, when they have the virus.
.
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