My own personal blog. UNISON NEC member for Housing Associations & Charities, HA Convenor, London Regional Council Officer & Chair of its Labour Link Committee. Newham Cllr for West Ham Ward, Vice Chair of Local Authority Pension Fund Forum, Pension trustee, Housing & Safety Practitioner. Centre left and proud member of Labour movement family. Strictly no trolls please. Promoted by Luke Place on behalf of J.Gray, Newham Labour Group, St Luke’s Community Centre, E16 1HS.
Friday, July 30, 2021
Newcastle Emlyn and Cenarth Pathfinder Walk
Wednesday, July 28, 2021
Double Rainbow over Newham Dockside (Is there really a pot of gold buried in East Wing?)
This evening I came out of Newham Dockside after a "in person/blended" Pension Committee meeting and was stunned to see a double rainbow across the skyline.
I have seen double rainbows in the past but I have never seen the rainbow being reflected in this way by glass windows.
It would appear that the end of the rainbow is in the East Wing of Newham Dockside. I think in the Facilities Management section.
Newham could definetely use a (large) pot of gold. I wonder if Terry & Conrad will be there with their pick and shovels first thing tomorrow? I would expect nothing less.
Tuesday, July 27, 2021
Meeting up with Stroppy Bird & Dave
Yvonne is a Councillor and Mayoral advisor in Hackney and Dave is a journalist.
We first met in the Royal Court of Justice in 2009 (with Alex Hilton) when we had a little libel issue to sort out. This took about 2 years.
Yvonne and I both bored Dave silly with our conversion about the exciting life that London Councillors lead (knocking on doors, wearing hard hats and visiting dog pounds).
We hope to meet up with our legal guru Robert Douglas soon (Alex is currently in Thailand I believe but will also try and invite)
Monday, July 26, 2021
Saturday, July 24, 2021
We're hiring a Campaign Organiser - Newham Labour
Salary range: £36,108.99 - £40,000 per annum subject to experience (gross and inclusive of London Weighting. Full-time and based on national Labour Party pay scale range 26 – 28)
Duration: Fixed term to October 2022
Application deadline: Midday, Friday 13th August 2021
Check out https://jobs.theguardian.com/job/7356156/newham-labour-group-campaign-organiser/ for further details
Thursday, July 22, 2021
Blog: Six months into our new era | General secretary's blog | News | UNISON National
Wednesday, July 21, 2021
Stratford Park walkabout (aka as West Ham Rec)
Monday, July 19, 2021
Greater London Black Members & Labour Link: Be A Councillor Course
Saturday, July 17, 2021
Kitchener’s Last Volunteer
Friday, July 16, 2021
Knockholt Pound & Chevening House walk
Check out the free website (donations welcome) https://kentwalksnearlondon.com/walk-24-knockholt-pound-chevening-circular-5-miles/
It is around 50 minutes by car from Newham. There is railway station about 2 miles away so you could extend walk if using public transport.
I think I saw a Battle of Britain Flight Spitfire flying overhead but not sure and I was too slow to take a proper photo.
Chevening House, dominates the skyline for much of this walk and is the marvellous "grace and favour" home for the current Foreign Secretary. I can think of better uses. Just saying...
The village pub, Three Horseshoes, was shut but stopped off at nearby village pub, The Bulls Head, for a beer, which was very nice and the food looked excellent.
Thursday, July 15, 2021
Tolpuddle Martyrs' Festival 2021 goes online
Tolpuddle Martyrs'
Festival 2021 goes online
"With Covid restrictions still uncertain for large events, together with our unions and sponsors, we are organising yet another packed agenda online.
From Friday 16 to
Sunday 18 July 2021, we will be bringing you discussions,
debates, radical history lessons, lots of music and all the best of the
Festival straight into your living room.
Fans of the Festival will be able to watch free on Facebook group, Youtube channel, or right here on
website".
www.tuc.org.uk/events/tolpuddle-martyrs-festival-2021
Tuesday, July 13, 2021
East Ham High Street North Councillor ASB scrutiny walkabout
After many months of being a Covid "Stay at home" keyboard warrior today, I actually went on two outdoor "walkabouts".
First one was early morning with members of Newham Council ASB Scrutiny Commission and officers from our Community Safety and fly tipping team, which had been organised by our Chair, Cllr Daniel Lee-Phakoe.
We met outside East Ham library and then went with the enforcement team in and around East Ham High Street North to find out more about what they do.
It was fascinating to talk to them and then see these council officers in action.
They identified and issued removal notices on abandoned cars, took enforcement action on dangerous storage of potentially hazardous materials, made checks on road side skips and scaffolding sites to make sure they are legally licensed. They also checked on the use of disabled parking permits and seized a permit that they believed was being misused and reported that person, who was using the permit, for criminal prosecution.
We also came across fly tipping and the misuse of Council provided bins by private companies who should be responsible for clearing up their own rubbish.
It was also good to see Council enforcement officers in action and while being polite and respectful while they are doing their job by actively tackling ASB in one of our of most important High Streets in our borough.
I noticed that many residents also turned to the team for advice and support on various issues (including elderly residents who knew and trusted them and enjoyed talking to them).
This evening I had another Council walkabout in Stratford Park (my West Ham ward) which I will post upon another time
Monday, July 12, 2021
"Ban racists for life from all football matches in England"
I am not a football fan and also I am not English but from a Welsh/Scots background but I have lived in England far longer than anywhere else. I was disappointed for Wales and Scotland teams but pleasantly surprised and pleased how well the English team performed on and off the matches. England should be so proud of their young team and the fact they did better than any other in the last 55 years.
They are all in my mind true English Gents. I am incensed by the vile and disgusting racist abuse that some of them have received after yesterday's match. A close UNISON friend of mine who is black (and happened to have served in our Armed Services) sent me a screen print of something on Snapchat which left me stunned and enraged (which was also separately circulated in another UNISON activists Whatsapp group).
I have signed this petition for life long bans for all such racists at football matches but I hope that the Police can (and will) act and prosecute these criminals who have produced and shared such vileness.
This is what a union mate, who is a very traditional white working class boy from Bethnal Green had to say about such abuse
"Ignorant arseholes. They all did their very best... and they can be proud of their achievement to get that far.."
Agreed. Well done boys.
Sunday, July 11, 2021
UNISON Special Labour Link National Forum 2021 Motion 8: Charity Contracts - Race to the Bottom
This is the motion and my speech from last Saturday's (3.7.21) UNISON Special Labour Link National Forum meeting. I moved this Greater London motion 8 about the Volunteer sector and the race to the bottom with regard to staff terms and conditions - and what we can do about it as a Labour movement.
Many thanks to Jordon Creed from London Voluntary Organisations branch who sent this motion to London Labour Link, who supported it and sent it to our National Forum on behalf of all London Labour Link Members.
Motion 8. Charity Contracts: Race to the Bottom
Forum believes that we need to ensure across London there is no race to the bottom in terms of pay, holiday, sickness when charities bid for contracts.
Forum calls upon the National Committee to call upon Labour councils and representatives, including the Mayor of London, to commit to not giving contracts to any providers that do not pay the living wage and use zero hour contracts and give their employees only statutory sick pay.
Forum believes local authorities and the Greater London Authority should have terms and conditions of employment which are clearly specified and protected in agreements when competitive tending takes place.
Forum believes this will also improve the quality of the service as contracts will be awarded on the basis of quality not just the lower cost and support collective bargaining in the community sector workplaces across London.
Chair, Forum, John Gray, Greater London Regional delegate moving motion 8 “Charity Contracts: Race to the bottom”
Forum, this motion is London centric but I am sure the issue of a “race to the bottom” in the Charity and voluntary sector applies to all regions and nations.
I don’t need to tell anyone here about the simple, day in, day out, misery of all workers, who have to exist on a minimum wage, insecure employment and no employer sick pay.
And of course it’s not just about the workers and their families, who are our members, as vital as that is, it’s also about the residents and clients who receive these services. Who don’t want overworked and stressed carers, who have to work 60 hours a week to pay the bills.
The question is what as a Union and a Labour link do we do about it? What do we do about it? Passing motions for motions sake never achieved anything. So let’s think things through.
Firstly, let’s not be forgetting that while charities get funding from various sources including the NHS, the commissioning of services by local government is key.
While we want services to be provided in-house whenever possible and I note that by doing so, it would in fact at a stroke mean that in most, not all Councils, the objectives of this motion would be obtained. So defending public services from future outsourcing and campaigning to bring back services in house is a given.
But in the meanwhile, we need to press all our levers, industrial and political, to campaign for all councils and Mayors to insist that all their commissioned services, pay at least the real living wage, ban imposed zero hour contracts and pay proper sick pay.
Now we cannot ignore that there are legal and funding difficulties, after 10 years of austerity local authority funding has been cut by up to 50%.
But let us work with councils to take on the rouge employers who threaten them with legal action if they impose such conditions. Many employers want to stop this race to the bottom, they want a level playing field, in order to provide better services. We need to work with these employers and target those who will not.
Forum, passing this motion should also be just a beginning, we want more for our members. As well as a real living wage we want a living pension provision, we want to sustain decent terms and conditions by also demanding trade union recognition and sectorial pay bargaining.
Forum, while we will not win every battle, this issue, is one that I think the Labour movement family can win. Let us act as a united Labour movement family, by campaigning as a union, work with progressive labour councils and employers and then by doing so - win real benefits for our members, not least, putting money in their pockets and purses of our members, which to me is why the labour movement was formed.
Forum, please support this motion, I move"
Saturday, July 10, 2021
100+ economists urge finance ministers to tax the banks - raise your voice with them!
Today, as G20 finance chiefs gathered in Venice, Robin delivered
this
letter from more than 100 major economists, urging them to immediately
introduce a Robin Hood Tax on banks to help cover the costs of the
post-pandemic recovery.
No time to waste? Take action in 2 seconds by retweeting
us, or sharing on Facebook
here.
Take $100 billion from
banks: top economists tell Finance Ministers!
Robin’s list of signatories spanned every continent
and included renowned US economist Jeffrey Sachs, and France’s Gabriel Zucman.
The urgent appeal from such highly regarded experts was covered
in the
Guardian and leading French paper, Le
Monde.
The pandemic has multiplied existing inequalities both at home
and abroad. Health systems have been brought to their knees; economies
shutdown; livelihoods deteriorated and loved ones lost. But whilst wealthier
nations begin to regenerate due to accelerated vaccine rollouts, poorer
nations, already seriously burdened by debt, are being forced to make life and
death choices between servicing their debt and the provision of healthcare for
their citizens.
If the G20 implemented a Robin Hood Tax on banks, an additional
$100billion could be generated every year to help nations support their
people’s health and livelihoods, address the devastating impacts of a warming
planet, and prepare for future pandemics.
Amplifying this letter is a crucial step in our plan to make
those who can afford to - pay the most.
There’s no time to waste. Help us broadcast this story far and
wide!
You can retweet our post here, or share on Facebook or Instagram.
Thanks so much for your support. The G20 finance ministers need
to know the world is watching.
Together, we can tax the banks now!
From the team at Robin Hood Tax
Friday, July 09, 2021
UNISON Housing Associations branch votes to nominate Anu Prashar for London Labour Link seat
Nominations have to be submitted by 5pm 14 July after a meeting of the branch or the branch executive (only Labour Link members can actually vote).
Thursday, July 08, 2021
Meeting an old friend and comrade at the Prospect of Whitby
This evening I met up with a UNISON friend and comrade, Kridos Pavlou, at the Prospect of Whitby riverside pub in Tower Hamlets. We had been planning this meet up since before the pandemic and eventually it happened.
It was great to meet up, discuss family, politics, trade unions and mutual acquittances over excellent "steak & kidney pie, mash, cabbage and gravy" (me) and Kridos favourite "fish n chips". The beer was good (for me only as Kridos does not drink), staff friendly and spectacular views of the river Thames. The history of the pub and apparently overlooking a place of public execution is also fascinating.
I will never forget the support that Kridos and other UNISON colleagues gave me when I had a spot of bother back in the day. (Kridos is pictured next to me top left). This picture used to be on the back page of the TUC Hazards at Work handbook for quite a few editions.
Wednesday, July 07, 2021
UNISON Special Labour Link National Forum 2021 Motion 3. NHS Pay
Motion 3. NHS Pay
"Forum, Chair, John Gray. Greater London delegate moving motion 3 “NHS Pay”
Forum, this motion is very much complementary to previous motions and amendments and I will not need 5 minutes to move and I will keep things short and hopefully sweet and will concentrate on one argument only.
Forum, We are all in favour of better pay for all public service workers in the best of times but we are now in the worst of times, surely the last 18 months of Covid has reminded everyone of the absolutely key role of NHS staff in protecting all of us?
The battle over Covid is not over anytime soon and there is not just a moral argument on why NHS staff need better pay but it is the interests of all of us here, our families and friends, our neighbours, everyone - to have a NHS workforce that feel valued, that are not feeling angry and disenchanted, that pays enough to be able to recruit and retain staff to do the job.
Regardless of the Covid tragedy, we need a fully functioning NHS. I declare a person interest. My own Mum is 80, not in great health but she still keeps me and my sisters in line via Facetime but I want her to be continued to looked after in the marvellous way she is by the NHS in Wales
Forum you know this just makes perfect sense. Support the motion, let’s get the Party to commit to review NHS pay and terms. I move"
Hat tip photo Lola
Monday, July 05, 2021
Happy 73rd Birthday NHS
Happy birthday NHS. Makes me think that my Mum is 80 and was born when there was no NHS, but she was lucky that she had no major health problems when she was little.
Sunday, July 04, 2021
UNISON Labour Link Special National Forum 2021
Yesterday was the UNISON Labour Link National Forum for 2021. Labour Link is the political fund in UNISON for members who volunteer to pay a levy to affiliate to the Labour Party.
It is made up of elected regional reps and delegates from UNISON self organised groups. Normally it is held at a hotel and is spread over 2 days but due to Covid it was a virtual meeting 9.30 to 3pm via zoom. There was I think just under 100 delegates.
I thought it went really well (in the circumstances) and the Chair, Gordon McKay, did a great job in these difficult times, with his own unique ability to be authoritative and self-deprecating at the same time. Gordon is a Scottish NHS nurse and must have had a welcome day off yesterday, since today he had a 12 hour shift undertaking Covid vaccinations.
My role was as an elected Greater London regional delegate and I was able to speak twice on our motions which were both fully supported by Forum. There was some superb contributions from other London based delegates on a number of debates.
I will post my speeches (including one that I did not give due to a mix up) over the next few days and some thoughts on how we might now try to implement. Passing motions for motions sake is pretty pointless and we need to think of next steps.
Saturday, July 03, 2021
Post lockdown beer & curry
It was great to meet up with comrades in person and have a few beers in a local pub, then to go to Aromas Restaurant in Forest Gate for a slap up meal. During the course of the evening we obviously put the world to rights.
We could have legally met up earlier but we had decided to be cautious and wait until all of us had been fully vaccinated and that things seem somewhat settled.
Ironically both Trevor and I received the 1st AZ vaccine in March that was made in India, that the EU has not yet declared to be an accepted vaccine in order to travel to Europe and avoid self isolation.
Hopefully this will be sorted out soon.
This was to me a very welcome sign that things are getting back to "normal" but no one really knows exactly what will happen next with Covid and we do need to be prepared for the unexpected.
(Photo of Aromas mixed grill which is a main course but also an excellent starter when shared between 2 very greedy people. Our table had 2 mixed grills as starters between the 4 of us)
Friday, July 02, 2021
Batley and Spen: Labour is back after by-election win, says Starmer
Thursday, July 01, 2021
Romford Road (Atherton) Swimming Baths 1934
Hat tip for this wonderful collage to LCC Municipal https://twitter.com/lccmunicipal/status/1410575532434104323 (&@LondonNurse2015 for drawing it to my attention) . A souvenir brochure on the opening of the baths in 1934.
It has now been knocked down and rebuilt as a leisure centre (with a pool) but I remember swimming in the old baths (freezing cold when the boilers broke down). The drinks machine hot chocolate was pretty horrible but was warm and sweet.
Apparently it cost £147,000 to build in 1934 and some of the money came from the government in order to give the unemployed work.
During the 2nd world war it was used as a morgue for victims of the Bliz.
The baths were very similar to those in my home town of Buckley in NE Wales which was paid for by a one penny levy on each ton of coal mined locally.