Vote Peter Daley – Putting London Members First

• (Peter is standing as a Candidate for London in a UNISON Service Group Executive by-election. 90,000 members in London who work in Local Government and the voluntary sector will be receiving ballot papers over the next few days.
  
  Please vote for Peter and encourage your fellow UNISON members to do so)
  
  I have worked for Wandsworth Council most of my working life. I have been active in NALGO and UNISON throughout. I have been a steward, Branch Officer, Regional delegate, National delegate. In addition I continue to play a full role at Branch and Regional level and within the Regional Black Members and Disabled Members self-organised groups.
  
  Wandsworth was the first outsourcing privatising council in London. I have a great deal of experience dealing with market driven politicians and managers. I believe in public services being retained in the public sector. I also support UNISON in negotiating, organising and bargaining with private companies so we can protect, organise and represent our members where services are outsourced.
  
  I believe in:
  100% trade union membership
  Supporting the organising, training and recruitment initiatives to defend the union in this period of recession
  Putting members first so that your worries, concerns and your interests – over employment, equality, fairness, protection, wages, pensions – are placed first.
  Never take members for granted.
  Providing effective advice, support and protection for our members.
  Distancing ourselves from the MPs gravy train
  
  I am against those who want to use us as political footballs for any political party or organisation.
  
  London is facing awesome and frightening change: be in Boris Johnson’s ego-mania, or privatisation and outsourcing on an unimaginable and unprecedented scale.
  
  The old ways don’t work. Now is the time for change, for new leadership, for the assertion of your interests as the only real priority. Now is the time for unity of all our members. Now is the time to develop a real voice in London for supporting our national union.
  
  Please support me in the forthcoming service group election – Vote Peter Daley.
  
  Thank you.

Update: Check out this facebook group

Further Strike Action in London Met

UNISON and UCU trade union members of London Metropolitan University are on strike today and tomorrow (Thursday 15th and Friday 16th October).

Check out their weblog at Save London Met for full details. Management have already made 350 job losses and now want another 100-200 redundancies. See previous report of last July’s Bastille Day action.

Refuse to Be Beat

Refuse to be Beat: This is a fund raising concert this Sunday at the 02 Academy in Leeds to support the 300 UNISON and GMB members currently on all out strike in Leeds over the refuse collector’s dispute.

It should be a good night!

Love Fashion Hate Sweatshops

I got this email from War on Want who are running this innovative campaign – "We're upping the ante in our bid to get Gordon Brown's attention - and we need your help to do it.

We all know a picture's worth a thousand words. So we're going to do more than just tell the PM we love fashion and hate sweatshops. We're going to show him.Here's how you can help put a face - and a fashion sense - to our campaign.Just strike a pose in your favourite outfit, take a picture, and upload it at the link below:http://lovefashionhatesweatshops.org/YourPicture

If you like, you can add a personal message to the PM about why you love fashion and hate sweatshops. Why it's unacceptable that workers supplying British shops earn as little as 7p an hour in appalling conditions - and why the government must end the abuse by taking steps to regulate British companies.We'll add your photo and message to our web gallery, which we'll deliver to No. 10 in December.The PM will be able to see for himself how strong our support is to end sweatshops.Take a moment now to strike a pose

:http://lovefashionhatesweatshops.org/YourPictureBe a part of the gallery. It's easy to do. And it's guaranteed to make an impression.

Strikebreakers

Hat-tip thingy Tom Miller

Tate & Lyle fined £270,000 over workers' death in Silvertown

I came across today this Health and Safety Executive (HSE) report on the conviction last Friday of sugar giant Tate & Lyle over the death of one of its workers in 2004. Tate & Lyle have a refining factory in Silvertown and are an important employer in my borough Newham. They generally have a very good reputation. I am however shocked by three things about this avoidable death.

Firstly the “accident” occurred in March 2004 and has only now come to Court? Justice delayed is Justice denied?

Secondly the victim 53 year old Keith Webb died while he was in the cab of in a 9 tonne digger which was being hoisted by a crane from the dock inside a massive raw sugar container ship. The digger came away from the crane and crashed into the ship and then into the harbour killing Keith. Check out this article in the Independent.

How anyone ever thought that it was a safe practice to transport both driver and machine via a crane at the same time is beyond me? The risk must have been clearly and wholly foreseeable? The company has been fined £270,000 (and £90,000 costs) for serious managment failings but why hasn’t anyone been held individually responsible for this death? Hopefully recent changes to Corporate Manslaughter law will change things for the future (and help prevent such incidents happening again).

The Judge on Friday held that the death was the direct result of the company "failing to discharge its duty". It had not "provided and managed a proper means of access to ships being unloaded". He said it had also "failed to manage and control its staff properly to prevent being carried in vehicles lifted by crane". Although there were guidelines in place regarding the use of ladders "the unavoidable conclusion is that the actual practice on the site was that instructions were sometime ignored". "This is a serious failure of management and supervision for which the company must bear responsibility, and I sentence on that basis."

Last and not at all least thirdly "Above all, however, this is a human tragedy as Mr. Webb leaves a widow, two grown up children, and two grandchildren, one of whom he was sadly never able to meet. This terrible accident should never have been allowed to happen." HSE Inspector John Crooks.

Mr. Webb's widow Avril, who was present in court, said: "Although Keith died five years ago, for me, it's like yesterday. My husband was ripped from my life, from our family's lives. There was no illness to prepare us for our loss. "I'm still trying to fill the huge void left by his death, still trying to pick up the threads of a life that I can no longer enjoy. I am half of a whole person. I am no longer part of a couple."

Later this month it is European Health and Safety Week which will aptly concentrate on making sure that all work activities are covered by suitable and adequate risk assessments.

SWP Witch-Hunting Students

Editor Andy Newman of Socialist Disunity gleefully reports here on the latest SWP cull of dissenters “co-incidentally” just before the start of their conference.

This time students at the London School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) who were apparently associating with “anti-party” elements have been suspended.

I better warn our secretary of my local Labour Party ward to watch out whom she is seen speaking to or they could be for the chop too!

Hat-tip thingy Col. Roi.

Labour: Fighting for the Right things..Against the Odds..Because We Must!

This is just a lovely but also passionate short video that was played at this year's Labour Party conference. Great stuff!

Vote Peter Daley 4 London - UNISON LG Elections

Peter is standing for London in the UNISON Local Government Executive (SGE) election. He is an excellent candidate and I (personal capacity) would urge every eligible member in London to support him. Please encourage your colleagues to vote for him as well (but note that UNISON funds cannot be used to support any candidate). Double click picture to bring up details and download flyer.

Saturday: International Seminar - Palestine

First seminar session was “Justice for Palestinians”. Sarah Colborne spoke of behalf of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PCS). While from another perspective Paul Ussiskin (picture) was a speaker from “Peace Now”. Paul is a British Jew and former member of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) who had actually served in the West Bank.

Paul agrees with the recent UNISON conference composite that there should be a boycott of goods and services produced in the occupied West Bank. He does not support the PCS view that there should be a total boycott of Israeli. He believes that such a total boycott will just serve right wing nationalist interests and encourage a “Fortress Israel” mentality. Paul has been attacked by other Jews because of his support for an independent Palestine. He also understands people who hate Israel and while he believes that is their right: if people hate he cannot have any dialogue with them. Change can only come about by dialogue. He explained that USA Jews are very influential in Israel while those in Europe are not. Many Israeli simply don’t understand why Jews still choose to live in Europe. However, there is now a new generation of American Jews who question the traditional Jewish lobby position of supporting “Israel right or wrong”. He is more optimistic for the future.

In the Q&A Sarah pointed out that while PCS was very disappointed with the current Labour government they had done research with Tories candidates and found them even more hostile towards Palestine than even previous Tory Parliamentary candidates.

UNISON International Officer Nick Crook spoke next on Palestine – the trade union perspective. He spoke about implementing the UNISON conference decision on Palestine and the partial boycott. UNISON is to issue advice about what pension funds can or cannot legally do. As a member nominated representative in the Local Government Pension Scheme I look forward to this advice. However, I am pretty sure that it will fall short of what some people want. The key issue will be the “threat” to a fund from having investments in the “illegal” occupied settlements in the West Bank.

(I try and post on other sessions during the week)

Showing support on the Picket line in Leeds Bin dispute

Picture is of the UNISON International Seminar delegates visiting the UNISON/GMB Picket line early this morning outside Leeds City depot at Knowsthorpe Way (Rubbish Collection agency!). UNISON NEC member Linda Sweet is standing behind the main UNISON flag to my right.

Check out last night’s comments on the strike here by local MP Colin Burgon.

The picket was well organised, disciplined and in good spirits. Some 300 rubbish collection workers and street cleaners are on strike over proposed pay cuts of up to £6,000 per year. The strikers themselves are confident of victory and that they can stay out as long as is needed. Walking around Leeds city centre you can see rubbish piling up. The main streets are being partly cleared by strike breaking agency workers (I thought that this was illegal?) but the side streets are pretty rank.

Click on this report at UNISONActive about Thursday rally addressed by Paul Kenny the General Secretary of the GMB.

Picture by Delroy Bent - Lewisham Local Gov. International Officer.

TPA director does not even pay any tax

We find out here and here that a director of the so-called Tax Payers Alliance (better known as the Higher Rate Taxpayers Avoidance Alliance) does not pay any British Tax. How can any group comment on crucial citizen issues such as levels of taxation when its director doesn’t even pay any?

Hat-tip thingy Col. Roi

Dave Osler: A Labour Comrade in Arms

Check out Dave’s latest post here and add a message of support in his "comments". I’ll post on my own local difficulties another time. Meanwhile they do say that a picture is worth a thousand words so surely a video...

Colin Burgon MP – Guest Speaker

After dinner local Leeds Labour MP for Elmet Colin Burgon spoke to seminar delegates. (Usual health warning on posts made from hastily scribbled and illegible notes).

Colin is proud that he is born and bred in Leeds and actually went to school with our UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis. He is retiring at the next election (he is 62 and I think he was therefore more relaxed and “off message” than other Labour MP’s who busy campaigning for re-election).

He began his speech by reminding the audience of the current strike in Leeds by UNISON/GMB dustbin and street cleaning workers. The dispute is about an attempt to cut their wages by £2-6k per year over single status. The strike has been well organised and solid with good co-operation between the unions and Colin is confident that it will succeed. A delegation from the seminar is going down to support the Picket line in the morning (see next post).

Colin managed persuasively to link the Leeds dustbin strike to Latin America! The Economic Neo-liberalism that was introduced into South America by the military dictatorships in the 1980’s cut public workers pay and privatised services and this is the same model that Leeds City Council (Lib Dem/Tory) wants to introduce. People are treated as “Consumers not Citizens”.
Colin is Chair of the All Party Committee on Cuba and Labour Party Friends of Venezuela. He has a lifelong interest in internationalism.

Colin was born in 1948 which he believes was also a start of a Golden Age for the British Working class which ended after the Oil Crisis in 1975-79. This was a time of full employment, rising living standards, dignified jobs and a sense of working class consciousness. He mused on the retreat of the left not only in the UK but in recent elections in Germany (vote for the SDP at 60 year low) and France (Socialists on 17% and Communists have practically disappeared). He blames this on the acceptance by social democratic parties of the current market led intellectual framework.

He is firmly against the “Professionalism of Politics” and warned everyone that many ordinary working people think that nobody talks to them and nobody listens to them. Controversially (not least for an avowed internationalist) he also attacked the free movement of Labour in the EU which he thinks undermine the terms and conditions of UK workers. An incomes policy by any other name. Colin is very critical of New Labour but believes passionately that Labour is the only Party for working class people for all its faults. The Party is still on its historic mission. The NHS is to him an example of “Socialism in Action”. He fiercely challenged and corrected some negative questions about the Party during the following Q&A.

I managed to ask Colin a question by firstly pointing out that we all in this room shared common values and the objective of a fairer society but we just can’t all agree on the means to bring this about. So I asked my usual question about the possible role of pension fund governance and “Workers Capital” in changing society? Colin apologised that he did not know enough about “Workers Capital” to answer the question. Which is unfortunately is the answer I get often get whenever I manage to ask this question at such meetings (us New Capitalists need to try harder).

Picture of Colin (3rd from left) with Colombian Congressman Borja; John Cruddas MP and UNISON Deputy General Secretary Keith Sonnet at the Labour Party conference - from Justice for Colombia

UNISON International Seminar: Leeds 2009

Yesterday evening the UNISON International Seminar began in the Queens Hotel in Leeds. There are 93 delegates registered from all over the Country. Most are BIRO’s (Branch International Relation Officers).

Unions love jargon and I can remember the first time I heard the term BIRO's I could not for the life of me work out what the term stood for.

I’m here as a delegate from the London Regional International & European Committee with our Chair Ray Mouratsing. At the “Introduction to Weekend” there was an “ice breaker” group quiz. We split into groups of 2 or 3 and had to answer questions on posters with geographical themes put on walls around the conference room.

Some of the questions – (and surprising answers). FRANCE - What percentage of workers in France are members of trade unions? Is it 70%:40% or 10%? (Answer 10%). True or False - until 2009 did some trade unions in France have special rights due to their resistance work against the Nazi during World War 2? (Answer True)

SWAZILAND – How much money did the 13 wives of the King of Swaziland spend on a recent shopping trip to Europe? Is it £500,000: £1 Million or £4 Million? (Answer £4 million). How many political Parties contest elections in Swaziland? (Answer None – there are no elections in Swaziland as it is an absolute monarchy).

Equality Matters – Tory attitudes to lgbt rights: Same old “Nasty Party”?

Cameron and his desperate allies for power within the current Conservative Party claim that they have changed and they are no longer the “Nasty Party” . They have become open and inclusive. I’m not too sure and perhaps the Tory Party attitude towards lgbt rights is I think a litmus test about the Tories and their attitude to equality issues as a whole.

Hat-tip thingy Leftfootforeward and Labourlists

Let’s look at the Tory Voting record on LGBT rights in the European Parliament. While the Conservative Party try to convince people that they are modern and compassionate, their elected representatives in the European Parliament consistently undermine the veneer to expose a homophobic and outdated disregard and disdain for the rights of homosexuals:

Tory MEPs voted with Jean-Marie Le Pen against the creation of the Fundamental Rights Agency, the European organisation that protects the rights of homosexuals from discrimination. (February 2008)

Cameron’s so-called ‘compassionate Conservative MEPs’ voted against a key report that would combat any form discrimination in the provision of goods and services, including on the grounds of sexual orientation. The report those MEPs rejected would ensure that the victims of discrimination were "automatically assisted in legal proceedings". (May 2008)

There was not a single Conservative MEP that voted for a European Parliament resolution calling for "worldwide decriminalisation of homosexuality" and an end to "discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in all sectors". (June 2007)

All Tory MEPs refused to support a resolution condemning homophobic and racist violence(June 2006)

They voted against including discrimination due to assumption or association in the horizontal equality directive (April 2009)

Most Tories abstained in the final vote on establishing a horizontal equality directive. Callanan, Hannan and Helmer voted against. The directive outlaws discrimination in providing equal treatment on the grounds of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation (April 2009)

The European Parliament voted to condemn a law in Lithuania, comparable to Section 28, and refer it for investigation by the European Fundamental Rights Agency. All of the Conservatives bar one abstained. Richard Ashworth, South East MEP, and the rest of the ECR group voted against. (September 2009)

Also, there's also Helmer's quote in the Real Tories, Real Words leaflet, " 'Homophobia' is merely a propaganda device designed to denigrate and stigmatise those holding conventional opinions" from his blog in July.

Tory MEPs including Tannock have repeatedly voted against an extension of gay rights including:

last month Tannock voted against a ‘motion of resolution’ condemning a law in Lithuania comparable to Section 28.

In April this year, Tannock abstained in the final vote on establishing a horizontal equality directive. British MEPs, Martin Callanan, Daniel Hannan and Roger Helmer voted against the motion. The directive outlaws discrimination in providing equal treatment on the grounds of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation.

Tannock and Conservative MEP colleagues voted against a key report that would combat any form of discrimination in the provision of goods and services, including on the grounds of sexual orientation. But in in June 2006, Tannock and other Tory MEPs refused to support a resolution condemning homophobic and racist violence.

Michael Cashman MEP speaking exclusively to Left Foot Forward said, “Equality measures have to be adopted by the Member States unanimously. On the basis of the Tory voting record here in the European Parliament, it is clear that a Tory Government would use its veto and prevent Equality legislation ever seeing the bright light of day.”

To me one of the major Labour Government triumphs in recent years is that Labour has genuinely become the Party of Equality. Lots of more work needs to be done but we are on our way I think. This is not only a clear achievement now at risk but also crystal clear red water between us and the Tories.

Champagne Charlie

The curse of grayee (4th paragraph)

Hat-tip thingy Daily Mirror

A New Popular Front for Labour?

It is somewhat unusual to say the least for me to agree (mostly) with these similar posts on Socialist Unity and Grimmer Up North. Respective bloggers Andy Newham and Susan Press who I have crossed online swords with in the dim and distance past were unusually sharp and dismissive I thought about some of our comrades on T-h-e L-e-f-t who had turned up to the demo outside the Labour Party conference the other week and who made an absolute spectacle of themselves.

I was a CLP delegate at conference and I was going to come outside and say hello to the marchers (my fellow blogging sad sectarian Dave was suppose to be there to buy me a beer) but I was late getting into Brighton, saw the heaps of placards waiting to be picked up and couldn’t be bothered so I just hurried into the conference hall. So I missed the march which inside conference to my knowledge no one even mentioned.

I have been on mainstream demos in the past were the ultra extremists have simply high jacked it and just p***d absolutely everyone else off with mindless placard sloganism, chanting, postulating and grandstanding. I suspect they really just don’t realise how much damage they do to their creditability and that of the protest they have taken over.

While I don’t generally mind that this sort of behaviour on their own marches since it keeps them as fully paid up members of the lost deposit brigade I do think that this is just another yet own goal in the wider Labour movement. Which is a genuine bloody shame.

I think that the penny is finally beginning to drop and the prospect of a possible Tory Government led by a real right wing Eton Mafiosi is beginning to wake up those who (not Andy or Susan or course) had fallen into lazy and thoughtless anti-Labourism. IMO.

If people genuinely do not want to support the Labour Party during the next few months then I can understand and while I think they are wrong that is their choice. But those who profess to hate the Tories but won’t do anything for Labour “because they are just as bad” I have nothing but scorn. There is no alternative to Labour at this time (and I hope never) so if you support anyone else but Labour or do not vote then really you should go the whole hog and just vote Tory.

Cameron Pension Plans - it’s the rich that have the pleasure and the poor what gets the blame

Left Foot Forward post here today by Will Straw reminds me of the annoyingly catching ditty in this title.

Will’s argument is persuasive that Cameron’s state pension reforms will have a disproportionally negative impact on the poor. The continued huge range in life expectancy between rich and poor by geographical areas in the UK should also still enrage all Progressives. Why is there this near 13 year difference in life expectancy between Glasgow City and the Royal Borough of K&C?

In the comments at Will’s post there was I thought a pretty pertinent aside by “Roger” on the state of the very poor in our society and our willingness as an society to condemn and blame the victims for killing themselves unlike wealthier counterparts?

“This reminds me of Charles Karelis’s “The Persistence of Poverty.” The basic argument is that the wealthy misunderstand the mental state of the poor, which leads them to make conceptual errors when creating policies to address poverty, or, in this case, obesity. Think of a bee sting, he advises. If you have a single bee sting, you’ll go buy some salve to take away the pain. Now imagine three bee stings, a sprained ankle, a burn, a cut, a crick in your neck, a sore throat, and arthritis. Does the bee sting matter anymore?”

Housing Matters 4 October 4 2009

I think that last week’s public housing news was dominated by the Labour Party conference. I will admit in advance that I will be drawn by issues I came across as a delegate.

Labour Investment v. Tory Cuts
Housing minister John Healey at a conference fringe event on Tuesday challenges the view that any new government elected next year would have to slash spending on public housing. It will happen under Tories but not Labour. Under Labour there was a medium term plan to increase capital expenditure.

CEO Excessive Pay: “Don’t Tar all of us with the same brush”
At another conference fringe in response to my question about the Housing Association sector's reputation being ruined by excessive CEO pay, David Eastgate Chief Executive Officer of Hyde Housing Association responded by saying that there were “several highly paid outliers” but “don’t tar us all with the same bush”.

I suspect that there are actually remarkably similar views of the RSL/RP sector shared by the blue rinse and pinstripe brigade currently gathering in Manchester.

Housing minister to look into HA Executive Pay.
At the “Communities” Policy Seminar (see picture above) I brought to Housing Minister, John Healey (right) attention that 2 years ago at the Labour Party conference I asked then minister Yvette Cooper about the soaring Pay of Housing Association CEO’s. I repeated the 2009 sorry tale of the Anchor Trust CEO pocketing just under £400k despite losing £35 million. When one of the panel heard that Anchor Trust had been originally set up by “Help the Aged” he said are you sure it was not set up by “Help yourself”. The Housing Minister said he would look into the issue and asked the housing trade unions to share any information they have about this issue with him. No problem with that methinks.

Housing issues in Prime Minster Gordon Browns conference speech
Another big push on anti-social behavior; more family intervention projects, help for 200,000 homeowners to stay in their home and supported accommodation for children with children.

Tory secret plans to triple rents and end security of tenure.
Labour Housing Minister John Healey (again) attacks Tory housing plans - which we all know will happen if they get in.

“My Mum gets shower fitted in Sheltered Housing Association Flat”
And she is really pleased...