Labour Party conference 2023 - Sunday

Today started off with a gentle 2.5 mile jog along the Mersey then back again.  At 12.30 I took part in a well attended, lively panel organised by the Local Authority Pension Fund Forum on "Green washing" which I will post on later.  

I am not a delegate this year at conference but attending as a elected Labour Councillor and enjoying the freedom of not being required for early morning delegation meetings and attending all conference debates and speeches (no matter how boring).

In the afternoon I checked out the conference stalls and met up with various contacts and colleagues for coffee and gossip. I had a "hello stranger, long time no see" from London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, as he walked past quickly with his escort to his next event. 

At 6pm I attended the Labour Unions reception and heard some great speeches and contributions especially from our deputy leader Angela Rayner MP and leader Keir Starmer. 

Afterwards I went to the Association of Labour Councillors reception and then the Labour Friends of Bangladesh event. During which I was asked to make a speech on my role as a housing worker in Tower Hamlets for the past 31 years and as a UNISON trade union and Labour activist.  Great food and company. 

After that I went back to my accomodation and will very shortly crash out. A good day. 
 

Employment Injury Insurance for Garment Workers in Bangladesh - Social Protection in Action

 

Next week I am moderating this virtual webinar for investors on "Social protection for garment workers". If you are involved in pensions please ask your trustees/pension committee/board members, fund managers and financial advisors to attend.

"Employment injury insurance for garment workers in Bangladesh:

Social protection in action

 Join us for an investor webinar on 18 October at 3pm UK / 10am ET

Registration here

IndustriALL Global Union and the Local Authority Pension Fund Forum will co-host a one-hour discussion of the recently launched Employment Injury Scheme (EIS) for ready-made garment workers in Bangladesh. In addition to presenting the pilot itself, the webinar will explore why garment and textile brands are participating, their role in funding it and the need for their continued involvement in the development of sustainable employment injury insurance.

Speakers include Primark and H&M, which are participating in the EIS pilot; the ILO, which supported the pilot’s design; and IndustriALL, which represents workers on the pilot’s tripartite committee. The webinar is aimed primarily at institutional investors interested in working towards a more sustainable garment industry built on respect for workers’ fundamental rights.

This event is part of a larger initiative spearheaded by IndustriALL on social protection for garment workers. Social protection, which can cover needs such as unemployment support, disability benefits and maternity protection, is an internationally recognized human right. During the Covid-19 pandemic, non-payment of wages due to brands’ cancellation of orders led to deepening poverty for millions of global supply chain workers because of the fundamental lack of social protection in producing countries. In several cases, this triggered large-scale protests and brought operational, legal and financial risks for sourcing brands. 

Employment injury insurance is one of the most basic forms of social protection. The Bangladesh pilot, which involves the government, workers, employers and the ILO, is an example of what is possible in the realm of social protection and of how brands are already participating in the effort. The webinar follows on our earlier event in June (recording here), in which workers from Thailand provided testimony about the impact of wage theft on their lives. This next webinar will bring in brands’ views on the importance of social protection and what their role can be.

Please join us on 18 October. Register here

Speakers:

Anne Marie La Rosa, Senior Policy, Legal & Labour Rights Specialist, ILO

Christina Hajagos-Claussen, Director Textile & Garment Industry, IndustriALL Global Union

Leyla Ertur, Head of H&M Group Sustainability, H&M Group

Katharine Stewart, Group Corporate Responsibility Director, Primark

Liz Umlas, Senior Advisor, IndustriALL Global Union

Cllr John Gray, Vice Chair, LAPFF (moderator)

Building the Baseline: Breaking the Class Barrier

 

I am part of the taskforce (which is now winding down) from the Local Authority Pension Fund Forum (LAPFF). If we continue to prevent talented working class employees from senior positions in our financial services industry then this will have an impact on the long term performance of our funds (never mind everything else!)

"First of its kind report highlights stark lack of socio-economic diversity across senior leadership in UK financial and professional services sector. 64% of senior leaders in UK financial and professional services are from higher socio-economic backgrounds. How does this compare to your workforce? Are you collecting the data? 

Here's why it matters. UK financial and professional services are out of kilter with the rest of the economy and are unrepresentative of the communities they serve. These inequalities not only threaten the productivity and competitiveness of the sector, but they reinforce existing inequalities and opportunities for the UK to thrive. This is a threat to businesses as it means that vital talent is being missed in the sector, especially at senior leadership level. 

I am proud to be a part of the Socio-Economic Diversity Taskforce and help contribute to this report and champion socio-economic diversity in the industry. I encourage other businesses to collect employee data on socio-economic background, setting stretching targets and monitoring progress towards ensuring a level playing field for all.   

To read the full report please follow the link. #WhoGetsAhead "