UNISON New NEC 2025 - 2027 - 1st meeting

 

On Tuesday there was the first proper meeting of the newly elected UNISON National Executive Council (NEC). The NEC is the UNISON "Parliament" of elected members, which helps run and lead the union in-between our national conferences. 

I was so pleased when I arrived early at the UNISON National headquarters in Euston Road, London to see the new Presidential team in their office on the 8th floor preparing for their first meeting with the NEC. 

The meeting itself was pretty lively (and some breath-taking hypocrisy by some sore losers) I will post a report here for Community members soon(ish). 

It was confirmed at the meeting that I was on the UNISON national Policy Development and Campaign Committee (PDCC), the Industrial Action Committee and the Staff Pension Committee (after 4 year gap). 

In an earlier vote I had also been confirmed as being on the UNISON National Labour Link committee as a NEC nominee. 

See picture of myself and my UNISON Committee colleague Denise, the top table and also the 4 Greater London Regional reps Clara, Sonya, Eddie and Abiola (aka S Club 7). 

Greater London UNISON Regional Council AGM 2025

 

Picture collage from last weeks Regional AGM. I gave the the Finance report and thanked Council for being re-elected unopposed together with the rest of the Regional Council officer team Yvonne, Conroy, Clara and Katie. 

The key note speaker was former London UNISON activist and now MP, Deirdre Costigan. 

I moved a motion on Grenfell which the Branch Chair of UNISON Kensington & Chelsea, Sonya Howard, also spoke in favour. The motion was passed unanimously and I hope will the sent to UNSION National conference. 

Another very important motion passed was on our Regional campaign to end exploitation of migrant workers in public services. 

Sonya, Clara, Eddie Brand and Abiola Kusoro, who all spoke in various debates are standing to be elected as London UNISON NEC reps in the forthcoming elections. 

During the meeting the Regional Secretary, Jo Galloway announced that she will be starting her maternity leave the following week. She will be hugely missed but we all wished her well.  

UNISON NEC Elections: Team London & Members Together Recommendations

 

I am supporting my London colleagues Eddie, Clara, Sonya and Abiola for the above London seats and making recommendations regarding the the other national seats below.  Scan the QR code below to keep up with the campaign and receive updates. 

Thank you UNISON Community & Voluntary Organisations Branch for your nominations - Only 4 days to go!

Dear Member,

Thank you to everyone who has already voted in the current UNISON NEC Elections, if you haven’t posted your ballot paper back yet then you still have time to do so. 

This is the most important election in the union, the NEC decide everything from how our money is spent to what campaigns we run. 

Want to know where your nearest postbox is to either home or your workplace? Check Find your nearest postbox 

We also proudly nominated these candidates to represent the interests of all community members nationally:

·         John Gray for Community General Seat

·         Denise Thomas for Community Female Seat 

 We have also proudly nominated these candidates to represent the interests of all members in London:

·         Anu Prashar for Greater London Female seat

·         Abiola Kusoro for Greater London Low Paid Seat

·         Sonya Howard for Greater London Female Seat

·         Eddie Brand for Greater London Male Seat

We nominated them because we believe that they will always put UNISON members first, are committed to fighting all forms of discrimination and all have a proven track record of delivering on their promises.  

If you’ve already voted, please encourage your colleagues to do so as well. Noone should be left behind.  

Don’t lose your voice. Make your plan. Vote by 19 May 2023. 

                                                                           Thank you, 

 

UNISON Housing Association's reminder about candidates nominated for our NEC elections: Ballot closes Friday 19 May

REMINDER: HAVE YOUR SAY IN THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL ELECTIONS 2023-2025!

BALLOT CLOSES FRIDAY 19 MAY. IF YOU HAVE NOT RECEIVED OR LOST BALLOT PAPERS YOU CAN RING 0800 0 857 857 by 12 noon Monday 15 May

The UNISON NEC is the “Parliament” that helps run the union in between our annual National Delegate Conference. Ballot papers will be sent to your home address any day now. Your Branch Committee nominated the following candidates. Please see photos and statements why these Community, National & Greater London delegates were nominated.

Denise Thomas                John Gray

“Thank you again for nominating us for the NEC, as you know the election ballot papers are being sent out this week!

As a nominating branch, you are able to let your members know who you nominated and why.

This will really help our campaign and to get our message out.

This is one of the most important elections in our union, but we all struggle in getting members to get involved.

We have also both made a one minute video introducing ourselves and what we want to achieve if elected. You can share this video.”

Denise Thomas https://youtu.be/fq6168G3c2c

John Gray https://youtu.be/eUfR3sZ6cCI

The UNISON Housing Associations Branch nominated Denise Thomas and John Gray because they have committed to:

1. Putting UNISON Members first

2. Representing members when they need help and support

3. Winning better pay and decent pensions for all

4. Fighting Cuts and Austerity

5. Building a union that looks after you and your family

These are the values and priorities of the majority of UNISON members.

Values and priorities that your branch hold and support

Make sure your voice and branch is heard!

The UNISON Housing Associations Branch Committee also nominated Sonya Howard, Eddie Brand, Abiola Kusoro and Anu Prashar, for the Greater London Region NEC Seats.

The NEC is the most important National Committee in UNISON, we nominated these candidates as we believe they are the right people for the job. They are all experienced reps, from introducing the first menopause policy in London, to fighting for LGBT+ rights, to getting over the industrial action threshold, to leading the London Ambulance Service strike and winning for members.

We nominated Sonya, Eddie, Anu and Abiola because have committed:

Fight discrimination and put equality at the heart of every decision

Tackle the Cost of Living Crisis – winning fair pay for all

Put London UNISON members first, not factional politics

Work with our first woman General Secretary, Christina McAnea, to make UNISON the strongest union.

Make sure every member gets high quality legal advice and representation when you need it most

See below for our other nominations:

Greater London

SONYA HOWARD

ANU PRASHER

EDDIE BRAND

ABIOLA KURUSO

Community

DENISE THOMAS

JOHN GRAY

Black Members

MANJULA KUMARI

ASH SILVERSTONE

EUNICE WHYTE

Disabled Members

KATRINA MURRAY

ANGELA HAMILTON

UNISON NEC elections 2023: Vote for your 4 London Candidates - Eddie, Sonya, Abiola & Anu

 Sonya Howard, Eddie Brand, Abiola Kusoro and Anu Prashar, for the Greater London Region NEC Seats.

 

The NEC is the most important national committee in UNISON, we nominated these candidates as we believe they are the right people for the job. They are all experienced reps, from introducing the first menopause policy in London, to fighting for LGBT+ rights, to getting over the industrial action threshold, to leading the London Ambulance Service strike and winning for members. 

 

We nominated Sonya, Eddie, Anu and Abiola because they will:

 

·         Put London UNISON members first, not factional politics. 

·         Work with our first woman General Secretary, Christina McAnea, to make UNISON the strongest union. 

·         Make sure every member gets high quality legal advice and representation when you need it most 

·         Fight discrimination and put equality at the heart of every decision

·         Tackle the Cost of Living Crisis- winning fair pay for all

 Eddie Brand

We’re proud to nominate @EddieBrand for @Unison NEC. Read why we
nominated him:

✔ Eddie is an Emergency Medical Technician in @LAS working on the frontline
✔ Eddie leads the biggest UNISON branch in London, taking them out on strike to win a pay
rise for all members in the NHS
✔ He is experienced, has been on the NEC previously and will focus on winning for all members


Sonya Howard

We’re proud to nominate @nec_sonya for @Unison NEC. Read why we
nominated her �
✔ Sonya has worked in Local Government and as a Social Worker for thirty years
✔ Sonya has a strong track record on equalities, negotiating the first menopause policy in
London
✔ She is experience, has been on the NEC previously and work hard on behalf of all members


Anu Prashar

We’re proud to nominate @anuox for @Unison NEC. Read why we
nominated her �
✔ Anu is proud Local Government worker and Trading Standards officer
✔ Anu is an equality campaigner, Chair of the Regional LGBT+ committee and represents Black Members on the national committee
✔ She will make sure sure underrepresented voices are heard at at every level and keep
fighting for equality

 Abiola Kusoro

We’re proud to nominate @bkodunlami for @Unison NEC. Read why we
nominated her �
✔ Abiola works on the frontline caring for sick children at Great Ormond Street Hospital as
Catering staff
✔ Abiola knows first hand the impact of the Cost of Living crisis on Women and the Black
community
✔ She has been on the NEC previously, and will fight for all members to get a pay rise and for
those on the lowest pay to be a priority

Greater London Seats on the UNISON National Executive Council (NEC)

It is with great pleasure that I recommend Eddie, Sonya, Abiola and Anu as your candidates for the 4 regional London seats in our NEC elections. They are great comrades and union organisers. I have been in many difficult meetings, debates and picket lines with them. They are enthusiastic, intelligent and pragmatic activists who will do their level best for members and put their interests first and foremost. 

We cannot continue to have our NEC controlled by those who have openly supported misogynistic bullies, who have tried to sack our elected General secretary and have so divided our union, that at our national conference last year a vote of no confidence in them was carried (yet they still did not resign).

If you are a UNISON member and in Greater London region you can vote for all 4 of them. Ballot papers will start to drop at members homes from next Monday 17 April. 

UNISON London Ambulance Service (LAS) Strike: Picket outside their Waterloo Headquarters 10.2.23

 

After work this evening I went to the UNISON picket line outside the LAS headquarters in Waterloo, Central London. I went to show solidarity and support on behalf of Greater London UNISON Regional Council officers and my own Housing Associations UNISON branch. 

It was yet another, well organised and well supported LAS picket. Congratulations to their Branch Secretary Eddie Brand, and their stewards and regional support staff including our Regional Secretary, Jo Galloway. The pickets were confident, knew what the battle was about and what to do on a picket line. 

I see also from other social media reports that some LAS pickets are tomorrow setting off as volunteers to Turkey to help out as paramedics with the dreadful recent earthquake.  Last year the branch helped organise a convoy to Ukraine to deliver much needed medical supplies and equipment. 

I have been on various picket lines in my time in the Labour Movement and the UNISON LAS are by far the best organised I have ever attended. 

Our ace UNISON Head of Health, Sara Gorton, gave short speech to the pickets thanking them for all they are doing to save our NHS.

Fellow London UNISON activists Anu Prashar and Abiola Kusoro were also there to show solidarity.

Just to point out that contrary to Tory lies and smears, for life and limb calls, pickets are volunteering with the full support of their stewards, to leave the picket line to attend, and I have witnessed this on many occasions during this strike.  Because it is an "operational" picket line, with emergency ambulances coming and going, the branch has to be careful of numbers of pickets and supporters to ensure safety. 

I came back home tonight feeling uplifted and proud of my union and our members.  

UNISON Greater London Regional Council AGM 2023: Re-elected as RCO for 16th time (?) in a row

This morning was our Regional Council AGM and I was pleased to have been re-elected (unopposed) as Regional Finance Convenor alongside my comrades, Yvonne Green, as Regional Convenor and Conroy Lawrence, as Deputy Convenor. We were joined on the Regional Council team (the lay Executive for the 130,000 members in Greater London) by newly elected Equalities Convenor, Annette Heslop. See picture of us with Regional Secretary Jo Galloway on top left of collage. The Publicity Officer election is being rerun due to an admin error.

Our keynote guest speakers were Dr Rosena Allin-Khan MP, who is the Labour Shadow minister on Mental Health as well as a real life hospital doctor (see photo left of collage with Rosena, me and NHS activist Jim Mansfield who was also re-elected as our rep on Conference Standing Orders Committee) and our superb UNISON Head of Health, Sara Gorton. 

I gave the regional finance budget report to the AGM, which was adopted and I thanked members for their trust and confidence in re-electing me again as well as Yvonne and Conroy. 

After reports, we began debating motions. I spoke first moving my branch (GLR Housing Associations) "Cost of Living motion" which no one spoke against but saw some "fantasy" Life of Brian speeches, attacking the Labour Party, rather than the Tories, over the Cost of Living Crisis! 

Anu Prashar spoke passionately and eloquently on the (dreadful) LGBT+ experience during this crisis. 

There was some brilliant contributions during the debate on the "Industrial Action" motion moved by Kensington & Chelsea Local Government Branch. In particular Sonya Howard (K&C Chair) and Eddie Brand, Branch Secretary of the London Ambulance Service, who were the only branch to successfully win a strike ballot in the current NHS dispute and have delivered 4 days of strike action with next one on this Friday.  Hospital worker, Abiola Kusoro, told us how her branch lost out on strike action by only 1% shortfall in the vote and how they hope and expect to win the pending rerun ballot. 

Our former HAB activist (and my fellow West Ham Labour activist) Mitsy Harmon-Russell, now a NHS care worker moved the motion in support of our UNISON Charity "There for You". 

My other branch motion (composited with Croydon motion) on "Year of the Black Worker" was moved by our Branch Chair, Joseph Ogundemuren who got us all clapping and chanting combining humour with serious messages. 

Afterwards I had to rush off to my nearby housing office, to catch up with the ever urgent ASB work and union issues, then in the evening to go to my branch executive meeting.  

UNISON NEC Elections - Personal recommendations for London & National Seats

 UNISON Branches can still nominate candidates until next Monday 13 February. Above are my personal recommendations for the London seats and below for the national seats. 

We definitely need an NEC that puts members first, supports our General Secretary Christina McAnea (never again a vote of no confidence in the NEC)  and makes sure that everyone has a voice in UNISON. Fight discrimination and tackle the Cost of Living Crisis. 

Nominate Sonya Howard, Eddie Brand, Anu Prashar and Abiola Kusoro- your UNISON NEC team for London

As a UNISON London lay activist I can personally recommend all of these candidates seeking nomination as UNISON NEC reps (and was even out on the picket line with Eddie at the LAS branch secretary yesterday). They are all experienced, competent and tough trade unionists (with heart and passion). What more can you ask for?

Please get your branch to nominate all of them.

Dear Branch Secretary and Branch Committee,

We are asking your branch to consider nominating Eddie Brand, Sonya Howard, Anu Prashar and Abiola Kusoro for the Greater London NEC seats.

We are standing because we believe UNISON needs to better represent workers like you and your members and if elected, we pledge to:

• Put London First - We will represent every one of the 130,000 UNISON members across London and make sure that those issues that matter most to our diverse, independent and dedicated London members and branches.

• Stand United and Reject Division - We will work with, and support, Christina McAnea, the elected General Secretary to deliver for all members. This year’s NDC showed that what matters most to us, our branches and our members is working for positive, progressive change in our union - not pettiness and protecting individuals.

• Make sure everyone has a voice in UNISON - UNISON Greater London has over 80% Women and over 20% Black members with a diverse workforce across Health, Local Government, Higher & Further Education, Community and Energy, Electricity, Water and Transport. UNISON must represent all members and the NEC should be led by those that do.

• Fight Discrimination and put equality at the heart of UNISON - No one should ever experience racism, misogyny, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, ageism, disability or any other form of discrimination in either the workplace or the union. We promise to work with all the Self- Organised Groups to support their campaigns and priorities.

• Tackle the Cost of Living Crisis - Through winnable & strategic pay campaigns in every service group, increasing the pressure on this disgraceful government through meaningful industrial action, and increasing resources for local branch campaigns & initiatives, we promise to lead our members out of this crisis and put money in their pockets.

I have attached our more individual information about us all, and ask that you circulate this to your committee.

If you require any further information please let me know, and if you could let me know when your branch is meeting to make the decision.

In solidarity,

 Anu, Eddie, Abiola, Sonya

Abiola Kusoro Black Members ' Reserved Seat NEC Elections

"I signed the Stronger UNISON pledge because I am committed to taking our union forward in support of all our members' interests. Together we can fight for the right to work in an environment which is free of inequality and discrimination".

Abiola Kusoro Black Members ' Reserved Seat NEC Elections