Bedroom Tax Protest Rally Manchester 16 March 2013

Picture from yesterday's (Saturday 16 March) lunchtime Bedroom Tax protest and mass rally in Manchester Piccadilly. Charity worker Isobel McVicar from Manchester Local Government Branch, who is also my fellow UNISON Community NEC member had organised an adjournment to our Conference for delegates to attend and support the rally.

The Bedroom Tax is a major issue to the Community members up and down the country. Not only are they going to be the workers who have to deal face to face with the resulting misery from vulnerable tenants due to the Bedroom Tax, but is is clear that many specialist Housing Association and voluntary organisations risk going under due to the whole gambit of Tory/Lib Dem welfare cuts.

Centre picture is of top UNISON and Labour movement activists Angela Rayner and Maureen Le Marinel. Angela is the branch sectary of UNISON Stockport Local Government branch and Maureen is of course one of our two UNISON National Vice Presidents.

Angela is standing for selection as the Labour Party candidate for Manchester Withington. What a superb MP she would make.

A day in the life of an Union official

Great Guardian feature on top UNISON branch secretary, Angela Rayner. My last post was an evening with Neville Lawrence, this one, is a "full-on" day in the life of a Union official.

Angela typifies the very best of UNISON and how it can grow its activists. "I grew up on a council estate and was pregnant at 16, only able to afford clothes from a charity shop. I was told I'd never amount to anything and would be living in a council house, on benefits with loads of kids by the time I was 30.

That's not me, though I wouldn't judge someone if they were in that situation. But I have three lovely kids, live in my own house and have a great job – I've had to earn respect the hard way, starting as a home help when I left school."

She has gone from one the youngest home helps in Stockport Council to being a steward then branch assistant branch secretary to now being the elected branch secretary on a very busy full time secondment.

UNISON NDC 2010: Angela tells it as it is

I forgot – a couple more video posts about UNISON NDC. Sound quality not that very good but while waiting in one of the speaker chairs last week just before I was “bumped off” I was able to video the last bit of top Stockport Local Government branch activist, Angela Bowan, as she lays into the grandstanding ultra left who are “playing politics with our members!”

Go Girl Go! Note the applause at the end!