Getting out the Labour Postal vote in West Ham, Plaistow & Canning Town

 

Yesterday I spent the morning in West Ham ward with our local MP, Lyn Brown, my colleague Cllr Charlene Mclean (and our super young pioneer) and our top activist Varghese . 

We were calling at all Labour supporters who are postal voters to remind them to fill out their 3 votes for:-

1. Sadiq Khan as London Mayor, 
2. Unmesh Desai as local City & East London Assembly member and 
3. Labour - for the List candidates.  

It was a lovely warm, spring day day so many residents were out and the contact rate was not great but Labour support was pretty solid. 

In the afternoon, Lyn and I joined Plaistow West & Canning East ward Councillors John Morris & Simon Rush with local activist Veronica. We were later joined by my UNISON colleague and Hackney Wick Councillor, Joseph Ogundemuren.  

Again, many residents were out but very firm support for Sadiq and Labour from those who were in.

Register to vote online if you you are not registered by 11.59pm 16 April 2024 https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote . It usually takes only 5 minutes. 

Applications to have a postal vote have to be by this Wednesday 17/4/24 by 5pm https://www.newham.gov.uk/council/vote-post

West Ham Ward Christmas Campaign: Sadiq Khan for London Labour Mayor in 2024

 

This morning I went to my Councillor advice surgery for local residents, then this afternoon I joined colleagues in the ward to deliver leaflets (Labour doorstep was down) for Sadiq Khan, to be re-elected as London Mayor in May 2024. 

We were joined by the Newham Labour Mayor, Rokhsana Fiaz and we also delivered leaflets for West Ham ward residents, on how to contact us if they have a problem (and also our Local MP, Lyn Brown and GLA, Assembly member, Unmesh  Desai). We were joined by Cllr Shaban Mohammed, who missed the group photo. 

People appreciated having information on contacting their elected representatives and were as you can imagine for the time of year, quite relaxed and many were happy to chat with us. 

I had one women say that "we are sort of Labour but we don't like Starmer". I responded that I didn't agree with everything he has said or done (I have never agreed with everything any Labour Leader has done) but he is the only leader who can defeat the tories, and that trumps everything. She did not disagree.

We finished off at the beginning (or end) of Corporation Road and had photo outside a relatively new and unusual family business run by two twin brothers - its a mens barbers and a cycle repair shop. One brother is a barber and the other a mechanic. Why not? Will bring my bikes there for a service. Take your bike in and he will give you a price (and if you are male, you can have a hair cut by his brother at the same time). 

Across Newham we had 4 different campaign sessions today.  

East London & the Olympics 10 years on - where next? Unmesh Desai AM

 Yesterday evening there was a reception at London City Hall (Newham!) hosted by East London & City Assembly Member, Unmesh Desai. The theme was about the Olympics 2012 legacy. There was a number of interesting speakers and it was good to meet up face to face again with colleagues from across London. 

There was of course the obligatory photo of us all from Newham Labour :-) 

"A legendary social worker (and Labour movement activist) has retired" Dave Draycott

I have just congratulated on Facebook, Dave Draycott, a former Newham Council social worker and Leeds Labour movement activist (legend) on his retirement.

Dave has been a social worker for 44 years and a very active trade unionist, who also served as a Labour Councillor.

He is not at all "shy and retiring" and over the years he has got himself into bother because of this, from time to time, but in my experience, he has been a good comrade to me and others, as well as a pragmatic and authentic champion of the working class.

On Facebook tonight he posted "Well started in 76 and it’s time to go, retiring from Social Work and my team mates know me so well: single malt and political satire, hits the spot. The pressures of work will not be missed my workmates will, a great bunch."

I am pretty sure that we have not seen the the last of Dave Draycott in our movement. Hat tip to Unmesh for the Facebook link.

UNISON Housing Association AGM - Branch Chair report

 A real shame but understandable that we had to cancel our Branch AGM tonight at London City Hall. Many thanks to Deputy Mayor for Housing, Tom Copley, for offering to be our keynote speaker and to his staff for organising it (also to my local Assembly member Unmesh Desai).

I would also like to thank branch Executive members for all their hard work in organising the AGM.

Below is my report as Branch Chair which I would have presented tonight (and will still be sent out to our members in our annual report)

"Branch Chair report

While the dreadful general election result was the low point of my year as Chair of the branch, it has actually meant that our union is even more important to our members who have faced amongst the very worst cuts in jobs and attacks on their pay, pensions, terms and conditions. 

Care and support members are under threat as some unscrupulous employers deliberately underbid to win contracts then try and do everything they can to destroy pay protections. Many housing management organisations are making large surpluses yet refuse to give their staff decent pay rises.

Winning trade union recognition agreements and greater trade union membership density in our workplaces is absolutely key to saving jobs and improving pay. The more members we have in any employer, the better the deal we will always get for those members. 

To do this we must carry on with the reorganisation and modernisation of our branch to ensure that members and stewards get the very best support and assistance. This is a “bread and butter” issue and we must make sure that the branch, in partnership with the region, delivers for its members.

Due to other commitments I am standing down as Chair but I hope to still remain on the branch executive. 

My high points as Chair was watching and listening (and learning too) to our branch delegates and members speaking in many debates at our UNISON National Conference in June and our Community conference last month. In terms of ideas and vitality the branch is punching above the weight of its 3000 members in a 1.3 million union.

Finally, I would like to thank our directly employed branch workers and UNISON regional staff for their hard work in advising and representing members. But most importantly, I also want to thank our lay activists and shop stewards who are the unsung heroes of our movement and the first line of defence in so many workplaces.

East Ham Launch of Sadiq Khan for London Mayor

Yesterday morning we met up at High Street North in East Ham to welcome Labour Candidate of London Mayor, Sadiq Khan and our East London GLA candidate, Unmesh Desai with Newham Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz and local MP, Stephen Timms.

It turned into quite an exciting political event since Rokhsana and Sadiq both stood up on a bench and gave short speeches to activists and Saturday shoppers who stopped to listen. These sorts of interaction on the streets is too rare nowadays.

I went off to door knock with comrades from East and West Ham. I only came against 2 "Against"  contacts during the entire canvass session and many Labour supporters.

During the canvass we knocked on the door of former Newham Councillor, David Macidary (top right of collage - who I did not know). David was also a local teacher who had also taught geography to one of our canvass team, Cllr Harvinder Singh Virdee, when he was a boy. Small world.

Campaigning for Sadiq in Carpenters with Lyn & Unmesh

Yesterday was a London wide campaign day for the re-election of Labour Mayor, Sadiq Khan and Labour representatives on the Greater London Assembly.

We met at a Labour stall in Stratford for the obligatory group photos then split up into 3 canvass teams. The Newham Mayor, Rokhsana Fiaz, took a team into Maryland while  the other two teams went to the Carpenters Estate. I was with our local MP, Lyn Brown and our Cities and East Assembly member, Unmesh Desai.

Residents were as usual in Newham, pretty positive and supportive but a little surprised to see us campaigning so soon after the general election. There was not much recognition that the GLA elections are taking place in May so we have lots of work to do. I recognised some of the residents who have been participating in the monthly Carpenters forums on the future of the estate.

The GLA elections are crucial for Newham, even more following the General Election catastrophe. Sadiq has provided us with £107 million to build truly affordable Council homes as well as much needed funding to tackle rough sleeping. We desperately need a Labour Mayor and Labour Assembly members in City Hall to continue this work. 

London Labour Unions General Election mobilisation event at UNISON centre

This evening I chaired a meeting of London Labour Union organisers at the UNISON centre in Euston. It had originally been intended to be a trade union consultation on the London Mayoral manifesto for May 2020. However, following the calling of the general election, it was widened to involve organisers from the main trade union affiliates. It has all been at bit last minute so apologies to affiliates who were not invited or unable to come at short notice.

Our first speaker was Joe Cox from national "Labour Unions"who spoke about how important it was in order to preserve basic workers rights in this country to have a Labour Government elected. UNISON London Political Secretary, Steve Terry, explained how the unions in London will divide marginal seats amongst themselves in order to offer support.

UNISON regional secretary, Maggi Ferncombe, in response to questions, spoke about the guidance that all unions will be sending out to their branches on what they can do legally during the campaign to stop falling foul of the anti-trade union legislation that deliberately seeks to prevent us from supporting Labour.

Ffion Meagher from London Labour Policy gave us a briefing on the Mayoral/GLA manifesto consultation process. Once we get this general election over with we need in London to  jump straight into this Mayoral election.

Our final speaker was London Assembly member (and my long standing Newham comrade), Unmesh Desai, who was standing in for Karen Buck MP, who was stuck in Parliament voting for a new Speaker. He gave a rousing speech about how vital it was to win this election and to re-elect Sadiq.

My final comments to meeting was that many of us here will have suffered in real terms 20-30% cuts in their pay since the last Labour government in 2010. In order to increase pay and have a fair economy, we need to win this this general election.

However, the result will be decided by a couple of dozen marginal seats. Some of which we will win or lose by a handful of votes. If the 40 of us here tonight went to a marginal to campaign in one session alone, we may identify or persuade 5 or 6 voters to come out and vote Labour and win that marginal.

Imagine what we could do in 10 or 100 sessions....

Housing Crisis Canvass in Royal Docks 31.8.19

After a lazy summer I was back on the campaign trail on Saturday in Royal Docks ward in East Ham. We met after the "Socialist Sisters" picnic in Thames Barrier Park (a truly lovely park, well worth a visit) . Local MP Stephen Timms had joined the sisters at the end of their picnic with London Assembly member, Unmesh Desai.

The canvass session was organised by Royal Docks branch secretary, Cllr Genevieve Kitchen, and we went around the Newham side of the Thames Barrier area. The theme of the canvass was about the "Tory Housing Crisis". This area compromises of newly built expensive apartment blocks with some town house terraces, many of which are privately rented.

The canvass was successful even though it is notoriously difficult to get into many of these new developments to knock on doors or leaflet due to entry phones entrances.

I spoke to tenants who privately rent, who said despite earning good money in London the rent they pay just makes it impossible to live a decent life and they were considering leaving London.

However, most people we managed to speak to supported Labour, even though there was one door slammed shut in the face of a canvasser, since the resident believed we are now a "racist party". Not good.

Mindbogglingly high rents and unaffordable property price rises could make this an unlikely Labour stronghold if we get our National housing policy right (which I think we have). 

Iftar reception with Beanibazar Thana Jonokollan Shomittee

Picture of Cllr Anamul Islam, London Assembly member Unmesh Desai and myself at tonight's Iftar reception at Impressions in West Ham. 

It was packed and well organised. It was good to meet so many friends from Tower Hamlets, many of whom I have not seen for many years. 

Many thanks for the invitation. 

Hat tip photo Shebul Khan