UNISON Labour Link Officer Branch Report 2012

My report to UNISON Housing Association Branch Annual Report 2012.

"In the GLA and Mayor elections in May, Branch Labour Link members played their part across London by being in UNISON door knocking and tele-canvassing teams which helped get rid of nasty Tory GLA members such as Brian Coleman, while London Mayor Candidate, Ken Livingston only narrowly missed out being elected.

We held our annual meeting in the House of Commons in October and our key note speaker was Shadow Housing Minister Jack Dromey (see picture), who in a well attended and lively session, made a convincing case for an alternative housing policy.  At the same time he listened to our concerns about poverty wages, insecure employment and the impact that austerity has on those trying against the odds to provide quality services.

He overstayed the Q&A by 40 minutes and let one of our major employers, who also had an appointment that evening waiting for him.

In 2013 we need to exercise our local and national political muscle to support our campaigns to not only save our jobs, pensions and pay but argue for different ways of doing things. For example sector wide collective pay agreements;  for a living wage plus (decent pay, pensions and sickness benefit) for all housing and care workers and no public sector contracts for employers who do not  recognise trade unions.

Those of us who support the Labour Party need to play our part in making sure that a Labour Government is elected in 2015 and that it is a truly progressive Government with an alternative economic policy that will transform our society.

John Gray"

UNISON London Labour Link (APF) Elections 2012

This is our election statement. I will post the full slate later (which will include others who put forward a separate statement).

"We are seeking election to represent the views of APF payers in the London Region on the Regional Labour Link Committee and at the National Labour Link Forum.

The Tory-led Coalition Government continues to drive through its plans to privatise our schools and NHS, and cut essential public services and jobs which hit the poor and the vulnerable hardest.  We need to get all our members involved in the Labour Party at all levels, through affiliating to their local CLP and building links with local Councillors and MP’s to ensure that their views are heard and understood and that trade union issues are kept on the political agenda.  We need to use our influence in the Labour Party to campaign for a real alternative to the coalition’s damaging cuts.

As active UNISON and Labour Party members we support the link we have with the Labour Party, and strongly believe in supporting the Party, but also in campaigning for or against change where it impacts on our members.

The recent statements made by the Labour Party leadership about public sector pay restraint and cuts have been very unwelcome and unhelpful.  We believe the best way to respond is to be part of campaigns within the Party to reverse the leadership’s decision to back these damaging policies.

In less than 3 months Labour faces its biggest electoral challenge since the General Election – the London elections.  We are proud of the role our union has played in the campaign to date, but we must do more in the last few essential weeks to get every UNISON member in London voting Labour.  It’s time to get rid of Boris Johnson and Brian Coleman and return Ken Livingstone to City Hall and a Labour majority on the GLA".

London Labour Party Biennial Conference 2010 (Morning speeches)

On Saturday at the Old Town Hall in Stratford there was the 2010 London Labour Party Biennial conference. 

This is now the 2nd London Biennial conference that I have posted upon. Check out 2008 here. I was again a member of the UNISON affiliate trade union delegation.  However, before the meeting I was helping out with the distribution of flyer's to all delegates about the impending launch of a London Branch of the Labour Housing Group (which was sponsored by UNISON Labour Link).

Usual health warning on the accuracy of my hurried notes. London Labour Party Regional Director Ken Clark opened the conference.  The first speaker was the the borough host, Newham Mayor, Sir Robin Wales, who happily reminded all delegates to sniff and enjoy the "Tory free" air in Newham.  Even better, in next door Barking and Dagenham, they enjoy the air being totally fascist free after the May elections! (loud applause).

Robin points out the sheer inequity and political gerrymandering of the "cuts" which has meant Newham will suffer £71 in cuts while Coalition run Richmond upon Thames, will only suffer £5 million.

Next was GLA Labour Assembly and London Pary leader, Len Duvall. I'll concentrate on the interesting bits of his speech (to me).  He condemned the Henz 57 model of community and personality politics.  Where elections are decided not on the basis of transparent London issues but on what is happening elsewhere.  The London Labour Party does want to have local parties (Tower Hamlets) in special measures, its not that we don't like someone or their politics but we are genuinely worried about what would happen.

Len spoke about the importance of London Labour Councils, not being too managerial and technical.  We need to be political and show there is a difference between us and them.  Between Labour and Brian Coleman.  We are different.  We want to genuinely negotiate and consult meaningfully.  If we look at terms and conditions of staff we need to think very carefully and make sure that everyone knows there is a difference.

Finally, never forget that Boris is an "anti-politician" who can make people laugh.  But the Tories fear Ken.  Because they know that Ken at his best is so superb.

Next was Barking MP Margaret Hodge.  Not only were the BNP in Barking and Dagenham "smashed" in May but their local defeat has contributed to their national destruction. Since May their BNP group leader has emigrated to Australia; BNP Assembly member Richard Barnsbrook has been expelled from their Party; their national leader Nick Griffin has agreed to resign and the BNP is also facing bankruptcy (shame). But we cannot take things for granted - such as the growth of the EDL. 

In London in May we won control of 10 new councils and 200 new Labour councillors. But this was still the 2nd worse defeat nationally in our history.  The Coalition policies are based on ideology not deficit. They are doing this because they believe in a small state, and "private good; public bad". This is worse than Shirley Porter in Westminster who only affected 1000 residents.  This policy will try and create middle class ghettos cleaned of anyone working class.

Remember always that Boris is at heart an enthusiastic right wing slasher.

Karen Bucks MP was warmly welcomed not least when she announced that dispute Tory predictions she was still the Labour MP for Westminster North!  Karen asked whether London stopped the Tories getting an overall majority? What will happen to waiting lists when the budget for new build is slashed by 50%?  Housing benefit may be a issue that makes ears bleed but even Boris is aware that if the housing benefits cuts go ahead then 20,000 children could lose their homes.

Finally, Labour should accept that they did not built enough houses while in power but instead did spend billions on much needed refurbishment and decent homes. However, we should agree that we did not spend enough time and money on new building new homes.

Note the recent comments by Tories that they only lost Westminister and Hammersmith seats to Labour because there are "too many poor people" living in these boroughs.

(I'll hopefully post on rest of conference later UPDATE: here)

Tory Toad Plans to Slash & Burn London Fire Brigade.

It is now clear that the Fire Brigade Union fear that that the proposed changes to their terms and conditions by Tory London Fire authority Chair, Brian Coleman, was actually all about reducing the number of fire engines and firefighters - was pretty accurate.

Let us check out Tory blogger Iain Dale here 1 November 2010 where he said "the FBU have used it to put about scare stories about future reductions in night cover or a possible reduction in fire appliances. Coleman has said publicly on several occasions he will guarantee that neither of those will happen. But the union pretends not to hear".

Now check out the notorious toad of London City Hall late amendment to the London Fire budget here that

"officers [should] explore, as part of the budget process, and report back to the Committee... on whether the Brigade needs all 27 of the fire appliances removed from stations during the current industrial action to be returned or whether there is an over-supply of appliances".

This would result in 500 Job losses and a 16% reduction in the number of fire engines. Now it could be Coleman is just being his usual petty minded and vindictive self or the FBU fears were legitimate from get go. You can guess my view.

Et tu, Red Tel? (in joke).  Hat tip thingy Col. Roi.

The Coleman Diet and his Recipe for Disaster

 A link to this YouTube video was posted anonymously on my post here about the London Fire Brigade Strikes.  I must warn you that this video contains disturbing images of Tory London Assembly member and Fire chief, Brian "Cabman" Coleman, promoting I assume a new Boris and the Nasty Party diet cook book. 

Please do not view this video if you are eating, or planning to eat soon or are in anyway of a sensitive or delicate nature. 

You have been warned!

However, if you want to learn more about the real practical reasons why London Firefighters have been out on strike to try and keep the capital safe then brace yourself to get over the first 30 seconds or so...

‘Give me a Cab Coleman’

The London “Metro” has a really good piece about the Tory deputy leader of the GLA, Brian Coleman, and “Cab-gate”. The Metro states that Brian notched up cab bills for himself equal in cost to that of the entire other 25 London assembly members including Ken.

He paid £1,000’s in cab fares when he had in fact free travel on the London transport system. In one day he made a claim of nearly £700! The Metro claim he spent over £10,000 compared to an average £845 for other assembly members.

He now claims that he has to have a taxi because as “deputy leader”, he has to wear his "Civic chain of office". Others claim that he does not have to openly wear his “bling” on route and can put it in a case while on the bus! Coleman seems to think also that there are diamonds in his chain. The London Assembly state that they are not precious stones.

Labour assembly member Murad Qureshi (UNISON member) is quoted: ' He justifies getting taxis everywhere because he wears his bling around. There's no reason for him even to be wearing it.' Green party assembly member Jenny Jones called him shameless and said he should 'leave the bling behind'.

Of course one of the most interesting things about Coleman’s Taxi bill is that it largely occurred after he got a ban for 6 months from driving following speeding offices.

So we now have to pay for his criminal behaviour?

Outrage of London Tory's £660-a-day taxi bill

Check out a previous post about Tory Assembly member, Brian Coleman, and his hypocritical attempts to pay poverty pay to vulnerable GLA workers. While at the same time, claiming daily taxi fares far in excess to the weekly wage of such workers.

Boris Johnson (left), of course has also committed himself to being in favour of scrapping the London Living Wage.

The interesting stuff from this Freedom of Information (FIO) request is that:-

Conservative deputy chair of the London Assembly, Brian Coleman, is under pressure today to explain how he managed to run up a £660 taxi fare in one day – paid for by London taxpayers.

Figures released today show that Mr Coleman claimed over £4,000 for
taxi bills from City Hall expenses in just nine months from the public
purse. This is more than ten times the average claim of other London
Assembly members.

Some taxi journeys Mr Coleman claimed for were to and from
Conservative Party events, which may break strict City Hall rules on
using taxpayers' money for political purposes.

JOHN BIGGS, London Assembly Member, said:

'Londoners will be astounded at the arrogance of someone who is
entitled to free public transport running-up a taxi fare of close to
£700 in one day.

'If this is the Conservative attitude to public office - not just
freeloading but slapping Londoners across the face with their gigantic
taxi bills - what would a Tory-run City Hall look like?'

JOHN GRAY, of trade union Unison said:

'Brian Coleman recently opposed paying Greater London Authority
cleaners any more than the minimum wage. Perhaps he could explain to
Londoners how he can justify spending more on one taxi fare than a
full week's wages for those who clean his office?'

Mr Coleman's taxi claims include £176 on 13 September 2007 explained
as 'car from home to various engagements' and £391 for a journey on 16
October to and from an 'event at the House of Commons'.

His largest one-day taxi claim comes in at £656 on 13 December 2007
and includes 2.5 hours 'waiting time'.

(London Labour Party press Release)

Ends

Notes for editors:

1. Figures released by the Greater London Authority's Audit Committee
showed the average taxi expenses bill claimed by members of the London
Assembly members from April 1st 2007 to December 30th 2007 was £317.
Mr Coleman claimed taxi expenses totalling £4,157 / £461 per month.
(see attached file for breakdown of his claim).

2. Brian Coleman's £4,157 taxi account bill adds up to more than half
of the entire taxi account bill of all of the 24 London Assembly
members and the Mayor combined.

3. The total taxi expenses for the 25 London Assembly members and the
Mayor that was claimed between April 1st 2007 to December 30th 2007 is
£8,066.

4. On the 14th March 2007 Brian Coleman led a proposal in the London
Assembly to give the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Assembly the use of
a single taxi for a different meetings and engagements, rather than
separate taxis which were condemned at the time as a 'chauffeured taxi
service in all but name.' More at
http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/assemmtgs/2007/plenarymar14/item07.pdf

5. The Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Chair and Deputy Chair of the Assembly,
and all Assembly Members are offered free annual all zone travel cards
to use for travel in London.

6. Taxi expenses for London Assembly members between April 1st 2007 to
December 30th 2007). See:
http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/audit_panel_mtgs/2008/mar04/agenda.jsp

nuf said comrades?

“Nasty Party” Tories fight for Poverty Wages

This story reminds us all why we must defeat the Tories in GLA elections 2008 and at the next General election. Mayor of London, Ken Livingston, is trying to get all workers in London paid a “living” wage. This is currently calculated at £7.20 gross per hour (net wage of £217.83 per week on 37.5 hours contract). This figure does not include any pensions, sickness pay or other benefits. This is not an excessive wage for anywhere in the UK, but could you imagine how difficult it is to bring up a family in inner London on just £217 per week?

Labour members of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) which runs London fire stations are trying to make sure that all their contract cleaners are paid a living wage. However the Conservative members on the LFEPA decided to oppose this measure. “Paying London Fire Station cleaners the London Living wage of £7.20 ... is just ridiculous” says Tory Brian “Edward Heath was Gay” Coleman who is also Deputy Chairman of the London Assembly.

Ken Livingston replied “This is the nasty wing of politics. It is scandalous that there was an attempt to block the payment of the London living wage to these cleaners”.How on earth can well paid Tories possibly object to paying someone £7.20 an hour? Last year Maurice Heaster (picture far right), who also voted to stop cleaners wages received £13,501.98 (£259 per week) alone in allowances from the LFEPA.

A final decision will be made by a full committee meeting of the LFEPA. London Citizens will be organising a lobby outside 21st June at 1:30pm, outside Hampton House, 20 Albert Embankment, SE1 7SD. Nearest tube: Vauxhall or Bus: 77 or 344. Map: