Green Mean Hypocrite Machine - Support Brighton Cityclean workers

hat tip SERTUC "Dear Colleague

I am writing to you as you recently signed our petition against pay cuts for staff employed at Brighton & Hove City Council. As you may be aware the union is currently balloting for industrial action, and the result of the ballot will be announced this Friday 7th June.

It has now come to our attention that the Council is planning 'contingency measures' to attempt to bust GMB members taking industrial action. You can find out more about this at  http://www.gmb-southern.org.uk/brighton-green-council-planning-strike-busting-measures/

We are absolutely appalled that a Green administration, which stood on a platform of fighting cuts and supporting workers rights could be taking such action. We are therefore asking for your help:

What can you do to help?

1. Please sign the petition again - All comments made on the petition are sent directly to Brighton & Hove Councillors. You can sign the petition at www.gmb-southern.org.uk/bhcc

2. If you live in Brighton, please print off the attached poster and place it in your window, to show your support to our members;

3. Please consider making a donation to the regional dispute fund. This fund is used to support members in dispute throughout the region, and it is likely that members in Brighton will need to call on it heavily when the dispute begins. You can make a donation via paypal at www.gmb-southern.org.uk/bhcc

Thank you again for your support

Rob Macey & GMB Cityclean workers

London Marathon 2012 WK 20: Running past Brighton Homeless

This post is a little late but the training run of Week 20 was along Brighton Sea front last Sunday morning before the UNISON Community conference.  It was only a 30 minute run towards Hove and back but you cannot beat running alongside the sea side when it is cold, damp and windy. Especially if you are trying to get rid of a sore head from the night before.

But what was not at all good was the number of homeless men I ran past sleeping rough in Promenade shelters and shop doorways. Some of them looked very, very young. I've slept outdoors in winter when I was younger but that was usually wearing waterproof clothing in proper tents with warm sleeping bags and gas cookers. The relatively large number (I think 5) of homeless men (didn't see any women) sleeping rough along the beach looked tired, cold, wet, dishevelled and frankly miserable.

I was conscious that I was at a housing related conference, staying in a nice hotel, looking foreword to a hot shower, clean clothes and cooked breakfast after my completely self indulgent run.

While I hope the political motion at the conference about greater income equality may do some good in the long term in the meanwhile I am glad that I will be running the London Marathon for a charity set up to prevent young people becoming homeless and helping them if they do. Check out "Alone in London". Click here to sponsor me on the Justgiving website.

UNISON National Delegate Conference

I am now completely behind posting on the close of Local Government conference and the start of National Delegate (NDC). It is a really busy time and I hope to catch up with reports on major debates, events, fringes and malicious gossip as and when. Most of it will probably have to wait until next week.

Picture is of top Brighton and Hove Council street cleaner and UNISON member Rob Smith. By co-incidence Rob use to work as a caretaker in my housing office in Tower Hamlets and was a keen and committed UNISON activist. Rob cleans the streets outside my hotel 6am-2pm. We had a brief chat about single status problems in B&H Council.