TUC LESE Regional Council AGM 2025

 

Due to a clash I arrived a little late to our Regional TUC AGM as a UNISON delegate. This is possibly the last such AGM to take place at Congress House which is being reluctantly sold to be replaced with a more modern and practical building. A real shame but was inevitable I think. 

The AGM went well on the whole but some odd surprises. A deeply moving speech and presentation by the National Centre for Domestic Violence, following which our new (covering Jo Galloway while she is on maternity leave) UNISON Regional Secretary, Sara Gorton, thanked the speakers and all workers who support Domestic Abuse survivors. 

I spoke in support of a great motion by RMT and Unite on investing in public transport and made some gentle suggestions to improve it. 

Hat tip pictures to our UNISON London Regional Convenor, Yvonne Green and Eastern Region delegate, Debbie Sahadeo Rowden, who has published a lovely reel about her day on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/share/r/12JEzjJUB1S/. Who says TUC conferences cannot be fun and cheerful!

TUC Regional Council & then "on the knocker" in Plaistow North

 

Today was a Labour Movement day. In the morning I went as a UNISON delegate to the TUC London, East and South East Regional Council meeting at Congress House. It was good to be back in person at these meetings. 

There was an important panel discussion on the TUC #OurWorkerMatters campaign around organising and protecting outsourced workers. Our Regional Secretary Jo Galloway was on that panel and she told it as it is, about the dreadful way outsourced workers are treated and what UNISON is doing in our regions to fight this. 

I contributed to the debate as a outsourced worker under threat of losing his pension via fire and rehire dismissal and asked what the panel thought about the Labour Party "New deal for workers" commitments and in particular the prospect of sectorial bargaining over pay and conditions (this is potentially huge in my sector and many others) and what are we doing as unions to influence this. 

There was a mostly very constructive debate about the TUC General Council statement on Gaza and Israel and agreement to donate much needed funds to Medical Aid for Palestine. 

Afterwards I went to take part in the by election campaign in Plaistow North, Newham and met up with the Mayor, local Councillors, Party activists and our candidate, Akhtharul Alam. 

The "door knock" went pretty well and we had over 100 contacts and I also had some very good political and policy conversations (one via google translate) with residents about local issues, national and international issues. Most concern was about "bread and butter" issues such as fly tips, ASB and housing. 

London UNISON, Trade Union Congress & America Federation of Labour

Today I went to the Greater London Regional UNISON office for the first time in nearly 2 years (due to Covid) in order to support a member being interviewed virtually by their employer.  The office is in the historic Congress House, the home of the British Trade Union Congress (TUC). 

We were in the 1st floor UNISON "policy and media team" room. I noticed the above plaque and wondered what this room looked like and how it was used 66 years ago. 

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congress_House

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Federation_of_Labor

SERTUC Safety Rep Seminar: 31 October 2013

If a "Healthy Workplace"is your thing then keep the date clear for this Safety seminar.

Croydon North By-Election: UNISON London Labour Link Voter ID

After today's TUC Pension Trustee conference I went upstairs in Congress House to the UNISON regional office for a voter ID telecanvass session.

There was only a few of us at Congress House but more at the UNISON centre in Euston Road.

We used the same very efficient and clever (but a bit buggy) software that we used in the GLA elections last year to ring the 800 UNISON members in Croydon North.

UNISON members are an interesting lot to ring up. You get a far better quantitative and qualitative response than normal Labour Party telecanvassing. Most of those we manage to speak to (the curse of the answer machine) will be more honest and open about their voting intentions. It is humbling how many will immediately volunteer their total support and that of their family for the Labour Party. While you also have frank conversations with rank and file members about their gripes and moans about the union.

I may have been just a little lucky tonight but conversations I had with members, who by and large had never spoken to a union bod outside their workplace, were positive and constructive. Labour candidate, Steve Reed, does seem quids in to be the next Croydon North MP but no one should take anything for granted.

If you can help out during the next 2 days go to :-

"Ruskin House (first floor)
23 Coombe Road (corner of Park Lane)
Croydon CR0 1BD

Times of opening:
Wednesday 28 November between 10.30am to 8pm
Polling Day Thursday 29 November between 8.30am and just before the polls close at 10pm.
We need all the phones to be constantly in use, so please don’t wait to be asked. Ring 07985 290 644"
UPDATE: Victory for Steve and Labour

Update on Pensions

Following recent developments over Public Service pensions I thought I would give my take on things. There has been lot of excited and largely ill-informed postulating.

On Friday the main local government unions UNISON, Unite and the GMB agreed "a joint statement on discussions on a new set of principles and timetable for detailed negotiations on pensions....if agreed, the unions believe they "lay a positive framework" for full negotiations to start in January....The statement stresses that no decisions have been taken over details surrounding contribution increases or the future look of the local government pension scheme".  The Government was willing to proceed on this basis.  However it seems that Eric Pickles MP has been doing his best to wreck a deal.  It appears that his silly letter has now been withdrawn.

Yesterday UNISON health negotiators received a final offer from the employers which they quite rightly intend to consult upon with the Health Service Group elected lay Representatives.

Other unions (with the one exception of the main Civil Service union PCS) appear to be close to an "outline deal".

No-one cannot seriously argue that there hasn't been significant changes and improvements to schemes since the decision was taken to ballot for strike action. Also as the TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said : "Since the day of action on November 30, we've seen a new atmosphere in the negotiations".

I think that some commentators are in danger of cutting their nose to spite their face.  They also clearly do not understand that it is not and never has been (and never will IMO) the role of British trade unions to take action against the wishes and interests of its members.  We are interested in resolving trade disputes and not engaging in infantile and doomed toy town revolutionary politics. While I am very proud of the work that my union does to change society and promote a progressive agenda.  We put the interests of our members first and not what are told to believe by extremist central committees.

By coincidence yesterday evening I was at Congress House in London for a UNISON Regional Council Officer meeting.  There was also a meeting of the TUC Public Services Liaison Group to discuss the negotiations. Outside the main entrance was about 25 protesters (see picture) calling for a National Strike (and various other things).  I went outside to see what was going on and had even had a chat with my former branch chair. I must admit that I did wonder why these tiny number of protesters thought that they had the right to "demand" that 6 million TUC members do as they tell them?

The elected lay Representatives of the Union will decide what to do next. Ordinary trade union members will have the final say about whether these changes are sufficient to settle this dispute. They will vote in a secret ballot either: Yes or No.

SERTUC Rally: organising to defeat public service cuts (and splitters and wreckers)

Yesterday there was a successful and vibrant Labour movement rally at Congress House about grown up trade unionists organising with others to defend public services.

There were a few problems which I will return to later. This official trade union rally of affiliated trade unions and trade councils from all over London and the South East was organised by SERTUC. Who had spent a lot of time, money and energy organising an event to unite the Labour movement against the Coalition cuts and to be a springboard to organising against them.

The Rally started at 12 noon. There was an excellent and diverse line up of speakers. I was there with London UNISON convenor Gloria Hanson and other delegates to the SERTUC Council meeting that had been held immediately beforehand. Trade union branches who had marched to the Rally arrived at about 12:10 with their banners.

At about 12.30 Gloria and I were concerned, since numbers seemed a little light and many UNISON members that I expected to be there were missing. I went out to look for them. I knew the march had finished at nearby Bedford Square, which is just around the corner from Congress House. I went there and was astonished to find that a separate rally had been organised by the “NSSN” (aka as SPEW - Socialist Party of England & Wales) in Bedford square with speakers and a PA. There was around 300 people present I guess, The speaker’s at the time were busy happily attacking trade union leaders and “New Labour” (don’t think they actually understand that there has been change of government).

I went looking for London UNISON members. I said hello to an old UNISON Hackney mucker but most UNISON members I found actually thought that this was the SERTUC rally. I pointed the way to Congress House. I eventually found a bunch of London UNISON members having a chat together about 75m away from the main SPEW rally and gently chided them to come to Congress House as soon as possible.

When I got back to the Conference hall it was pretty full. CWU leader Billy Hayes gave a passionate speech about how hard work and organising had saved the Post office from privatisation in the past and will do so in the future.

FBU President Mick Shaw spoke about the cuts that fire-fighter’s have already faced across the country and that there is nothing less to cut. Today’s strike action in London by fire fighter’s is as much about protecting the service to the public as about stopping them all being sacked and re-employed on inferior terms and conditions.

Brand New Labour MP, Chuka Umunna, gave an assured Labour movement family speech (I’m trying to upload it to YouTube but having a few technical problems) pointing out the real differences between Labour and the ConDems.

Other stuff I found interesting was that the annual interest rate on new government debt (gilts) is 1.8%... in 1945 National debt was 250% of GDP yet we then went on to create the welfare state... the NHS, nationalised Coal and Steel and a mass public house building programme... the journalists who vilify trade unions would not be able to write a sentence if they had not been properly taught by trade union members.

RMT leader Bob Crow gave his usual high octane, finger waging and podium thumping speech. Great fun to listen to and highly entertaining if you are a trade union activist and but essentially empty and forgettable to everyone else (except for the hat – which was memorable). This is a problem. Which I think Bob knows.

By the time Steve Hart, the London UNITE regional secretary came to the rostrum the wanabee alternative SERTUC organisers had turned up and made the mistake of trying to repeatedly shout him down (as they do – it reminded me of a London UNISON AGM). Steve stopped and just took the abuse for about 30 seconds then laid into the “Peoples Front of Judia” and the “wreckers and splitters”. To which the hall erupted into loud clapping and cheers . This shut ‘em up and Steve continued with his attack on the real enemy – the ConDems.

Why do we put up with these Rule or Ruin sects?

SERTUC regional Secretary Megan Dobney spoke next to close the conference. The usually mild mannered and consensus Megan asked the idiot fringe present to “shut up and listen for a change”. She pointed out that the unions must either change government policy or change the government...from 1920-1960 national debt in this country was never less than 100%...72% of the cuts will come from purse not from the wallet.

On 26 March we need to have a successful TUC March against the cuts....in SERTUC there are about 1/3rd of all trade union members nationally...we need therefore to get at least 1 million members from SERTUC on that march, if we cannot even do that then we will risk losing the battle... we must not forget the elections next May.

Everyone must remember the discipline and commitment by this Government to their manta that this recession was left to them by the Labour Government...we must show the same discipline and commitment to our manta and show that this recession is due to a global banker’s crisis - not ours.

SERTUC conference on Equality Bill - 6 Feb 2010

Double click to bring up details then print to apply.

SERTUC – Regional Council

Yesterday morning I went to Congress House to take part as a UNISON delegate in the South East Regional Trade Union Congress Regional Council (SERTUC). Which I admit is a bit of a mouthful but actually quite an interesting meeting.

On route to the Council at Stratford Station I was tapped on the shoulder by someone who said “Hello John” and who I knew but could not remember his name or how I knew him from Adam. He introduced himself and reminded me that I had defended him at an appeal against his dismissal several years ago. Unusually (most appeals against dismissal fail) it had been a successful appeal so he was very pleased with me.

He was on the way to work with the same organisation that had originally sacked him. The appeal was successful since grossly incompetent management had received advice on how to deal with him over an issue from an even more mind bogglingly incompetent HR if I remember rightly.

UNISON delegates had a pre-meeting beforehand to decide on how to vote on motions (there was an extraordinary 8 motions on the agenda – normally there is only 1 or 2). We were a little light on delegates since it was UNISON Black members conference this weekend.

Some highlights of the meeting - the SERTUC regional secretary, Megan Dobney, reported on being the sole TUC representative on the London Development Agency (LDA). The present LDA is completely dominated by political nominations made by London Mayor, Boris Johnson, except for poor Megan. Unlike when Ken Livingstone was Mayor, where he allowed representation broadly in line with the political balance in City Hall. Boris has made sure that the Labour Party now has no representation on the LDA whatsoever, which is just selfish Tory gerrymandering of the worse sort. It was noted that one of the first acts of the LDA was to abolish their equalities committee. They are apparently going to “mainstream” equality issues. Yeah.

In what I thought was a very progressive move, the SECTUC executive had invited an economist as a guest speaker to give us a briefing on the Global Economic/Market Outlook. Graham Turner of GFC Economics gave a thought provoking presentation on which I will post separately.

I was pleased about the way that the motions were dealt with by the Executive and the Council. Motions which were not properly thought out were remitted beforehand following informal discussions. I spoke on the motion regarding the London Olympic Legacy and mentioned the missing health centre and No. 10 e-petition.

The rather daft and “pious” motion 5 “Workers reaction to the collapse of the Capitalist Myth” which called for the seizure of asserts and the public hanging of bankers (OK well, not really but the sentiment was there) was knocked back by a whole series of speakers pointing out in the nicest possible way that this motion was completely bonkers. The movers eventually agreed to remit the motion or face it being voted down. Which I obviously think is really positive. The Executive will take it away and come back with a practical motion that is not going to make SERTUC look foolish and may even do some good.

Caroline Gooding from the Trade Union Disability Alliance gave a very good presentation. In recessions the disabled are often the "last in and first out". The CIPD (the HR trade body to you and me) did a survey of their members and 1/3 admitted that they would unlawfully discriminate against disabled members in job interviews. Better and more effective legal rights to protect disabled people are needed. The government scheme "Access to work" was described as "one of the best kept secrets of Government".

While I missed out on taking part in a West Ham Labour Party stall in Stratford that morning I did feel that the Regional Council meeting had been worthwhile and I’m looking forward to the next one.

Gordon at Progress Conference

Registration for the annual Progress Conference started at 9:00 yesterday morning at Congress Hall, TUC. The first keynote address was due to start at 10:00. As usual, despite my very best intentions, I was running late and I arrived at about 9:45 and went straight down to get a coffee in the TUC lower hall.

To my surprise the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, came down the stairs and started to shake everybody’s hand he came across including my own. I could only think at the time of saying “Hello Prime Minister”. Now of course I can think of all sorts of profound and convincing statements to say to him. But at the time it was only “Hello”. I couldn’t find my camera either to take a photo - but there you go.

It is only when you are up close to him that you realise that he is literally such a “big bloke” with a barrel like chest and rugby playing shoulders. His famous “big clunking fist” would indeed deliver quite a knock out punch. Light weight Tory leaders and egg throwers beware.

Gordon was the surprise keynote speaker and had not been on the original agenda. As soon as he entered the main hall there was a spontaneous standing ovation for him. Most of the audience didn’t have a clue that he was going to be there. He took over the platform for a confident and far reaching 20 minute speech, delivered without any obvious notes or screens (how do these people do it?).

I felt he was very buoyant but wanting to appear very calm. I think that the current financial crisis “extraordinary times need extraordinary solutions” is bringing out the best in him. It is “the biggest New Labour Project...it falls on us to deliver...We live in a global financial system where there is no global supervision" It’s personal as well, he talked about a women who wrote to him who had invested her savings in an Icelandic bank and could not any reassurance about her money. She had not slept for the previous 4 days. "We need to apply lasting values to new circumstances... Labour is the greatest force for fairness in our society. ..The lesson is that only progressive forces work”.

He also importantly, I think, gave an impression of optimism, not all is doom and gloom and in the long term we will come out of this. I managed to ask a question about the role that Governance failure in Banks, fund managers, accountants, actuaries etc, played in the current financial crisis and whether the concept of citizen investor will help prevent future failures. Gordon was I thought a bit wary in his answer but he assured us that once the crisis was under control there will be significant and wide reaching regulatory change in the future to prevent such things happening again. Fair enough.

In the last Progress conference I attended in 2006, Tony Blair was the keynote speaker. This was also in the same hall in Congress House. Tony had recently “agreed” to resign and delivered a blinding farewell speech. Later on I saw Gordon speak in this same location during the London trade union hustings for the deputy leadership election. He was very well received by that audience. Gordon left the Progress stage yesterday to another standing ovation.

I’ll post later on the rest of conference.