Love Unions Week (and Greater London UNISON AGM results)

This week is "Heart Unions" (8-14 February) in opposition to this Tory Government's fascistic attempts to destroy trade unions via their vile Bill which is currently going through the House of Lords. There will be a Labour Government in the future and I hope it remembers what the Tories have done when we are in power.

Picture is from our UNISON London AGM early this month. Yesterday I got the results from the ballot of Regional delegates as below:-

Regional Convenor
Doolan, Jane                     55
Green, Yvonne                 110  elected

Deputy Regional Convenor
Ashley, April                   48
Lawrence, Conroy          117 elected

Regional Finance Convenor 
Gray, John                      112 elected
Sangarapillai, Vinothan  53      

Regional Publicity Officer
Bentley, Lynn                  Elected unopposed

Regional Equalities Convenor
Baptiste, Elizabeth          Elected unopposed

Regional Young Persons Convenor
Cox, Ashlyn                    Elected unopposed

UNISON London Regional Council Elections

            It is that time of the year again. Labour movement AGM season. The UNISON London Regional Council AGM takes place on Wednesday 3rd February 10am, Holiday Inn, Coram Street (across the road from Russell Square tube station). Doors open at 8:45am.  The forces of light and reason are standing once again against the Evil ones (or the "bottomists" as I now call them)

PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR UNION

VOTE FOR:

Yvonne Green - Regional Convenor

Conroy Lawrence - Deputy Regional Convenor

John Gray - Regional Finance Convenor

Liz Baptiste - Regional Equalities Convenor

Lynn Bentley - Regional Publicity Officer

Ashlyn Cox - Regional Young Members Convenor

Thank you for your continued support

(Picture of Yvonne and Conroy at the TUC March against Austerity in October) 

Vote for London Health Candidates: UNISON NEC elections 2015

London Ambulance Service member, Eric Roberts, and Lewisham hospital nurse, Mike Davey, are standing as London health candidates on behalf of the forces of light and reason against the evil ones. 

UNISON Special Local Government Conference 2015

I am not a member of the Local Government Service Group anymore (even though my pay and conditions like many UNISON Community members are still determined by the National Joint Council) so I was not there yesterday and don't know how accurate this UNISON Active post is but it has a ring of truth about it.

I may not agree with every comment it makes but would agree that it is far, far better than the self seeking, pompous and nonsensical accounts by the Evil Ones' - Goblin in Chief.

BTW - did the conference total cost the union £250,000 or £750,000?

London Regional Council AGM Election Result 2015

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Convenor: John Burgess – 61 Yvonne Green – 119 
Deputy Convenor: April Ashley – 60 Conroy Lawrence – 111 
Finance Convenor: John Gray – 117 Hugo Pierre – 57
Publicity Officer: Lynn Bentley – 115 Phoebe Watkins – 60
Equalities Convenor: Liz Baptiste – 124 Angela Boyle – 52

The cry baby goblin and his evil plans are seen off.

Democracy rules.

London UNISON Regional Council AGM 2015

On Wednesday 4th February 2015 at 10am it is the Annual General Meeting of the Greater London UNISON Regional Council.

It will take place at the Holiday Inn Conference room, Coram Street (across the road from Russell Square tube station). Doors open at 8:45am.

There will be guest speakers, reports and motions but the chief purpose of the AGM is to elect Regional Council Officers and committee members.

This will be last AGM as Regional Convenor for Gloria Hanson who is stepping down. Gloria has done a fantastic job as Convenor for many years but now thinks it is time to let someone new take over. Existing Equalities Convenor, Yvonne Green, is standing and she will make a terrific Regional Convenor.

The forces of light and reason are standing a full slate against the ultra left evil ones.  So if you are a UNISON branch delegate to the AGM please consider voting as below:-

Yvonne Green - Regional Convenor 

Conroy Lawrence - Deputy Regional Convenor 

John Gray - Regional Finance Convenor 

Liz Baptiste - Regional Equalities Convenor 

Lynn Bentley - Regional Publicity Officer

Update: Clean sweep - Victory for forces of light and reason!

Sectorial Wage Councils for Vulnerable Workers

Both our branch motions were passed at last week's UNISON London Annual Regional Council AGM. I'll post my speech moving the motion next.

Only one delegate actually voted against our motion calling for wage councils and another made a very odd speech supposedly in support. Neither of course were female, BME, low paid workers on zero hour contracts with no sick pay or pensions. 

• All service groups in UNISON will have members who are employed by private contractors that have traditionally suffered from low pay and poor employment conditions. 
• For example Social care and support, private health care, cleaning, security and catering services. These sectors also tend to employ women and BME staff, pay the minimum wage rate with no decent sickness protection or pensions on insecure contracts.
• The employers are often very small and have fragmented workplaces over a large geographically area. Many staff also work part time and/or shift work. 
• It has always been very difficult and challenging for unions to organise in these workplaces which are a major reason for the low pay and poor conditions. 
• Due to Austerity and the polices of this Tory led government the pay and conditions of these already badly paid staff has gone down due to cuts in government, council and health budgets. 
• Attacks on TUPE and the growth of Zero hours employment contracts have made things even worse. Millions of UK workers are treated in this way. The Government has to spend billions of pounds on tax credits and housing benefit subsidising employers who treat their staff in this way. 
• This is an unacceptable state of affairs in the 5th richest economy in the world. In other European countries such vulnerable workers are protected by wage councils where employers and trade unions collectively bargain on binding national agreements not only on pay but training, overtime, sickness benefits, holidays, pensions and trade union recognition. 
• In the UK during the 1930’s the Conservative Government of the time set up wage councils in order to increase demand in the economy in order to pull the Country out of recession. Over the years these Councils have been abolished by post Thatcher Conservative governments on free market ideological grounds most recently the Agricultural wages Council in 2013 

1. This Greater London Regional Council believes that the UK should support and campaign for the setting up of Sectorial wage Councils in this Country for such vulnerable employment sectors.
2. Regional Labour Link should be asked to consider supporting such a campaign.

(if this motion is passed and sent to any other forum then the wording should be changed accordingly)

UNISON Greater London regional AGM 2014

Tomorrow is our AGM and I will be standing again as London Finance Convenor with the forces of light and reason against the "evil ones"(the now official Dis-United left).

If you are a branch delegate please also vote for:-

Gloria Hanson - Regional Convenor
Conroy Lawrence - Deputy Convenor
Lynn Bentley - Publicty Officer
Yvonne Green - Equalitiies Convernor
(Michaela Smikle already auto elected since only candidate).

Below is my election statement.


GRAY John

Standing for: Regional Finance Convenor

I am currently the Regional Finance Convenor, and firmly believe that strong management of our member's money is the foundation to organising campaigns that deliver for our members. In the best of times this is true but now in the worst of times it is even more important than ever.

If re-elected as the Regional Finance Convenor I will continue to ensure that the member's money is used to support branches focusing on real issues for real members such as:

· Resisting the Tory Coalition Cuts

· Defending the NHS and Pensions

· Campaigning for directly provided services and to defend our public services

· Recruitment & building branch organisation

· Campaigning for equalities

· Strengthening our influence in all areas but in particular Community & Voluntary, Education and in Private Contractors

Open & transparent

Financial decisions need to be open and transparent and be easily understood by activists. We have a responsibility to our members to be diligent and ensure probity in our financial matters .

I want to make sure that activists better understand the financial support that is available to branches and ensure that the money gets to them to support recruitment and organising campaigns.

I am an experienced branch officer and regional activist for many years. I am currently the Branch Secretary of the Housing Associations branch, member nominated representative on Pension panel and Chair of London Labour Link. I am also the elected National Executive Council member for Community.

As part of the current lay leadership team, working in partnership with the regional office, we have had significant success in the past 8 years in strengthening our union in London by bringing greater unity, building participation across the differing service and self organised groups, and building a union to be proud of. I hope to be re- elected to continue the work we have started. In these difficult and demanding times we need a team that can deliver.

If anyone wishes to discuss my statement with me they could email me at
johndotgray2012atbtinternet.com

Nominate Jason Anderson as London rep on UNISON National Labour Link Committee

Can all UNISON Branches in London who support the forces of light and reason against the evil ones (aka miserablists) please consider nominating Jason.

You can download a nomination form from here. It needs to be signed by 2 branch officers who are Labour Link members (including the Link officer if you have one in post). Don't worry about the election statement or candidate form, Jason will send that direct to UNISON HQ.   His RMS number is 4565268. The form needs to be returned by Friday 14 June by email (elections@unison.co.uk) or post or fax.

"Dear Colleague,

I am writing to ask your branch to consider nominating me for the London seat on the National Labour Link Committee.

About me

My name is Jason Anderson and I work as a Frontline Ambulance Technician and have been a member of the London Ambulance Service’s ‘Hazardous Area Response Team’ for the last two years. This involves attending to casualties in many different environments’ i.e. Fire Incidents, Water, and Decontamination, Biological, Chemical, Nuclear and mass casualty.

I am now in my 13th year in the London Ambulance Service and have seen many changes to staff working conditions like the introduction of ‘Agenda For Change NHS’, and now the prospect of restructuring across the Service (mainly due to the financial cuts being forced on the NHS by the Conservative/Lib Dem Government). I am acutely aware of the role we as a union have in demonstrating the effects Con/Dem policies are having on our members and the services we deliver.

We have a key role to play in building opposition to the Government and enabling Labour to win the next election in 2015.

I am a committed trade unionist, first joining after leaving school and starting work on a ‘Maggie Thatcher’ YTS Course (which not surprisingly didn’t last!) and have held numerous UNISON roles including Station Representative, H&S Representative and Branch Labour Link Officer for the past two years.

I am a life long supporter of the Labour party and have been a party member for the past few years. I have recently moved home and my CLP has changed from Mitcham and Morden (where I have supported Siobhain Mc Dough MP with the ongoing campaign to keep the A/E and Maternity departments open at St Helier Hospital) to Epsom and Ewell where I am already getting involved in campaigning around the local Elections.

Labour in Government delivered real improvements for our members, but, Labour needs to change and do more to win the General Election in 2015. We need an alternative economic policy. I believe in supporting the Party, but also in campaigning for or against change where it impacts on our members.

If elected I will :-

• Represent the views of APF payers in the London Region. 
• I will work towards ensuring the voice of UNISON members is heard within the Labour party. We need to champion trade union issues and move our members concerns up the agenda, promoting a manifesto that includes; 
• Defend our NHS 
• Reinvestment & defending our public services 
• Defending pay and public sector pensions 
• Access to housing for public sector employees 
• Economic policies that promote growth and jobs 
• A Labour victory in 2015 must be a priority for us all. We must get rid of this Tory led Coalition Government determined to destroy our public services and welfare state before they do any more damage. 

I hope your branch will consider nominating me. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Regards
Jason Anderson"

UNISON NEC elections 2013

I was away last week and was pleased to come home and find a letter from UNISON elections office telling me that I had been reelected unopposed again for the General seat on the National Executive Member (NEC) for the General seat of the Community & Voluntary Service Group. 

The results will not be confirmed until the end of the elections on 10 June 2013. Many, many thanks to all the branches that had nominated me.

Now I will need to do my bit to help the other NEC candidates representing the forces of light and reason in UNISON who are being opposed by ultra left (aka the miserablists).

Ballot papers are being sent out on April 22. I am creating a blog site detailing which candidates I recommend (personal capacity only). Which should be up and running this weekend.

Branches who have nominated candidates can remind their members who they have nominated by the usual way they communicate with them e.g. newsletter, email or mailshot.

VICTORY: For London UNISON Centre Left

The Greater London UNISON Regional Council AGM took place today and I am pleased to report that the forces of light and reason yet again soundly defeated the Evil Ones (aka "the miserablists") and re-elected the Convenor Dream team headed by Gloria Hanson and Conroy Lawrence.  Lynn Bentley as Publicity Officer; Yvonne Green as Equalities Convenor and myself as Finance Convenor.

Many thanks for all your support London comrades!

In the meanwhile enjoy this great video and music.