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Day 2 started again with the usual NEC meeting at 8.30am then I joined other activists to hand out leaflets outside the conference hall to publicise the Labour Link rally and campaign session being held that that evening. I was back on the NEC platform for the 9.30am start. After the normal S.O.C bun fight, we continued debates including a very important composite motion on a National Care Service.
Pay disputes are obviously number one followed by bullying, racism and other discrimination, then Pensions (strike action over pay and potential mass dismissals over pensions in Clarion for example), car mileage, health & safety, governance failures, accountability.... the list of problems is pretty endless and often inter connected.
We also welcomed former branch organiser, Andy Robinson, (he arrived after the photo) who is now an extremely experienced and well qualified employment law advisor, who was able to give us some very helpful advice on issues.
Good luck to all Labour candidates tomorrow and let us send a message that this Tory Government needs to go - and go very soon.
Today we held a simple but powerful remembrance ceremony to mark International Workers Memorial Day (IWMD 28 April). IWMD is supported by trade unions and responsible employers across the world to remember those who have died of accidents at work and from work related ill health. It is also a campaigning day to make all workplaces safer.
This was organised by the London UNISON Housing Association branch members but supported also by a local GMB branch and professional safety advisers from Clarion & L&Q Housing associations. These are the two largest "shops" in our branch. Wreaths from UNISON, Clarion and L&Q were laid.
We met at the beautiful "Clasping Hands" statue in the historic Three Mills Green park in Stratford, East London. UNISON National Officer, Andrew Dobbie explained that at this very site in 1901 three workers sacrificed their lives, one after the other, in a ventilation shaft, trying to rescue another worker who had collapsed at the bottom of the shaft from fatal gases. Even the basic health & safety measures of the time had not been followed. I mentioned that this was not just an historic issue, in nearby Watney Market, Stepney in 1990 three workers were killed in a sewer in similar circumstances.
Other speakers spoke that even now, 2 workers per week, on average do not return home from work and the risk to UK health and safety if the Government goes ahead with plans to rescind european safety legislation. Another speaker spoke about the very recent 10th anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse which killed (manslaughter?) over 1100 worker in Bangladesh.
Many thanks to the UNISON & GMB members (including a former London Assembly member and a former Council leader), national and regional officers, Councillors and the professional safety advisors for attending. I had apologies from many others and look forward to making this event even better next year.
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Last Monday, we all heard the horrible news about the powerful earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria early in the morning. A week later there are still many people trapped under debris, and the ones who managed to escape from the buildings were left homeless and without any shelter or support in severe weather conditions. If you wish to help, please donate money to the Emergency Earthquake Fund. You can do that by visiting the website: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/turkey-emergency-earthquake-fund
Barbara Zagrodniczek Branch Communications Officer
Opportunity to represent the Branch at UNISON 2023 National Delegate Conference Date: Friday, 13th June 2023 – Sunday, 16th June 2023 Location: Liverpool
In the last issue of the Newsletter we announced that we are looking for members who wish to represent the Branch at the National Delegate Conference. Due to an error in the provided email address, we would like to extend the deadline to 3:00pm on Friday, 24th February 2023. If you would like to attend, please send your details along with a supporting statement (max. 100 words) to AGM.Admin@unisonhablondon.org
For those who already submitted the statement, we kindly ask you to re-send it to the above email address. We apologise for any inconvenience this causes. Travel, accommodation, and meals will be paid for by the Branch in line with our expenses policy. We look forward to your responses.
Upcoming Events UNISON LGBT+ London Region to celebrate LGBT+ History Month (In person) Thu, 16th February at 6:30pm-9:00pm at Queer Britain Museum, 2 Granary Square, London, N1C 4BH
The Regional LGBT+ Committee would like to invite you to celebrate LGBT+ History Month at the UK’s first ever dedicated LGBT+ museum. The regional UNISON LGBT+ committee will be holding its first LGBT+ History Month in person since 2020. We are really excited for this event which is open to all members. Karl Lewis, the LGBT+ Officer will be in attendance. Please get in touch if you want to find out more.
Sign up for the event here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/unison-london-lgbt-history-month-receptionat-queer-britain-tickets-531844419977
Branch’s AGM (Hybrid meeting) Wednesday, 8th March 2023 at 6:00pm-8:00pm (in person and virtual)
Details will be circulated separately by email.
Women’s Training and Networking Event (In person event) Friday, 10th March 2023 at 10:00am-4:30pm at UNISON Centre, 130 Euston Road, London, NW1 2AY
It is an annual women’s training and networking event hosted by the Regional Women’s Committee. The event is aimed at all elected branch officers who are women, and branch women’s contacts. Attendance is free, but pre-registration is essential. The deadline to submit registration forms is 24th February 2023. If you are interested in attending, please get in touch with Barbara Zagrodniczek, Branch Communications Officer at AGM.Admin@unisonhablondon.org
International Workers Memorial Day (In person event) Friday, 28th April 2023, Bow, East London
Please save the date in your calendars. More details will follow soon.
Branch Officers’ Reports (February 2023)
Chris Milson – Branch Secretary
Working people are continuing to stand-up all-over Britain, fighting for better pay and conditions, catalysed by the current cost of living crisis and a Westminster government that is proving deaf to their concerns. In UNISON, public service workers in local government, education, health, and other sectors either have been striking, or have strike dates booked in the coming weeks.
The UNISON Housing Associations Branch stands in solidarity with all union members that take the difficult decision to go on strike for better pay and conditions.
Your Branch Needs You The UNISON Housing Association Branch’s AGM is next month. We’ve had an eventful year and all officers of the Branch Executive will be talking about what they’ve done in their elected roles this year for the Branch and its members. If you can, please come along and hear about what we’ve been doing, and what our goals are for the coming year.
You can also stand for election to join the committee – look out for the online nomination form we’ll be sending out shortly. If you care about your Branch, and believe that you, or another member you know, has something to offer in helping to run it – do please consider nominating them or yourself for an Executive Officer position.
Barbara Zagrodniczek – Branch Communication Officer
In October 2022 I edited and circulated the first issue of the Branch Newsletter. Five months later I am proud to see that more and more of our members are taking part in the surveys and are putting themselves forward to represent the Branch at different forums.
I hope we will be continue sharing similar opportunities with you in the future. I continue to work on improving Branch communications. This is why I am pleased to announce that our Branch is now ready to start publishing the Newsletter on the Branch website. I hope that this will make it more accessible to those who do not always have access to their emails.
Further to that, we are planning to update content on the Branch website.
Conference and Meeting Reports Greater London Regional Council AGM –
Report For those of you who may not be aware, the Regional Council is the senior membership body which oversees the work of the Greater London region representing and supporting members, and it is being elected by all Greater London branches. The Annual General Meeting took place on Wednesday, 8 th February 2023 at Holiday Inn in Bloomsbury. Our Branch was represented by John Gray, Joseph Ogundemuren and myself.
The meeting opened with passionate speeches given by Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, MP and Shadow Minister (Mental Health) and Sara Gorton, UNISON Head of Health. Both speakers focused on the importance of changes in the UK health system and solidarity with the Ambulance Service.
After that, similarly to the Branch AGM, the meeting followed a standard agenda – minutes from the last AGM, matters arising, reports and motions.
Our Branch submitted two motions. The first one, ‘Cost of Living’, was submitted for consideration as a regional motion to the 2023 National Delegate Conference. At the AGM it was presented by John Gray and received a positive response.
The second one, ‘Year of the Black Worker’, was written in collaboration with the Croydon Local Government Branch and put forward by Joseph Ogundemuren.
Barbara Zagrodniczek
(This communication has been written by a dyslexic person. If you have any trouble with the meaning of any of the sentences or words, please do not be afraid to ask for clarification)
Most of us had the traditional polish set meal for 2 which was very good value, tasty and filling (definitely not keto). Despite one of the tables collapsing during the meal, it was an very enjoyable experience and many thanks to our branch secretary Chris (sitting next to me) and our Chair Joseph (sitting next to Chris) and the wider executive for all their hard work during the past 12 months.
Every year
on the 28 April in 19 countries across the world, workers remember all those
who have died in an accident at work or from occupational illnesses and
diseases such as exposure to asbestos. Sadly, more people are killed at work each
year than die in wars. Many more suffer from work related disability or chronic
ill health.
The theme
for this year’s event following the many unnecessary deaths workers suffered
from Covid is making sure that health and safety at work is a "fundamental
employment right".
Greater
London UNISON Housing Associations, has held an annual memorial in Stratford, East
London for many years, organised by local members, other trade unions and some
employer safety officers.
The annual
memorial in Stratford takes place at Three Mills Green, E3 3DU behind the historic
buildings nearby and next to the River Lea. It is about 10 minutes’ walk from
Bromley-By-Bow underground station.
There is a
“clasping hands” statute at this site remembering the deaths of 4 workers who
were suffocated in an underground vent. 3 Of them had sacrificed their lives
while trying to rescue others by trying to pull them out of the vent but were overcome by fumes.
Local MP Lyn
Brown will be laying a wreath on behalf of UNISON at 11am on the day. All welcome. Please bring banners and assemble by 10.45.
If you work
outside London, check out this TUC website for an event near you
https://www.tuc.org.uk/iwmd-events
Not only is
this a day to remember the dead it is also a day to campaign and remind
everyone of the risks they face at work and what can be done to reduce them.
In previous
years in our branch line managers and UNISON members on 28 April were encouraged to go on
joint “walkabouts” around their offices looking for simple slip and trip
hazards while other workers had special “tool box” talks on relevant safety
issues. With many employees still working from home for at least part of the
week, 28 April could be the day to make sure you have an up-to-date home or
office desktop risk assessment and you have any aids that are needed.
Last week was my branch AGM (UNISON Greater London Housing Associations) where I was re-elected unopposed as an executive committee member and Labour Link Officer. Below is my written report to the AGM (obviously pre the fascist Putin invasion of Ukraine)
"Notwithstanding bungled COVID restrictions and corrupt PPE procurement, the brazen lies and cheating over COVID parties, by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his ministers, has shown us, once and for all, that the Tories are unfit to govern this country.Even if Boris goes, the Tories will remain in power until we
can defeat them in the ballot box.
The next big electoral test will be the Council elections in
May 2022. We must give the Tories a hammering in these elections. In May last
year branch activists campaigned for Labour in the London Mayor and GLA
elections. Our branch Executive, Lolo Oyesusi, was the Labour candidate for the
Kent Police Crime Commissioner and got the highest ever Labour vote for that
position.
I will be organising branch Labour Link “door to door” and
telecanvass campaign sessions for members to take part in and support Labour
candidates. A number of our branch members will also be standing as Labour
candidates, who will be asking for your support.
In the meanwhile, the best thing
you can do if you want to support Labour is to register for a postal vote
(contact your local council or click here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apply-for-a-postal-vote)
and encourage your friends and families to do so.
After the elections in May, I hope
to organise another branch Labour Link AGM and social in the House of Commons.
Please contact me if you want any
further information on UNISON and its Labour Link.
John Gray"
Email AGM.Admin@unisonhablondon.org if you are going to attend (with your unison membership number or full name and address/employer).
