Greater London UNISON Regional Council AGM 2025

 

Picture collage from last weeks Regional AGM. I gave the the Finance report and thanked Council for being re-elected unopposed together with the rest of the Regional Council officer team Yvonne, Conroy, Clara and Katie. 

The key note speaker was former London UNISON activist and now MP, Deirdre Costigan. 

I moved a motion on Grenfell which the Branch Chair of UNISON Kensington & Chelsea, Sonya Howard, also spoke in favour. The motion was passed unanimously and I hope will the sent to UNSION National conference. 

Another very important motion passed was on our Regional campaign to end exploitation of migrant workers in public services. 

Sonya, Clara, Eddie Brand and Abiola Kusoro, who all spoke in various debates are standing to be elected as London UNISON NEC reps in the forthcoming elections. 

During the meeting the Regional Secretary, Jo Galloway announced that she will be starting her maternity leave the following week. She will be hugely missed but we all wished her well.  

Forces of light & reason win elections for London UNISON Labour Link Committee, its National Forum (& I am going to Labour Conference as a London delegate)

Fantastic news today that the Greater London Labour Link elections resulted in a clean sweep for those committed to win a future general election. We won all the elected positions of our regional committee, national forum and Labour Party Conference delegates. Thanks to team work and some great organising. 

This also shows that activists are rightly worried about the direction of our current NEC junta and want real change. We are fighting the Tories and we don't want ultra left student politics and the unacceptable bullying/harassment complaints of so many of our staff. 

In our slate we had a coalition of UNISON activists from all traditions of the union and the Labour Party. However, we need to win over those who know that the current NEC majority is acting badly and even disastrously and not in the interests of our members. 

(Picture from UNISON centre 2020 with our Labour Leader Keir Starmer MP, UNISON London Regional Secretary Maggi Fermcombe (currently on secondment) and super NHS branch secretary and Staff nurse, Rose Minty-Tutton. 

Re-elected at London UNISON Regional Council AGM 2019

I was privileged to be re-elected last week at the London UNISON Regional Council AGM as Finance convenor (Treasurer and Regional Council Officer) for I think the 12th year in a row.

The AGM was probably in my view the most constructive and positive one, I have ever been to in all my years as a UNISON activist. The UNISON Lay President, Gordon McKay (a NHS nurse), gave a typical self deprecating but very passionate keynote speech about the simple cruelty that this Tory Government shows towards the poor and the vulnerable.

Next a great presentation by http://greecesolidarity.org/ about the work they do to support the people of Greece and a plea for support from UNISON branches.

I gave my financial report to the AGM and was pleased that there were proper questions and challenges by delegates.

Deputy Convenor, Conroy Lawrence, who was also re-elected had nearly everyone in tears as he moved his branch's motion on Gun and Knife crime, and told us why this is so important to him as he explained about the senseless gun murder of his own son.  Branch activist, Misty Harmon-Russell also spoke during the debates.

Our Convenor, Yvonne Green, was re-elected unopposed and showed why, by her lovely polite, quietly spoken but firm chairing of the meeting. This is a real skill.

 In the evening I had my Greater London UNISON Housing Association branch executive at the Hyde Housing Association headquarters and was unanimously nominated to be the Community NEC General Seat candidate (with my good comrade from Wales, Denise Thomas and other sensible broad left candidates )

All in all a good day. 

Greater London UNISON Regional Council AGM 2017 nomination requests

Dear UNISON Colleague,

It’s that time again as we approach the forthcoming Regional Council AGM on Wednesday 7 February 2018.

It’s not been an easy year but on behalf of us, your Regional Council Officers (Conroy, John, Elizabeth and Francesca), thank you for all your support.  As always we are extremely proud of all the region has achieved on behalf of our members and grateful for your ongoing support.

We shouldn't fool ourselves that there aren’t many challenges ahead and our priorities for the coming 12 months will include:

•Smashing the pay cap for ALL public sector workers

•Defending our NHS

•Protecting workers rights as we exit the EU

•Securing a Labour victory with Jeremy Corbyn as Prime Minister before 2020 and across London Councils in May 2018

We must ensure we continue to build a strong union that always put our member’s interests first.  We remain committed to working with you to build  membership democracy & participation and campaigning tirelessly to defend members and services from attacks wherever they may arise. Our collective strength, unity and determination are our greatest strength.

We hope your branch will consider nominating us.  The positions we are seeking nomination for are:

Regional Convenor – Yvonne Green                 Publicity Convenor – Francesca Hammond

Deputy Convenor – Conroy Lawrence              Equalities Convenor – Elizabeth Baptiste

Finance Convenor – John Gray

Please return the nomination form to Nick Turnbull in the Regional Office on or before 14 December. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and your continued support

Yvonne, Conroy, John, Elizabeth and Francesca.

"Why we need to build a new housing Consensus for affordable and decent homes for all"

This was my speech to Greater London UNISON Regional Council AGM 1.2.17 on our branch motion. It was passed and selected to be a regional motion to this year's National Delegate Conference.

"Chair, Council, John Gray, Housing Association Branch, moving motion 2 on why we need to build a new housing consensus for affordable and decent homes for all.

Council, I don’t have to tell those of you who live or work in London that we live in a housing crisis and that millions of us live expensive, overcrowded and often insecure home miles away from your workplace, your family and your friends.

How many of you here today have grown up children or even grandchildren living with you not through any choice but because they simply cannot afford to move out.

This is not just the low paid. I recently met a young engaged couple who have had to give up their rented flat and move back into their respective parent’s homes to save money for a deposit. One of them was a NHS radiography and the other a junior manager. They had a joint income of over £50,000 but they had worked out that they could not afford to buy or rent anywhere in London. Full stop. The only property they could possible afford is a cheap shared ownership flat but to get this they needed to save £20,000 to cover moving expenses, legal fees and furniture and fittings.

This is not a crisis only in London and is not a new crisis either. Governments of various political colours have in the last 30 years announced a number of different grand schemes which they claimed would solve the housing crisis. Council, they have all failed.

Council, why have they failed? The simple truth is that there is no longer a political consensus in this country that it is the duty of the state to make sure that its people are adequately housed and most importantly that the state would provide the resources necessary to make sure that its people are adequately housed.

While the state being prepared to stump up the money to build homes and make sure they are affordable is of course really important. The need to have a political consensus that this is the duty of the state to provide shelter for its citizen is absolutely key since without this consensus, as we have seen in recent years, you have no chance of getting the money in the first place.

Council, this is not just wishful thinking, this is not “LaLa” land. In my lifetime different political parties and governments used to compete about how many homes they have built and how they will build more homes than anyone else once they were in power. Conservatives as well as Labour.

In London local elections even the conservatives ran on a platform of building more and making sure that rents were less than 25% of average wages.

Council. We must rebuild this consensus and the role of our union in rebuilding is crucial.

We must work with other unions, stakeholders and residents to campaign and make the case for more money, more investment in public housing.

We must work with our Labour Link to make a new housing consensus a top issue within the Labour Party.

We must make the case that the huge amounts of public subsidy wasted on housing benefit should instead to be redirected into building homes. Building homes will put the unemployed into work and give our young people skills and a trade.

If you increase the supply of public housing you will help drive down the costs of homeownership and private renting.

Council. This is not going to be easy. We have to have a government willing to tax the wealthy properly and make sure they pay their bit.

There are huge vested interests who make money out of hoarding land and high rents. We also want to make sure that new investment is in homes that are well built, environmental efficient and also that landlords are accountable and democratic.

Council, this can be done. We could afford a mass house building programme after 6 years of total war in 1945 then as the 4th richest country in the world we can afford one now.

We have to be blunt but persuasive and build a consensus again that the only way that people in this country have any chance of a housing future is for the state to take the lead and once again take responsibility for its people.

Council please support this motion. I move.

UNISON Greater London Regional Council AGM 2017 results

I was re-elected today at the Greater London UNISON AGM as the Regional Finance Convenor for the 10th time. Many, many thanks for the continued support of London delegates.

Next to me is our (new) Regional Publicity Officer Francesca Hammond, Regional Convenor Yvonne Green, Regional Equalities Convenor Liz Baptiste, Head of Regional Management & Governance Stephanie Thomas and last but not least Deputy Regional Convenor Conroy Lawrence.

Why we need to build a new housing consensus for affordable and decent homes for all

  Why we need to build a new housing consensus for affordable and decent homes for all

(motion from UNISON Housing Association branch to the Greater London Regional Council AGM on Feb 1. If passed  it could also be submitted to UNISON National Delegate Conference in June) 

"The never ending UK housing crisis means that millions of workers ‎and their families live in expensive, overcrowded and insecure homes. 

Often these homes are long distances away from work or family and involve many hours of daily commutes.

Conversely UNISON research has shown many families have grown up children living with them not out of choice, but of necessity as they cannot afford to buy or rent a home of their own. 

Recently the  government have announced a number of high profile schemes and incentives to fix the housing crisis. All have failed.  

Homeownership is on a downwards spiral, increasingly numbers of people in work are reliant on housing benefit and the number of social housing homes available shrinks year by year.

The chief reason for this‎ housing failure is that there is no long a political consensus in the UK on the need for direct investment and subsidy in public housing. 

From 1945 to 1970's political parties‎ of all kinds used to compete on how many affordable homes they could build each year. 

This was because there was a widespread consensus that ‎it was the duty of the state to ensure that everyone was securely and safely housed. 

In order to build homes we must rebuild this consensus. 

This Regional Council resolves to call upon the Regional Council Officers  to campaign with other unions and residents to restore direct investment in public housing. To make the case that this is the only way to solve the housing crisis.

To ask our Labour Link to work to make a new housing consensus a top issue within the Labour party taking into consideration the following principles:-

• Subsidy should be redirected from housing benefit being paid to landlords to building public homes.

• Governments and councils must borrow to invest in a mass house building programme. Not only building homes but putting people back into work to build them and therefore pumping money back into the economy.

• An increase in the supply of public homes would help bring down the cost of home ownership and make this a real option once again in expensive areas.

• Not only should homes be well built, environmentally efficient, affordable and secure but to be in a decent condition. Public landlords including councils and housing associations must be accountable and democratic to all stakeholders including having a meaningful ‎resident involvement and include the recognition of trade unions.  

Extending the "Right to Buy" to Housing Associations and "Pay to Stay".

"Pay to Stay" seems to be finally making the news. This is the speech I made at the UNISON London regional AGM this month, while moving my branches motion on this and "Right to buy". The motion was passed unanimously and will go to the UNISON national delegate conference in June.

"Council, John Gray, speaking as a delegate from Greater London Housing Association branch but who is also a Community NEC member, moving motion 4, on extending the right to buy to Housing associations and the so called “pay to stay”.

Council, I have always suspected that these modern day Tories don’t like, don’t understand and don’t care about working class people but their current plans for social housing certainly proves it.

The Tory plan is simple, it is to make future generations pay for their pre-General election bribes, on extending the right to buy by stealing homes from Councils and making them sell these already scarce and inadequate resources, on the open market to pay for it.

Let us be very clear here. At a time of chronic housing shortage. The Tories are going to make Councils sell their homes, their stock to pay for this discount for Housing association tenants? This cannot be right.

London is most at risk from this. Since it seems, we will be forced to sell our London Council homes to pay for the discount in other parts of the country where there is no Council housing, since they have already been sold off or transferred their homes to housing association. Since they have no Council housing they have nothing to sell.

Council, make no mistake, The Tories are coming to London for your homes and those that should have been let in the future for your children.

This also means that while a number of existing Housing association tenants may feel they have no choice but to buy and take on huge mortgages and communal repair risk, it will mean that their children and everyone else's, will have even less of a chance of obtaining a social home in the future.

Of course many tenants will simply not earn enough money to buy a home in London regardless of discount and will not be allowed a mortgage.

Not only this, but the so called “pay to stay” scheme, which will be compulsory for all Council tenants and probably compulsory for housing associations tenants, will result in double or triple or even more rises in their rents. If you or your family household income is more than £40,000 per year (or £30,00 out of the capital) in London (remember family income would be if you and your partner both work or have grown up children who work) you will have to “Pay-to-Stay” full market rental rates to stay in your home.

This could mean your rent for a 2 bed room flat in inner London increasing from £150 per week to as much as £600 per week or more.

If you don’t pay for “pay-to-stay”, be under no illusions, that you and your family will eventually be evicted and could be thrown on the streets.

Council, we have to oppose and campaign against this attack - and all the other Tory attacks on working people.

We shouldn’t really be that horrified or surprised about all this, since this what Tories do when they are in power.

We have to make the case that secure and affordable housing is a basic human right and an absolute duty of the state to make sure their citizens are decently housed.

Council, please, not only support this motion but join us and campaign together against this recipe for housing misery for our members now and in the future.

Council, I move. 

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

Greater London UNISON AGM 2016

Another AGM and another victory for the forces of light and reason in Greater London UNISON yesterday. UNISON delegates voted overwhelmingly in favour of a sensible left slate and reselected the existing Regional Council Officers for another year (including yours truly).

Many thanks to all our supporters.

Congratulations to Yvonne, Conroy, Liz, Lynn and Ashlyn (not in picture). I will post further on the meeting.

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) 

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.

Union Rights are Human Rights

This is me speaking last week at our UNISON London Regional Council AGM.

The motion was on "Union busting by UK public service providers" (see link for wording).

There a number of completely rogue and fascistic large UK Charities and Housing  Associations who refuse to recognise human rights and who threaten and attack union activists trying to protect their members.

This motion argues that no employer should have access to any public funds or procurement if they do not have a recognition agreement with a TUC affiliated trade union.

"Council, the United Nations recognises that there are 10 fundamental human rights and of those 10 rights is included that of free assembly for trade unions and collective bargaining. In the history of our union movement, activists have given their lives and their liberty in the fight to have trade unions recognised.

Unions in this country and all over the world are under attack. In the UK are numbers have gone down significantly but in recent years numbers have stabilised and we may see soon a return to growth. It is no coincidence that the massive decline in pay in recent years has been linked to the decline of collective bargaining. Workers desperately need the unions to protect and strengthen their terms and conditions by collective bargaining.

The best way to get recognition and collective bargaining is by action by members forcing anti-trade union employers to negotiate and bargain with unions. Yet when you are in a fight with employers for justice at work you want every help you can get.

Council, is it not perverse that in this county vast amounts of public money is handed over to organisations, which are hostile to unions? Why is this money going to organisations who don't believe in human rights? If public money was going to those who employed child labour or used corruption there would be an outcry. Yet we have allowed the government and employers to pick and choose which human rights they want to respect. A human right is a human right.

No organisation which refuses to recognise a trade union should be allowed to bid for any form of public money or support. No grants, No contracts, No loans, no Partnerships, No deals - not even housing benefit.

Council, What have they got to hide? Remember, that there is an extreme right wing ideology against trade unions. It is called corporatism. A core belief of corporatism is to get rid of trade unions and replace them with powerless and compliant staff associations.

While we would expect some hostile private sector employer to be anti union, we have organisations in this country masquerading as socially responsible charities.  They not only refuse to recognise trade unions but carry out trade union busting to threaten and frighten union activists and members.

Council, please support this motion and help send a message that trade unionism is your human right and we will not tolerate attacks on our human rights from anyone. Council, I move".

(motion was passed unopposed. I am not sure yet if it was selected for submission to our National Delegate conference. However, a version will be debated at the Community Conference later this month and I hope to try and send it by some route to the Labour Party conference in September)

UNISON Greater London Regional AGM election results 2015

The Evil Ones were crushed. The election result in today's London regional council AGM was the 10th victory in a row for the forces of light and reason against the Ultra left and their supporters.

Clear proof that the mass of ordinary unison members and branches are not interested in student union toy town politics. Instead, in these serious times, they want a grown up union leadership, one that will do what they think is best for members and not barmy extremist postulating.

It was amusing to read the on-line strop from the well known "Goblin and evil one-in-chief" middle class stranger to the truth. What else do you expect from those who despise working class people, since they think we are too thick to understand what is good for us and don't do what they tell us.

Left politics in this country has suffered so much from these 5th columnist Tory excuser's, who discredit the entire progressive agenda which their ranting, wreaking and splitting. It is the Far Right such as UKIP who are the chief beneficiaries from this nonsense but the wreckers don't care and actively want the right to win in order to bring about "the revolution". yeah. Dream on comrades.

Anyway, the motto for the sensible left in London from now on is "10 more years"!

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!

Victory for forces of light and reason!

The "evil ones" have been seen off again and the union is safe.

Great news - the forces of light and reason slate was successful today at our UNISON Greater London Regional Council AGM.

Gloria, Conroy, Lynn, Yvonne and myself were all re-elected.

I don't know the actual margin but going by the reaction I found when talking to delegates I suspect that it will be  significant.

This will be a kick in the teeth to the divisive "sour grapes brigade" who will have to find other excuses for the consistant failure of rank and file delgates to support ultra left fringe groups.

I will post further reports on the AGM later in week. 

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.