I have just signed up for the Greater London Rally on Thursday at 6pm and submitted a question.
"Have you signed up to one the campaign rallies yet?
Come along to hear how UNISON is safe in my hands and how we'll keep winning for members.
Submit your questions and sign up at: votechristina.org.uk/rallies"
Brilliant result!
As Chair of Greater UNISON Labour Link Committee (and on behalf of our wonderful Vice Chair, Yvonne Green) , I welcomed and introduced speakers. After David gave his keynote speech, our new(ish) UNISON Regional Secretary, Jo Galloway, gave a cracking overview of politics and the union in London. Especially all the campaigns that should unite us, about tackling low pay, health and safety and training.
Next was our also new(ish), Political Secretary and UNISON Regional officer, Joel Bodmer. He laid out specific asks of Councillors regarding adopting our UNISON Ethical Care charter and Residential Care charter.
UNISON National officer, Gavin Edwards, also spoke about our Social Care campaigns and what Councillors can do to support some of the most vulnerable workers in Local Government.
Afterwards there was a chance to take some photos and have a chat and gossip in the finest traditions of UNISON and Local Government.
Due to Data Protection issues we cannot match UNISON members against Labour Party membership lists, so apologies that the invite to this event was a bit hit and miss. This will be the first of many events and all invitees will also be contacted with dates of campaign sessions to support UNISON nominated Prospective Parliamentary Candidates.
Watch this space.
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This means I will represent all UNISON members in London who work in Charites, Housing Associations or the Third Sector. There are a number of national employers whose headquarters are in London and are therefore part of London region as well.
I am looking forward to representing the interests of London Community members at this national body and will do whatever I can to hold the present Community NEC members to account for their actions in particular the complicity and failure to stop the victimisation of the Kirklees 15.
This is about 14 female UNISON members and 1 male, whose complaints of bullying and harassment against our so called current "President" Paul Holmes, have been dismissed by our NEC without any due process for them. This is despite the fact that he has been sacked by his employer for bullying and harassing them.
I will also challenge them for supporting the bullying of UNISON staff, including threating to sack them, breaking the union rules, fiddling procedures and using "union busting" tactics against our recognised trade unions. Incredibly they have also failed to completely condemn Putin's fascist war of aggression against Ukraine.
Watch this space.
(Picture of some of the many Community delegates who walked out of our recent conference in Glasgow last month when Paul Holmes was chairing it).
Dear
London Branch Secretary and Chair
Your
branch is entitled to nominate candidates to the London SGE Community General seat
for this years’ Service Group Executive elections. If you are not a Community
specific branch please put this request to
your Community members for consideration - John Gray
for the Greater London General Seat
I am standing on a platform to unite the leadership
of our union. Our General Secretary needs unity and support not factions fighting
internally. A united leadership will ensure UNISON concentrates on taking on
the government, making sure our members don't pay for the cost of Covid and
fighting their plans to divide workers with below inflation pay offers.
If your branch is organising hustings I
am more than
willing to attend.
I
have been an activist in UNISON for many years and held a number of different National,
Regional and Branch positions. My special interest is pensions. I work for a
large London based Housing Association and am its National Convenor as well as
a front line worker specialising in complex ASB. I am also a former Branch
Secretary, Chair of the GLR Housing Associations Branch.
Covid 19 Pandemic These past 2 years has been
the most difficult time in generations. UNISON should be so proud of our
members for continuing to provide much needed public services. Also UNISON activists and staff have
supported sometimes very frightened members and fought hard for adequate PPE
and risk assessments. But the impact of the
pandemic on our members physically and mentally can't be underestimated- proper
support needs to be in place for those who got the country through the pandemic
as we hopefully come out of this crisis
I also support the Community
specific campaigns below:-
Ballot papers have been sent out from today to UNISON Labour Link levy payers home addresses. If you are a member in London vote for Anu. Check out other recommendations for contested regional seats but please exercise your right to vote.
It is made up of elected regional reps and delegates from UNISON self organised groups. Normally it is held at a hotel and is spread over 2 days but due to Covid it was a virtual meeting 9.30 to 3pm via zoom. There was I think just under 100 delegates.
I thought it went really well (in the circumstances) and the Chair, Gordon McKay, did a great job in these difficult times, with his own unique ability to be authoritative and self-deprecating at the same time. Gordon is a Scottish NHS nurse and must have had a welcome day off yesterday, since today he had a 12 hour shift undertaking Covid vaccinations.
My role was as an elected Greater London regional delegate and I was able to speak twice on our motions which were both fully supported by Forum. There was some superb contributions from other London based delegates on a number of debates.
I will post my speeches (including one that I did not give due to a mix up) over the next few days and some thoughts on how we might now try to implement. Passing motions for motions sake is pretty pointless and we need to think of next steps.
What a great initiative.
