International Workers Memorial Day 2023: UNISON & Safety Advisors Honour the Dead & Work together for the Living

 

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. 

Newham - Voting for Change Launch Event

On Tuesday evening there was a well attended virtual launch of the Newham Campaign for a Committee Structure. 

In May 2021 there will be a referendum of all Newham residents on whether they want to keep the Executive Mayor governance model or introduce a Committee model. 

I missed the 1st half due to a trade union clash but below is the "Live Tweet" of the event @ForNewham. 

Our launch meeting is underway…

Cllr Ruth Dombey of Sutton Council, which runs on the committee system, is telling us how it works in practice.

Cllr Dombey says ALL councillors are involved in decision-making through membership of committees. Scrutiny is good, but it’s done best when the decisions are taken.

Democracy is done best when it’s done in the open.

Helal Abbas from Tower Hamlets is next (former Labour Leader). They are having a referendum too, and he will be talking about campaigning to change away from their mayoral model.

Helal Abbas says he has experience under all three governance models, and the directly elected mayor is the worst, “electoral dictatorship.”

Cllr Andrew Ansell from Basildon is speaking now. His council has recently moved to a committee model. It was a way to empower councillors and involve them more in the decision-making process.

Cllr Ansell says there is more accountability and more transparency in the committee system.

One of the best things about the system is member engagement and participation. “Teamwork makes the dream work.”

Our final speaker is Ruth Hubbard from the Sheffield It’s Our City campaign, which collected 26,000 signatures to call a referendum to change from a leader/cabinet model to the committee system.

Governance is not just a technical thing, it’s fundamental to the life and values of a community.

Other ‘strong leader’ models are about executive power, concentrated in the hands of a small group of councillors

People expect that the councillors they elect will have a say in decision-making, but in strong leader models most don’t. The committee system empowers voters.

Inclusive decision making is better than scrutiny after the fact.

Cllr Bob Littlewood from Redbridge wishes our campaign the best of luck. He hopes his borough will follow our example. 

Workers' Memorial Day 2019 - UNISON Wreaths at Clasping Hands Statue, Three Mills Green, Newham

Today we remembered four local workers who in 1901 selflessly lost their lives,  while trying to rescue a colleague who had collapsed from poisonous fumes, whilst inspecting a ventilation shaft in what is now "Three Mills Green park".

This annual memorial event is organised by my trade union branch, Greater London UNISON Housing Associations, but Workers Memorial Day is an international event supported by the UK Government, remembering those who have been killed while at work or have died of work related illness or injuries.

There were a number of speakers including UNISON members, West Ham MP,  Lyn Brown and Newham Mayor, Rokhsana Fiaz.

Lyn reminded us that  today we should also remember the Northern Irish journalist, Lyra Mckee, recently murdered at her work.  Rokhsana said that at the 1901 inquest into the deaths of the workers the employer was blasted for ignoring basic health and safety rules which resulted in their deaths.

Other speakers included London Assembly Member, Unmesh Desai; Former Tower Hamlets Council Leader, Helel Abbas, Newham Unite branch Chair, Brenda Bedminster and local Stratford Councillor, Joshua Garfield.

(Hat tip main picture Cllr Mumtaz Khan)

Tower Hamlets: A bit of a flashback

Tower Hamlets Councillor Rachel Saunders gives her personal take on what has gone wrong with the local Mayoral election.  Hat tip Labour List (and Unmesh Desai!)

"Thursday night, the night Labour lost Tower Hamlets, felt like a bit of a flashback. The venue was different, York Hall instead of Canary Wharf’s Winter Gardens, but Oliur Rahman and Rania Khan were doing V for Victory signs, hard working Labour activists were miserable and Ken Clark (London Labour's regional director) was at the front of the room looking grumpy.

One difference though – in 2006 I went up to a couple of Labour councillors and gave them a piece of my mind for working as a part of a group of Labour councillors who were making deals with Respect and others to save their own skins and knife councillors they disliked. This time Lutfur Rahman was victorious, but no longer in the Labour Party, at last openly supported by Respect and by others who travel through political parties as it suits them.

This election result came after a messy summer, where two separate panels made up of NEC and regional board members decided not to shortlist Lutfur Rahman, but he got on the shortlist through an appeal. Having previously declined to shortlist him, NEC members chose not to accept his nomination by the local party, and voted instead to impose the sitting council leader Helal Abbas.

Abbas is a decent man with an impressive personal story. From his leadership of the local squatters movement in the 1980s, standing up for Bengali families in desperate need who were excluded from social housing, to his record as the first Bangladeshi council leader, Abbas was the best candidate to steer us through the difficult times ahead. Why did he lose?

It will take a bit longer than a day to articulate what went on in the Bangladeshi community over the past few weeks and months. It is important to be clear that our greatest campaign leaders and activists were Bangladeshi, and that Lutfur presented himself as “Real Labour”, exactly like Respect before him – the bonds that tie our party to the east end of London remain strong, and our opponents only win by impersonating us.

I think our loss has two root causes. One, despite London region intending to run a short selection process and leave us a long summer to campaign, the cock ups and conspiracies meant we must have appeared to our electorate to spend the entire summer warring amongst ourselves. Combined with the London mayoral selection and leadership elections that many of us were involved in, we can’t blame our electorate for feeling like we lost our focus on what should really matter. We did continue to run campaign sessions several times a week, but not everyone will have seen us. This will have contributed to the very low turnout.

Secondly, Lutfur’s narrative was up and running before our story had its boots on. Lutfur presented himself as a victim of the evil Labour Party machine. He had much of the Bengali media behind him, and the intervention of Ken Livingstone, who turned up a few days before polling day and did a walkabout with Lutfur that the BBC were available to film, meant that Labour Party process was all anyone could talk about. Added to this was a smear campaign more filthy than I could have imagined – and I’ve seen a few nasty ones since Respect came into town.

Make no mistake though, there is no difference between the coalition of people that came within one councillor of toppling us in 2006 and the people who managed it on Thursday. Previously Ken Livingstone came to Tower Hamlets to slate Jim Fitzpatrick MP and give Galloway a hug, this time he slated Abbas and hugged Lutfur. Siraj of Clifton restaurant was a supporter of Galloway then and he’s a supporter of Lutfur now. Oliur Rahman, the first Respect councillor and opponent of Jim Fitzpatrick in 2005, who has been a member of four political groups in as many years (SWP/Respect, Left List, Labour, Lutfur), was crowing at the Labour defeat.

The selection process was a mess, but the NEC were absolutely right to stop Lutfur being the Labour candidate.

We defeated Respect convincingly in May 2010, and we’ll do it again. We’ll do it in exactly the same way. Again, we have a wave of new activists who are disgusted at what they have seen and want to defeat it. Again, we have excellent local organisation and hard working talented activists and councillors. We’re stronger than before, with two excellent Labour MPs. We’ll win back the hearts and minds of the people of Tower Hamlets through demonstrating that we understand their concerns, and that only Labour can represent the whole of our community.

This time we’ll have to stand up for them in opposition at the Town Hall. If you oppose the politics of hatred and division that Galloway stood for in Tower Hamlets - before we drummed him out - then stand with us".

Oh dear, what a shame, never mind, onwards and forwards

Check out the result of yesterday's election for Tower Hamlets Mayor here.

We live in interesting times in East London.

Stop the ConDems and Vote Labour, Vote Abbas for Labour Mayor

Polls open 7am today.  It is vital to send a message to the ConDem's about the "cuts" and get the Labour vote out.

If the Party can successfully "knock up" our supporters to come out and vote we will win. 

No doubt of this - whatsoever. 

So we need bodies to come and help!

In Bethnal Green volunteers should come to the Party rooms 349 Cambridge Heath Road, E2 9RA, 0207 729 6682 (5 minutes walk from Bethnal Green tube and opposite York Hall Leisure centre).

Poplar and Limehouse volunteers should go to 98 Copenhagen Place, E14 7DE, 07599617125.

If you can spare an hour today at all (especially after 4pm) then please do so. 

West Ham 6 play Millwall 4 (Abbas as Labour Mayor)

Apologies for post title but I just couldn't resist it. Yesterday I was out with a canvass team led by West Ham MP, Lyn Brown in Millwall, Isle of Dogs, Tower Hamlets.  We were campaigning for the Labour Party Candidate for Mayor, Helal Abbas.

Last Saturday about 40 activists from Newham helped out with the campaign. 

The meeting point was in Copenhagen Place which I thought was fortuitous considering the election will be held this week on Trafalgar Day.  We were sent off to knock on doors.  The reaction from voters was again very positive. 

One person told me that he and his family will be definitely be voting Labour on Thursday "we don't want our Council tax in the hands of George Galloway for the next 4 years".  I told him I couldn't possibly comment :)

I also knocked on the door of the Chief Executive of a well know East London voluntary sector organisation and had a chat.

What is strange is that I work in Tower Hamlets and have been campaigning a few times now and I have never seen any of the opposition parties out door knocking or delivering leaflets?  Instead it appears from this report by independent local blogger, Ted Jeory, that for some - most effort has been in simply smearing Abbas and trying to poison the community against him.

Respect are up to their old tricks I see.

I posted on Facebook the other day this great quote from local MP Rushanara Ali "What’s at stake next Thursday is a billion pound budget, in one the most vibrant and diverse boroughs at the heart of our capital. For the people of Tower Hamlets this isn’t about personalities, it’s about the real issues – schools, housing, jobs and the economy. This is no time for a Galloway-backed independent who appeals to the margins and wants to turn the clock back to the politics of the past".  The bile it generated from Labour opponents was great fun.

Election is on 21 October - Campaign office is at 349 Cambridge Heath Road, London, E2 9RA - 3 mins from Bethnal Green tube and is open for canvassing and leafleting from 10am-until late every day until the election. Or you can ring 0207 729 6682 or email abbas4mayor@gmail.com for further details.

Picture is from left: Newham Councillor Charity Fiberesima, Gordon Miller, Lyn, Councillor Pat Murphy (honorary West Hammer for day) and John Cullen.

Uniting the East End: A call to action in Tower Hamlets

Bethnal Green and Bow Labour MP Rushanara Ali calls for Action in Tower Hamlets Mayor Election. Hat tip Left foot forward.

"In a week when we are all waiting with trepidation for the results of the Comprehensive Spending Review, while marvelling at the twists and turns of Lib Dem MPs as they attempt to crawl out from the tatters of their higher education policy, there is a vital campaign happening on the doorsteps of Tower Hamlets. In less than a week, residents of the east London borough will be going to the polls to elect their first directly elected mayor.

Six months ago, many, many people from across London and beyond came to help me and Jim Fitzpatrick beat George Galloway’s Respect and the parties that would later join together and form the coalition. During that election the people of Tower Hamlets rejected the politics of division and joined with us backing our Labour vision of a united East End.

Since that election we have been putting that philosophy into action, challenging the far right English Defence League when they tried to march here, challenging the coalition on cuts to our public services and more recently fighting for Labour in this election.

Ed Miliband and Left Foot Forward have long argued that Labour needs to be a campaigning movement or it is nothing. By opening up the campaign to new volunteers we helped to create, with a fantastic team of organisers, a formidable campaigning force during the general election. Our team working under the banner ‘Uniting the East End’ attracted hundreds of volunteers, which let us do the most important thing – in elections – talk to voters.

Last time we had three years, in this election we have had three weeks! As MPs, Councillors, Greater London Authority members, Labour Party activists and community volunteers we are fighting as a Labour team on behalf of Labour candidate Cllr Helal Abbas, but we can’t do it alone. We need the support of activists from across London – so let’s start building that renewed movement in the East End, home to so many of the great  campaigns of the past.

What’s at stake next Thursday is a billion pound budget, in one the most vibrant and diverse boroughs at the heart of our capital. For the people of Tower Hamlets this isn’t about personalities, it’s about the real issues – schools, housing, jobs and the economy. This is no time for a Galloway-backed independent who appeals to the margins and wants to turn the clock back to the politics of the past.

Over this weekend, and on election day on 21st October, readers of Left Foot Forward have a chance to help defeat the Galloway candidate in Tower Hamlets, and make Labour’s Councillor Abbas a mayor who will finally turn the page on the politics of division, and start putting the people of Tower Hamlets first.

Please come and join us in this campaign, details of how you can help can be found below. The campaign office is at 349 Cambridge Heath Road, London, E2 9RA and will be open for canvassing and leafleting from 10am-6.30pm every day until the election. Please ring 0207 729 6682 or email abbas4mayor@gmail.com for further details or to let us know when you are available. With your help we can ensure a Labour victory on the 21st of October.

(picture Dan McCurry at Labour Party conference)

Labour's Abbas for Mayor: Uniting the East End

On Saturday Newham Labour  activists came to help our sister Party in Tower Hamlets canvass for Helal Abbas in the Chrisp Street Market area, E14.

I was with two teams of 10 members and supporters.  There was other teams led by Stephen Timms MP and the Newham Executive Mayor, Sir Robin Wales.

When we first arrived we had a little bit of a heckle from some very excited bloke who shouted at us (from across the road in the Somerfields Car Park) that we should "be ashamed to be voting Labour" due to the recession.  To which I responded that we were very proud to be Labour and that maybe he should just not vote for us then?   

Apart from that the canvass went really well and on route we "bumped" into the candidate Helal and local MP Jim Fitzpatrick, in the middle of the market (see picture).  All sections of the community  seemed aware of the forthcoming election and willing to come out on the day to support the Helal.

(Election is on 21 October - Campaign office is at 349 Cambridge Heath Road, London, E2 9RA - 3 mins from Bethnal Green tube and is open for canvassing and leafleting from 10am-6.30pm every day until the election.  Or you can ring 0207 729 6682 or email abbas4mayor@gmail.com for further details).

Helal Abbas - Labour Mayor for Tower Hamlets Campaign Launch

Picture is from the launch yesterday by Tower Hamlets Council Leader, Helal Abbas, of his campaign to become Labour Mayor. (picture by Dan McCurry)

I wasn't there but from Facebook reports I understand there was lots of Party members and 28 Tower Hamlets Councillors present.  There was also at least 2 Newham Councillors.

The Labour Party has expelled 11 members including 8 Councillors for supporting the "Independent" candidate and quite rightly anyone else who campaigns against the Party will also face expulsion.

There was 5 campaign sessions in Tower Hamlets this weekend. The campaign office is at 349 Cambridge Heath Road, London, E2 9RA and will be open for canvassing and leafleting from 10am-6.30pm every day until the election.

Or you can ring 0207 729 6682 or email abbas4mayor@gmail.com for further details.

I'll be seeing what Tower Hamlets trade union affiliates can do to help.

Abbas 4 Mayor

"Le Roi est mort, vive le Roi!" Despite the inevitable fuss and bother the local Party are pulling together around its Council leader, Helal Uddin Abbas (centre with file), as the Labour Party candidate to be Tower Hamlets Mayor.

No one person is bigger than the Party.  Our elected National Executive Council leadership have decided overwhelming to back Abbas in very difficult circumstances.  Abbas is an able and experienced leader and politician.  He was very positive towards the trade unions when I was the Tower Hamlets UNISON Labour Link officer and I have always thought he was a decent and honest secular socialist. 

I understand that there has been a failed legal attempt to challenge this decision. Nominations close at noon tomorrow. 

I shall look forward to the campaign!

Hat tip for picture to Dan McCurry.

Lutfur Rahman removed as Labour Candidate for Tower Hamlet's Mayor

I once got myself into a little bit of bother over a post that included the words "However, this being Tower Hamlets the story developed"...

Well, my "inbox" this afternoon has been flooded with emails referring to this statement from the Labour Party NEC. 

"Having received a number of serious allegations concerning both the eligibility of participating voters and the conduct of Lutfur Rahman, the NEC has decided to investigate the allegations made. As a result, administrative action has been taken to remove Lutfur Rahman as a candidate pending the investigation. Nominations for Tower Hamlets mayor close this week and in the circumstances the NEC had no option but to impose another candidate. The NEC has voted to select Helal Abbas Uddin as Labour's candidate".

I understand that John Biggs has stood down as a candidate and is supporting Helal.

Hat-tip Dave Hill's London blog.  Neither Marsha or Andy are best pleased! (neither of whom like me are members of Tower Hamlets Labour Party).  While Ted missed a scoop by going to the Gym.

Stratford High Street Labour Stall with our Gerry.

This morning I spent some time observing and helping out at a busy local Councillor Saturday ward surgery. It was pretty varied and interesting stuff. Next on the agenda was setting up a Labour Party stall in Stratford High Street outside the main shopping centre.

Picture is of our Gerry (backdrop is the historic Old Town Hall see him standing next to West Ham MP Lyn Brown) who is a retired T&G union activist who used to work in a local power plant. Gerry is a keen member of his Tenants Association and the West Ham CLP Disability officer. He has been an active member of the Labour Party for “over 50 years”. He sees an important part of his role as a member in making sure that in any Labour Party meeting he attends that its Chair is up to the job of running the meeting. While he puts down his long life to starting each day with a mug of tea topped up with a bit of whiskey. He points out that “if it was good enough for my old Duchess” who lived well into her late 80’s - it is good enough for him.

There was a good response from shoppers. A couple of doughnuts who think they are making serious political points by muttering expletives under their breath while walking quickly pass. We picked up some new members and lots of case work for Lyn and the Councillors while also giving passerby’s  directions to here and there and advice on what buses to get. The Labour Mayor of Newham, Robin Wales, also turned up which I hope to post a picture of us all when I get it.

Senior Councillor Helal Abbas from Tower Hamlets Council stopped by with his family while out shopping to show support and say hello.

I offered a Labour Party balloon to a mum who was with a wide eyed toddler who was eagerly holding her hand out. But her mum very politely refused saying “I am sorry but we do not agree with the Labour Party” To which I backed off and said “fair enough”. The toddler didn’t seem to agree and was visually and vocally unimpressed with whatever political correctness lay behind her Mum’s response. I reckon we will have a future Labour voter there.

One interesting exchange I overheard was one young woman speaking to another. Referring to Lyn Brown, she said to her friend “that’s our MP over there”. Her friend responded with “What? Why she here”. The reply was “Oh, her and Labour are always here”. To which I took some comfort from since it shows that we are recognised as being continually active as a Labour Party in West Ham and not just when there are elections.

Rachel Saunders 4 Mile End East

Today was for me a very busy Labour Movement day. I went on an excellent UNISON training event on Pension governance which will finish tomorrow (I’ll post on this later), then at 6pm I met up with Labour canvassers outside Mile End Station to go out and work the ward for the forthcoming Council by-election in Mile End East.

The Labour Party candidate is Rachel Saunders, (see picture) who will make a superb Councillor if she is elected.

Rachel works for UNISON as a national officer. She went off with a canvass team including Councillors Helal Uddin Abbas (former leader of Tower Hamlets Council) and Marc Francis. I went with another team together with local ward Councillor Motin Uz-Zaman.

We went to a high rise tower block in the ward which was run by the large housing association “Places for People”. The block was actually in a very good condition and seemed to be well run and cared for by residents and staff. The canvass went very well even though I am always a little doubtful about what people tell you to get rid of you from the door step.

The other Mile End East Councillor was formerly a Respect Councillor and SWP member, who bizarrely defected to the Tories, so I assume he is pushing the Tory vote. So, to make sure the Tories do not win, vote Labour.

One of the residents I canvassed was a UNISON Health branch secretary who promised to “spread the word”. I had to leave early to another “Rachel” Labour event. This was "Rachel Voller 4 Romford" at the House of Commons which I will also post on soon as well.