Mayor gives Christmas Cheer to Newham Council Staff

A good news story for Christmas. The new Mayor, Rokhsana Fiaz and the Finance Cabinet lead, Cllr (Red) Terry Paul have agreed to recommendations that the past administration Xmas working pay cuts to our staff are revised (as below).

Well done to all the recognised trade unions for their work on this and in particular, UNISON branch chair, Kim Silver, (UNISON is by far the largest union in Newham Local Government) who has been bending my ear on this topic (and others) for many a day.

Check out Newham website

"Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz has listened to the views of Newham Council employees and asked that pay enhancements to some staff which were reduced last year, are reinstated to their former level. ​

​In June 2017, the payments made to approximately 300 employees required to work on Bank Holidays and on extra statutory days such as the close down period between Christmas and New Year, were reduced as part of a review into terms and conditions of employment.

The Mayor, following consultation with the Interim Chief Executive and the recognised trade unions led by branch officers from Unite on behalf of colleagues from Unison and GMB, has asked that the pay for those offering essential services to some of the borough’s most vulnerable residents, is reinstated to its original 2017 level for those eligible employees who work on the days between Christmas and the New Year, and other Bank Holidays.

The Mayor said: “I am committed to putting people at the heart of everything Newham Council does, and that includes our employees as well as our residents.

“I respect and value the work of all of our staff. They do a brilliant job in providing the services that residents have told me are important. This is not just the work they do every day, it also includes Bank Holidays and extra statutory days.

“I thank everyone who is supporting me in delivering the priorities of this new administration, but following conversations with many of them, and our trade unions, I have listened to their views and have asked the Interim Chief Executive to reinstate the statutory day payments back to their 2017 level for those who are eligible.”

The new level of enhanced payment comes into effect immediately. Those employees who are eligible can expect to receive the additional entitlement with their salary from February 2019.

Showing solidarity at UNISON stall Newham Council Dockside Building

I stopped yesterday at the UNISON stall at Newham Dockside building to chat with colleagues and especially our top UNISON Branch Chair, Kim Silver. UNISON is by far the largest trade union in Newham (and of course the best) and is also now the biggest union in the country with some 1.3 million members.

We discussed the exciting news that after so many years of UNISON campaigning and also thanks to the commitment of our new Mayor, Rokhsana Fiaz, Newham will finally become not only a London Living Wage employer but also sign the UNISON Ethical Care Charter.

Up to 1000 Newham care workers, mostly female and black residents, who are currently suffering poverty pay will have a pay rise of up to £100 per week, proper training and occupational sick pay. All new Newham Council contracts will require a London Living wage. Newham will become a Community Wealth Building Council and campaign for all employers in Newham to stop paying poverty wages.

Kim is Newham Custom House born and bred. As well as being a UNISON branch officer, anti-poverty and disability advocate she is also a local magistrate! She is your genuine grassroots Labour movement activist.

I am so proud to call her my comrade, even though in our new respective roles, we will not always agree and no doubt she will give me a severe ear bashing (or far worse) from time to time. 

London Region at UNISON National Labour Link Forum 2018

Picture College of the London delegation at work and at play while at the national forum earlier this month in Newcastle for the UNISON Labour Link political fund that supports the Labour Party.

I am the London Regional Chair but was at forum as an elected representative of the NEC on the National Labour Link committee.

I was really pleased how many London speakers spoke at the forum. Not just the usual suspects this time (but how many times did Doreen speak?)

Newham UNISON AGM 2016: Right to Buy and Pay to Stay

Last Friday I was a guest speaker at the UNISON Newham Local Government branch AGM in East Ham Town Hall. I spoke about the Housing Bill which is currently going through the House of Lords. I was there as a Housing Worker and UNISON Regional Council Officer.

Gloria Hanson (2nd left) and Kim Silver (3rd left) had been re-elected unopposed as Branch Secretary and Chair.

There was a really good presentation first by Thompson Solicitors (left) on "How to win a personal injury claim and how the union can help". After I spoke, UNISON Regional manager Vicky Easton gave an update on the Trade Union Bill.


Before my speech I asked how many people present had heard about "Pay to Stay" and only about half put their hands up. I then asked how many were Council or Housing Association's tenants and again about half put their hands up.

This is really frightening. Leaving aside for the moment that the Government is stealing property belonging to hard pressed Councils to pay for its right to buy discount election bribe for Housing Association tenants (and London will be used to pay for discount in Councils all over the Country that has sold or transferred its housing stock)

What tenants do not understand is under "Pay to Stay" if they have an household income of £40k per year in London (and £30k elsewhere) their rent may double or even treble! Since they will have to pay market rents for their homes. In London this will mean that two NHS nurses earning £20k per year would have to pay up to an incredible £12k extra per year for their home.

In the Q&A there was an interesting discussion about what politics actually means and why there is apathy amongst some union members even if government policies have a huge impact on their lives.

I said what many people don't realise is that politics is all about choices. The current government has made a political choice to double or even triple the rents for millions of workers. They made this choice because they ideologically believe in the "market" and everyone should pay the market rate. If you don't think that this is right then you should either support another political party who opposes it or just pay up and don't whinge about it. Your choice!

"Five Million Conversations (How Labour lost an election & rediscovered its roots)"

The picture is from last Thursday's social at Custom House branch, West Ham Labour where the guest speaker was BBC political reporter, Iain Watson.  He spoke about his new book on the failure of the Labour Party to win the last general election "Five Million conversations - How Labour Lost an election and rediscovered its roots". 

This is of course a very topical (and to me personally painful) subject that must be addressed by anyone interested in politics. The meeting was chaired by local member UNISON activist, Kim Silver. 

Iain began by speaking about the official Labour Party report by Margaret Beckett, which will finally be published later today. There will be no surprises in the report he thinks. Labour lost due to 4 main reasons:-

1.  Labour never took on the "myth" that they caused the financial crash. 2. Ed Miliband was not seen as strong a leader as David Cameron. 3. Fear of SNP and finally - 4. The most challenging, Labours "lack of  connection" problem with some voters over immigration and benefits.

Ironically Labour was not seen as too left wing, since most of the most popular policies in the campaign were those of the "left".

He doesn't think that Labour Party staff were to blame but surely having 106 "attack" seats and no "defensive" seats was wrong. The Tories had 50 "defensive" and 50 "attack" with far, far more resources. They had on the ground information, since they had surveyed every single parliamentary constituency. Labour thought they could take 3 seats that they didn't even win in 1997.

The pre election attempted coup against Ed Miliband by some Labour MPs didn't help.

Despite being Scottish, the scale of the SNP victory in Scotland surprised him. In the past Labour used to argue successfully against the SNP that "divorce is a expensive business". Now it is clear that many Scottish voters simply don't care about this cost. There has been a "mood change".

He thought Ed was a decent candidate but made mistakes. The Labour campaign was brittle and too protective of him.

After the election and during the leadership elections, Iain remember the trade union GMB hustings in  Dublin. Jeremy Corbyn was the only candidate who was clearly against the Tories benefits cap, Liz was for it but the other candidates did not give convincing answers.

In the Q&A I asked whether with hindsight, Labour was never going to win in 2014. There had only been a single one term government in 100 years and that was in 1974 after the 3 day week. The British electorate do not like one term governments and will nearly always give them the benefit of the doubt.

Also, since I, like so many others, were so absolutely wrong about the outcome of the Labour leadership campaign, we should be humble about any predictions that Corbyn will not win.

Iain responded by saying that the opinion polls actually had Labour in the lead before the election and that it seemed at the time that maybe they could have won under Ed in a minority government with the SNP. The Labour Party faces an enormous challenge to win in 2020.  Boundary changes, the Tories are reducing Parliamentary Short money, the trade union bill will have an impact on its funding and Scotland will remain a problem.

Another question was why does Jeremy Corbyn have such a bad press? Iain thought he was honest and straight talking but the trouble is that he answers other peoples agendas and not his own. For example, what happened over his comments about "shot to kill" and a recent survey that found only 1:20 of people thought that Jeremy was "Anti-Austerity".  When the Tories were under pressure over the Trade Union Bill, Jeremy was side tracked by questions on Trident.

Next was on the threat from UKIP to Labour who came 2nd in 120 consistencies. Iain agreed this was a threat that has not gone away and that Labour in the past did not have a "core vote strategy".

Ali G thought that many CLP Labour campaigns (unlike Ilford north) last year were poorly run. We need to appeal to the "better off" voters. Iain agreed that he was surprised that the Labour policies such as on free childcare for all was hardly mentioned.

Sue asked how will Labour win back Scotland? Iain said that it would be really difficult. Possibly now that the SNP government will be given the power to raise all income tax rates, if they don't then the claim they are on the left and "anti-austerity " will be undermined and they will be open to attack.

This was an excellent evening. Iain was a great speaker and will try to make himself available to plug his book at all different events. Many thanks for the Custom House councillors and ward members for organising this social. 

Oppose the Tory Trade Union Bill & stand up for rights and freedoms at work

Sign this Labour Party petition here (an incredible 344,000 people have so far done so).

There is a slight change of plan for tomorrow's TUC Rally and lobby. Can residents from West Ham Constituency who wish to lobby Lyn Brown MP, please meet our Trade Union Liason Officer (TULO), Kim Silver, at the central Lobby of the Houses of Parliament at 3.15pm

Please allow plenty of time to get inside and past the security checks.

West Ham TULO sets up Anti-Austerity Campaign Group

Last week trade union affiliates and activists to West Ham Labour Party were invited to a meeting organised by Kim Silver, who is its trade union liaison officer. ‎ At the meeting was also Peter Smith, who is secretary to the Newham joint trade union committee. 

West Ham trade union activists have been in discussions with the NJTUC for some time about forming ‎an anti-austerity campaign group. At the meeting we had a useful and constructive debate about how we can campaign against Austerity and put forward an alternative economic policy. 

It was agreed to plan and hold a launch event with if possible some keynote speakers. 

At the meeting we also discussed how to support the lobby of Parliament on 2 November against the Tory Anti-trade Union Bill. 

Kim is also looking into holding a welcome meeting for the new 461 individual trade union affiliate members in West Ham‎. Hopefully we can get Unison to support this meeting.

Greater London UNISON international Committee and Greece Solidarity Campaign

Picture is from yesterday's AGM of Greater London UNISON International and Europe Committee. Kim Silver was re-elected Chair and I was  re-elected Vice Chair. 

Below is the draft report on this part of the meeting. I hope to also post later the presentation by the VSC.

"Paul Mackney and Isidoros Diakides from the Greece Solidarity Campaign‎ (GSC) spoke on the current situation in Greece following the election of the Syrzia government earlier this year. Greek workers are fighting back against EU-imposed austerity measures, with 32 general strikes having taken place. GSC encourages 'solidarity tourism'! The prominence of women both suffering the effects of EU austerity and in resistance to them was emphasised.

Isidoros explained that there is no debt; it is an instrument of the EU and the IMF to impose neo-liberal policies onto Greece, as previously they have done with 'developing' countries. The German-inspired stereotype of 'lazy Greeks' is belied by Greek workers working the longest hours in Europe. A key component of the EU's policies is to dismantle employment protection and the welfare state, both of which have been fought for by generations of Greek Unions. When British and other Unions ask what they can do to assist, the answer Greek Unions give is that they should fight the austerity policies in their own countries. Without social solidarity in Greece the country would have collapsed.

Although the German government wants to impose cuts, it doesn't want Greece to cut its’ (mainly arms) contracts with Siemens.

John Gray asked why the Greek government isn't planning to leave the eurozone? Ensuing disruption is the answer offered. Membership of the EU is associated with prosperity, not austerity. Developing events may lead the Greek people to the opposite conclusion, and conclude that the only future lies outside the EU, but that is not their current view".

UNISON NEC Elections 2015: London Calling

If you have not received your ballot papers by (14 April) you should ring 0800 0857 857. Lines open 6am to midnight, Monday to Friday and 9am to 4pm on Saturday. Ballot closes 15 May.

Check out other national, regional and Black Members recommendations at UNISON NEC 2015 andFacebook 

Greater London UNISON Labour Link Delegate Elections 2015

I was pleased last week to hear that I had been elected unopposed to this year's UNISON Labour Link National Forum with Jonathan Slater and James Beckles.

There is still an election for female delegates to National Forum and Labour Party Conference.

I would recommend (in a strictly personal capacity) that Greater London Branch Labour Link's consider  supporting :-

National Labour Link Forum FEMALE SEATS Green Ballot Paper (5 Votes)

ALASIA, Sanchia
BENTLEY, Lynn
GREEN, Yvonne
HANSON, Gloria
SILVER, KIM

Labour Party Conference 2015 GENERAL SEAT Red Ballot Paper (1 vote)

GREEN, Yvonne

Ballot papers have been sent out to all London Branches and have to be returned by 12 Noon this Friday 27 March 2015. 

Picture above is of Yvonne Green (featured in the Independent Newspaper) who has also this year been elected (by a massive majority) to be the London UNISON Convenor.

Below is their joint election statement

"We are all seeking election to represent the views of APF payers in the London Region at the National Labour Link Forum.

We support the link we have with the Labour Party. Labour in National Government has delivered real improvements for our members. We do not know what will be the result of the General Election but for the sake of our members, our NHS and our union, we need to do whatever we can to defeat this ConDem Tory Government in May

Labour needs to appeal to their core Labour vote and champion trade union issues to help them win. We want to move our members concerns up the Party political agenda, using our influence to promote Labour movement values such as:-

• Reinvestment in public services
• Increase public sector pay and keep defending our pensions
• Access to fair and affordable housing for public sector employees and their families
• A fairer taxation system
• Government policies that promote growth and jobs.

You want delegates who will be listened to and not be afraid to argue for change within the Labour Party but who also realise that the only alternative to Labour is another dose of Clegg and Cameron.

It is vital that we ensure that Labour Link becomes more visible within the union. We need to encourage APF members to join local Labour Constituency Parties and be elected to positions of responsibility in order to further the progressive agenda.

Next year London will also be electing a London Mayor and new Assembly and we need to play our part in this election. But we now must unite around the Party and work to bring down this ConDem Government on May 7"

#J10 Strike, Picket, March & Rally

This picture is from the picket line outside Newham Town Hall in East London this morning.

I was there early with other members of West Ham Labour Party to show solidarity with UNISON, GMB & Unite strikers calling for "Fair Pay".

Newham UNISON branch Chair and Secretary Gloria Hanson and Kim Silver (middle of photo) were official stewards.

Hat tip photo Inside Housing

Later that day there was a very successful march through central London followed by a rally in Trafalgar Square.

This strike was about justice and fairness for predominantly female, low paid, Council workers providing vital public services. Their pay has been reduced in real terms by a 20% (5th) since 2010. Enough is enough is enough. Check out my opinion piece here.

West Ham Labour Party supports #J10 Strike

I was pleased that West Ham Labour Party Executive Committee unanimously approved this motion supporting the strike tomorrow (July 10) in support of the Local Government pay claim.

The motion was proposed by our TULO Officer Kim Silver (who will be out on strike herself) and seconded by myself as an UNISON Housing Association delegate.

"Support Local Government Strike Action over pay

This Executive Committee of West Ham Labour Party notes:

1.On Thursday 10 July there will be National Strike Action by UNISON and other council, teaching and civil service trade unions. Council staff have suffered eight successive years of pay freezes and pay cuts. Cleaners, caretakers and customer service officers are not ‘Town Hall fat cats’. While a tiny proportion of employees are well paid chief officers, more than 500,000 earn less than the living wage. One million people earn less than £21,000 per year.

2.The average council worker has seen a near 20% cut in basic pay since the coalition government took power in 2010. In real terms they are about a 5th poorer than they were in 2009. This means they have to buy food, housing, transport and warmth for themselves and their families on 20% less pay than in the past.  No wonder Unison’s welfare charity is overrun with pleas for help by families’ dependent on pay day loans and food banks to exist.

3.Private sector and many public sector workers pay is not directly affected by these disputes. However we believe this is their fight as well. This is not only due to traditional Labour movement solidarity, but most workers have also endured years of upfront pay cuts, wage freezes or below inflation pay ‘rises’.
 
4.We must never forget that these pay cuts were the result of a worldwide recession caused by greedy and dishonest bankers - not care assistants. We need to ask why are they paying the price for this failure and not the people who caused it or those who still benefiting from it?

5.We are living in a world where a small number of very wealthy people are doing fine while the majority are suffering declining living standards or even abject poverty. What sort of society are we becoming? When and how will it end? Isn’t it about time we did something about it?

6.This strike matters to all of us because we need to make low pay and our cost of living crisis a key political issue in the run up to the general election next year. When Labour wins the election it has got to re-balance our domestic economy and start putting money into the pockets and purses of the low paid and those on average earnings. Private sector and public sector. This will need a fairer and more progressive taxation system and the political will to bring it about.

7.While council staff are fighting an industrial battle with their employers and the government for a better pay offer, effective, well targeted and publicised strike action can also help make a wider political point.

West Ham Labour Party Executive Committee resolves:-

1.To support UNISON and trade union comrades taking action on 10 July

2. Urge members to show solidarity outside the Picket line at East Ham Town Hall from 8am on Thursday

3. Send our CLP banner to show our support.

West Ham Labour Party AGM 2014 - The return of Agent Gray

On Thursday evening there was the AGM of West Ham Constituency Labour Party (CLP) which took place at our headquarters in the High Street, Stratford, E15.

The meeting began a with a 2 minutes silence to mark the recent unexpected death of respected East Ham Councillor, Alec Kellaway.  I known Alec for many years and and had worked closely with him on the Council Investment and Accounts Committee.  He had always been very considerate and supportive. His death is a personal shock and a great loss to the Party. Council meetings will not be the same without his home baked cakes.

The AGM went very smoothly and congratulations to the re-elected Chair, Charlene McLean and the other elected constituency officers;  Alan Griffiths, John Saunders, Gordon Miller, Julianne Marriott and Seyi Akiwowo. 

Elected CLP Coordinators are Dianne Walls, Kim Silver, Veronica Oakeshott, Rania Ramli, Winston Vaughan, Conor McAuley, Terry Paul and David Christie.

Due to a very previous wicked life, I was elected as Campaign Coordinator and Agent with Mas Patel as Assistant.

Obviously the next year will be dominated by the forthcoming General Election and the need to re-elect our excellent local MP, Lyn Brown. While it is vital to keep up with the energetic local campaigning and canvassing that we have carried out since 2010, we all know that unless Labour wins its national target seats next year, Newham will be stuffed by a return of Tory rule.

Therefore we have a duty to make sure that in West Ham we do our bit in the target seats that we have been asked by the Party to support. As our Secretary, Alan Griffith, reminded us on the night, we have only "45 weeks until the 7th May 2014 General Election". Let us by hard work and unity turn this statement into we have only "45 weeks to get rid of this rotten Tory led Government".

(Picture of our West Ham HQ during the General Election 2010 when I was also the Agent)

West Ham TULO: Living wage update; Royal Mail, Bangladesh Accord, Equalities & Save NHS

On Tuesday we had had our 2nd meeting of West Ham Labour Party TULO. Chaired by our TULO officer, Kim Silver. Kim is also an UNISON London NEC member and Convenor in Newham Local Government branch.

Royal Mail CWU activist (and Labour Party Councillor candidate 2014) Idris Ibrahim gave us an update on the dispute in Royal Mail following privatisation. The strike has been postponed pending talks (which are still ongoing this weekend).

Idris thanked us for our offer of support if there is a dispute (Solidarity actions on strike days, stalls, petitions and leafleting). 

Kim gave an update on our campaign for Fair Pay for all in Newham. Our motion from West Ham CLP has been sent to Newham Local Campaign Committee for support. If it is passed at the LCF then it will be sent for consideration to Newham Council Labour Group.

I raised the issue of the TUC backed campaign in support of UK retailers who source clothing from Bangladesh to sign the international Accord on Fire and Building Safety. This Accord is trying to stop the slaughter of textile workers that we have seen in the Tazreen factory fire and the Rana Plaza collapse. There will be independent funded professional safety inspections, training of Union safety reps with the right to stop work if there is an imminent danger without loss of pay.

Only a few British based Companies are refusing to sign the Accord. The TUC are organising a protest on Saturday 23rd November and are calling on supporters to download and deliver a letter of protest to all Edinburgh Woollen Mills stores (EWM - Parent company of Peacocks, the high street retail chain).

We agreed to  send a West Ham TULO delegation to deliver the letter of protest to the Newham Green Street and Stratford Mall Peacocks stores on Saturday.This will coincide with local Labour Canvassing campaigns.

Next BECTU member (and Labour Party candidate 2014) Sue Masters briefed us on the Save Our NHS campaign in Newham. There is a heavy Labour Party presence on this campaign which is led by patient representatives and independent clinicians. It is a non party political organisation and all West Ham TULO activists are encouraged to support.

Winston Vaughan (local Cllr and retired CWU activist) is also the West Ham CLP Equalities officer and he raised with us how Union activists feel he could promote the issue of equalities in the CLP.

Reminder that at next West Ham General Committee  Phil Wilson MP will be the Guest speaker and that we will be discussing the trade union link with the Labour Party. All CLP members can attend the GC as visitors. There is also a motion from West Ham Ward on retaining the link. The special Labour Party Spring conference on the link will take place at Newham Excel on Saturday 1 March 2014.

Under AOB we agreed to add the important issue of the public ownership of the railways to our  objectives.

Next meeting will be 7.30pm on Tuesday 21 January 2014 at West Ham Labour HQ, 306 High Street, E15.

UPDATE: success - EWM have signed the Bangladesh Accord!!! the action on 23rd has been called off (for now)

West Ham Labour Party GC and "a lot of love" for Royal Mail Strike 4 November

At our monthly West Ham Labour Party General Committee meeting last Thursday evening, we had Ryan Ward as our guest speaker. Ryan is a steward for the union CWU and has been a postal worker for the last 25 years. He had been up since 4.30am that morning.

Ryan spoke about the privatisation of Royal Mail and the strike to defend pay and conditions on Monday 4 November.

He criticised the luke warm support & private briefings against the CWU from some senior Labour figures compared with the grass root support shown at the Party conference last month.

The Sun (which Ryan regrets is read by some postal workers) has reported that Royal mail staff will pocket £3,000 in shares then go on strike. The truth is that they will not get any shares for at least 3 years! They will also lose the shares if they strike.

Royal Mail has not had a national strike for 3 years and the average pay is around £300 per week with little chance of overtime.  His partner also works for Royal Mail for similar money. Most of his wage is taken up with rent to a private landlord and on the rest they have to bring up 3 children.

He asked Party members to go to the picket line on November 4th to show support. Following this West Ham CLP TULO officer (and UNISON NEC member), Kim Silver, thanked Ryan for explaining about the dispute and offering the support of local members and trade unions. Party activists are also planning to hold stalls in Stratford High Street to support the dispute. Ryan was pleased with Kim's statement and said it was not often you got such support nowadays for this sort of action. 

In the Q&A that followed Ryan criticised Chuka Umunna MP for ducking out of a question on TV  whether Labour would re-nationalise Royal Mail if they won office. He thought that a commitment would have helped put off investors. He answered a question about what the CWU realistically expected from strike action by pointing out that the strike was about pay and conditions and that privitisation is not inevitable. Railtrack is now publicly owned again.

I made the same point to Ryan that I made to Andy Burnham MP the night before (see link) that we need to make the case for public ownership and the public sector ethos. Private companies are good at making things such as cars or smart phones but they are rubbish at running natural monopolies such as Royal Mail or health services such as hospitals.

After Ryan spoke we later had our MP Lyn Brown give her Parliamentary report (this is private and confidential). Lyn  was congratulated at the meeting for her recent appointment as a Shadow Minister for Communities and Local Government. 

Later I noticed this tweet from West Ham ward member and 2014 Forest Gate North Labour Candidate, Seyi Akiwowo, ‏"A lot of love in this room tonight for Ryan and his colleagues at Royal Mail @ WestHamLabour GC". 

West Ham Trade Unions for Labour

Picture is from last weeks relaunch of West Ham CLP Trade unions for Labour. This meeting was organised by West Ham TULO officer (and UNISON NEC member) Kim Silver.

Kim chaired the meeting and apologised for the lack of notice but emphasised that this was a planning meeting on how we can organise as trade unionists and build links between the Party and the Unions. All Party members who live or work in West Ham can participate (you do not have to belong to a union that is affiliated to the Party). We had 2 union members from East Ham present and apologies from others. Hopefully we can meet up as a Newham TULO in the future.

We discussed a number of possible trade union campaigns that we could support and work towards :-

Opposing the Royal Mail privatisation; Living wage; Employment rights; Blacklisting;  zero hour contracts; Collins Report, unpaid internship, saving the NHS, Welfare reform and housing.

I suggested that we should consider modelling ourselves on the socialist societies such as Fabians and Co-op. To not only campaign and build links with the Party but also have guest speakers, debates and even social events.

It was agreed that our first campaign should be to support the CWU and their likely strike action over the privatisation of Royal Mail. The CWU is currently balloting members which will end on 16 October 2013. If the strike goes ahead we can run stalls, hand leaflets and take petitions in Stratford High Street and  give practical help and assistance to local picket lines etc.

We also agreed to campaign for a Fair wage (Living wage, sickness benefits and pensions) for all workers in Newham - private and public sector.  To start this we will ask West Ham CLP to take forward its existing policy for Newham Council to be an accredited Living Wage employer by contacting the Labour Group and Campaign Forum about implementation.We will also ask for information regarding Zero hour contracts in Newham Council.

The meeting ended on a really positive and constructive note. While we are not in anyway part of the formal regional or national TULO structure nor a substitute for a trade council, I think that by organising in this way, we will help reconnect the unions with Labour at a local level.

The date of next meeting Tuesday 19 November.

Newham Labour PragRad "Pick of the Policies"

I arrived too late last night at Stratford Picture House for the "Pick of the Policies" competition due to
Tower Hamlets Pension committee.

But it had obviously been a great success. Lots of people still around who spoke about a lively and informative evening of political debate.

The Pragmatic Radical model was "Have you got a policy idea that you think Labour should adopt? If so come and pitch it, in just 90 seconds, at the Newham Top of the Policies event".

Newham MPs Lyn Brown and Steve Timms chaired and were time keepers. There were 16 pitches and the winner was West Ham, John Saunders, who spoke in favour of fixed terms for Council Executive Mayors!

Second was Aleen Alarice on "info Sharing" and joint third place was Alan Griffiths on "Housing"; Gavin Pearson on "profit from planning" and Newham UNISON NEC and West Ham CLP Kim Silver for the ending of Zero hour contracts.

Afterwards a group of us finished off the evening at the Pizza Express downstairs (see picture).

Who says politics can't be fun?

Many thanks for Julianne and Farah for organising this event. Hat tip Ayesha, Gordon and Seyi for pictures.

West Ham Labour Party AGM 2013 results

Picture is from the end of tonight's West Ham CLP AGM and of some of the new "dream team" Executive also celebrating the 65th birthday of the NHS.

58 delegates crowded into the Party rooms at 306 High Street, Stratford, E15. Best attendance since 1980s according to one delegate.

Can't think why? :)

For contested positions we had one minute hustings then ballot. It all went pretty smoothly.

From left - Julianne Marriot, new vice Chair Campaigns & Communications; Terry Paul, re-elected Assistant Secretary; Gordon Miller, re-elected Agent and new Vice Chair membership, Charlene McLean, re-elected Chair; Alan Griffiths, re-elected Secretary and Anne Easter, new Women's officer.

Not in photo was John Saunders, re-elected Treasurer; John Whitworth, re-elected political officer;   Winston Vaughan, re-elected as Equalities Officer; Kim Silver, re-elected as Trade Union Liaison officer; Ahmed Noor, re-elected as Social officer. Apologies if I have missed anyone out?

Kim and I were also re-elected to the Executive Committee as 2 of the 4 trade union delegates.

My UNISON NEC 2013 Ballot Paper for Greater London & Community

Vote for the forces of light and reason!

UNISON NEC London & Health Candidates: Use your vote and have your say!

More candidates in UNISON NEC elections 2013 who support the interests of ordinary union members.