Number of UKIP MEPs imprisoned V number of Romanians

Bearing in mind that UKIP seem to think that all Romanians are criminals.

This is an interesting statistic that you are far, far more likely to have been in prison if you are a UKIP MEP than an Romanian!

You are also far more likely to be in favour of handing the NHS over to private insurances companies, stopping maternity benefits for working mums, ending statutory holidays, getting rid of TUPE protections, reducing taxes for the rich and ending employment rights for workers if you are UKIP MEP or Councillor.

Hat tip Tyron Wilson

A message to London UNISON members of the Labour Party

Dear John

UNISON London Labour Link is supporting Sanchia Alasia and Ivana Bartoletti in the London wide MEP ballot for the following reasons:

Sanchia Alasia

·Will use her campaigning experience of defeating the London Regional Coordinator of the BNP, Robert Bailey in Barking, to defeat the far right across Europe

·Is determined to defend and strengthen the social Europe agenda, building on the victories of part time and agency workers rights to get a better deal for hard working Londoners

·Has been an active campaigner for equality and workers rights for the past seven years

Ivana Bartoletti

·Has an optimistic vision for Britain in Europe. She does not accept the Tory and UKIP narrative of Europe in decline, and will fight for reform, jobs and growth.

·Has spent over a decade with the European Left, and at every level: on the doorstep for Labour, working with women to organise the fight back, and with Labour sister parties, at both grassroots and the heart of government.

·Is proud of her Labour values, and to have made her career in the NHS. As MEP, she would take Labour values to Brussels and help give London the partner there that it needs.

It is really crucial that UNISON members vote in this ballot to rank candidates from 1 to 6 to determine their order on the list. The London region needs strong voices in Europe, people with the drive and determination to work with the trade unions in Europe on equality and employment issues. With the experience and skill of Sanchia and Ivana, they will be able to make very positive differences and will be proactive MEPs for London, representing the interest of ordinary workers at the European level.

We urge UNISON and Labour party members to support Sanchia and Ivana in the ballot.

With best wishes

Linda Perks

Regional Secretary, UNISON Greater London Region

P.S you can get in touch with the candidates using the details below:

Sanchia Alasia Email: sanchia4europe@yahoo.co.uk Twitter: @sanchia4europe #sanchia4mep Facebook: facebook.com/sanchia4labour Website: www.sanchiaalasia.com

Ivana Bartoletti Email: ivana4mep@ivanabartoletti.co.uk Twitter: @ivanabartoletti #ivana4mep Facebook: facebook.com/Ivana4mep Website: www.ivanabartoletti.co.uk

A unique opportunity to make history

Hello it's Sanchia Alasia here. I am really privileged to be one of the European candidates for the 2014 elections for the London region. I wanted to email all the Labour party members in Newham to introduce myself to those who may not know me.

Im a Labour Party councillor in Barking and Dagenham and I defeated the London Regional Coordinator of the BNP, Robert Bailey to become the youngest woman on the council and achieved over 7% swing to Labour I now want to use my experience of defeating the BNP in Barking to kill off the far right across Europe.

If your wondering how I got your email address, the Labour party supplied it to me for the purposes of my campaign. I think it's really important that ordinary community activists get selected in campaigns like this and if elected I pledge to be a strong voice in Europe for you. I have a real chance of topping the ballot which will be sent out next month as my campaign will make international history if I am elected as I will be the first woman of African/Caribbean origin to ever sit in the European Parliament.

I have had had some press about my campaign please click the links below to read:

Barking and Dagenham Post
The Voice
OBV

If you would like to get involved in my campaign team or endorse me then email me here. You can read my campaign leaflet and find out a bit more about me here. Would you consider making a small donation to my campaign? Any amount no matter how small would be gratefully received. This can be done via my website.

If you have any questions then please get in touch or speak to me at the Newham Hustings on Tuesday the 28th May which will be held at the Community Centre in Vicarage Lane E15. As someone who lived in Newham for over 20 years in the Plaistow North ward and worked at Newham Hospital for a number of years as their equality and diversity lead it will be great to meet up with former comrades again.

Reply supporter to be listed as one of my supporters.

Reply phonebank to join one of my phonebank sessions at UNISON Headquarters in Eusron on 14, 21 and 29 May.

Finally we have a bye-election in Barking tomorrow, Thursday 9th May and we would appreciate any help that you could give us to help see of the BNP again. If you are available at any time tomorrow and would like to help get the vote out the “Campaign Office” will be at 171 Westrow Drive IG11 9BS – OPEN from 9am until close of polling.

Yours

Sanchia

Vote Sanchia Alasia #1
www.sanchiaalasia.com
@sanchia4europe #sanchia4mep sanchia4europe@yahoo.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/Sanchia4Labour

The role of trade unions in Europe

(Guest post by London UNISON activist and Regional Labour Link Committee member Sanchia Alasia ).  "Trade unions have a strong and ever growing important role to play in the European Union. Many European countries are currently bearing the brunt of harsh austerity measures, high youth unemployment and threats to employment rights, which trade unions need to stand up and fight against.

Take the UK for instance. The chancellor George Osborne announced at the Conservative Party conference this year that workers could gain shares within companies in exchange of valuable employment rights such as unfair dismissal, redundancy and the right to request flexible working and time off for training. A few pounds in shares is not worth works giving up hard won employment rights by won by our trade unions. If for example you received £2,000 in shares and they increased by 100% you would still only have £4,000 but could be sacked tomorrow.

 The ideology of the Tory led government is to denigrate the trade unions as they regularly do in the House of Commons and make light of employment protections that workers are entitled to. The shocking thing is that companies will be able to force this on new recruits if they choose from April 2013, which is only a few months away.

My trade union, UNISON currently has a fantastic campaign about the living wage, which is an hourly rate set independently every year. It is calculated according to the cost of living and gives the minimum pay rate required for a worker to provide their family with the essentials of life. In London the 2012/2013 Greater London Authority rate is £8.55 per hour and outside of London the current rate is £7.45. 

 This campaign by UNISON, spurred me to work with one of my fellow councillors at Barking and Dagenham council, Josie Channer, who is the chair of the living and working select committee to ensure that low paid council workers have been given the living wage.

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is an organisation that has a united voice on behalf of the common interests of workers, at the European level. It represents 85 trade union organisations in 36 European countries. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) based in the UK is a member of the ETUC. The TUC is the voice of Britain at work with 54 affiliated unions (including my union UNISON), representing 6.2 million working people from all walks of life. They campaign for a fair deal at work and for social justice at home and abroad as well as negotiating in Europe.

It is important that the TUC continues to work alongside the ETUC to promote full employment, social protection, equal opportunities, good quality jobs, social inclusion, and an open and democratic policy-making process that involves citizens fully in the decisions that affect them across the European Union. It is only through workers’ consultation, collective bargaining, social dialogue and good working conditions that innovation, productivity, competitiveness and growth in Europe will thrive".

TUC 2012: Fraternal Greetings from the Labour Party

Michael Cashman, Labour Member of European Parliament (former "Eastenders" actor and Labour Party NEC) gave the traditional Fraternal Greetings from the Party to Congress.

No doubt Michael was a very wise choice. A life long union member (including NUPE when he had a temporary job as a hospital porter). He was a founder of the Equity Penison scheme.  Michael is also the son of a London Docker and a mother who use to look after her family and do cleaning jobs morning and night.

He knows that politically "we are the sum of our experiences".

As second generation London Irish he remembers that he was brought up at a time when it was usual to see notices on windows offering up properties for rent that said "No Blacks and No Irish".

"Britain and Europe: Which way for Labour?"

Last week I attended (late) the joint meeting with Newham Compass and Fabians on "Britain and Europe: Which way for Labour?". Which took place at the West Ham FC supporters club in Castle Street, East Ham (now

what would Alf Garnett have made of this?)

Jon Cruddas MP, who was billed as a speaker with former MEP Anita Pollack, could not attend since he had to vote on the Health and Social Care Bill in the House of Commons (a very honourable excuse).

I only made the Q&A but Anita (who lives in Newham and was the former MEP for London South West from 1989 to 1999) was I thought on form and gave a passionate, no nonsense  and honest response to questions. It was one of the best attended Newham Compass or Fabians events that I have attended in recent times. It was chaired by former Newham Labour Councillor Graham Lane.

Please note my usual disclaimer about the absolute accuracy of my hurried and fumbled (two thumbed) Blackberry notes.

Anita responded to a question about the power of MEPs. She reminded us that in the beginning, the European Parliament had very limited powers. In 1979 it could only refuse to accept the budget set by the (unelected) European commission. Nowadays the Parliament has equal powers with commission. MEP's do have power. For example they managed to transform the recent Service Directive. Which is still not perfect but could have completely eroded workers rights had MEP's not amended it out of all recognition.

She then had a question about whether a Referendum on continued membership of the EU was not a good idea to settle the issue once and for all. Anita was firmly against. She understood that some good Europeans such as Jon Cruddas MP were for a referendum for this reason. However she thought that the "flat earthers" (those totally and utterly against the EU) would not be convinced if they lost a referendum in the same way that the one in 1977 (during which she admitted she opposed membership) did not settle anything permanently at all.

Anita admitted that she had maybe been wrong about UK membership of the Euro and it was not going to work. She was surprised however that Ed Balls MP in the Andrew Marr TV show on Sunday had said that this would not happen "in  his lifetime". There could be a "two speed Europe" with the Original 6 EU members forming a separate political and economic union. 

She had not read the full text but she understood that the EU Socialist Group was very much against. the "economic straight jacket" being proposed.

She noted amusingly that in America the Republican candidate, Mitt Romney, had been criticised for speaking French. When a good comrade made a separate point about British cultural isolation  by saying he had lived for "20 years in Europe mainly in France" Anita interrupted by saying "you have lived all your life in Europe, we are in Europe now".

Anita Greens was firm in response to a question about aliening to the Greens who were "pink socialists". In her view they were not at all "socialist". There was some good people in the Greens but many are in "Cloud cuckoo land". While you can work with individuals such as Caroline Lucas they are not "soft pink". Some of them she had come across in Europe had even believed in Eugenics. The Greens have different political values, they are not socialists even if we agree with some of their policies. 

A few of us stayed behind afterwards to continue to put Europe (and the world) to rights.