"Remember the dead but fight for the Living": Workers Memorial Day 2016

Please see attached photo and press release on behalf of UNISON Housing Associations Branch, Newham NUT, Newham United Against Austerity and West Ham Labour TULO.

Last Thursday 28 April Trade Unionists and Labour Party supporters gathered around the “Clasped Hands” statue in Three Mills Green, Stratford, E3.

UNISON NEC Member John Gray (and Newham Councillor) spoke to the gathering about the “50,000 workers who die each year in the UK from either accidents or work related ill health. That is 1,000 workers each and every week that die prematurely. The vast majority of these deaths were completely avoidable”.

Tony Power, who works for a local Housing Association in Stratford reminded them about the tragedy that occurred on this site in 1901 that the “clasped hands” monument remembers.  “A worker was repairing a ventilation shaft when he was overcome and collapsed due to fumes. Three of his fellow workers sacrificed their lives by trying to pull him out but they were overcome by fumes as well and sadly died”.  

Retired Newham teacher, Peg Probett, placed the wreath on the memorial.

Newham Councillor, Obaid Khan, thanked the Newham trade unions and NUAA for organising this important event.

International Workers' Memorial Day - wreath laying event: "Clasping hands" statute

“Everyone is welcome to attend this event on Thursday. UNISON estimates that up to 1,000 British workers die every week from work related ill health and incidents.

This will be a simple wreath laying ceremony and if you cannot make 1pm then please be free to come another time and show your respects. The "Clasping Hands" statute is simply beautiful and in my view, one of the most important examples of working class art in London. The heroism and self-sacrifice of those 3 workers who died trying to save a comrade should never be forgotten.

You can walk to the site from Stratford or Bromley by Bow station (15 minutes) or park in nearby Tesco’s Supermarket (free but buy something from the store) and walk across the Temple Mills Bridge (2 minutes).

Newham United Against Austerity Launch with John McDonnell MP

Picture collage from the successful recent launch of "Newham United Against Austerity" (NUAA) with key note speaker, John McDonnell MP, Labour Shadow Chancellor, who was introduced by West Ham Labour MP Lyn Brown.

Other speakers were Kevin Courtney, the Deputy General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Custom House Councillor, Rokhsana Fiaz and Yvonne Green, the Greater London Convenor for the public service union Unison. 

More than 100 people turned up to the launch of a joint trade union and community based campaign against the Government's attempt to starve Newham’s public services of funds and impose austerity upon us. I will post further on John's speech, the other speakers and the ongoing NUAA campaign.

Newham United Against Austerity: Launch event Saturday 30 January 2pm Stratford with John McDonnell MP

This was in the "Newham Recorder" letters page this week.

"Dear Editor 

I am writing to invite Newham Residents to the inaugural meeting of a new campaigning organisation for our Borough, “Newham United Against ‎Austerity”.  

We have a special guest speaker for our launch, John McDonnell MP, the Labour Shadow Chancellor. 

The event is free and open to all Newham residents and workers. It is the start of a joint trade union and community based campaign against the Government's attempt to starve Newham’s public services of funds and impose Austerity upon us. 

The meeting will take place 2-4pm, Saturday 30 January 2016, University East London, Stratford Campus, Main lecture theatre Water Lane Stratford E15 4LZ.

Our MP Lyn Brown will be there and the other speakers will be Kevin Courtney, the Deputy General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Custom House Councillor, Rokhsana Fiaz and Yvonne Green, the Greater London Convenor for the public service union Unison. There are no tickets so please turn up promptly.

If you want any further information please contact our secretary petersmith@newhamteachers.org.uk

Yours faithfully

John Gray

NUAA Steering Committee

Newham United Against Austerity: Invite to launch Saturday 30 January with John McDonnell MP

The collage is from Wednesday evening when Newham Trade Unionists were out leafleting in Stratford, commuters and shoppers about our NUAA launch event next Saturday 30 January, 2-4pm, main lecture theatre, University East London, Water Lane, E15 4LZ  with Labour Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell MP. Considering it was a bitterly cold night we had a good response.

This is the invite from "Newham United Against Austerity" that has gone out to community groups and organisations in Newham.

"Dear Colleague,

                             no doubt, like the Newham Trade Unions, you are concerned about the economic austerity programme of the current government.

We have been trying to establish a campaign in the London Borough of Newham to challenge the government’s austerity programme and in working with the trade union liaison officers of West Ham Constituency Labour Party a public meeting has been organised to set up a campaigning group to be named:

Newham United Against Austerity.

Flyers advertising the Public Meeting are enclosed in anticipating that your organisation will be able to send participants to that meeting and begin to work together with a view to bring to the attention of the people living and working in Newham, the implications of the ongoing decline in government financial support to Local Authorities and its negative impact on the services delivered by Newham Council.

As you will see Newham Council are predicting that the Revenue Support Grant it receives from central government will be reduced from 60% of its income it received in 2013 to ZERO PERCENT in 2020.

I leave you to imagine how Newham Council can employ sufficient Council employees to continue to deliver, even with prioritising the front line, its services to the level required by the people of Newham. I remind you that Newham is one of the most deprived local authorities in the country. On top of that with Inner London Needs it is still resourced as an Outer London Borough.

We look forward to your support for and participation in building this important campaign.

                                                                                                Yours sincerely
                                                                                                Peter Smith
                                                                                                Secretary"

[NJTUC]: Formed in 1983 by Newham recognised Trade Unions: 1983 – 1987 ‘Fair Deal for Newham’ campaign against underfunding from rate-capping: 1992 -1997 “Newham Needs” campaign for Inner London Status for Newham then worth extra £48 Million to Newham.

A "New" Labour Year

In between Christmas and New Year I was laid low with the lergie so stayed in and managed to finish off inputting the "marked register" data for the ward onto the Party database "Contact Creator" for the 2015 General Election.

The register is an actual copy of the list of voters eligible to vote and records whether or not they did vote. Political parties have to pay for copies and of course, they don't know how the vote was actually cast.

This is one of the most boring and frustrating tasks going but it is important to know who actually turns up to vote. The list they use at polling stations does not fully coincide with the actual register so it is a bit of a hair pulling nightmare to complete. 

I started my 2016 political (and personal fitness) campaign this morning delivering Sadiq Khan for London Mayor leaflets and a Labour tabloid to West Ham housing estates.

Not a very cheerful message in the newspaper as Newham faces further savage cuts to its budget of £91 million.

We need to make sure that our residents understand that it is the Tories who will be slashing Council services by cutting funding. This is also why the launch of the "Newham United Against Austerity" campaign on Saturday 30 January 2016 with keynote speaker, John McDonnell MP, is also so important.

Austerity is an unnecessary political choice that the Tories are making. Cut the deficit by increasing taxes on those able to afford it and not by cutting services to the vulnerable. Labour has so far failed to effectively counter the Tory media myth that there is "no alternative" to Austerity.  There are always choices and alternatives to be made in politics. We need to get this crucial message out.

Today train and bus fares went up again by more than inflation. On Monday morning (and evening) 4 January 2016 West Ham CLP activists will be out at railway stations protesting and handing out leaflets to commuters reminding them that :-

"In the last seven years, tube and bus fares have increased by more than 40 per cent, while wages have failed to keep pace.

That's why Sadiq Khan, Labour's candidate for Mayor of London, has pledged to freeze all tube, train and bus fares for the next four years".

Getting Sadiq elected as a Labour Mayor for London is going to be a key part of any wider Labour revival. I hope (and expect) that all parts of the Party who actually want to defeat the Tories will stop the name calling and bickering and rally around Sadiq and Jeremy in the run up to May.

Hat tip to Mrs Grayee for her support with inputting and leafleting!