East Ham NUPE Banner - "United we stand - Divided we fall" (any idea where it is now?)

 

Labour movement historian @LondonNurse2015 sent me this marvellous picture of a East Ham branch banner for the "National Union of Public Employees" (a predecessor union of UNISON). 

I have no idea where this banner is now? Anyone know? 

The Art and Ideology of the Trade Union Emblem, 1850–1925

West Ham Poor Law - May Day 1933

A great bit of local Labour movement history. I believe this is from a NUPE publication (one of the predecessor unions that formed UNISON) archives dated 1933. 

The NUPE branch took up the issue of "wardsmaids" employed at Whipps Cross Hospital with West Ham Council to get them a day off in lieu if they worked on May Day. 

At the time (pre NHS) West Ham Council were responsible for Whipps Cross hospital (despite being out of the borough) under Poor Law provisions. 

I will repost on Newham History Facebook page for any further info.

Hat tip @LondonNurse2015

 

Rodney Bickerstaffe RIP

What rubbish news.

Rodney Bickerstaffe: a true giant of our movement   |    Send to a friend   |    View in a browser activist – special issue 3 OCTOBER 2017 Former General Secretary Rodney Bickerstaffe Dear John, Sadly, Rodney Bickerstaffe – former General Secretary of both UNISON and NUPE – died today, Tuesday 3 October 2017. Rodney, or Bick as he was known to many, was a great personal friend to many of us and a dedicated champion of all the union members he proudly represented throughout his career. He coupled a great sense of humour and love of laughter with a deep-rooted sense of social justice and commitment to UNISON. Our thoughts are with Rodney’s family, especially his wife Pat who was an ever present support to him in all his work and was the love of his life. At the time of Rodney’s death it is worth reflecting on his response during the Winter of Discontent to the question “what about the dignity of the dead?”, Rodney replied ‘“what about the dignity of the living?’ We at UNISON hold this truth close – and we will continue Rodney’s fight to ensure dignity for our members, our families and all in our communities. When asked what he believed his greatest achievements were, he would respond: the National Minimum Wage and the creation of UNISON. I’m sure many of us recall the powerful speeches and advocacy he provided to deliver these goals. Rodney was at his best when he was fighting for the causes he believed in, and our movement has today lost one of the greatest campaigners and orators of his generation. Everyone involved in our union will share in the grief felt at Rodney’s passing. He was a friend, a comrade and a leader, and thanks to his work the lives of countless people have been changed for the better. A private family funeral will be held for Rodney, and his family have requested no flowers but for any donations to be made to either Marie Curie or the International Brigade Memorial Trust. Please send any cards or letters to Jasmin Johnson, UNISON Centre, 130 Euston Rd, Kings Cross, London NW1 2AY (j.johnson@unison.co.uk). UNISON will organise a memorial event for Rodney at which we can celebrate his life, humour and comradeship. Rodney was the very best of us, a true giant of our movement and we will all miss him greatly. Donations to commemorate Rodney can be made to two charities he held particularly dear: Marie Curie, which provides care and support through terminal illness, at mariecurie.org.uk/donate; The International Brigade Memorial Trust at international-brigades.org.uk/product/donations-ibmt. Yours, Dave Prentis UNISON general secretary update: report in https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/oct/03/former-union-chief-rodney-bickerstaffe-dies-unison

Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn addresses TUC Congress 2015

Despite being elected as Labour Leader only four days ago, Jeremy Corbyn, travelled down to address Congress. When he appeared there was a genuine standing ovation before he said a word. The former NUPE official (a founder union of UNISON) started his speech by declaring that he has always been and sees himself as a trade unionist.

He announced that the Labour Party have had 30,000 new members since Saturday. Labour must become inclusive and welcoming.

After being elected he went to the "Refugees welcome" rally in London and the following day to a event in his constituency on ending the stigma of mental health.

His shadow cabinet has more women than men. A first in the UK.

He has appointed a shadow minister for Housing, John Healey, to deal with the "housing crisis". The "free market is not delivering" and there needs to be a "mass Council house building programme".

Jeremy wants the Party and the Labour movement to be "more democratic". More votes were cast for him than twice the total membership of the Tories.  We need to make policy together in this digital age and let everyone bring forward their views. If they are involved then people will own the policy and work to get it implemented.

He wants to go for the election in 2020 with no surprises but instead in 2020 offer certainties.

Jeremy reminisced when as a NUPE trade union official he asked for help in negotiations over time and motion arrangements from a union member who was good at betting. Since he knew the member would be naturally good at rapid mental arithmetic. His point was that ordinary people have talents. He then attacked the "elite who despise those who don't look or sound like them".

He sees trade unions as "an organic link" with the Party and praised the strikers from the National Gallery in London who were resisting privatisation (and also in the stalls at the back of Congress).

The Trade Union Bill was the Tories "declaring war on organised Labour". They claim to be champions of deregulation but the one thing that they want to regualate are the trade unions! It is as one Tory MP has described "a strategy of General Franco". When he is elected he will repeal this bill if passed.

Jeremy believes that the Bill is also contrary to Article 11 of the United Nations Human rights Charter and the International Labour Organisation conventions. Criminalising picketing? restricting free speech on social media? "What kind of intrusive society are they trying to create?"

We have to protect trade unionism. You get better management where the unions are strong. Where unions are weak you get poor job security and worse conditions. Why don't the Tories modernise balloting of members by allowing union workplace ballots to take place?

Why don't the Tories believe that workers should have a political voice? Why are they happy to accept hedge fund money yet are obsessed with the cleanest money in politics. That from the unions.

The welfare reform bill is disastrous and will have appalling consequences. People are committing suicide because of past reforms.

He has to leave after this speech to go back to London and vote against the bill to cut tax credits. Charities say that these cuts will cost a typical lone parent £1200 per year.

The Tories call us "deficit deniers". But they spend billions of pounds on tax breaks for millionaires. They are "poverty deniers". Austerity is a political choice.

He wants the Labour Party to be proud to campaign with trade unions and he wants unions to be proud to campaign with the Labour Party

Jeremy finished by pointing out that we are a rich but deeply unequal country and if he is elected he pledges to do something about it.

Is Miliband following UNISON or Stanley Baldwin over Union funding?

UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis sent out an email yesterday to the union explaining that our funding of the Labour Party has been on the basis of individual members choosing whether to pay an affiliate fee or not (they can "opt in" or "opt out").  UNISON has also never paid the Party membership fees for new members.

He also questioned whether in the face of the Tory onslaught on working people in this country this is the right time for the Party and the unions to be having such a public row on funding?

When UNISON was formed in 1993 the predecessor unions NUPE and COHSE were affiliated to the Labour Party while NALGO was not. It was agreed that there would be two political funds in UNISON and members can choose to opt into a fund supporting the Labour Party (now called "Labour Link") or a General Political fund not linked to any Party (or they can opt out of any political fund).

This to me has always seemed a pretty sensible and pragmatic compromise for UNISON and I think due to our history - for us it works .

While other trade unions affiliate all or part of their membership to the Party.  I think it is important to remember that this decision to affiliate is taken via the internal democratic processes of that Union. So there is accountability. In the same way that my UNISON branch may vote to affiliate to organisations at our AGM that I did not support but I accept that this affiliation had been democratically decided upon and part of my subs is being used to fund it.  Of course members can simply choose to opt out of paying any political affiliation if they so choose.

The real immediate risk is that if the Party goes ahead and decides to introduce "opting in" only - is that a year or so before a General Election there may be a drastic reduction of union money when we will need every penny we can get to defeat the Tories. We should be doing nothing that gets in that way. UNISONActive reminds us that in 1927 Tory Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin introduced a similar measure which resulted in a 50% drop in affiliation fees for the Labour Party.

The real solution in my view is not about whether trade union members opt "in" or "out" it is about getting ordinary rank and file members actively involved in the Party. To do this there is a shared responsibility. The Party has got to make it attractive for people to attend local Ward and CLP meetings. This is not only just about making them less boring and more inclusive (please) but giving them more power and a greater say in the Party.

The Unions have also got to raise their game and realise that they cannot exercise influence in the Party by simply waving cheques. This just doesn't work - the only way to make the Party more accountable to the needs and wishes of ordinary working people is to encourage and support our members to join and become active.

The only alternative to the Labour Party in this country is the Tories. The Labour Movement family need to get their act together and remember first and foremost our enemy is the Tories and not the unions and not even Progress.  We must get as many members actively involved and raise as much money as possible in order to defeat them in 2015. Everything else comes a very poor second to this.

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".

Saying Goodbye to Bill Wakefield

Picture is from Bill Wakefield's funeral procession entering Manor Park Cemetery on Friday.  Bill was a Labour Movement Champion.  Trade Union leader, Councillor, Residents rep and Pensioners activist.

This was a traditional East End funeral for someone who had lived and worked nearly all his life in Bow.

Bill (age 81) was first seen off from his home in Rosebank Gardens, Bow, E3.  There was a very good turn out of family, friends, neighbours and former work colleagues. 

The horse drawn hearse then took Bill to the cemetery followed by loved ones and friends.  Bill's coffin was carried into the crematorium for the Service by four of his great nephews who also gave a touching personal tribute to him.  During the service we were told that Bill was from a family of 13 (only 9 lived to adulthood) and that their parents decided not to evacuate them during the Second World War so they all lived though the Blitz and the V1/V2 Rocket attacks.

Bill spent a year away on National Service then returned to work at the Post Office (GPO) before becoming a gardener in Victoria Park.  He became the Tower Hamlets Council NUPE Branch Secretary.  NUPE later merged with other public sector unions to form UNISON. After his retirement he became a Labour Councillor, Residents and Pensioner rep.

After the funeral there was a Wake with a superb spread at the Colburn Arms and I had the chance to speak to his sisters and his nephews.   Check out also these reports in East End Life and East London Advertiser

Bill was a great fan of Shirley Bassey and at the service they played one of his favourite records - it had to be her version of "My Way".

Bill Wakefield

I've just heard the news that Bill Wakefield, a former Tower Hamlets NUPE branch secretary and  Councillor passed away last night after a long illness.

Bill (seen in picture standing with white shirt addressing a housing strike committee meeting in 1999) was  employed originally as a Gardener by the Council.  He was also a fiery resident rep, staunch Royalist and upon his retirement, a vocal pensioner activist.

His passion and commitment to the interests of ordinary working people in East London will be missed.
(double click picture to bring up detail)