The Labour Party's Louise Couling will be challenging the BNP's Richard Barnbrook for his seat on Barking and Dagenham Council in 2010. Good luck Louise! Icepicker100.
Great video Icepicker! - check out this report here about UNISON NEC member Louise and her campaign. Louise is a true Brit - anti-fascist, trade union, Labour Party loyalist.
The other Labour Candidates standing in Goresbrook ward are Graham Letchford and James Clee.
UPDATE: Labour list
The London Regional Convenor, Gloria Hanson made this (title) comment at the close. I must admit that it was the most sensible and constructive regional committee meeting that I have ever attended. This was a relief after the rather weird and wonderful antics at the recent Regional Local Government meeting.
This committee is made up of elected lay Regional Council officers (the “Executive”), Regional Committee members and representatives from UNISON Service group committees and self-organised groups. London UNISON elected National Executive Committee members can also attend and speak (but cannot vote). Senior full time UNISON employees such as the Regional Secretary are also present.
UNISON’s democratic structure is - how can I put it? Somewhat complex....if you are a UNISON member and want to find out more about how your union is organised then there is a very good course (and aptly named!) called “Lost in UNISON” which I would thoroughly recommend.
I attend as a lay elected Regional Council Officer and as Regional finance convenor I presented the finance report to the committee.
There was a report on recruitment and organisation. In London region we have 130,000 UNISON members. Some 10% of all UNISON members are in our region. On September 5 there was a very successful and well attended “Organising our Future” event. The event launched the “Branch Resources Recruitment Stick”. This clever idea is a computer memory stick for branches which holds core resource and recruitment information. It contains key website links, for recruitment material as well as model templates for letters, flyers, induction power point presentation, guides for newsletters etc. This is a really exciting development which we think is unique to London region.
There was a sober and wide ranging debate on pay negotiating and bargaining. The campaign continues but we must examine what has happened so far and learn lessons for the future.
Discussions have been re-established in the local government pay dispute.
Members in Probation are about to be balloted for strike action over a disappointing pay offer and the failure to implement last years award in full. In Further Education a 3.3% offer has been made and this will be balloted on with members.
The Regional Secretary reported on Pension governance. Work in the region has begun on mapping the existing governance arrangements. Once competed there will be targeted briefings for current and potential (YES!) trustees and member nominated reps. This is really good news. Investment Governance is now starting to be mainstream.
On diversity issues there will be an Equalities seminar on 22 October. Where a new regional Equalities Award will be made. The focus will be on training and preparation for the Single Equality Bill. There was an update on the Stephen Lawrence Action Plan.
The report on Political Campaigning concentrated on the important work the region carries out on campaigning against the Far Right. The local UNISON branch in the GLA has received a lot of support following the election of the Nazi BNP member, Richard Barnbrook.
It was reported that the BNP are standing a candidate in a Camden Council by-election next week (September 25th)
UNISON regional Labour Link (APF) is working with TULO on the European elections next year and the borough elections in 2010. It is also helping to fund the Labour campaign organiser against the Far Right in East London. The London Labour Party regional Biennial Conference will take place on 22 November (I’ll be there).
The Regional Policy day will take place on 21 October (Trafalgar Day). This is a training day and will evaluate the regional plan, identify next year’s priorities, working with other unions and budget planning.
There were useful discussions about UNISON national consultations on a branch and regional structure review, reserved seat consultation (those NEC seats reserved for low paid female workers), the national minimum wage target, branch representation at National Delegate Conference.
The sad news about long standing UNISON activist Joyce Conway (Health) who passed away on 17 August resulted in all members standing for a minute’s silence. UNISON was well represented by branch and regional officers at her funeral. “She will be missed”.
My Finance report went ok (pretty boring and mostly for noting).
The arrangements for the next regional council Meeting on 9 October were discussed.
Reports from Self organised groups, retired members (David Jones putting the rest of us to shame with his full and detailed report), sub-committee reports (I gave one on behalf of Europe/International and health & safety committee).
The final item was a report on the Labour Link committee by its Joint Chair, the indomitable (a School crossing officer or lollypop lady - from Barking and Dagenham) Louise Couling.
Louise talked about the importance of campaigning against the BNP, not only in her borough but else where in London “the plague is spreading”. Louise is a top to bottom, grass roots, trade union activist and Labour Party diehard supporter. She recognised that the party was going thorough difficult times and that it had made mistakes (public sector pay) but she was passionate in her conviction that we had to support the Party to defeat our natural enemy, the Tories.
It was a bit of a shame that in the Q&A afterwards, one committee guest who claims somehow to be a Labour party supporter, was practically dribbling in his excitement at the prospect of the Party losing the next election. He also asked Louise, I assume sarcastically, how could she contribute to Labour winning the next General election? She immediately replied “by voting Labour” which brought claps and cheers by the non-defeatist majority of the committee.
As Gloria said “A good meeting”. May there be more of them as we play our bit.
(this is of course my own very personal interpretation and report back on this meeting and is not intended to be an official regional record or minutes in anyway – BTW - since this is not a radio advert you do not need to read this quickly)
On route to canvass for the Labour Party in Plaistow this morning, I got caught up behind a Sikh Charity Bike ride in Upton Lane, London E7. There were about 150 riders escorted by what looked like NHS medics on quad bikes. The ride was raising funds for the Richard House Children’s Hospice in Becton, E16.
