Retirement celebration with UNISON LAS Paramedic Pete Hannell

 

On Friday evening, I met up with Pete, who is retiring from the London Ambulance Service (LAS) as a paramedic after more than 30 years of service. Pete is, of course, well-known in UNISON for being very shy, even bashful, and it’s always a challenge to get him to say much. 

He was an active UNISON LAS rep and Labour Link Officer and will always be a hammer for workers’ rights. He’s also a Labour councillor, having won a safe Conservative seat on his local Herts Council. 

We started at the UNISON Centre in Camden, then went on a mini tour of local and East End pubs before finishing with a meal at the Lahore Kebab House. 

Best wishes to Pete and his wife for his well deserved retirement and all their upcoming travel adventures.

Getting the Labour Postal Vote out in Boleyn

 

On Saturday morning I joined Labour colleagues door knocking in the Boleyn ward by election in East Ham. The local Labour Candidate is Sofia Patel. Thanks to Mayor, Rokhsana Fiaz for main picture of us mostly trying to install the Labour doorstep information on our phones (my attempt failed)

We were calling at residents who had previously said they were postal voters and we were gently reminding them to vote. The response was on the whole really positive and residents either knew or had heard of Sofia and the vast majority had already voted (most for Labour). 

During the session I only came across 3 residents who had not voted Labour. One was a relative or tenant of the so called "independent" candidate, another was a labour supporter who apologised for voting Green due to a "moment of madness" but would be voting Labour again in the future. 

The third was someone who I had a decent political conversation with. He was not supporting Labour since he wanted more to be done to protect cars in his road since he had recently suffered "hit and run" damage on his car. I suggested that Labour in Newham was very much in favour of traffic calming & diversion  schemes which would help with this problem. 

He then said he was against emission parking charges in Newham, despite the fact he had a lovely young daughter running around in the hall. I mentioned again (same as last Saturday in Uxbridge campaign) the views of my UNISON paramedic colleague (Peter Hannell) that in central London 25% of kids suffer from asthma but in  his home town in rural Hertfordshire it is only 5%.

I think he got that point. Afterwards canvassers enjoyed coffee and gossip in Red Rock cafe right next to the Champions Statute. 

Congratulations to UNISON Paramedic - Councillor Pete Hannell

London Paramedic and UNISON activist Pete Hannell was elected yesterday as a Labour Councillor for Dacorum Borough Council in Hertfordshire. Pete topped the poll for his ward in Bennetts End. Labour now has 3 Councillors when beforehand there was none. He is a member of the London UNISON Labour Link committee and we did have a telecanvass session for him on Tuesday but is clear that he and his local party members delivered for Labour and residents and we look forward to further gains in the future.

Condolences to Lola Oyewusi, another UNISON activist and London Labour Link committee members who was returned as a Parish Councillor but came second in a single member ward in Tunbridge, Kent.

I had on Monday and yesterday been supporting Labour in Southend-on-sea, Essex with other UNISON Activists, where they won back 2 seats but because the Tories defeated 2 independents, we might have lost overall control in this minority Labour administration.

 Nationally (England only), Labour did really well, gaining control of 22 new councils and electing 527 new Councillors. Labour is now the largest Party in Local Government, surpassing the Tories for the first time since 2002!

Roll on the next General Election.

UPDATE: at Pete Hannell's count an opposition supporter fainted and of course Pete sprung into action. 

Vote Wendy (Yorkshire & Humberside) and Pete (London) for UNISON National Labour Link

Ballot Helpline

If individual members have not received a paper by 13 August 2019 then they should contact the ballot helpline operated by UNISONdirect on the following telephone number: 0800 0 857 857.

Members with hearing difficulties can use textphone 0800 0 967 968.

Members should endeavour to have their membership number to hand when telephoning.

Vote Pete Hannell for London National Labour Link elections - ballot papers out now!

Vote for a London NHS worker to represent you in UNISON’s National Labour committee

I am a front line NHS health worker, a paramedic in the London Ambulance Service, working shifts while still being an active UNISON steward, representing and defending members for 25 years. As a long standing branch activist and LAS Labour Link officer I have experience of being on committees and know how things work.  I have also been a loyal Labour Party member for many years.

My aim is to get a Labour Government elected and into power and for Jeremy Corbyn to be our next Prime minister. Never forget that we, the unions, created the Labour Party because workers needed political power and protection. 

That is why we must get win power at all costs. In order to win, the Labour Party should be taking more notice of UNISON’s policies on defending the NHS, increase public sector pay, stopping all privatisations and defending our pensions. These policies are all very popular with the public and if Labour adopted UNISON’s policies we will win the next general election.

We need more ordinary rank and file union members representing UNISON at the highest level within the Labour Party. If I am elected as your London delegate I pledge that I will  :-

·         Oppose privatisation of the NHS and all other public services

·         Support our claims for decent pay rises for all public workers

·         Demand we keep our pensions and that everyone is given the chance to belong to a decent pension scheme

·         To report back on every Labour committee meeting I attend to all London UNISON branches and tell you what is going on.

Thank you for reading this statement and I hope you will consider voting for me.

Pete Hannell. 

(Ballot papers have been sent out to home addresses of all UNISON members in London who belong to Labour Link by post with SAE)