UNISON Greater London Housing Associations Branch e-newsletter: Feb 2023

 

Welcome to the Branch Newsletter! 

Last Monday, we all heard the horrible news about the powerful earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria early in the morning. A week later there are still many people trapped under debris, and the ones who managed to escape from the buildings were left homeless and without any shelter or support in severe weather conditions. If you wish to help, please donate money to the Emergency Earthquake Fund. You can do that by visiting the website: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/turkey-emergency-earthquake-fund 

Barbara Zagrodniczek Branch Communications Officer 

Opportunity to represent the Branch at UNISON 2023 National Delegate Conference Date: Friday, 13th June 2023 – Sunday, 16th June 2023 Location: Liverpool 

In the last issue of the Newsletter we announced that we are looking for members who wish to represent the Branch at the National Delegate Conference. Due to an error in the provided email address, we would like to extend the deadline to 3:00pm on Friday, 24th February 2023. If you would like to attend, please send your details along with a supporting statement (max. 100 words) to AGM.Admin@unisonhablondon.org 

For those who already submitted the statement, we kindly ask you to re-send it to the above email address. We apologise for any inconvenience this causes. Travel, accommodation, and meals will be paid for by the Branch in line with our expenses policy. We look forward to your responses. 

Upcoming Events UNISON LGBT+ London Region to celebrate LGBT+ History Month (In person) Thu, 16th February at 6:30pm-9:00pm at Queer Britain Museum, 2 Granary Square, London, N1C 4BH 

The Regional LGBT+ Committee would like to invite you to celebrate LGBT+ History Month at the UK’s first ever dedicated LGBT+ museum. The regional UNISON LGBT+ committee will be holding its first LGBT+ History Month in person since 2020. We are really excited for this event which is open to all members. Karl Lewis, the LGBT+ Officer will be in attendance. Please get in touch if you want to find out more. 

Sign up for the event here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/unison-london-lgbt-history-month-receptionat-queer-britain-tickets-531844419977 

Branch’s AGM (Hybrid meeting) Wednesday, 8th March 2023 at 6:00pm-8:00pm (in person and virtual) 

Details will be circulated separately by email. 

Women’s Training and Networking Event (In person event) Friday, 10th March 2023 at 10:00am-4:30pm at UNISON Centre, 130 Euston Road, London, NW1 2AY 

It is an annual women’s training and networking event hosted by the Regional Women’s Committee. The event is aimed at all elected branch officers who are women, and branch women’s contacts. Attendance is free, but pre-registration is essential. The deadline to submit registration forms is 24th February 2023. If you are interested in attending, please get in touch with Barbara Zagrodniczek, Branch Communications Officer at AGM.Admin@unisonhablondon.org 

International Workers Memorial Day (In person event) Friday, 28th April 2023, Bow, East London 

Please save the date in your calendars. More details will follow soon. 

Branch Officers’ Reports (February 2023) 

Chris Milson – Branch Secretary 

Working people are continuing to stand-up all-over Britain, fighting for better pay and conditions, catalysed by the current cost of living crisis and a Westminster government that is proving deaf to their concerns. In UNISON, public service workers in local government, education, health, and other sectors either have been striking, or have strike dates booked in the coming weeks. 

The UNISON Housing Associations Branch stands in solidarity with all union members that take the difficult decision to go on strike for better pay and conditions. 

Your Branch Needs You The UNISON Housing Association Branch’s AGM is next month. We’ve had an eventful year and all officers of the Branch Executive will be talking about what they’ve done in their elected roles this year for the Branch and its members. If you can, please come along and hear about what we’ve been doing, and what our goals are for the coming year. 

You can also stand for election to join the committee – look out for the online nomination form we’ll be sending out shortly. If you care about your Branch, and believe that you, or another member you know, has something to offer in helping to run it – do please consider nominating them or yourself for an Executive Officer position. 

Barbara Zagrodniczek – Branch Communication Officer 

In October 2022 I edited and circulated the first issue of the Branch Newsletter. Five months later I am proud to see that more and more of our members are taking part in the surveys and are putting themselves forward to represent the Branch at different forums. 

I hope we will be continue sharing similar opportunities with you in the future. I continue to work on improving Branch communications. This is why I am pleased to announce that our Branch is now ready to start publishing the Newsletter on the Branch website. I hope that this will make it more accessible to those who do not always have access to their emails. 

Further to that, we are planning to update content on the Branch website. 

Conference and Meeting Reports Greater London Regional Council AGM – 

Report For those of you who may not be aware, the Regional Council is the senior membership body which oversees the work of the Greater London region representing and supporting members, and it is being elected by all Greater London branches. The Annual General Meeting took place on Wednesday, 8 th February 2023 at Holiday Inn in Bloomsbury. Our Branch was represented by John Gray, Joseph Ogundemuren and myself. 

The meeting opened with passionate speeches given by Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, MP and Shadow Minister (Mental Health) and Sara Gorton, UNISON Head of Health. Both speakers focused on the importance of changes in the UK health system and solidarity with the Ambulance Service. 

After that, similarly to the Branch AGM, the meeting followed a standard agenda – minutes from the last AGM, matters arising, reports and motions. 

Our Branch submitted two motions. The first one, ‘Cost of Living’, was submitted for consideration as a regional motion to the 2023 National Delegate Conference. At the AGM it was presented by John Gray and received a positive response. 

The second one, ‘Year of the Black Worker’, was written in collaboration with the Croydon Local Government Branch and put forward by Joseph Ogundemuren. 

Barbara Zagrodniczek

(This communication has been written by a dyslexic person. If you have any trouble with the meaning of any of the sentences or words, please do not be afraid to ask for clarification)

Emergency Fundraising Dinner for Turkiye & Syria - Sisters Forum

This evening I went to support a fundraising dinner being held for disaster relief of victims of the recent deadly earthquake in Turkey and Syria.  I think all of us have been pretty shocked by the media footage of the death and devastation caused and the plight of the survivors. 

The hall was fully booked and well supported by local residents including the Mayor, Chair of Council and other Councillors. Also many people from outside Newham. 

There was a number of powerful speakers but the most powerful and personal one was by Hulya Yilmza, who is from the region in Turkey that has been most affected. She described the loss of her family members and friends and some of the horrible injuries they had suffered. 

Many thanks to my Councillor colleague, Sabia Kamali, the Sisters Forum and sponsors for organising this important event so quickly and running it so well. 

You can donate online https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/emergency-earthquake

UNISON London Ambulance Service (LAS) Strike: Picket outside their Waterloo Headquarters 10.2.23

 

After work this evening I went to the UNISON picket line outside the LAS headquarters in Waterloo, Central London. I went to show solidarity and support on behalf of Greater London UNISON Regional Council officers and my own Housing Associations UNISON branch. 

It was yet another, well organised and well supported LAS picket. Congratulations to their Branch Secretary Eddie Brand, and their stewards and regional support staff including our Regional Secretary, Jo Galloway. The pickets were confident, knew what the battle was about and what to do on a picket line. 

I see also from other social media reports that some LAS pickets are tomorrow setting off as volunteers to Turkey to help out as paramedics with the dreadful recent earthquake.  Last year the branch helped organise a convoy to Ukraine to deliver much needed medical supplies and equipment. 

I have been on various picket lines in my time in the Labour Movement and the UNISON LAS are by far the best organised I have ever attended. 

Our ace UNISON Head of Health, Sara Gorton, gave short speech to the pickets thanking them for all they are doing to save our NHS.

Fellow London UNISON activists Anu Prashar and Abiola Kusoro were also there to show solidarity.

Just to point out that contrary to Tory lies and smears, for life and limb calls, pickets are volunteering with the full support of their stewards, to leave the picket line to attend, and I have witnessed this on many occasions during this strike.  Because it is an "operational" picket line, with emergency ambulances coming and going, the branch has to be careful of numbers of pickets and supporters to ensure safety. 

I came back home tonight feeling uplifted and proud of my union and our members.  

Bambos Charalambous and Stephen Twigg Campaign Fundraiser

A little late post on a very good fund raising dinner held on Tuesday evening for Bambos and Stephen’s Parliamentary campaigns.

The special guest was the Foreign Secretary, RH David Miliband MP.

I was there with UNISON Labour Link colleagues (including Rae Voller, the deputy Chair of UNISON Labour Link - see picture top right).

The event was packed with supporters many of whom had actually come down from Liverpool for the dinner.

It was held at the Ev Restaurant in Southwark, SE1. Bambos and Stephen were very hospitable and welcoming hosts to all their guests.

Some thoughts I scribbled down during the speeches.

David Miliband gave a very competent speech clearly pointing out that unless we win in seats such as Enfield Southgate and Liverpool West Derby we will not win the next general election.

He rightly praised Bambos and said he expected him at the next election to be the first ever Greek Cypriot MP.

At the same time he urged a bilateral solution to the problems in Cyprus so that both peoples there could live in peace in Cyprus as they do together in London. I was very surprised that there had not been a MP of Cyprus origin before now (Nick V - discuss!).

To great applause from the audience Miliband argued that the EU had encouraged Turkey to enshrine equal citizenship for all in its constitution and that was down in part to lobbying by the EU and the prospect of membership.

David was very direct and I think persuasive about not only the importance of the Labour Party winning power during the next election but also that it is still very winnable.

He reminded everyone how the Party had been written off during the early 90’s as being never able to win power. Also that there had been a failure of markets not the government that had caused the current economic mess.

New Labour is not a “faction” but a set of values, principles and a political culture. If there are good ideas regardless that they are from the Left or the Right they will size them. What matters is the good of the people. Politics is important since the NHS is important to most people, the minimum wage is important, and the vast increase in the number of teachers and teacher assistants are important.

Politics does make a difference.

A Tourist snapshot of Ataturk’s Turkey

Just back from a cheap “last minute” package holiday near Kusadasi, Turkey. I’ve never been to Turkey before, always meant to, but like many people, had been put off in the past by military coups, terrorism, Cyprus and Kurdistan etc.

The Mrs and I were just looking forward to escape the UK winter for a week with some sun and sightseeing. By coincidence on Wednesday, it was a National Turkish Holiday. “Cumhuriyet Bayrami , the day commemorates the proclamation of the Republic by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1923.

In the run up to the day, practically everywhere you went you would see national flags with pictures of Ataturk. The hotels all had huge red Turkish flags hanging down from their fronts. All cafes, shops and restaurants would have his picture or poster fixed somewhere, usually you would look up and he would be glaring down at you from various directions.

On Monday we went into Kusadasi and walked up the hill to the huge statute of Ataturk that overlooks the harbour (see pictures). Many Turkish towns have similar such statues. The walk up went through some very poor areas but we were cheerfully greeted by families and young children without any of the hassle you find in the main shopping and tourist areas. A lesson somewhere no doubt? The view from the top was well worth the effort but the site itself was strangely neglected, vandalised and definitely unkempt.

On the Wednesday itself we went to Selcuk by Dolmas (local shared transport) which despite its proximity to popular tourist attractions is a really nice Turkish market town, no “English breakfasts” on offer. As we went into the town there was a parade of local children with bands and swirling Turkish flags. We followed them to a local school where the headmaster (or local Mayor?) gave a stirring speech which the children seemed to enjoy by regular cheering and clapping. They then wandered off so I assume the rest of the day was a holiday which might have contributed to a celebratory spirit.

There were huge banners of Ataturk hanging from the walls of the local castle and various city buildings. The cult of Ataturk felt very pre 1989 Soviet or even 1984-ish. It also did not seem (to me) a particular “joyous” day of celebration. There were a number of trucks driving slowly around the town with PAs playing loud martial “patriotic marching music”, some decorated with flags, some not. The characters manning these trucks (all men) seemed to be out of central Turkish gangster casting. Large big stomached blokes with bushy moustaches and permanent scowls who didn’t seem to appreciate my David Bailey impersonation by taking their photos. I suppose that in the past Turkish internal politics has been very, very (repeat very) violent and it is understandable they are suspicious but I thought that I stuck out a mile as a tourist. I also felt that they expected some sort of opposition or were making some sort of provocative stance? I didn’t ask what political party they were supporting but I assume they were right wing secularists.

The “Rough Guide” suggested that Selcuk has designated quarters for “settled Yoruk Nomads....Kurds and gypsies......socialising little with each other”. I tried to see if there were any parts of the town which were not displaying flags or posters. I assume that many Kurds are not impressed with the legacy of Ataturk? Neither Islamic fundamentalists. But it seemed that all areas flew the flag. Even if you did not want to celebrate you would stick out if you didn't so you could understand the reason why you had to "fly the flag". Or else?

Saying all this, it did overall seem to me that Ataturk is a national hero for the mass of Turks. His achievements are pretty amazing despite the obvious “but”.

He first came to prominence as a divisional general who helped defeat the First World War allied invasion in Gallipoli in 1915 (my "Taid" or Welsh Grandfather also fought in Gallipoli with the British Royal Naval Division), he later defeated the Greek, French and Italian Armies who were trying to dismantle Turkey, overthrew the 600 year Ottoman sultanate, emancipation of women, the abolition of all Islamic institutions and the introduction of Western legal codes, dress, calendar and alphabet, replacing the Arabic script with a Latin one. Nuf said?

When he introduced surnames in 1935 for Turks he choose the name Atatürk, meaning 'Father of the Turks'. He died on 10 November 1938.

Of course he was also a dictator who crushed opposition and ruthlessly destroyed opponents who he thought plotted against him and his vision for the future, whether that threat was real or imagined. His understandable obsession with national unity in 1923 meant repression for minorities in the years after and he legitimised the role of the Armed Forces in overthrowing civilian governments they did not like. In the end at the age of only 57 he drank himself to death.

We flew back last night from a 26C blue sky Turkey to a Gatwick Airport car park where I had to scrape the ice off the car windows. End of holiday.