Newham Labour Unions - the Right to Strike

 

Picture collage from meeting on Thursday evening at St Lukes, Canning Town. This is the second meeting in Newham of Labour Party supporters who are trade union activists. Our launch was here https://www.johnslabourblog.org/2022/10/labour-national-day-of-action-canvass.html. Unmesh Desai and myself both chaired. Some key supporters were unable to attend due to clashes. 

The focus of the meeting was opposing the Tory attempts to get rid of the basic human right to take strike action. 

Our main speaker was Michael Gavan, from the NEU union, who explained the threat but was also able to give an update on the previous day's strike action in Schools across Newham. The bill (which should be called the "sacking of nurses and teachers" Act) has passed the House of Commons but has yet to go to the House of Lords. Since it is not a Government manifesto commitment, the Lords can cause problems. But we cannot rely on the Lords or even legal challenges, we must campaign as a movement to defeat it. 

Rohit Das Gupta also gave an update on UCU industrial action and I gave one on the UNISON London Ambulance. strikes (next strike is 10 Feb).

There was also a thoughtful and constructive discussion about next steps and agreed to consider a number of proposals such as a Labour union stall outside Stratford station on the "Right to Strike", possibly combined to celebrate "Love Unions" week 13-19 Feb;WhatsApp Broadcast Group on dates and times of Newham pickets lines and protests; Supporting local strike action by CWU; writing articles for Labour movement media on what we are trying to achieve in Newham and supporting the Workers Memorial Day Event in Stratford on 28 April. 

We are hoping to arrange monthly meetings from now on rotating from West Ham to East Ham. All Newham Labour Party supporters and trade union activists welcome. 

Hat tip photos Shantu

A day in the life of a Labour movement activist

I had a busy day today but a really worthwhile one. Started off by cycling to West Ham station to meet my Councillor Ward Colleague (and fellow Deputy Mayor) Charlene Mclean and hand out leaflets to commuters, supporting Sadiq Khan, who is standing to be re-elected as London Mayor in May. It was cold but at least it was not raining!

Then went into Central London (via tube & Ken Bike) to chair a forum meeting of UNISON London Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) representatives from 10 different funds. We had Eve Keith, who is the UNISON Staff Pension fund manager as our guest speaker, who gave a fascinating account of her day job. Afterwards we also discussed problems with fund administration, taxation and the London CIV.

Ken biked to UNISON centre for lunch at canteen (with by chance a long standing Labour NEC member).

On the way via Ken Bike to another LGPS Pension meeting in Islington Town Hall (this time with Councillors & officers) I stopped off on route to show support and solidarity to members of UCU (University and College Union) at their picket line in Tavistock Square who are on strike over pensions and pay.

This was the first time I have ever been inside Islington Town Hall and it is a stunning building.

Afterwards I took tube back to West Ham, picked up my bike and cycled to East Ham Town Hall for a Cabinet meeting. At this meeting I presented two reports. First one was the possible purchase of a newly build block of flats in East Ham for Council tenants. Which is subject to terms being agreed but I am really pleased that we are actively seeking to acquire desperately needed homes using Right to Buy receipts and prudential borrowing. This was agreed in principal.

The second proposal was the Cyclical Decorations & Repairs Programme.  Another positive report. As well as building and acquiring new homes we are going to decorate and improve our existing housing stock. This was passed as well.

I cycled home very happy.  

TUC Congress 2018: Celebrating 150 years

I am at the TUC Congress in Manchester as part of the UNISON delegation which started at 4pm
today. This is the 150th anniversary of the 1st ever Congress which was also held in Manchester which is why we are back to celebrate.  Then only 34 delegates gathered nearby to discuss

The Congress guide reports this year that there are 519 delegates from affiliated trade unions. 268 Male and (only) 251 Female.  UNISON has has 57 delegates. 21 Male and 36 Female.

You can check out the business programme of Congress here and final agenda here.  As usual there are a number of fringes during lunchtimes and evening which I will try and attend as many as possible.  There is also a large exhibition hall full of stalls.

Despite falls in membership in recent decades, the TUC still represents a massive 6.23 million UK workers. Last year there was a welcome small increase.

Unions are as needed now as much as they were needed in the past. UNISON published today research on Housing and how it is now practically impossible for most public service workers to afford to buy a home. The Bank of England restricts mortgages to a maximum of 4.5 times their income. This means that for example NHS cleaners or teaching assistants cannot afford to buy anywhere in any English region. All unions have unfinished business to complete on behalf of their members.

Picture above of TUC President Sally Hunt from the UCU who gave her address and received a well deserved standing ovation.  Afterwards she mentioned the campaign by a TUC delegate who is also the Granddaughter of one of the Match Girl 1888 strikers (Sarah Chapman) who is buried in Manor Park, Newham without a headstone. Sign the petition here to provide one. 

UCU and UNISON back strike action today by further education college staff

College workers in England voted by 2 to 1 to go on strike on 24 February following a 0% pay ‘offer’.

College workers in England have been offered no pay rise, when many have lost the equivalent of more than £3,000 over the last five years because of inflation and pay restraint.

In a consultation UNISON members voted overwhelmingly to reject the employers’ offer of no pay rise and balloted for industrial action on pay.

Members voted by 2 to 1 in favour of strike action and by 4 to 1 in favour of action short of a strike.

The issue

College workers have had below-inflation pay deals for the last five years and some are as much as the equivalent of £3,000 worse off. This is a 17% cut in real terms since 2010.

UNISON wrote to individual colleges to ask for a better pay offer for staff

In a consultation, UNISON members overwhelmingly rejected the employers’ offer of no pay rise. So UNISON wrote to individual colleges giving them another chance, asking them to make a better local offer. Sadly only a small number made improved offers. More than half didn’t reply.

Members working in further education were balloted over industrial action on pay

UNISON took the tough decision to ballot members over industrial action on pay. The government’s recent Comprehensive Spending Review was less harsh on further education funding than had been predicted and we believe that there is money available in colleges to pay college staff what they deserve.

College staff have picked up the extra work and cuts, redundancies and reorganisations have taken their toll on pay and morale, but the employers aren’t offering anything in return.

UNISON is working with our sister union UCU (which is also in dispute), and other unions to seek to get an improved offer.

Still time for colleges to make a better offer

There is still time for colleges to make a better offer. That’s why we are calling on the further education national employers’ organisation, the Association of Colleges, to come back to the table and reopen national pay negotiations.

Get involved

In order to win a fairer pay deal we need your help. Please:

• talk to colleagues in your workplace about pay and why no pay rise is unacceptable to you
• encourage non-members to join UNISON
• go to your workplace meetings to discuss the pay campaign
• ask your local UNISON representative how you can get more involved.

The ballot opened on 6 January and closed 29 January.

Solidarity with striking HE members (tuesday 3 December)

"UNISON members to take second day of strike action on 3 December 2013 over HE pay offer

UNISON's members in higher education took part in nationwide strike action on 31 October 2013, seeking a significant improvement on the employer’s 1% pay offer.

UNISON’s higher education service group executive took the decision to call for a second day of action following discussions with other trade unions and the fact that the employer’s have not increased their pay offer.

UCU, Unite and EIS have also voted for strike action. Here are their reasons:
UNISON's higher education members are facing a fifth year of pay awards below the cost of living;
real-terms pay has been cut 13%; student numbers are up and cash surpluses in the sector are more than £1bn; the English higher education funding body (HEFCE) reported in March 2013 that financial results are stronger than those previously projected in June 2012 despite a fall in public funding; the median pay package of the highest paid staff in the sector is £242,000.

The highest paid employee in higher education receives more than £500,000 a year. So we know there is money available for those at the very top. Meanwhile, more tha 4,000 employees are paid less than the living wage of £7.65 an hour (£8.80 in London).

Across the UK terms and conditions are being eroded while job insecurity is increasing. There is a greater use of zero hour contracts and an increase in the gender pay gap".

See list of London sites where there are likely to be picket lines from last strike on 31 October here

Pension Strike and Rally: London 30 June

This lunchtime I met up with branch officer Joel Bodmer (picture bottom left) to go and support the Pension rally for striking London teachers and civil servants.

The rally took place at Westminster Central Hall. Unfortunately we were turned away since it was full. So we went to a overflow rally around the corner. The march was still ongoing
all the time we were there. This was a magnificent and well organised event.

At the rally I did note that one speaker mentioned that in the teachers pension fund there was already an agreement to cap employer contributions.  If teacher pension costs do go up then the state will not pay anymore.  So there is no need at all for this theft of pension contributions.  This is purely about those who work with the public being made to pay for the Bankers crisis rather than the financiers who caused it in the first place. 

Further Strike Action in London Met

UNISON and UCU trade union members of London Metropolitan University are on strike today and tomorrow (Thursday 15th and Friday 16th October).

Check out their weblog at Save London Met for full details. Management have already made 350 job losses and now want another 100-200 redundancies. See previous report of last July’s Bastille Day action.

London Met University Strike

Today I went to the picket line in Whitechapel to support UNISON members of London Metropolitan University and their UCU lecturer colleagues who are on strike today over the threat of hundreds of compulsory redundancies.

The sad sorry tale of utter financial incompetency and impropriety (or even worse) by some senior managers in the past has resulted in the funding council HEFCE trying to reclaim millions of pounds of grants. The arguments actually put forward by the University to justify sacking people and “outsource” services to save money seem pretty desperate and frankly daft.

It makes you wonder (despair?) about the governance arrangements for the University. Who is responsible for the mess? Why was this allowed to happen? What is being done to make sure this will never, ever, happen again? (Or at another university or college)?

As far as I can see there is still open warfare between London Mets management and the Funding Council. How is this going to help things now and in the future? They are both responsible for this chaos and should deal with the problem without sacking loads of staff or getting rid of students.

There is a wider question about the Boards of governors, trustees, commissioners or whatever, of our traditional British public institutions. Do the so-called “great and the good” of our society who tend to populate these boards have the necessary skills, life experiences and even gumption to challenge the day to day management and give proper strategic guidance and oversight?

On the present day evidence - I think not.

It is a pity that some minor management stooges have tried to wreak the day by trying to score sectarian points and attacking the union. But I suppose that like rubbish management this is something we just have to deal with.

(Picture of UNISON branch secretory Alan Pike, a super picket and UNISON regional organiser, Harry Lister, behind a banner asking the Minister, David Lammy, for the enquiry he promised into London Met finances)