Remembering Eric (President of UNISON)

Yesterday evening and this morning I had the sad duty to ring London UNISON activists and inform them that Eric had died. He was a friend and a comrade.

This is from our General Secretary, Dave Prentis. You can leave tributes on this page. If you didn't know him Eric is the person with the biggest smile in the photo:)

"Eric Roberts was our President, but more importantly he was a loyal and true friend to so many of us

Eric Roberts, a lifelong servant of our union, and of those in greatest need, has died after a brief struggle with cancer.

He was the President of UNISON, but more importantly he was a loyal and true friend to so many of us.

Born in Litherland, a proud Scouser and Liverpool fan, Eric was a man who lived enough – and had stories to tell – for more than one lifetime. From fixing drums for the Beatles, to wine waiter, baker and pots and pans seller – Eric eventually found his way to London. And one day, seeing an ambulance shooting down Oxford Street, he decided that’s what he’d like to do.

He had found his calling. For 42 years he served the London Ambulance Service with the passion and dedication for which he became well-known, and his union as branch secretary, NEC member and – this year – our President. He was the first ambulance person to be elected as UNISON President – something that I know was a source of immense pride to Eric, his branch, his family and everyone who knew him.

Eric wasn’t someone who sought out high office. Ambition wasn’t what drove him. Instead, it was an unstoppable desire – a need – to serve people and help people. To represent them and to do his best for them.

To Eric, everyone in the union and the ambulance service had a part to play – and every day he did his job to the best of his ability, and brought out the best in others at the same time. His loyalty to this union was as unquestionable and unswerving as his love for its members.

I will miss his honesty. I will miss his infectious personality. But most of all I will miss his friendship. Eric Roberts was a good man who gave so much to so many people. Eric said upon his election as President that UNISON was the “best union in the country”, but the truth is that Eric was the best of us.

Today, our thoughts are with his children Jack and Rhian, family, friends and colleagues, as our union mourns one of our biggest personalities, most loved friends and most powerful advocates for the values that sustain our union.

Eric Roberts – I will miss you".

Protecting our Pensions from Tory Con Trick

UNISON Housing Association delegate, Mitsy Harman, speaking at the regional AGM last week on our motion "Protect our Pensions" (see link here for text). This is an early draft of her speech.

"Council, from April 6 this year, this Conservative led government is about to play a huge con trick on ordinary working people.  People who have skimped and saved over the years to put money by for their futures.

Council, this money is being deliberately put at risk and the only ones to benefit will be the City crooks that finance the Conservative Party, as they rob our members over the age of 55 of their money and that of their spouses.

Remember the Tories hate anything that is collective, they don't want pension boards or independent trustees looking after their members money and making sure that it is safe. They would rather dismantle our person schemes and hand them over directly to big business to profit from.

Tory Chancellor, George Osborne, calls April 6 "pension freedom day". Council, this is not freedom, it is an occupation, an occupation by those who see you as easy pickings; an occupation that will destroy lives and end up with many of our members retiring into and dieing in poverty.

Our members in the Local Government Pension Scheme and other funded schemes such as the Pension Trust and the Social Housing Pension fund will be targeted by armies of thieves, spivs and charlatans, as they did under Thatcher, when millions of people were told to buy personal pensions and sell their company schemes.

Those of you here who have pension money invested in stakeholders or auto enrolment will also be targeted by those wanting to steal your futures as well.

We must as a union save our pensions and save our members from having them stolen and exchanged for snake oil. We have a responsibility to make sure that our pensions are safe. One of the reasons for forming unions was for decent secure retirements and we must do whatever is necessary to defend our members and their pensions.

Please support this motion, Council, I move". It was passed unanimously.

"A Future that Works" : Building for the TUC London demo 20 October 2012

Picture from this morning's UNISON London Regional Council of Laurie Heselden from SERTUC briefing delegates on the demo.

The TUC are planning a major national demonstration in London on Saturday 20 October. The march will be called "A future that works" and its focus will be to end the austerity polices that have sent the economy back into recession. Laurie helped organise the successful "March in March" and the demonstration on 30 November 2012.

He believes for it to be another success then we need to get even more than the 500,000 people we got in March out on 20 October.

A communications website www.afuturethatworks.org.uk will be up and running before the summer break. An email group has been set up for union organisers and "...of course (we will use) twitter, both in advance and on the day". Laurie made a plea for more stewards to put themselves forward.

I will probably be marching with my branch but I will be working with Newham Labour Group, TULO and trades council to encourage and maximise the Newham Labour Movement family to march together again on 20 October!

As they say - watch this space as there will be lots and lots more on this event to follow.

"Go Now"... Message to the "Dark Side"

After today's antics at UNISON Regional Council I thought I would post some apt mood music.

:) 

UNISON London Regional Council 2 - BA Unite speaker

2nd Speaker was BA Unite cabin crew steward, Nikki Marcus. Who gave an excellent and inspirational speech about the real reasons for the strike and why it matters to all of us.

The strike started over BA demands for £120 million of savings from the 14000 cabin crew. Despite being unfairly targeted for more savings than other parts of the group the union negotiated with management and were within £9 million (BA figures) of a deal. BA wouldn’t compromise and forced strike action which has cost over £100 million. This has made staff believe that BA is not after a deal but is more concerned with “union bashing” and intent on smashing the union.

BA cabin staff are also by definition not a “militant” bunch of people. There is no “shop floor”, it is a dispersed workforce based all over the world. Yet they have shown amazing solidarity. Perhaps it is true that a company gets the union it deserves.

In the first ballot an incredible 92.5% of members voted in favour of strike action. Yet because 800 members applying for redundancy were balloted BA were able to get the strike declared unlawful even thought these 800 votes made no “material difference” to the outcome of the ballot. BA have also withdrawn travel concessions even though many of their workers have to commute from all over Europe, disciplined 56 members and sacked 8. Despite this 81% of members voted in a fresh ballot for further strike action. There was another injunction by BA on yet another immaterial technicality which was thankfully over turned by the Lord Chief Justice.

It is now clear that this is nothing to do with cost savings but an attempt to smash the union. BA wants to “race to the bottom” and have their staff on the same rate as the lowest paid in non unionised Ryan Air. Why don’t management want this same “race to the bottom” to take place for the pay rate of CEO’s?

Nikki gave not only a great emotive speech but put over a powerful but simple argument that will ring particularly well with those in the audience that represent members in the private sector and have to deal with anti-union, anti-democratic employers who want to destroy us.

UNISON London Regional Council 1

This report goes on a bit so I have split it in three parts. The actual meeting itself was in-quorate despite a silly email going out by he who should know better trying to instruct branch delegates to attend and also pretending that he was speaking on behalf of the region. The arrogance of such people is incredible. No wonder delegates do not turn up.

As a matter of courtesy we still heard the speakers although no formal business could take place. Usual health note about the accuracy of my scribbled notes made at the meeting. We had UNISON National Officer Jon Richards; BA Unite cabin crew steward Nikki Marcus and finally Ken Livingston (who needs no introduction). The speakers were excellent and it is a shame that more delegates did not turn up but I fully understand why they don’t want to attend.

I’ll post on UNISON national officer Jon Richards (picture left) first who gave an update on the cuts facing members who work in Higher and Further Education. He started his speech by quipping that the last time he had shared a platform with Ken Livingstone had been in 1982 when he was chair of a student union socialist society and this was also about an education funding crisis!

Today millions of pounds in cuts are being demanded (and this is existing Labour government approved cuts not likely future Con Dem cuts). Thousands of jobs are now at risk. There will be a “Day of Dissent” on 21 June organised by all with all the relevant unions who are all now working together on this campaign.

There was a non consolidated 0.25% pay offer for Further Education staff which has now been improved to a 0.4% consolidated offer.