UNISON Special Labour Link National Forum 2021 Motion 8: Charity Contracts - Race to the Bottom

 

This is the motion and my speech from last Saturday's (3.7.21) UNISON Special Labour Link National Forum meeting.  I moved this Greater London motion 8 about the Volunteer sector and the race to the bottom with regard to staff terms and conditions - and what we can do about it as a Labour movement.

Many thanks to Jordon Creed from London Voluntary Organisations branch who sent this motion to London Labour Link, who supported it and sent it to our National Forum on behalf of all London Labour Link Members. 

I am fairly confident (touch wood) that this is a campaign we can win. Not only is this National Labour Link policy but at a meeting last week of London Regional Council officers and Regional Management team, everyone was very supportive and it feeds into our existing campaigning on UNISON Ethnical Care contract and the response to Covid. 

I also last week spoke virtually at Kilburn and Finchley branch Labour Party and my UNISON branch executive about the campaign and I am more than willing to speak to any other Labour movement meetings. 

Motion 8. Charity Contracts: Race to the Bottom

Forum believes that we need to ensure across London there is no race to the bottom in terms of pay, holiday, sickness when charities bid for contracts.

Forum calls upon the National Committee to call upon Labour councils and representatives, including the Mayor of London, to commit to not giving contracts to any providers that do not pay the living wage and use zero hour contracts and give their employees only statutory sick pay.

Forum believes local authorities and the Greater London Authority should have terms and conditions of employment which are clearly specified and protected in agreements when competitive tending takes place.

Forum believes this will also improve the quality of the service as contracts will be awarded on the basis of quality not just the lower cost and support collective bargaining in the community sector workplaces across London.

Greater London Region

Moving motion 8

Chair, Forum, John Gray, Greater London Regional delegate moving motion 8 “Charity Contracts: Race to the bottom”

Forum, this motion is London centric but I am sure the issue of a “race to the bottom” in the Charity and voluntary sector applies to all regions and nations.

I don’t need to tell anyone here about the simple, day in, day out, misery of all workers, who have to exist on a minimum wage, insecure employment and no employer sick pay.

And of course it’s not just about the workers and their families, who are our members, as vital as that is, it’s also about the residents and clients who receive these services. Who don’t want overworked and stressed carers, who have to work 60 hours a week to pay the bills.

The question is what as a Union and a Labour link do we do about it? What do we do about it? Passing motions for motions sake never achieved anything. So let’s think things through. 

Firstly, let’s not be forgetting that while charities get funding from various sources including the NHS, the commissioning of services by local government is key.

While we want services to be provided in-house whenever possible and I note that by doing so, it would in fact at a stroke mean that in most, not all Councils, the objectives of this motion would be obtained. So defending public services from future outsourcing and campaigning to bring back services in house is a given.

But in the meanwhile, we need to press all our levers, industrial and political, to campaign for all councils and Mayors to insist that all their commissioned services, pay at least the real living wage, ban imposed zero hour contracts and pay proper sick pay.

Now we cannot ignore that there are legal and funding difficulties, after 10 years of austerity local authority funding has been cut by up to 50%.

But let us work with councils to take on the rouge employers who threaten them with legal action if they impose such conditions. Many employers want to stop this race to the bottom, they want a level playing field, in order to provide better services. We need to work with these employers and target those who will not.

Forum, passing this motion should also be just a beginning, we want more for our members. As well as a real living wage we want a living pension provision, we want to sustain decent terms and conditions by also demanding trade union recognition and sectorial pay bargaining.

Forum, while we will not win every battle, this issue, is one that I think the Labour movement family can win. Let us act as a united Labour movement family, by campaigning as a union, work with progressive labour councils and employers and then by doing so - win real benefits for our members, not least, putting money in their pockets and purses of our members, which to me is why the labour movement was formed.

Forum, please support this motion, I move"

I was very happy that 99% of delegates supported this motion. 

Greater London UNISON Labour Link AGM 2020 - Re-elected!

 

I was really pleased this morning that both myself and Yvonne Green were re-elected unopposed as the respective Chair & Vice Chair of Greater London Labour Link committee for the next 2 years. The last two years have been very difficult for all of us in the Labour movement and it was good to have the trust and confidence of a newly elected committee for the next term. 

The meeting started on a sad note as we held a minutes silence for former long serving committee member, Ann Jefferson, who has recently passed away. A letter of condolence and offer to pay into a charitable cause has been sent to her son. 

UNISON Labour Link works directly within Labour to take UNISON's policies into the heart of the party. In London we affiliate to the Labour Party Region and all 32 Constituency Labour Parties. We have representation on the London Labour regional board and have a network of branch Labour Link officers and CLP delegates. We work closely with other affiliated trade unions.

The committee has a budget which supports a wide range of training and mobilisation events, campaigning and importantly, UNISON members who seek elected office.

It is comprised of directly elected London UNISON members (such as myself and Yvonne) and representatives of our regional self organised groups. All of us are UNISON and Labour Party activists.

At the AGM we had a fantastic and detailed Parliamentary report followed by a Q&A with former London Labour Link activist, now MP for Erith and Thamesmead, Abena Oppong-Asare, who has been recently promoted as Shadow Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury

London Assembly member and leader of the Labour Group, Len Duvall, also gave his report and submitted a 14 page update on the great work that has been done to protect our capital city during the pandemic. 

I gave a commitment on behalf of the committee that we are united to do everything possible to re-elect Sadiq Khan as our London Labour Mayor and Labour Assembly members in the election in May 2021.

Once the other business of the meeting had finished in my closing remarks as Chair, I also spoke about how in our workplan we ought to consider in light of Covid-19, how we can prioritise the promotion of the UNISON Ethical Care charter in London in recognition of the personal sacrifice by so many of our most important but vulnerable members.

(Picture of Yvonne and I in collage was obviously after the last AGM in 2018)

London Mayor Sadiq Khan & Newham Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz visit Londoners living in new Council Homes

Picture collage from yesterday's visit in East Ham with London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Newham Mayor, Rokhsana Fiaz, to new Council owned homes. The large number of TV and other media present showed how housing is now becoming a number one political issue.

The families who proudly showed us around their new homes were absolutely brilliant ambassadors for council housing.

Thanks to London Mayor, Sadiq Khan's £107 Million investment, our Newham Mayor, Rokhsana Fiaz, will now be able to build at least 1000 similar council homes at a social rent.

Not only will this mean that at least a 1000 Newham families will in the future have access to decent, secure and truly affordable homes, the lovely family we visited with the disabled adult daughter will also benefit when we pay care workers a London Living wage and sign the UNISON Ethical Care charter.

Carers will not only receive sick pay, training and up to a £100 per week pay rise but this will result in less "turnover" of carers. Which is a major issue.

As part of our Newham Mayoral anti poverty programme, the 50% reduction in Council tax for the 19,000 poorest households in Newham, will be transformational for our most vulnerable residents. 

Newham will become a London Living Wage Employer AND sign the UNISON Ethical Care Charter

This is great news! At tonight's Newham Council meeting it was agreed by Councillors to endorse the decision by our Executive Mayor, Rokhsana Fiaz,  for us to become a London Living Wage Employer and to sign (and become) a signatory to the UNISON Ethical Care Charter. 

Rokhsana had pledged to Newham Citizens in April 2018 that if elected she would introduce a Living wage for all Newham directly employed staff and contractors. 

The Labour campaign for such a Living Wage was started on 22 February 2007 (check this blog for mentions of "Living Wage") by members of Newham TULO (Trade unions for Labour). 

After a long 11 years I am so pleased (and personally feel quite emotional) that Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz, is delivering on our campaign after so many years and introducing a London Living wage AND signing the UNISON Ethical Care Charter. 

After next April we will have up to 1000 low paid predominantly local care worker being given FTE pay rises of around £100 per week (and £5000 per year) 

This charter is a "Living wage plus" for care workers, making sure that as well as a living wage they get occupational sick pay, training and paid time for travelling and expenses. 

This proposal will still need to be agreed at the 2019 Full Council budget meeting (which due to Tory Austerity cuts will be eye wateringly painful but I cannot think that any Councillors will want to put this item at risk).

UNISON Ethical Care Charter & London Living Wage for all Newham Council Workers

It is just really fantastic news that Newham Council is planning to become a London Living wage employer and sign the UNISON ethical care charter. This was announced by the Newham Mayor, Rokhsana Fiaz, on behalf of her Cabinet, at last month's Full Council Meeting.

I have spent many, many years arguing and advocating for this to happen (with other comrades).

While all our directly employed Newham staff are paid at least the London Living Wage, this will make a huge difference to lives of so many Newham Residents and their families who work for organisations and agencies funded by the Council.

The London Living wage is currently £10.55 per hour while the Government minimum wage is only £7.83 per hour. This will make a huge difference to the lives of so many in Newham and is part of our commitment to Community Wealth Building.

This could mean a pay rise in April 2019 of up to = £108.80 per week for low paid workers who are currently paid the existing minimum wage. Some £5,657 per year. This will be absolutely transformational! 

It will also mean that the Council for the first time will be able to act as an "exemplar" employer and encourage (or if necessary campaign and demand) other employers in Newham to pay a living wage.

Newham residents are currently the lowest paid in London and we have the second highest rate of poverty in London at a staggering 37% of our residents. We have to tackle the historical demon of East End poverty wages - and make work pay.

The UNISON Ethical Care Charter not only requires a London Living Wage commitment but also adequate time for home visits, pay for travelling time for workers & other necessary work expenses such as mobile phone etc, no compulsory zero hour contracts, an occupational sick pay scheme and collective meetings and proper training for workers. This should mean that the same carers are rotated on a regular basis to care for our elderly and disabled.

This will take time since we will have to wait for existing contracts to come up for renewal before we are able to insist on these conditions. To become a Living wage employer, we will have to have an phased rolling implementation plan in place, ensuring that all our 3rd party employers accept this as contracts are renewed . This will cost Newham Council at least £12 million in care alone over the 4 years but it is a price worth paying.

There is compelling evidence that paying a Living Wage will save the Council money in the long term since not only will the service be improved for our residents but it removes reputational risk, increases motivation and staff retention rates.

As a Living Wage Council it will also mean, since we have so many low paid residents and workers who live in the borough, a decrease in Council tax and rent arrears.  It will also save money spent on Housing benefit and tax credits. 

Reminder: Newham Campass Thursday 26 October Adult Social Care "Quality Vs Cash"

I will be sorry to miss this event (at the new venue) but tomorrow is West Ham GC!

Shame, a really interesting topic. Hope someone mentions UNISON Ethical Care Charter. Which hopefully Newham Council will be considering signing soon.