National Paralympic Day & Liberty Festival: Sunday 3 Sept Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

Hat tip Peter Daley. 

A Living Rent

This motion was passed at my branch AGM which took place in City Hall last week. It will be one of our motions submitted to our UNISON National Conference in June (the other on "Union Busting").

If people think a "Living Wage" makes sense, then what about a "Living Rent"?

The motion was ably moved by Branch Executive member, Peter Daley. The idea for the motion came from a local branch steward who privately rents.

"UNISON National Delegate Conference notes

1.       Soaring UK rent rises will leave almost six million private renters living in poverty by 2040, according to recent research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF).

2.       Rents are growing  more than wages, year in and year out and are becoming more and more unaffordable.  This has caused overcrowding, exploitation and ill health.

3.       It has reached the point that working people cannot afford to live in many high rent areas anymore with homelessness also on the increase.

4.       We are becoming economic slaves to a new master class of landlords who will evict tenants who object to rent increases or if they complain about the state of their property.

5.       Huge amounts of taxpayers’ money is wasted on housing benefit and little is invested in building new homes.

6.       That in other countries such as Germany, Sweden, France and even America there is legal controls on rents.

7.       A “living rent” is as much a basic human right as access to the National Health Service: It is a basic human right

8.       That a truly affordable and sustainable “Living rents” cap for social and market rents in different parts of the Country can be calculated as is already done with the Living wage.

This National Delegate Conference calls upon the NEC to ensure

1.       That UNISON should campaign for a future government to begin a mass house building programme of social homes at social rents (around 50% of the market rent).  This will also bring about reductions in rent in the private sector

2.       That there should be compulsory regulation in the private rented sector to give tenants greater protection and security of tenure

3.    That rent controls are reintroduced and rents are capped at a “Living Rent” set by an independent commission.

Show Racism the Red Card: 15th Anniversary Celebration

Last night there was a celebration of the 15th Anniversary of "Show Racism the Red Card" at the new UNISON Centre. This is an "anti-racism charity, which was established in January 1996. The aim of our organisation is to produce anti-racist educational resources, which harness the high profile of professional footballers to combat racism".

UNISON General Secretary, Dave Prentis, opened the event and the host was former professional footballer Leroy Rosenior.

There were a number of high profile footballers, Coaches and managers (all alas unknown to me) present.  The film director Ken Loach (who I did recognise) also gave an award.

There is still racism and bigotry in football but it was made clear that the "beautiful game" has been transformed in recent years. 

Now, I have zero interest in football, but I do think that many people do think they are role models (rightly or wrongly) and that they would pay more attention to footballers talking about how wrong and stupid racism is than any well meaning and earnest anti-racist tract.

Picture of leading London UNISON activists Peter and Louise with Martin Whelton (middle) who is a Labour Councillor (and Cabinet member for Housing amongst other things) for LB Merton and a trade union national officer.

Update: more pictures on FaceBook here

UNISON LONDON LOCAL GOV SGE ELECTIONS

Please pass on to any UNISON members who work in local government in London.

Remember Mike Davey and Monica Hirst who are also standing in London Region for the forces of light and reason in Health

Vote John Gray for London rep on UNISON “Community” Executive (please)

I’m standing in the UNISON Service Group Executive (SGE) elections for the London general seat on the brand new national committee for the “Community and Voluntary” sector. Attached is a flyer that I have been sending out with the following message (double click to bring up detail)

“Dear UNISON Community Member - I am standing for election to be your London rep on the new national group for UNISON members who work in the Community & Voluntary sector. You should be getting ballot papers sent to your home address in the next few days.

Firstly a little bit about me: I am a lifelong trade unionist and member of the UNISON Housing Associations Branch where I am the Assistant Branch Secretary, Health & Safety and Labour Link Officer. I am also the UNISON Regional Finance convenor.

My first paid job was as a Welfare Rights Advisor for a voluntary organisation. I am now employed as an Estate Officer by Circle Anglia Housing Association after being TUPE’d from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets 3 years ago. A third of the people I represent work in social care schemes and projects.

What I want to do: Members working in housing associations and the voluntary sector know all too well about job insecurity and instability. Most members have had to deal with numerous reorganisations or being TUPE’d due to cuts in funding or mergers. We need to build stewards’ networks so that they can support each other and share knowledge, ideas and experiences. I would like to see specialist training introduced for stewards in our sector dealing with Community specific issues such as transfers and threats to our basic terms and conditions.

Stewards and members can feel isolated at work and we need to ensure that they know that UNISON can support them and how they can access this support. I would like to see more email networks and electronic forums set up as a way of linking our members and stewards together.

We must raise the profile of health & safety at work. Not only to protect us from the risk of violence but also occupational stress due to bullying or unmanageable workloads.

I am committed to listening to your views, making your voice heard and ensuring you and the branches with community and voluntary sector members get the support and the resources we deserve.

If you want to contact me you can ring 07977 285 297 or johndotmdotgrayatntlworlddotcom or via Facebook or even John’s Labour blog at http://grayee.blogspot.com/.

Many thanks - John Gray”

This election hasn’t come at an entirely opportune moment for me since I am a little bit busy doing other things however such is life. If you know anyone eligible to vote then could you download the pdf and send it to them.

Also standing on behalf of the forces of light and reason in UNISON Health SGE seats in London are Mike Davey and Monica Hirst while in Local Government SGE its Margaret Back and Peter Daley.

Vote Peter Daley – Putting London Members First

• (Peter is standing as a Candidate for London in a UNISON Service Group Executive by-election. 90,000 members in London who work in Local Government and the voluntary sector will be receiving ballot papers over the next few days.
  
  Please vote for Peter and encourage your fellow UNISON members to do so)
  
  I have worked for Wandsworth Council most of my working life. I have been active in NALGO and UNISON throughout. I have been a steward, Branch Officer, Regional delegate, National delegate. In addition I continue to play a full role at Branch and Regional level and within the Regional Black Members and Disabled Members self-organised groups.
  
  Wandsworth was the first outsourcing privatising council in London. I have a great deal of experience dealing with market driven politicians and managers. I believe in public services being retained in the public sector. I also support UNISON in negotiating, organising and bargaining with private companies so we can protect, organise and represent our members where services are outsourced.
  
  I believe in:
  100% trade union membership
  Supporting the organising, training and recruitment initiatives to defend the union in this period of recession
  Putting members first so that your worries, concerns and your interests – over employment, equality, fairness, protection, wages, pensions – are placed first.
  Never take members for granted.
  Providing effective advice, support and protection for our members.
  Distancing ourselves from the MPs gravy train
  
  I am against those who want to use us as political footballs for any political party or organisation.
  
  London is facing awesome and frightening change: be in Boris Johnson’s ego-mania, or privatisation and outsourcing on an unimaginable and unprecedented scale.
  
  The old ways don’t work. Now is the time for change, for new leadership, for the assertion of your interests as the only real priority. Now is the time for unity of all our members. Now is the time to develop a real voice in London for supporting our national union.
  
  Please support me in the forthcoming service group election – Vote Peter Daley.
  
  Thank you.

Update: Check out this facebook group

Vote Peter Daley 4 London - UNISON LG Elections

Peter is standing for London in the UNISON Local Government Executive (SGE) election. He is an excellent candidate and I (personal capacity) would urge every eligible member in London to support him. Please encourage your colleagues to vote for him as well (but note that UNISON funds cannot be used to support any candidate). Double click picture to bring up details and download flyer.

Gun Crime in London and Manchester. A Trade Union Response.

At the UNISON conference (see post) last week there was a well attended joint fringe event with North West Region, chaired be London Regional Convener, Alan Jarman, with guest speakers David Michaels (Lewisham Police Consultative Committee) and Mick Hurley from MMAGS (Manchester, Multi Agency Gang Strategy—a group made up of criminal justice statutory agencies)

This was a thought provoking, intelligent and quite emotional fringe as delegates from both London and the North West, who live and work in communities overshadowed by gun crime, shared their experiences with the speakers.

Conroy Lawrence (left), London Lewisham Health, shared his family’s pain of the loss of his son, Justin Morgan, to gun crime in 2004. No-one has yet been brought to face justice for his murder. As a victim, Conroy pointed out that support for families devastated by gun crime, tails off after time. Only the media continue to contact him.

Peter Daley, Wandsworth LG, reminded everyone that tackling gun crime is a UNISON imperative—following an act of violence it will be UNISON members in the police and civilian staff who will receive the emergency call and send help. The paramedics, first on the scene, will be members, as will the nurses and hospital workers who will try and save the victims. The aftermath will often be dealt with by UNISON members in Social Services.

Raz Dowdall also pointed out the positive role of UNISON members in tackling this problem as youth workers in after-school clubs and as teaching assistants in local schools. The meeting agreed that UNISON members need to participate personally with their community but they should also campaign as members for more and better preventative facilities to include marginalised youths. UNISON should, with its campaigning skills and political connections with governments and councils, work to bring about change.

It was pointed out that this is not solely a "black issue". The black community did not invent "gun crime". Even nowadays, 40 years after the Krays, there are numerous white criminals carrying guns and using them to murder and harm in London and the North West.

The meeting closed in a very positive and constructive mood, not least due to the contribution by Khi Rafe (Lambeth LG) whose 12 year old son Ishmael “her baby” spoke so eloquently about growing up in the city and how gang membership was not for him despite the pressures that his fellow young people feel.

The Regional Convener in closing the meeting, challenged all present to go back challenged all present to go back to their localities to ensure that they campaigned for more cohesive communities including the issues raised by Ishmael about the lack of children’s and young people’s services.