Message to our General Secretary Christina from a female UNISON member

"Hi Christina 

Trust you are well

I'm writing to  express my concern and dismay about the President Paul Holmes  addressing Women's  Conference next week. 

It is my understanding that he has now been dismissed by the Employer following allegations of Bullying and harassment of women he managed. 

I also understand that the two Vice Presidents offer him their unconditional support.  This is unfortunate and they  should  at least have the courtesy to be impartial given the complainants are themselves women and members. 

 I believe this gives the completely wrong message to Women delegates. Women are the life blood of UNISON  and look to our Union for progressive policies; support and leadership on Equalities. 

All Trade Unionists as I do embrace positive change. Sadly the faction group now in control of our NEC, Time for Real Change, seem to have forgotten some of the  fundamentals  that is democracy and accountability.  

I regret I have have had to write  to you but  believe that this can only reflect badly on UNISON in the long-term and we cannot allow women members over 75% to lose trust in our great union. 

With Kind Regards", 

UNISON Champion - June Poole RIP

I was shocked to hear the sad news that UNISON stalwart, June Poole, has passed away after a short illness. We were supposed to meet yesterday at the UNISON centre in London for a Board meeting of the Welfare Trustees.This meeting was cancelled out of respect for her.

My sympathies are with her family and her many UNISON friends and comrades.

June was a real UNISON grassroots "activist", who was not only a longstanding member of her branch, Rochdale Local Government, but took part in numerous regional and national committees as well as campaigning on disability issues, women rights and for Labour Link.

She will be best remembered as a "tireless worker for
 UNISON’s welfare organisation ‘There for You’".
I got to know June when we were both members of UNISON Community Service Group Executive. She became its Vice Chair. Earlier this year we both stood together on the same centre left ticket for the two UNISON Community National Executive Council seats. I managed to get in but June narrowly missed out by only 61 votes.  She would have made an absolutely brilliant NEC member.

June was a no nonsense, feisty, instinctive trade unionist, who stood up for workers and for their interests. While she did not suffer fools, she cared for members and there was no side to her. She did however have an infectious "wicked" sense of humour.

Our Labour movement family has lost one of its own.

UNISON will be letting people know the funeral details as soon as they are available.

(hat tip great picture to UNISON North West Region)

More men called John run big companies than all women

Not that there is anything wrong with being called John (obviously) but this blatant sexism and inequality is a nonsense. It is also simply bad for business if you exclude half the world from the the potential pool of talent to recruit from. The picture above is from America. In the UK there are 17 of the top 100 FTSE Chief Executives called John and only 7 women bosses.

"Women & Power In Europe" Newham Compass

Last week I went to this Newham Compass debate at West Ham Supporters club in Green Street. 

The Chair was supposed to be Newham Councillor and recent Labour MEP candidate Farah Nazeer. However she was unable to make it so former Newham Councillor (and author) Graham Lane stepped in. 

First speaker was Charlotte Minvielle (on left of panel) from the UK arm of the French "Parti Socialist". 

The French constitution in 2012 allowed for 11 Members of its National Parliament to represent citizens who live outside France. Charlotte has lived in the UK for the past 8 years and helped elect Axelle Lemaire as Northern Europe (including UK) representative in 2012. In April this year Axelle is now the French Government Secretary of State for Digital Affairs. 

As a young women, mother and now Minister, Axelle has received a lot media attention and questions. 

Interestingly, Charlotte explained that in France, political parties face fines if they do not have parity of political representation for women. Companies face audits as well on pay gaps between men and women which can also result in fines. Some organisations prefer to pay the fines rather than change.

She noted that in the UK Ed Miliband now has 33% of Labour MP's who are women compared in only 3% in 1982.  But in the UK women have been far more affected by austerity than men by 3:1.

The second speaker was Violeta Vajda who was a candidate for the Green Party in the recent European Elections. Violeta has a Romanian and Hungarian, part Roma background. She thought it was good to speak to so many men at this meeting about "Women and Power" (there were 9 men present and only 4 women I am afraid). 

Violeta thought that things had changed and every women she met during the recent Euro campaign regardless of Party was a feminist. However, she praises the men who stand behind women. Green MP Caroline Lucas who was arrested during a protest alongside her son. Parenting is a political activity. She is only here tonight because her mother is looking after her son.

In the Q&A I asked Charlotte for more details about the fines on political parties if they do not have gender parity. She said that it was a good principle but like in housing development in France, 20% of all new properties are supposed to be for social housing. Developers will only build 5% social housing and pay the fine. 

I challenged Violeta about her comment that all the women candidates she meet were "feminists" since I have come across a number of women in politics who express a very dismissive "Margaret Thatcher" style attitude to feminism? Violeta responded by saying that some women will indeed "sell their soul" to win political office but privately they will admit that they are feminists.

This was yet another great Newham Compass event with intelligent and thoughtful speakers who have challenging ideas and views that we may not always agree with but want to listen to and then debate. Many, many thanks to Christopher for organising these events and for Graham for chairing.

A breath of fresh air.

Motion 37: Women and the Housing Crisis #uNDC14

Another speech by Doreen on Wednesday.

"President, Conference, Doreen Davies, Greater London Housing Association branch speaking in favour of motion 37

Conference, I work in a small specialist Black housing association in inner London that temporary houses and supports vulnerable young women. Many suffering from family rejection, addiction problems or fleeing abusive relationships

My association could house 10, 20, 30 times or more the number of young women we currently support. The reality of the housing crisis for many young women is street homelessness.

But Conference, the housing crisis is not just about the massive shortage of housing in many part of this country but also that the access to accommodation that is available is often non existent.

It is unaffordable or badly maintained or insecure. Or all three. Do not forget Conference that the rebirth of the private rental sector has also led to the rebirth of Rachman landlordism in this country. Women in particular are vulnerable to violence, harassment and intimidation. Especailly if they care for children.

Conference, let us build the homes that women need in this country and make sure that all homes whether private or public are decent, secure and affordable. Conference please support this motion".  Motion was passed.

Who runs Britain? 51% of population are women. But women make up only...

A lot has been achieved in the last 100 years with regards to equality but there is still a long, long way to go.

Newham's Wonderful Women

This is a speech by Newham (born and bred) Councillor, Ellie Robinson, at the Full Council meeting last Monday.

It was a marvelous speech and it was a shame that at that meeting we voted to change our Constitution so that Council meetings in the future can be filmed. Shame Ellie missed out on this.

"I am going to talk about Newham’s wonderful women.

We have a proud history of fabulous women here.  Yesterday was the birthday of Emmeline Pankhurst, born on the 14th July 1858, who founded the women’s franchise league which fought to allow married women a vote in local elections.

She later helped found the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) whose members were the first to be called the 'suffragettes'.  Emmeline's daughters Christabel and Sylvia followed in their mum’s footsteps and when the Union’s headquarters moved to London, Sylvia Pankhurst moved into the Canning Town Public Hall, now the home of Community Links on the Barking Road.  The first London branch of the Women’s Social and Political Union was formed right there. 

Today, we all continue to come across fabulous women everyday - helping to run our schools, our businesses, our voluntary organisations, and our health services, and, of course our council services. 

At the Mayor’s Town Show over the weekend, there were some fantastic women and girls performing, educating, organising, inspiring throughout the day.  On Saturday I went to the Forest Gate Women’s Institute food festival which is a fabulous family-friendly event organised by a great group who are currently campaigning against female genital mutilation. 

Last Friday, I was very honoured to spend some time with our social workers.  The woman who let me shadow her in the morning works all hours of the day, with a smile and with incredible patience, changing families’ lives in Newham.  At the end of the day I was privileged to meet with some of our care leavers and their key workers.  One care leaver spoke confidently about our children in care council and how it had given her confidence and ambition and new skills while bouncing her new born, much loved, daughter on her lap.  When I asked the key worker about the best part of her job she told me, without hesitation how proud she had been to be her birthing partner.

There are fabulous women doing worthwhile things all around us, yet this government clearly does not respect the contribution of women.  Women’s unemployment has risen to a 25 year high whilst men’s has decreased.  The Government’s attack on welfare and plans for growth are frankly leaving women behind. 

In addition, women are still underrepresented at the highest levels. 

·  UK women have slipped from 33rd to 57th place since 2001 in the international power rankings

·  22% of MPs are women

·  within the legal system, only 14% of the senior judiciary are women.

·  11% of UK bank CEOs are women

·  5% of Editors of national daily newspapers are women

This is made worse by there being a real lack of black women, Asian women, working class women, disabled women and lesbian, bisexual and transgender women in positions of power and influence. 

Ensuring that women are equally represented ensures that issues which affect half the population are understood and debated.  Last month, the very awesome Texas State Senator, Wendy Davis electrified the pro-choice movement with her 11-hour filibuster.  Facing down condescension and sexism, she stood and spoke for 11 hours to ensure the rigid anti-abortion bill would not go through.

We all know that important decisions affecting us all, men and women, are better made when different experiences and perspectives are heard.  Not having women at the table is huge waste of talent and potential which perpetuates itself, reproducing a model image of what leadership looks like, constraining and  stifling the aspirations of future generations. 

100 years ago this year Emily Davison was killed when she threw herself under the King's horse as a protest at the government's continued failure to grant women the right to vote.  100 years on, we can all vote but there is a long way to go.

Emmeline Pankhurst said of the Suffragettes, ‘We are here, not because we are law-breakers; we are here in our efforts to become law-makers.’  Emmeline broke the law so that I and others could help make it. 

Let us commit to ensure that, in Newham, in all that we plan and all that we deliver, ALL the women and girls in our care, in our schools, in our workforce, in our community have the support and the opportunity to be the best that we can be.”

Hat tip picture to Col Roi and Museum of London. 

Octavia Hill, Housing, the Diffusion of Beauty (& other things)

On Monday it was the 100th anniversary of the death of Octavia Hill. She was one of those remarkable, talented, passionate strong willed, Victorians whose influence is still live and kicking a 100 years on. While I don't actually agree with everything she did or believed in - if you work or have an interest in social housing you simply cannot ignore her.

She is credited with the development of social housing, the Army Cadet Corp, the National Trust, and even being "a forebear of occupational therapy". I love the fact that she was once a treasurer of the "Society for the Diffusion of Beauty".

She believed that the poor deserved decent, affordable, well managed housing. However, she did not believe either in state subsidised housing, female emancipation nor even social security. She was also a very hard taskmaster with regard to rent arrears or anti-social behaviour, which I believe would be popular on modern day housing estates but produce a field day for human rights lawyers.

Octavia also believed in the role of women in housing management. This was of course at a time when women were excluded from nearly all "professions". Women trained by her later founded the Institute of Women Managers in 1916. This much later eventually became the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIOH).

One final thought is that I remember attending a meeting of the London branch of the CIOH in middle 1990's. They had an elderly female speaker (whose name I am sorry I have long forgotten) to speak about the history of housing management. I remember her clearly talking about the significant role of women in housing management since Octavia Hill. She looked around at the (majority male) audience in the room and asked what has happened in housing management in recent years - "Where have all the women gone"?