"This is Palestine" meeting for UNISON Members about solidarity with and current situation in Palestine at our National Headquarters in Euston, London 6.30pm Wednesday 25 January 2017

Looking forward to chairing this meeting. Please make sure you email Phil (p.thompson@unison.co.uk) if you want to attend. 

Maureen Le Marinel Police & Justice UNISON NEC Candidate

"I want our union to work hard for our members, putting their issues and concerns first through a proper democratic process, listening to ALL and acting on the democratic decision of the majority whilst always taking on board the views and needs of the minority and working together to move forward, not disrupting or working against the democratic decisions of the members and those working represent them, it is the membership that elect us and it is the membership who we should be accountable to. 

I have always work in this way and will continue to do so, being honest with what can and can't be delivered and the rationale for both. Be a Stronger UNISON and support those that truly want to support you and not their own agenda's.

Maureen Le Marinel Police & Justice

"Praise for Sir Robin but time for change"

A fair and balanced letter in the local weekly newspaper "Newham Recorder" on 28 December 2016 about "time for change". 

Eric Roberts - plans for memorial tribute

"Following the sad and untimely death of UNISON's president, Eric Roberts, the General Secretary and the Presidential Team have proposed that UNISON should host an event in Eric’s memory as a tribute to his life and work.  

The NEC suggested that the event should be held on the 8th February, possibly in the afternoon in central London.  This is a tentative date at this stage as we need to evaluate the potential number of attendees.

Please use this survey to register your attendance so we can establish the number of people who will be there and help us make a final decision on the venue and a date.  You can complete the survey multiple times and share it with others to register:

 https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/EricRobertsMemorial

(In real life Eric would have been embarrassed about any "fuss and bother" being made over him and he would definitely had made a self depreciating joke or two about such plans. But I do know that a number of UNISON activists, up and down the country, want to come and show their respect for Eric and I am really pleased that UNISON is taking such care in planning this event)

"One article does not wipe the slate clean"

 A really important and interesting article by Steve Hilditch on the Labour Housing Group website "Red Brick" about the undermining of social housing during the last decade. The CEO of Notting Hill is not the only one and actually not the worse by far.

Yet another reason to start a National campaign to democratise Housing Associations make them accountable and bring them back  their real roots. Watch this space.

"Having attended Owen Jones excellent lecture on ‘optimism’ over the holiday, I had resolved to view 2017 with more positivity, looking at what is possible in the future rather than what has gone wrong in the past. Sadly, the feeling didn’t last long. I read an article by Kate Davies (the chief executive of Notting Hill Housing Trust for more than a decade) in Inside Housing. On the surface there was little to complain about, mostly I agree with the content. It explains the benefits of social housing, low rents and security, and complains about the lack of grant for new homes. It sets out the serious implications of the shortage of social housing, a common enough theme on Red Brick.

But context is everything. My annoyance at the piece stemmed from knowing Kate’s role, as I see it, in undermining the cause of social housing over the past decade, in two ways. First, she has led an organisation which deliberately decided not to provide as many social rented homes as it could have done – amounting to thousands of homes over the period which could have been used to house people in housing need. Secondly, she was a leading light in the campaigns and lobbying that seriously challenged the existence of social housing as we had known it, policies that were taken up directly by the Coalition and now the Tory Government. In her article, she makes no acknowledgement of her previous views and takes no responsibility for their impact.

Of course, she was not alone. There were many others in UK housing who went down similar paths. People fell over each other to disparage the social housing ‘offer’and to stereotype its occupants. It is the combination of failing to deliver as much social housing as possible, failing to defend genuinely affordable housing from attack, and failing to contradict the media’s demonisation of tenants, that has led me to be so critical of leading figures and institutions, especially in the housing association world. Homeless and badly housed people have been the victims of their loss of commitment and weakness of vision.

I was on the Board of Notting Hill Housing Trust for six years, from 2002-2008, having served on area committees before that and having had connections with the Trust since 1972. It is an organisation that really matters in west London and has transformed thousands of lives. Along with Kate and many others I worked hard, with some success, to improve the performance of a once great organisation that had hit the doldrums. With regard to housing development I am a pragmatist: I supported Notting Hill’s role in promoting shared ownership, and have had a long-held interest in providing homes in the ‘intermediate’ sector as well as for those most in need. As a Board member I supported tentative moves into highly profitable private development because it could be used to cross-subsidise an increase in social rented homes. It was a time when grant for social housing was substantial and the Brown Government had increased the budget considerably.

But the Trust came to be dominated by a philosophy which saw social renting as something to be disparaged, a ‘dead end’ and a route into ‘dependency’, and which also placed home ownership on a pedestal called ‘aspiration’. Provision of social rented homes was downgraded in priority, there were moves into making tenancies conditional (eg on seeking work), whilst more and more effort went into shared ownership and private development. There were skirmishes at the Board over individual schemes where the proposed balance between social rent and shared ownership was weighted in favour of the latter even though the finances of the scheme seemed to allow for more social renting in the mix.

It came to a head in early 2008 when a new 5 year development programme was put before the Board. It was fully costed, certified by the Director of Finance as a credible and viable plan, and it reflected in full the policy of the then mayor, Ken Livingstone, that development should be 50% affordable (35% social rent and 15% intermediate). Having drafted Ken’s housing strategy, I was delighted that NHHT planned to follow the lead. But the proposal was withdrawn by the chief executive and a different strategy was brought to the next Board. The amount of shared ownership was significantly increased and the share of social rent significantly decreased. After a long and difficult Board meeting, where I was an isolated advocate for the first strategy, the revision was passed (as I recall) by 8 votes to 1. The mix in the programme was proposed to shift from (social rent: intermediate) 70:30 to 40:60, much more extreme than even the policy of the incoming mayor Boris Johnson (although still much better than now).

I resigned. In my (July 2008) letter to the Chair, a clever businessman who helped improve the Trust in many other ways, I commented:

I cannot support the Board’s decision to approve the strategic plan proposed by the Corporate Management Team and the underlying attitudes it reflects. The basic premise of the growth strategy is that NHHT should make ‘shed loads of money’ from private development, which can then be applied to meeting housing needs.  But this argument falls if CMT and the Board then decide to provide many fewer social rented homes than could be provided within reasonable business parameters.  Real choices were available in deciding the strategy – and the final decision reflects serious differences of principle.  In short terms, I feel that NHHT is fixated with promoting home ownership and has insufficient commitment to meeting housing need.

Any reasonable analysis of housing need in London shows that the highest priority is for more social rented homes.  Of course other objectives come into play, and I have consistently supported mixed development and intermediate housing options .………  Compared to the first version of the corporate strategy in March (which was also recommended by CMT), the revised strategy would produce 1,500 fewer homes for social rent over 5 years. 

Externally, Kate was often heavily involved in policy development and lobbying. Amongst other things, she was a key advisor to the extremely influential Localis review (Principles for Social Housing Reform) on which Red Brick has commented many times (for example here). She chaired the ‘Housing and Dependency Working Group’ for Duncan Smith’s (misnamed) Centre for Social Justice producing a report – using NHHT resources – on housing poverty in 2008, where she repeated her call for an end to security of tenure and criticised social housing for providing ‘low cost living for life funded from the public purse’.

Of course Kate is fully entitled to hold her own views and to pursue them as she wishes. In many ways she is very good at her job. But the antagonism to social renting affected both what NHHT was doing and what it was saying to Government as a prominent housing provider. For example, in 2006 I managed to get the Board to agree not to submit draft evidence to the John Hills review on the future of social housing because it supported tax relief for first time buyers (without evidence) and because it called for the ending of security of tenure for social tenants and higher rents. My view was that the proposed evidence stigmatised tenants: social housing was described as ‘subsidised’ whilst shared ownership was not; tenants were seen as second-class citizens who needed ‘a springboard back into society’; social housing was a ‘dead end’ where lives ‘stagnate’. Home ownership was seen as the miracle cure for social ills.

It has become fashionable once again for leaders in UK housing to describe in graphic terms the rise in homelessness and the appalling degree of housing need in our country. But the industry has an awful lot to feel ashamed about and failing to defend social rented housing is top of the list. People should be held to account for what they did when the money was available, what they have advocated for as individuals in public debate, and, crucially, how they used the platform and resources provided by their organisations to promote their views. One article does not wipe the slate clean".

London Loop Walk: Section 9 - Uxbridge Lock to Moor Park:

To confuse matters this walk is posted out of sequence on this blog due to my error. This was the second day of a weekend "London Loop" walk. This is a circuitous 150 mile walk in stages around London which my wife and I started in 2015 and have still not finished.

On Saturday 18 June, Gill and I walked from the Causeway to Uxbridge lock. We stayed the night in a local pub then the next day walked from the Uxbridge lock to Moor Park. This was about 10.25 miles according to the book.

At the start of the walk there was the most friendly, daftest ginger cat ever, wanting strokes and attention (left of picture) which is always a good start to any walk.

The walk was mostly along the Union Canal leaving London far behind us. Stopped off at Fran's Tea Garden for coffee and cake.

At Copper Mill you leave the canal and soon reach lovely, remote rural countryside with great views. Next was Bishop's Wood country park, very pretty, but a little muddy and the route was not very clear.

Near the end you pass a "Coal Post" in the road, which was where in Victoria times, traders had to pay a toil for coal and other items which they were bringing into London.

Another great London Loop walk around our capital city. Only 6 more to go. I am determined to finish these walks this year (2017)

Check out more pictures of the walk on my London Loop Facebook page. 

West Ham Labour January 2017

Dear John Happy 2017! Below are some of West Ham's January activities. If you've been meaning to get more involved in the Labour party we'd love to see you at something. All members are very welcome. This Saturday (14th) - visit to William Morris gallery in Walthamstow.  Stratford ward is organising the trip but warmly welcomes all members. Meet 11amat Stratford International station with either your bike or your travel card. There will be a group cycling and another group taking the (97) bus to the gallery to visit Posters of Protest and Revolution! Thursday 19 Jan - Silvertown Tunnel and its implications for the environment Canning Town South ward would like to invite all members. 7pm, EAT16 cafe, St Luke's Community Centre, 89 Tarling Road, E16 1HN. Speaker - Cllr Ken Clark, Cabinet member for Regeneration. Saturday 21 Jan - Labour's Campaign Action Day Meet 11am at Barking Road Community Centre, 627-633 Barking Road, E13 9EZ. We'll be out knocking on doors and talking to residents. There may be a General Election in 2017! We need to be out talking to voters. Please come and join us. Saturday 28 Jan - Campaigning in West Ham ward Meeting 11am at Sawmill cafe. West Ham Lane, E15 4PH for coffee ready for an 11.30 start Look forward to seeing you soon. Get in touch if you'd like any more information. Best wishes Julianne Julianne Marriott Vice Chair (Campaigns and Comms) West Ham CLP e westhamlabour@gmail.com t @westhamlabour f westhamlabour w westhamlabour.org

Love Unions Week 8-14 February 2017

"Following the popularity of the ♥unions campaign week last year the TUC family of unions has agreed to run the campaign again, this time 8 – 14 February 2017.

· Every union Branch is being urged to organise some kind of activity to celebrate its achievements.

Every trade union member is being urged to ask a family member, friend or workmate, who is a non-member, to join a union.

Unions can align the ♥unions brand to an organising campaign, or an industrial campaign.

Trades Councils can organise community events, such as street stalls, photo opportunities, stunts, flash-mob choir etc.

If you are a union rep or activist:

Please contact your union to see if it will have any materials that you can use, as they might be branded with you union logo, specific organising and campaign messages etc.

· Please let me know what you are doing, as we will create a calendar and will visit as many events as possible.

· Please send us photographs.

· SERTUC will have some materials to support activity by Branches and in workplaces; so speak to us.

If you are from a Trades Council:

· Please tell me what you are planning

· We can discuss what campaign materials we can give you to support your event.

For social media assets see and use:

www.heartunions.org @heartunions #heartunions facebook

This is a campaign celebrating the achievements of trade unions, past present and future. It is about pride and confidence in what we do and why we do it. What you do in the week can be ‘a bit of fun’ or it can be more ‘hard-edged, it is at your discretion.

It could be a simple as taking photographs and sending tweets, awarding the metal badges to lead activists, or organising a Branch social.

Be certain, trade unionism remains the hope of the world and we are a force for good and for radical change.

Are you interested in arranging a celebration, event, stunt, stall or photo opportunity? SERTUC can support what you are doing contact: lheselden@tuc.org.uk

www.heartunions.org @heartunions #heartunions facebook

LOBO Local Finance Hackathon - 14 January

please register here: http://bit.ly/LOBOHack2 

Through hundreds of Freedom of Information requests, Debt Resistance UK have obtained a dataset of LOBO loan contracts. These are risky and expensive loans miss-sold to local authority by financial institutions, to the detriment of public services.

We've already processed much of the information, but by opening it up to others we can realise its value. So join us on the hack day, to make new analyses or visualisations, to help complete the dataset or just to get to know others working on pressing issues in local finance. 

All of the data will be published online. Some is already there. See the council of Newham as an example: http://lada.debtresistance.uk/local-authorities/newham/

People with all kinds of skillsets are welcome. We will provide clear step-by-step guides on how to participate for those who prefer it.

The hackathon will be run online so you can participate from any part of the country as long as you have an internet connection. People in London are getting together at Newspeak house in Bethnal Green.

Please join if you are up for it and spread the word!

DATE AND TIME

Sat 14 January 2017

11:00 – 19:00 GMT

LOCATION

Newspeak House

133 Bethnal Green Road

E2 7DG

please register here: http://bit.ly/LOBOHack2 

Clarion UNISON newsletter on Staff Survey – Trade Union Recognition

Staff Survey – Trade Union Recognition  On Tuesday 10 January, the head of HR confirmed to the unions that Clarion and Latimer staff would all receive a survey, via email, on the subject of trade union recognition. All staff were sent a link to the survey today (11.01.17) via email. It allows staff to express a preference for a Staff Forum or a recognised trade union. If you opt for a union, a further selection opens up inviting preferences for Unison, Unite or another union. The three unions (GMB, UNISON and UNITE) have developed a positive working relationship within Clarion and Latimer. We are disappointed that your employer has chosen to try to divide us, by asking you to specify which union you would want recognised. We also feel that asking this question will put off people with limited knowledge of trade unions, as they will not know which union to pick and will not respond to the survey or select Staff Forum. The employer refused to allow us to put a statement out to all staff to accompany the survey. We had no input into the question being asked. They did not give unions access to former Affinity Sutton staff. They also turned down our offer of talks at ACAS, a neutral and independent mediation body.    Please vote in support of union recognition   We do not accept the validity of this survey and have real concerns about the way results will be reported. However we have decided that staff should still vote in the survey and demonstrate their support for trade union recognition. We are interested to see the results.   We are drawing up plans for a submission to ACAS, requesting a fair and transparent survey, with the support of both the unions and the employer. We would ask ACAS to help facilitate this.   We will continue to campaign for joint recognition of Trade Unions. We will be approaching all stakeholders, including 176 local authorities and over 400 MPs and Assembly Members, to ask them to encourage Clarion to take a reasonable approach to the issue of trade union recognition.

All Staff Benefit from Trade Union Recognition   Whether you are a member of a union or not, you will benefit from trade union recognition. During the recent reorganization “Fast Forward Circle”, the unions entered into dispute with the employer over the proposed changes to terms and conditions as part of the reorganisation. Circle originally proposed to set salaries through a market review every two years. However, after negotiating with the unions, Circle revised this to allow collective bargaining every year. Pension-matched employer contributions were also increased from 8%, as originally proposed, to 12% for those who have served for five years or more. Circle also abandoned plans to abolish ‘income protection’ – a benefit for those who are sick for more than six months, as a result of talks with the unions. Mark Rogers, chief executive of Circle Housing, said at the time “We are pleased to have come to an agreement with our recognised trade unions on a new set of terms and conditions… as a responsible employer we changed some of the areas that mattered most to our staff having listened to their feedback.”   Affinity Sutton and Trade Union Recognition  Broomleigh was a housing association that became part of Affinity Sutton and now Clarion. Some former Broomleigh staff will remember having trade union recognition for some years, until Affinity Sutton moved to derecognise the unions. During the period of trade union recognition, staff received far better pay increases than they have since union recognition was removed by Affinity Sutton. Ridgehill and Downlands also merged into Affinity Sutton and staff tell us they enjoyed much improved pay offers and terms and conditions, prior to losing trade union recognition.

Trade Union Recognition in other HAs It is normal for Housing Associations, with their ethos of cooperation, partnership and social value to work closely with Trade Unions. Clarion will be unusual if it breaks that link. Here for example are just some of the Housing Associations who have Trade Union Recognition Agreements with UNISON: L&Q, Hyde, Metropolitan, Amicus Horizon, Nong Hill Housing Trust, Family Mosaic, East Thames Housing Group, One Housing, Cross Keys Don’t be at a disadvantage, support trade union recognition for the joint unions.

Upcoming Workplace Meetings Here are dates and times of upcoming joint union meetings: 13.01.17 - Tower View, Kings Hill, Firefly meeting Room - 12.00 - 14.00 17.01.17 - Gee Business Centre - 12.00 - 14.00 - Cheshire Room 18.01.17 - Bishops Stortford - Innovation House 12.00 - 14.00 20.01.17 - Haywards Heath - Venue TBC - 12.00 - 14.00 We will be adding other dates and doing targeted emails to relevant members with updates. Please keep looking out for these.

Your rights to advice and representation UNISON wants to make clear to all its members that if there is a period of time where we do not have recognition with Clarion Housing Group, or Latimer, your individual rights to advice and representation are not affected. You will still be able to receive advice and representation from UNISON Stewards and staff as before. Recognition relates to collective bargaining and some other issues, but we thought it was important to make this clear at this stage. If you have any questions, please get in touch: Email: l.baldock@unison.co.uk                Phone: 07432 735 157 Email: b.wakefield@unison.co.uk            Phone: 0781 712 0556 If you have questions about the proposed merger, or the current Circle reorganisation, please contact John Gray on John.Gray@circle.org.uk

Facebook, Twitter and Website  Please like and follow to receive updates "Like" us on facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/clarionunison "Follow" us on twitter here: https://twitter.com/unisonclarion Or visit the website here: http://bwakefield1.wixsite.com/unisonclarion Please encourage colleagues to do the same.