Wearing Red for Key Workers on May Day

This afternoon I took part in a Zoom meeting with the Newham Mayor, Rokhsana Fiaz, our TUC regional secretary, Sam Gurney and Newham Council shop stewards from UNISON, Unite and GMB.

We were all wearing red to mark "May Day" and we wanted to show solidarity and support for all our key workers. It was a really positive and constructive meeting.

Check out my personal thanks to all the carers who look after my 79 year old Mum in her social housing sheltered flat in Ruthin, North Wales.

UNISON welcomes Supreme Court decision on ethical LGPS investment

This is an important legal ruling that effectively stops the UK £300 billion Council pension funds being told they cannot decide where to invest  unless it is pleases the current foreign or defence secretary. Well done to Greater London UNISON activist ,Jackie Lewis, for her role in this victory.

"UNISON has welcomed a Supreme Court decision overturning a ban on Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) investment decisions which differ from government foreign and defence policy.

Yesterday’s decision overturned regulations introduced in 2016 which banned the funds from disinvesting in companies or countries on ethical grounds, except where the government has imposed official sanctions.

These were aimed at campaigns calling on pension funds to disinvest from companies which profit from, for instance, arms sales or the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.

Reacting to the court’s decision, UNISON head of local government Jon Richards said the union “has always been clear that the LGPS is an independent pension scheme” adding that ministers have no right to interfere in its decisions.

“Pension funds should serve the best interests of their members and if those members want to ethically invest or disinvest then – as long as decisions don’t undermine the pension fund – they must be allowed to do so,” he added.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign and a member of its executive, Jackie Lewis who is also a UNISON member and a member of the LGPS pension scheme, asked for judicial review of the regulations which found that they were unlawful.

They were supported by the Quakers, the Campaign Against Arms Trade, and War on Want

However, the government won an appeal against that decision. The PSC and Ms Lewis then turned to the Supreme Court to overturn that appeal court decision, in a case that was heard last November. The court published its verdict yesterday.

“We congratulate Jackie on her victory,” added Mr Richards.

The LGPS in England and Wales has more than five million members and is made of 88 individual funds with assets estimated at £300bn. It has members in local government, education, police staff, the voluntary sector, environment agencies and private contractors".

Cockneyish Thought for Today

Even though I have lived and worked in the East End of London for some 30 years, I had to stop and think about this one for a little while....

Hat tip UNISON AGS Roger McKenzie. I suspect from a London Underground Station information board. 

Newham Council joins minutes silence in honour of fallen key workers

Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz today led councillors, staff and officers of Newham Council in observing a minute’s silence.

Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz today led councillors, staff and officers of Newham Council in observing a minute’s silence to honour the frontline NHS staff and key workers who have died from Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic.

The Mayor, who was at the Council’s Dockside offices in Beckton, had asked other staff working remotely, to join the tribute from wherever they were working.

More than a hundred health and social care workers have lost their lives to the disease since the start of the crisis, and there will be many more in key service areas like public transport who have, and continue to put themselves in harm’s way, so we can stay safe.

The Mayor said: “As a Council we wanted to pay our own tribute to the heroic workers who have lost their lives to Covid-19 as a result of serving their communities during this desperate time.

“It was a very moving moment where we could all come together, not physically, but emotionally to say thank you to those who have paid for their service with their lives. They will not be forgotten.”

hat tip Newham Council & photos Andrew Baker

Labour Leader Keir Starmer’s Workers’ Memorial Day Message

Workers Memorial Day 2020 - A one minutes silence of pictures

 Pictures from trades unions via TUC and from last year's Newham/ UNISON event

Zoom call with Thangam Debbonaire MP, Shadow Housing Secretary & Labour LG Housing Leads

This morning I took part in a virtual meeting with the new Shadow Housing Secretary, Thangam Debbonaire MP, chaired by Cllr Darren Rodwell (Leader of Barking & Dagenham Council). The Leader of Labour Local Government, Cllr Nick Forbes, also presented to the meeting.

It was a really useful and informative meeting. We have similar but different housing problems and it was good to hear from Thangam what she is doing to hold the government to account as well as how Labour Councils and opposition Groups across the land are tackling the crisis.

I had sent comments in beforehand and made a number of points, including that we must make it clear to the government that they need to give local authorities the resources to deliver on their Covid-19 promises. In particular, if they want to keep rough sleepers off the streets long term and ensure that families in temporary accommodation have suitable permanent self contained accommodation, then we desperately need the extra money to deliver on this.

It was really good to meet our new Shadow Secretary of State, Thangam, who was on top of things and clearly wanted to work with Labour local government. 

A great start and look forward to future meetings (apart from the fact that such virtual meeting photos make us all appear as if we are on some Crimewatch "Most Wanted" list). 

Remember COVID-19 dead this International Workers’ Memorial Day

"Tuesday 28 April is International Workers’ Memorial Day, when we remember all those who have died because of their work – and renew our pledge to fight for the living.

In the year of coronavirus, this day of commemoration has never been more important. And that is why UNISON is asking the country to observe a minute’s silence, to remember all the health, care and other key workers who have already lost their lives to COVID-19.

The campaign for a minute’s silence at 11am next Tuesday was launched earlier this week by UNISON, the Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of Midwives, which collectively represent more than a million NHS and public service workers, including porters, refuse collectors and care staff.

UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said it would be “the ultimate tribute to remember workers who’ve lost their lives and put themselves in harm’s way to keep us safe and vital services running.

“Every year, the sacrifice of workers around the world is recognised, but this year has a special significance because of the pandemic.

“Thousands of key staff are on the frontline while the rest of us are in lockdown. That’s why we’ve issued this call for the whole country to take part and remember the sacrifices they’ve made. The best tribute we can all pay them is to stay inside to protect the NHS.”

Thousands of workers across the UK are caring for those suffering from COVID-19 or delivering vital public services that are vital for us all – potentially putting their own safety and even their own lives at risk.

In many cases, these workers know that, by simply doing their jobs, they are putting themselves at risk.

The risks faced by those working in the health and social care sectors has already been acknowledged, but there are also others – those working in childcare, police services and refuse collection, in hostels and rescue centres, in gas, water and electricity, and in transport services among them – whose work and dedication often goes unacknowledged.

Tragically, some of these workers have already died. In some cases, more could have been done to protect them, whether by better enforcement of social distancing, looking after workers with underlying health conditions or provision of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep them safe.

While improvements have been seen in some areas, more needs to be done – specifically in relation to assessing the risks our members are facing and ensuring that all staff who require it are getting the protective equipment needed to do the job safely.

UNISON has never been afraid to demand the highest standards for workers; we have not been afraid to speak out and hold the government to account on providing the right PPE when staff need it, and to hold employers to account who are not doing enough to keep their workers safe.

All of this adds to the importance of observing a minutes’ silence at 11am next Tuesday".

The "Spanish" flu epidemic & a Canadian Bolshevik Revolt in Wales

For the reasons given in my post from 2008 (see below) I have been conscious of the impact of viral pandemics from an early age.

There are some 80 graves of Canadian soldiers at the Marble Church in Bodelwyddan, North Wales.

Up to 76 of them may have died from the 1918/19 flu epidemic and at least 4 were killed after a violent confrontation between military authorities and those wanting to go home to Canada asap after the end of the first world war (including some who wanted to set up a Bolshevik revolutionary Soviet in the nearby military camp).

Check out Spanish flu - Wikipedia and I think that most people will recognise some striking similarities (as well as differences) with our present crisis.

https://www.johnslabourblog.org/2008/05/come-on-bolsheviks-first-british-soviet.html

Hey guys!!! it's Dettol o'clock!!!

The latest idiocy from the "leader" of the free world. The BBC reports that disinfectant firms have had to issue public warnings that people should not inject or drink their products to treat Covid-19.

Hat tip my UNISON comrade, Eddie Brand, who as the branch secretary of our London Ambulance Service has a professional interest in pouring scorn on such moronic comments.