Rally to Save Our NHS Tonight at Central Hall, Westminster

Housing Association Branch at Community Conference 2012

This picture collage is largely of my branch members speaking at yesterday's UNISON Community Conference in Brighton.

In total we had 8 members of our branch speaking (in various capacities). 4 of whom were first time speakers at a UNISON conference. We moved 5 successful motions. Including organising and recruiting young members by Branch Chair (and Young member) Joel Bodmer (MHT); the Big Society attack on terms and conditions by Ionela Flood (Notting Hill); Why Income equality at work is better for everyone by Ebrahim Piperdy (Circle) and Condem threats to high quality and sustainable social housing by Tony Power (East Thames).

This is only the second ever Community and Voluntary Conference. Our service group is the 3rd largest in the union. We also have in my view amongst the toughest organising challenges going. We have all gone a long way in a short period of time but there is still much to do. I think that last weekends successful seminar and conference will help us on that way.

Rebekah Brooks Met Police Horse Song

Hat tip Captain Swing (and "The Now Show" and "Ernie").

Health & Safety in the Voluntary and Community Sector

My next workshop was led by the Head of UNISON Health & Safety, Hope Daley. Hope had a tough job to remain positive and upbeat about safety in the face of Government attacks on workplace safety measures and cuts in funding for those bodies who are suppose to protect us.

While cuts in funding for our sector means that many employers are taking risks with their employees and our clients. Staff numbers are being cut to the bone. Support services are being down graded. For example "Waking night" staff are being replaced by so called "sleep overs" which means that staff in residential projects will face working a 8 hour late shift, then have a disruptive nights sleep (possibly being awoken several times during the night) and then do a 8 hour early shift. 

I made a brief contribution that health and safety is an organising issue. The "cuts" show that you can not trust the Government, the law or your employer to protect you at work. The only friend you have at work is your union. The best way to make you safer is to help build trade union density and organisation. Recruit a work colleague to the union and volunteer to be a safety rep.

Hope stressed the importance of using Worker Memorial Day (April 28th) and National Inspection Day (which takes place on the Wednesday of European Health and Safety week). She also used the opportunity to promote the new UNISON guide to "Disability and Health & Safety" which was published in December. I had to leave before the end to go to a Service Group Executive meeting.

Brighton Beach delegation meeting

Off message. But a very Brighton picture from yesterday lunchtime. Members of the Housing Association Branch delegation enjoying a sandwich lunch on the beach.

It was a bit uncomfortable sitting on the pebbles and a little wet and windy - but it was warm in the sunshine. Not bad for March!

I had been for a run along the beach in the morning. A great of getting rid of the cobwebs (aka hangover)  

Pensions - What Next for Pensions in the Voluntary Sector and Housing Associations?

After the opening session of the 2012 UNISON Community Seminar we split into 4 workshops :- Facility time; Health and Safety; Challenging Racism in the Workplace (based on a new branch toolkit) and Pensions. I went to the Pensions workshop and helped out UNISON Pension guru Glyn Jenkins (left) as a SGE member.

The workshop was (understandably) dominated by the future of the Local Government Pension and the NHS pension scheme. Glyn brought the workshop up to date on the proposed changes. Even though negotiations are still ongoing so he was not yet able to give definitive answers to all questions. I collated a survey filled out by members of the workshop. Out of 26 people present, the average age was 45 (3 years younger than the average UNISON member), the average amount of pensionable service was only 15 years, the age they expected to retire was  63 and 4 had no pension whatsoever. One person put down he wanted to retire at 23! Most had been promoted in their first 10 years of service and did not expect to be promoted during the rest of their career. Interestingly Glyn thought on the basis of this survey that most of us would benefit from a CARE (career average pension scheme).

It was a pity that there was not more time to discuss the Social Housing Pension Scheme, auto-enrolling or other urgent pension issues specific to our sector.

UPDATE: Someone has emailed me to ask what happened over the "template" emergency conference motions over the Pension dispute attacking the Service Group Executive (SGE)? They were ruled out of order (they were basically identical and clearly inaccurate) by the elected lay Standing Orders Committee (SOC).  The SOC offered a 30 minute open discussion on the issue. The SOC reported was passed overwhelmingly but delegates voted to reject the offer to have the "discussion" and to support the decision made by their Service Group Executive (I declare an interest).

UNISON Community Seminar 2012

Picture of Karen Jennings, Assistant General Secretary opening the 2012 UNISON Community (and Voluntary sector) Seminar at the Brighton Centre. Today is our Service Group seminar and tomorrow is our biannual Conference.

The Chair of Community Stephen Brown (middle) gave a vote of thanks to our former national officer Mike Short (left) who has been promoted within UNISON.

This weekend will be dominated by the impact of the cuts on our sector. Many "care and support" workers have already suffered massive pay cuts (30%) and the slashing of other terms and conditions. While the government is directly responsible for this, there are rogue employers who are leading a race to the gutter and undercutting responsible employers. How to combat this effectively will be a key theme.  Pointless and divisive sloganising will of course achieve nothing. But members are suffering and we need to defend them.

I am here as a Community NEC member. I'll try to post and tweet as we go on.

Why the 4th July is special to the Labour Movement

Trying to find a training room at the UNISON Centre recently I came across a historical display on the 3rd floor. In a cabinet there is this flyer celebrating the the election on Monday 4 July 1892 of Keir Hardie for South West Ham as the first Independent Labour MP. 

Click on picture to bring up details.

West Ham Labour Party is planning to mark the event (see post)

I didn't realise that a performance called "A Better Day" about this event had been performed in the local Stratford Theatre Royal to mark the NALGO (one of the unions that joined to form UNISON) Presidency of Rita Donaghy in 1989/90.

When it is finalised on how we will be marking the event I will post further.

Meet Ken Livingstone at the UNISON Centre Tuesday 6 March

Dydd Gwyl Dewi hapus!

Today is St Davids Day - the feast day of the patron Saint of Wales. Well done to Google for changing their doodle to a Welsh theme for the day.