Trade Union Congress 2017 #TUC17

Now in Brighton for TUC annual conference. I will be trying as usual to post on speeches and fringes.

Congress started for UNISON with a delegation meeting at 3pm where we decided our policy on motions, agreed speakers and support for the General Council report and the TUC campaign plan 2017-18. 

The conference opened at 4pm with this years President, Mary Bousted, welcoming delegates and sororal/fraternal visitors. I was once on a panel at a Labour Party conference fringe on Pensions with Mary.

Congress then stood while obituaries of leading activists was displayed on the screen including that of the still sad loss of our former UNISON President (and my friend) Eric Roberts.

UNISON Motion on low pay for Labour Conference

I have submitted this motion from my UNISON branch to West Ham Labour Party GC for this years conference. 

"Conference notes that CPIH inflation stands at 2.6%, according to ONS data released on August 15th.

Conference notes that this means public service workers are facing yet another year of real terms pay cuts thanks to the 1% public sector pay cap.

Conference further notes that public service workers stand to be an average of a further £1,700 a year worse off by 2020 if the Westminster pay cap is continued by the Conservative government.

 


Conference notes that whilst there is widespread public support for public services and those who provide them, the government have failed to end the public sector pay cap and deliver the meaningful pay rise all public service workers need and deserve. Services are already suffering from recruitment and retention problems.

Conference welcomes Labour’s commitment in the 2017 manifesto to end the public sector pay cap.

Conference believes that the pay cap must be scrapped – not just raised – but that more must be done to support public sector workers.

Conference believes that what is best for public servants and public services is a return to meaningful pay negotiation and bargaining across the public sector, with pay rises fully funded by the government and a return to pre-financial crisis levels of pay.

Conference resolves that Labour’s manifesto must commit to fully-funded, above-inflation pay rises across all public services, reversing the impact of the pay cap and restoring real-terms public sector pay to pre-financial crisis levels over the course of the next parliament".

UNISON picture caption of what you have lost due to pay cap if on £20,000 per year.  

Mentioned in Parliament - Cllr Seyi Akiwowo ...fighting back against online abuse

A lovely tribute in a maiden speech to Parliament by new Labour MP, Rosie Duffield, to Newham's youngest Councillor, Seyi Akiwowo, "who has endured, fought back against and now campaigns against the lowest form of racial abuse..."

"We can't feed the poor but we can fund a war"

Hat tip Banksy

Michael's story: Work, pay and childcare.

Michael is a shift worker on minimum wage trying to care for his wife and kids. ""work to live not survive". Hat tip TUC

#Justice4Edson - Family Campaign Launch Thursday 7 September

Hat tip Rokhsana - "Friends please share widely & come!#Justice4Edson Family Campaign launch this coming Thursday 7th Sept in Forest Gate. Speakers to be announced in the next couple of days. 

Plus an account of what happened from ... Observer. Let's see what comes out at an inquest and other investigations underway. 

'It was one of Da Costa’s preferred starts to a night out – stewed chicken and rice in Calabash, the popular Caribbean restaurant near Stratford Broadway in east London. Plus he had found a new song – D-Block Europe’s Traphouse – and when the 25-year-old had a fresh tune he was even more uproarious than usual.

“He was rapping, joking that we’ve got to get to the studio. I was going crazy with the Traphouse, telling him the next time I’m not okaying that song in the car,” said his friend Jussara Gomes, 23.

Just after 10pm on 15 June they were heading east on Tollgate Road in Beckton when the Mercedes A-class driven by Gomes was pulled over by officers driving an unmarked police car outside the Woodcocks estate. Plainclothes officers asked Da Costa to leave the car.

Gomes could hear them chatting for several minutes before sensing what she described as the “atmosphere” abruptly changing. Leaving the car she found Da Costa, who was wearing a blue Ralph Lauren tracksuit, lying on the ground. She said: “Edson was already on the floor, five steps from the car, face down. Two of them are already holding him down. Edson was moving but not kicking out or anything.“

Gomes said it looked like Da Costa had something in his mouth. “He’s not releasing whatever he has in his mouth so [an officer] pepper sprays him from really close.” said Gomes, raising her index fingers two inches apart to show how far she thought the CS gas was sprayed from his face.

“At this point I’m going: ‘Why are you guys still pepper spraying him if he’s already on the floor? His face was on the floor because I saw scratches after.”

Gomes said that after Da Costa was sprayed, he stopped moving. “I was asking: ‘Why is he not moving? He’s not reacting, not moving.’ This is all I’ve said for five minutes. All of a sudden, foam started coming out of his mouth. That’s when they stopped holding him down.”

By now, other people from the estate had come to see what the pandemonium was about. One of the first on the scene was David O’Brien, who lives 10 yards from where Da Costa was being held. “My son had called to say there’s an incident happening outside and I went out to see three officers – two were on top of him, one was trying to get people away.”

David O’Brien, who witnessed the incident that preceded Edson da Costa’s death, at the place where it happened. Photograph: Antonio Olmos for the Observer

O’Brien said when he arrived at the scene, Da Costa seemed wholly passive. “There was no need for them to be on him, he wasn’t struggling, he wasn’t resisting arrest whatsoever.

“But he must have had difficulty breathing with the two officers on him, their weight crushing down on his chest and his face on the floor.”

O’Brien estimated that the officers might have been on top of Da Costa for up to 10 minutes. He said Da Costa then appeared to stop moving and for five or six minutes seemed “lifeless”.

O’Brien said he then began to fear for Da Costa’s safety and started screaming at the officers to get medical help immediately. “He wasn’t moving, I started shouting at the officers to call an ambulance.”

The witness said Da Costa’s condition seemed to deteriorate. “He wasn’t breathing. I was saying, ‘Call an ambulance.’ He had stopped breathing. Then they rolled him over and started trying to resuscitate him.” O’Brien believes it was too late. “They tried to resuscitate him for 10 minutes, but he was already dead. His chest wasn’t moving, he had stopped breathing. His chest was flat. He was totally lifeless. I watched him die in front of me. He died on the street, definitely. Everyone will tell you that.”

Student midwife Samiya, who lives next door to O’Brien, went outside after hearing a commotion. “I heard screams of: ‘Get off him, get off him, he’s not breathing.’ It was hysterical.”

Samiya, who managed to get extremely close, said that from her experience, it looked like Da Costa was dead. “His skin was grey, it had lost all its colour. He looked nothing like he does in his pictures.

“When I turned up they were giving [him] CPR [cardiopulmonary resuscitation], but he looked lifeless, like he was gone. They were giving CPR but he wasn’t responding.”

She saw paramedics still administering CPR to Da Costa in the ambulance.

Another neighbour, Lee Hulme, recalled hearing frenzied shouting outside between 10pm and 10.30pm. “A man was shouting: ‘You’re killing him, you’re killing him.’ That must been over the space of 10 to 15 minutes.”

Several witnesses also told the Observer how they were both mystified and repulsed that Da Costa had been undressed. “I couldn’t understand why he was butt naked. They had taken all his clothes off, socks, trainers, everything. There wasn’t a scrap of clothing on him,” said Samiya.

O’Brien added: “They took all his clothes, he was totally naked. They took away his dignity. Why would you take off a man’s trousers in front of all those people?” Hulme, who lives 30 yards from where Da Costa was arrested, said: “He was stark naked on the floor, naked and lifeless.”

Da Costa was taken to Newham general hospital but never recovered from his injuries. On 21 June, six days after being admitted to hospital, the father-of-one’s life support was turned off. He died in the presence of 70 family members and friends. On Friday, scores congregated for his funeral at Manor Park cemetery, three miles north of the street where some believe Da Costa, who hoped to set up a car refurbishing company, had actually died before being taken to hospital.'

West Ham "Sing Along" & Forest Gate North "Labor Day" BBQ's

Proving that politics is not just about campaigning, debating and organising (as vital as this is) but also occasionally about having a bit of fun. Picture above from last Thursday BBQ at West Ham Labour Branch in Vicarage Lane Community Centre. They even had a guitar player and sung "protest songs".

While yesterday, Forest Gate North had a "Labor Day" BBQ/Picnic in Wanstead Flats. Our West Ham MP, Lyn Brown (with Cara, her Labour attack dog) joined us and thankfully the rain held off. 

Of course the fun must stop and the hard work of winning the next General Election (happening sometime soon we hope) and the local Council elections next year restarts this week :- 

Campaigning in Canning Town South Canvassing with on Tuesday, 5th September at 18:30 outside Keir Hardie Church

While helping get rid of IDS in Chingford & Woodford Green Saturday, 9th September at 11am - Hatch Lane, Meeting on the corner of the Avenue and Castle Avenue, E4 9RF. (Highams Park station, bses 275, 212, W16, by Hale End Library)

More details to follow. 

To the Memory of Levellers Private Biggs & Piggen - Shot 18 September 1649

I was recently sightseeing in historic Oxford when I came across this plaque in Gloucester Green. I have heard of the execution by Cromwell of Levellers at Burford and have long meant to visit the church but I have never heard of this incident nor can I find much further information on it. 

I wonder if Private Biggs is any relation of Tower Hamlets Mayor, John Biggs? Anyone know?

Newham Woodcraft 2017

Check out new video about Newham Woodcraft folk

"Youth is not wasted on the young

Woodcraft Folk is a progressive organisation for young people led by young people.

Newham Watersmeet Woodcraft Folk is based in the Forest Gate area. We have groups for all ages from toddlers to late teens.

We meet every week and our members enjoy co-operative, campaigning and environmental activities with trips, camps and challenges as well.

We believe in equality and friendship. Woodcraft is for all genders. We do not advocate any religion though we respect people’s faith. We welcome young people of all abilities and pride ourselves on our inclusive nature.

Any child or young person is welcome to join us, you do not have to live in Newham to be a member.

If you are interested please contact  us via newham@woodcraft.org.uk

Education for Social Change".

Tony Green's UNISON NEC blog

A welcome to new UNISON NEC member Tony Green on his excellent new blog. I shall look forward to some friendly blogging competition in the coming months!

"In June I was elected as the Yorkshire and Humberside male seat representative on UNISON’s National Executive Council (NEC). This is the first time I have stood to be a member of our NEC, so I am sure you can understand when I say I am quite proud to have won the election! I am extremely grateful to those members who voted for me and to those branches who nominated me. I hope I can increase both next time.

This election saw a big shake up of the NEC with a lot of new members being elected, replacing some experienced members of our union such as our own Wendy Nichols who has been a formidable voice for our members on the NEC for some time.

Elected Presidential Team 2017-19

The first meeting of the 2017-2019 NEC was immediately following the National Delegate Conference in Brighton in June. This meeting was to elect our lay presidential team for the next two years. I was pleased that Margaret McKee was elected President, Gordon McKay was elected Senior Vice-President and Josie Bird was elected Junior Vice-President.

Margaret has been a catering assistant at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast for 38 years. She has been an activist for most of that time as well as Joint Chair of her branch for the past 10 years. She was also awarded the TUC women’s gold badge at the 2016 Congress in recognition of her union and community work. Gordon is from UNISON’s Ayrshire and Arran Health Branch and has worked as a Mental Health Nurse for 30 years. Josie is Branch Secretary of the Newcastle City Branch and has been employed as an administrative officer in Newcastle for 16 years. You may also know her from her work on the Finance Committee.

First NEC Meeting

The first full NEC meeting was on Tuesday 4th July at the UNISON Centre in London. The first part of the day was made up of appointing members of the NEC to a number of strategic and functional committee’s. I was selected by the Presidential Team to serve on the Staffing Committee and Development and Organisation Committee.



The second and last part of the day was to hear the General Secretary report, which was presented by Dave Prentis. He spoke about how members have been suffering under the public sector pay cap and how the public debate should not only be framed around our uniformed emergency services, but around all public sector workers; many of whom are often not seen.

You can see more details here: Union gears up for a summer of campaigning

The General Secretary took a number of questions from members of the NEC, although some were statements rather than questions. I do hope to see less personal statements and more focus from some NEC members next time so we can concentrate on representing our 1.3 million members.

I am in the process of writing to UNISON branches across Yorkshire and Humberside to let them know how I intend to communicate with members over the next two years to keep them updated on my NEC activities. I also welcome invitations from branch committees to speak and take questions.

Tony Green".