Lyn Brown MP speaks up for Newham over Covid Robbery

Lyn Brown MP "As I sadly predicted Newham council has not been, and under current plans will not be fully compensated for their Covid costs in direct contrast to what the Govt promised. There's currently a £10m gap. Today I pushed the Govt to look at this and provide the money they promised".

Kwame Nkrumah: First President of Ghana lived here 1945-47

 

While out today on work visit to residents in Camden I noticed this blue plaque about Kwame Nkrumah, who lived here NW5 while studying. Ghana was the first British colony in Africa to gain independence. 

Today BP announce their highest profits in 8 years (Tax 'em)

Makes perfect sense to me

"Today BP announce their highest profits in 8 years - just as many people’s energy bills hit the roof. It’s time for the Chancellor to back Labour’s plans to cut energy bills, by bringing in a one-off windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas producer profits".

InUNISON - What have the Trade Unions done for us? #LoveUnions

Check out this modern remake of an old classic at https://www.in-unison.org/post/what-have-unions-ever-done-for-us

All of next week is https://www.tuc.org.uk/heartunions Share this video and all the other events

WHAT IS GOING ON IN UNISON’S NEC?

 

A great post by UNISON NEC member Stephen Smellie. We still have pragmatic and committed NEC members such as Stephen, a great General Secretary, branches, staff and activists. But what a complete and utter mess our union is in due to these "incompetent" bullies and harassers...

"I should quickly answer- I don’t know!

Last week there were the scheduled meetings of the NEC sub-committees of Finance and Staffing. I am not a member of either so can’t give any first-hand accounts. However there have been statements issued by the group Time For Real Change (TFRC) and by a number of NEC members not affiliated to that group. The General Secretary has also written to NEC members to say that the Staffing Committee was cancelled, as was the meeting with the staff trade unions. 

What seems to have happened is that at the Finance Committee an issue was raised where the Chair reported that he had asked for details of payments made to NEC members to cover their release from their jobs. The overall costs of this were provided but not a breakdown of which NEC members were involved and how much this was for each. Staff advised that they could not release names or the costs of each as this would be a breach of GDPR.

There then followed a disagreement and, allegedly a staff member was told that they would be disciplined if they did not release the information requested. This led to staff withdrawing from the meeting.

The Staffing Committee meeting due to take place the following day was then cancelled by the General Secretary as no staff would attend. She has reported that she is trying to arrange meetings with the Presidential Team and staff trade unions to try to resolve issues.

The Chair and Vice Chair of the Staffing Committee were, apparently, not consulted about this and they decided to proceed with the meeting without staff being present.

In this meeting they put forward proposals that current vacancies for Assistant General Secretaries and Regional Secretaries (including the Scottish Secretary) should not be filled till a proposal that they should be elected positions be considered by the NEC and then the National Delegate Conference.

I accept there may be inaccuracies in the details above but that is what I think has happened.

These events are against a background where the TFRC faction on the NEC, who gained a majority at the NEC elections last year, have been pushing through changes to the way the union’s NEC operates to effect the Real Change that they stand for. As I have written before, exactly what these real changes are, have not been clear, either in their election material during last year’s NEC election campaign, nor since.

However, one by one, proposals have been unveiled and presented as proposals which are then agreed by the majority at the NEC or sub-committees.

These latest proposals, of which no-one outside the TFRC faction were consulted on or asked for an opinion on or even given pre-warning of, are the latest to cause controversy and generate great heat.

Before the past week’s events the actions of TFRC and the decisions their majority have taken have caused considerable kick back. Several Regional Councils, including Scotland, have passed motions condemning the NEC for its actions, a number the National Self Organised Groups have raised concerns at the lack of diversity in the appointments to NEC positions and the perceived attempt to not allow the SOGs to nominate the members to represent them at TUC conferences and committees. The have also enraged some senior staff members with talk of discipline if they do not carry out instructions.

Alongside these controversies is the long running saga of the TFRC appointed President who was suspended from the union for near 2 years. While suspended he ran for General Secretary and received around 30% of the votes cast and was re-elected onto the NEC in the male Local Government seat. His suspension was recently lifted by a decision of the Chair of the Development and Organising Committee, as per the adoption of the controversial motions. What he was suspended for and what charges were levelled against him, I do not know, although there seem to be plenty of people who claim they do know!

The suspension being lifted, the President was able to chair the last NEC meeting. I missed most of the meeting due to other commitments, but he did a competent job in chairing the meeting.

He has also been suspended by his employer and faces possible dismissal. Again, I know nothing of the charges he is facing but, again, many other people seem to. Some claim it is a witch-hunt against a trade unionist whilst others say the complaints made by UNISON members regarding his conduct may justify the possibility of dismissal.

(Note: this was written before the President was dismissed by his employer)

If he is dismissed, he can apply for unemployed membership and that can be approved by the NEC. This would allow him to continue as President and NEC member whilst he appeals against the decision. Rather strangely the Vice-President announced that if he is dismissed, his application for unemployed membership will be approved. This without consideration of what he is to be, or may be, dismissed for. I find that strange. Not that this is what is likely to happen, but that the Vice-Presidents should announce so boldly that this was their intention, no matter what the case is. They added to the consternation by saying that any member of staff who sought to block this would be disciplined. This was interpreted by staff as a bullying threat. The VP’s statement was, wisely, withdrawn and not voted on at the NEC.

When TFRC members (I am assuming they are members of the faction which is operating quite openly as a ‘party’ within the union – as an aside, I would like to know what the membership conditions are and what forms of accountability and democracy they apply) called for Real Change they were not clear what they meant or intended.

Some of the proposals they have put forward are, to me, not unreasonable but they were not part of any published manifesto. Their election statements were vague and populist. They stood for change in the leadership, for fighting back against austerity and so on.

They did not say that they were for fewer women and black members in leadership positions. Or for undermining the role of the Regional Convenors group or the Self Organised Groups. Or for pre-judging the outcome of investigations and hearings. Or for disciplining staff for refusing to breach GDPR legislation. Or for usurping and undermining the role of the elected General Secretary.

All of these things they have been accused of doing.

My observation is that they have so far been incompetent and insensitive in how they sought to bring about change. They are relying on the fact that they have a majority and so can do what they want. Without needing to persuade others who are not in their faction and sometimes without even bothering to learn how things work.

The recent issues are a case in point.

It has been known that some NEC members, for some time, have been getting their wages paid by the union. This may be justified as the employer may not have been willing to grant the amount of time that senior elected activists need to be able to fulfil all of the tasks asked of them. However, there are risks in this. The NEC member is then accountable not to their employer, or their branch, for their time, but to the union officials who pay the wages. They are now, potentially, a paid servant of the union official. This is especially the case when other NEC members are not advised of who is getting paid and who is not. It is therefore perfectly reasonable to ask for some transparency on this issue.

However, prior to this week, I as an NEC member was not aware that this longstanding arrangement was being challenged or that it was even being questioned. Demanding the release of what is personal information covered by GDPR, and threatening staff who say they cannot do this, is stupid. The issue should be discussed, and the practice considered openly. Who is currently involved, and how much each individual might be costing the union, is not the point. Discussing whether we want this practice to continue and how it might be done in a more transparent way, perhaps with agreed criteria, is entirely justified. Threatening staff with discipline and provoking a possible dispute with the staff trade unions is not.

The issue discussed at the Staffing committee, the election of senior officials rather than their appointment, is a legitimate issue to raise. I think motions to NDC in the past have been ruled out of order as staffing matters were not to be discussed. That always begged the question, how do we discuss such a proposal? What are the pros and cons of such a proposal?

I am not sure whether putting a motion forward to the NEC, voting it through with the majority they have, and putting it to the NDC is the best way to take the issue up. Some folk with longer memories believe the issue has been discussed previously at NDC and not supported. If this is true then the proposal that the NEC put forward a motion, contrary to NDC policy, is itself problematic for a union that believes conference is sovereign. The NEC has agreed to the Staffing Committee recommendation that there be a review of staffing. That would be a process where this issue, amongst many more, could be openly discussed and debated. Attempting to reach a consensus is usually a good way to proceed, developing understanding, building bridges before forcing your view through and creating opposition and resentment.

I have said before, the task of a faction that purports to be of the ‘Left’ and seeking to bring about change for the benefit of the union membership, and not simply their own interests in gaining and holding power, is to build support for their ideas and policy options. TFRC are in such a hurry to take power in the union that they don’t seem to want to give anyone else time or space to voice their opinion, or to develop working partnerships with those other activists, and staff members, who are sympathetic to the general idea that Real Change is needed.

For the record, no-one in TFRC, nor anyone from the faction that previously held the majority on the NEC, or any member of staff was consulted on the contents of this article or sought to influence it. I would venture that very few of them will ever read it!"

Stephen Smellie

Corporation Street, West Ham doorstep Surgery: Boris, Planning, Cats & Parrot

Interesting morning carrying out a doorstep surgery in Corporation Street, West Ham, E15. This is reputed to be the longest residential street in Newham. The four of us managed to cover around half of the properties. 

I had a conversation with a lifelong Tory supporter, who was so disgusted with Boris Johnson over Downing Street Covid parties that he will be voting Labour for the first time ever. It is rare that residents mention national politics but it would appear that Boris is currently haemorrhaging traditional support for the Tories. 

We had picked Corporation Street in part because there is a planning committee meeting later this month to consider an application to build a new 6th form school and housing at the next door site of the old Ford car showrooms https://pa.newham.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=R5I67TJY5NA00 alongside. Residents can make comments by 26 February. We wanted to ask residents what they thought of the development. This is by far the biggest redevelopment plan in the ward. 

Most residents we spoke to about the proposal were in favour of something being done with the site after many years of remaining empty but had concerns about the proposed height of development and noise during construction. I mentioned my concerns about the proposed lack of social housing at the site and residents shared this concern. 

There were two delightful friendly kittens to be fussed over (but seemed far too young to be out in the street but their owner assured us they were well looked after) while another, more elderly black and white cat, simply turned his or her head away from me when I said "hello". 

The parrot in the collage was not real but a garden ornament. 

For a change, I had no Councillor case work, I made 20 contacts, with no-one declaring themselves against and only a few "undecided" but all of us found it was overwhelmingly a pro Labour surgery and people seemed  pretty content with the Council. 

Amazon on tax disclosure webinar Feb 10

"Having supported the shareholder resolution at Amazon on tax disclosure, PIRC is holding a webinar to highlight a broader programme on Fair Tax.

The Greater Manchester Pension Fund & OIP shareholder proposal was the first resolution filed as part of our new investor initiative on Responsible Corporate Tax with CICTAR.

It will facilitate active engagement with corporations in sectors with a history of aggressive tax avoidance, as well as those with significant exposure to government contracts & dependent on healthy tax revenue for growth.

Join us to hear more about Amazon’s tax practices, the GRI Tax Standard and opportunities to get involved in the broader collaborative engagement on responsible taxation.

Speakers include:

• Dr Katie Hepworth, Responsible Tax Lead, PIRC
• Jason Ward, Principal Analyst, CICTAR
• Tom Harrington, Assistant Director (Investments), Greater Manchester Pension Fund
• Troels Børrild, Head of Responsible Investments, AkademikerPension

Thu, Feb 10, 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM GMT
Shareholder Resolutions on Tax Transparency: Amazon

No to Trade Union Victimisation: Support the Kirklees 14 - A safe place for woman

 

No one should should ignore women reporting male aggression and harassment against them. Full Stop.  https://www.facebook.com/Kirklees-14-A-Safe-Space-to-Put-our-Case-105607508706986

InUNISON - Personal reflections of a first time delegate - LGBT+ conference 2021

 

Check out this personal report at the new website https://www.in-unison.org/
"The main message from it is the unequivocal and unanimous support for Trans rights. This was showed through the motions we passed which included support for Stonewall, Trans Equality and Trans Health motions – all of which passed with no speakers against and by from what I could see a unanimous show of hands. We also heard from the General Secretary of the Union (Christina McAnea) who showed her solidarity and support for the Trans movement. I also took her words, as the first woman GS of Unison, that her rights as a woman are not in any way threatened by supporting trans rights.

On this point I hope this helps you to support our organisations that are in the Stonewall Index, we are likely to be one of the next round of organisations put under pressure to leave the scheme. We should also support our employers and encourage them to join the scheme.

I also learnt a lot from a motion about Freedom of Information requests about the lengths anti-LGBT+ groups will go when our organisations show support for LGBT+ people, especially those that define as Trans. We need to be aware of this and again support our employers and encourage them to ensure they know the law before they take on any actions.

· I spoke on a motion about the National Disability Strategy, talking from my experience of having Crohn’s and being LGBT+. It was a bit of a last minute decision to speak, but I hope I managed to get my main points across.

· On a personal level, it was highly inspirational to be around a group of people and I took a lot from it. My regional LGBT+ group did a great job of introducing themselves and letting others introduce themselves, right from the start with their meal on the first night. Through that I met a lot of other first time delegates and we all supported and helped one another, and have kept in contact since, helping keep contacts in the area and learn from best practice.

· Every motion that was discussed was passed, with very few having opposition to them. It was though a shame that we didn’t get to discuss several really important motions, including one emergency on some of the actions taken by the NEC. It would have led to good debate, but I would have supported the motion that would have instructed the LGBT+ committee to “inform the NEC that this SOG does not agree with anything which interferes with the democratic running and commitment to equality of our union or attempts to challenge rule other than at NDC.

You can see more information on the conference here:
Karl Lewis

1st anniversary of the coup in Myanmar - TUC Statement

 

Picture from this BBC report on young people training to fight the vile military dictatorship in Myanmar. Below is TUC statement. It is good to see that Total are withdrawing their operations in Myanmar. Not so 14 years ago. I must find out which garment companies are still investing there. @TomPowdrill - any thoughts?

"1 February 2022 marks the one-year anniversary of the seizure of power of a military junta in Myanmar, deposing the legitimate government in a coup d’etat. The TUC expresses our admiration for all the democratic forces, including the trade union movement, which have bravely resisted the military at great cost to themselves. 

We warn against any normalisation of the illegitimate junta and reiterate our call for diplomatic recognition of the National Unity Government in its place. We also echo the calls of the international trade union movement to target the military government economically. In particular, by placing embargos on the sales of arms and aviation fuel to the Burmese military and cutting off its revenues by refusing to purchase Burmese oil and gas.  

We welcome the decision by Total and Chevon to withdraw from their operations in Myanmar - and urge all other oil and gas stakeholders to do so too.  

To private sector enterprises in the garment trade, including several British brands, who purchase stock from Burmese textile factories, we raise the issue of the human rights abuses, political violence, and union busting taking place in these factories, communicated to us by our Burmese sister centre, the CTUM.  

We believe, based on the information provided to us by the CTUM, that any realistic assessment of whether companies can actually exercise human rights due diligence in their supply chains, including by protecting the trade union organisations in the factories, will show that it is currently impossible to meet the obligations of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. That being the case, companies should cease all new orders and make arrangements to withdraw their business in a responsible manner".