Maldon and Blackwater estuary walk

Off message but I am back from a great Sunday walk in deepest Essex.  This was a 9 mile canal and estuary Pathfinder "Essex Walks" hike (No. 25).

It's been a lovely warm and sunny summer walk but this would also be good during a cold crisp winter day. 

There is a wide variety of town, countryside, river, canal and estuary walking.

Anglo-Saxon Maldon is always well worth a visit, while the sight of the majestic Thames River barges afloat always stirs the heart.  Pictures on Facebook here.

TUC Pension Trustee Newsletter

 The latest edition of the TUC Member Trustee News is now out (Spring came late this year). 

"The TUC Member Trustee Network is here to provide support to trustees to enable them to carry out their duties professionally and effectively. Through the Network you can receive regular updates on regulatory and investment issues, a quarterly newsletter, access to training and conferences, and the opportunity to meet and talk with fellow member trustees at other funds. The Network currently covers 1,000 participants.
The TUC encourages all trade union member trustees to participate in the Network. If you are a member but your fellow member trustees are not, please encourage them to [join] too".

A PDF version can be seen here. 

GOTCHA! and News International Wapping - 25 Years On

I could not resist taking this photo of a poster for the latest version of Private Eye.

By coincidence the TUC is hosting a free exhibition on the "News International Wapping - 25 years on" Dispute.

The exhibition is being held in the ground floor lobby of Congress House until 12 August.  See further details here. 

I had a tour yesterday evening with UNISON London convener, Gloria Hanson. 

I will post the pictures on Facebook later.

Update: Pictures here

Fair Finance for those on benefits? "Typical APR 52.94%"

"Employed or receiving Benefits - Isn't it about time you got a fair deal". The other weekend I received this "flyer" through my letter box.  Double click on the scans left and right to bring up details.

At first I thought that this was just another form of Moneyshop or Payday 1330% APR con job targeting the poor and vulnerable.

I then had a proper look at the leaflet and saw that a typical APR of 52%.   Is this a "fair" interest rate.  Especially if you existed on benefits or low wages? 

Fair Finance is a Social enterprise which has some pretty respectable partners and backers. Their aim is to put "loan sharks and predatory lenders" out of business. Which is very laudable. 

Of course 52% is far, far less than the legal loan extortionists charge never mind the illegal loan sharks.  Yet I see that a local credit union offers similar (I admit that a credit union has a different set up) loans at only 19.6% APR.  Under Fair Finance you would pay £624 back on a £500 loan over 12 months while the credit union will only charge £567?  A big difference if you are on benefits or low pay? Should we not be backing credit unions?

Message to Breivik and his kind

I posted this last year.  It is quite apt. Apologies for the language if not the sentiment.

Southampton social care staff strike

Check out the latest in the Southampton City Council UNISON and Unite dispute over proposed 5% pay cuts for staff.  "Over 450 UNISON and Unite members working in social care are set to strike on Wednesday 3 August as part of the continuing industrial action against pay cuts.

The council had previously written to all staff informing them of their intention to sack them and rehire them on worse contracts.

City-wide action so far has seen waste and recycling workers, street cleaners, library workers, Itchen toll bridge collectors, parking enforcement officers, contact supervisors (social care), vehicle mechanics, port health officers and building maintenance workers go on strike.

Those on strike on Wednesday 3 August will be the whole of the safeguarding division and all of health and adult care apart from day services, home care, residential homes, meals on wheels and commissioning.

Action on 3 August will begin with a rally at 11am in Guildhall Square. This will be followed at 12noon by a meeting for all social work staff. There will be picket lines at Marland House, Oakhill House, Herbert Collins House, Thomas Lewis House, Cannon Street offices and College Keep. On 4 August the City Council will be given seven days notice of areas in social work who will be on strike for a longer period. A further strike of all social work staff is planned for later in August.

Strong support continues to be received by the branch from UNISON branches across the country. Regional manager Steve Brazier reported that the branch received a message of support and donation from the Shetland Islands UNISON branch as well as receiving an ongoing commitment from UNISON at a regional and national level to provide the financial resources needed to continue with the dispute. There will be a joint UNISON / Unite membership meeting on Wednesday 10 August at 12.30pm in Above Bar Church to decide the next steps in the campaign".  Hat tip UNISON press release.

Hedge fund trimmer

SIP IT

A few weeks ago I went to a “pitch” for pension business by the Hedge fund arm of a large international finance company. It was a confident and well delivered presentation. The “only” problem was that the fund managers failed to even consider Pension fund “Statement of Investment Principles” (SIP). 

By law each pension fund has to have a SIP. Many SIP's requires fund managers to put their money only in “socially responsible investments”. This is not just “tree hugging” but based on an important principle that investments in companies that do not for example exploit child labour, damage the environment treat their workers badly or bribe and corrupt local officials will produce superior investment returns. Fund managers also have to engage with companies and vote their shares. They need to have an audit trail that can prove what they are doing. 

Your typical hedge fund does none of this. No disclosure, no transparency and little regulation. Even if they had the will (which I doubt) to act in a socially responsible manner they could not even begin to explain how they could confirm with a decent SIP. Never mind how they could claim that they confirm with UN PRI (which is even more prescriptive than many SIP’s).

So, employer and employee trustees and all other representatives on pension’s scheme check your SIP and see how it deals with Socially Responsible investment. If it is no good then try and change it. If it is any good then ask all your fund managers (and prospective ones) how they apply it. It they can’t or won’t engage then sack ‘em.

(PC as always)

Farewell to Crouch End UNISON Office (and former Victorian Railway station)

On Saturday morning I went with other volunteers to help our Branch staff move office.  UNISON Housing Association Branch (before UNISON it was NALGO) has been based at 83 Crouch End Hill,

Haringay, N8 for about 20 years.

It's now time to move out of our Victorian former railway station (we believe) to a more modern and accessible office right next to an open
London railway station.

The branch originally was part of the Greater London Council (GLC) NALGO branch. Moira, the current branch manager (2nd left in photo) was first employed by the branch as a part time worker when we only had 500 members and shared the Crouch End premises with Voluntary Organisations branch (VOB). The Housing Association branch (HAB) now has around 3500 members in 180 different employers mostly in Greater London.

The "Arts and crafts" fair flyer to the left is based on an original post card of Crouch End Station

viewed from Horney Lane.

We think the postcard dates from the Victorian or Edwardian era and the old branch office can be just seen to the left of the main (now long demolished) station building (double click to bring up detail).

In Sorrow and Solidarity with the People of Norway

I have just watched a moving BBC news report live from Norway.  There was a church remembrance service in Oslo where the entire congregation (including the King and Queen) were in tears.  Outside the Church it was reported that Norwegians of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds were coming together in sorrow and in solidarity with each other.

 

They will not let a racist moron with a gun and a bomb destroy their social democracy, their belief in freedom, tolerance and respect. 

In the UK as well as showing our sorrow with those in the Norwegian Labour Party and its Youth League who lost family and friends, we can demostrate our solidarity here by joining the call by Hope not Hate to ban the proposed march by our own home grown racist morons (the EDL) in Tower Hamlets on September 3. 

Key moments from UNISON Labour Link forum

Key moments of Forum from UNISONTV.  My reports here and here.