Our First Latin American Day Celebration in Newham

 

This evening in the Old Town Hall Stratford I attended the celebration of Latin American Day. There was speeches and poetry then delicious foods and great live music. 

Everyone from our local Latin American Community I spoke to were so happy that this event took place and totally pleased that they were finally being recognised for their contribution to Newham and East London. 

It was also good to see and say hello to the statute of Keir Hardie in the lobby of the town hall. 

Many thanks to my Councillor Colleagues Belgica Guana, Charlene McLean and Council officers for organising this wonderful event. I shall look forward to next year. 

Daws Heath Woods Walk (& its Welsh Connection due to the "traitor" Henry of Essex)

Yesterday Gill and went on this walk around Daws Health,  detailed in "Wild Essex Walks" book. It was a largely interesting 6 mile walk thorough ancient forests, but not that "Wild". It was a little busy in parts and there was road noise from the A127 for much of the route.  Also since nearly all of the path was through woods, there was no great scenic views. 

A former local landowner, Henry of Essex, had apparently dropped the Royal Standard when he was ambushed by Welsh rebels in 1163. His land was confiscated as a traitor for doing so and he lost a "Trail by Combat" challenge over this. Monks carried him off after he was knocked unconscious in the fight and afterwards he became a monk for the rest of his days. I have no idea whether this was a "fair" outcome or not.  Perhaps after last nights modern day "Trail by Combat", Deontay Wilder, should consider himself lucky! 

The Woodland centre was worth visiting at the end. We had lunch next to the "Codgers Crossing 2" (the second wooden bridge built by retired volunteers in 2011) and a pint at the end in Spoons at Leigh on Sea. 

Last Chance to vote in UNISON National Labour Link elections 2021 - Ballot closes Wed 13 October 5pm

 

If you are a UNISON member who is affiliated to the Labour Party, you should have received a ballot paper to your home address and an email (If UNISON have an email address for you and if there is a contested election in your region). 

You can only vote once either by post or email.

These elections are very important and the ballot closes at 5pm Wednesday 13 October. So if you have only a postal ballot you should send tomorrow. 

Check your emails for sender CES <takepart@cesvotes.com> (mine has sent on 8 September) or subject "UNISON National Labour Link Committee Elections 2021"

My recommendations are :-

East Midlands - Janet McKenna

Greater London - Anu Prashar

North West - Karen Atkinson

Northern - Linda Hobson

South East - Maureen Cleator

South West - Alison Evans

Yorkshire and Humberside - Ken Curran

"On the knocker" in Canning Town South

It was a lovely day for the time of year to go canvassing for Labour. We split into two teams. My team leafleted some modern apartment blocks overlooking the old docks (we could not get in to door knock). 

Then by contrast we walked through the Excel Centre and across the Docklands Light Railway to door knock in the more traditional Canning Town. On route we met a "visitor" (Pink Princess) to the Gaming Exhibition being held in the Excel Centre this weekend. Anyone know which character she was representing? I did ask and think she said "GK" game but have no idea what this is? 

Probably because it was a warm and a Saturday, residents were on the whole, pleased to see us and happy to chat. Local Councillor, Belgica Guaña, picked up a fair bit of case work. 

The response was overwhelmingly pro Labour (we had 55 contacts on "Labour Doorstep"). 

I had a number of interesting conversation with residents but with one in particular (who had been previously identified as being "Against" Labour but said he usually voted for us) who explained that he had felt forced to exercise his right to buy his former Council home, because he was worried that his grown up children would be evicted from his home upon his death, since they would have no right to succeed to his council tenancy. 

I did explain that this was not necessary so but said I did understand his concerns. I think perhaps we ought to think about explaining to Council tenants about succession and assignment rights, which may mean tenants will not feel forced to buy? He agreed with me that "Right to Buy" is a bad idea if Councils are not fully compensated for its loss and it is one big reason why his children cannot get a Council home of their own. 

Afterwards we had breakfast in a café in Freemasons Road, then made our way to St John's Church in Stratford (me by bike) for training on the Labour Party Campaigning Software called "Contact Creator".  Which I thought went really well and I learnt a lot. The app is far better than the last time I used it. 

Afterwards, a beer or two at the King Eddies. Overall, it was a rather long but perfect Labour movement day. 

Statement from UNISON NEC Members 6.10.21 (see the attempt to divide & destroy our union)

(See what happened on the day that the Ultra left tried to divide & destroy our union just when we are mobilising to call pay strike ballots in Health & Local Government. I will add my name)

 Statement from NEC Members following the NEC Meeting on Wednesday 6th October 2021. Anyone wishing to add their support or their name are more than welcome to do so. Thank you.

As NEC members who chose to follow the legal advice given to us at the NEC meeting on 6th October 2021, here is our report of what happened:

The Vice Presidents of the NEC, who are Leaders of the ‘Time For Real Change’ organisation, sent out a list of six resolutions to the NEC, outside of the established protocol, one at 5.30pm on Friday 1st and an amended version on Sunday 3rd October, and just days before our meeting. These items were not listed on the Agenda for the meeting.

Prior to the meeting all NEC members were sent written legal advice, sought through UNISON’s usual processes, which stated that four of the six resolutions were a breach of our Rules and unlawful. We were also given this advice verbally throughout the meeting.

The Vice Presidents’ resolutions sought to amend the rules of our union, outside of our usual rule book democratic process of our National Delegate Conference.

The Vice Presidents’ unlawful rule breaches aim to:

1). Remove powers delegated to the General Secretary – a fundamental breach of her contract and an undermining of her huge democratic mandate as our elected General Secretary

2). Bypass UNISON’s legal department and choose whatever legal counsel they wish, subverting the terms and conditions of our UNISON staff and ethical standards

3). Give the D & O and NEC more powers over disciplinary’s and suspensions

4). Allow members who are dismissed from their employment to remain a member of our union AND hold any office they were in, no matter if they have committed a serious offence or gross misconduct. For example, sexual harassment, or any discriminatory harassment or a violent crime.

We would, as would our members, expect our General Secretary to abide by the legal advice she has been given through the union and given the seriousness of the consequences of the advice we also followed that advice.

All six resolutions passed by a simple majority – we did not support any of them.

The Vice Presidents did not, at any point in the meeting, say that they had sought their own legal advice, even though they were asked on a number of occasions and again ignored those questions. We do not know what their advice says, why and when they sought it, who wrote it, what information was given when the advice was sought, or even who paid for it.

We believe the Vice Presidents and other NEC members who were elected under the ‘Time for Real Change’ banner or who now align themselves to this organisation are now openly attacking our union and our democratically elected General Secretary – the first woman to ever hold the position and who is honest, ethical and upholds the aims, values and objectives of our union.

We support the aims, values and objectives as laid down in the unions rule book and the democratically elected General Secretary and the staff of the union.

James Anthony

Josie Bird

Manjula Kumari

Chris Hanrahan

Sian Stockham

Sam Hemraj

Helen Firman

Ali Long

Katrina Murray

Tracey Wainwright

Sarah Crowe

Margaret McKee

Pat Heron

Edwin Jeffries

Gordon McKay

Catherine McKenna

Emma Proctor

Chris Tansley

Maureen Le Marinel

Croydon Council Governance Referendum 2021

Just back from an evening campaigning with Labour colleagues in Croydon on their Mayoral Referendum. 

Voters are being given a choice of staying with the traditional Council Leader and Cabinet Model or an Executive Mayor system. 

While I strongly prefer the Committee model (not on the ballot paper). I was pleased to support Labour colleagues in Croydon, who are opposed to the Mayoral model which is being driven locally by opportunist Tories. 

The count is taken place now and a result expected soon. It is going to be really difficult contest for Labour following the financial difficulties the Council is in at the moment. 

Also, some proponents of the Mayoral System are claiming (wrongly) that a Executive Mayor can veto planning applications. Which is a sensitive political issue in the suburbs. 

We had a very good reception but many people were unaware of the election and found it very confusing. I suspect the turnout will be very small. Which is a pity. 

I went with Joseph my UNISON branch secretary (and Labour Link activist) and we firstly went out with Martin Whelton, Cabinet lead for Housing in Merton Council. Later local Councillors and members from Stratham (hello Louie) and Tower Hamlets (hello Cllr David Edgar) joined us. 

It was good to be out campaigning with Labour colleagues out of your local comfort zone. 

But note to myself - Remember to bring a torch if you go out door knocking in dark evenings!

UPDATE: Alas, the Mayoral model won https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-58840176. Hope in 10 years time (earliest that the matter can be rerun) there will be a Committee model choice. 

Legal advice on attempt by ultra left extremists to destroy the democracy of our union & use members money to employ their mates

Watch this space at this outrageous attempt to subvert the democratic sovereignty of our National Delegate Conference and to illegally spend our members subscriptions on their mates.

At the very same date of the Tory Conference, instead of trying to unite us against our class enemy, the ultra left are doing their best to smash and divide us! WTF. 

Look out for a statement by the lay elected Greater London Convenor team tomorrow. 

Conservative Party Conference 2021 Schedule

 

Why haven't the UK "top" Companies reported on their workers deaths from Covid?

 

A shocking report from PIRC. Does anyone really believe that no shop workers in major UK supermarkets caught Covid while at work? 

It is surely clear that thousands of workers caught Covid at their workplace (and many died) but hardly any UK company is reporting on this. 

How can we learn best practices if this information is not gathered and disclosed? Surely this is also a financial and reputational risk to investors in these companies if widows/widowers and orphans sue the employer? 

Check out key findings: 

• Of the top 10 largest private sector employers listed on the UK stock exchange, only 10 Covid-19 workforce fatalities have been disclosed in their annual reports. 

• These companies have a combined global workforce of over 2 million people, including those working in high-risk jobs during the pandemic such as in supermarkets, food factories, catering, transport, and logistics. 

• 8 of the 10 largest employers did not disclose any Covid-19 related fatalities or cases among their workforce in their annual report: Tesco, HSBC, Royal Mail, Unilever, Sainsbury, WPP, BT Group, and GlaxoSmithKline. 

• Across all FTSE100 companies, only 18 Covid-19 workforce fatalities were disclosed out of a total global workforce of 4.5 million people. The 18 fatalities were reported by 5 companies: Associated British Foods, BP, Compass, Polymetal International, and Shell. 

• Only 4 companies disclosed the number of Covid-19 cases among their workforce, including 3 global mining companies: Antofagasta, BHP, and Polymetal International – with 1186, 486 and 1,451 workforce cases respectively. 

• The fourth company, Spirax-Sarco Engineering, reported an employee case rate of approximately 3.7% in 2020, of which it says the majority occurred in Q4. The company also said it has established that over 85% were not workplace related. This suggests at least 250 potential workplace cases. 

• Of the 92% of companies who disclosed no data, the vast majority provided no explanation for why this data was not provided.

Greensted Essex Walk - start at "oldest Wooden Church in the World" (& Tolpuddle Martyrs connection)

Today, Gill and I went on a superb autumnal walk, starting off from one of my very favourite locations, Greensted Church near Chipping Ongar, Essex. Which is not only the "oldest Wooden Church in the World" but was also the local church of many of the trade union "Tolpuddle Martyrs" after they returned from transportation in Australia. 

The weather was glorious with sunshine and "Big Essex Skies", apart from the last 10 minutes of the walk when it poured down with rain. 10 minutes later it was sunshine again. 

The actual walk was a 7 mile circular, which I found in Walks & Walking. Unfortunately, part of the route had been closed due to safety concerns about bridges so you have to make a messy detour (during which we got just a little lost).  

Until this is fixed, I would suggest using the walk "Greensted Church and Chipping Ongar" 4.5 mile in "Essex Outstanding Circular Walks Guide". 

Great pint of Doombar in "Two Brewers" garden. 

Check out other photos on Facebook