Off message but this morning I was deciding on where Gill and I would go for our weekend Covid exercise/walk and I did consider walking up via Epping Forest trail to Walthamstow and then back via the River Lea and Stratford. It was too long…Read more…
The Company AGM of the future: 5 ways to change the AGM for the better
Hat tip to ShareAction on how to improve the Annual General Meetings of public companies. I have been to a number of dreadful AGMs in the past (a very few good ones) and fully support all their recommendations, especially inviting the workers of …Read more…
Martin Lewis: Working from home due to coronavirus, even for a day? Claim a year’s worth of tax relief
I have finally got around to submitting a claim to the Inland revenue for tax relief for working from home. It took about 5 minutes (but I did have an existing Government Gateway account)
There is a valid argument that the employer should …Read more…
Get help to keep warm: Up to £200 winter fuel grant for low income UNISON members
Heads up! Pass the word
“The There for You Winter Fuel Grant programme for 2021 opens on Monday 25 January. For this year only, grants of up to £200 will be available to help UNISON members with fuel bills this winter.
Members whose income is less th…Read more…
How the Vaccine Process Works in Newham
Hat tip Newham health champions.
Read more…
Newham Voting for Change – Let us really Trigger our Democracy
There was a positive and also constructive meeting tonight on how to support the committee governance model and get rid of the Executive Mayor system in the forthcoming Newham Council democracy referendum in May. Check out and support “Newham for…Read more…
Scrap Unfair Visa Fees for Armed Forces Commonwealth troops
Stephen Morgan MP
“Those from the Commonwealth, who serve in our Armed Forces, risk their lives to keep us safe but face huge fees when applying for their citizenship. Labour is rightly calling for these fees to be scrapped.
John Healey MP an…Read more…
Love Unions 8-14 February 2021
Today I attended the TUC London, East & South East (LESE) Regional Council meeting as a UNISON delegate. LESE is the largest of the TUC’s six English regions and covers three of the former government regions: London, the South East, an…Read more…
Montrose Turns 60
Happy birthday to my Tower Hamlets UNISON Housing and Labour Party comrade (and old friend) Montrose Matty on his 60th birthday.
We have just finished a virtual beer and curry with various mates and his family and look forward to meeting up in th…Read more…
Keir Hardie MP Labour Party membership card 1895 (& modern version)
Yesterday was the 128 anniversary of the birth of the Independent Labour Party (forerunner of the Labour Party). Hat tip Ali G & the Keir Hardie Society.
By coincidence I was sent the above picture of the ILP membership card issued to Keir Hardie…Read more…
Save Our Libraries! Tower Hamlets Joint Trade Unions
I have been asked to attend this event next Tuesday. I have clash but will see if I can attend. When I was the assistant branch secretary for Tower Hamlets UNISON, I was the lead negotiator on the introduction of Idea Stores.
Tory Austerit…Read more…
‘Race to the bottom’ and ‘unwelcomed trade-off’: Investors don’t buy UK’s plans for dual class shares to attract listed firms post-Brexit
Responsible, retail and institutional investors see the plans as“regressive” The UK listings review proposed by the Treasury, including the introduction of dual class shares with different voting rights for shares listed with the London Stock E…Read more…
Christina McAnea elected UNISON general secretary
Absolutely fantastic news! Congratulations to the first ever female General Secretory of any of the biggest 5 UK trade unions. Commiserations to the 3 other candidates (and especially to Roger McKenzie who ran a good, clean campaign). What we need to d…Read more…
Cllr Lola Oyewusi to be the next Kent Police & Crime Commissioner May 2021
This afternoon I spoke at the virtual launch of the campaign to elect the Labour and Cooperative Party candidate, Lola Oyewusi, as the next Kent Police and Crime Commissioner in May 2021.
I have known Lola for many years and she is the assistant …Read more…
“Owning the Future” Co-operative Party London Conference 23 January 2021
Dear John On the morning of Saturday 23rd January, the Co-operative Party is hosting a virtual regional conference with Party memb…Read more…
Standing for UNISON NEC Community Seats
Really pleased to announce that Denise and I are standing again to be re-elected to be UNISON National Executive Council members (UNISON’s Parliament for our 1.3 million members outside our annual conference) for the two Community Service Group s…Read more…
“Newham: Councillors rebel against Mayor over emission-based parking permit scheme”
More than half of the east London council’s dominant Labour group have taken a very public stand against the borough’s Labour Mayor
JOSHUA NEICHOThirty-two Newham councillors, more than half the total number, have signed an open letter calling on…Read more…
FTSE 100 chief executives ‘earn average salary within 3 days’
By 5.30pm today (Wednesday 6 January) the average FTSE 100 Chief Executive would have already earned more this year than the average annual salary of UK workers. They only had to work 34 hours to earn £31, 461 which is the average medium wage fo…Read more…
“Why we need you to stand as a Labour Councillor”
Why I would hope that candidates to be Councillors will also be “Labour and Co-operative” I am pleased that the Party is organising this training next week for members interested in standing in the local elections due to held in May 2021. &n…Read more…
UK Covid Lockdown as 4 January 2020
(As BBC website) “England is going into lockdown to try to prevent the NHS from becoming overwhelmed by a surge in coronavirus cases.Primary and secondary schools will close to almost all pupils, and people will be instructed to stay at home.Nort…Read more…