I hope it’s ok to be weary sometimes, after a quarter century in the union branch office (with -perhaps deservedly – all too little time off for good behaviour).
I’m weary of (some) youthful Labour Councillors who don’t understand that politics is a game of two sides and that we (the workers and…Read more…
Twittering about the UNISON General Secretary election…
These days trade union elections are fought also on social media. This includes the UNISON General Secretary election, where three of the candidates have a significant presence on twitter.John Burgess has more than 1,000 followers.Dave Prentis has a li…Read more…
Stand up for Sandy
http://johnburgess4gensec.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/stand-up-for-sandy.html?m=1
I took a detour on my way to work this morning to stand in solidarity with Sandy Nicoll, UNISON Branch Secretary at the School of African and Oriental Studies (SOAS), and with…Read more…
Support the future for UNISON – donate to Barnet John
http://johnburgess4gensec.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/at-last-supporters-can-now-donate.html?m=1
Rank and file candidate John Burgess is mounting the most serious left wing candidacy for General Secretary in the history of UNISON.
A serious campaign needs s…Read more…
Good luck Rita!
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/lbill/2015-2016/0063/amend/ml063-II-rev.htm
Whilst our attention is rightly taken up with the pernicious Trade Union Bill going through the House of Commons, it is worth remembering the exit payment cap wh…Read more…
Trade Union Bill finishes Committee stage…
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The Committee, the amendment and the threat to DOCAS
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/2015-2016/0058/amend/pbc0582710m.1-7.html
While the Today Programme is explaining statutory instruments and a Tory Government is finding out what it’s like not to have a majority in the Lords, those …Read more…
Prentis wins a victory over the Returning Officer. Or does he?
Simon Hearn 14.00
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Seven thoughts for Labour Councils
11. Don’t forget we oppose the cuts!
Cuts in local government expenditure are caused by decisions of (Tory) Central Government. Everything we do or say should remind people of this. A vital part of what we do must be to mobilise public opposition to cu…Read more…
Roger Bannister – Sixth Time Lucky? (No)
To some the name Roger Bannister means the four minute mile. To others it means the perennial candidate for General Secretary of UNISON, who knows he can do well but that he will never win.
And he’s still at it.Although Roger Bannister barely scraped the twenty five branch nominations which are…Read more…
Prentis listens and corrects error. Better late than never.
http://www.votedaveprentis.org.uk/nomination-news-and-next-steps-in-the-campaign/
The link above reveals that the wording of a blog post on the campaign website of Dave Prentis, originally posted dated three days ago has been amended today to correct misinformation about UNISON’s election…Read more…
Prentis misinforms supporters about UNISON election procedures
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Hope in hard times
For all that Corbyn’s leadership of Labour brings unaccustomed hope it remains true – at least for those of us who are union activists in public services in the Labour heartland targeted by the second successive Cabinet of millionaires for truly devastating cuts – that these are hard times.
Just…Read more…
Support grows for Barnet UNISON strike as Shadow Chancellor prepares to join pickets
http://www.barnetunison.me.uk/?q=node/1646
Tomorrow’s strike action by UNISON members in the North London Borough of Barnet – opposing Tory plans for cuts and outsourcing – has won the support of our “Peoples’ Chancellor”, UNISON member John McDonnell …Read more…
UNISON refusing to face the future?
Supporters of the campaign to re-elect UNISON General Secretary, Dave Prentis are busily celebrating the ability of his campaign to engineer nominations from Regional Councils and National Committees.
They are studiously ignoring the fact that support for his campaign at branch level is…Read more…
Correction and clarification – everyone has always been in agreement about the attack on DOCAS
http://jonrogers1963.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/a-complacency-weve-seen-before.html?m=1
Today’s meeting of the Development and Organisation (D&O) Committee of the National Executive Council (NEC) of UNISON received an excellent and informative report reviewing lessons learned to date in switching…Read more…
Tories refuse to listen on exit payment cap
The Tory Government’s consultation on the proposed cap on public sector exit payments had illustrated the approach to consultation of which trade unionists often complain.
They told us what they were going to do and now they tell us that they are going to do it. This in spite of the overwhelming…Read more…
What do we want from a General Secretary? (And what should we pay?)
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How (not) to choose a General Secretary candidate
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/sep/16/gender-and-unity-in-the-labour-movement?CMP=share_btn_tw
Heather Wakefield has been keen to draw to the attention of UNISON branches the letter linked to above in the Guardian, in which a number of female…Read more…
Can Dave Prentis make his own supporters behave appropriately?
Dave Prentis, our incumbent General Secretary and candidate for re-election to his job for the fourth time, is careful to campaign in a positive and statespersonlike way. Not for him any direct attacks upon his opponents (whom he doesn’t mention on his…Read more…