Launch
of Labour Rights Investor Network coincides with event at US Department of LaborThe Labour
Rights Investor Network (LRIN) is a global initiative
that brings together asset managers, asset owners and investment service
providers c…Read more…
Trustee workshop: How can pension funds advance the ‘S’ in ESG and raise labour standards?
This year is the 10th anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse disaster. Over 1100 workers died and many more injured. Register https://www.tuc.org.uk/events/trustee-workshop-how-can-pension-funds-advance-s-esg-and-raise-labour-st…Read more…
Mining and Human Rights: LAPFF Chair Returns from Brazil Tailings Dam Trip
Check out this press release by the Local Authority Pension Fund Forum (I am Joint Vice Chair) on the recent visit by our Chair to Brazil. Many thanks to Doug and our engagement partners, PIRC, for all their work during this important visit. Some …Read more…
Labour standards in the rubber glove industry
Last week I chaired a virtual webinar organised by PIRC and UNISON on Labour standards in the rubber glove manufacturing industry. There were 6 panel members located in Europe and Asia and an invited audience of some 50 industry representatives, …Read more…
LAPFF at Thirty
I am currently in Bournemouth for the 30th annual conference of the Local Authority Pension Fund. I am one of its Vice Chair’s. This 6 minute video was produced to celebrate the history of LAPFF and a reminder of the good work it has done over the years/Read more…
Newham Pension Committee: Launch of our new ESG Investment Policy
This “blended” physical and virtual meeting worked pretty well. There was 5 Newham Councillors present in the former staff canteen area of the Dockside building, while Council officers and advisors joined via zoom from all over the UK. Members of the p…Read more…
WORK – The ESG Conference
(This looks interesting. It should not have needed the onslaught of Covid to raise the profile of “Social” in ESG. There is also too much #LabourRightsWashing going on )
“WORK – The Conference
The Covid-19 pandemic has served to remind us…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…
Unreported Deaths – Covid_19 cases in UK Food Processing Plants
A damning report by PIRC here into the failure of many UK food processing plants (the UK’s biggest manufacturing sector) to properly report the deaths of their workers from Covid_19 to the Health & Safety Executive and to take effective actio…Read more…
Fund managers deny Pension Trustees & their members a voice says AMNT
Well done to the AMNT (Association of Member Nominated Trustees) for this excellent stance on the refusal of many pension fund managers to allow trustees and pensioners to hold them to account for the way they vote in company Annual General Meeti…Read more…
Vote for Worker Board Members at Walmart AGM for better Governance and to tackle Covid-19 pandemic
Today I took part as a pension trustee in a online seminar with USA Walmart workers and their trade union, about governance and the abysmal response of the retail giant Walmart to the Covid-19 emergency.
Their workers spoke about the dangerously confu…Read more…
“What next for responsible investment in the LGPS?” Professional Pensions 25 Sept 2019
Recently there seems to have been a surge in interest in responsible investment, also known as ESG, in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) world. My email inbox is filled with invites to meet advisers or attend seminars and conferences on t…Read more…
Pension fund anger at Sports Direct’s Mike Ashley: ‘There’s a problem here’
This morning I went to the Sports Direct Annual General Meeting, during which I had at times a rather robust conversation with its founder, majority shareholder and Chief Executive Officer, Mike Ashley. The media were banned from the meeting.
Hat tip …Read more…
Local Government Chronicle Investment Summit 2018
Last week I went to this summit in South Wales on investment in the Local Government Pension Scheme. There was around 250 Councillors and Council pension staff from all over the country.
I am particularly interested in the latest ideas on Risk, Asset …Read more…
Why Pensions are so important and organising to defend the Local Government Pension Scheme
Today I had a record breaking 3 meetings on Pensions. First I chaired a meeting of Greater London UNISON reps who sit on local Council Pension Boards (see group picture of Forum members above).
UNISON has cross service group national and regional foru…Read more…
Union rights ARE an ESG issue!
An intelligent and thought provoking post as ever by Capital Stewardship blogger Tom P here (and below) on the failure (I could be a little more direct) of the ESG (Environmental, Soci…Read more…
Red Line Voting gets Green light to Save Planet, Respect Human Rights and Stop Fat Cats
I was really pleased to take part in the debate and vote in favour of the AMNT’s Red Lines initiative which was approved at our summer conference on Wednesday this week. They cover a wide range of environmental, social and corporate governance iss…Read more…
Committee on Workers Capital – Global Proxy Review 2014
Check out this report published last week by the Committee on Workers Capital (CWC).
The CWC has “over 200 members from 25 different countries, the CWC connects labour union organizations around the world to advance the responsible investment …Read more…
Red Lines – How to start an Investment Governance Revolution
(this post was pulled in January since I didn’t realise that we had to wait until formal launch of Red Lines which took place yesterday. I will post further on this “revolutionary” proposal)
Picture is from last weeks workshop on “Red Lines” run joint…Read more…