Failed outsourcing firm Carillion continued making huge pay outs to its shareholders even as the hole in its pension fund grew in the seven years before the company went bust, it has been revealed….Read more…
#Labourdoorstep in Plaistow North
After my Councillor surgery this morning I went over to Plaistow North ward to help out knocking on doors and speaking to local residents about the forthcoming Council elections in May.
It was cold but thankfully it stayed dry. Plaistow North is next …Read more…
“Veteran Newham mayor faces deslection fight ahead of local election contest”
For once, a balanced article by the London Evening Standard about Labour Politics. I and many other Councillors and Party members support the call by Cllr Marriott, Charlene Mclean and West Ham Labour Party for an open selection to decide the next Labo…Read more…
Stronger unions are vital
In one area after another, Unite is now leading the labour movement across Britain and Ireland. Politically our role is central. The part we have played in bringing a radical progressive…Read more…
Workers’ rights and Brexit
After failing miserably on Monday to reassure millions of workers that their basic rights at work won’t be scrapped, Theresa May has another opportunity when she stands up at the last PMQs of the…Read more…
Then and now
Preparing a speech to mark the 45 years since the release of the Pentonville Five, I was struck by what the case of the dockers imprisoned in the cause of trade union freedom then tells us about…Read more…
A Christmas Story, East London, 2017 (In one of the richest countries in the World)
I have just donated £50 to the Magpie Project in Forest Gate in lieu of xmas cards to friends and colleagues.
“Welcome to the Magpie Project
We can’t solve the housing crisis, but we believe in making children’s lives better during their time in temporary accommodation.
We provide practical…Read more…
Lonely this Christmas
A campaign set up to commemorate Labour MP Jo Cox has called for a new welfare system to help tackle the “social epidemic” of loneliness. In a timely reminder that not everyone will be spend…Read more…
‘Ye are many, they are few’
Under the Tories economic stagnation became political chaos – and Corbyn’s Labour relit a spark of socialist hope after a decades-long gloom. 2017 will go down as a turning point year. …Read more…
Stop Xmas pain protest
Today (Wednesday November 29) Labour MPs joined Unite Community members to call on the government to stop and fix the problems with Universal Credit before rolling it out any further across the UK….Read more…
“Today is the day Labour must renew its determination to end online violence against women and girls”
(post from Labourlist on Saturday by my ward Councillor Seyi Akiwowo)Earlier this year I received a wave of hateful online abuse and harassment after a video of me speaking at the European Parliament went viral. On one hand, the online world is merely …Read more…
‘Good time’ Chancellor’s ‘bleak’ budget
Philip Hammond attempted to mask the Tories’ dismal economic record and lack of direction with jokes during his outline of the Budget today (November 22), even as he admitted official growth…Read more…
Tory failure continues
Certain phrases enter the political lexicon. Unemployment is a price worth paying – Tory Chancellor Norman Lamont. In office but not in power that too was Norman Lamont following his sacking…Read more…
Report from Unite GPM&IT national sector conference 2017
Last week delegates from each of Unite’s industrial sectors met in Brighton for their National Sector Conferences. This report covers the plenary, shared between several sectors, and the conference for my own sector – Graphical, Paper, Media & IT.
…Read more…
A different society
Unite shop floor leaders gathered in Brighton this week to consider the remarkable democratic working-class organisation we have built together. These conferences are a cornerstone of our…Read more…
We’re urging Theresa May to make homes safe from fire.
A great video and I would encourage everyone to sign the letter to the prime minister to make social housing homes safe but dare I say pretty much all Housing blocks should have this protection as well as all of our schools?
‘What a mess’
The incompetence of this Tory government is so palpable it is almost embarrassing. It’s an incompetence compounded by a heartlessness to those least able to resist. Chaos at the heart of the…Read more…
Unite constitutional timetable 2017-2023
The detailed timetable of windows for the various meetings for the coming year is below.
For explanation of jargon and acronyms, see my glossary. For more information on Unite’s structures, see my structures page.
20 Nov – 1 Dec 2017 and 10-14 Dec 201…Read more…
“A radical programme of action”
This is an article published in the Morning Star on October 10th 2017 Jeremy Corbyn’s conference announcement that Labour would be carrying out a review “of social housing policy – its building, planning, regulation and management” is very welcome. So is his comment that “Labour would speak…Read more…
From London UNISON Regional Secretary to London Labour Councillor
Last week I went to a packed out retirement function for UNISON Regional Secretary, Linda Perks. This is her leaving message to staff and members.
“I write to advise that I will be retiring from UNISON on 30 September after working for the union for over 34 years and being a member since 1979. …Read more…