I am at the TUC Congress in Manchester as part of the UNISON delegation which started at 4pm
today. This is the 150th anniversary of the 1st ever Congress which was also held in Manchester which is why we are back to celebrate. Then only 34 dele…Read more…
Home ownership now little more than a pipe dream for public sector workers
Owning a home has become virtually impossible for many public sector workers across Britain, according to research published today (Sunday)
The article Home ownership now little more than a pipe…Read more…
NEC Celebrating 25 years in UNISON: NDC 2018
Picture of the UNISON National Executive Council at this year’s National Delegate Conference. All of us (including the General Secretary) are elected via secret ballot by rank and file UNISON members from all parts of the union.
We are wearing g…Read more…
Strike over Staffordshire University cheating low paid workers out of a decent pension
Good luck to UNISON members in Staffordshire University striking again tomorrow to save their pensions.
The University is planning to get rid of its existing pension scheme for its low paid workers and replace with a rubbish scheme that will mean they…Read more…
“Why Labour must adopt the full IHRA definition of anti-Semitism”
I agree with UNISON General Secretary, Dave Prentis, in this article published yesterday in the NewStatesman where he calls for the Labour Party to adopt the “full IHRA definition of anti-Semitism including all the examples”
As an experience…Read more…
Community Wealth Building Seminar for Labour Councillors 21 July 2018
This well attended seminar sponsored by APSE was excellent. Held in the UNISON centre (HQ) in Euston Road, London.
Speakers Paul O’Brien and Mo Baines, APSE; Neil McInroy CLES, Cllr Matthew Brown, Leader of Preston City Council and Cllr Asima S…Read more…
July 19th – Pension Board, LAPFF AGM, UNISON HAB, West Ham Labour GC (Sarah Jones MP Shadow Minister Housing)
Belated report on a busy Labour movement day last Thursday 19 July.
I started the day with a quarterly meeting of the London Borough Tower Hamlets Pension Board as an UNISON appointed representative.
The £billion plus fund is doing well and we are pl…Read more…
“Labour councils working with Trade Unions”
This is good news agreement for the Labour movement family. We should never forget that one of the reasons why the Labour Party was ever able to win power in the first place was that they were able to prove that they were on the side of the worke…Read more…
“Sleep-in shifts judgment is a huge mistake”
This judgement is bad news for hundreds of thousands of low paid care workers (including my
niece).
Being paid not even the national minimum wage for work is simply a disgrace. I hope UNISON lawyers can find a way forward on this.
If not we need to …Read more…
Report of Branch Delegates to Local Government Conference Brighton June 2018
The branch recently sent a delegation to the Local Government Conference in Brighton 18-19 June 2018. A comprehensive report with outstanding drawings has been produced by one of our delegates, Duncan Bourne. Well worth a read…… Conference Delega…Read more…
Local Government Association Conference 2018
This post is a little late but some thoughts from a first time delegate to the annual Local Government Association Conference in Birmingham. I arrived late due to attending Newham Cabinet meeting. My Newham Cabinet colleague, Terry Paul, was ther…Read more…
Glorious: UNISON turns 25
An excellent video that was played for the first time at UNISON Conference. We need to get this message out to the millions of workers who don’t understand what trade unions are about.Read more…
#UNDC18 UNISON NDC Wednesday fringes
Pictures from Conference floor; 25th Anniversary of UNISON celebration with my branch delegates two important fringes on Pensions and Housing. Read more…
Tax cut for rich means billions lost to Exchequer
Cutting income tax for people earning more than £1m per year has deprived the Exchequer of more than £11.1bn over the past sixyears, according to new analysis by UNISON published today (Sunday). The…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…
“What it’s like to be on the receiving end of a violent attack…” Lynn’s Story and UNISON Charter on Violence at Work
Yesterday there was a Parliamentary launch of the UNISON Violence at work Charter for the 3rd Sector. There was a number of MPs and employers who turned up to support the launch. The contribution by UNISON Member, Lynn Gillespie, at this event about he…Read more…
West Hammers “on the knocker” for Janet in Lewisham East
Picture collage from this afternoon’s campaigning by (mostly) West Ham Labour in support of Janet Dady, Labour Parliamentary candidate for the Lewisham East by election.
Our team was joined by our MP Lyn Brown (and by Cara – her Labour Attack Dog). Ea…Read more…
Tower Hamlets Community Housing Strike over Pay
Early this morning I went to the UNISON picket line outside the headquarters of Tower Hamlets Community Housing (THCH) to show solidarity and support for the strikers. In my roles as UNISON London Housing Associations branch secretary, Regional Council…Read more…
Paying homage to Keir Hardie at West Ham
Yesterday I took my fellow UNISON NEC member (and NHS hospital worker) Mary Locke on a whistle stop tour of the Old Town Hall in Stratford.
Mary was re-elected in May as a Labour Councillor in Birmingham.
Mary is a huge fan of Keir Hardie w…Read more…
West Hammers helping out at Lewisham East this Saturday 9 June 2pm at Lee Station: Vote Janet Daby
West Ham Labour Party are organising a campaigning event to support the Labour Candidate (and UNISON member), Janet Daby, in the Lewisham East By Election.
We are meeting outside Lee Station at 2pm on Saturday 9 June.
To get there you can meet We…Read more…