"Effective working across the Labour movement "

(hat tip London Labour Party - members only) Saturday 7 July 10.30am- 4pm, Labour Party Head Office London 

Join us at Labour's new London HQ to learn how local Labour Parties are working with our Trade Union and Socialist Society partners to campaign and organise in new and innovative ways.

We will be joined by Helen Symons, National Campaigns and Communications Officer for the Trade Union and Labour Party Liaison Organisation (TULO) as well as guests from the socialist societies. 

Sign up to:

Find out how to make contact with and buiild relationships with Trade Unions and Socialist Societies in your area

Learn about some great joint campaigns across the country, meet, share ideas and best practice with fellow Labour campaigners 

The training day starts at 10.30am and will finish by 4pm. Lunch will be provided and the cost for the day is £10.

To sign up click here.

(What a good idea to have this training. I hope it goes well.  I would have gone but will be a the UNISON Labour Link Forum at Cardiff that day)

Ken thanks London UNISON for help during Mayoral campaign

This letter from Ken Livingstone was sent to Linda Perks, the London UNISON Regional Secretary and circulated to our regional committee.

"Dear Linda
Thank you for everything you and London Unison did to help with the London Mayoral election campaign.

London Unison has been fantastic - not simply by donating, but through unwavering support, the ideas you contributed and the campaigning you undertook.

Please also accept my thanks for the very excellent work of London TULO, without which we would have been far less effective.

The trade union movement is central to achieving progress in our society.  From the outset I wanted a campaign that worked with the unions, that knitted in the progressive ideas of the trade union movement, and sought to address the very issues faced by our trade union members.  I am proud that we worked so hard to achieve those goals.

Many people wrote the campaign off from the start and could not have expected it would come so close. I am sorry that I was unable to pull off a victory that so many hard-pressed Londoners were depending on.

We didn't win, but the idea of a fairer London should not be lost.  Our policies showed a fairer way forward for the Capital's residents: cutting fares; improved neighbourhood policing; introducing a London EMA; providing better and cheaper housing; helping people with the cost of living from affordable childcare to reducing price of household energy bills.

Please ensure my thanks are passed on to everyone in the union who played their part.

It has been a great inspiration to be part of this London election campaign with you. I very much look forward to working with you again in the future.

Thank you again.

In solidarity

Ken Livingstone

Will Crooks: A celebration

Will Crooks: A celebration.  Tuesday 29th May, 6:30pm - 8:30pm at St. Matthias Community Centre,

This event will celebrate the 160th anniversary of the birth of Will Crooks:-  Trade Unionist, the fourth Labour Member of Parliament and first Labour Mayor of Poplar.

Speakers will include Nick Raynsford, Member of Parliament for Greenwich and Woolwich and David Edgar, councillor for Limehouse.

RSVP to: ramona.iosip@canarywharf.com or 020 7418 2462.

 

Check out Will Crooks and Pathe News (above) of his funeral in 1921.

Quote about Will Crooks "I once heard him say that a non-Union workman who tried to gain personal advancement at the expense of his mates was like a man who stole a wreath from his neighbour's grave and won a prize with it at a flower show!"

Letter from a new union bureaucrat to those he left behind

Guest post from Comrade Eitingon. "Dear John's Labour blog. This letter (see scans left - double click to bring up detail) was recently sent to all members of a trade union branch.

I was surprised to read that it was from its branch secretary, who announced that since his substantive job had been privatised by the Council and he would now not be able to have paid facility time off to carry out his union functions, he was giving up his job and joining a trade union as a full time official.

Now, I happen to think that it is a good idea that a trade union recruits from its lay membership but this branch secretary is a supporter of the ultra left sect SPEW, who has constantly attacked such "unelected" full time trade union officials as "bureaucrats".  Yet he gives up being a lay rep to become a unelected full time official? What is wrong doing a worthwhile job while being a normal shop steward?

Also a trade union rep should be there to protect and defend their members and if a service is being privatised then members need their union rep even more than ever. Surely the union rep should follow the members in order to defend and not just leave them in the lurch?

Did you try and leave your members and get a bureaucrats job when

your job was privatised John?

Finally I understand that this strike ballot he called on his first day as a full time union bureaucrat had to be withdrawn - because he messed up the paperwork.

Yours Nahum Eitingon".

UPDATE: Onay Kasab has claimed that he sent this letter. Check comments.

UNISON phone bank: 500 calls for Ken!

Picture is from last night's phone bank on the 5th floor of the UNISON HQ in Euston.  After some previous teething problems this high tech system really worked. The software enables you to go from call to call to call entering information via clicks on a mouse.

We made over 500 calls to UNISON members in Tower Hamlets. Far more than if we had to use the traditional pen and paper system.

At home recently I have been tele-canvassing my ward and it is so slow and cumbersome. Then you have to get the information manually inputted into Contact Creator (the Labour Party Election computer programme).  

This is exactly the sort of "hands on" political organising that trade unions need to do. Instead of just writing cheques and making supportive statements we need to be out there engaging with our members.

Interestingly members on the whole were pleased to be contacted by their union and I had some decent conversations with them about a number of issues not just elections. So I think its good for the Union to have this contact with our members as well.

Labour Party to take the trade union shilling?

Ed Miliband's announcement today that he supports a cap on political donations of £5k as long as trade union levy payer are allowed to affiliate for £3 each per year could be a basis for some sort of compromise over political funding. A £3 per year levy would work out at about 5 new pence per week (a shilling in old money).

On the one hand I still think what on earth it is the business of anyone but trade unionists how much and where they democratically decide to donate their individual (tiny) affiliation fees?

But I do accept that British democracy has to do something about this cancer of big business and the super rich bankrolling British politics.

Of course the Tories are already being dismissive of Ed's proposals and instead of a £5,000 cap they want a staggering £50,000 individual cap (or £500k for a couple during the course of one government)! Which is just corrupt and corrupting. Not good for any democracy. Sensible Tories know this.

There are significant risks for the trade unions in agreeing to stop making extra contributions on top of levies but also I think huge opportunities.  The affiliated unions would have to really concentrate on getting our members to join and participate in the Party in order to progress our values and beliefs. We also have some Labour politicians who pay lip service only to the trade unions and if they want out support will have to get out and do things rather than stand back and just take us for mugs.

The clever money (pardon the pun) at the moment is that the Tories will just refuse to come to a consensus and will try to impose something that suits them. Which I think is plain wrong and stupid. We need to sort out this funding mess. Decent Tories (and there are one or two) hate the idea as much as I do that many of our people (not all) think our political system is abused by the rich and the powerful and is therefore discredited. This is damaging and must be dealt with.

These extremely modest proposals by Ed can potentially only do good.

Should trade unionists support the Labour Party? The Recording

Last November I took part in a debate with Bill Martin from the Socialist Party (Great Britain).  The debate was about "should trade unionists support the Labour Party?".

I posted on the debate here.  After some delay (Bill explained that the "wheels of the internet grind slow, slow, slow" which since he is a University librarian this must mean something clever) finally the speeches by comrade Bill and I have been uploaded (audio) on their web site.

So if anyone has any difficulty sleeping for what remains of this Easter holiday and for some reason wish to hear the different viewpoints on this "great debate" then the link is here. It's about 25 minutes in total.

Although Bill and I of course politely disagreed with each other about the main topic to hand it is only listening to him again that I remembered what sound (and very direct) views the SPGB have on "the newspaper sellers".  

It is a shame that the Q&A hasn't been posted yet since my Labour Party and trade union ringer, Dave Draycott made some great contributions.

Unions21: Unions and the New Economy

On Friday I went to a well attended Unions21 Conference on the "New Economy" at TUC Congress House. Unions21 describes itself as a "an ‘open space’ for discussion on the future of the trade union movement".  Which I thought it certainly achieved that day.

There was a series of speeches, workshops and debates. Frances O'Grady (TUC Deputy GS) was opening key note speaker. I attended a workshop on "What does Good Work Look Like" then a debate on "Women, Power and Trade Unions". After lunch I went to another workshop on "Can the Private Sector really drive Growth?" then I enjoyed immensely the final "Question Time" debate.  

I was my normal gobby self with questions to the panels and I did "tweet" during the conference on various bits and bods that took my fancy. Check out all such contributions on #neweconomy12 hashtag. 

Is there any similar "blue sky" open forum on the future of trade unions?

Getting a Grip about Industrial Action

“Those who argue that unions wanting to negotiate – the majority – have ‘sold out’ and undermined trade union solidarity need to get to grips with the complexities of public sector pensions, serious areas of weakness in membership density and organisation, sectoral bargaining arrangements in the public sector. Only when they have done that should they decide whether there is a route to getting everything we want through industrial action".

UNISON Head of Local Government Heather Wakefield responds to an analysis of the November 30 Public Sector Strike over pensions by academic Gregor Gall in Red Pepper.

I must admit that I get just a little frustrated when outsiders, no matter how knowledgeable, think that they know who and what "grass roots activists" are and think. Also, what is their relationship with the "National leadership". The "National leadership" in UNISON are democratically elected lay representatives who are not only "grass roots activists" but activists with a mandate.

They are responsible to their members not the grand designs of tiny ultra left fringe groups. Let me be very clear. By an overwhelming majority, the elected lay leadership of UNISON voted to continue negotiations over pensions.

There are some who appear to believe that public sector workers will "rally to the cause" and strike regardless of membership densities, steward structures and bargaining position. This is simply untrue. We are not stupid. We are not cannon fodder. It shows a complete and fundamental misunderstanding of British trade unionism.

I also think that further strike action at this time when our members and the public know that there is an improved offer on the table would prove disastrous. If negotiations collapse due to government intransigence then that would be very different.

What is the answer? I think instead of chasing strikes it is the long hard slog of organising workers. Not only recruiting vastly more members and stewards but also training and supporting them. If we had the numbers of members that trade unions in Scandinavia countries had then we would be in a totally different bargaining position. Ironically the Coalition Government attacks on employment rights and safety has provided us with a (unwanted) Recruiting Sergeant. Workers will know what activists have always known, that the best defence at work is joining an union, not relying on the Courts to protect you.

I think that this picture above of Kingston hospital UNISON members is a far more powerful image in this day and age than that of angry men standing around burning braziers. We have another job of work to do with the Great British court of public opinion. Despite the open goal of the worst recession in 80 years brought about by clear failures in capitalism, the "left" in all forms have failed to have any impact. But this belongs to another post.

AMNT Pension Week article on Governance & the LGPS

I wrote this article on behalf of the Association of Member Nominated Trustees (AMNT) last month which was published in Pensions Week.

I tried to answer the following question. "I have just been elected as a trade union employee representative on my local government pension scheme. What should I do next?".

Quick plug for the next open meeting of the AMNT on 23 February 2012. One of our speakers is Con Keating. Who is one of the leading proponents of Defined Benefit (DB) Pensions Schemes.  To attend this event join the AMNT here.

(NB I am Chair of the AMNT DB working group not the AMNT as stated in the Pension Week article)

Virgin Media Sticky Fingers

Following Richard Branson’s ignorant attacks on trades unions I have been trying to cancel my cable service with Virgin Media without much success. So far I have been told various complete and utter porkies, threatened with a £141 charge, been shouted at and then my Virgin landline goes mysteriously dead.

The story so far is on Tuesday after various doomed attempts to cancel online (you can’t), I rang Virgin Media to find out how to stop my account. After the normal 15 minute wait and going through various menus and being cut off twice. I was finally connected to an operator who asked why I wanted to leave. I told him that Richard Branson had made a very anti-trade union video for Virgin America and as lifelong trade unionist I want nothing to do with him or any company associated with him. I was told firstly that Branson had nothing anymore to do with Virgin Media (He does, he owns the Virgin "Brand", I think 9% of shares and is their biggest single private investor). It was then claimed that Branson owns shares in BBC so will I boycott them? I said that he doesn’t have shares in the BBC, it is public broadcaster and was told again yes he did. I was also told that I either had to give 6 months notice or pay £141 to leave. When I said that this was unfair it ended up with me being shouted at! Then the following morning I found that my Virgin landline is suddenly not working.

I have been a customer of Virgin Media (and the previous cable companies they bought) for 15 years. I pay £70 per month. At times this has been a pretty miserable experience but this is really the pits. I have also worked in front line customer services organisation for over 20 years and have never come across such an appalling service or attitude.

I have made an official complaint about Branson and his remarks; about their so called “contracts”; the lack of supervision and training given to staff; called for the Virgin Cable monopoly to be broken up and for greater regulation and also that my phone is fixed. Needless to say some 48 hours later nothing has been done. I’ll post on future developments.

Labour, Trade unions, SPGB, the Anarchist President, Bill, Dave and John

Last month I took part in a debate organised by the Socialist Party (Great Britain) on "Should trade unionists support the Labour Party?" They did record the event and I was hoping to link to it, but it seems that there was some technical problem. Which was a shame since I thought it was actually quite a good debate.  Bill Martin from the SPGB (a UNISON activist) spoke against the motion.  He also chaired the meeting and was at all times polite and courteous. 

There was of course a completely wide gulf between us. The SPGB is a Marxist, anti-capitalist, revolutionary Party.  Readers of this blog might possibly have noticed that I am not. They are also "anti-Leninist" and "anti-Stalinist" and were completely dismissive of various Trotsky newspaper sellers (I make no comment). There was only 15 people present (including the anarchist President of the NUJ)

I argued that "my kind of socialism is one politically based on parliamentary democracy, and economically, a true mixed and balanced economy of publicly owned services, mutually and privately owned enterprises, all properly regulated, subject to democrat scrutiny, the law and a truly progressive tax system. While socially a successful Socialist Society must be one that is equal and free. Open, tolerant, and most importantly, supportive of dissenting views".

I mentioned my family background and The Spirit Level. In my view trade unionists should not only support the Labour Party, but take an active part in the Party arguing within for change. Bill made a number of points about the role and nature of trade unions and the argument that it is better for unions to be aliened to no particular political party.

I had a top Labour ringer with me, Dave Draycott.  Dave is the Unite Branch secretary for Leeds City and also a Labour Party Councillor in Calderdale.  It was the first time Dave and I had ever met up in person (rather via email or social media). In the Q&A that followed he made (in my view) a number of forceful and well made points. In particular the need for a true plurality in any socialist society to prevent the inevitable tendency to oppression, that you get in any society where any single political or economic belief is dominant.

Afterword we all went to the local pub and continued the debate. The SPGB have some interesting characters. One very forthright and vocal SPGB member had been brought up in a London working class family who "worshipped Mosley".  Another, use to be the secretary to the National Coal Board Pension scheme.  With my pension governance hat on we had an interesting conversation about "Arthur" and  Cowan v Scargill. He had also enjoyed hugely this post.

Update: Bill (aka Deathy) has let me know that he is sure that the vocal recording of the debate did work and he will chase it being posted on their website.

Pay up to £1750 fee to take your employer to court: A Bullies' Charter

The Tory led coalition are planning to charge workers up £1750 to take their employer to an employment tribunal.  Never mind the cost of hiring a solicitor or barrister to represent you.  Remember you cannot get legal aid for employment cases and that you cannot claim your legal costs even if you win.  If you lose and want to appeal then you will have to pay another £1600 (£400 issue fee and £1200 hearing fee) as well as your legal costs.

Soon if you start a new job you will have to wait for two years to be protected from unfair dismissal no matter how rotten you have been treated. Health and safety protections at work are also under threat as well as many of the so called gold plated European employment protections.  

The Tories are also talking about introducing the legal right to sack any worker without even giving a reason.  

Since only 18% of ET claims were successful at a full hearing in 2005/2006 and the median award for unfair dismissal was only £4,228 what this means is that most people will not take out a claim since it will not be worth it no matter how awful they have been treated at work. This is a charter for bullying management. The only hope workers have are the trade unions.  We need to make sure that we are up to this challenge.

I blame this Tory led Coalition for everything that is happening but I also remember those in May last year who claimed that there is no difference between Labour and the Tories.

#Uint11 The Arab Spring - Update on the Middle East and North Africa

Sat pm: Last presentation was by Nick Crook, UNISON International Officer, followed by a film on Labour Rights in Egypt.

Nick reported that this is a new area of work for UNISON.  We use to work on Palestine and Iraq (and to a lesser extent Iran).  No real mandate  before Conference this year. 

It is called the  “Arab Spring” but also involves North Africa. Events are ongoing. Not only in Libya (Gaddifi was killed only 2 days before) but in Syria and Egypt things are still very much a process. The Army remains in control in Egypt.

A key factor has been social and economic conditions. The role of trade unions has been a core theme. There were marked differences in the region beforehand with regard to unions.  Some such as Tunisia had powerful free trade unions, others such as in Egypt, Syria and Libra they were  government controlled unions while in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, unions were banned. Less widely reported is the protests in Jordon, Algeria and Morocco.  In Morocco the protests forced the King to announce that there will be a  constitutional monarchy. While in Bahrain there was military intervention by Saudi. 3000 trade unionists lost their jobs while several hundred were imprisoned.  Contrast the British Government response to what has happened in Libya and Bahrain. Kuwait also has a crack down on trade union protest. On May day 2011 77 national trade unions across region did sign a "democracy declaration".

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) have a new web site (which I can't find?) and Labourstart also has lots of good information and campaigns.  Unfortunately there has been splits in Egypt trade unions which have put UNISON in a difficult position with regard to who to support.

Debate "Should trade unionists support the Labour Party?"

I have been invited to debate "Should trade unionists support the Labour Party? with the London branch of the Socialist Party (Great Britain).  I have of course accepted (personal capacity only). The agreed invite will state:-

"Bill Martin (Socialist Party Speaker).

John Gray (Labour Party Activist and Blogger -http://grayee.blogspot.com/)

"Should trade unionists support the Labour Party"

Thursday 17th November 1930hrs. @ Resource for London, 356 Holloway Road, London, N7 6PA.   (Nearest Tube Holloway Road.)

I do not know that much about the SP(GB) except some of them have posted a few comments on this blog over the years.  While I would not always agree with all their comments they have usually been pretty thoughtful and intelligent (unlike their evil wannabe doppelgangers).  I was also very fond of the regular East End historical and political columns by the late Robert Barltrop in the Newham Recorder, who was a member of the SP(GB) for many years (he did eventually leave).

I look forward to the debate on the 17th November (which by coincidence is in the same building as my UNISON branch office).   There will also be apparently a YouTube video recording of the debate. 

Picture above is of some of the Labour Party banners that took part in the Labour movement TUC March for Jobs, Growth and Justice on March 26th.  Double click pic to bring up detail.

A History of British Trade Unionism

 

I really wish I had the time to do this course.  Hat tip SERTUC.

TUC Congress 2011: Unions21 Fringe on The Future of Union Image

Union21 used this fringe to launch a viral recruitment video which I missed but I was present for a panel debate on “The Future of Union Image”. The panel included left to right Captain SKA (producer of this music video); Kerry McCarthy MP, Sue Ferns (Chair), author David Seymour and Luke Crawley (Bectu assistant general secretary).

Luke warned unions from using too much jargon, and did not accept that unions need to change their image; the real problem is the barrage of anti-union propaganda in the media. Even the Guardian and Observer are “ambivalent” and join in the attacks when the unions threaten action. Unions need to prove to potential members that they can win or protect things such as the recent success Bectu have had using the National minimum wage. 

David Seymour (author of “Why join a Union”) spoke next and countered that the unions have always had a bad media image. Even the old Daily Mirror was anti-union at times. Unions don’t understand that their members have changed. They use to be predominately blue collar men. They are now predominately white collar and middle class. Unions think that they are still “red in tooth and claw”. The “Bob Crow” image is the one people have of unions and industrial action. Need to find new ways of taking action short of strikes and build solidarity with consumer and workers.

Kerry agreed that the government and the media distort the image but the unions must look to themselves as well since too often the image of the union is macho, aggressive and not friendly to women. Trade unionists are members but also consumers – they should be treated in the round. In recent successful campaigns she took part in a care service was kept in house because the union got the relatives of clients to speak out.  

Captain SKA has only recently joined a union. He is a professional self employed musician and producer. He produced the “Liar, Liar” video for only £300 but it took lots of favours from his friends in the industry and it swallowed up a huge amount of time in promoting before the unions stepped in to help out. He had not been politically active at all beforehand but had been to well supported music concerts in Europe in the past which had been organised by political bodies but had not been overtly political events. He is surprised that there is not more opposition to this government by musicians. 

I thought that this panel debate on the union image was really interesting but we ran out of time and I had to run off back to attend Congress before the Q&A and so was not able to ask the “bleeding obvious” about what Unions should do when faced with an ideological attack against their members by an employer who refuse to engage or bargain in good faith (public sector pensions?).

There is surely simply no alternative to strike action over such a matter of serious substance when all possible alternatives have been exhausted and members are up and able for a fight.   In these circumstances it's the same now as it has always been.