Hands Off Our childrens Centres

Just back from an excellent lobby our of Council meeting against the proposed privatisation of five Childrens' Centres. It was one of the best public displays we have had in ages about 60 people with placards t-shirts and large foam hands giving the clear message of "hands off our childrens' centres" The crowd included staff, Trade Union activists and a sizable number of parents some with their children who attend the centres.

The Council since deciding to privatise in July has spent a large amount of its time trying to pretend the Trade Unions and parents have been scaremongering. The visible mobilisation of Parents against Privatisation combined with UNISON has put Elected member's and Councillors on the backfoot. Having initially claimed they were obliged to privatise (sorry they don't like the P word apparently in Labour Haringey preferring such cuddly versions as outsourcing and partnership) they have retreated from a procurement exercise to "exploring what added value not for profit groups might bring" However we have resolved to keep up the pressure till this plan is dropped as we are clear only democratically accountable and controlled services are good enough for our Borough.

We have also made it very clear to Councillors that Not for profit and Charity Sectors are not the panacea they may think. The lead member for Children Cllr Santry seemed very annoyed when at our Consultative Committee I highlighted Freemantle as an example of a not for profit charity. When she said nothing I remind her of our own not for profit organisation Community Support Services which ran elders homes and Learning Disabilities homes into the ground while slashing staff wages before Haringey was forced to end the sorry experiment by re-nationalising them (or in-sourcing I presume!)

Clearly there is a government agenda to marketise childcare but it is not a requirement and Council's of whatever political hue must not be allowed to claim it is unchallenged. We in Haringey are rightly proud of the tremendous social inclusion work which comes from our Childrens Centres both for the children and parents and will fight to ensure this is not ended.

The Council are due to report in December with recommendations having backpedalled away from a procurement exercise but they have refused to rule out the transfer out of local government of both staff and services. Unison and Parents against Privatisation will continue to work together to see these plans dropped.

Freemantle Workers need your support

After three days Industrial Action workers at Freemantle care homes and day centres are taking a fourth days action this coming Saturday 10th November.

The mainly female low paid workers are striking against savage attacks on their terms and conditions which include reductions in sick pay, annual leave and an end to enhancements for working at night and weekends.

March-12.00pm 10th November
The strikers will be marching from Watling Park (nearest Tube Burnt Oak on the Northern Line) to Edgware for a rally at St Alphage Church Hall, Palyfield Rd, edgware. Speakers include members of the UNISON NEC, Strikers and Community Activists.

We are asking all members ot make every effort to attend and show their solidarity. The route cause of the dispute is the privatisation of these services several years ago and an Employer who is seeking to make a profit from attacking our members

For updates click on the following link to Barnet UNISON's website PLease print out the attached flyer and put it on your notice boards and/or hand it out ot UNISON members in your workplace. If the link does not work by clicking you can highlight it and copy and paste it into your internet browser

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_lbgM7AcOnI6TCYAQUiTaJSnozCAYz9kwk2U2Bzknet4J4a54D7PV1v7wviFqwbREVXhHvl1Ji6_6h8XtJD7GWfZB0XWI8AsbOJ6kwj76dWAczIf-gWzCYyBWvIkkPKmeI6y_nUJd1l4/s1600-h/March+and+Rally+10+Nov+07.JPG

Yours in solidarity


Sean Fox

Newham & Barnet UNISON Show the way

After a disappointingly inquorate Regional Council I went with some colleagues from Haringey and other Branches to Newham for their strike rally. The event held in a Church in Stratford was very well attended both by strikers and comrades from other branch. Speaker after speaker expressed their support for Michael Gavan in his fight against victimisation. The final speaker was Michael himself who received a standing ovation before he even opened his mouth. He spoke very passionately about the principles that lie at the heart of his case that of the right of Trade Union Representatives to represent their members best interests and not those of the Employer.

My Branch Committee passed an emergency motion is support of Michael last month which although I was unable to speak at the rally I made sure to convey to Michael in person. Michael has a long and proud history of defending our members and campaigning against the New Labour attacks on services in Newham. Sadly it seem the case that his Employer are seeking to extract their revenge for his work by way if spurious charges against him.

Although Regional Council was once again inquorate I was pleased we were able to take speakers. This included an excellent collective speech by members of Barnet Branch on the freemantle dispute. Two the women workers spoke passionately about the attacks on their pay and conditions by the unscrupulous employer.

They made it abundantly clear they and their brothers and sisters were taking strike action reluctantly as they were conscious of the effect it could have on those who they care for.They however conveyed the determination of the strikers to right the injustice of attacks on already low paid staff dealing with some of the most vulnerable in society. Equally that residents and service users supported their action. This is a dispute that we must win: Not just for the workers at Freemantle but for all our members facing attacks in the aftermath of failed privatisations sell off and PFI schemes in Local Government, Health, and the other sectors in which we organise as a Union .

They are next going on strike on the 10th November and will be holding a major rally and demonstration in the Borough which I intend to attend to show my solidarity. Their slogan is "dismantle Freemantle "reflecting the fact that this is yet another failed experiment in privatisation best remedied by the homes being brought back into council ownership and control.

In my own Borough we experienced the damage done by the privatisation of six residential units both on service users and staff. The situation deteriorated so badly that Haringey had no alternative but to terminate the privatisation and bring the staff and units back into Council control. This was not before the mainly female workers had suffered attacks on their pay and conditions that four years on are only just being rectified through the Single Status process.

Across the country workers and residents in elderly care are being sold off to unscrupulous profiteers it is a scandal that we must continue to fight in conjunction with groups such as "RAGE"

2007 pay dispute over strart preparing for 2008

Below is a statement I have issued to our members in Haringey. Clearly there are lessons to be learnt some of them are harder to accept than others. The obvious is don't wait nine months to ballot! A second less palatable one may be that members are naturally cautious about going on strike before Christmas when money is already tight.

For next year the lessons are clear: Real coordination with the widest possible range of public sector unions and ensuring that we build and mobilise the membership from the earliest opportunity. it is clear the teachers and the civil service and our good comrades in the NUT and PCS in particular are prepared to join us in a fight against this unjust pay policy. It is not insignificant that the government blinked over public sector pensions in 2005 as a result of such unity. Faced with united potential strike action on the 2008--2009 pay claims they will inevitably be forced to reconsider the appalling 2% limit.

we must not allow our leaders to be cautious as a result of this ballot result. Clearly there were particular factors which influenced the result and it should not be forgotten that despite this the result was a yes vote.

The campaign for 2008 must start now and members needs to be brought on board to give a very public response to Brown's insulting pay policy.

Sean Fox Haringey Statement
While I am disappointed with the outcome of the strike ballot I would like to thank all those who took the time to use their vote. Clearly the small majority would have made sustained strike action difficult to deliver on this occasion.

There are lessons to be learnt which I will be advancing in respect of the 2008-2009 pay claim. I view the most important of these being that we must take decisions early in the process if we intend to move towards a strike ballot. The prolonged delays in this process in the current dispute may have harmed the willingness of the members to take action. Next year if an offer is made and it is clear it will not be improved significantly other than by industrial action then members should be ballotted as soon after the offer is received as is possible.

It is clear the government intends to continence to attack our living standards through real terms pay cuts over the next two to three years at least. We shall be working closely with the other Public Sector unions both locally and nationally to deliver a co-ordinated campaign against this pay policy. In doing so we need your help as members of the Union. You can begin that today by looking around your workplaces and recruiting those who are not in a Trade Union to UNISON. In the longer term you can do so by supporting the various campaigning activities in support of our claim and by attending workplace and branch meetings when these are called. We must be prepared for a continuing battle to achieve decent pay rises.

Then National Joint Council will now notify the employer that the offer is accepted and members should receive their pay and backdated monies either in the November or December pay packet.

Yours in solidarity


Sean Fox
Branch Secretary

The spirit of Tolpuddle is needed now

Here we are under a Labour government and victimisation of Trade Union members is still a reality. Under New Labour activists standing up against cuts and privatisation may no longer be deported but they still face trumped up disciplinary charges and potential loss of their jobs by vindictive employers.

So step forward Sir Robin Wales and chums at Newham for the award of the new James Frampton for their disgraceful victimisation of UNISON Branch Chair Michael Gavan. Closely followed by The Chief Executive of Manchester Community Mental Health Trust for their attacks on Karen Reisman.

All Trade Unionists must stand together to defend our comrades right to perform their elected duties and represent their members interests. So congratulations to UNISON members in Manchester for their magnificent strike action in denfence of Karen and to UNISON members in Newham for their overwhelming support for strike action in defence of Michael. Lay memebrs have shown the way now it is for those in authority in UNISON to ensure these two most recent cases of victimisation are brought to an end. Karen and Michael msut be reinstated NOW. If Michael is not then not a penny of Labour Link money should go towards Newham's Labour Group until it happens.

There is power in a Union

Decision Time Nears

After the dramas of whether our comrades in the CWU would prevent us balloting it is a matter of days before we shall know the outcome of the local governemnt strike ballot. I for one am hoping for a resounding yes vote to give impetus for Strike action in support of our claim.

We must be prepared to make short term sacrifices in order to make longer term gains. Had we have settled for the 2.475% offer then we would have set ourselves up for the next four years of real pay-cuts. With this in mind we must have maximum partipication in the industrial action. Our National negotiatiors have shown confidence in taking this stance and it is now time for the members to show this is not misplaced.

Back From UNISON Conference

A good week in brighton both in politcal and social activity.: Although I sit here thinking I could do with a day off to recover!!

On a more serious note Conference made numerous important decisions amongst which was to mount a co-ordinated campaign on breaking Gordon Brown's public sector pay limit. This is vital as it will see us unite the various areas of our Union with other public sector workers such as the postal workers in the CWU, the other Health Service Union's and the Civil Service members of the P.C.S. and potentially the National Union of Teachers. It is clear that such unity will maximise our chances of breaking the real pay cut that is offered by Brown's 2% maximum.

Sadly time-limits and Standing Orders shenanigans prevented local government conference debating the offer on the LGPS but it will be interesting to see the reaction to the consutlative ballot over the next month. We also agreed to mobilise members in support of the lobbt of Parliament on the 10th July to secure funding for Equal pay in Local Government.

Labour Party Members Sold Out by M.P.'s

Today is a sad day in the history of the Labour Party as M.P.'s close ranks around the consensus candidate for the leadership Gordon Brown. Brown despite ocassional flashes of social democracy is the candidate of new Labour: Who supported Iraq, who developed PFI, Who entered a bidding war to privatise areas of the State even Thatcher didnt touch.

So what does the future hold for Labour and the Labour Link for the Trade Unions? This is the question that is on the minds of many myself included as we watched M.P's on the so called left line up to support Gordon Brown ahead of a candidate with a record of supporting Conference polciies and those of the Trade Unions. Inevitably the Conference season will be used to call for disafiliation (As it has been for the last 10 years and a great deal longer) Those outside of Labour will call upon us to join Respect or the Campaign for a New Workers Party. Those of us on the inside will ignore them!!

So what are the answers? My own instant thoughts are as follows

1) Allow all three parts of the electoral college to nominate: Why should M.P.'s be allowed to veto the wishes of the ordinary member?

2) Continue to campaign agaisnt the exceses of New Labour within the Party and to put forward alternative strategies. Push Brown as far left as we can and ensure that in the event of a defeat for New Labour we are ready with an alternative.

3) Don't walk away!!!!!

4) In the words of Joe Hill "organise" there are thousands of ordinary voters, labour party members and trade unionists who see an alternative vision away from the conservative agenda portrayed by New Labour and their acolytes

5) Get good left wing candidates onto the list for M.P's candidates who supprot and campaign for the policies the majority of members support.

So Its Election Time in My Union UNISON

Every two years we get to elect those who are to run our union. Sadly almost every time 95% of our members neglect to use their vote. Its the equivalent of a Union general election yet most people will file their papers behind the clock question is why.

Sadly if we are not careful it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy don't vote nothing changes usual suspects elected why bother voting because nothing changes!! (and so on!)

Me I live in hope and for that reason I will be supporting the following candidates on the basis that they beleive in a democratically run and controlled UNISON where decisions made by members are acted upon not buried due to them being inconvenient to the relationship with New Labour or the political ambitions of unelected employed officials.

I live in London so I get to vote for three very good candidates who mix the right amount of youth experience and determination in my book. They also span a political variety. UNISON rule prevent Branch's using their resources to promote candidates even where they have nominated them but then again this isnt a UNISON resource so here goes :)

Male Seat- (1)Jon Rogers
Female Seats(2) Marsha Jane Thompson and Phoebe Watkins

National Seats
Local Government(4)-Mandy Berger, Emma Goodall, Paul Homes and Glen Kelly
Higher Education Tom Silverlock
Additional Members Raph Parkinson
Young members (not that I am one any more sadly :( even at 34!) Daniel Robertson
Health Kate Ahrens, Len Hockey, Paul Harper, Alison Brown

USE YOUR VOTE TO MAKE A REAL CHANGE

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