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"
Wednesday, 31 October 2007
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
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
Wednesday, 24 October 2007
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
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.
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.
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