Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Change only happens when people vote 🗳️

 

Change only happens when people vote 🗳️ Voting by post is quick, easy and secure.  Your postal vote lasts up to three years and ballot papers will be sent to you automatically before an election. Apply today.

Apply by 17 April for #2May elections

https://www.gov.uk/how-to-vote/postal-voting

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

UNISON Labour Link Officer report: GLR Housing Associations branch AGM 2024






Tomorrow is my UNISON branch AGM and I have submitted (late) my written report below as the branch Labour Link officer. I will also make a verbal report at the AGM and take any questions. 

""Labour Link" is part of UNISON and it is a political fund that supports the Labour Party which all members can choose to support. It also campaigns and lobbies the Labour Party to adopt UNISON policies. Trade unions helped form the Labour Party and we are all part of a wider "Labour movement family". 

 There are around 1000 members of our branch who are members of the UNISON Labour Link and many are also members of the Labour Party. Our branch Labour Link members are delegates to local Labour Parties, they campaign on behalf of the Party and attend conferences and other events. Labour Link also holds training sessions for members interested in becoming Councillors or even MPs.

In the last year, we have organised Labour Link members to go and support Labour Party candidates in the recent successful Parliamentary by elections. We have also started campaigning for the Labour Party in the forthcoming General and London Mayoral elections. 

In particular we are explaining to members and voters about the importance of the Labour Party's "New Deal for Working People", which if they are elected will result in employment rights against unfair dismissal from day one, a real "living wage" for all and introduction of fair pay agreements, the banning of zero hour contacts and of fire & rehire (and many, many other worker friendly policies).

The next major elections will be on 2 May 2024. UNISON member Sadiq Khan is restanding as London Mayor, while many other UNISON members are candidates in London Assembly seats and in council elections outside London. Please contact me if you wish to join our Labour Link campaign teams (either in person, talking to voters, leafleting or telephone phone banks).

It is very important that Labour has a good result on May 2 since this could even result in the Conservatives calling a general election sooner rather than later and we can start to rebuild our nation with progressive policies such as "New Deal".

John Gray
Branch Labour Link Officer

(Picture of Labour Deputy Leader (and former UNISON activist) Angela Rayner MP speaking about "New Deal" at recent Community conference attended by branch delegates).

Sunday, March 24, 2024

UNISON Community Annual Seminar & Conference 24 - Day 1 "Supporting organising in Community Hybrid Workplaces"

Belated report from my speech at day one of UNISON National Community Conference earlier this month. I was moving an amendment to motion 1.

"Conference, Vice President, John Gray, moving amendment 1.1 on behalf of the SGE.

May I start by congratulating my London sister branch C&V org for this really important motion and make it clear from the off, that this is intended to be a friendly amendment by your SGE, intended to improve and expand the motion.

Also, to be absolutely clear, while there are real and significant challenges to organising in a hybrid workplace but there are enormous opportunities as well.

Now, community member employers come in all shapes and sizes. Let me tell my story. My employer, a very large housing association, has 4000 employees spread all over England in every single unison region, with 24 different offices and 100s of smaller workplaces such as caretaking lock ups, hostels or warden controlled sheltered housing blocks. A majority of staff are now, to a lesser or greater degree, hybrid workers, including most of our unison reps.

Pre covid pandemic, it was incredibly hard for our stewards to organise across this fragmented and geographical diverse workforce.

As dreadful as the pandemic was, it has resulted in an opportunity for us to organise effectively, to hold regular virtual meetings of reps, with national officers, with members. We are going through our annual pay claim and have had planning and consultation meetings with 90% of reps attending and participating in “real time”. Pre pandemic we really struggled to get reps to meet centrally.

Recently there has been a proposed restructure of our IT department potentially impacted over 150 workers who are based in London, Norwich, Plymouth, and Manchester. We were able to organise 2 virtual well attended open meetings with these workers and undertook a series of collective and collaborative online meetings and teams messaging to put together constructive challenge and counter proposals intended to save jobs and conditions but also improve the service. Again, this would have so difficult to have organised in the past.

It is not all good, especially for younger workers, who may be living in a privately rented HMO and don’t have a spare room but are expected somehow to work from their bedroom with a laptop, literally, on their lap.

The best technology is frankly no real substitute for face-to-face meeting and personal conversations and there will always remain a vital role for in-person meetings and representation.

Conference, the necessary debate about the pros and cons of home working is sometimes framed as “all or nothing”. You are expected to think it either the best thing since sliced bread or some sort of an evil conspiracy by big tech.

We know it is more complicated than this.

Conference, please support this amendment and the motion as amended. Let’s get organised in all our workplaces, in person… virtual and hybrid.

Remember we are not just individual volunteers, we are a collective and we do our best as a collective when we work effectively and truly represent all union members. Conference I move".

Saturday, March 23, 2024

Vote Sadiq, Vote Labour: Out & about with Lyn Brown MP in West Ham & Custom House

 

This morning I went to my Councillor advice surgery and met with residents concerned with overcrowding and a 2nd stage appeal over travel provision. Afterwards,  I met up with my ward colleagues, activists and our MP, Lyn Brown, to knock on doors of nearby West Ham ward residents. 

We were trying to three things. Firstly, ask them whether or not they would be supporting Sadiq to be our London Mayor on May 2nd (and the other Labour candidates). Second, whether or not they would be voting Labour in the next General election and thirdly did they have case work issues they wanted to bring up with Lyn or local Councillors. 

The canvass went really well, as far as I could tell. Positive responses from residents and the few "undecided" still seemed positive and engaged. 

Unusually, I did not pick up any new case work but was stopped in the street by two constituents who had organised a petition to relocate a local bus stop due to ASB issues. We discussed the case and also that I had presented the petition to the Full Council meeting on Monday. 

Lyn and I left early to join activists in Custom House for another canvass. 

Newham Labour activists have been out today in various parts of the borough and will also be out tomorrow. A car load of Newham activists have also been out to support marginal seats outside London. 

As well as supporting Sadiq, we are also supporting our local City & East Assembly candidate, Unmesh Desai and the "list" candidates, including Newham's own, James Beckles who is 4th in line to be elected (it is a complicated system - check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_London_Assembly_election

Friday, March 22, 2024

"Wanstead Flats at War: An illustrated talk" - Sat 11 May, 5pm

 

Takes Place: 11th May 2024

Time: 4pm

Venue: St Gabriel’s Church, Park Road, Aldersbrook, London E12 5HH

Description: To mark Local and Community History Month the Friends of St Gabriel's invite you to an illustrated talk by Mark Gorman and Peter Williams. The event features the launch of the Aldersbrook and Lake House Heritage Scheme Doors open at 4pm with refreshments available to purchase and the chance to browse history stalls and view the newly catalogued church archive. Talk starts at 5pm

How to book: https://st-gabriels-church.sumupstore.com/product/wanstead-flats-at-war-talk

Price: £5

Email: g.brewis@ucl.ac.uk

Website: https://st-gabriels-church.sumupstore.com/product/wanstead-flats-at-war-talk

Organiser: Friends of St Gabriel's

Lecturer: Mark Gorman and Peter Williams

(Will definitely go if I can. Think photo is back drop of what is now called Jubilee pond)

Thursday, March 21, 2024

UNISON London Labour Link Regional Forum 2024 - Vote Sadiq Khan & Labour in May

 

Brilliant picture of delegates to our 2024 regional forum, who are supporting the Labour Party "New Deal for Working People" campaign promise.

This was a hybrid meeting held in the National UNISON centre. 

Speakers included the UNISON London Regional Secretary, Jo Galloway; Current Assembly members Len Duvall & Sem Moema; Eddie from Labour Unions on New Deal; Mark Ferguson, our Labour Link national secretary. 

We also had contributions from new London Assembly Candidates, Marcela Benedetti & James Beckles. 

The forthcoming GLA and UNISON Member, Sadiq Khan, Mayoral elections in May, was our number one topic. 

We must not be complacent about apparent poll leads. The Tories have bent the rules to favour their appalling uber right wing candidate. They have doubled election expenses for candidates, banned proportional voting and imposed voter ID requirements on the million London voters who have none. 

Expect loads of Tory fibs and dog whistle politics in the next 42 days.

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Newham Full Council Meeting 18.3.24

 

I am a bit behind on social media posts due to full on Union and Council business but this is a picture from Monday at Newham Full Council meeting when I was asking our Guest speaker (https://twitter.com/TheIFS) about how much money UK Local Government needed to fully fund services. 

Later I welcomed the delegation of Newham Mums who spoke about the need to upgrade our play areas and presented a petition on behalf of residents in Portway, E15 who want a bus stop relocated due to ASB. 

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Veronica Oakeshott for Bicester & Woodstock

 

Bicester and Woodstock Labour
@BicstrWdstckLab

"We're excited to announce that our prospective General Election candidate is Veronica Oakeshott! Read all about her in this exclusive interview with the @TheOxfordMail #bicesterandwoodstock #labour https://oxfordmail.co.uk/news/24177313".
"It’s a huge honour to be the Labour candidate for my home constituency and the area I love! I want to improve the public services we all rely on & be the voice of my community in Westminster on the many things nationally that need to change. #VoteLabour  #ToriesOut #SaveOurNHS

(former West Ham ward resident and Newham Council Councillor)

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

"Pensions under the next Government": TUC Pension Conference 13.3.24

 

Picture of Keynote speaker, Liz Kendall MP, at today's TUC Pension conference. Will post more later in week. There is definitely a feeling we are going to win power at next General election but we cannot take anything for granted.