Friday, December 14, 2007

2nd Newham Council Strike


Further strike action in support of sacked UNISON Branch Chair, Michael Gavan, took place yesterday in Newham. On the way into work I stopped off at the picket lines at the Council Folkestone Road depot and later outside the Town hall to show my support.

I was a bit late since I drove all the way to Tower Hamlets to give someone a lift to the picket. I forgot their exact address and the mobile phone didn’t wake them up! Pretty frustrating at 6am in the morning, but such is life.

It was very cold, dark and foggy. Pickets joked that that it was a pity that the Council couldn’t wait until the summer to sack Michael. Despite the cold and the early start people did seem in genuine good spirits. The London Regional Convener, Gloria Hanson (who is the Newham Branch treasurer) and the Regional Secretary Linda Perks were at the depot, while Vicki Easton, the Head of Local Government was outside the Town Hall.

Tom Nixon, the T&G Unite branch secretary was also at the depot with a number of T&G members who had refused to cross the picket line.

I was surprised how many agencies staff the Council and their contractors employ? Most were very sympathetic and a few did refuse to cross the picket but many said that they had been told they would be sacked if they did not turn up to work (illegal in my view if UNISON members but...).

There were also the usual weird and wonderful excuses offered by the (relatively very few) scabs over their behaviour, such as “I’m going to work since the unions don’t collect money for charity....”I am a member of unison because in case I get myself in trouble not to go on strike” (very ironic considering Michael’s circumstances) and the best was .....”I didn’t realise there was a strike on and I can’t go home since I have driven all this way”. One of them said they will get me arrested for speaking to them! Hmmm?

Michael himself was incredibility polite, softy spoken, courteous and even shaked hands with some (not all) of the strike breakers!

I couldn’t make it to the lunchtime rally but I have heard that it went really well. On Monday the branch executive will meet up to discuss what next. Check out the Newham UNISON website for further details.

On Wednesday the West Ham Labour Party Executive Committee agreed to invite Newham UNISON branch committee member, Bill Turner, (a Newham Council striker and Tower Hamlets Labour Party Councillor) to the General Committee meeting as a guest speaker to discuss “industrial relations in Newham Council”.

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