Postal Workers Dispute

Agreement reached on postal dispute

The TUC has helped broker an agreement to end the current postal dispute. The settlement provides for 'a period of calm' in the run up to Christmas that will allow further discussions about Royal Mail modernisation to take place between management and the CWU.
The preceding two weeks had seen the TUC facilitating lengthy discussions between both sides to try to resolve the 'difficult and complex' dispute, with TUC general secretary Brendan Barber chairing talks at Congress House.
The TUC had previously assisted both parties to reach the 2007 Pay and Modernisation Agreement.
Read TUC statement on agreement @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/organisation/tuc-17206-f0.cfm
Read TUC statements on the dispute @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/organisation/tuc-17175-f0.cfm
http://www.tuc.org.uk/newsroom/tuc-17169-f0.cfm
http://www.tuc.org.uk/newsroom/tuc-17157-f0.cfm
http://www.tuc.org.uk/organisation/tuc-17153-f0.cfm
General Council statement of support for CWU @
http://www.tuc.org.uk/organisation/tuc-17139-f0.cfm

Nick Venedi

Branch Committee Meetings in 2009

The next Branch committee meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday 17 November. The deadline for motions and reports is Thursday 12 November.

The December Branch committee will take place on Tuesday 15 December.

Nick Venedi

Lambeth Branch response on the UNISON political fund review

1. The following are the comments from the Lambeth local government branch in response to the consultation questions in the document on the review of UNISON’s political funds, as agreed by our Branch Committee on 3 November 2009.

– what are the most important political and policy making processes affecting UNISON and its members?

– how will political, constitutional and policy changes impact on the union’s objectives and interests over the next five years?

– in what ways should branches, regions and the national union change their methods of campaigning and political organisation to meet these challenges?

2. The election of the UK Government, local authorities and devolved administrations are vitally important to UNISON members. The failure of New Labour and the likely election of a Conservative Government will presage serious attacks upon our members. At the same time the Labour Party is failing to adopt policies which reflect our members’ interests. The Union therefore needs to adopt a more independent approach politically.

– why do many branches not see the GPF and/or Labour Link as resources to help them lobby and campaign?

– how can we increase regional and branch engagement with the General Political Fund?

– how can we further strengthen regional and local Labour Link organisation?

3. The Union makes it unnecessarily difficult for branches to access political fund resources – branches should have an automatic entitlement to some political fund resources each year. Members will not engage with UNISON Labour Link whilst they see the Labour Party pursuing policies which attack the interests of our members.

– what resources and support do UNISON reps need to engage members and organise them to take political action?

– what kind of political education should be included in core training for stewards and organising staff?

– should we develop short courses for lead activists and organising staff on labour movement history and contemporary political issues?

4. UNISON needs to change its culture to one that encourages campaigning away from a “top down” officer-led culture which seeks to restrict campaigning by branches. The history of the trade union movement should be central to trade union education.

– what do members, branches, and lead activists need or want to know about the union’s political work, and how would this best be communicated to them?

– how could union communications better promote transparency and understanding of the operations of the General Political Fund and

Labour Link?

– how could union communications better encourage engagement and participation by members and branches in the union’s political work?

5. The Union should implement Conference policy and monitor and report on the voting record of politicians associated with our Union. Members need to know whether the politicians who benefit by their association with our Union support our policies. Members in local branches should have a direct input into decisions about which politicians UNISON supports and works with.

– is there more we need to do to ensure that subscription and allocation procedures are transparent?

– is there more we can do to encourage the greatest possible participation in the two sections of the political fund?

6. Members should not be allocated into the Affiliated Political Fund unless they make a deliberate choice to pay into the Labour Party. Branches should have direct control over some of the General Political Fund which should be available to be spent in accordance with the decisions of quorate Branch or Branch Committee meetings. The Union has to face up to the fact that if the proportion of members choosing to pay into the Affiliated Fund falls much below the present proportion (one third) it will no longer be tenable to maintain that UNISON is affiliated to the Labour Party.

– are existing structures for the governance of the General Political Fund adequate to ensure transparency, accountability and engagement?

– how can we encourage a higher level of participation in Labour Link structures at branch, regional and national level?

– are there ways in which we can improve the accountability and responsiveness of both Labour Link and the GPF to wider union

structures at local, regional, devolved and national levels?

7. There should be a single-section political fund under the control of National Delegate Conference and the separate structures for each section of the fund should be abolished. The existing structures were designed, prior to vesting day in 1993, specifically to avoid transparency, accountability and engagement and cannot be reformed.

BWG AGM

Lambeth Unison Black Workers Group
Annual General Meeting &
Black History Month Celebration
30 October 2009

Agenda

· Registration Refreshments and Performance 12.00-12.30
By Kriss Kriss and the LTR Band
· Chair to Open AGM 12.30-12.35
· Report 12.35-12.45
· Ask AGM to accept reports 12.45-12.50
· Motions 12.50-13.00
· Nominations and Elections 13.00-13.20
I. Convenor

Trafalgar Square Anti Homophobic vigil

Trafalgar Square Candlelit Vigil : Friday 30th October 2009 : 8 - 10pm

On Friday 25th September 2009, Ian Baynham 62, and his friend were subjected to homophobic abuse in Trafalgar Square, London. When Ian challenged this unacceptable behaviour he was violently assaulted by three youths, two women and a man. He later died of his injuries on the 13th October. Ian is not alone, he is just one of thousands of people who have been victims of Hate-Crime. We need to show the world that this criminal behaviour is unacceptable.
The evening is supported by London Pride who will be providing stewards, t-shirts, experience and knowledge and we expect over 10,000 people to attend.
Sandy Toksvig will be assisting with the comparing of the event and a letter from Stuart Milk (Harvey Milk's grandson) will also be read out. There will also be a performance from the Gay Men's Chorus and the LGWS will also be in attendance.
Please gather together where ever you are - to light candles of hope. Help us spread the word. At 9pm GMT we ask everyone to join us for a two minute silence.
Nick Venedi

AGM Timetable, check list

Time table for AGM preparations

1 Timetable to be agreed by BC 20.10.09 (done)
2 Shop structures to be agreed by BC 20.10.09 (done)
3 Invitation for Branch Officer position nominations out 16.11.09
4 Close of nomination papers to office (signed) 14.12.09
5.Deadline for motions for the AGM report 14.12.09
6. AGM report to printers 15.12.09
7 Distribution of report (hardcopy) 5 January 2010
8 Distribution of AGM by APF and email a.s.a.p
9 Time off agreements November 2009
10 AGM (provisional) 14 Jan 2010, Assembly Hall

Supply and Demand section HRE

All the information required by the regional office regarding the balloting of members in Supply and Demand where compulsory redundancies appear to be imminent due to management refusal to consider a valid counter proposal have been given and preparations are taking place. Congratulations to Hassina Malik and her team of Shop Stewards for responding so swiftly to the requests. Members in the division are determined to fight the negative side of the reorganisation.

Nick Venedi

AGM Reports

Those Unison members who wish to make written contributions to the AGM report are reminded that the deadline for receiving an article is 12 noon 11 December. This strict deadline is necessary and will be imposed to enable us to put together the document and have it with the printers by the 14th of December. We need to start distributing the final product in the first few days in January. All Convenors are expected to submit an article.

Nick Venedi

Viva Palestina collection

Following a motion passed at the August Branch Committee, our International Officer will be co-ordinating a collection for the ‘Viva Palestina’ convoy in Council workplaces on Thursday 5 November. The collection stewards did for Medical Aid for Palestinians back in January raised over £2000!

The Chief Executive has given his permission for this and the branch would like to request that all shop stewards lend a hand by going round workplaces on the day with collecting tins and leaflets.

Unfortunately, we have not been allowed to publise the collection on the intranet, but we will be putting up a notice on the sharepoint site to inform people of what we will be doing.

For up to date information about the convoy click here.

Nick Venedi