TUC 60-second ad contest 2011 (and the UNISON Ants and Polar Bear ad)

I was only intending to plug the TUC 60-second ad contest "Impact on the Cuts" (check here).  You can vote on completed submissions.  Some really great new stuff. 

They also had a section on "Classic" video's such as this "famous" UNISON advert using the Polar bear and ants.  There is some mixed reports on the reaction to this video.  Some people were apparently put off since they don't like ants! 

However, I think the majority of people who see this clip do "get it" and understand that acting (dare I say) in UNISON you have more power and influence at work than lone voices.

Tower Hamlets Homes Lobby

This evening I went along to a noisy but largely cheerful lobby by UNISON members of a Tower Hamlets Homes Board meeting in the Toby Club in Bethnal Green.  Tower Hamlets Homes is a ALMO which has run into let us say "problems".

I use to be an assistant branch secretary of the  UNISON Tower Hamlets Local Government Branch and was invited by local stewards to attend this lobby.

Management have announced 80 redundancies (out of some 500 staff).  Which is bad enough - but what has incensed the workforce is that they have been told that they have to apply within 7 days for voluntary redundancy or they will lose any right to a severance payment.  Despite the fact this severance payment is a TUPE right!

What is even more iniquitous is that the staff have not been told what possible jobs are available under the new proposed structure.  Never mind what are the proposed job descriptions, numbers of posts, possible grades and assimilation rights.  These are agreed good practice HR processes which are being simply ignored.

What this means is that staff are being blackmailed into applying for redundancy before knowing all the facts and when it might have turned out that they have a job to go to after all.  This is bad employment practice and probably needs to be tested at an employment tribunal. 

Wearing another "hat" I am extremely concerned at some other allegations made about staff aged 55 or over which I will investigate further.

Staff told me that they understood that the organisation has severe financial difficulties and they have their own ideas about reducing costs but the current process is simply wrong and grossly unfair.

The UNISON reps did have a number of positive and constructive conversations with managers and members of the Board on the way in which I thought were really helpful. The reps had produced an excellent precise and hard hitting leaflet detailing their concerns. 

All in all a successful text book lobby and many thanks to Tony and Trevor for organising it.  They tell me this is only the beginning.

Our NHS: Our UNISON, Our Future - London Health Conference 2010

Today there was a really successful training conference at Congress House for UNISON London Health Branches.

This is probably the biggest UNISON Regional Service group meeting in the country.  Our General Secretary Dave Prentis was the keynote speaker. 

I will post on the many excellent speeches, presentations and Q&A's.  The sparks did fly in some debates but credit to everyone that we had some diverse and passionate differences of view without any nastiness.

Labour Party Conference 2010: ETUC Day of Action

Today is European Trade Union's Council "Day of Action" against spending cuts.

Across Europe there was lobbies and protests against cuts.  I missed a Lobby this lunchtime outside Manchester City hall, since I got the timings wrong. 

Local UNISON member Grant Higgerson (carrying placard) had been at the lobby.  Since he had taken the whole afternoon off to attend the rally he had decided to spend the rest of the time reminding Labour Party delegates and visitors about the importance of saving public pension schemes.  Grant is supported here by another trade unionist - from the NUJ!

Update: Picture of UNISON Bromley Health Branch banner at a ETUC rally.

Health SGE member Mike Davey on real left.

NHS DIRECT "Critical Victory"

Some good news for a change!  The Governments appears to have changed their mind on the plan to close NHS Direct. 

Is the lesson that we should learn be that an immediate, sharp and vigorous response to plans to cut can mean they can be overturned?

UNISON press release:

U-TURN OVER CLOSURE OF NHS DIRECT

Commenting on reports that Health Minister Andrew Lansley has denied plans

to shut down NHS Direct, Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON, said:

³This is great news for patients and for staff at NHS Direct. The service that NHS Direct offers is tried and tested and is of great value to the public, as the outcry over the threat of closure shows. The service provides a reassuring voice for worried parents in the middle of the night and is a well of advice that the public can tap into 24 hours a day. Andrew Lansley should not have put nurses and staff in fear of their jobs in this way

³I am sure staff will still be confused and worried that the Government may have another change of heart. I would like a guarantee from the health minister that the 1,300 nurses working for NHS Direct will still have a job there this time next year.²

Michael Walker, UNISON national Officer for NHS Direct Staff, said: ³This sounds like fantastic news and a victory for common sense. It shows the effectiveness of the Unions campaign against the threat to axe NHS Direct. There has been a real groundswell of opposition from the public, with thousands of people signing a petition against the closure.
³The service employs 3,400 NHS dedicated specialist nurses and professionals and provides expert help - taking more than 27,000 calls a day. It successfully takes the pressure off the emergency services and from busy GP surgeries.

³However, I think we still need to be vigilant. I want to hear more detail of Andrew Lansley¹s announcement today, to make sure that staff and the valuable service they provide, are truly protected in the longer term."
"UNISON congratulates NHS Direct staff and their union reps for getting behind the campaign and making their views known to the public".

"What is it about this obsession with Leaders?"

Good post by Ian

"I reckon the left groups are the worst here.

How often do you hear left groups supporting this candidate for leader or that while at the same time championing rank and file power or lay member democracy?...."

(I suppose I should ask you to ignore for the moment that most of my recent posts have been about "leadership elections" :)

Save NHS Direct

This BBC report confirms earlier rumours that the CONDEMS are planning to scrap NHS Direct and replace it with a privately run call centre staffed by unqualified operatives. 

So much for the Tory pledge to safeguard the NHS?  NHS Direct is a success and actually saves money by stopping people going to see the GP's or A&E unnecessarily.  They also conversely -save lives since many people (especially men) will not go and seek medical advice in person but will ring up NHS Direct and will then accept their advice that they should see their GP.

This only works because people trust the service and know that they are speaking to properly trained and qualified NHS staff. 

Most privately run medical call centres have a terrible reputation.  People do not trust the confidentiality of these centres and the quality of the advice. 

This is from the UNISON press release: -

STAND UP FOR NHS DIRECT

The Guardian states that Conservative Secretary of State for Health has let slip that the Coalition is to scrap NHS Direct for a cheaper service.

The proposal is to replace 3,000 dedicated specialist nurses and health professionals with a cheap private call centre, with no access to a nurse.

Private call centres with unqualified staff can never replace this excellent service, which provides vital immediate support such as during the swine flu outbreak which saw scores of people die.

NHS Direct UNISON Official Michael Walker states:

"Not one Coalition party stated they would scrap NHS Direct in their manifesto. There is no mandate for cutting this service . If the government attack NHS Direct, what else is next? What other NHS cuts are they hiding? It is time for Cameron and Clegg to come clean about their real plans for our NHS."

Join UNISON's campaign to Save NHS Direct.

West Ham CLP nominate Ed Miliband as Labour Leader

 Tonight there was an “all members” meeting held before our Labour Party General Committee to decide who (if any) of the declared candidates we would endorse. All five candidates were nominated and seconded and there was a lively debate between their respective supporters.

Ed Miliband was nominated by Ellie Robertson who is a new Councillor and Chair of Newham Young Labour. I seconded Ed and was also able to speak in his favour.

My view was that Ed is the candidate best placed to beat Cameron and Clegg which is vitally important since without power - we can do nothing.

However, he also the candidate who has committed to tackling inequality and redistribute wealth, not only because it is fairer but because more equal societies are better societies in all measurable ways not only for the poor but also for the better off.

The previous Labour Government did many, many good things but instead of us having a balanced or truly mixed economy it let the pendulum swing too far to the right in certain areas and “the market” into public services and its provision - and it is now time to swing the pendulum back to the left in order to create balance and a centre left economy. An economy where the public sector does what it is good at and provides not for profit services direct to the public and the private sector does what is good at – creating wealth in the free enterprise business economy.

On a personal note I also mentioned that I supported Ed because I was very impressed with the way he conducted himself when he was the keynote guest speaker at the UNISON Labour Link forum in Manchester last year. Two things in particular struck me. One that he admitted to the forum that the Government did not get everything right. He would be listening to the Radio in the morning and hear about a government announcement and think “why on earth did we do that?” I thought at the time this was a brave thing for a Government minister to say. It was also something very much that I could relate to since I had also in the past choked on my branflakes at some of the things that I had heard the government get up to in the morning while listening to the radio!

The second things that struck me about Ed was that after his speech to Forum in the Q&A - the delegates got stuck in (as UNISON delegates do) with the questions and gave him a “bit of a hard time”. Yet Ed gave as good as he got and while passionate in his responses he was not rattled and in the end the forum organisers had to practically drag him off so they could move business on. Ed in the meanwhile told delegates that he wasn’t going to leave the conference venue and he wanted to continue the debate and invited questioners to carry on where they had left it outside the forum hall. Which he did!

It was a close race in West Ham but Ed was in the lead (just) on the 1st preferences but was confirmed as winner after the 2nd preference count.

On Sunday evening July 18 the West Ham (and East London) Labour movement will have a chance to judge the candidates at the Hustings (sponsored by UNISON who will invite affiliates to attend) that is due to take place in Stratford (home of the first ever Labour MP)

(Picture is of Ed Miliband at the East Ham meeting on June 11th - East Ham CLP have since also made a supportive nomination for Ed. I’ll post pictures of tonight’s event soon)