Yeovil TUC

Open letter concerning Industrial relations at Somerset County Council

2008-11-26T10:46:00.003Z

South West

UNISON House
South West
The Crescent
Taunton
Somerset TA1 4DU

Tel 0845 355 0845
Fax 01823 336013
http://www.unisonsouthwest.org.uk/

When telephoning please ask for: Ken Oasgood

20th November 2008

Open letter concerning Industrial relations at Somerset County Council

Dear Colleagues,

I am taking the unusual step of writing via Stewards to all members of the Somerset County Branch to provide you with information, about what you may have heard from informal sources, relating to serious allegations made against officials of your Branch.

The attached resolution was passed unanimously at an emergency meeting of your Branch Council on 13th November 2008. The resolution indicates the background against which severe pressure has been brought to bear by the Authority on some of your Stewards and Branch Secretary. One Steward has been dismissed, although an appeal is to be lodged, and two Stewards are to be interviewed as a part of an ongoing investigation. We understand your Branch Secretary will also be interviewed in the investigation and has been suspended from work by the Authority in the meantime. Regional full time officers are now dealing with their cases. Please send messages of support to the UNISON Branch Office in County Hall.

Thankfully many Stewards and Branch Officers are rallying round to maintain services to UNISON members.

I am not able to set out a full explanation of the facts and arguments in this letter because I am fearful of unwittingly prejudicing the consideration of your colleagues’ cases. However I believe you will wish to know what is at the root of the problem and the following is a brief summary.

In October 2008 UNISON took a case to an Employment Tribunal about our claim that the Authority failed to consult adequately with the union over the Southwest One contract. To prepare our case for the Tribunal our solicitors considered that it was essential to provide information about the employment status of certain groups of staff.

The information we supplied to our solicitors and they in turn supplied to the Tribunal is at the root of the problem.

Please be assured that the information submitted to the Tribunal was only to underpin the requested statistical analysis and the Branch was not aware that any public disclosure would take place.

The Authority’s investigation referred to above is concerned with how some of this information was obtained.

Until recently we believed relations between the Authority and the union were being conducted sensibly and rationally through dialogue between the Authority and regional and branch UNISON representatives. We are now clearly concerned about the deterioration in relations with the Council and the consequences for some of the individuals.

Your Branch has an excellent overall record of industrial relations with the Authority. Our role is to seek to protect our members’ interests and to challenge and test proposals about any aspect of the Authority’s business to this end. Good industrial relations are of immense benefit to Authorities such as Somerset.

It is vital for industrial relations to return to normal and issues to be handled proportionately. We are seeking ways to de-escalate the situation.

Ian Ducat
Regional Secretary

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Somerset County Branch of UNISON

Branch Council Meeting - Thursday 13th November 2008

Somerset County Branch policy – Southwest One

This Branch has campaigned continually to draw the attention of Councillors and senior managers to what it believes are significant drawbacks of a joint venture company to run a range of administrative services for Somerset County Council and others.

This Branch has commissioned independent research work that has provided advice to Councillors about the issues involved. It has advocated this advice to the Council and articulated its views through correspondence, presentations and discussions at Authority officer meetings, industrial relations consultation meetings and at the public speaking times of Council Boards and meetings.

This Branch has sought information from the Council about the proposals but, at all stages, access to information has been restricted such that the Freedom of Information mechanism for obtaining information has had to be used by the Branch.

In addition to considering that the general anxiety of the Branch about the proposals has been disregarded, the Branch believed that it had not been consulted properly over staffing issues at the time that the contract was signed to engage the Council with the joint venture company Southwest One and felt obliged to pursue its concern at an Employment Tribunal.

The Branch has conducted its campaign through its Branch Council of elected Branch Stewards and Officers. The Branch Secretary, as the leading officer of the Branch recognised for industrial relations liaison by the Council, has necessarily had an extremely prominent role in undertaking the campaign of the Branch, with the full support of the Branch endorsed at regular Branch Council and other meetings.

This Branch Council is extremely alarmed at the way in which its Branch Secretary and some Stewards have been treated by the Council since the closure of the Tribunal hearing. It believes that the treatment has been disproportionate and considers that an atmosphere of victimisation and corporate bullying has been created by the Council, so undermining the proper conduct of industrial relations. This conflicts with recent assurances given by senior Human Resources managers to regional and local UNISON officials that they wanted to build good industrial relations.

This Branch Council expresses its whole hearted confidence in its Branch Secretary, that he has undertaken his role in the campaign in good faith, with commitment and to the best of his ability.

This Branch Council anticipates that the regional and national tiers of UNISON will also be alarmed at the impact on industrial relations of an inadequately addressed instance of corporate bullying and instructs its officers to liaise with the South West Regional Secretary to ensure that the position is resolved in accordance with UNISON’s policies.

END

National Pensioners Convention Conference

2008-11-24T14:24:00.006Z

National Pensioners Convention (NPC) Conference100 Years of the Old Age Pension

The Conference took place at The Council House, College Green, Bristol on Saturday 22nd November 2008.Speakers included:

Charlotte Leslie Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Bristol North West (On right end of table)

Tim Lezard, Chair of South West Region TUC.

Stephen Williams Liberal Democrat MP for Bristol West.

NPC Vice-Chair (Centre)

Kerry McCarthy Labour MP for Bristol East.

Neil Duncan Jordan FTO for the NPC. (Standing)

The meeting was chaired by the National Vice-Chair of the NPC. In his opening remarks he said that of the 27 EU member states only Latvia, Cyprus and Spain have worse state pensions than Britain, while Britain is the fourth richest country in the world.

Kelly McCarthy said that in 1908 when the OAP was founded (after many years of extra-parliamentary campaigns and struggle) only 25% of people lived long enough to draw it and it was sustained by 14 workers to one pensioner. Today 80% survive to pensionable age and each pensioner supported by four workers.

Ms McCarthy say that 25% of all pensioners have incomes of £25k or more and that it is better to "target" the poorest pensioners by the Pension Credit Guarantee (PCG) - a means tested benefit. However, 2 million pensioners do not claim PCG they are entitled to. Labour is addressing this by improving winter fuel payments.

Stephen Williams suggest something like 36% of all claims for the PCG are incorrect:
41% of all pensioners don't claim the PCG
45% don't claim the Council tax rebate
18% don’t claim housing benefit.

The council tax is a big issue for many pensioners and Liberal Democrat policy is to replace it with a local income tax. The basic state pension is worth 15% of male median earnings.

Charlotte Leslie pointed out she is not yet an MP but she believes that older people have garnered great experience over the years and would be beneficial for them to continue working if they want to; don’t write off. We must:
Raise pensions
Refocus the National Insurance fund and make it simpler to claim.

Ms Leslie said that Labour’s taxation policy has put 2.5 million into fuel poverty. W must make it illegal to charge unfair payments for meters. We need to impose social tariffs on fuel companies.

Tim Lezard told the meeting that some ‘fat cats’ are getting pensions 25 times that of an ordinary workers pensions. Companies are closing pension schemes for workers while preserving those of the already very rich.

Neil Duncan Jordan said that in 1909, you could get your pension at the Post Office and condemned the PO closure programme. He also condemned the closure of local authority day centres, which in part is a failure of the Council tax, which itself is a big issue for pensioners. He said it should be replaced with a local income tax as advocated by the Liberal Democrats. Mr Jordan called for more on income tax. "The politics of ageing" needs further and deeper debate.

Life expectancy varies across the country and 20,000 people a year dies of cold related illness. You cannot currently claim carers allowance and the old age pension yet £18 billion is saved by voluntary carers. Means testing of care flags up the Victorian legacy of "the deserving and undeserving poor". We currently have the biggest means testing programme since World War 2. The bureaucracy around means testing often prevents it from reaching those who need it most. Administration of a means tested benefit costs ten times more to process than a universal one, and far more people would take it up.

Mr Jordan called for "Respect" to be backed up with real policy. He condemned David Blunkett’s remarks that working is good for you and that our homes are necessary to pay for our care in old age. Today there is £46 billion in the National Insurance Fund - in four years time there will be £140billion. He challenged the formula that in 1908 14 workers sustained one pensioner while today it is four worker sustaining one pensioners; that proves we are wealthier than ever and the wide economy can support the state pension. He said that the government are wrong to say that the surplus in the National Insurance Fund can be used to fund other things, people believe they are being conned over national insurance payments.

The Government found £500 billion at short notice to bail out the banks. The National Insurance is a hypothecated scheme, for pension, health, unemployment and industrial accident. The pension should allow workers, particularly those that have worked in hard manual jobs like mining building, road building, etc to have some dignity.

Inflation for pensioners is higher because they have to spend far more of their income. He called for the winter fuel payment to be increased to £500 - across the board. We must restore “the link” but the percentage raise should be to the higher of wages and prices, not just wages – it is the link to costs that is important.

Transport arrangements meant we had to leave early but there was considerable anger in the audience. One issue raised was the lack of attention paid to pensioner’s issues in the media, with the BBC taking the brunt of criticism as it is publicly owned.

50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution

2008-11-20T20:36:00.009Z

Celebrate the 50th anniversary celebration of the Cuban Revolution at The Labour Club, Central Road, Yeovil BA20 IJL (near bus station)

Friday 30th January 2009.
Door open 7:30pm

The Cuban Revolution refers to the revolution that led to the overthrow of the United States proxy ruler General Fulgenc io Batista's regime on January 1, 1959 by the 26th of July Movement and other revolutionary elements within the country. The Cuban Revolution also refers to the ongoing implementation of social and economic programs by the new government since the overthrow of the Batista dictatorship, including the implementation of Marxist policies.

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

One free Cuban Cocktail per person. Prize Draw. Promoter: Joe Conway.
D J, Dave C providing music. DVD presentation, Cuban speakers.

Tickets £5 per person. Contact Joe 07801 817963 or Mark 07791 989374 .

All proceeds toward Cuba Solidarity Campaign http://www.cuba-solidarity.org.uk/

Minutes for October 2008 meeting

2008-11-18T02:04:00.002Z

The minutes for the October meeting are now available.

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Yeovil & District 50+ Forum

2008-11-16T18:20:00.006Z

On Thursday 13th November 2008, the inaugural meeting was held of the Yeovil and District 50+ Forum at the Day Centre, South Street Yeovil:

A talk was given by Somerset County Council Welfare & Benefits Officer, Fiona Johnson
and finance officer, Robin Munday.

Chair: Len (Mac) Mc Cavish 01935 426542 and Secretary, Dorothy Bennett

objectives as part 2 of it's constituition.

2.1 promote the welfare and interests of older people within the Yeovil and surrounding Distict.
2.2 promote a positive image of older citezens.
2.3 help create opportunities for older people, whether through access to advice, services, or through specific project activities and initiatives.
2.4 be a democratic, non-sectarian, open and non-profit making organisation, that respects equality and human rights, regardless of creed, colour, ability or gender.
2.5 be an idependent forum. non-party political, and be able to act and liase with, bit not controlled by any local authority organisation.
2.6 provide a platform where matters of concern to and for older persons may be raised and appropriate poloicies for these concerns can be developed.
2.7 promote policies that benefit older people and put forward the views of our membership.
2.8 act as an unbrella organisation whem making reresentations to the County, District and Town Councils, or when requested in consultation processes by statutory authorities.
2.9 do such lawful things that shall further the attainment of the above objectives.

The next meeting will be a social event, with buffet 11th December 2008 at the Day Centre, South Street,Yeovil. Tickets available from the secretary £5 01935 426542

Banking crisis

2008-11-09T23:58:00.001Z

Take a look at Labour MP John McDonnell view on the UK banking bail out, click on this youtube link: http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=8-ClxSf3z4k

Other Trades Union Councils

2008-11-09T18:05:00.004Z

http://www.btuc.org.uk/Default.php Birmingham Trades Union Council

http://www.chelmsford-tuc.org.uk/

Chelmsford & District Trades Union Council is affiliated to the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the Essex County Association of Trades Councils

http://uk.geocities.com/swindontuc/ Swindon Trades Union Council website

Guest speaker

2008-11-06T17:23:00.003Z

Robin Head of The National Union of Teachers will give a talk on education issues concerning Trade Unionists; acadamies, testing etc. at the next meeting of Yeovil TUC, Wednesday 18th November 2008.

Meeting starts at 19:30hrs all Trade Unionists welcome.

PCS calls on government to avoid damaging strike

2008-11-01T23:04:00.005Z

The national executive committee (NEC) of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), today agreed the first stages of a programme of national industrial action across civil and public services over the government's public sector pay cap.

The union urged the government to come to the negotiating table to avoid damaging industrial action and review its public sector pay cap of 2%, which is resulting in pay cuts and pay freezes for some of the lowest paid in the public sector.

If there is no movement from the government then industrial action will begin with a one day UK civil service and public sector strike strike on 10 November, hitting passports, Jobcentres, Tax Credits, immigration and customs, as well as driving licences, coastguards, driving tests and museums.

"There is a three week opportunity to avoid damaging industrial action, where the government can pay heed to the Bank of England’s warning on the economic consequences that the squeeze on wages is having." Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary. (photo: Jess Hurd.)

The one day strike, which will be followed by an overtime ban throughout the civil service, comes as civil and public servants across the UK face mounting pressure on their finances as a result of the government’s public sector pay cap.

With one in five in the civil service earning less than £15,000 and thousands earning just above the minimum wage, the government’s policy of capping public sector pay has hit some of the lowest paid in the public sector the hardest. In October, at least six government departments and agencies, including coastguards and the Office for National Statistics, had to give emergency pay rises to lift earnings above the new national minimum wage rate.

The NEC also agreed outline plans for sustained and targeted industrial action that would stretch into next year in the different sectors of the civil service.

The NEC will meet after the one day strike on 10 November to discuss dates for the sectoral action should there be no breakthrough with the government.

Unlike other parts of the public sector, civil servants are doubly disadvantaged because ‘progression’ (moving from the minimum to the maximum of the pay range) is included in the government’s pay cap along with cost of living increases. Hence there is less money available to fund basic pay awards.

This year has already seen pay strikes hit jobcentres, passports, immigration and coastguards across the UK, as well as strikes in the Scottish courts service, museums and sportscotland.
PCS members have also co-ordinated their industrial action over pay with other public sector unions, including NUT, UCU and Unison.

Commenting, Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: “The everyday things we take for granted from passports and getting back into work, through to tax credits, coastguards and securing our borders are delivered by hardworking civil and public servants. Giving these people pay rises that take their wages to just 13 or 25 pence above the national minimum wage is unsustainable when you face double digit rises in food, fuel and housing costs.

“There is a three week opportunity to avoid damaging industrial action, where the government can pay heed to the Bank of England’s warning on the economic consequences that the squeeze on wages is having. The government has the opportunity to recognise that its own workforce is doubly disadvantaged by a punitive pay system, that sees coastguards receiving special pay rises because the minimum wage has gone up and nearly half of jobcentre workers receiving no pay rise whatsoever this year.”

NPC demonstration

2008-10-30T21:58:00.000Z

NATIONAL PENSIONERS’ CONVENTION

(www.npcuk.org)

COME AND COMMEMORATE THE CENTENARY OF THE INTRODUCTION OF THE STATE PENSION
and demand that the government keep its promise to restore the link between the pension and average earnings

AT

THE COUNCIL HOUSE, COLLEGE GREEN, BRISTOL

ON

SATURDAY 22ND NOVEMBER 2008
FROM
11AM TO 1PM.

FREE COACH TRANSPORT,
provided by the Yeovil & District Trades Union Council, leaves Unity Hall, Central Rd, Yeovil (opposite the Bus Station) at 9am. Please book in advance if possible to secure a seat. Phone Bill Byrd (01935) 476 642.

1908 – the State Pension was between 20 and 25% of average male earnings.

2008 – the State Pension is around 15% of average male earnings.

There will be a collection. Speakers include MPs from each of the three main parties.

ALL WELCOME – YOUNG AND OLD.

Yeovil TUC goes green

2008-10-29T22:33:00.006Z

Speaking at this month’s meeting of Yeovil Trades Union Council, Dave Osborne (Treasurer and delegate to the South West TUC Regional Council) reminded delegates that, “despite the current economic crisis we must not forget the problem of climate change. Future economic prosperity will depend on meeting the climate challenge. Unions recognise the importance of the shift to a low carbon economy and consider that greening the workplace is the first step to making this transition.” Yeovil TUC took this to heart and called for union members to get involved with South West TUC’s Green Workplaces Project.

Mr Osborne said that “environmental legislation and the pressure to reduce carbon emissions will start to change the UK economy over the coming decade. Yeovil TUC has expressed its concerns many times about the decline of manufacturing, whether it is the changing fortunes of local companies like Pittards and Westlands, or the general collapse of UK manufacturing. The pressure to move to renewable energy sources is growing and change is inevitable but in the past such significant changes have occurred in a chaotic manner, leaving ordinary working people and their communities to bear the brunt of economic change.”

“To avoid such chaos”, Mr Osborne said, “The TUC believes that working people must be intimately involved with their employers to ensure a ‘just transition’ to a low carbon economy. Failure to take this issue seriously could slow or even halt this urgent and vital process. International action is important, but developing countries cannot be expected to take action unless developed countries like the UK set an example. Individuals, communities, employers, unions, and governments all have a role to play in ensuring a just transition to a more carbon neutral lifestyle. Climate change is a problem that can only be solved by both individual and collective action.”

Nigel Costley, Regional Secretary for the South West TUC, recently said, 'Far from drawing back on cutting carbon emissions during the down-turn, we should step up training for new 'green' jobs and build the capacity of renewable energy, recycling and energy conservation. We should offer a range of skill development opportunities including those in sustainable construction, insulation, energy conservation, engineering skills in renewable energy and micro-generation, smart energy metering, energy advice, recycling, bio-fuels and public transport.'

Mr Osborne urged union members to support the Green Workplaces project recently launched by South West TUC. He said “this project encourages trade unionists to work with their employers in seeking improvements that reduce the environmental impact of businesses. The Green Workplaces team has already visited a number of union reps in the area to discuss the issues and are keen to speak to as many people as possible about the importance of this initiative.”

In closing, Mr Osborne told members that “a seminar entitled ‘Green and Decent Work’ is taking place at the University of Gloucestershire on Friday 14th November. Speakers include John Monks, General Secretary of the European TUC and Leslie Watson of Sustainability South West”.

Dave Osborne can be contacted c/o Yeovil TUC, Unity Hall, Yeovil, BA20 IJL. The TUC Green Workplaces project team can be contacted on 0117 947 0521.
For more details about the Green and Decent Work seminar see.

A copy of this press release can be downloaded as a Word 2007, Word 97-2003, PDF or an XPS file.

Minutes for September 2008 meeting

2008-10-15T01:26:00.001+01:00

The minutes for the September meeting are now available.

PDF

Bridgewater Pensioners' demonstration

2008-09-16T01:14:00.004+01:00

Minutes for August 2008 meeting

2008-09-14T17:40:00.002+01:00

The minutes for the August meeting are now available.

PDF

Bridgwater Pensioners March and Rally

2008-09-06T01:30:00.001+01:00

Bridgwater Pensioners March and Rally, Saturday September 13th.10.30am, Blake Gardens. (behind the town library).

If any Bridgwater TUC delegates can help members of the Bridgwater Senior Citizens Forum hand out leaflets at in Bridgwater for an hour this Saturday morning, please contact Phil Sealey of the BSCF his e-mail is philip.sealey@btopenworld.com.

Also, the Western region of the National Pensioners Convention is organising a rally at the Bristol Council House on Saturday November 22nd at 11 am to commemorate the introduction of the State Pension in 1908. In particular we will remember the rally held in Bristol in 1899 to launch the campaign for a State Pension. Similar rallies have been held this year in Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle and Glasgow. All these cities had rallies in 1899. Neil Duncan-Jordan, National Officer of the NPC and Tim Lezard, Chair of SWTUC will be the main speakers.

-Bob Jones, Secretary NPC South Central and West.

Speaker from Searchlight at next meeting

2008-09-06T01:29:00.000+01:00

Tim Lezard of NUJ and Chair of SWTUC and of anti-fascist organisation, Searchlight will give a talk at the next meeting of Yeovil TUC, Wednesdy 17th September 2008.

Yeovil & District Trades Council Oppose Plans for Local Tax Office

2008-09-01T22:03:00.001+01:00

At the August meeting of Yeovil & District Trades Council proposals to close Yeovil Tax Office were discussed. Real concerns were expressed regarding the assumption that all members of the public are comfortable with resolving issues using new technology, similarly with the closure of rural Post Offices. Although it was accepted that the use of computer information technology was increasingly being used. There are still large groups in society who would be disadvantaged, especially those on low incomes, if the option to actually speak to someone face to face was removed. This is very likely to happen if the proposals by HMRC go ahead.

PCS union members working in the Yeovil office have been campaigning hard to overturn any decision to withdraw from the town. This has involved working with David Laws MP, local politicians and businesses. Members of the public have been extremely supportive of the campaign to retain a presence in Yeovil and also to maintain current staffing levels.

Yeovil & District Trades Council have offered their full support to PCS union members fighting for their jobs and believe that any economic or so called efficiancy savings - driven by neo-liberal dogma, (which are extremely questionable) made by the department would be far outweighed by the detrimental impact on the public, the local economy and staff alike.

Minutes for July 2008 meeting

2008-08-16T01:53:00.002+01:00

The minutes for the June meeting are now available.

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South West TUC newsletter

2008-08-12T23:43:00.002+01:00

Here's this month's Unions South West newsletter.

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Somerset County Association of Trades Union Council minutes

2008-08-11T14:55:00.003+01:00

Below are the minutes of the Somerset County Association of Trades Union Council meeting held on the 24th of July.

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Joe Conway's report from his visit to Cuba

2008-07-18T17:27:00.001+01:00

Study tour of Cuba 21st June to 27th June 2008 by Joe Conway

I was privileged to be invited on this Study tour of Cuba by the Transport and General Workers Union region 2.

I have always supported Cuba my union branch is a long standing affiliate of Cuba solidarity, now having visited Cuba I realise how little I really knew about this countries struggle and the effect of the illegal blockade by the U.S.A.
We were staying in a luxury hotel the Nacionale, the grounds were beautiful and the hotel facilities were outstanding, our consolation for this self indulgence was that the hotel was owned publicly by the Cuban government, so our money was going to the Cuban people indirectly.

My first impression as we arrived in Havana city on the Sunday morning was the people appeared to be happy and full of life, with calypso music and bright colour clothing. We walked around Havana looking at the local history and land marks, most buildings carried pictures of Che Guevara or Fidel Castro the real heroes of the revolution which freed the Cuban people from the Batista dictatorship. We entered a bar for lunch and we were immediately entertained by a Cuban band which included a couple dressed in full Cuban costume, who danced throughout our stay, as we left they wished us well, it created a warm friendly atmosphere for a Sunday lunch time. This became the theme throughout the week happy people making music dancing and welcoming us to join in. We had intended to visit the Cuban National tobacco company but it was Sunday and the factory was closed, and we were all fairly tired after the ten hour flight from the UK the previous day. We finished the day in Havana Revolution Square where our delegation was photographed beneath a massive image of Che Guevara.

On Monday morning the real business started. This was transport week in Cuba. The week was dedicated to celebrate the Transport Union workers. We met with the leader of the transport unions in the Cuban equivalent of the TUC head office. He spoke with the aid of an interpreter, explaining to us the problems his union faced in not being able to manufacture new vehicles because of the lack of raw materials metals ect (due to the USA blockade) He stated his members had understood these issues and worked hard to perform with the various outdated transport they were forced to use. He thanked us for coming to Cuba in solidarity, and asked to remember the five Cubans imprisoned in the USA for alleged spying (this is a story on its own, which every work place we visited repeated, there is a separate leaflet which will be distributed with this report, needless to say we were all convinced these five are innocent and are being treated despicably by the American government)
We fitted in time to browse through the National Museum in Havana City which held newspaper articles and items from before and after the revolution. It illustrated what the Cuban people had suffered and how much the freedom fighters had sacrificed. There were still bullet holes in the wall at the entrance from the revolution. We found it very interesting there was a life like model of Che Guevara at the exit which was quite daunting, as it appeared the eyes followed you as you left the building.
In the late afternoon we meet with the head of the Cuban TUC who explained the way in which their parliament was elected and democratic process they used. In simple terms a road sweeper can be an MP but they will still revert back to his or her profession if they are not re-elected, and there is no fat cat pension.
It is doubtful you would become wealthy being a Cuban M.P as wages are low and fairly even throughout the professions.
He told us that British Trade Unions gave the most support to Cuba and we had the biggest delegation for this years Mayday rally. It was also stated that despite the blockade an agreement had been reached with China to purchase 100 buses. There was a general understanding that the need for public transport was vital to the road system and the movement of people in the country.
It seemed like a long day as we set out that evening to a rural village to a presentation of a newly open school, which had been constructed by the locals, also to meet with the local councillors of the area, but our spirits were lifted by the crowd who had turned up to greet us, it became a very humbling experience to be welcomed by such a friendly crowd. We were treated to children dancing and speeches from the local people, as we mingled with the locals they gave us fruit and rum punch. We took photos and the leader of our group (Andy Frampton) gave the teachers note pads and colouring pens which he had brought form the UK. The two local councillors were both young ladies. The Cuban spirit of solidarity was present throughout. There were the usual pictures of their heroes Che and Fidel. When we eventually left our farewell was as emotional as our welcome, people clapping and smiling I was asked by one of the locals if I would ever come back!

Tuesday was a hot day we visited a transport depot which had been given an award for its contribution to the counties transport needs. The leader of this group was a lady she had greeted us at the airport. She was a national union officer she introduced us to the depot’s senior union representative, he gave us a tour of the depot making the point that health and safety was a high priority on the unions agenda in their working practices, as it had been neglected in the drive to get the buses back on the road. To us it looked old fashioned and dangerous but we needed to understand how this illegal USA blockade effect’s their way of working, tooling and spare parts are precious. This was followed by a ceremony including a Military Parade, concluding with the awarding of gold medals to the staff, this was ordinary shop floor staff being awarded by the Government because of the depots achievements in keeping the public transport on the roads. This was no small achievement we witnessed the repairs and the work needed to maintain the vehicles. We mingled with the workers followed by a quick lunch. The strong welcoming feeling was presence throughout our stay.
We then travelled to the Aviation and Transport workers social club, which was originally built as a luxury holiday camp for the wealthy, since the revolution it had been given to the union for it members to enjoy free holidays. We were given a presentation and shown the swimming pool and beach, which we were allowed to use for our leisure in the afternoon, everyone was friendly and I enjoyed a long swim in the clear warm sea. That evening we had a pizza at a local restaurant.

On Wednesday we Travelled to Matanzas it was a two and a half hour coach trip we got up early and arrived around 9.30am at a working garage, This was a plant where the work consisted of fibre glass body work, paint spraying, a new storage building with stock and spares, and an engine fitting process where Mercedes Benz were providing engines to suit any vehicle (despite the blockade) We witnessed the Cuban mechanics adopting a brand new Mercedes engine into an old car! This was followed by a “mini Tolpuddle” outside on the grass bank of the plant, the workers stood and listened to speakers from a stage under the Cuban flag,

The ceremony ended with a certificate being awarded to one of the employees who had made an outstanding contribution on behalf of the plant. Andy Frampton gave a speech to the workers from the stage, which was well received and you could feel our attendance was appreciated.
We had joined in linking arms and singing some Cuban songs.
We then travelled into the City centre where we enjoyed a tour of the city and then on to a Taxi depot where we had a meal. This was the poorer part of the city, but the people appeared friendly and happy, one of the Taxis we saw was operating without a bonnet, which seemed perfectly normal to the locals. We shook hands and left in the knowledge that this illegal blockade was having a devastating effect on the poorer areas of Cuba, although they never mentioned or complained about it.
On the way back we stopped to enjoy a drink, Havana rum was available. I enjoyed a Pina Colada as we received the usual friendly welcome from the locals. We arrived back at our accommodation late evening and decided to have a snack in the hotel.

Thursday in the morning we took up an invite to visit the Cuban women’s section at their headquarters in the centre of Havana. We were greeted in the normal friendly fashion and given an in depth account of what the Cuban women’s section did, and how they were successfully elected to their Parliament, 48% of which were female. This had been achieved without any quotas or reserved seats. We were told this was third highest proportion in the world. As we left we were given a copy of the latest Cubans women’s magazine. Andy gave some more stationary and pens to the women’s officer which he had brought from the UK.

Thursday afternoon we visited the Havana City Centre Polly Clinic (Hospital) although the hospital was an old building, the hygiene was of a very high standard. We were met by the female doctor in charge of the clinic, she took us around the wards, although Havana City was suffering with a water shortage and some wards were closed. She explained that through their own research they developed a treatment, which if it had not fully cured people suffering from lung cancer it had certainly prolonged their life, because of the blockade drugs and medicine had to brought into the country via a third party, which incurred added expense, some medicines and treatments had been processed and developed in Cuba. We were also told that a vaccine had been discovered which prevented meningitis in children. We asked many questions about MRSA infections ECT. We were told did not exist in Cuban Hospitals. She closed by explaining that Malaria had also been eradicated from Cuba through research, however just thirty miles away in Jamaica it still posed a death threat. It has to be remembered this is basically a third world country which gives free health care to its citizen’s, dentistry is also free of charge in Cuba. We left thanking her for her valuable time and considering how advanced the Cuban medical set up was. In the evening we went to a restaurant for a meal with the Cuba solidarity Group once we were joined by the band with more music and dancing.

Friday our final day we took the coach to a school for children and adults with learning difficulties and downs syndrome. This turned out to be very emotional we met the teachers and were shown around the classroom. The pupils were happily making models and waved as we entered the classroom. We talked to them it was very enjoyable. The ratio of teacher to pupil is very low around six pupils to each teacher. As we left the classroom the pupils asked us to take a model each as a gift, which we all did carefully choosing something from the display cabinet.
The visit concluded with a small concert provided by the pupils and staff. They had set up a stage in the trees especially for us. We witnessed one of the pupils dancing, then we were treated to a mini piano recital by one of the older pupils. This was followed by another dance from a young girl who had suffered a breakdown she smiled throughout her performance. When she had finished she shook our hands and hugged us as we left. It showed us once again how much the Cuban government has put into education and health. I think all of us had a tear in our eye as we left.

In conclusion this was a real experience to our delegation. Andy Frampton is passionate about Cuba. He has set his sights on getting some buses to Cuba from the UK, knowing Andy I think this will happen. He did a sponsored bike ride around Cuba recently to raise money for the cause. I believe all of the members on this study tour felt we would like to do something extra by the end of the trip. I think as we were only there for a week (although we managed to get in so much in six days) it took time to adjust and understand the culture and value of their money. Natasha Hickman who led the delegation from Cuba solidarity was very helpful and well informed. Natasha and Andy had a slight advantage over us knowledge wise, both having visited Cuba before. To be fair we did hold a meeting the previous week in Transport house Bristol to discuss the tour. I spent sometime near the end of the tour discussing the culture and financial aspects with Natasha, which I found very helpful. I didn’t know you cannot buy a house in Cuba, all housing is allocated to Cuban people by the Government, the Cuban people also receive free provisions each week, such sugar, rice ECT. All the water, gas, and electricity companies are publicly owned. There is no big business in Cuba.
A conversation that took place with our interpreter/tour guide, a well educated Cuban lady named Wilma, summed up the Cuban people to me. It went as follows: Wilma asked the Ladies in our group “how many handbags they each owned”
In reply there were various numbers ten, twelve fifteen. Wilma stated “I only have one. That is all I need. I only have one pair of shoes, one blouse and one skirt, and I also have one pair of trousers for the winter, I wash my clothes each night and they are dry in the morning” That conversation says it all really.

In closing there was not much time for socialising, but I used to get up early, before breakfast and enjoy a walk through streets, I was always greeted with a wave and a big smile from the locals as they travelled along the roads on various two wheeled three wheeled, or even four wheeled cycles.

One evening we all decided to join the locals at the “Malecon Wall” where they gather in their thousands to enjoy themselves. The wall stretches right across Havana bay and is several miles long. The local youths gather and drink rum provided by some older guys selling it from wheelbarrows. There is the usual music and dancing which creates a lovely atmosphere. There are families and even babies involved. We joined in and had a very enjoyable night. There was not a hint of any trouble, even though the mixture of load music, young people dancing, and alcohol can be a very dangerous cocktail in the UK. It appeared to make everyone happier in Cuba. The locals approached us and asked where we came from; when we said England they cheered and encouraged us to join in. My biggest regret is that I didn’t go to Cuba earlier in my life.

National Shop Stewards Network report

2008-07-08T01:51:00.002+01:00

From Dave Osborne:

Dave Chapple opened the meeting by stating that the Shop Stewards Network (SSN) aims to be a politically independent movement open to anyone with a mandate from union members. This can be any form of workplace, or an elected officer of a Branch or Trades Council. I don’t consider myself a militant but I think it is important to support any organisation that could offer support to the members I represent (whether in the workplace, at Branch, or at Trades Council) when they are in dispute with their employers. On that basis I felt obliged to attend the meeting and report back.

Full time union officers attend the SSN by invitation and have no vote. Some are supportive, some less so, and some oppose the group’s existence. Bob Crowe (RMT) is head of the union that sparked the idea of the SSN. He told the meeting that we need a vibrant reps network to combat the excesses of employers and to support workers in the workplace, that is why he called on all unions to support the RMT’s efforts to give English Trades Councils voting rights a the Trades Union Congress.

Onay ‘Kas’ Kasab (Unison) talked about the importance of democracy within the union movement. Kas is one of four reps accused by Unison of campaigning against the leadership because they distributed a leaflet highlighting the number of motions submitted to their policy conference that were ruled out of order (50% this year).

Karen Resissmann (Unison) was a shop steward sacked because of her union activity who wanted to thank the union members who went on strike for 42 days trying to get her reinstated, and to thank those trade unionists from around the country who had sent messages of support that were much appreciated by thos involved in the dispute.

Brian Caton (POA) said he would make no apology for the work his members do and they play an important role in protecting all of us from dangerous criminals. Not everything is rosy in the prison service but they have made headway and their members tell the officers what to do. Brian called for the TUC to campaign harder for trade union freedoms; he will ask the TUC to call for a national strike and urged us all to choose freedom and to be prepared to break bad laws.

The meeting was then opened up for delegates to give their own experiences:

A member from USDAW said that all labour governments that have called for wage restraint go on to lose the next election. Union leaders must realise that ‘partnership’ with employers usually means low wages for members.
A member from the CWU said he’d been sacked allegedly for an article he wrote for the socialist Worker but in reality because he’d been successful in getting a 15% rise for workers in his call entre.
A Unite worker from the voluntary sector spoke about how many members have to bid for workers against the private sector, which results in a direct attack on pay and conditions.
Another Unite member told us how the Chief Executive of Argos got a 58% pay rise and expected workers to accept rises that are less than inflation.
A UCU member from Cardiff said that university lecturers had only achieved parity with teachers as a result of industrial action. If you try you may win, if you don’t try you definitely won’t win.

Workshop – the crisis in political representation

Given that we are in a Lib Dem stronghold and Unite continues to support the Labour Party this seemed the obvious workshop to attend. Speakers said that the policies of the three main parties are as close as were the Tories and the Liberals when Labour was founded, it may therefore be the time to found a new party to represent working people. New Labour is not radical, they are too soft on the rich and the few policies that help working people are designed to deflect our anger rather than deal with real issues:

Immigration and the inadequate facilities for handling it will feed the flames of racism and hand votes to the BNP unless we have a proper political organisation to help working people.
Climate change cannot be fought if we concentrate on appeasing business, capitalism depends on oil and the focus on biofuels is triggering a world wide food crisis.

John Rogers from the Labour Representation Committee said that there are people in the Labour Party that are on our side and we need to use them but even he could not defend the Party’s recent record.
said pointed out that over 90% of pay awards are below RPI but the government still blames pay rises for inflation. Respect was pushed forward as the answer to the problem of political representation but it was built on a compromise. We need the union leaders who have broken with the labour party to form a new party now. (A rally to discuss this issue was due to take place the next day.)

Final plenary

Linda Taafte said that there had been over 200 delegates at the conference and 75 visitors, similar numbers to last year. During the year regional conferences had been held in most areas and have supported most major events in the union movement. It is up to delegates what happens to the movement but it urgently needs finance.

The meeting was opened once again for members to have their voice. The main message coming out was a call to campaign with union leaders if possible or without if necessary.

A speaker from the American Longshoreman’s union then talked about a strike that closed every port on the West Coast in protest at American involvement in the wars in Iraq. As a result they are now under attack from their own government.

Janice Godritch from the PCA then stepped in to replace General Secretary Mark Serwotka who was speaking in the Left field at Glastonbury. Janice started by saying that while much has been said about the situation of public service workers she wanted to stress the importance of the private sector, and especially the fate of agency workers who are increasingly hired as casual labour on a daily basis; individuals often incur significant expenses in getting to sites that may offer work for the day that they cannot get back if they are not chosen on the day.

Unfortunately, so many people had overrun their allotted time during the day that I had to leave before Janice finished. It proved to be a long and tiring day but I’m glad to have made the effort to attend and report back on what I think are some important issues.

Bristol TUC Public Services meeting

2008-07-07T17:24:00.003+01:00

The Bristol Trades Union Council will be holding a meeting regarding the Public Services not Private Profit campaign to defend public services against privitisation.

It will take place at Transport House, Victoria Street, Bristol at 19:00 on Wednesday the 23rd of July.

Minutes for June 2008 meeting

2008-07-07T17:19:00.004+01:00

The minutes for the June meeting are now available.

Word (Open XML)

Word (binary)

PDF

XPS

VOSA and Road Safety: A Matter of Public Concern, Not for Private Profit

2008-07-02T22:35:00.004+01:00

PCS, Prospect and Unite are the three unions representing staff in the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA). VOSA is an Executive Agency of the Department of Transport.

VOSA has responsibility for road safety and in the exercise of its duties the Agency carries out a number of functions:

Oversight of the MoT certificate system for cars
Annual Inspection of Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV’s)
Annual Inspection of Public Service Vehicles (PSV’s)
Road Side checks on HGV’s and PSV’s

We are deeply concerned about proposals to outsource VOSA functions and the implications this could have for road safety.

The impartiality and professionalism of the Agency’s staff is widely valued and respected by road hauliers and public service vehicle operators alike.

We believe any move to outsource the functions of VOSA would threaten the integrity and independence of the inspection regime and go against the Government’s stated objectives on road safety.

On Friday 27th June, the Department for Transport Board are due to recommend a decision on outsourcing the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency to the Secretary of State. This decision could have profound implications for road safety in Britain.

All the Trade Unions representing staff at VOSA call upon the Board to firmly reject any proposals to outsource the work of the Agency.

Before taking any decision we invite the Board to -

Demand that they are given sight of the full Outline Business Case – a document riddled with contradictions and absurd assumptions.
Consider the private sector record on Vehicle Testing: in Britain: 12.6% of the private cars on our roads have been incorrectly granted a valid MOT certificate
Note that in the EU, including France and Germany, testing of HGV’s and PSV’s is carried out by private sector organisations: 47.7% of HGV’s inspected on arrival from the EU had prohibition notices as they were unfit to be on our roads.
A spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers said:
“Around 400 people are killed annually in UK lorry accidents. Foreign lorry drivers are putting lives at risk by overworking, using vehicles with serious faults and overloading their trucks” Chief Superintendent Geraint Anwyl
Remember that VOSA exists to “save lives, create safer roads, cut crime and protect the environment”.
Ask how outsourcing the functions of the Agency will contribute to the aims of VOSA and the stated Government targets on road safety?
Question why Board members are being asked to consider outsourcing work at a time when the Irish Government have decided to move in the opposite direction: -
“Huge number of unsafe buses and trucks are on our roads”
“Private testing system for HGVs has hit the skids”. Headlines from the Irish Independent, Saturday 9th February 2008

We would like to encourage all Members of Parliament to demand that copies of the VOSA full Outline Business Case for outsourcing should be placed in the House of Commons library so that MPs can scrutinise and challenge the flawed case for outsourcing VOSA’s functions. We want full and proper public scrutiny of what is being proposed.

Thank you for your continued interest in this issue

VOSA Flyer			PDF
PCS Newsbrief 3 July 2008			PDF