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Friday, 30 January 2015
Greek Elections - UCU Congress resolution
Monday, 26 January 2015
Greens support Syriza
http://www.theguardian.com/
Green MEPs hailed the result as a victory for the forces opposed to austerity. Keith Taylor, Green MEP for South East England, and Molly Scott Cato, MEP for South West England, said: “The result of the Greek elections has shown that the people of Greecehave taken a strong stand against the politics of austerity. Greens share the view of the new government that austerity is a failed model which has piled misery on the poorest while making the wealthiest even richer. This result shows that challenging business as usual politics can win the support of the people.
“We hope the Greek election result marks the beginnings of ordinary people standing up to a discredited economic model and failing Governments across Europe.”
Friday, 23 January 2015
NHS Day of Action *Thursday 29 January – 9am – 9pm*
*To our hardworking health workers and support staff,*
*We would like to express our solidarity as you begin four weeks of strike
action. You have done an incredible job of holding our health service
together in extremely difficult times, and you deserve to be paid fairly
for the work that you do. *
*The NHS is in crisis and urgently needs more funding. We are committing to
provide an extra £12bn of core funding every year to the NHS, to support
and restore services and pay, improve mental health care, and make vital
updates and improvements. We are also supporting a bill to reinstate the
NHS as a service that is publicly-owned and publicly-run, without the
pressure of creeping privatisation. Thank you for fighting for the NHS,
which benefits all of us and needs our protection.*
*Wishing you every success for current and future campaigns,*
*The Green Party Trade Union Group
NHS strike action in England
UNISON members in the NHS in England are taking strike action.
Strike:
Thursday 29 January – 9am – 9pm
(Except ambulance workers who are on strike midday to midnight on 29
January)
Three good reasons to take part
*1. What we are asking for is reasonable *
UNISON wants the NHS to be properly funded so that it can have enough staff
who are well motivated and fairly paid. Our campaign is for:
-
immediate payment of the 1% consolidated sum to everyone, as recommended
by the NHS Pay Review Body
-
the Living Wage of £7.65 an hour for low-paid staff
-
an above inflation pay rise for 2015-16
-
a commitment to future pay rises that will restore the value of
NHS pay.
*2. If you take part, the action will be more successful *
Following the successful action in October, we need to keep pressure on the
government and make them listen to us and think again about pay. Please
take part. Talk to your branch and steward about the plans for action in
your workplace.
*3. If we can’t make the government think again, more misery is in store
for you *
The Pay Review Body has already been told it won’t be able to recommend an
increase for you next year either. It was 2009 when you last had a pay rise
which kept up with
the cost of living. The government also has plans to make changes to
unsocial hours pay.
You have been telling us you feel undervalued and demoralised. It’s time to
stand together in UNISON and take further action for fair pay for the NHS.
You can’t afford not to.
*We would like to express our solidarity as you begin four weeks of strike
action. You have done an incredible job of holding our health service
together in extremely difficult times, and you deserve to be paid fairly
for the work that you do. *
*The NHS is in crisis and urgently needs more funding. We are committing to
provide an extra £12bn of core funding every year to the NHS, to support
and restore services and pay, improve mental health care, and make vital
updates and improvements. We are also supporting a bill to reinstate the
NHS as a service that is publicly-owned and publicly-run, without the
pressure of creeping privatisation. Thank you for fighting for the NHS,
which benefits all of us and needs our protection.*
*Wishing you every success for current and future campaigns,*
*The Green Party Trade Union Group
NHS strike action in England
UNISON members in the NHS in England are taking strike action.
Strike:
Thursday 29 January – 9am – 9pm
(Except ambulance workers who are on strike midday to midnight on 29
January)
Three good reasons to take part
*1. What we are asking for is reasonable *
UNISON wants the NHS to be properly funded so that it can have enough staff
who are well motivated and fairly paid. Our campaign is for:
-
immediate payment of the 1% consolidated sum to everyone, as recommended
by the NHS Pay Review Body
-
the Living Wage of £7.65 an hour for low-paid staff
-
an above inflation pay rise for 2015-16
-
a commitment to future pay rises that will restore the value of
NHS pay.
*2. If you take part, the action will be more successful *
Following the successful action in October, we need to keep pressure on the
government and make them listen to us and think again about pay. Please
take part. Talk to your branch and steward about the plans for action in
your workplace.
*3. If we can’t make the government think again, more misery is in store
for you *
The Pay Review Body has already been told it won’t be able to recommend an
increase for you next year either. It was 2009 when you last had a pay rise
which kept up with
the cost of living. The government also has plans to make changes to
unsocial hours pay.
You have been telling us you feel undervalued and demoralised. It’s time to
stand together in UNISON and take further action for fair pay for the NHS.
You can’t afford not to.
Wednesday, 21 January 2015
Monday, 19 January 2015
London Green Party– Monday 19th January 2015 passes Motions to support NHS and housing demos.
London Green Party– Monday 19th January 2015 passes Motions
to support NHS and housing demos.
MOTION “The London Federation of Green Parties resolves to
support defend London’s NHS ‘s ‘use your vote for the NHS’ rally on March 10th at Hammersmith
town hall and agrees to add its name to publicity advertising the event.”
Proposed by Pete Murry Brent Green Party
APPEAL FOR SUPPORT FOR USE YOUR VOTE FOR THE NHS LONDON
RALLY RECEIVED FROM
DEFEND LONDON'S NHS BY BRENT GREEN PARTY
DEFEND LONDON’S NHS
USE YOUR VOTE FOR THE NHS
LONDON RALLY 10 MARCH
HAMMERSMITH TOWN HALL
We are writing to ask for your support for a London wide
"Use your vote for the NHS" rally.
This has been called by a number of London NHS campaigns
meeting at the London Keep Our NHS
Public coordinating meetings last year.
The rally will bring together campaigns from across London
in a very public way aiming to make a big enough splash to help ensure the NHS and our demands to
defend it become a key election issue.
Save Our Hospitals (Hammersmith and Charing Cross) campaign
has agreed to host it and the council have made Hammersmith town hall available. The plan is for a
broad platform of speakers reflecting the campaigns across London.
This needs to be a big event to reflect the scale of the
attacks on London's NHS and to help promote
successful campaigns to overturn them. It will bring
together the mix of members of the public, health and disability campaigners,
health professionals, trade unionists and politicians working together to defend
it.
We have booked Hammersmith Town hall from 7.30pm on March
10th.
We would like to ask your campaign or organisation to back
the rally. Please let us know as soon as
possible if we can add your campaign’s name to the publicity
advertising the event.
If you would like further information please call Anne
Drinkell on 07854 467 373
Supporters so far:
Save Our Hospitals (Hammersmith and Charing
Cross)
Defend the Whittington Hospital Coalition,
Save Lewisham Hospital Campaign,
Defend Haringey Health Services
Newham Save Our NHS,
Save our Surgeries, Ealing Save Our NHS,
Waltham Forest Save Our NHS,
Brent Fightback
Hackney KONP, Camden KONP, Tower
Hamlets KONP, Islington KONP,
London Health Emergency,
Peoples' Vote 4 NHS
Brent Trades Council,
Central London Community Health Joint reps
Committee,
Kensington CLP,
Andy Slaughter MP
Dr Jacky Davis,
Dr Ron Singer,
Dr Jackie Turner,
Dr Louise Irvine,
Dr John Lister,
RehanaAzam ,
Frank Wood Unite EC (Health)
Bruce Kent
MOTION to Support the March for Homes
MOTION “The London Federation of Green Parties supports the
March for Homes and its call on Boris Johnson and London councils to start building the thousands
of new council homes we need, control private rents and stop the demolition of homes currently
threatening over fifty estates.
The March for Homes will be the next step in the growing
fight for decent, really-affordable, secure
housing for all Londoners. We will ensure that this is an
election issue in 2015.”
Proposed by Dave Plummer Lewisham Green Party
Government policies are stoking up the housing crisis
blighting the lives of Londoners, with subsidies to lenders and developers,
while tenants’ rights are undermined.
Over 344,000 are on council waiting lists. The average house
price is sixteen times the average
Londoner’s salary. Expensive, insecure and often poor
quality private renting has become the only
option for a quarter of us.
Private property developers are driving policy of Ministers
and the London Mayor, building homes that few can afford, while many are forced
to move out of the city. Our broken housing policy is damaging our communities.
The March for Homes is demanding change. Tenants, trade
unionists and housing campaigners from all tenures and all parts of London will
call on Boris Johnson and London councils to start building the thousands of new council homes we need, control private
rents and stop the demolition of homes
currently threatening over fifty estates.
The March for Homes will be the next step in the growing
fight for decent, really-affordable, secure
housing for all Londoners. We will ensure that this is an
election issue in 2015.
Join the March for Homes from Elephant & Castle
Shoreditch 12 noon Saturday 31st January 2015.
Dave Plummer London Green Party Campaigns Coordinator
Saturday, 17 January 2015
Brighton Green Party passes motion supporting 'No Cuts' budget
BREAKING NEWS! Brighton Green Party passes motion supporting 'No Cuts'
budget - Join the resistance
This is the full and final text (below)
of the No Cuts motion passed by a large majority at a quorate and ell attended meeting
of the Brighton & Hove Green Party today.
The General Meeting sets
policy for the party, but cannot "instruct" Green Councillors.However,
given that the General Meeting is "the primedecision making
and organisational body for the BHGP", and has now made this vital
policy decision, the party expect Green -Councillors to abide by it, and
if they feel they cannot, to step down. It remains to be seen what will
happen when the Budget comes up for decision in late February, but the local -party has
now made its position very clear - Green Councillors should not vote for
any cuts budget or abstain so as to allow one to pass; and after this
the party and councillors should lead a campaign of resistance to
imposed cuts. If Green Councillors vote for a cuts budget of any
kind then they would be defying the clear and democratically expressed
wish and policy of the local party.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This General Meeting notes the Motion passed unanimously (with one
abstention) at the December 2015 General Meeting that the Brighton &;
Hove Green Party supports the production of an alternative Budget for
2015-16 that would protect local services and
The cuts to local services required to "balance the budget"
for 2015-16 are the direct result of massive and unprecedented cuts by
central government to the local government support grant, cuts which
could mean a further cut to the Brighton & Hove budget of over
£100 million by -2020. This will effectively destroy
local services as we know them.
The cuts required to balance the budget for 2015-16 alone would
require a restoration of more than -£20 million of government
grant or a Council Tax rise of over 20%. The proposed 5.9% Council Tax
We are now seeing a "Green surge" and rising membership
especially amongst younger voters, the –primary reason for which is our
inspiring anti-austerity message. If the only example in the UK of the Green
Party in office were to implement a large cuts budget just before the 2015
General Election that would disillusion and alienate many of those
new supporters. It is likely it would severely damage not only the local
party but the national party's prospects in the
election. The Brighton & Hove Green Party will not
support any Brighton & Hove -Council Budget for 2015-16 that makes further
cuts to local services.
We support a no cuts budget identifying how much government grant now
needs to be returned to Brighton & Hove to avoid horrendous damage
to local services. It is therefore the policy of
The Brighton & Hove Green Party advocates a strategy of complete
resistance to implementing further cuts to local services, including
A massive communications campaign to explain a) why the Green Party is
adopting this policy,
Refusal to assist any officials sent by DCLG to enforce a cuts
budget upon Brighton &Hove,and wide publicity to explain this refusal.
Working with the Brighton & Hove People's Assembly, local campaign groups
and trade unions -to publicise and implement this strategy and to create a
focus of resistance to cuts and the austerity
We support a no cuts budget identifying how much government grant now needs to be returned to Brighton & Hove to avoid horrendous damage to local services. It is therefore the policy of
Thursday, 15 January 2015
PRIVATISATION AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY
|
DATE
14th Jan 2015
|
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PRIVATISATION
AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY
In a shock announcement in the run up to Christmas
the National Gallery told 400 of its 600 staff they are to be taken over by a
private company. These staff are responsible for the security of the paintings
and the public, provide information about the collection, organise school bookings
and look after the millions of visitors each year.
National Gallery steps up the attacks
Gallery managers walked away from talks aimed at
avoiding privatisation and dismissed the possibility of an in-house
alternative. They have now aggressively stepped up their attacks.
· On 19 January a private
company CIS will be brought in to take over the services in a third of the
gallery without consultation or tendering.
CIS staff are told that it is not their job to give information to the
public about the paintings on show in the gallery!
· The National Gallery
issued a legal challenge to prevent strikes against privatisation over the
Christmas holidays.
PCS is now balloting members in a statutory
ballot that will run until 23rd January and plan to start with five
days of strike action in February.
HOW
YOU CAN HELP
Circulate
this briefing to your members and ask them to take the following actions:
·
Emergency Protest
against backdoor privatisation Monday 19 January 6pm
At
National Gallery Trafalgar Square on the day CIS private company is brought in
·
Ask your MP to support
the campaign
Such
serious plans should not be pushed through just before an election. Ask your MP to back Early Day
Motion 300 and come to the PCS briefing on Wed 28 January 10:30-12:00 House of
Commons room W1. Click here to email
your MP:
·
Make a donation to our
strike fund - Thanks to those who already donated over £6000! Any donations or collections will help the campaign succeed.
Donate to Sort code 086001 Account no 20169002 or cheques
to Culture Sector Hardship Fund, c/o PCS North West Region, Jack Jones House,1 Islington,
Liverpool L3 8EG.
·
Sign and share our petition –
let’s make it 50,000!
·
Join our mailing list or facebook
page
If you require this
publication in any other format, please contact the Bargaining Group Office on
Tel: 0151-298 3900, or email CULTURESECTOR@PCS.ORG.UK
and this service can be arranged for you.
In Solidarity,
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Paul Bemrose
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Negotiations Officer
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Wednesday, 14 January 2015
Solidarity Action with Greece Sat 17 Jan
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UCU London Retired Members update
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‘USE YOUR VOTE FOR THE NHS’ RALLY ON MARCH 10TH
THE LONDON FEDERATION OF GREEN PARTIES RESOLVES TO SUPPORT DEFEND LONDON’S NHS ‘S ‘USE YOUR VOTE FOR THE NHS’ RALLY ON MARCH 10TH AT HAMMERSMITH TOWN HALL AND AGREES TO ADD ITS NAME TO PUBLICITY ADVERTISING THE EVENT.
END OF MOTION
APPEAL FOR SUPPORT FOR USE YOUR VOTE FOR THE NHS LONDON RALLY RECEIVED FROM DEFEND LONDON'S NHS BY BRENT GREEN PARTY
DEFEND LONDON’S NHS
USE YOUR VOTE FOR THE NHS
LONDON RALLY 10 MARCH
HAMMERSMITH TOWN HALL
We are writing to ask for your support for a London wide "Use your vote for the NHS" rally.
This has been called by a number of London NHS campaigns meeting at the London Keep Our NHS Public coordinating meetings last year.
The rally will bring together campaigns from across London in a very public way aiming to make a big enough splash to help ensure the NHS and our demands to defend it become a key election issue.
Save Our Hospitals (Hammersmith and Charing Cross) campaign has agreed to host it and the council have made Hammersmith town hall available. The plan is for a broad platform of speakers reflecting the campaigns across London.
This needs to be a big event to reflect the scale of the attacks on London's NHS and to help promote successful campaigns to overturn them. It will bring together the mix of members of the public, health and disability campaigners, health professionals, trade unionists and politicians working together to defend it.
We have booked Hammersmith Town hall from 7.30pm on March 10th.
We would like to ask your campaign or organisation to back the rally. Please let us know as soon as possible if we can add your campaign’s name to the publicity advertising the event.
If you would like further information please call Anne Drinkell on 07854 467 373
Supporters so far:
Save Our Hospitals (Hammersmith and Charing Cross)
Defend the Whittington Hospital Coalition,
Save Lewisham Hospital Campaign,
Defend Haringey Health Services
Newham Save Our NHS,
Save our Surgeries, Ealing Save Our NHS,
Waltham Forest Save Our NHS,
Brent Fightback
Hackney KONP, Camden KONP,
London Health Emergency,
Peoples' Vote 4 NHS
Brent Trades Council,
Central London Community Health Joint reps Committee,
Kensington CLP,
Andy Slaughter MP
Dr Jacky Davis,
Dr Ron Singer,
Dr Jackie Turner,
Dr Louise Irvine,
Dr John Lister,
RehanaAzam ,
Frank Wood Unite EC (Health)
Bruce Kent