Tuesday, 26 August 2014

the next UCU London Retired Members branch meeting etc

TUC March and Rally

Saturday 18th October
Please put this in your diary, the branch banner will be there.

September 15th Walk

Details of the September Walk, can be downloaded from here...
And the next UCU London Retired Members branch meeting will be on Thursday September 25th, 2pm-4pm at the union's Carlow Street offices. Directions from here...
Copyright © 2014 UCU London Retired Members Branch, All rights reserved.
UCU London Retired Members Branch - members and supporters

Our mailing address is:
UCU London Retired Members Branch
53 Fladgate Road
Leytonstone, London E11 1LX
United Kingdom

Monday, 25 August 2014

NW London GMB backs TTIP fight ahead of Saturday's Day of Action

Monday, 25 August 2014 from Wembley Matters


NW London GMB backs TTIP fight ahead of Saturday's Day of Action


The campaign organisation 38 Degrees LINK is holding a Day of Action on TTIP (Transatlantic
Trade and Investment Partnership) on Saturday August 30th. (More information below) There
is more about TTIP and video of a public meeting on the issue on the excellent Haringey Green
party website. LINK

Here in North West London the GMB has called for a campaign of opposition in a motion passed
last month:
This North West London GMB branch notes with alarm that an EU/US Transatlantic 
trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is being negotiated by the EU Commission on
behalf of the EU member states  - and due to be partly completed by December 2014.

TTIP, if signed, will give multinational companies the right to sue governments over
regulations that the companies object to - under 'investtor-state-dispute-settlement'
(ISDS) rules - outside and above the courts and parliaments of the EU member states.

TTIP focuses on removing the regulations covering labour laws, food contents,
environment standards and protections, working conditions and state-provided health
           and education services.

The TTIP negotiations, secret up to now, are a direct threat to existing standards
and Trade Union collective bargaining. They signify privatisation on a massive scale
and threaten the most essential rights won by the working class after generations of
           struggles.

This North West London GMB branch calls on the GMB leadership to help animate a
national campaign of opposition to TTIP and stimulate all GMB affiliated Labour Party
branches and Trades Councils to do the same.

This GMB branch resolves to send this resolution to all its own affiliated Trades Council
and Labour Parties.

The 38 Degrees website has published useful downloadable campaign materials.
This is from their blog:

If you’ve volunteered to get the word out on TTIP (the Transatlantic Trade and Investment
Partnership) during the 38 Degrees day of action on Saturday 30th August, you’re not alone
 – and here are all the important materials you’ll need.

Thousands of 38 Degrees members will be handing out leaflets, getting petition signatures
and making sure people know about this terrible trade deal between the EU and the US. 
There are over 200 events happening across the UK and there’s still time to get involved.

Here are copies of the leaflets, posters, stickers and badges you can hand out on the day.
Everyone who has signed up to volunteer will also get a pack of these in the post late next week. 
There will be 100 leaflets plus a poster, badge, sticker and petition in each posted pack.

To download copies of these online, please click the links below:

A5 leaflet


A3 poster


Badge


Bumper sticker


Petition

Feel free to print out or photocopy any of these. There is also a Welsh language flyer
coming soon  If you want any extra materials posted to you, please just drop the staff
 team an email.

If you can’t download the PDF versions of the materials below, here are JPEG copies:

A5 flyer front
A5 flyer back
A3 poster
Badge
Bumper Sticker
Petition front
Petition back

Friday, 22 August 2014

LOT Polish Airlines has sacked Andrzej Jeżewski,

LOT Polish Airlines has sacked Andrzej Jeżewski, the Vice President of its cabin crew union, in an attempt to disrupt ongoing collective bargaining negotiations.
This is a brazen violation of trade union rights -- and is part of a broader offensive by Polish employers which are now the subject of three ongoing LabourStart campaigns.
Please show your support for Andrzej Jeżewski and his union
http://www.labourstartcampaigns.net/show_campaign.cgi?c=2452

Monday, 18 August 2014

GPTU Fun(d)raiser 23/8/2014


Green Party Trade Union group
 
Fun(d)raiser 

Social/quiz/raffle/auction
Almost Amazing prizes
 
Some refreshments (byo)
 
Saturday 23/8/2014   7.00pm
at  Development House,
56-64 Leonard Street,
London EC2A 4LT
(Old Street Tube)

Wednesday, 13 August 2014

Climate campaigners are supporting actions for fair fares and public ownership,


Dear Friends

On Tuesday 19 August, we will find out how much our already over-priced train tickets will increase in the New Year.  In order to combat global warming  it is necessary to invest in railways.  85% of global CO2 transport emissions  come from cars, planes and trucks.  Planes produce eight to eleven times the CO2 of high speed rail and lorries emit about six times more CO2 than trains for every ton carried. Radical improvement to the rail services are required if we are going to replace air and road travel.

Climate campaigners are supporting actions for fair fares and public ownership, in London and at railway stations around the country with alongside  friends at Action for Rail , Bring Back British Rail, We Own It, the People’s Assembly,  and the All on Board Compass campaign.

The following stations have actions planned for August 19:
·         Bedford station, Bedfordshire: 5pm – 8pm
·         Burton-on-Trent station, Staffordshire: 4pm – 5.30pm
·         Carlisle station, Cumbria: 7.30am – 8.30am
·         Chelmsford station, Essex: 7.30am – 9am
·         Cross Gates station, Leeds: 7.30am – 8.30am
·         Derby station: 7.30am – 9am
·         Dewsbury station, Yorkshire: 7.30am – 8.30am
·         Doncaster station, Yorkshire: 7.30am – 8.30am
·         Exeter Central station: 7am – 9.30am
·         Exeter St Davids station: 7am – 9.30am
·         Farnborough station, Hampshire: 7am – 9am
·         Garforth station, Leeds: 7.30am – 8.30am
·         Guildford station, Surrey: 7.30am – 9am
·         Hebden Bridge station, Yorkshire: 7.30am – 8.30am
·         Hexham station, Northumberland: 7.30am – 8.30am
·         Harlow station, Essex: 6am – 9am
·         Keighley station, Yorkshire: 7.30am – 8.30am
·         Ilford station, East London: 8am – 9am
·         King’s Lynn station, Norfolk: 7.30am – 10am
·         Leeds station: 7.30am – 8.30am
·         Liverpool Lime Street station: 7.30am – 9.30am
·         London King’s Cross station: 7.30am – 9.00am
·         Manningtree station, Essex: 6pm – 8pm
·         Newcastle station: 7.30am – 8.30am
·         Norwich station: 6am – 10am
·         Preston Park station, East Sussex: 6.05am – 9.15am and 5.45pm – 7.50pm
·         Redcar Central station, Redcar & Cleveland: 7.30am – 8.30am
·         Southampton Central station: 5.30am – 8.30am
·         Sheffield station: 7.30am – 8.30am
·         Stafford station, Staffordshire: 7.30am – 9am
·         Stoke-on-Trent station, Staffordshire: 7.30am – 9am; 12noon – 1pm; 4.30pm – 6pm
·         Sudbury station, Suffolk: 6.15am – 8am
·         Thornaby station, Yorkshire: 7.30am – 8.30am
·         Wareham station, Dorset: 8am – 10am
·         Weymouth station, Dorset: 6.45am – 8.45am
·         Woking station, Surrey: 5pm – 6.30pm
·         Wolverhampton station, West Midlands: 7am – 9am
·         York station: 7.30am – 8.30am
Action for Rail are updating the list regularly so please do keep checking on theAction for Rail page, and updated on the Facebook page.
In addition to handing out leaflets the plan is to have several A2 card placards at each station linking then railways and the climate change issue. See the attached. If you would like some sent to you please contact AfR@campaigncc.org and let us have your postal address.

Sunday, 10 August 2014

Care UK strikers bring pay dispute to London

08 Aug 2014 15:23 from http://www.unison.org.uk/news/care-uk-strikers-bring-pay-dispute-to-london

Care UK strikers bring pay dispute to London
More than 30 striking Care UK workers from Doncaster brought their pay dispute to London for the second time, today.

The delegation represented some 70 UNISON members, who are in the middle of a two-week strike. They are demanding a "meaningful" pay rise for staff transferred from the NHS under TUPE, and the living wage for all others.

Their intention today was to meet Care UK' parent company, Bridgepoint Capital, to push the company for a positive response to their claim.

But Yorkshire and Humberside regional organiser Jim Bell said that when they arrived at Bridgepoint’s central London offices, the doors were locked against them.

"I think they were tipped off that we were coming,” he said. “But although Bridgepoint refused to see us, we’ve demonstrated to them that this dispute is not going away any time soon."

The delegates also called on the Department of Health, where they presented a letter outlining their grievance.

The pay claim is the latest chapter in a long-running dispute that started when a contract for the NHS service was handed to Care UK.

Staff have already taken 34 days of action earlier this year, over Care UK's attack on their terms and conditions, notably enhancements - which meant for some a pay cut of 35%.

Mr Bell said that bringing the dispute to London was "a tremendous boost to morale" for everyone involved.

"This a solid group of workers. They love being together and they love taking action together. And they realise they’re not going to get anything without a struggle."

see also http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/aug/09/care-workers-private-equity-targets-the-nhs?CMP=twt_gu

Tuesday, 5 August 2014

GET ORGANISED! Getting a new generation organised and unionised at Green Party Conference.

Thom French's photo.
A fringe jointly organised by Young Greens and GPTU. With zero hour contracts, youth unemployment, cuts in Education, unpaid internships and a race to the bottom in employment rights, Young People are finding employment tougher than ever. How can young people organise and what can the Trade Union's offer them?
Chair: Romayne Phoenix
Fiona Edwards: Student Assembly
Ellie Drake: Women's Officer for NUS-USI
Lorna Jane Tooley: RMT and Young Green

Launch of the Young Green Young Worker Campaign GET ORGANISED!