STRONGER UNIONS » Uncategorized

Spread the word – Rise is back!

Megan Dobney — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 15:16:27 +0000

Well, to be exactly correct, UpRise is here. Or will be on Sunday 3 October in Finsbury Park.

Remember 2008? One of the first acts of newly-elected London Mayor Johnson was to remove the anti-racist message from the Rise festival.

Trade unions and community activists reacted with anger and astonishment – but also with action – and the result, in 2010, is UpRise, anti-racism festival, described on the website as “a new festival born out of the ashes of the former Rise festival”.

Back with UpRise will be SERTUC’s UnionCity - the area for unions – for stalls, meeting and music.

So – to support UpRise go straight to their website, www.uprise.org.uk and join the £1 Crew – donate £1 instantly. Do it now!

For more information on UnionCity, contact sertucevents@tuc.org.uk

The added value of union reps

Carl — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 12:37:09 +0000

Further to my post yesterday on the TaxPayers Alliance ‘report’ on union facility time, attached are two reports that set out the value to EMPLOYEES and EMPLOYERS of the work carried out by union reps.

Any readers from the TPA may want to look away less their mis-conceptions and prejudices are dispelled.

Swords of Justice AND Civic Pillars

Carl — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:24:37 +0000

A new report commissioned by the TUC on the current nature and future of community engagement by trades unions in the UK is released today. The report, written as a result of a collaborative project involving the TUC, Goldsmiths and Darwin College, University of Cambridge finds that there is a compelling case to include community engagement in their organising and campaigning strategies. Amongst the benefits for unions in doing this are;

Help unions to engage difficult to organise segments of the workforce, particularly through the learning agenda
Enhance the capacity of unions to achieve their core objectives, most notably around service delivery
Project positive images of trade unionism in various ways, and

The report also identifies the factors that need to be present if union community engagement strategies are to be successful. These include:

Trust and flexibility – on the part of both unions and community organisations
Leadership – in providing direction to community-based strategies
Involvement of union reps and activists – whose own networks can serve to create new community links and expand existing ones

The report argues that the time is ripe for greater community engagement by British trade unions given that on the one hand, the Big Society agenda may allow unions to promote their unique position between the community and the labour market and on the other, community-based strategies will be crucial to the success of campaigns against imminent public sector cuts, determining whether unions can successfully win the hearts and minds of the broader public.

If you would like a copy of the full report, please send me an email at croper@tuc.org.uk

All Together for Public Services – Lobby the Lib Dem conference

Carl — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 10:16:52 +0000

The Government’s cuts are already damaging jobs and services.

Much worse will come in October’s spending review.

Ministers tell us that there is no alternative. But the cuts won’t just hit vital services, they threaten economic recovery.

Coalition policies are not just about reducing the deficit, but undermining publicly accountable quality services.

Join unions, the TUC, teachers, pupils, parents and public sector workers in a lobby of delegates to the Lib Dem annual conference.

• Tell them just how unpopular and damaging the cuts will be.

• Explain the alternative of a fair tax system

Sunday 19 September

The Lib Dem Conference is being held at the Liverpool Arena and Convention centre.

Assemble from 12 noon to lobby delegates. Stewards will be available to direct you to the assembly point.

This event is being organised by the North West TUC. For more information contact Alan Manning at amanning@tuc.org.uk – 0151 236 5432 – http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-18392-f0.cfm

Organising Jobs

Liz — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:06:30 +0000

Its that time of year when the TUC Organising Academy is recruiting for trainee organisers and we already have 2 development centres full, those of you interested need to get your applications in as soon as possible to secure a place. For the more experienced organisers out there, there are plenty of opportunities around, have a look at UNISON’s website for organising vacancies at both entry and senior levels. The GMB have an opportuntity in the south of the UK and for the more adventurous of you, LabourNET in Australia is advertising loads of positions

A storming success….now make your vote count

Anna — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 13:59:42 +0000

Well it’s been another fantastic year for the TUC 60 Second Ad Contest. With 33 fabulous entries, it’s a storming success. We have adverts galvanised by robots, involving stunts in swimming pools, adverts using vintage footage or inspired by nature, adverts that are funny or emotive, or aroused by music, but all expressing their passion for trade unions.

The competition has officially closed, and we now need your help to choose the shortlist.

To help us to draw up our shortlist, we would like you to vote for your favourite ads, using our five-star online voting system. To vote visit the site, watch the ads and rate them according to your preference. You can only vote once for each ad, so rate carefully. Have fun! Online voting will close on Friday 20^th August 2010. The shortlist will be presented to our panel of judges on the 26^th August 2010 and the winner will be announced soon after. http://www.tuc60seconds.org.uk/

***The winning adverts will be seen at a special screening of ‘Made in Dagenham’ on the evening of the 8^th September 2010, so for hopefuls please make sure that you book space in your diaries

Spending cuts a threat to children

Kevin — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 10:09:47 +0000

While the most obvious reactions to the coalition government’s voracious approach to cutting public spending, as much and as quickly as possible, are the significant risk of further economic downturn and the obvious impact on public and private sector employment. The most recent economic data show that growth is now over 1 per cent. This is not massive by any stretch of the imagination, but it is significant and is an indicator that the previous government’s strategy was beginning to have a positive impact. Radically reversing public spending does mean placing a risk on that growth continuing in the immediate term.
On the second point, estimates of job losses vary, from anything up to 50,000 in the north east alone. The only consensus is that there will be significant job losses and that the reality is that private sector growth would have to exceed any previous performance by an astounding multiple in order to compensate for these job losses. It won’t and overall economic performance is almost certain to decline in the next few years.
There are, however, also hidden consequences of the cuts agenda. By stopping the Building Schools for the Future programme 99 schools in the north east and Cumbria have had their building or refurbishment plans halted immediately. There has been much coverage of this in the media with disappointed Teachers and parents bemoaning the requirement for them to carry on the situation of trying to inspire children to good educational achievement in tatty, run down accommodation that is a long way from being fit for purpose. If saving money was the only issue here then it does question the current government’s approach to academies and ‘free schools’, which in affect take money out of the education system, leaving those schools not pursuing this path even more starved of resources.
A further, dramatic concern is the health risks from the unrefurbished schools. Almost all the schools concerned were built before 1975, when the use of asbestos was at its height. It is estimated that 86 per cent of these schools contain asbestos. As the school gets older and falls more into disrepair, the likelihood of asbestos exposure grows.
In the last 30 years the number of school staff diagnosed with mesothelioma, a fatal disease caused only by asbestos exposure, has trebled; clear evidence that this is a growing epidemic. There is also clear and worrying evidence to show that children in schools containing asbestos are five times as likely as teachers to contract asbestos related illnesses, due to the extra period of latency from being exposed to asbestos earlier in life.
Refurbishing or rebuilding all of the pre-1975 school buildings isn’t just about providing a better educational environment. It is also about making sure our children can learn in a school that doesn’t put their lives at risk. The government must find a way to rid all of our schools of all asbestos now.

Final Call for entries

Anna — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:58:06 +0000

This is the final call for entries for the TUC 60 Second Ad Contest. Entries must be received by midnight on Monday (GMT Midnight 9^th August 2010).

As you already know, the TUC 60 Second Ad Contest is a competition open to everyone. Your challenge is to make a short 60 second ad that illustrates the positive role that trade unions play in society today. There are some great prizes to be won, plus the winning advert will be shown, on the big screen, at a West End cinema.

Don’t miss this fantastic opportunity! Check out the website at www.tuc60seconds.org.uk.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call me.

2 weeks left to send in your winning ads

Anna — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:06:06 +0000

There are just 2 weeks left to send in your entries to the TUC 60 second Ad contest. We have received some great entries so far, the competition is absolutely open to everyone, and there are some great prizes to be won. So, if you think that you have a great idea that encourages people to join a trade union, why not show us how.

Check out the brief, listen to the experts, and find out how to get involved. Log on to www.tuc60seconds.org.uk. And don’t forget to vote for your winning ad.

Closing Date: Midnight, GMT, 9th August 2010.

Prizes

There are some fabulous prizes to be won, including a £1000 cash prize plus a day on a film set, as well as tickets to the Premiere of ‘Made in Dagenham’ (in cinemas from October 1^st) starring Sally Hawkins, Bob Hoskins, Miranda Richardson and Rosamund Pike http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/jul/25/sally-hawkins-made-in-dagenham. There will be the added bonus of watching your winning ad at a special screening of the film. There are some great prizes for the runners up too. And please don’t worry, if needed, we’ll work with you to bring your ad up to broadcast quality. The winning ad will be seen by thousands of people across the world… including showings at the Geneva Labour film festival and the Washington DC Labour film festival.

I’m an Organiser!

Carl — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:27:59 +0000

Great poster here that just about sums up what being an organiser is all about. More posters like this can be purchased from the ‘Art for Social Justice’ site at www.rlmarts.com All posters feature the art work of Ricardo Levins Morales.