Solidarity needed - housing, BA, NHS and finance

Four groups of Unite members are currently engaged in pretty serious industrial action at the moment. They deserve our support.

I'd previously posted about the outsourced Manchester housing maintenance workers. They are now escalating their action with four weeks of continuous strike action from Saturday 8 July to Friday 4 August. A letter appealing for support has been issued by Unite's north-west region. You can support the strikers by:

1. Visiting pickets, typically 7:30-10am on strike days, at Hendham Vale, by the junction of Hazelbottom Road and Vale Park Way (map) 
2.  Donating to the strike fund by cheque payable to UCATT UD.393 Manchester 1st Branch, sent to Andy Fisher, Unite, 2 Churchill Way, Liverpool, L3 8EF, or online to account 46034412 sort code 60-83-01.
3. Sending a message of support to Colin Pitt via colinpitt65@hotmail.co.uk

Meanwhile cabin crew at BA Mixed Fleet have announced another 14 days of strike action. Like the Mixed Fleet Unite Facebook page for more information, or their web site gives details of how to support them.

In the NHS in London, cleaners, porters and security staff employed by Serco at Barts Health NHS Trust have been striking this week and plan a further seven day strike from Tuesday 11 July followed by a 14 day strike from 25 July. The action covers Whipps Cross University Hospital, Royal London Hospital, St Bartholomew’s Hospital and Mile End Hospital. Messages of support can be sent via Unite branch secretary Len Hockey (leonardhockey789@hotmail.co.uk). Photos and videos on the strikers' Facebook group show an impressive level of participation - and that migrant workers are at the heart of fighting low pay rather than being the cause of it. Cheques payable to “Barts NHS Health Branch” can be sent to Willie Howard, Unite the Union, 33-37 Moreland St, EC1V 8BB or you can donate online to account 20344885 Sort code 60-83-01.

At the Bank of England maintenance, parlours and security workers will be taking a four day strike from 31 July.

Two things stand out from this cluster of strikes. Firstly, all are about pay - reflecting workers losing patience after years when wages were held down and prices are rising. Why should we wait to make Labour's manifesto pledge of a £10 an hour minimum wage a reality? Secondly, all are sustained action to try to win, not token or "protest" action for odd days. Nearly two years ago I pointed out that the Trade Union Act "strengthens the case for intensive action rather than relying on the disruption of odd hours or days of action". In an article yesterday Gregor Gall argues that the "predominant strategy of one-day strikes, (or a series of one-day strikes) is coming to an end". If this is the case it is not before time - token strikes have acted more as a way of letting of steam than a serious attempt to win.

cleaners, porters and security staff

cleaners, porters and security staff

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I'd very much like to go to the Labor Notes conference next year, but the cost would be prohibitive. Me and a young member from the Hotel Workers' branch in London who also wants to go have set up an appeal to raise money to make it possible.

If you follow this blog you'll know that we'll do a detailed report back, so hopefully if we can go it will be useful for many more activists in the UK.

The text of our appeal is below, and if you want to contribute, please click here: gogetfunding.com/uktolabornotes2016

Help Ian Allinson & Nilüfer​ Erdem go to the Labor Notes conference in Chicago

We're union activists from Manchester and London who need your help to go to the Labor Notes conference, which takes place in Chicago 1-3 April 2016.

Labor Notes Conference:

• Involves thousands of union members, officers, and labor activists who are on the front lines in workplaces and communities, organizing new workers and agitating together. Meet troublemakers from around the country and around the world.
• Comprises more than 100 meetings and workshops include creative organizing tactics, beating apathy, running for local union office, winning contract campaigns, bargaining over technology, understanding the economy, life after “right to work,” and reviving the strike

Why help us?
 
We've already found some of Labor Notes publications useful and think there will be a lot of ideas which can help workers in the UK organise. If your help enables us to go, we will post a detailed report online. If your union body sponsors us we'll do our best to come and give a report in person.

Who are we?

• Ian Allinson is an activist in Manchester, where he's the senior UNITE rep at the IT multinational Fujitsu. In 2009 he led the first national strike in the UK IT industry. Ian served on the union's Executive Council for ten years. Ian is currently on the National Industrial Sector Committee the Graphical, Paper, Media and IT sector. He runs iansunitesite, a blog about union matters. In addition to activism and working full time, Ian is currently doing a part time MA in Industrial Relations at Keele University.
• Nilüfer Erdem is an activist in London, involved in the UNITE Hotel Workers branch. She's active in the Fair Tips campaign and in organising young, migrant and precarious workers. Nilüfer is a member of the London & Eastern region's Young Members' Committee.

What will it cost us?

• Conference tickets will cost $210
• Flights will cost us around £1000
• A shared hotel room will cost us $125 a night, so at least $500 in total

The total is approximately £1500.

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Solidarity with Bryan Kennedy

UNITE members at One Housing are on strike from tomorrow in defence of their victimised convenor, Bryan Kennedy.

There's a leaflet explaining the issues here.

The strike starts 8am on Friday 6th June and runs through to 7:59 on Tuesday 10th June.

The strikers plan picket lines from 8am-4pm on Friday and Monday at 100 Chalk Farm Road, London, NW1 8EH (3 minutes walk from Chalk Farm tube, next to the Roundhouse).

There will also be pickets on Saturday from 12 - 2pm at Ponders Bridge House, 402a Caledonian Road, London, N7 8UA.  This is next to the Caledonian & Barnsbury Overground station and 5 minutes walk from Caledonian Road tube.

You can send messages of support by email to Bryan.  Donations can be paid to Housing Workers branch, Unity Trust bank, account 20040639, sort code 03-60-01.  Cheques payable to "Unite Housing Workers Branch" can be sent to PO Box 66701, London E11 9FB.

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London & Eastern Executive Council by-election

Due to yet another Executive Council member (EC) taking an appointed position as a UNITE officer part way through his term of office, there's a vacancy for one of the London & Eastern regional seats on the EC.

Branches and workplaces in the London & Eastern region can hold nomination meetings up until 28th June.  Make sure you follow the rules for nomination meetings, which are available on via the UNITE web site which has all the details about the election.

Ian Bradley is one of the rank and file electricians who led the successful campaign to defend their national agreement against BESNA - a plan by some of the major companies to cut pay by up to 35%.  He's produced a letter seeking nominations.

Please give Ian your support.  His details are:

• Name: Ian Bradley
• Branch: London and Eastern Construction LE/0555
• Membership number: 20034585

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Branch closures

The (much needed) branch reorganisation has been handled pretty badly in many cases, leaving members in limbo without a functioning branch.

Jerry Hicks' web site is reporting a decision by the London & Eastern Regional Committee to close large numbers of branches with effect from 15th May, without keeping members informed, much less consulting them, leaving them without access to the union's democratic structures until new branches are up and running.  If this is the case it would not appear to be in line with the Executive Council's decisions on branch reorganisation.

A meeting to discuss (and oppose) the closures has been organised in Chelmsford for 16th May.

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Sovereign Bus Strike

The use of the anti-union laws to attack UNITE's pay campaign on the London buses was nothing short of a disgrace, especially given the overwhelming votes for action from the members.

Following this set-back, which led to UNITE calling off the strikes, there have been further ballots, and members at the first company (Sovereign) are due out on strike on 5th January.

A key issue in the dispute is the fact that there are big variations in pay for workers doing the same job in different companies - despite them all being regulated by Transport For London. Sovereign is one of the companies with the lowest pay.

UNITE has issued a collection sheet in support of the dispute, which I have made available online.

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Bus workers step up pay fight

With "our" government egging on employers to hold wages down below inflation (making working people pay for an economic crisis we didn't cause), UNITE members working on the buses in London are picking up the challenge.

Thanks to privatisation, not only are services fragmented, but so are terms and conditions. UNITE is coordinating action between the various bus companies, stepping up a fight for a London-wide pay rate.

A hefty 88% majority of UNITE members at Metroline (and there are 2500 of them) voted to join with the 2500 members at other companies already taking action. More companies are being balloted in time to join action planned for 22nd October.

Just as with Shell, a good win here can send ripples across the working class, raising confidence that there is an alternative to accepting real-terms pay-cuts.

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