Reclaim the Union National Meeting, Sat 17th Jan, Flier

Last day to order 'Still the Enemy Within' DVD for Christmas

Only 1 Day Left to Order in Time For Xmas BBC History Magazine 'Best film of 2014' "A documentary as gripping as a thriller"  Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian 'Heartfelt and stirring' Mark Kermode, The Observer  ****Empire  ****Total Film ****Time Out **** The Guardian ****The Independent  ****Sunday Times ****Daily Express ****Mail on Sunday  There are just one day left to order our DVD with tons of exciting extras in time for Christmas. Our last guaranteed order day is the 18th Dec.    DVD of the film out NOW! .  Packed full of extras including: Extra Scene  2 Special Featurettes Film makers commentary 'Dancing in Dulais' : The Real Story Behind Pride Subtitles included And more!   Order now by visiting http://the-enemy-within.org.uk/product/pre-order-the-dvd/ If you miss the last post for Christmas, Still the Enemy Within is also available in shops, we do not have a full list so check locally but it is in FOPP and HMV as well as smaller retailers like Bookmarks. Still the Enemy Within Available to Download  DVD not your thing? You can buy a download of Still the Enemy Within online now.  All you need to do is visit http://stilltheenemywithin.vhx.tv/ Thank You For A Great Year! The last 12 months has been an amazing experience for Still The Enemy Within team. From filming in January to winning the Sheffield Docfest Audience Award in June and ending the year having screened in over 80 venues. Since our premiere in Leicester Square at the start of October, the film has been on tour around the UK. We have screened the film over a 100 times and taken part in 72 Q&As.  It has been exhausting at times, but the response to the film and the people we have met on our travels have made it an unforgettable experience.   As the end of the year approaches, we thought we share some of the highlights with you and say thank you to everyone who helped get the film made, spread the word and went to the screenings. As special thanks to the early believers who backed us right at the beginning. It would not be possible without you! Visit our blog to read our full round-up of the tour and check out some of our amazing photos and reviews on Facebook   Final screenings of the year...... 18TH DECEMBER, 5.15pm, The Film House Edinburgh No Q&A BOOK HERE 27TH, 28TH, 29TH, 30TH & 31ST DECEMBER, Nottingham Broadway No Q&A - BOOK HERE   Screenings coming up in 2015 can be found here....... http://the-enemy-within.org.uk/events/ Bad Bonobo Christmas break The Bad Bonobo team will be taking a Christmas break from the 19th December until the 5th January. We will be checking emails sporadically during this period but will be officially not working so please be patient and please mark in the subject anything that is seriously urgent. The fulfilment company that handles our shop orders will shut on  for Xmas on 24th, open again on 29th and 30th and then not open again until 5th January.  Any orders made after 11am 30th December will not be shipped until 5th January. For Christmas remember to get your orders in by 18th December! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Bad Bonobo! Facebook Twitter Website Share Tweet Forward Copyright © 2014 Bad Bonobo, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because we think you will be interested in following the progress of our film and/or have donated to the project. This unsubscribe if you are not interested Our mailing address is: Bad Bonobo 23 Powerscroft Road London, London E50PU United Kingdom Add us to your address book

Max Watson vs London Metropolitan University (EAT): February 11th, 2015

Our Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT), 'Max Watson vs London Metropolitan University' (a claim for Trade Union victimisation), has been set a date: 

11th February, 2015

10.30am 

Second Floor, Fleetbank House
2-6 Salisbury Square
London, EC4Y 8AE

https://www.justice.gov.uk/tribunals/employment-appeals/venues

Let me know if you are coming - there is a public gallery.

Reclaim the Union National Meeting Saturday 17th January, 2pm to 5pm

Reclaim the Union National Meeting

Saturday 17th January, 2pm to 5pm

The Mechanics Centre
103 Princess St
Manchester M1 6DD

 

There will be a pooled fare system so please book transport in advance to save on costs.

• Build a campaign for a fighting, democratic union
• Agree left candidates for NEC elections in 2015
• Discuss standing one left candidate for General Secretary in 2015

In light of the pay disputes and the conspicuous absence of lay member control of our union, we, the undersigned NEC members, call on all left activists, groups and organisations in UNISON to come together to discuss and agree on the kind of campaign we need to transform our union into a fighting, democratic union.

We need to encourage as many like-minded activists within our midst to come forward and stand in every seat possible in the forthcoming NEC elections.

We want to launch an organising campaign which engages activists and involves the grass roots - which builds our networks and strengthens our hand on the key issues of the day.

So we call for an assembly to agree a left slate, call on others to join our slate and stand under one banner.

We also call for maximum left unity in the forthcoming General Secretary election, to take place during 2015.

Join us! 

The NEC Left Caucus (2013-2015), signed (in personal capacity):

April Ashley
Bernadette Gallagher
Dave Auger
Diana Leach
Helen Davies
Helen Jenner
Jacqui Berry
Janet Bryan
John Jones 
Jon Rogers
Karen Reissmann 
Max Watson
Paul Holmes
Polly Smith
Roger Bannister
Suzy Franklin
Tomasa Bullen
Tony Wilson
Vicki Perrin

 

Defending Trade Union activists and our facilities time - speeches at UNISON NDC 2014

Rosalind Hanmer, London Met University's LGBT officer, delivers her speech at UNISON National Delegates Conference (NDC), on 20th June 2014 in Brighton.

The full text of Motion 53 (before a friendly amendment to include facilities time), which was being debated, is on line here. And the text for Ros Hanmer's speech is here.

Mark Chiverton, South East Regional Convenor, moved Amendment 53.1 to include the need to defend our facility time:

Sandy Nicoll, SOAS UNISON Branch Secretary, supporting the motion, as amended:

 More to follow...

Call for left unity meeting [update]: date agreed, 17th January 2015, Manchester

•  Build a campaign for a fighting, democratic union

• Agree left candidates for NEC elections in 2015

• Discuss standing one left candidate for General Secretary in 2015

In light of the pay disputes and the conspicuous absence of lay member control of our union, we, the undersigned NEC members, call on all left activists, groups and organisations in UNISON to come together to discuss and agree on the kind of campaign we need to transform our union into a fighting, democratic union. 

We need to encourage as many like-minded activists within our midst to come forward and stand in every seat possible in the forthcoming NEC elections. 

We want to launch an organising campaign which engages activists and involves the grass roots - which builds our networks and strengthens our hand on the key issues of the day. 

So we call for an assembly to agree a left slate, call on others to join our slate and stand under one banner. 

We also call for maximum left unity in the forthcoming General Secretary election, to take place during 2015. 

Max Watson

Paul Holmes

Bernadette Gallagher

Helen Jenner

Helen Davies

Diana Leach

Tomasa Bullen

Jon Rogers

Suzy Franklin

Tony Wilson

Janet Bryan

Karen Reissmann  

Polly Smith

Further to the call for left unity above, it has now been unanimously agreed by the left caucus of the NEC that we have such a meeting and it will be on Saturday 17th January, 2015 in Manchester. So please save the date and watch this space for further details to follow shortly... 

"Max Watson Vs London Met University" update: 23rd October EAT preliminary hearing

As you will remember, we were not successful in our Employment Tribunal claim against London Met University in January which we were taking for trade union victimisation against Max Watson (see here and here for reports). 

However, our lawyers submitted an Appeal against this decision and we can confirm the Employment Appeal Tribunal is meeting next week on 23rd October at 10.30am for a preliminary hearing. UNISON's lawyers will make the case for an appeal then. If this is successful a full Appeal hearing will then be scheduled.

We will of course update you accordingly.   

Regards,

Claire

On behalf of the UNISON Branch Committee

Cassetteboy - Cameron's Conference Rap

Contains swearing. Seriously though Dave, thanks for legalising parody videos.

Lyrics here. 

'Absent From The Academy'

Absent From The Academy from A Narrative Media on Vimeo.

Prof. Paul Gilroy: 'I always dreamed of working at London Met...' Not something you hear everyday!

Say No to Disability Discrimination in UNISON

This is the text of a leaflet circulated at UNISON's NDC 2014:
--
One NEC member, because of their disability, is unable to attend meetings on the ninth floor meeting room where NEC meetings are usually held. This is both a physical and mental health issue. The reasonable adjustment offered is for that member to sit in a first floor room at HQ, and participate by video link.

Technical objections to this arrangement:
1. The NEC member cannot see anyone on the NEC apart from the top table and only the top table can see them.
2. It is impossible to see votes when they are taken.
3. Sometimes people forget to say who they are when speaking and so the NEC member is left to guess.
4. All the informal liaison that takes place at meetings is impossible as they are not in the same room.

This is not the only possible solution. When the 9th floor council chamber flooded, an NEC was held in the ground floor meeting room which this NEC member was able to attend. However there has been a consistent refusal by the President to consider this simple solution becomes normal practice to allow full, equal, non-segregated participation by this member.

UNISON's strong anti-discrimination tradition
UNISON has always rightly prided itself on its very strong tradition of opposing disability discrimination. UNISON has rightly spent time and money on ensuring that members and reps with any disability can fully engage in our business. This is why we are so perplexed by the refusal to provide the simple, no-cost solution of meeting downstairs. Some have suggested it may be because the NEC member has been critical at times of the current leadership of UNISON eg when the pensions strikes were sold short. This would be a disgraceful position, if true.

Given this, some members asked for a vote as to whether we should continue with the situation of disability apartheid. Tragically, despite UNISON's fantastic record on disability rights, the NEC have been refused the right to even vote as to whether to continue this practice. An ET application was made but failed on a technicality ie the NEC members rep failed to reply within the timescale.

Principled objections to this arrangement
We are not prepared to collude in this discrimination. We have insisted on sharing the video link room with the NEC member affected. We have done this because we will not have anyone with a disability isolated in a room on their own, made to feel like a social outcast, whilst those us who can sit on the ninth floor. But this is not the answer. We stopped having inaccessible venues for wheelchairs, separate doors for men and women, and separate buses for black and white people.

Many of us work in mental health. We see discrimination on a day by day basis meted out to the clients we work with. It is sad to see this happening to a fellow NEC member. No-one wants to discuss the details of their health with anyone. Mental health is particularly difficult as the stigma and personal attacks that follow are sadly still very real. It is awful that this NEC member has had to share the details of his health problems widely to try and get a resolution to this. We hope we can return to disabled and able bodied NEC members all being in the same room.

What can you do?

1. Write to the President - after conference expected to be l.mckeever@unison.co.uk 
2. Pass model resolutions: “We believe that all UNISON meetings should be held in venues and with facilities that ensure they are open to all those entitled to attend, wherever practically possible.” 
3. Vote to re-prioritize Lambeth's Rule change 32, which reads: "Meetings of the NEC shall take place, so far as reasonably practicable, in venues which are accessible to all members eligble to stand." (NEC position is to support).

Statement supported by the following NEC members:

Jon Rogers
Karen Reissmann
John Jones
Jacqui Berry
Polly Smith
April Ashley
Bernadette Gallagher
Roger Bannister
Helen Jenner
Vicky Perrin
Helen Davies
Diana Leach
Paul Holmes
Dave Auger
Tomasa Bullen
Max Watson
Suzy Franklin
Tony Wilson
Janet Bryan

Charlotte Monro's Employment Tribunal Date Set / E-petition launched

Charlotte Monro's Employment Tribunal hearing is now set for  23 – 26th September  at :  

TRIBUNAL SERVICE,  2nd floor, Anchorage House, 2 Clove Cres, London E14 2BE

UNISON is backing Charlotte in a claim of unfair dismissal against her employer Barts Health NHS Trust.

The Campaign's online petition has been launched today: https://www.change.org/p/peter-morris-reinstate-charlotte-monro-end-the-bullying-climate-in-the-nhs

Please sign this version if you have not already and circulate as widely as possible; the issues in Charlotte's case are very significant in the current  climate of cuts, privatisation and attacks on Trade Union members and Reps in the NHS

The Reinstate Charlotte Campaign are having an intensive push to escalate the petition and raise these important  issues to coincide with the Tribunal - please show support at the Tribunal.

"Isn't this a form of blacklisting?" asks Linda Clarke

Institutional Racism in Higher Ed: "Why isn't my Professor Black", still?

There are just 85 black professors out of nearly 20,000 in the UK and this number has barely changed in eight years. That’s 0.4%, which clearly shows a disparity with the proportion of black students. This figure has increased steadily each year and now stands at 6%.
This petition highlights the need for change.

Watch the debate at UCL here:


UNISON HE passed a motion about challenging this blatant 'Institutional racism' in 2014. There is not a lot of change to speak of especially if you consider this report was in 2011.

Exactly the same percentage (0.4%) of professors were black in 2011, as now in 2014. Wow! What little progress we've made. If we are to 'be the change we wish to see' we must listen carefully to those black academics, students and activists who are asking why there are just 80 black professors - and indeed just 15(!) black women professors in the UK out of 20,000.

There are lots of cases of discrimination worthy of note like this one at Brunel: What can we learn about these?