Max Watson

Proud to be UNISON online

2012-03-08T07:18:00.004-08:00

London Met University Branch launched our latest film, called ‘Proud to be London Met UNISON’, at our 10th AGM yesterday.

I was particularly proud to Chair our AGM as we premiered this film, as it was a long time in the making. We talked about the use of new media, social networks, video conferencing and so on a little at Brighton last week.

As this blog passed ten thousand 'visits' last month I've increasingly been thinking about the power of the interwebnet as a means for mass communication. I'm clearly a big fan of using this medium, and just getting into Twitter having been on FB for a while and even 'Union book' (anyone else on there / found it useful?)

I love to be able to communicate so easily with members who I've never met, or likely to meet outside the few hours of conference once a year. The limits are obvious though, and I'll always prefer a real face to face than a Facebook 'Chat'. Someone once told me about a legendary union branch secretary who continued right into the 21st century taking his members subs in cash on pay day each month, so he could 'see the whites of their eyes'!

So our AGM for me was a great example of combining the two: people coming together, eating together, voting, discussing, listening to each other in a safe environment. And watching a film together that will stay on Youtube and be watched by the readers of our branch website, the twitterverse, the blogosphere and so on as well.

So the first 50 'views' and the genuine, heartfelt round of applause for Ivan Orgaz, one of our communications officers, that followed, made me very proud to be London Met UNISON yesterday.

And today I'm proud also that we announced - appropriately enough on Women's Day - the election of Catherine Maguire, one of the stars of the film, as the first female Branch Secretary of London Met UNISON for many years.

Anger and frustration over pensions in Brighton

2012-03-05T10:29:00.009-08:00

When conference heard all five emergency motions had been ruled out of order, it was obvious there would be trouble.

The 200-odd delegates who'd got down to Brighton following the hugely successful day of strike action in November naturally expected to be able to debate the major subject of the day. So when they were refused, they voted the Standing Orders Committee (SOC) out of order!

Last year it was pay, leading to a stalemate. This year, delegates went further: just one delegate in the two hundred-strong conference voted for a SOC report that excluded all pension motions from the agenda. Just one!

This didn't go down at all well with the Chair, Eleanor Smith, who couldn't hide her annoyance ('do you realise what you're voting for?!') before trying to call the vote on the first SOC report again. Some one explained to her she can't as the vote has already been taken, so the conference was suspended.

A full two hours of back room phone calls and conversations went by before the conference got going again, this time the motions were referred back but the rest of the report approved reluctantly. The vote to refer back the motions on pensions had easy majorities. About 80% of the delegates continued to express anger at being refused the chance to express their distaste with the way this had been handled.

Based on that benchmark, it was easy to see the motions calling for further action on pensions would have likely been passed. All of them called for further action against the pensions changes and to reject settling on the 'principles' or 'heads' of agreement.

Eventually, a tactical shift meant the debate about pensions was proposed during a temporary suspension of standing orders, meaning a debate on the subject but without a vote. Finally, for a full 35 minutes, delegates could now express their anger.

Speaker after speaker derided the current state of play. Some called it a 'sell out', others berated the leadership for not showing a willingness to fight when the members were up for it.

One member summarised the 'rejectionists' frustration: "This is why people leave UNISON. You can't march people up to the top of the hill just to march them down again."

Some emphasised the increase in retirement age, others the move to a career average scheme, still others the need to retain public sector unity and not let the UCU, NUT or PCS go it alone.

Others did express doubt we could muster further support for further strike action but it has to be said they were in a minority.

The only thing missing was a vote to settle the matter.

Chris Tansley was in the Chair for the afternoon. Summing up, he praised the floor for the well mannered, and articulate debate. He promised to have listened carefully and then pledged to take their concerns back to the negotiating team.

It will be interesting to see exactly what comes out of the final offer and soon the members will decide on where to go next. More interesting will be whether the rejectionist unions can muster their members to take further action despite the members feeling abandoned by the bigger unions.

One thing's for sure in my mind: the delegates to HE conference 2012 weren't convinced at all we'd done the right thing by suspending action in January.

What a pity to watch all that momentum we'd built up for 30th November dissipate into the hot air of The Brighton Centre on 2nd March. Members were passionate on the subject, feelings running high. If only that energy could have been unleashed onto the government instead of the union leadership.

Meanwhile, twenty-odd other motions were discussed and passed - almost all of them without real opposition. A motion on lunch arrangements got the battering it was aniticipated, and members were cautious about increasing the use of video conferencing.

The discussion over organising via the Internet, social networking and Twitter was potentially very good, but the frustration of members not being able to tweet about pensions over-shadowed the whole event.

The best thing and the worst thing for me about HE conference 2012 was the Living Wage campaign launch, which the official report online rightly emphasised. The campaign was launched along with the NUS at a lunch time fringe meeting, with photos taken of delegates with our new placards and it was taken up in the national papers.

The best part of that was witnessing a first-time delegate, Tamar Emmanuel, who works in catering at London Met, introduce the composite motion on the Living Wage, having seen the benefits herself.

The worst part was a visitor who was instrumental in winning the Living Wage at London Met being excluded not only from the conference floor but the fringe meeting of that campaign launch.

I'll come back to blog here on some of the other issues in detail later: about a national strategy to fight job cuts; our pay claim; encourging new activists; organising face to face rather than Facebook to Facebook; and yes, on allowing access to UNISON events for women who are nursing babies.

Overall, delegates once again showed we're a force to be reckoned with and it was an honour to be the elected NEC representative of the HE Service Group.

The living wage isn't just about money - it's about dignity

2012-03-03T10:00:00.003-08:00

Tamar Emmanuel from London Metropolitan University, where the living wage has just been introduced, spoke out to say: "I'm proud to say I earn the living wage.

"The living wage isn't just about money - it's about dignity, dignity at work. The living wage doesn't solve all our problems - but it makes such a difference to our lives."

And she explained that the campaign for a living wage has meant that "nearly everybody has now joined the union. The only way to get dignity at work is to get organised. There are millions of people not on the living wage and it isn't right."

Read the full official report of UNISON Higher Ed conference here. A personal report to follow soon.

For a fighting, democratic UNISON in Higher Education

2012-02-29T06:11:00.001-08:00

For a fighting, democratic UNISON in Higher Education

* Pre-conference meeting *

WHEN? 7pm, Thursday 1st March

WHERE? The UMI Hotel on the seafront, booked from http://umihotelbrighton.co.uk/ which is on the corner opposite the Odeon, here.

WHAT? An open discussion on how to win the ongoing struggle to turn UNISON into a fighting, democratic union.

WHY? Whether it's defending our pensions or pay, when resisting job cuts, tuition fees or privatisation, we need a union that can stand up the most right wing government in a generation.

WHO? All Higher Ed UNISON members/ activists welcome for an open debate on the eve of the Higher Ed Service Group conference. It will be an organising meeting, followed by a social, so come with your ideas and join our network of left activists in UNISON HE.

Speakers:

Max Watson (NEC - in a personal capacity)
Linda Holden (Manchester Met Branch)
Glenn Kelly ('Defend the Four' campaign)

Contact Max Watson for details, on: 07793 145 754

Elect Claire Locke #1 for NUS President!

2012-02-21T13:44:00.005-08:00

Claire Locke has been an inspiration for London Met students and staff alike. Her energy, instinctive common sense and her dynamism know no bounds. She took our Students Union by storm in 2010 when she was elected Communications officer and then President, and has achieved a huge amount - especially important for us has been the building of really close links between staff and students.

When we fought against job cuts last year Claire was instrumental in passing policy through her union to support our strike, even though some argued it would 'harm the students'; she supported our Living Wage campaign, despite the cuts at London Met to student services, and was on the picket lines again on our fight for decent pensions - we know we can always rely on her support when needed.

She is articulate, passionate and absolutely solid - UNISON members in HE couldn't have a better advocate within the student movement. She's one of us.

So I'm delighted she is standing for NUS President and very much hope all the activist groups rally round her campaign, put their differences aside, and do the right thing. Elect Claire Locke #1 for NUS President!

I am running in this election because I want a national leadership that will fight for our future.

I have been a representative of London Met Students' Union for two years. London Met is the most working class university in the country, and has more black and ethnic minority students at it than the whole of the Russell Group combined. We have been hit with 70% course cuts, and the total removal ...of subjects like history, philosophy and performing arts. Our staff have faced a jobs massacre, and student and disability services have been attacked.

As a mature student from a working class background, I don't think that studying is something that should be left only to the rich. The privatisation of education, healthcare and other public services is regressive step that will increase the class divide.

These attacks are a disaster for ordinary people, and for society. Time and time again, NUS has failed to fight effectively for education. Last year we were denied national mobilisation, forcing grass roots students to fight back with limited resources and support. We need a union that is willing to take the fight to the Tories, not sit back and let politicians destroy our society.

I stand for:
- Quality, publicly funded education for all; access to student resources and support should not be dictated by the size of your bank balance.
- Free choice; people from working class backgrounds should not be forced to study vocational style degrees.
- National mobilisation; to plan effective resistance and challenge the government's plans.
- Local fightback; we need access to support and clear strategies to fight cuts on campus NOW!
- United resistance; building relationships with our staff unions so we can collectively fight to save our learning communities.
- Equality; fight for the right of every student to be treated with equal value regardless of race, sex, creed, sexual orientation, disability or socioeconomic background.
- Fighting racism and fascism; these are unacceptable on any level.

Claire Locke #1 for NUS President!

Keep UEL Catering In House

2012-02-19T12:39:00.000-08:00

Why This Is Important

Save UEL Catering Staff

The Staff of UEL Catering Services are in grave danger. Rumours have been circulating for a while that UEL catering were about to be outsourced. A Draft report published in December recommends this approach.

However, the report does have some good points –it commends the dedication and performance of the staff and complains about the lack of strategic direction of the UEL Management

The University are playing their cards close to their chest, probably to avoid the sort of outcry that might spoil the Olympic party. The outsourcing threat is clearly their way of making savings at a time when they are spending money on big projects like the Sports Dock; the Stratford library and the University Square. Sometime soon they will realize that they will require staff to make these buildings work.

Please support the staff by joining this campaign

Sean Taylor - Stand Up

2012-02-07T07:08:00.000-08:00

The song is called 'Stand Up' and the video was put together by Colm McCarthy. It is from my forthcoming album 'Love Against Death'. This song is dedicated to the anti-cuts and Occupy Movements all over the world. The 99%.

Venezuela 2012 – how social progress and democracy are transforming a nation

2012-02-06T06:46:00.001-08:00

EVENT: Venezuela 2012: How Social Progress & Democracy are Transforming a Nation

Monday March 5, 7-9pm, at Portcullis House, Parliament, SW1A 2LW (Westminster Tube.)

RSVP to info@venezuelasolidarity.co.uk essential for room details and to confirm your place.

With special guests from Venezuela and other leading speakers including:

• Sandra Angeleri, writer, 'Women Weaving the Dream of the Revolution in the American Continent' & Professor, Universidad Central de Venezuela
• Samuel Moncada, Venezuelan Ambassador, former Minister of Higher Education in President Chávez's government
• Jeremy Corbyn MP, Vice-Chair, APPG on Latin America
• Colin Burgon, Labour Friends of Venezuela
• Dr Francisco Dominguez, Centre for Latin American Studies, Middlesex University

Following decades of US backed dictatorships and then failed IMF economic policies, recent years have seen much of Latin America transformed into a beacon for social progress. Progressive governments have matched economic growth with social inclusion and a widening of democratic participation.

Venezuela has been at the forefront of this progressive change. The government of Hugo Chavez has won more elections than nearly any other government in the world as a result of social policies to drastically reduce poverty and inequality, eradicate illiteracy and provide free healthcare by sharing the nation's oil wealth.

Venezuelans will once again go to the polls this October in a Presidential election that will see a clear choice between the continuation of this social progress and a right-wing opposition which will undermine many of these progressive social changes.

Remember to RSVP to info@venezuelasolidarity.co.uk for room details and to confirm your place at this event

Organised by the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign – www.venezuelasolidarity.co.uk

N30 and after: was that it? A debate on the public sector strikes

2012-02-06T02:44:00.001-08:00

N30 and after: was that it? A debate on the public sector strikes

Gregor Gall analyses the 30 November strikes. With a response by Heather Wakefield

30 November in Lancashire. Photo: Andy O'Donnell

Was that it? Well, maybe. While France, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain have been rocked by numerous general and public sector-wide strikes over the past few years, in Britain we have had just the two one-day strikes over pensions reform, on 30 June and 30 November last year.

Apart from these, large-scale resistance to job losses, pay freezes and cuts in services has been notable by its absence. Slogans such as 'We won't pay for their crisis' ring hollow; the reality is that 'we' are paying for their crisis and 'they' are getting away with it.

Punching above its weight

All of this may be true, but it is also the case that N30 packed a punch well in excess of its weight as a one-day strike. In this sense, it was far more of a protest than an orthodox strike – and not just because it was only a day long. Any strike in the public sector is necessarily more of a political action because the government is the ultimate employer and it responds to political pressure, as opposed to the pressure of a strike as an economic action against a profit-seeking organisation in the private sector.

...

To read the rest and think about subscribing to Red Pepper - they now do a trade union subscription rate - go here: http://www.redpepper.org.uk/n30-and-after-was-that-it/

UNISON at the University of Sheffield Condemn final pension decision and vote to campaign for membership of SAUL

2012-02-02T06:57:00.001-08:00

University of Sheffield UNISON Branch

UNISON at the University of Sheffield Condemn final pension decision and vote to campaign for membership of SAUL.

The executive committee University of Sheffield branch of UNISON voted unanimously to continue opposition to the university's cash balance pension scheme and ask that the option of moving the pensions of workers from grades 1-5 into the Superannuation Arrangement of the University of London (SAUL) be looked again again. This stance was endorsed by a joint meeting with both UNISON and Unite members. The feeling was that the university's executives are using the currently economic climate to make an attack on low paid workers. While pay and benefits for the higher paid continue to increase, symptomatic of this is the Vice Chancellors 6% pay rise.

Stuart Anderson UNISON branch Secretary said:

"For the Vice Chancellor of Sheffield University to get a pay rise of 6% taking his total remuneration to over £311k, more than 20 times the pay of the lowest university worker, in the same year that the university effectively tore up many people's retirement plans is obscene and a slap in the face for ordinary workers.

By closing the University of Sheffield Pension scheme and allowing workers to join SAUL, the university would live up to the promises made to staff when they came to work at the university, of a decent pension."

Stuart added

"This 6% rise in these times will go down like a bucket of cold sick with our members, it is morally irresponsible and more becoming of the obscene bankers bonuses and greedy CEO's than the actions of a leader of a civic institution like the University of Sheffield."

Notes for Editors

SAUL would give us benefits similar to the ones taken away from the University of Sheffield Pension Scheme and would accept University of Sheffield staff into it.

SAUL started by the University of London in 1976 now has members from over 50 universities.

Contact Information:

Stuart Anderson Steve Torrance

UNISON branch Secretary UNISON Regional Organiser

Stuartsevisanderson@gmail.com S.Torrance@unison.co.uk

07889 337081 07866 115729

Unemployed & retired members - support welcome

2012-01-31T14:29:00.000-08:00

Rule 2.4.2:

"Unemployed members shall be entitled to attend branch meetings and to vote on issues not relating to pay and conditions of members in employment. They are not entitled to hold office in the union unless otherwise decided by the National Executive Council."

Similarly, on retired members, the UNISON rule book is clear:

Rule 2.6.2:

Retired members shall be entitled to attend branch meetings and to vote on issues not relating to the pay and conditions of members in employment. They will be entitled to stand for office and vote only for positions in the Retired Members’ Organisation unless otherwise determined by the National Executive Council or as otherwise provided for in these Rules.

At the D&O last week we discussed some proposed amendments to the retired members issues. It was agreed that retired members' input - (eg as Pensions contacts or as activists who can help the union but not hold office) - was very welcome.

Some trade union activists, when they retire, cling on to power and won't move on. That's why UNISON's rules are there - to stop them doing this.

As a member on the NEC I am elected by my peers who also work in Higher Ed as support staff and are full members of the same union. If I was unemployed or retired - if I took a redundancy package for example - then I would no longer have the same interests as my constituents, as my material conditions no longer bare any relation to those workers I'd supposed to be representing.

Regardless of my gut instincts about what the members might want or feel about one issue or another, I would no longer be in a position to know, as my own position would be fundamentally different to them. So I'm glad that the D&O disagreed with some proposed rule amendments which could have eroded that principle.

I'm all for supporters helping out, and am always thankful that retired members should wish to lend a hand in some way, but they should accept our rules and bow out gracefully, as the vast majority of them do. For those that don't - it's embarrassing to have to ask, isn't it?

Save Downhills School Song - 11/01/12

2012-01-20T09:05:00.000-08:00

Inspired.

3 Months and counting! Stop Trade Union victimisation at Centre of the Cell! Re-instate Vik Chechi!

2012-01-19T14:26:00.001-08:00

Since 18th October, Centre of the Cell's Widening Participation Officer, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) UNISON Branch Secretary and Trade Union Representative Vik Chechi has been suspended for 3 months from the Centre of the Cell workplace by Centre of the Cell management.

QMUL College's own HR Code of Practice on Discipline states that investigations into disciplinary cases shall 'begin with no unreasonable delay and will normally be completed within 20 days'. Suspension should also be reviewed every 20 days.

During the period leading up to Mr Chechi's suspension, Centre of the Cell and the College did not appear to follow its own Codes of Practice on dealing with issues such as lateness, but instead leapt straight to disciplinary procedures. This was driven by a concerted attempt to force out a Trade Union shop steward through surreptitious means to further facilitate a driving down in wages and terms and conditions in front line staff. Its noted that in the period leading up to Mr Chechi's suspension, he as Union Representative raised a collective grievance against Centre of the Cell management on behalf of 11 Centre of the Cell staff members - whom since 9 been forced out of the charity, including every single Trade Union member at Centre of the Cell. This was included as a 'vexatious collective grievance' in the charges against Mr Chechi. Since the investigation of that grievance was actually still ongoing, this charge apparently pre-determined its outcome by pre-emptively branding it 'vexatious'. Other charges include raising 'malicious and threatening' allegations against management - ignoring that these 'allegations' were raised as concerns on behalf of union members in the workplace on vital issues such as low pay and high workload.

This is totally unacceptable. Trade Unions have a legal right to operate in the workplace and brazen union busting will result in worse working conditions and lower productivity of the charity. Centre of the Cell has a mission towards reaching out to the most deprived in society - wide layers of the working class and such an attitude towards the official organisations of these people, the Trade Union is a clear contradiction. Also the suspension is on full pay, Centre of the Cell continues to lose a great amount of money through this entire process. A Temporary Outreach assistant is currently performing Mr Chechi's duties - creating a business model to justify not renewing Mr Chechi's fixed term contract in July as an employee could carry out his role for less money.

It is obvious that with this uncertainty and the threat of dismissal hanging over him, Mr Chechi is not well-placed to perform his trade union duties and activities to the best of his ability, despite his non-suspension from this role. It is intolerable to treat a campus trade unionist in this way at a time when management is implementing major restructuring involving significant numbers of redundancies across the College, where staff require maximal trade union involvement and support.

The constant delays in dealing with Mr Chechi's case reinforce the impression that a trade unionist is being unfairly victimised.

Please contact QMUL and Centre of the Cell management (c.pearson@qmul.ac.uk, f.balkwill@qmul.ac.uk) promptly demanding to reinstate Mr Chechi and ensure that campus trade unionists are not subjected to victimisation and poor treatment in the future. Also sign the online petition (over 400 signatures) demanding reinstatement http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/reinstatevikchechi/ See below for press coverage on the issue and attached materials from previous protests and campaign meetings.

http://www.shopstewards.net/news.177.htm

http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/13036

http://jarrowmarch11.com/2011/10/18/statement-of-support-for-vik-chechi-from-the-marchers/

http://sw9red.wordpress.com/tag/vik-chechi/

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/news/content/view/full/110981

http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=26485

http://www.eastlondonlines.co.uk/2011/11/university-accused-of-union-busting/

http://www.eastlondonlines.co.uk/2011/11/chechi-supporters-protest-at-qmu-for-reinstatement/

http://london.indymedia.org/articles/10843

http://www.student-direct.co.uk/2011/11/10/university-suspends-worker-in-attempt-%E2%80%9Cto-decapitate-the-union%E2%80%9D/

http://www.mytowerhamlets.co.uk/news/chechi-supporters-stage-protest-at-queen-mary

Yours sincerely,

Vik Chechi

Centre of the Cell Trade Union Shop Steward

QMUL UNISON Branch Secretary

Contact: unison@qmul.ac.uk

07582861724

Cheers,

Max
-

http://maxwatsonunison.blogspot.com/

2012 Service Group Executive elections & accountability

2012-01-19T04:29:00.001-08:00

Dear UNISON HE contacts,

First off, APOLOGIES - many of you have emailed me asking "What is going on?", and why the pension dispute has suddenly gone quiet? I said I would write a report of the recent SGE meeting that led to this statement going out last week:
http://www.unison.org.uk/asppresspack/pressrelease_view.asp?id=2563

I have recently been reminded about collective responsibility already, and as I already made it clear where I stood before the meeting you won't need me to remind you how I voted, so I'll be very careful about what I say here. And as I've been landed with a local Nightmare at London Met, which combines a 'jobs massacre' with the dreaded Shared Services... So I'm a little snowed under (again).

I'm always on the phone so call me to discuss any time:

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7320 3010
Mob: (UNISON): +44 (0) 7949 039 187

Finally, if you want to know how your SGE Reps voted then ask them! After all they are accountable to you, the members!

The nomination period for election of the union's service group executives is already open and closes at 5pm on Friday 17 February 2012. The election procedures and forms are available to download on the UNISON website at:

http://www.unison.org.uk/elections/servicegroup

For any other election enquiries, contact the member liaison unit at the UNISON Centre. Telephone 020 7121 5312, email elections@unison.co.uk

If you don't like recent HE SGE decisions then talk to your colleagues about who is standing and ask them what they stand for. You can also pass a motion calling for a special conference to re-open the debate.

Contact me if you want to discuss standing for elections - go for it I say!

Once the nomination period is over, the lefties among us will collate a list of candidates we're backing. So send me your info so we can all support each other if you are standing for a Fighting, Democratic union!

Cheers,

Max

http://maxwatsonunison.blogspot.com/

Re-open the Pensions Debate: pass a motion for a Special Conference on Pensions

2012-01-19T03:00:00.001-08:00

This Branch requisitions a Special Conference of the Higher Education Service Group to consider the policy of the Service Group in relation to the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Please send this motion if passed at a Branch Committee or Branch Meeting (with a rough number of your membership in your branch) to:
education@unison.co.uk

And cc me in so we can keep a tab on progress:
m.watson@londonmet.ac.uk

The rulebook stipulates that if we get branches that represent 25% of membership, the service group will have to reconvene... This isn't over.

Friday 13th at London Met truly a nightmare

2012-01-13T07:24:00.001-08:00

Dear Malcolm,

Having just received an 'at risk of redundancy' email from the Director of HR, Lyn Link - along with 1,984 others members of staff - I felt compelled to write to you directly, despite the fact this email did not come from you.

Late last year, when you spoke to the all staff forums, you committed to reviewing your own pay and that of your Senior Management Team. Can I remind you of your commitment, particularly considering since the Beaman's review in which yours were identified as being in the 'upper quartile'? I'll forward this email to all unison members to remind them of your commitment to considering a pay cut - how much exactly are the London Met VC & Deputies paid at present? - and also to remind all members that we have identified a £1.3M saving if you were to cap salaries at a reasonable level.

Can you also let us know who is to be held accountable for 'over recruiting' this academic year, how much the fine from HEFCE will be?

Can I also ask why it was your Deputy VC who yesterday told 'all staff' that another 229 jobs were at risk. And why did he say that the staff who were at risk of redundancy had already been informed of this yesterday when in fact we have only just received an email today from Lyn Link.

So exactly how many saw the email from Peter yesterday and thought: "Phew: I haven't got one so I'm all right." And then today, "Oh, wait, I have!" (The answer is 1,984). One thousand, nine hundred and eighty four of your staff!

Can I suggest that whilst you may see these actions as necessary, which of course we don't, and added to all of the fiasco around your latest S188 announcement (at least give the email to all staff a meaningful subject header), plus your tendering to farm out the entire support staff functions, this Friday 13th at London Met truly is a nightmare.

Congratulations, you've surpassed all your predecessors in that regard! We have had a few nightmares before this week, after all. I'm sure our staff will be celebrating in style this year indeed.

I look forward to your response and to meeting you again soon.

Regards,

Max

UNISON Branch Chairperson
http://www.londonmetunison.org.uk/
Email UNISON: unison@londonmet.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7320 3010
Mob: (UNISON): +44 (0) 7949 039 187
Call UNISON Direct: 0845 355 0845

We're London Met, not 'EasyMet'

2012-01-12T04:17:00.001-08:00

We're London Met, not 'EasyMet'

Marketing implores us to be "Proud to be London Met" - but now our vice-chancellor says that up to 50 per cent of our support services staff are "Not allowed to be London Met".

We were staggered by the latest email to staff sent by Malcolm Gillies, who announced (just two days before the Christmas holidays) that London Metropolitan University's board of governors had decided to embark on a "shared services" project - slashing costs and cutting jobs in the process.

Gillies followed up this Scrooge-like Christmas message with an interview with Times Higher Education in which he claimed that the shared services model would cut costs by up to 50 per cent over five years ("Shared savings plan to halve admin costs", 5 January). This was the first Unison (which represents support staff) had heard of the plans: happy new year to you too, Malcolm.

Current evidence that doesn't come from the shared services industry itself overwhelmingly demonstrates that such projects are deeply flawed. They share these characteristics: high entry or upfront costs; high failure rates; loss of local knowledge; loss of service visibility; loss of control and accountability; loss of identity; loss of competitive advantage; worker dissatisfaction and union trouble (as if we haven't had enough of that at London Met); costs of failure pushed on to service users (London Met students are not rich); and "savings" as costs are pushed into other parts of the system.

We are deeply concerned that London Met is on the road to privatisation. The procurement costs of shared service models are significant and could leave the university deeper in the red: the potential savings are wildly exaggerated and dependent on cutting terms and conditions, or locating employment in areas where costs are lower - yet the marketers want us to "talk up the brand".

London Met staff really do pride ourselves on being embedded in the local community. We are London Met, not "EasyMet", and intend to remain so. Let's hope the board won't repeat the failures of the past.

Max Watson, Chair, London Metropolitan University Unison branch

Thatcher: Tramp The Dirt Down - Elvis Costello

2012-01-04T09:59:00.000-08:00

Lobby UNISON’s Service Group Executives – Keep fighting for our pensions until we win!

2012-01-03T08:31:00.001-08:00

Lobby UNISON's Service Group Executives – Keep fighting for our pensions until we win!

London Met Uni UNISON branch supports the call for a lobby of the Service Group Executives outside UNISON's national headquarters (130 Euston Road, NW1) from 12 noon to 2.00 PM on Tuesday 10 January. Tell out elected reps – Don't give up the fight!

"These agreements deliver the government's key objectives in full, and do so with no new money since our November offer. These reforms will save the taxpayer tens of billions of pounds over the next few decades and significantly improve the long-term fiscal sustainability of this country." Danny Alexander

Sign the petition:

As UNISON representatives and ordinary members we do not believe that the "Heads Of Agreement" on public sector pensions form the basis for settling our dispute with the government over our future pensions.

The agreements would ultimately deliver the government's agenda of making public sector workers work longer, pay more and get less in our pensions.

The key elements the government has wanted to impose remain intact:

· Increased Employee Contributions

· A Retirement Age rising in line with the State Pension Age to at least 68

· Replacement of final salary with worse career average schemes

· Pensions devalued by uprating them in line with the Consumer Price Index instead of Retail Price Index, cutting their value by 15%

The agreement is based on the Treasury's "final offer" issued on 2 November, which allows for negotiation on elements in each pension scheme but within a fixed "cost ceiling". As Francis Maude has made clear "The cost ceiling has not changed. We have not put an extra penny on the table".

On 30 November we took part in the largest strike action in at least a generation, in an unprecedented display of unity across public sector unions. Dave Prentis rightly proclaimed it "an incredible success and one of the proudest moments of my career".

We believe it is a fundamental mistake only a few weeks later to allow the government to now play divide and rule. This can only make it easier for them to push through the cuts in our pensions as part of their wider austerity programme of real pay cuts and massive job losses, making working people pay the price for a crisis created by bankers' greed. There is too much at stake to allow the Con Dems to pick off unions one at a time or to seek to isolate others as they are clearly attempting to do with the PCS.

We therefore call on UNISON's Service Group Executives to reject the "Heads of Agreement" and instead call for the resumption of further coordinated public sector strikes to defend decent pensions for all public sector workers.

Sign the above statement here:

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/why-we-say-%E2%80%98no-deal%E2%80%99-on-pensions.html

See also: Don't give up the pensions fight

London Met UNISON members join historic strike on Nov30

2011-12-02T08:36:00.000-08:00

London Met UNISON members join historic strike on Nov30

UNISON stewards have all reported positive responses to the biggest one-day public sector strike in a generation. Only a handful of strike breakers crossed our picket lines at London Met, and we are confident many non-members joined the strike too.

A few lonely individuals, agency staff or managers opened offices and buildings that would otherwise have been shut and many sections were closed completely, including: Moorgate Library, Commercial Road Library, Calcutta House Registry, Ladbroke House Library… the list goes on. Sara Masson and Megan Redmond, UNISON reps who picketed Ladbroke House report:

"We were warmed and nourished by 4 women from IHOOPs (Islington Hands Off Our Public Services) the NUJ, and an anonymous activist, who arrived with hot coffee, homemade flapjacks and muffins. They told us they had come from the picket line at the Whittington Hospital and several others en route.

"They felt strike was very successful, with high participation levels everywhere they had been and much support from the public. When two of our picket went over to the Highbury Fields School picket for a chat, a bit later on, we accosted Nick Robinson (photo), spotted on his way to work, and we exhorted him to tell it like it is! He even took a copy of the supportive article in the Evening Standard on the eve of the strike to fill in the gaps in his knowledge…"

Maggie Loughran, who picketed Commercial Road, said:

"Commercial Rd was deserted, only a handful of students walked in and walked straight out again when they found the place empty. Unfortunately we had one member cross the picket line who helped keep the empty building open. One admin worker (out of the two that went in!) who wasn't a member decided enough was enough and went in to work but by the end of the day had joined Unison saying "This is the right thing to do". I was proud to stand outside on the picket line as a rep for UNISON on behalf of all of our members."

The only students in Central house were architecture students who had an exhibition project launch at Toynbee Hall. The UCU and the UNISON pickets had nobody to convince not to come in because no one turned up except for just one lecturer!

Eddie Rowley, who was lead picket at Goulston St, said: "The symbolism of the view in front of those of us picketing on outside Goulston Street was clear to us all. In the car park opposite the Porsche and Mercedes belonging to the city workers stared back at us relentlessly. To the left we see Royal Bank of Scotland looming high, perhaps the destination of some of Porsche owners, settling in for another day of gambling away public money from the latest bank bail-out.

"They are the 1% who brought who caused the ever worsening financial catastrophe, yet it is the 99% who are expected to pay for it. Well the 99% will not stand for it any longer. We will not tolerate attacks on our pensions, public services and welfare state to pay for their mess. We will strike and strike again and are determined to win."

We felt the vast majority of staff stayed at home – many to look after children whose schools were on strike and many more came to join the main rally which was huge.

The Tower Building, Calcutta House, Goulston St and the Learning Centre all had strong, lively pickets and lots of support from the public was shown by cars and bus divers tooting their horns.

David Summers, Branch Young member's Officer, said:

The Learning Centre attracted strong support from both members and students – only a small number of students and just a few members crossed the picket line. One staff member changed their mind about going in, and instead joined us on the picket line for the whole morning once he had listened to our arguments over why we were striking! I was proud to stand as a UNISON rep alongside my members and students on the picket line on the 30th November in fight to secure a decent pension for all public service workers!

Some even brought their children to join the pickets or the demo itself. After all the fight for pensions is about ensuing the future!

Those who joined the strike – some for the first time in their lives – enjoyed the atmosphere and even felt inspired. The high point for the city campus was when we joined a demo that came past Old Castle st. Hospital workers in UNITE, UNISON, and medical practitioner associations spontaneously started to march from Whitechapel, past the banks in the City, all the way past St Paul's by the Occupation through to the main demo at Lincolns Inn Fields in Holborn.

UNITE, NUT and PCS balloons in a sea of trade unionists at start of demo

From there we joined up to 50,000 other trade unionists – from the PCS, NASUWT, NUT and nearly 30 different unions all out on strike together against the pensions robbery, coming together in a carnival-like atmosphere.

The immense crowd took over an hour to march the short distance to Parliament where we heard speeches from union reps from various unions. Our very own Mark Campbell (UCU Chair) spoke to the rally (see short youtube clip below) before the clouds finally gave in and poured rain on the crowd before some of us sloped off to celebrate a successful day in a nearby pub.

UNISON reps at London Met felt we had done a good job of bringing people together in common cause. We even had both the North campus Banner and the City campus banner out on the same demo for the first time in many years (see top photo).

The day was overall a huge success and we are all Proud to be UNISON, and proud to have taken an active part in the biggest strike in a generation. A special thanks from the Branch Committee to all those members who respected and joined our picket lines.

To those who went in to work: why not join us next time? Go here (please forward this to your colleagues who for whatever reason have still not joined).

To those who stayed at home: why not join the picket lines next time and feel like you're actively taking part in making history?

To those who joined in: why not leave your comments or send us your photos? See lots more Photos on-line on Facebook here?

Birkbeck UNISON lead by example, will not cross UCU picket lines on N30

2011-11-28T13:16:00.000-08:00

Good luck to all the UNISON branches in HE that will be out on Wednesday on a very historic day for our union movement. Almost 30 unions will all be out - nearly 2.6 Million workers will be out in a magnificent display of unity, of defiance, of solidarity and resistance.

As identified at the start of the balloting period, for HE one of the main issues is that many UNISON branches aren't in a scheme that is being balloted (eg SAUL, USS or specific employer scheme). In that case we discussed at the time the options before those branches, including writing to employers asking that UNISON members would not be discplined for refusing to cross UCU picket lines. Once we knew that those branches couldn't get balloted in time by engineering a dispute, this was really the only option left.

Birkbeck UNISON have lead the way, as today they announced that:

"Although our branch hasn't been balloted we have now had it confirmed that any Birkbeck UNISON members who say they don't want to come to work when UCU are on strike will not have any action taken against them other than losing a day's pay."

For those other UNISON branches that still wish to take action but haven't secured an agreement yet, they could also now use this precedent as an example their management might wish to follow. Well done to Naomi Bain (Chair) and Simon Deville (Secretary) who must have negotiated hard for this agreement.

Solidarity forever - see you on the streets on November 30th and beyond!

BILLY BRAGG - SUPPORT NOV 30 STRIKE/THERE IS POWER IN A UNION

2011-11-26T14:28:00.000-08:00

Violence at London Met Uni Picket lines?

2011-11-25T08:05:00.000-08:00

UNISON members at London Met were annoyed at a recent email from our Vice Chancellor, Malcolm Gillies, who has (once again) requested that we are peaceful when we go on demonstrations or on our picket lines next week.

Why is this necessary? When challenged by UNISON recently management recognised that we have never been violent before on picket lines (see one of our scary pickets on left). So why do we need to be treated like children? Management argues that they are simply iterating the legal position: picket lines must be 'peaceful' and not 'intimidatory'. Yes that’s true, but – correct me if I’m wrong – there is also a law against being violent to people already, in your day to day lives but we don't need reminding of it.

Is this worse than just ill-judged and patronising? Is it also playing the politics of fear? Creating a climate of fear: as if going on a demonstration is a dangerous affair, or standing on a picket line could be perceived as an act of aggression. The myth of the 'angry mob' is deliberately playing up to people's fears and making people hesitant about exercising their right to protest. It works, too - it’s a proven method. A local steward has never been on a demo, and didn’t come on the demo of 26th March because of this fear of violence. Another rep recently came on their first demo and was clearly anxious due to all the press reports of potential 'riots'.

Others have made it clear to me they didn't come on the recent student demo because of the danger of 'rubber bullets' that the police deliberately put out to scare people off. I’ve been on too many demonstrations than is probably healthy for one person – and indeed I have on occasion seen real police violence, and seen mounted police charging peaceful protesters in London. So I’m not impressed by the tactics of a university management who have asked us to ‘be peaceful’ or keep within the law when our picket lines are simply a justified stance against the great Pensions Robbery.

We are peaceful in our day to day activity, as of course we would be on our picket lines.

The real violence is the slamming the door of education in the faces of ordinary young people. Violence is making people unemployed when there is no need for job cuts, or cutting counselling services for students who are on suicide watch. Violence is withholding wages or holiday pay from cleaners or caterers, from the most vulnerable workers in university. Enforced poverty is violence.

Meanwhile we are the ones who are expected to keep quiet about the mugging of public sector workers - or we're portrayed as potentially dangerous.

We are peaceful: but we are also determined, and we will not be intimidated by veiled threats.

Whenever there is a strike there is division and you are asked: ‘whose side are you on’? To be tarnished with the ‘potentially violent’ brush is all part of the battle for public opinion. Despite repeated requests for a retraction and apology, to their shame they have failed to take this chance.

I've asked around and sadly this has apparently only happened at London Met so far as I can tell but I've not asked far and wide: who else in a UNISON HE branch has been asked by their VC not to be violent on their picket lines without reason?

The truth about the unions - Redpepper's Mythbuster

2011-11-24T02:01:00.000-08:00

As the Tories and their pals in the press ratchet up the anti-strike rhetoric, Red Pepper knocks down some of the myths they throw at the unions

MYTH: Unions strike at the ﬁrst opportunity, without a thought for the consequences

Nobody takes the decision to strike lightly. Strikes are very expensive – the cost to the unions of 30 November, including ballots, will be millions of pounds. Union members will sacriﬁce up to £100 million in pay altogether.

The unions are taking action because other options have been blocked by the government. It eﬀectively froze negotiations. It is only the threat of strikes that has led to any change in the government's position.

When the unions do eventually decide they have to resort to strikes, they discuss with employers to organise emergency cover and ensure that no one is in danger and vulnerable people are not harmed.

Home care for the elderly, urgent operations and accident and emergency departments all continue to function. Unions agree with employers that enough people are exempt from the strike to make sure this is the case.

MYTH: Unions are just a 'lobby group' for workers' selﬁsh interests

Public sector workers are less motivated by their own pay and conditions than by a strong public service ethos. 53 per cent of NHS staﬀ regularly work additional unpaid hours over and above their contract (Annual NHS Staﬀ Survey). The most common reason for working unpaid hours was 'because I want to provide the best care I can'.

Public sector unions play a key social justice role, campaigning for decent public services for all. They would like to be striking to this end, but that is illegal. They are only allowed to take action over their own pay and conditions.

But good conditions are part of ensuring quality public services – after all, services will be better if the workers providing them are secure about their futures, rather than anxious.

Unions can hardly be accused of representing 'sectional interests' when they do so much campaigning on wider issues such as anti-racism and freedom for Palestine.

MYTH: Unions are a thing of the past – a declining minority of the workforce

The unions are constantly renewing themselves. Many trade unions are in fact growing as they reach out to new groups. For example, Unison signed up 160,000 new members last year – 27,000 of them aged under 30. Unions are also on the rise internationally as more of the world is industrialised and workers start to ﬁght for their rights.

Deindustrialisation and legal attacks have reduced the number in unions in the UK since the 1970s. But with nearly seven million members (National Statistics), trade unions are still the largest voluntary organisations in the country.

And another estimated 3.3 million non-union workers are covered by collective agreements negotiated by a union.

MYTH: Unions are a drag on the economy

Government-commissioned research shows that unions bring an identiﬁable range of beneﬁts to the economy, and the taxpayer, worth up to £1.1 billion every year ('Workplace representatives: a review of their facilities and facility time', BERR). This is through their contribution to dispute resolution, reductions in workplace injuries and work-related illnesses, and improved take-up of training.

There are also productivity gains worth up to £12 billion ('The Facts About Facility Time', TUC) thanks to improved morale and employee engagement, among other factors.

Even the International Monetary Fund has published research ('Inequality, Leverage and Crises', IMF) suggesting that union bargaining helps maintain economic stability, by keeping a lid on inequalities and putting a brake on runaway expansions of household debt.

Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman says: 'If we want a society of broadly shared prosperity … we need to restore the bargaining power that labour has lost over the last 30 years, so that ordinary workers as well as superstars have the power to bargain for good wages.'

MYTH: Unions only care about the public sector, where most of their members work

The government talks a lot about how 'unfair' unions are for private sector workers – but workers in the private sector won't beneﬁt one jot from an attack on the public sector.

The public sector's conditions are better because unions have fought to maintain standards in the face of a race to the bottom. Union members' hourly earnings are around 17 per cent higher than those of non-union members.

Unions face enormous challenges recruiting and organising in the private sector because of the nature of much employment. But millions of private sector workers are in unions – and millions more who are not in a union would like to join one. Unions want to level up, not race to the bottom.

According to the British Workplace Representation and Participation Survey, 46 per cent of employees in non-unionised workplaces say they would become members if unions were enabled to recruit and organise there. That alone would easily take total union membership above 50 per cent nationally.

MYTH: Unions are pale, male and stale

In fact, unions have been working continually to address inequalities and secure greater participation and representation of women, black and ethnic minorities, disabled and young people ever since the social movements of the 1970s transformed understandings of inequality and work.

Unison, for example, has over a million women members – more than two thirds of the union. Women's representation is growing across the unions, and many now actively encourage women to get involved and become reps.

It's taken time and struggle, and there's still a lot to be done, but unions score higher than most institutions on diversity and equalities – including not just businesses but also political parties. Young people today are far more likely to join a union than a political party.

MYTH: Unions are undemocratic, with 'union barons' ordering members to strike

The very role of a trade union is to provide democratic representation of its members in the workplace. The right to form and join trade unions is generally considered to be a fundamental part of any democratic society, and is speciﬁcally mentioned in the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights (article 23).

Unions spread a culture of democracy. Research suggests high levels of union membership are linked to democratic participation more generally, such as voting in elections and campaigning in the community ('The Everyday Democracy Index', Demos).

Union leaders are elected democratically by a ballot of every member. Policy is made through the unions' democratic structures, such as annual delegate conferences. As with any democratic institution there are ﬂaws, and improvements must be fought for, but in few organisations are the leaders as accountable as they are in the unions.

No strike can take place without the support of at least 50 per cent of those voting by postal ballot. Two out of every three MPs didn't get 50 per cent of the vote at the last general election.

MYTH: Unions are unpopular

Trade unions' portrayal in the media could make you think that they are universally despised. But surveys show that this is far from the case.

Even at the height of the attack on the unions, when MORI opinion polls found a majority of people agreeing that unions were 'run by militants', 73 per cent still agreed that unions are essential to protect workers' interests'. Today 76 per cent say they are essential.

A ComRes opinion poll at the time of the smaller pensions strikes in June this year found that a majority of the public thought 'public sector workers are right to take strike action'. With up to three million set to strike on 30 November, these arguments are ones we can win.

Download this Mythbuster as a PDF file

We have piles of this Mythbuster, printed as a full-colour leaflet, ready to send out. Would you like some for your union branch, trades council, anti-cuts or campaign group? Or even just a few to give out yourself? Email your postal address to office@redpepper.org.uk

London Metropolitan University unions prepare for an ‘all out’ strike on 30th November

2011-11-24T01:16:00.001-08:00

Members of the trade union UNISON at London Metropolitan University met last week and declared their intention to join the huge one day public sector strike over pensions on 30th November 2011.

The support staff at the university, based in Islington, the City of London and Tower Hamlets, met on 16th and 17th November, following the national ballots for action returned a 78% yes vote for industrial action. They declared their intention to shut down the University for the day alongside with their sister unions, the UCU and GMB.

The Students Union have also declared their support for the strike.

Dozens of UNISON members gathered to express their outrage at the government's 'pensions robbery', and lined up to show support to be photographed with a placard which reads 'I'm taking action on 30th November.

Susan Lloyd, an administrative officer, said she'd be striking on Nov 30th, because: "I haven't had a decent pay rise in years so simply can't afford to pay a further 50% more into my pension."

Jonathan McCree, added he would also be withdrawing his labour because: "Only by doing so will I protect my pension and send a message that everyone deserves one."

Eddie Rowley, who works with the student union, said: "I shouldn't have to pay 50% more in pension contributions to fund the bank bailouts!"

All the unions at the University will be on strike on 30th November, with support from the students' union, leading to a likely shut down of the two campuses. Management have promised to deduct a day's pay from striking staff but Max Watson, Chair of the UNISON Branch, said:

"The threat of losing a day's pay doesn't really compare when you look at the long term pensions robbery the government has in mind. I'll be paying over £500 a year extra for a pension that will be cut by 23 percent according to the government's proposals, and I won't get it until I'm too old to enjoy it! There's no way I'm putting up with that, and our members have made it clear they're behind this strike all the way."

For more info:

Call Branch Chair: Max Watson 0207 320 3010

http://www.londonmetunison.org.uk/

unison@londonmet.ac.uk

Let's Work Together to get public service workers to No1!

2011-11-22T07:50:00.000-08:00

Let's Work Together to get public service workers to No1!

Dear Max,

The Workers are a group of 14 public service staff from around the country, who've come together to record the classic song 'Let's Work Together'. Please help get some solidarity into the charts ahead of the day of action on 30 November by watching the video, buying the song, and spreading the word.

Watch the video now and find out more

Public service workers are under a lot of strain - Job losses are happening at an even higher rate than in the private sector, and government cuts mean more people are needing to fall back on our public services in a time of need - putting more strain on fewer staff. Added to this, the government are planning to drastically cut their pensions, and make people work much longer and pay much more into the bargain. This will mean many low paid staff unable to afford to contribute to any pensions provision at all - a race to the bottom that will do nothing to help pensions under attack in the private sector too.

Public sector unions are staging a day of action on 30 November, to highlight the problem, with events happening all over the country. It would really set the mood music for the day to have a song in the charts when it happens, so we're backing The Workers to raise awareness and solidarity ahead of the 30th. Please help us to get them as high up the charts as we can.

Watch the video now and find out more

Going To Work is a project of the Trades Union Congress (TUC)

This email was sent to:
salaam_max@yahoo.co.uk

You can unsubscribe from our email updates at any time, just go to:
http://action.goingtowork.org.uk/unsubscribe

Why I'm supporting Mark Campbell for UCU Gen Sec

2011-11-18T07:49:00.000-08:00

I'm supporting Mark Campbell for UCU Gen Sec, for unity in action. At London Met Uni we've had to take robust stand against job cuts and privatisation - including coordinated strike action in 2009 and again in June 2011.

Watch short clip below from our most recent strike - Mark Campbell lead his union branch out on strike against job cuts at London Met that were predominantly support staff jobs represented by us in UNISON. As a result of our united action we doubled the redundancy pay, and significantly reduced the number of compulsory redundancies.

I fully back Mark's campaign and look forward to working with him as General Secretary of a fighting, democratic UCU. United we stand, divided we fall. http://markcampbell4gs.wordpress.com/

Sparks national day of action - REEL NEWS footage

2011-11-11T07:08:00.000-08:00

LONDON MET UNI - NOT FOR SALE!

2011-11-11T06:12:00.000-08:00

Banner-drop at the end of the student demo against privatisation of education on Wed 9th Nov.

Well done to the students who managed to get through the overkill police and security operation to get this message out, to NCAFC, EAN and all activists who organised a very successful day.

Shame no official unions built this at all, but now it's all out to build for Nov 30th.

UNITE the RESISTANCE

2011-11-10T06:49:00.000-08:00

The full timetable for the UNITE the RESISTANCE convention is published here. See you there?

Students at the heart of the system? 'Profit' would be more apt

2011-11-08T09:04:00.001-08:00

The higher education white paper is an ideological attack on vulnerable students. We must stand united in opposition

Claire Locke
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 8 November 2011 16.00 GMT
Article history

Students protest over funding cuts for arts education at London Metropolitan University. Photograph: Graeme Robertson for the Guardian

Thousands of students from all over the country will be marching through London this Wednesday against the government's plans for universities. The governments's white paper for higher education calls itself "Students at the heart of the system". As the president of the students' union at London Metropolitan University, I have been on the frontline facing the attacks against students and education. I know how contradictory this title is, and how vital it is that we stand up and fight for the opportunities that have been won over generations.

The higher education white paper is in fact an attempt to turn the learning environment into a marketplace and learners into customers. "Profit at the heart of the system" would be far more accurate. The government seeks to justify cuts and fee increases in higher education by saying that students are a burden on the taxpayer – but the new funding regime will actually require students to borrow more money from the taxpayer at a time of economic crisis. Is this a logical move or an ideological one?

Allowing private companies to take over public resources has historically had an adverse affect on our communities. This year energy companies have made record profits by raising prices through the roof, leaving vulnerable people to suffer the cold – and in extreme case die – because they cannot afford their heating bills. The privatisation of education and healthcare is like selling off our children to the highest bidder.

London Met has a diverse student body. Many of our students come from widening participation backgrounds, with high proportions of working class and black and ethnic-minority students. The very ethos of London Met is to enable students who would not previously had the chance to enter into higher education the opportunity to have the same life choices that were previously only provided for a privileged few.

We now face the worst cuts out of any university in Britain. These include a 70% cut to the undergraduate course portfolio, which has resulted in the loss of subjects such as philosophy, history and performing arts. These courses were financially viable, had high student satisfaction and retention, and some scored higher in the league tables than any other course at London Met. To cut these courses was not logical. This was a move to vocationalise the course offering.

The rationale behind such a move is highly flawed, as there is no data to suggest that students who leave London Met go into employment in the field of which they studied. In fact, the data collected for the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education survey shows that the faculty of computing, which is made up of vocational courses, has the lowest graduate employment rating.

The result of offering mainly vocational courses at institutions like London Met is that the majority of working-class and black and ethnic-minority students who enter into higher education will have their choices limited to what is deemed to be of value by the decision-makers at the institution. This will limit social mobility and is a step backwards for post-1992 universities. Meanwhile, at Russell Group institutions, the sons and daughters of Middle England will be allowed to continue to study arts and humanities.

Along with the reshaping of the course offering at London Met, student services, a department that provides support for our most vulnerable students, has received a 30% cut. Students now have to wait eight weeks for an appointment with the disability and dyslexia service. This is an unacceptable attack on our most vulnerable students and it has already caused some disabled students to drop out of London Met altogether.

I am forced to conclude that the changes to higher education are an ideological attack on vulnerable students. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds will either be excluded form higher education altogether or have very limited choices and support. Taxpayers will be forced to pay more in the short term, with their money ending up in the pockets of large corporations who will be primarily focused on profit-making rather than education.

My great granddad once said to my dad when he was a child, that one day the rich and powerful would try to take away all the rights, freedoms and opportunities that we have fought for for generations. This is now a reality, and if we do not stand up and fight we will lose them. It is much easier to keep something than it is to get it back once it's gone. Education affects everyone. It is vital that we stand united to save education on 9 November, because history repeatedly shows us that united, we can actually win.

Cheers,

Max
-

http://maxwatsonunison.blogspot.com/

HE UNISON Branch wesbite directory

2011-11-07T05:57:00.001-08:00

Has your branch got its own website? I'm making a directory of branch websites, so it's easier for us to contact each other on-line. Let me know, send me your link and I'll add you to the list of HE UNISON Branches I've started here on the side of this blog.

Cheers,

Max
-

http://maxwatsonunison.blogspot.com/

It's time to take to the streets again ... #N9

2011-11-07T04:55:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday 9th November, thousands of students from all over the country will march through London against the government’s plans for universities.

Student demo November 9th 2011 from Jon Cheetham on Vimeo.

Assemble: 12 noon at the University of London Union (ULU) on Malet Street

See the Facebook event here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=149127191852123

RE-INSTATE QMUL UNISON BRANCH SEC. VIK CHECHI

2011-11-07T04:47:00.000-08:00

On 18th October, QMUL UNISON Branch Secretary Vikhas Chechi was suspended from his post at the Centre of the Cell, Queen Mary University of London.

We believe this suspension is linked to Mr Chechi’s vocal opposition to the cuts and restructuring being imposed at Queen Mary and his tireless efforts to organise campus workers and reinvigorate the local UNISON branch.

Having the trade union decapitated during a period of restructuring and redundancies would be detrimental to staff and students.

This petition calls:

1.For Mr. Chechi's reinstatement.

2.To oppose any efforts to victimise trade unionists at Queen Mary and elsewhere.

3.To send letters of protest immediately to Mr Chechi's employers demanding his immediate reinstatement and letters of support to unison@qmul.ac.uk

SIGN THE PETITION HERE:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/reinstatevikchechi/

QMUL UNISON are also organising a public meeting and a lobby in order to campaign demanding his immediate reinstatement. ALL WELCOME. FORWARD THIS EMAIL WIDELY AS POSSIBLE.

PUBLIC MEETING

Thursday 10^th November

5.30pm-6.30pm

Francis Bancroft Room 1.13a

Mile End Campus, Queen Mary University, E1 4NS

LOBBY VIK’S EMPLOYERS

Tuesday 15^th November

4.30pm-5.30pm

Garrod Building entrance, Queen Mary University, Whitechapel Campus

(Behind Royal London Hospital, Turner Street, Whitechapel, E1 2AD)

In solidarity,

QMUL UNISON

UNISON members vote Yes to action - Higher Ed unanimously support #N30

2011-11-04T04:41:00.000-07:00

UNISON News | The public service union | UNISON members vote Yes to action

We're on the last stretch of the road to nationally coordinated strike action. Finally the results came in on Thursday last week, after a long campaign for a yes vote (though one more week might have helped?).

The Higher Ed service Group then ratified the decision to go ahead with November 30th, (unanimously voting in favour), following the overwhelming yes vote.

Firstly, a common query: there won't be a breakdown for our sector - all of LGPS members have one aggregated result. We do not have a breakdown of the results for the HE Service group, nor for individual branches.

Secondly we should not be defensive about the turn-out: nearly thirty percent isn't bad at all. How many MEPs are elected on higher percentage? And if the government want trade unions to deliver an increased turnout to make our ballots legitimate, they should allow us to have workplace ballots (after all we're based in the workplace). And why can't we use secure on-line voting systems like professional associations do . Student unions often have on-line voting too. ... but not trade unions, oh no.

And due to the Tory anti-union laws we have to strike with in 28days of a ballot result in order to keep our ballot 'live'. So it's definitely going ahead on 30th Nov.

As Dave Prentis promised: 'there will be no deals behind closed doors', and members will be consulted on any 'final offer (in what format we are yet to decide).

We emphasised the need to defend pensions for everyone - not just public sector workers, and certainly not just those public sector works close to retirement age. So as far as we're concerned, the strike is on because we're defending decent pensions for all. To that end, we're agreed on the need to engage with young workers and students and we're all for building stronger alliances with the NUS. As I said already, 'today's students are tomorrow's pensioners'...

I think we should congratulate ourselves on an excellent 'Yes campaign'. The materials produced were excellent, the support and training for Pensions Champions has been clear and concise, making complex arguments simple. Activists up and down the country have been slogging their guts out talking to members, and altogether we delivered a convincing result.

Now the task is to keep the momentum up whilst the wind is in our sails.

We won the yes vote in our union, now we need to win over public opinion. The media bias against unions means they will instinctively oppose any strike action, so we need to get letters into local papers in favour, vote in on-line polls etc.. UNISON mobilised well for the Guardian and the Telegraph polls taken last week - we need to keep this up over the next few weeks.

Most of all we need to be recruiting and organising new members and activists. Public sector workers are joining UNISON at a speed not seen an many years, due to our high-profile and principled stand in defence of decent pensions for all.

So hopefully I'll see many of you on the demo on 9th November: whilst we're supporting the struggle for free education, we will also be recruiting more advocates for our strike action on 30th.

Today's students are tomorrow's pensioners - let's stick together

2011-11-02T19:52:00.000-07:00

The government has apparently tried to buy off older workers (within ten years of retirement) with some minimal concessions.

It's very welcome that UNISON has told the rich-list cabinet to get stuffed and declared 30th Nov is still on (see analysis here and here).

The government think they've spotted a chink in our armour - the average age of trade unionists is, sadly, above 50 - so they're trying to exploit that.

As a public sector worker who is nowhere near retirement age, (and I won't even be covered by a promise that the offer would be binding for the next 25 years), I don't see anything in this for me or my generation.

As I argued last year we in the labour movement need to be arm in arm with the next generation if we're to turn around our decline. We cannot allow our movement to be divided by age. We'd be selling out a future generation of public sector workers, who share zero blame for the current financial crisis.

Solidarity with the next generation. If we sell them out, we haven't got a hope. Instead, we must congratulate the TUC for rejecting this offer and not only throw our weight behind building for the 30th November, but also get involved in building the demo next week .

Today's students are tomorrow's pensioners - let's stick together. See you next week.

UNISON News | The public service union | Action on 30 November still on

2011-11-02T19:49:00.000-07:00

UNISON News | The public service union | Action on 30 November still on

Catching up with the vote yes campaign

2011-10-25T02:21:00.000-07:00

Like Marsha-Jane, and (hopefully) hundreds of thousands other UNISON members, I voted yes right away two weeks ago.

My baby girl was born the same day as my ballot arrived - and some things in life are more important, even more so than the biggest ever postal ballot for industrial action this country.

So whilst I've been at home nesting, everybody's been out talking about the pensions dispute, and only now I'm playing a bit of catch up.

Firstly, I was glad to see the unmissable envelopes the ballots arrived in, as I'd made it my mission to make sure they didn't look like junk mail.

This morning, I heard Mark Serwotka speak on Radio 4 against "the biggest robbery of a pension scheme this country has ever seen", and our joint-union legal challenge to the arbitrary changes from RPI to CPI.

Michael Meacher has neatly summarised the case for a yes vote, and Jon Rogers has obviously been out and about vigorously campaigning for a good turn out alongside another London regional NEC member, Helen Davies.

Jon persistently raised the need for a Pensions Calculator, which is now online.

Eric Roberts puts public sector pensions into some (bite-sized) historical context, going right back to Cromwell. And Marsh-Jane helpfully explains how to use the calculator if you're part-time or work in London.

I also enjoyed reading about why we should all be 'like mosquitoes' from Roger McKenzie, who had spoken at the HE Branch Seminar last week. I'm sure I've heard the same analogy told to me by one of our activists in London Met Uni branch, who also happened to be up in her home town of Liverpool last week...

It was a shame I couldn't be there to catch up with the HE service group's leading activists, and hear how the yes campaign is going up and down the country, but like public sector pensions, paternity leave was a hard-won battle so I felt obliged to take advantage of my limited rights...

So now I've had a two week break I'm back in action tomorrow, when I'll be re-joining a huge 'yes' campaign. Every vote counts. Like Dave Prentis says, 'make your stand, and vote yes in this ballot' (see below).

If you've not got a ballot paper yet, and you're in the LGPS (rather that SAUL or USS), then call up the Pensions hotline: 0845 355 0845

If we're successful, as I'm confident we will be, then I'll see you out on 30th November.

Southbank University fighting for the Living Wage

2011-10-12T03:34:00.000-07:00

One great way to boost support for a cause is a bit of bullying and intimidation from management.

London South Bank University UNISON held a demo last week for the Living Wage, and called for support from the wider movement, for the World day for Decent Work, 7th October. The emails, press releases and Facebook-Event invites went round as normal and their petition - you can still sign it - went online.

Then the private cleaning contractor 'Interserve' responded by threatening the cleaners with disciplinary if they attended the demo, and even the University management threatened UNISON, claiming they had no right to protest at the university entrance over the Living Wage.

That's when support increased from a 'maybe attending' to a 'definitely attending' for many local activists. SOAS, Birckbeck, London Met University UNISON branches, (of course!), and also Lambeth Local Government, Southwark Save our Services, Southbank UCU plus student and community activists all turned out to show solidarity.

Somewhere between 70-100 people turned out for the lunchtime rally - trade union activists really don't like being told by employers we can't go on a demo... The threats to the cleaners, though, worked. Unless you've got really strong organisation and the confidence to defy management en masse - as they did at Senate House in September - then it's too risky for activists to stand up and be counted, easily picked off for victimisation.

Nevertheless, it was a strong display of support for their cause, and it's looking like Southbank should become the 14th London Higher Ed Institution to become a Living Wage employer.

As we know at London Met however, the Living Wage alone is not enough. Winning dignity at work means unionisation, it means organising the rank and file membership and mobilising, training new activists to look after themselves, to stand up to employers who are not used to having to deal with trade unionists. It means demanding - and negotiating around - sick pay, holidays, overtime pay, proper breaks, time off for activists, and ultimately decent pensions too. And it means not accepting a 'promise' to pay the Living Wage some time in the distant future, too.

We're slowly getting there at London Met - our 'quick win' means the organising at a basic level still continues. Those who aren't interested in winning dignity beyond a living wage at work - who just want to put a logo on the employers' website, pat them on the back each year and walk away - can be helpful but only at the early stages of a campaign, in my view.

The hard work of organising for the longer term is left to us. That's why London Met have passed a motion which we hope to bring to HE conference this year called the 'Living Wage is not enough' - and we hope to liaise with other London HE branches at the Seminar in Liverpool, to share experiences, ideas and discuss ways to develop our position.

If your branch or HEI is mentioned in this motion - or if you are thinking about running a Living Wage campaign - please get in touch.

As I said at the rally last Friday:

"We're in the middle of a ballot for strike action to defend our pensions - for what could be the largest public sector strikes in over a generation - but we continue to fight against job cuts, against the pay freeze, and for the Living Wage."

Those without pensions to protect don't want to see their union turning their back on them right now. Other battles continue.

It's a winner - on every level. We win a pay rise for the poorest workers - when most of our members in HE haven't seen a pay rise since 2008. We gain members and new activists to reinvigorate our union. And even employers get to paint themselves in a good light.

Congratulations to LSBU branch for a well organised demo and for making a bit of a splash - and in particular activist Jonathan Buckner who spoke well at the rally (see first photo) - and to the Hidden Workforce for their sterling support (and fantastic placards).

And lastly, well done to VC Martin Earwicker (who is paid £3,581 per week), for helping to build support for our cause by trying to bully and intimidate us. As you can see - it had the opposite effect.

Don't forget to sign their petition.

The NHS is not for sale!

2011-10-11T15:10:00.000-07:00

As Nxtgen says, this needs to be defiantly played and spread around again. True, true...

London Met UNISON members are voting YES to Protect our Pensions!

2011-10-11T14:57:00.001-07:00

http://www.londonmetunison.org.uk/

Toryspotting

2011-10-11T14:55:00.000-07:00

UNITE the RESISTANCE

2011-10-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

About the national convention

We are a group of trade unionists from the NUT, PCS, Unison, Unite and UCU who have called a national convention to discuss the coordinated strike action set to take place on 30 November.

We are hoping that this conference will bring together trade union activists, anti-cuts campaigners, young people, students and pensioners in order to build the widest possible support for the strikes.

In the run up to the strikes on the 30 June many of us helped organise a 750 strong meeting at Friends Meeting House on 22 June. We are hoping to build on the themes raised at that meeting.

There will be plenaries discussing the scale of the government’s attacks on pensions, jobs, services and conditions, how we can best strengthen and coordinate that action and where we go after the November strikes.

We will also be organising 12 workshops that will give participants a chance to discuss the wider issues that surround the government’s cuts agenda.

In the run up to the conference we will be holding a meeting to discuss speakers and the themes of the workshops. This meeting will be open to all organisations that have sponsored the conference.

If your trade union branch or organisation would like to sponsor the conference, please send us your details here.

Yours in solidarity
Unite the Resistance steering committee

Alex Kenny NUT NEC, Dave Harvey NUT NEC, Gavin Reid UCU NEC, Liz Lawrence UCU NEC, Sean Vernell UCU NEC, Sue Bond PCS Vice President, Zita Holbourne PCS NEC, Andy Reid PCS NEC, Paul Holmes Unison NEC (pc), Karen Reissmann Unison NEC (pc), Jon Rogers Unison NEC (pc), Max Watson Unison NEC (pc), Sara Bennett Unite EC, Martin Mayer Unite EC, Jane Stewart Unite EC, Mark Wood Unite EC

http://uniteresist.org/

Of course, I'm voting YES to Protect my Pension!

2011-10-06T13:40:00.000-07:00

'We took on board what you said and we did what you told us to do', was not something I was expecting to hear from the presidential team at the NEC on Wed, but well.... there's a first time for everything!

The point I was making - about the envelopes not being clearly a ballot for action, as I raised before at the Service Group Briefing and at the D&O committee - had apparently been listened to. So I'm glad to report there should be a 'VOTE YES' / UNISON logo etc on the envelopes that go out the million plus members in the next few days - so they don't get mistaken for junk mail.

We also discussed selective action, strike pay, and bringing in new sectors (eg members in SAUL), tactics for further action, among other things. See here for the official report for more details.

The first and most crucial task for now, is to win a massive YES vote and to get a strong, convincing turn out. This task cannot be overestimated - a million members need to be reached and convinced to vote before the ballot paper gets to them. To that end, the need for a reliable, easy-to-use calculator was again raised (as the NUT and PSC had in time for the 30th June strike), and members in the NHS scheme have a 'reckoner' online.

A UNISON LGPS calculator isn't ready yet because we don't know the precise details of when, and exactly how much an increase in contributions will be, and so on, for it to be reliable.

There was a palpable sense of unity and common purpose at the NEC - as Jon Rogers seems to tentatively agree. And those cynics - who had dismissed the left so rudely back in July, chuckling to themselves that we cannot possibly 'name a date' yet because we haven't exhausted scheme-specific negotiations - are of course now silent on that point.

Good, let's move on in unity.

Exciting times: let's concentrate on getting the vote out first, and then we can decide on the right tactics for winning after Nov 30th.

A message of support was also sent to Middlesex Uni branch, and to 20 others who are in dispute.

Our dearly missed comrade, Pete McGreal, was also mentioned in the obituaries at the start, when the NEC traditionally has a minute's silence, which was appreciated.

Middlesex University UNISON votes to Strike!

2011-09-27T09:57:00.000-07:00

Middlesex University UNISON votes to Strike!

Middlesex University UNISON Branch members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of Industrial action in the face of compulsory redundancies at the University.

UNISON members at Middlesex University will now join their UCU colleagues in a day of co-ordinated industrial action on Tuesday 4th October.

UNISON members have stood firm in the face of a rolling programme of restructures, losing colleagues to "voluntary" redundancies and the stress and uncertainty of their jobs being deleted, having to apply for other posts, redeployment pools and compulsory redundancy. Those left face increased workloads, stress, potential future outsourcing and changes to their working patterns.

UNISON members have stood united and said loud and clear

Enough is Enough

UNISON believes that these severe and drastic cuts represent a serious risk to the University, cutting too fast and too deep; potentially damaging key areas of the University business. Middlesex University appears to be adopting a "more with less" policy without adequately explaining how already overstretched staff will continue to provide the "student experience" that the University relies on in their marketing.

UNISON members at Middlesex University will take industrial action not because it is an end in itself. We will take this action as a statement of intent. UNISON will continue to defend our jobs and student services at Middlesex University.

--
Send messages of support to:

UNISON1@mdx.ac.uk

http://mdxbranchlines.blogspot.com/

London Met Uni UNISON members tell the government: Hands off our Pensions!

2011-09-22T04:47:00.000-07:00

Hands off ALL our pensions!

2011-09-20T08:48:00.000-07:00

Last week the Higher Education Service Group Exec (HE SGE) had an emergency meeting on Friday to reaffirm our position on Pensions and support the call for a national ballot to Protect our Pensions. In a two-hour briefing with all those SGEs in the LGPS we then broke off into our separate Service Groups to agree to move to a national ballot (Health are meeting today, apparently, to discuss the NHS scheme).

After passing an enabling motion unanimously, (the text of which will be circulated soon), we went on to discuss how to win a huge yes vote.

One big question for Higher Ed branches is what do those branches who aren't in the LGPS do? And what about the Scottish branches? Those in SAUL aren't in dispute, and some branches have a few members eligible for the USS scheme which UCU just re-balloted their members over (and got a 77% yes vote).

If you're not in one of the 60-odd HEI's that are going to ballot, then get in touch with your local, regional HE reps/ FTO about how your branch can get involved in the 'fight of our lives'. We need to be as creative as possible to find ways to go all out together on 30th November - so your ideas will be welcome.

Some branches with a small number of USS members might well try to ballot over those changes, others might just join rallies on 30th if not actually go on strike that day. We also recommend asking management of HEIs not to deduct strike pay (LondonMet HR officers didn't actually laugh out loud when I put this to them on Monday) - and it might also be worth asking your employer in advance what they will do if your members refuse to cross UCU picket lines on 30th November if they're out over TPS or USS.

I also pointed out that when the ballot comes from the Electoral Reform Services (ERS) it would be better if the envelope had UNISON's logo on it, (not just 'ERS' : who are they?!). I know in our branch people just throw these letters away thinking they're junk mail... We ended up putting this post with a photo of the envelope up online to let people know (via email) what to look out for which is a bit ridiculous ... (hence photo, top).

Considering my recent post on virtual organising - I had raised this at the D&O committee too - this probably needs to be overcome in the longer term.

Anyway, here's the speech from our Dave, which I doubt anyone has missed, but just in case you were on Mars last week and need to catch up:

'Hands off our pensions!'

"Today, as general secretary of UNISON, I give formal notice to 9,000 employers that we are balloting for action," declared Dave Prentis when he opened the TUC debate on pensions this morning.

"And in moving to industrial action, I commit UNISON to work with our sister unions the GMB and UNITE."

He described government plans for public service pensions as "an unprecedented attack on ordinary working people – an audacious and devious means to pay for the greed of others."

See the full report here: http://www.unison.org.uk/news/news_view.asp?did=7213

Plymouth UNISON branch re-recognised: LIKES

2011-09-20T07:43:00.000-07:00

Excellent news that Plymouth branch has been re-recognized following a massive campaign of solidarity which lead to hundreds of messages of support.

I'm not the biggest Twitter fan but this was impossible to avoid at the time - the first I'd heard about their de-recognition was via the inspirational Barnet UNISON Branch (who are BIG Tweeters).

There is a long running debate on how best to use new(ish) communications and organising techniques using this new-fanlged inter-webnet thingy.

I think one of the things to note about this campaign was the level of support Plymouth Branch were able to get via social media (they had over 1,121 'Likes' on their FaceBook page - last time I checked) which raised spirits and emboldened the activists involved.

I spoke briefly with a couple of their comrades in Tower Hamlets when we'd successfully prevented the fascist EDL from coming to East London. When I took this photo (above) they asked me to upload it onto my blog/ Facebook and call for support. Thankfully there is no need for support for recognition as that is now won.

Aside from the obvious danger this episode poses for our union - as others who've been banging on about it since before I was even a UNISON member have pointed out - there are surely lessons to be learned about their successful internet campaign too.

At a Development and Organisation (D&O) committee last week (a Sub-Committee of the NEC - try and keep up) we discussed - among other things - the 'virtual branches' project. It's clear some branches aren't really convinced of the need for a local branch website and it doesn't work for everybody.

As I said at the time, though - and followers of this blog will know - I'm a big advocate of internet organizing and very proud of our branch website which has about 3-4 people updating it (none of whom are 'techies') in two different languages, costing very little to set up.

Certainly, as the students' movement has shown last year, virtual organizing and communications are vital in our fast-moving world.

I'm sure the NEC's Young Members officer would agree that if we're going to continue to recruit and engage with the next generation it's crucial we don't allow branches to let this slip. (I noticed also that Young Members recruitment figures fell a bit last month compared to others - could that be a reflection of our focus on pensions?)

And by the way, if you're a Branch Sec and you don't have an email address yet, expect a letter from the union instructing you to get one, 'Sharpish'... as the last NDC changed the rules so that you must now have one (though did we set a deadline on WHEN you must get one by?). Mind you, if you don't have an email, how on earth did you find this blog? Let me know via carrier pigeon.

I look forward to our union winning more campaigns with the help of well orchestrated 'virtual' networks. But as they used to say on 'rise-up' lists:

'Get off the internet - I'll see you in the streets!'

Support Middlesex UNISON Branch

2011-09-20T07:28:00.000-07:00

London Met UNISON Branch sent a message of support to our comrades in Middlesex when we heard about their dispute. We understand their ballot for industrial action is still ongoing.

This could turn out to be a key dispute for us and might well be the 'thin end of the wedge' for further job cuts in our sector, so it's important that the entire Higher Education Service Group rallies round to show them support in their fight against massive job cuts.

Keep an eye out for their ballot results and any planned industrial action on their website here: http://mdxbranchlines.blogspot.com/

Send messages of support to:

UNISON1@mdx.ac.uk

Our Branch sent this message:

“London Met UNISON notes with concern the proposal by the management of Middlesex University to make 200 compulsory redundancies.

“This is both a betrayal of trust and a slap in the face for hard working members of our union.

“We gather you aim to resist these attacks and for this we salute your stance.

“Having fought even greater numbers of redundancy proposals in 2009 ourselves, by which we saved 200 jobs and being currently in dispute over a succession of new rolling compulsory redundancies amounting to close to 200 (so far) over the last year, we extend our solidarity to Middlesex UNISON and Middlesex UCU in your own fight.

“London Met UNISON pledge to support you in whatever way we can, and encourage your members to stand up with your Branch Committee and fight for every job.

“We have shown in our branch that union action can really make a difference. Nothing is set in stone if unions unite and fight together.”

Unofficial action at Senate House - Cleaners stand firm

2011-09-01T04:59:00.000-07:00

Cleaners working at Senate House but employed by Balfour Beatty took unofficial action this morning in protest at the employer's failure to pay their wages. (They won! See update at bottom**)

The UNISON members complained of widespread, systematic missing overtime payments, and a failure to honour the University's commitment to pay the Living Wage.

Their grievances had been going on for months, they were tired of waiting for false promises - as some of them had not been paid properly for up to eight months, and were having severe problems because of this, including some workers facing eviction - and so yesterday they decided to take action.

Management tried to intimidate them with threats of dismissal if they walked out but they stood up to them. At 7.45am today they walked off the job and a solidarity protest had been arranged quicker than you can say 'Wildcat'.

Local UNISON activists from the Bloomsbury Fightback! group and staff and students from the surrounding colleges had organised solidarity from the wider community to stand shoulder to shoulder alongside them.

It meant a lot for the workers to see local UNISON reps on their (unofficial) picket lines with them and they were emboldened by the support from across their union. They had invited me as their NEC (HE) rep and other local reps to show support for their action so at 8am I told them*:

"Too often we in the union movement are frightened from taking unofficial action against an employer by the threat of Thatcher's anti-union laws.

"Yet employers like Balfour Beatty are quite willing to break the law themselves by failing to pay wages or other contractual obligations.

"It is not the cleaners who have taken unofficial action today who should be worried, it is Balfour Beatty and Senate House who will be frightened by your actions.

"Your action is inspirational, and deserves our full support. I pledge to promote your struggle, to call on the union to back you, and to do everything in my hands to ensure you win this fight."

As I left the protest, the employer was conducting negotiations with them via their elected reps, and the unionised cleaners were insisting not only on their back-pay but also the London Living Wage (now £8.30) to be paid immediately.

Currently they're on £6.15ph, when workers in Birkbeck and SOAS doing similar jobs have just got a pay rise to £8.30 per hour, thanks to the successful Living Wage campaigns that the workers and the UNISON branches led with support from students, staff, and the other unions.

They're also demanding a commitment to no victimisations, of course. The employer had asked them to commit not to walking off the job again if they received their pay - and they quite rightly refused.

Good for them - us trade unionists can so easily be put off by talk of what is and isn't allowed under the law, but the key to winning should be about what is right and what are people prepared to stand up for.

On those grounds, their campaign has every chance of success, and the story of how to win the Living Wage will have a new chapter written. The cleaners of Senate House have acted inspirationally and we must not only support them unconditionally, but also learn the lessons of their bold action. Watch this space...

-- this is from a quick google search for some background --

http://artsagainstcuts.wordpress.com/2011/08/31/unofficial-strike-tommrow-please-attend/

http://bloomsburyfightback.wordpress.com/2011/08/03/no-poverty-wages-write-to-the-vc-of-the-university-of-london/

http://www.revolutionarycommunist.org/index.php/britain/2259-support-the-struggle-for-the-london-living-wage

--

* Of course I was speaking this morning in a personal capacity

--
**[UPDATE]:
VICTORY FOR UNIVERSITY OF LONDON CLEANERS!
Wildcat strike and 3.5hr demo ends with written approval being given by Balfour Beatty admin that:
* all 3 months' stolen back-pay will be given by Friday
* no victimisations
* each case will be looked at individually with our own interpreters at every meeting
* supervisor who worked there for 10 yrs, suspended yesterday for gathering support for the strike, has been given pay til end of Nov though she will stop work today to care for her sick husband
--
See also:
http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=25908

Middlesex University UNISON Branch Ballots for Industrial Action.

2011-09-01T04:12:00.000-07:00

Middlesex University UNISON Branch – Press Release

Send your messages of support to:

Middlesex University
UNISON Branch
The Burroughs
London
NW4 4BT
020 8411 6678
http://mdxunison.org.uk

UNISON1@mdx.ac.uk

http://mdxbranchlines.blogspot.com/

Middlesex University UNISON Branch Ballots for Industrial Action.

Middlesex University UNISON Branch has given notice to Middlesex University of their intention to ballot for strike action over the threat of 200 compulsory redundancies at the University. The use of compulsory redundancies will potentially bring the total number of job losses at the University to 300, and represents a loss of 15% of the University workforce.
The fight over job losses at Middlesex University represents a fight against the impact of national government spending cuts in the Higher Education sector, as well as the way they are being implemented at the University.

Since the announcement of compulsory redundancies at Middlesex on the 9th June, UNISON has sought to negotiate with the University to avoid recourse to compulsory redundancies. We have questioned the University over their use of outside consultants and outsourcing companies (£2.5 million) failed business ventures in India (Noida) and the University estates strategy.

Middlesex University in its financial statements has claimed that staff costs to income remains “one of the lowest in the sector” yet it still believes it can cut further posts and retain the same level of service and education to its students. UNISON believes that these severe and drastic cuts represent a serious risk to the University, cutting too fast and too deep, damaging key areas of the University business.

The University prides itself on recent gains made in delivering the “Student Experience”: National Student Survey 2010, Guardian League Table 2011 and Complete University Guide 2012. Middlesex University UNISON Branch Secretary : Paul Howell states: “These gains have been delivered by University staff, now threatened with being made compulsory redundant. The increased workloads and stress created for the staff left behind will do little to improve this reputation, the University has used up what little good will it has.”

UNISON members at Middlesex have shown time and again at Branch Annual and Extraordinary General Meetings that they will not take these attacks on their jobs lying down. UNISON members have indicated overwhelmingly in a consultative ballot that they are prepared to back up this intention with industrial action.

This is action UNISON believes the Students Union and Students at large will support, and UNISON will continue to work with the Students Union in this campaign. Branch Secretary: Paul Howell states “Students recognise that these cuts are an attack on their education, the University still hasn’t adequately answered how they intend to mitigate the impact of these job losses on the student experience”

Middlesex UNISON does not take such action lightly, we have in conjunction with the academic and lecturers union (UCU) sought to resolve our dispute to avoid the need for Compulsory Redundancies and without recourse to industrial action. Even at this late stage UNISON would welcome a meeting with representatives from the University management to discuss a meaningful redundancy avoidance policy and an improved voluntary redundancy package to allow staff wishing to leave the University the opportunity to do so.

The UNISON ballot will open on the 2nd September and closes on the 23rd September. Subsequent action will be co-ordinated with UCU. Middlesex University UNISON Branch Committee.

--
ENDS

UNISON Higher Ed disputes pay freeze

2011-08-04T06:56:00.000-07:00

Excellent to be able to report that the UNISON Higher Ed Service Group Exec voted to go into dispute with the employers organisation (UCEA) over their utterly miserable and offensive 'pay offer'.

It was my first JNCHES negotiating meeting and I was offended to hear the offer move from £100 to £150 flat rate for all staff.

Frankly, having had a pay freeze for the last three years, amounting to a 15% pay cut, there is only so much you can take, isn't there? The cost of travel, food, and energy prices are all rocketing - and the employer once again expects us to make do on less?

Whilst we all recognise in the public sector unions that pensions are the major national key issue for us all to unite around - we are also being hammered on pay, on jobs, we're facing outsourcing and privatisation too.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: we mustn't give an inch, we must resist on all fronts.

At the conference, HE members voted down a motion that proposed a £250 flat rate claim - and many lined up to speak from the floor - some with great passion and for the first time - against the employers' continued slashing of our pay.

I reported back at the time:

"The branches that won a 'reject' vote this year owe it to the rest of the sector to give confidence that we can fight back and win (such as Birmingham, who fought and won an increased offer). We must learn from their experiences and try to inculcate the same sort of fighting spirit in the rest of our sector."

So it's great our Service Group Exec has responded to this fighting mood at the conference by showing real leadership over this issue and by circulating the excellent Birmingham Branch newsletter to activists - among other things (see below).

It's my view we should 'reject' this pay offer if after dispute resolution meetings the 'final' offer remains anything like the current offer. And if our sister unions in the sector stand firm over pay this year too, we can aim to coordinate our action with them next academic year.

What have we got to lose? After all, if you fight, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. If you don't fight back, you'll always lose.

--

Pay Latest

Following the national pay negotiations meeting on 11 July the Higher Education Service Group Executive (HESGE) met last week to consider their response to the consolidated offer of a £150 lump sum increase on all pay points made by the higher education employers.

The view of the HESGE was that the offer failed to meet the reasonable expectations of staff to receive an increase in line with inflation. This is the third year of minimal increases in higher education and members are suffering real cuts in their standards of living.

The HESGE therefore decided not to accept the offer and to notify the employers that they wished to invoke the dispute resolution process within the national agreement. This means that UNISON will have a further series of meeting with the higher education employers to try and resolve our differences.

Higher Education Circular on Pay Negotiations August 2011 Newsletter Template in Word

Newsletter Template 2 Birmingham Branch in Publisher

Strike action at London Met short film (Reel News)

2011-08-02T01:17:00.000-07:00

Pensions: we need a little less conversation, a little more action

2011-07-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

The Higher Education Service Group Executive (HESGE) has called for an industrial action ballot to be in place by mid-late August and for the NEC to liaise with all other public sector unions over a timetable for 'phase 2' of industrial action in defense of our pensions (see full statement below).

We welcomed phase 1 of the action being led by other unions and call for unity in action with those unions who already took action on 30th June.

Together, we are stronger: for us UNISON members in education, that means in particular coordinating our action with our sisters and brothers in the UCU and all other teaching unions.

Having heard the latest from the repugnant Danny Alexander today, I say the sooner the better... Did anyone really believe the Government would go into scheme specific talks in good faith?

Talks are going nowhere so far in part because we don't have enough leverage.

When we start our ballot for action, that will help to focus their minds. So let's stop the delay - we've had a year to prepare for this - let's get on with it!

We need 'a little less conversation, a little more action ... A little more bite and a little less bark!'

--
LOCAL GOVERNMENT PENSION SCHEME

This SGE notes:

1) That the proposals being put forward on Public Sector pensions by the Treasury Team led by Danny Alexander as revealed in the Guardian on 19 May 2011 exceed the worst fears of public sector workers for the future of our pensions.

2) The strike action by NUT/UCU/ATL/PCS on 30 June

The treasury proposals endorse all the detrimental changes put forward in the Hutton report which include:

* Increased contributions
* Raised Retirement Age
* Replacement of final salary schemes with career average

Critically they also include proposals to change the annual rate of accrual of pension entitlement in a career average scheme to 1/80, 1/90, or 1/100.

The current accrual rate for a final salary pension in the LGPS is 1/60. Most pensions experts agree that in order to deliver broadly comparable benefits the accrual rate for a career average scheme would need to be significantly adjusted in favour of scheme members – the civil service career average scheme for example is 1/42.

It has already been estimated that this change alone could require a pension scheme member who would currently be entitled to a pension equivalent to half their final salary after 30 years contributing to work a further ten years to achieve a similar level of benefits.

These detrimental changes are amplified by the change from using RPI to CPI to uprate pensions and the proposal to end the fair deal on pensions announced on 11 May 2011.

The proposals leave no room for doubt that the government proposals are based not on any need to make change to promote the long term viability of the schemes but on an ideological drive to undermine public sector pensions in a way that threatens the continued existence of the schemes themselves.

We welcome the action taken on 30 June as the first phase of united and co-ordinated strike action to defend all schemes.

The HESGE:

1. Calls on the NEC to take all steps necessary to ensure that a lawful industrial action ballot can be taken at any point from the middle of August onwards

2. Liaise with other public sector Trade unions to agree a date for united industrial action on pensions in early august.

Higher Education Pay 2011 Final Offer

2011-07-13T06:08:00.000-07:00

Higher Education Pay 2011 Final Offer

The latest pay bulletin can be downloaded from the link below which gives an update on the recent higher education pay talks. Please distribute this widely to members. The University and Colleges Employer’s Association (UCEA) made a final offer of £150 on all pay scale points. The UNISON negotiating team expressed their disappointment at the offer and said that it failed to meet our members’ expectations on pay. A special meeting of the Higher Education Service Group is being convened shortly to consider the UNISON response to the offer and to consider what further action to take.

HE Pay Bulletin - Final Pay Offer 2011

The Higher Ed Service Group Exec group is going to meet by the end of July to discuss this latest insult from the employer. My view is we on the exec should recommend to our members to that we reject it.

My position on this is very clear: give them an inch and they'll take a mile.

What about you? Let me know before 26th July.

See also press release:
http://www.unison.org.uk/news/news_view.asp?did=7044

Support Sheffield University UNISON

2011-07-08T05:05:00.000-07:00

Sheffield University UNISON Branch are in the middle of a bitter dispute over their local final salary pension scheme. They've already taken two days strike action.

If we are to win our fight nationally on Pensions, it's important we win this local battle. It will affect all of us in HE UNISON.

For more see UNISON: http://www.unison.org.uk/news/news_view.asp?did=6859

BBC news:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13841252

THE:
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=416403&c=1

How can you help?

1) Email a message of support to: s.cresswell@sheffield.ac.uk

2) Donate to their fighting fund. Pass a motion of support through your branch and send cheques to:

University of Sheffield UNISON
Unison Office,
2 Hounsfield Road,
Sheffield
S3 7RF

Tel: 0114 2228829
Email: unison@sheffield.ac.uk

http://www.sheffuni-unison.org.uk/

--
2nd June, 2011

Dear Sue,

Our branch is currently balloting our members for industrial action against compulsory redundancies, so we know what it's like to call on your members to take action and to say: 'Enough is Enough!'

We salute your robust stance your branch has taken, congratulate you on winning a 'yes vote', and we wish you all the best in your defence of your pension scheme.

An attack on your members is an attack on all our members. Your success will be ours too. Unity is Strength!

Please let us know if there is anything else we from our branch - or that I personally on the NEC - can do to help your struggle?

In solidarity,

Max Watson
--

We also passed a message of support through the Higher Ed Service Group Exec yesterday.

'Freedom for Palestine' single - buy it NOW!

2011-07-08T04:17:00.000-07:00

On 9 July 2004, the International Court of Justice ruled that the Wall being built by Israel in the West Bank is illegal and should be torn down. Yet 7 years on, the Wall continues to destroy lives - cutting children off from schools, farmers from their land and family members from each other.

War on Want is working with partners in Palestine to break down the Wall and demand justice for communities affected by it. But in order to do that, first we must break the silence on the treatment of Palestinians.

That is why we need you to buy the 'Freedom for Palestine' single today. If we get the song into the charts, the mainstream media and politicians will be unable to ignore its message.

"This song represents us, it comes from the heart and it is our voice to you" Jamal Juma’a, Co-ordinator, Stop the Wall,

Remembering Pete McGreal: unsung hero

2011-07-02T03:29:00.000-07:00

It is with great sadness that the Branch learnt of the death of Pete McGreal, 44, who passed away on Saturday 25th June 2011 following a cycle accident. Pete was a Health and Safety rep in the City campus, and was an active and respected member of the Branch Committee, who will be sorely missed.

His family have requested that donations in Pete’s memory should be made to the Royal London HEMS Air Ambulance Service
www.londonsairambulance.com

We felt the need to pay tribute to Pete and keep a page for our memories of him on our website. Please follow this link for our memories of Pete McGreal.

--
Pete McGreal came on to our branch committee in 2009. Like many reps at the time, he got active in our branch when we were facing large scale job cuts. His job wasn’t threatened, but he did everything he possibly could to help save his colleagues’ posts.

Like many union reps he was reluctant to get too involved but soon became a respected, central figure on our branch committee.

Pete was easily recognisable as a ‘natural leader’: his peers looked up to him; he had experience; was popular, intelligent and had invaluable people skills. He’d already been a steward before and soon he was a Health and Safety rep. He quietly put up with the ongoing shenanigans of his work on the H&S committee and only occasionally came to the Branch Committee for guidance or advice.

You could trust his judgement completely and we only really ever had to commit to backing him up whenever he needed it.

Not only did we appreciate his experience and wisdom on the Committee, but also his skills as a graphic designer. He created by far our most beautiful and original leaflet (‘We are London Met’) which of course he took no credit for at all. He also quickly and simply laid out the design of our postcard that over 200 members of staff completed and posted to the Chair of the Board of Governors.

His other contributions include arranging for Andy Walsh to speak to us about United FC, designing our logo, and countless other things, too many to list.

So I’m devastated at the loss of Pete, as an outstanding trade unionist in our branch, but also as a colleague whose company we enjoyed immensely. He could laugh at himself, and laugh at all of us on the left – at our sometimes ridiculous behaviour.

I remember a story he told me about when he worked for a left paper, years ago, and the trouble he got in for saving a photo of their leader at the time, and naming the file ‘Uncle Joe’. It didn’t go down very well…

Pete was irreverent, and would laugh off any of the sectarian bickering that went on in the left. He was the real McCoy and he certainly wasn’t anybody’s useful idiot.

Pete truly was an unsung hero of the labour movement. He was much loved and respected by those who worked with him in our branch; he always stayed true to himself and his deeply held principles; he was a genuine leader who people would naturally look up to, yet he’d rather let someone else step forward and take the credit.

I was lucky to work in the same building as Pete in Jewry Street, and I shall miss him terribly. None of us can go for lunch with him on a Friday again, and whenever I get my bike from outside work, his will be missing. Typically, Pete was the first to joke about the recent loss of my front wheel to a thief just after a meeting with management (‘I bet it was Bowler’) – he was always able to make us smile.

We’ve lost a dear comrade and friend.

He was also a father, and partner to Mandy – and despite regular attempts to get him to stay behind for a ‘quick pint’ after work, his priority was always to go home to his young family. I can only imagine the pain and the devastating loss his close friends and family must be feeling right now and my heartfelt condolences go out to them all in their time of grief.

Our thoughts will always be with Pete.

Max Watson

-- See more here: Please follow this link for our memories of Pete McGreal.

Support UNISON and UCU coordinated strike action at London Met Uni - Wed 22nd June

2011-06-15T14:50:00.000-07:00

Support UNISON and UCU coordinated strike action at London Met Uni - Wednesday 22nd June. Please circulate our joint union flier:

Strike! Industrial action called for June 22nd

London Met UNISON branch have voted for strike action on Wednesday 22nd June.

See the poster below for more details:

http://www.londonmetunison.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/June-22nd-2011-1.pdf

For messages of solidarity email UNISON: unisonlondonmet@googlemail.com or UCU: lmuucu@devisland.net or London Met Student Union: su@londonmet.ac.uk

See here for details of day of action:
http://savelondonmetuni.blogspot.com/2011/06/wednesday-22nd-june-join-london-met.html

Sign our petition here:
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/support-london-metropolitan-university.html

Write to you MP to ask them to support us here:
http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2010-11/1805

Join London Met students and staff in our fight against massive job cuts and course closures. There are currently plans to cut 70% of courses – including Performing Arts, History, Caribbean Studies and Philosophy – and we already have 200 proposed compulsory redundancies in motion.

What is happening at London Met is a sign of what is going on in all our public services: mass privatisation.

And these cuts are the tip of the iceberg at London Met: if we accept these we will see them coming back for more and more.

Say ‘no’ to job cuts, course cuts and massively reduced and restricted provision of services to students.

Say ‘Yes’ to Education, work and widening participation.

This is a direct attack on the students, staff and the whole London Met community, and furthermore an attack on the ethos and principles that we hold dear: of widening participation and the value of educational opportunities and the pursuit of critical thinking that universities should provide for all.

We believe that arts and humanities subjects should be for all, not just for those who can afford £18,000 a year at privatised. The fight to save humanities starts at London Met and does not end at the elitist New College of Humanities.

Assemble at 2-3pm in Highbury Fields, march to London Met Tower Building, Holloway Road for a rally at 4pm-6pm (nearest tube Holloway Road)

Speakers include:

Mark Serwotka, PCS General secretary
Denise Bertuchi Assistant National Officer, UNISON Education and Children's Services
Mark Campbell, UCU NEC
Max Watson, Unison NEC
Clare Soloman, ULU President
Mark Burgfield NUS NEC
Claire Locke, London Met SU

and others to be confirmed...

Sounds of Resistance:

Live MCs
Samba Band
London Met Performing Arts
London Met Cheerleaders
T-shirt painting
Banner/placard Making

For updates, go to: http://savelondonmetuni.blogspot.com/

Face Book event:
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=109615715796343

Southampton strikers need our whole union to rally round

2011-06-01T01:28:00.000-07:00

Really good to see plenty of coverage for the strike in Southampton: the BBC, the local paper, as well as of course the left press and UNITED Left bloggers. So I'll just add our message of support, below and my tuppence worth on this.

At our 'We are London Met event' recently, discussing UNISON in a really good session on the Hidden Workforce, a colleague raised the issue of our union's reluctance to take strike action. Roger McKenzie, who'd attended to speak later on the Living Wage, responded that actually a large number (approx 80,000) UNISON members were currently either balloting or on strike at that time.

Whilst this may be true what struck me was 'that's the first I've heard of it'... (did I even hear right?)

One of our issues with UNISON when we took three days coordinated strike action in 2009 was that there was no UNISON publicity about it and we bitterly complained that our press release was dropped from the website without explanation.

"We should be shouting from the rooftops when our members take action to defend themselves", I said at the next HE conference about this.

So I'm delighted to see the current Southampton strike, led by fellow NEC member Mike Tucker (leftist and all-round good bloke), get good coverage from UNISON here:

UNISON News | The public service union | Southampton steps up strike action

I hope those larger, richer branches can dig deep - they need our support.

Our branch sent this message of solidarity yesterday, and I hope many others do the same especially following the plug on UNISON's website/ newsletter:

"We salute the courageous and exemplary stance your branch has taken, and we wish you all the best in your fight - an attack on your members is an attack on all our members. Your success will be ours too.

"We look forward to learning about a successful outcome to your ongoing strike action and we hope that our small donation goes in a small way to helping. Sorry it cannot be more at this stage - I hope that other larger UNISON branches will also dig deep.

In comradeship,

Max"

UNISON members ballot for industrial action against job cuts at London Met

2011-05-28T05:11:00.000-07:00

London Met University staff in UNISON are balloting for industrial action this week, in a battle against job cuts. They have the full backing of both the students’ union and the academic union, UCU, who are also balloting their members.

The university has been rocked by controversial plans by the new Vice Chancellor Malcolm Gillies, to cut courses by 70 per cent. These new closures follow announcements to close other essential services such as the last remaining nursery, the Learning Development Unit, the Print Centre and dozens more cuts.

The latest redundancy notice served to the unions, a ‘Section 188’, brings the total so far this academic year to almost 200 proposed job cuts. The university is now slashing Library staff, Student Services, support workers and counsellors who help the most disadvantaged students at London Met who have learning disabilities, mental health issues and other vulnerabilities.

Max Watson, Chairperson of the London Met UNISON branch, which represents these support staff, and National Executive Council (NEC) member for Higher Education, said:

“We’ve made our position clear from day one: talk to the unions seriously, with transparent, open negotiations and genuinely explore ways to avoid compulsory redundancies. Instead, they’ve torn up any agreements we had, and trashed what precious little good will they had left.

“Our members have indicated time and again that we’re not going to accept these cuts lying down. The proposed statutory minimum terms add insult to injury. We’re saying: enough already! If management continue to ignore our reasonable demands in such brutish fashion, then we are left with no choice but to take strike action. I’ve no doubt our members will vote yes and I hope that management will think carefully about what that means when they do.”

Jon Richards, UNISON’s National Head of Higher Education, states:

“Cutting support staff is a short sighted mistake which will mean more work for academics and a poorer service for students. Students want more than just contact time with lecturers. And as fees rise students will expect improved resources: better library, information and guidance services; improved pastoral care in a secure environment; and quality catering and cleaning services. London Met needs to ask itself if it can satisfy this otherwise students in the future may simply decide to go elsewhere.”

Claire Locke, president elect of the Student’s Union, said:

“The Students’ Union noted in the Student Written Submission to the Quality Assurance Agency 2010 that the redundancy policy in 2009 impacted on the learning experience of students and went as far as to say that the University had let the student body down in relation to their educational experience. How the University intends to mitigate against this happening again baring in mind the severity of the pending cuts is unknown.”

“Students recognise how damaging the universities plans will be to our institution. The Student Council passed a motion in support of staff taking industrial action giving the Students’ Union a clear mandate to actively support staff.”

The ballot closes on Friday 10th June, and the results will be published shortly afterwards and any action will be coordinated with the UCU.

--

Note to Editors:
London Met has a higher percentage of manual Working Class students than any other university and almost as many black and minority ethnic students than the entire Russell Group put together (NUS).

The University has so far declined to carry out a thorough Equality Impact Assessment on the result of these cuts.

UNISON represents over 400 support staff at London Met Uni, and 50,000 in Higher Education across the UK.

http://www.londonmetunison.org.uk/

--

For further info, call Max Watson, UNISON Chairperson at London Met:

0207 320 3010 / 07793 145 754

unison@londonmet.ac.uk

London Met Uni film against the cuts

2011-05-23T13:08:00.000-07:00

"Here's a short film about the struggle at London Metropolitan University, which has been at the forefront in resisting the marketisation of education. Support this vital struggle for more information visit the following websites ... " http://wearelondonmet.wordpress.com/

If I could make one law... (Free education)

2011-05-19T00:50:00.000-07:00

If I could make one law... from Stoke Newington School on Vimeo.

Check it out: year nine school students make the case for free education, interviewing students at London Met along the way.

If music be the food of protest, play on...

2011-05-12T05:33:00.000-07:00

The great thing about the recent protests at London Met have been the signing and the chanting - not because UNISON stewards have been on training, but because one of the courses to be cut is Performing Arts. So you can watch (Prof of Music) VC Malcolm Gillies avoiding these singing students as he refuses to meet and talk with them (he'd prefer a more classical tune, apparently):

You can see their occupation rally (with more singing) here:

And their unceremonious eviction (at midnight!) - without any singing or chanting - on Holloway Road, here:

Inspired, us in UNISON have been supporting the students in their legitimate protest against cuts as best we can and it looks like it's having some results too: There will be another lobby on the 19th, when the Board of Governors will be discussing these cuts again (they'd said before this was a done deal, so it looks like we may still win some concessions).

Watch this space for details. And sign this petition to show your support.

We are London Met, not EasyMet!

2011-05-06T10:04:00.000-07:00

We are London Met, not EasyMet!

We pledge to resist these attacks on our Education

The announcement by London Met University to slash 70 percent of its courses is a direct attack on the students, staff and the whole London Met community, and furthermore an attack on the ethos and principles that we hold dear: of widening participation and the value of educational opportunities and the pursuit of critical thinking that universities should provide for all.

These unprecedented cuts stem from a government whose cabinet is comprised of millionaires who were nearly all Arts and Humanities students who received their university degrees for free, paid for by the state.

Yet London Met students from non-traditionally academic backgrounds are being told that Arts and Humanities subjects do not help to ‘build careers’. Professor (of Music) Malcolm Gillies has done very well so far in his career. Peter McCaffery, newly appointed Deputy VC studied History, yet his vision for London Met is one that has no history.

Philosophy too will be chopped, deemed unprofitable. The British Philosophical Association Director, Helen Beebee, has said recently:

“Philosophy has been taught in universities for over 900 years. It addresses questions that continue to be central to our understanding of the world and our place within it. The core aim of any self-respecting university should be the pursuit of knowledge; but philosophy is unique in addressing the question of what knowledge itself is.”

Arguing against the closure of Philosophy at Greenwich University, Beebee contends that the subject should be available as widely as possible:

“The new universities [...] play a vital role in this. They have broad access to parts of the community where the appeal of the ‘old’ universities is very limited; moreover, philosophy is a subject that can be studied from a wide variety of educational backgrounds.”

These attacks amount to telling working class and poor students that these subjects are ‘not for the likes of you’ and we reject this absolutely. In making these cuts, London Met management are publicly embracing government policies singling out the arts, humanities and social sciences for attack.

We believe government’s attacks on education should be resisted, not embraced.

We believe that higher education should provide working class and non-traditional students with a full range of well resourced, appropriately taught and supported academic courses, rather than a narrow set of under-resourced and 'cheaply' delivered so-called 'vocational' degrees.

We don’t believe in a ‘No-Frills’ education, provided on the cheap, with buildings but no staff. We are London Met, not EasyMet!

We believe fundamentally that higher education is a public good that benefits the whole of society as well as that of the wider economy. We further believe that universities should be run democratically as local community academic assets - with full student, staff, and community involvement. We do not accept the argument that you can have 'too many' people educated to degree level, or that we should ration educational opportunity to a minority that believe they can financially afford it.

The fight to defend publicly funded HE is not over and we do not except the defeatism of our management over fees and provision – it is a local and national struggle.

We therefore resolve to do everything in our power to fight these cuts, including as appropriate, lawful industrial action, protests, and demonstrations – we will do everything in our hands to stop this educational vandalism. We will continue to campaign for free higher education open to all and call on the whole community to sign up to this statement.

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/support-london-metropolitan-university.html

UNISON News | The public service union | Sheffield University members to ballot on strike action

2011-05-05T09:25:00.000-07:00

UNISON News | The public service union | Sheffield University members to ballot on strike action

We won't stand for cuts - London Met Occupation song

2011-05-05T08:47:00.000-07:00

We are London Met - Education not Privatisation!

2011-04-26T04:36:00.000-07:00

On Friday 15th April I chaired an emergency joint union meeting of approx 200 support staff, academics and students at London Met, to agree to a robust defense of teaching humanities and to resist the scandalous closure of two-thirds of our courses, agreed the day before.

Philosophy, History, Performing Arts and Caribbean Studies are all to go, alongside hundreds of others. The blunt message is: ‘these courses are not for the likes of you, study 'vocational' courses instead’.

We agreed a statement castigating the plans and re-launched the 'Save London Met Uni' joint union website, as a hub for all our campaigning against this new round of cuts.

The mood is of shock and anger - staff and students showed a determination to resist these cuts at our hastily-called union meeting. New petitions blogs and facebook groups are already up and running, and all three unions are committed to resist these cuts and support the campaign.

When staff see their unions campaigning to defend jobs and education, they quickly join up - three new members joined UNISON immediately after our meeting. And it's not just our jobs we're defending but the principle of providing educational opportunities for all. As one of our Librarians put it, these cuts will mean: "It will not be the University I wanted to work for anymore."

An event already in the pipeline, called 'We Are London Met - Education not Privatisation', will now have additional emphasis on these new cuts to Humanities - and focus on our defense of publicly funded education.

London Met is back in the eye of the storm again. We're used to ongoing battles, but this is about the shape of things to come across the country: other campaigns to save Philosophy (eg at Greenwich) are already networking with London Met's.

Industrial action is inevitable - we're already in dispute over compulsory redundancies before these cuts were announced. We're well placed for it, though, as we have a strong tradition of solidarity between UNISON, UCU and a blossoming student activist base in the Met Student Union.

So, come to London Met on 7th May and take part in our event - it'll be a launch pad for our new campaign to save the soul of London Met, an inclusive space for activists to come together to discuss the vision of what we wish to see at university; a place for all to discuss how to resist the cuts effectively.

We've a great line up of speakers, Spanish speaking translations, a film showing, and there are practical sessions and workshops to ensure it will not only be a good networking opprtuinity and rallying point, but - more importantly - an active, organising event to prepare our next steps (and by the way it’s not ‘owned’ by any one of the various anti-cuts groups: it’s 100 percent non-sectarian and open to all who support our cause).

Finally, we'll be celebrating a recent union victory too - winning a commitment to the London Living Wage at London Met - so come down early and stay late. We've booked the Rocket Bar all night and music will be provided by peeps from the student union. See you there?

All trade unionists should support UK Uncut

2011-04-13T12:03:00.000-07:00

I proposed today at the NEC that UNISON should also lend our names to supporting UK Uncut and in particular send a message of solidarity to the 'F145'. Watch this film of their peaceful protest and you wouldn't question why protesters feel they were misled when you see the police telling them they will not be arrested or 'kettled'.

And remember the arrests of UK Uncut activists: "...gives us some really important intelligence opportunities."

My proposal, I'm sorry to report, was voted down, despite two of the other 'big three' unions signing this letter (plus more).

Since that letter, a campaign has been set up and you can find out how you can help (in a personal capacity, of course) support by going here: http://fortnum145.org/how-you-can-help/

Protest has been a means for progressive change throughout human history - and it continues to play that role across the world today.

Through protest, people have won and defended their rights to a decent standard of living as well as control over their lives and the societies in which they live.

It should come as no surprise that in a world of vast and growing inequalities in wealth and power, protest is growing in this country as in many other parts of the world.

Protest is the legitimate right of everyone – and we believe it is right that people are protesting against some of the richest in the world failing to pay their taxes while others suffer serious and increasing levels of poverty and deprivation.

UK Uncut have played a significant part in changing the terms of debate around economic policy in the UK and have been praised by politicians and the media for doing so.

Indeed UK Uncut played a key role in ensuring that more people were at the march on Saturday than otherwise would have been. At all times they acted in a way which complemented and supported the TUC march.

However, in taking the type of peaceful action which UK Uncut routinely undertake on Saturday, targeting Fortnum and Mason on this occasion, they were treated in a political and deceptive manner by the police which sends an ominous message about the right to protest.

It would appear activists were misled by the police about not being arrested when asked to leave the Fortnum and Mason building, after which they were held for a significant length of time, their clothing was confiscated and they have been denied the right to protest in the near future.

This situation has now been seized on by the media and politicians to further threaten the right to protest. UK Uncut activists have been blamed for damage they did not cause and this story has become a substitute for discussion of the real issues raised by UK Uncut and the TUC march in general.

This does not represent a consistent approach to policing legitimate protest. Neither does it represent the sort of consistent approach to freedom of protest which the Government led us to believe they supported on entering office. We support the right to protest for a fairer and more equal world. As part of this, we condemn any politically motivated policing which provokes, intimidates or criminalises protestors. We will continue to support UK Uncut, alongside thousands of others, until tax justice is secured so the poorest do not have to pay the price of a financial crisis caused by the richest.
Neal Lawson, Compass
Mark Serwotka, PCS
Len McCluskey, Unite
Paul Kenny, GMB
Jeremy Dear, NUJ
Liz Nelson, Tax Justice Network
John, Hilary, War on Want
Nick Dearden, Jubilee Debt Campaign
Andy Egan, People and Planet

UNISON left slate - website launched

2011-04-10T02:23:00.000-07:00

UNISON left has launched a new website for the NEC elections, 2011.

We are angry at the Con Dem attacks on the Welfare State and public services. They are trying to make ordinary people like us pay for the economic crisis created by bankers’ greed.

While our jobs, pay and services are cut, millionaires dodge taxes and bankers get billions in bonuses. Thousands of us marched against cuts on the 26th of March – but what next? With fighting leadership UNISON can unite public sector unions and users and organise real resistance. The present leadership have failed to lead action to stop the Tory assault.

Resistance to all cuts and privatisation
United industrial action to defend our pensions & a coordinated fight against the Tory pay freeze
Opposition to all attempts to divide us – like Cameron’s attack on multiculturalism
Only funding and supporting politicians who will join us in the fight against cuts. Labour councils should refuse to carry out Tory cuts and set needs budgets.
Ending the waste of members’ money on witchhunting of left wing activists

We are experienced activists from many backgrounds. Unlike the present leadership – who are quick with words but slow to lead action – we don’t just say it, we do it. Vote for us and build the fight against cuts and to protect jobs, pay, pensions and services. Elect a team for the battle to come.

Read the rest here, and share this with all your contacts in UNISON. The left will only win seats if all our activists get engaged in these elections - not just the usual suspects. I'll be getting leaflets out to several London HE branches this week, so get in touch if you can help an hour or so here or there.

Tower Hamlets coordinated strike action - March 30th 2011

2011-04-07T06:17:00.000-07:00

Excellent 'Reel News' footage of Tower Hamlets UNISON / NUT coordinated strike action on March 30th 2011.

We managed to get our banner out to join the demo as it came past London Met and then go into the lunchtime rally, which was really inspiring. It really felt like they'd really mobilized the community to support this day of action in the east end.

And shows that we can build for coordinated strike action. Watch this, and imagine if we did this nationally:

The quality of my (hand-held) footage is not great, but you get a good feel for the size and mood of the rally on the inside:

Second part of the speech is here:

Other speeches (PCS, NUT), also called for nationally coordinated strike action, and I hope Keith Sonnet, who spoke for UNISON, will take that message back to the presidential team...

There is a mood to fight, and Tower Hamlets have shown it can be done.

Vote for a fighting, democractic union

2011-04-03T11:45:00.000-07:00

This short film was made for my election campaign for a 'Fighting, democratic union', and then I found out that no other candidate is standing for the post. It seems a waste to bin it, so here it is. It was in January when the students movement was leading the way in the fight against the cuts.

I was invited to speak at the rally on behalf of UNISON's HE sector. At the time there was an argument within the unions that we should only be supporting the TUC march in Manchester, not the demo on London too, but we won the argument to build for both, and the turn out was good in two cities. Seems like a long time ago now:

As I reported at the time, I was speaking as the march was leaving so cut it very short and the audience was left dwindling and wanting to leave, so the crowd looks tiny!

The elections are coming up, so I'll be out and about campaigning for those other candidates like me, who are calling for a new direction for our union and a fighting leadership. Let me know if you want leaflets.

The great march of 26th March

2011-03-31T23:52:00.000-07:00

As it took us six hours to get to Hyde Park, I found the 250,000 figure that the BBC were quoting a little offensive, didn't you? This film shows the sheer scale of it.

This amazing video captures the true scale of the March 26 protest. Filmed by Paul Hanes over four hours and compressed into 23 minutes it shows the whole demonstration.

Our banner rushes past on the left at minute 16 - we thought we were pretty much at the end!

This demo has been a real confidence booster for us in the labour movement (and we do look a bit more like a movement now), and I think it should be pointed out how immense just UNISON's contingent alone was.

And as has been said many times already: imagine if we as a labour movement not only went on the march together, but also took strike action together.

Tower Hamlets UNISON and NUT have shown it can be done. More on that later.

Labour movement

2011-03-30T00:18:00.000-07:00

Tower Hamlets shows the way

2011-03-29T15:14:00.000-07:00

Teachers and council workers in Tower Hamlets are striking together tomorrow to build a united fight against compulsory redundancies and cuts. NUT members in Camden will also be striking and demonstrating against the cuts.

There will be a march and rally tomorrow, assembling at 11am at Weavers Fields (off Bethnal Green Rd/Derbyshire St E2 6HW) and marching through the borough to the London Muslim Centre in Whitechapel Rd E1, where the rally starts at 12.30.

Speakers include Christine Blower, NUT Gen Sec, Dave Prentis UNISON Gen Sec (invited) and Mark Serwotka, PCS Gen Sec, as well as local speakers. We hope to see many local trade unions, parents, children, and members of the community on our demonstration. We are encouraging them to bring banners, placards, musical instruments, whistles, facepaints, etc.

500 jobs are being slashed in the borough as a result of the ConDem government's attack on public services. The whole of the Junior Youth Service is being axed, along with around 50 teachers jobs in central services. Another 600+ jobs are being deleted at Barts and the Royal London NHS Trust and 1,000 jobs are set to go at the East London Mail Centre.

After the strike march an NHS protest will assemble at 5pm at the Royal London on Whitechapel Rd, E1. They will march to the Deutsche bank to demand an official apology on behalf of the investment banker who on the Day X demo, arrogantly taunted health workers facing massive attacks.

Re-elected to NEC, 2011, unopposed!

2011-03-28T07:25:00.000-07:00

I received written confirmation today that, as the only candidate for the Higher Education Service Group General seat, there will be no need for an election.

Obviously I'm delighted I won't need to run another election campaign so soon after the last one, and it's testament to all those who threw their weight behind me in the nomination period, winning nineteen nominating branches, none of them ruled out of order.

We ran a successful campaign last summer to win this seat and I tapped into that mood as the candidate representing a call for a new, fighting, democratic leadership - and as a product of a struggle at London Met Uni that put our branch into the limelight because we fought back against cuts in 2009.

Our successful campaign has shown there is a mood for a fighting leadership, and after the massive turnout on the streets of London on 26th March, that can no longer be disputed.

The current union leaders must tap into that mood and plan for a summer of resistance. No more messing around - as Mark Serwotka put it: "Imagine what it would be like if we didn't only march together, we took strike action together." Watch the short clip below, which gives a flavour of the mood:

This message and the vocal support for this view shown by this biggest gathering of trade unionists we've seen for a generation - has to be taken seriously by the leaders of all the unions.

If the current leaders won't fight and represent that mood, then surely they too will go the way of Aaron Porter. Porter failed to represent the fighting mood of his members last year, and was politically dead in the water, as I predicted he would be in December last year.

It's time to step up a gear, and because we cannot rely on the old guard to change their tune, I'll be campaigning for the support of all other candidates who are standing for the NEC elections for a Fighting, Democratic Union, and in particular Carole Hanson, for the Female HE seat.

Thanks again to all those who took the time to write endorsements, encouraged their branch to nominate me, and to all the well wishers.

I'll continue to report back here as I have been since I was first elected in November 2010. Accountability is critical for a more democratic union - so I'll try "to be the change I wish to see..."

Keep in touch.

Cheers,

Max

Living Wage 'Massive victory' at London Met

2011-03-25T03:59:00.000-07:00

The Times Higher Ed reports our Living Wage success as a 'Massive victory' at London Met:

London Metropolitan University has won praise from unions after agreeing to pay staff the London Living Wage, despite the university's financial difficulties. It has committed to paying all directly employed staff at least the London Living Wage rate, currently £7.85 an hour, from 1 August. In an email to staff, Malcolm Gillies, vice-chancellor, says London Met will apply the same conditions to staff on new or renewed contracts. The university's Unison branch, which has been campaigning for the change, described the commitment as "a massive victory" and said it would mean that London Met's lowest-paid staff would soon receive a fair living wage. Max Watson, branch chair, said: "Unison is determined to close the widening pay gap at London Met. This commitment is an important step in that direction." The London Living Wage is set every year by the Greater London Authority.

Andrew Lansley Rap - save the NHS

2011-03-25T01:22:00.000-07:00

This is amazing - not quite UNISON's language, ahem, but the message is the same:

The NHS is not for sale!

A striking worker is a happy worker!

2011-03-24T22:50:00.000-07:00

Happy strikers at London Met Uni Jewry St building: UCU members enjoyed the support of their UNISON colleagues on their picket lines yesterday, 24th March.

This report gives a flavour of the national picture here, including at SOAS where UNISON members refused to cross picket lines.

On the UCU website is a report that Manchester Met management made security guards evict the pickets from the campus.

There was a lot of talk about 'shutting down' the education system but unless all the education staff - including the security guards - come out too, then that just won't happen. We cannot avoid that fact, and must instead build for coordinated action.

At London Met, those UNISON members who felt pressured into going to work wore these stickers to show their support, and many took the day off to avoid crossing picket lines.

The demo from LSE and rally at Downing St was really good - and our favourite MP, Jeremy Corbyn, did us proud by celebrating our Living Wage victory at London Met in his speech (cheers!).

Making our placards today for the big demo tomorrow. It'll probably be huge (the demo, not the placard), but hopefully see you there!

'Bringing the cuts home' - TUC 60 sec ad contest 2011 winner

2011-03-23T08:50:00.000-07:00

I had mentioned this competition before. The winner, above, is really very funny and effective. Brilliant - congrats to Steve Price. From Anna Burton Education officer at the TUC:

"We are pleased to announce the winner of the TUC 60 Second Ad Contest 2011. This is another fantastic year for the competition that encourages the making of TV-style adverts to promote trade unions on the web. This years’ brief was the impact of the spending cuts.

It was a very close competition and after careful consideration it is our pleasure to announce that Steve Price with his sit-com film ‘Bringing the cuts home’ is winner of this years’ TUC 60 second ad contest.

Steve Price is an incredibly talented individual. He is a remarkable filmmaker, activist and proud trade union member (BECTU). He found out about the contest whilst searching for UK Uncut movies.

‘Bringing the cuts home’ is an accomplished piece, with great comedic performance, tapping into the outnumbered ‘zeitgeist’, a very worthy winner (Jon Daniel, ebb&flow)

The runners up are a collaborative team of three Heidi Hasbruk, Katya Nasim and Matthew Gutton with their film ‘The Cuts Game’. Their film had a nice concept, brought to life by charming music and performances.

Our other runners up are collaborative team Malfunctioning Robots (Claire Winter and Benjamin Bee), with their film ‘A Novel Solution’, a clever and humorous idea, well executed.

In our highly commended category is Ben Furber from Manchester with ‘Just One Cut’, a nice idea taking a young and modern approach.

Also highly commended were Ross and Helen Bull from Agitator studios, Auchmithie, Scotland, with their beautiful animation helping to convey the facts in a light hearted way.

This years’ competition had some strong entries, and we had a very friendly and expert judging panel, who took a wide and considered view.

Each year the judges are looking out for different things. They all appreciate the hard work and effort that every entrant has put into making their adverts a success. Even if an advert doesn’t win, that doesn’t mean that isn’t a success in its own right. All of the adverts will remain on the site and can be used by different people to continue the campaign against the cuts.

The TUC would like to extend a big thank you to everyone who contributed to the contest this year.

The winning adverts will be seen by hundreds of thousands of people on the big screen at Hyde Park at the March for the Alternative, as well as across the world, including showings at the Geneva Labour film festival and the Washington DC Labour film festival.

The winners will be presented with their award by special guests at our special screening of ‘Waste Land’ at London’s Curzon Renoir on the 31^st March 2011.

To watch the ads and most importantly to forward on to your social networking sites follow the links below. This competition must be about action, so sharing these ads is as important as viewing them yourselves, don’t hesitate pass them on.

Winner

Bringing the Cuts Home – Steve Price

http://www.tuc60seconds.org.uk/2011/03/20/861/

Runners-up

The Cuts Game - Heidi Hasbruk, Katya Nasim and Matthew Gutton

http://www.tuc60seconds.org.uk/2011/03/14/cuts-game/

A novel solution - Malfunctioning Robots

http://www.tuc60seconds.org.uk/2011/03/13/a-novel-solution/

Highly commended

Just One Cut - Ben Furber

http://www.tuc60seconds.org.uk/2011/03/14/801/

We’re all in it together - Agitator Studios (Ross and Helen Bull)

http://www.tuc60seconds.org.uk/2011/03/11/631/

UnderMining Justice

2011-03-21T14:46:00.001-07:00

Mikey Watts is one of the two film makers our branch paid to make our film when we were campaigning to save Hornsey Road Nursery at London Met Uni. Check it out:

Now he's raising money to make a new film, exposing the mining industry in Peru:

This film will tell the story of the first ever case to be brought in the UK against a British company for human rights abuses committed abroad. This year, lawyers representing claimants in Peru are taking British mining company Monterrico Metals to court over allegations of torture. The proposed film will follow the lawyers as they travel round Peru interviewing the victims and gathering evidence. The lawyers’ journey will act as a way into the lives of the claimants and their struggle to stop what could be one of the greatest ever environmental disasters to hit Peru.

Watch the clip and give generously.

Vote in the TUC 60 sec ad contest

2011-03-16T16:23:00.000-07:00

See more of these films and vote now for your favourite. Although I do love the Hackney Unites film musically, visually the editing really doesn't work for me. This 'one cut' idea, above, made me laugh and that's always an important way of getting a message across. My vote goes to 'deBase TV' as I think they've just got the mood right: Things are changing a bit, now, aren't they? Either way, vote for your favourite, take part, and watch the winning film on 26th March.

Winning the Living Wage during the cuts

2011-03-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

What a week! I attended three AGM meetings, a seminar on the Living Wage, a Women's Day lecture, a UCU branch meeting and by the end of the week, our branch was able to declare a complete victory for our Living Wage campaign.

At a time when it can feel like we're constantly on the back foot in defensive struggles, constantly fighting to 'stop' this or 'save' that, it feels like a real achievement to win a progressive demand - a step forward, rather than maintaining the status quo.

We can still win! We must get this important message out there, and as Jeremy Corbyn reflected on our success: "Who says Unions are not relevant?"

Of course, now the real work begins, organising the staff and ensuring we keep the companies to account by winning full recognition and their other demands. This agreement is the vital first step towards that.

Organising outsourced workers is hard work, but not impossible - I''ll be up early for next few weeks to meet more cleaners, for example. And as our motion at our AGM recognises, the fight for dignity at work is a fight for all our members and we have full support for this campaign, despite job cuts elsewhere and an imposed pay freeze ourselves.

Attending the AGM at UEL, who won their Living Wage campaign last November, vindicated that position. Over 60 members attended - more than most have seen in many years - which was clearly the result of an active, campaigning branch which has achieved something significant.
Three new stewards volunteered to get involved in a re-energised branch on the day.

Sandy Nicholl, secretary of SOAS branch, told a similar story at the seminar - their Living Wage campaign completely revitalised their branch.

The AGM in Bedfordshire was also well attended, and it's heartening to see new reps, and new members coming on board now that they can see unions gearing up for action in defence of our jobs, pensions and pay.

When Hutton reported on Thursday that we should now receive career average pensions not final salary schemes, the union movement rightly responded by threatening coordinated industrial action. As I pointed out at UEL, Bedfordshire and elsewhere where I've spoken, we beat the government before in 2006 when they came for our LGPS, and we can beat them again. Certainly, as others are pointing out, we're going to have to take determined action to win this one, not one day strikes here or there.

In some parts of the union movement, there is a misconception that we can only fight from a position of strength - that we must build and recruit more, before taking action. It's a two way process, in my view. We can build the union by visibly standing up for ourselves and our members.

We can gain strength by winning smaller battles, in my experience. UEL is a growing branch, London Met is a growing branch, SOAS has gone from strength to strength. An examination of the national membership figures from 2006 back this up - we recruited more than any other year, the same year we took action to defend our pensions.

London Met occasionally gets threatened with closure, and last week yet another report was published that suggested we're still 'at risk', so our press release on the Living Wage was overshadowed by the local paper wanting a quote in response to that. As I said at the time, this isn't helpful to any of us at London Met.

Meanwhile the UCU are preparing for strike action against the cuts - against job cuts, attacks on their pensions, and a pay freeze - and we had a good discussion at London Met branch on building for and supporting that on Thursday. We'll need maximum unity with sister unions if out action is to be effective, so we're continuing to maintain strong links locally.

I went to the annual Women's Day lecture at the Women's Library at London Met on Tuesday 8th, and as I'd been speaking all day at AGMs it was good discipline for me to shut up and listen to the women speak about their own experiences and concerns - something us men tend not to do so well. With two thirds of public sector workers female, it's obvious who these cuts will hurt most.

Now that we've got a commitment to the Living Wage at London Met, we need to think about ways to organise the workers at London Met, and have decided to focus on ESOL classes for the (usually migrant, often female) cleaners. Part of the purpose of the Living Wage Seminar, organised by the Hidden Workforce project, which was excellent, was to hear about other successful campaigns, share experiences and network, which is crucial.

We need to ensure the Hidden Workforce and the Living Wage campaign is rolled out and fully endorsed by the whole union - our survival as a union depends on it. Many are still reluctant to get stuck in organising contracted-out staff. So it was great to see the full backing of the recently appointed Assistant General Secretary, Roger McKenzie, who introduced.

The main thrust of my speeches at all the AGMs I've been to in the last few weeks - including our own - has been to build for the March 26th 'March for the alternative'. I've been posting on here occasional films building for this, and I quite like this song I've posted above - very catchy, and better than hearing me go on and on...

Keep going back to the TUC site for updates and more films, and I'll see you in London on 26th!

Protect Public Services film

2011-03-09T05:56:00.000-08:00

Protect Public Services from PCS Union TV on Vimeo.

Jenny Compton-Bishop: I'm supporting Max Watson because ...

2011-03-03T03:59:00.000-08:00

Max continues to represent the interests of members and is an inspiration and example to branches of how to organise effectively against government attacks on Higher Education funding.

I support his nomination to the NEC.

Jenny Compton-Bishop
Branch Secretary
Middlesex University UNISON
& Higher Education Service Group Executive

Allan Pike: I'm supporting Max Watson for NEC because...

2011-03-03T02:23:00.000-08:00

I fully support and recommend Max Watson into the position of General HE seat onto the NEC. Max has been involved in many wide ranging and successful campaigns and negotiations against job cuts, protecting essential service provisions, outsourcing and improving living standards as part of his involvement in the living wage campaign at London Met.

Max has tremendous drive and commitment and the ability and capacity to motivate and rally others in that commitment to defend and protect members best interests.

Allan Pike
Branch Secretary, London Met UNISON

Andy Cunningham: I'm supporting Max Watson NEC because...

2011-03-03T01:59:00.000-08:00

I'm supporting Max Watson because higher education is facing the biggest challenge in its existence and only a fighting leadership can defend our jobs and universities.

The Government and Vice-Chancellors are ripping up our education system - making it impossible for working class people to access our Universities. At the same time, they are using the privatisation of the Universities as an excuse to cut our pay, jobs and pensions.

We cannot let them get away with this. Our strength as a union is when we act together - that means campaigning and taking co-ordinated national action. To do that, we need a leadership that knows how to organise, how to lead fights and - most importantly - how to win. Max has led his Branch through difficult times and has been an inspiration for those of us who want to defend our members. That is why I am urging everyone to use your vote in these elections and to choose Max Watson for higher education.

Andy Cunningham
Assistant Branch Secretary
Manchester Metropolitan University UNISON

Who's supporting Max Watson for NEC, 2011

2011-03-02T12:36:00.000-08:00

The following Branches nominated Max Watson for UNISON NEC. Follow the links to read short endorsements (in personal capacities) from those branches:

1. Birkbeck - Naomi Bain, UNISON Chair

2. Imperial College -

3. London South Bank University

4. Middlesex University - Jenny Compton-Bishop, Branch Secretary

5. University of East London (UEL) -

6. University of Cambridge & Colleges - Cathy Yearsley, Branch Secretary

7. London Metropolitan University - Allan Pike, Branch Secretary and Gail Cameron, Assistant Branch Sec

8. University of Bedfordshire -

9. Liverpool John-Moores University - Andrew Beech, Branch Secretary (& and HE SGE)

10. Manchester Metropolitan University - Andy Cunningham, Assistant Branch Secretary

11. Southampton District -

12. Westminster -

13. University of West of England -

14. Bristol -

15. Brighton University -

16. Senate House, Uni of London -

17. School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) - Sandy Nicoll, Branch Secretary, & Higher Education Service Group Executive

18. Birmingham University - Matt Raine, Branch Secretary & Higher Education Service Group Executive

19. Anglia Ruskin -

More endorsements:

Sue Gallagher, (Retired), ex-Chair of Uni of Birmingham Branch and ex-NEC member until 2010
Barry Blinko, (retired) ex-Higher Education Service Group Executive and Westminster Uni Branch Secretary
Bill Lehm, University College London (UCL) UNISON Branch Secretary

If you want to support the campaign to re-elect Max Watson onto the NEC, send through an endorsement for this page, or just want to get involved somehow, then get in touch.

Thanks everyone for your ongoing support.

Cathy Yearsley: I'm supporting Max Watson because...

2011-03-02T12:31:00.000-08:00

I first met Max nearly two years ago and he has never faltered in his enthusiasm and dedication to our members. I am voting for him because he is an inspiration to UNISON and is the ideal person to be on the NEC. He is passionate about everything that matters in Higher Education.

Cathy Yearsley
Branch Secretary
University of Cambridge & Colleges

Protestors block Euston rd as Camden local community denied access to budget meeting

2011-03-01T14:46:00.000-08:00

We're marching for the Alternative on March 26th

2011-03-01T07:28:00.000-08:00

Our branch committee recently had an 'Away Day' / Branch assessment training exercise at the London Region (thanks to the brilliant Alice Dawney), which was a great way to plan for the year ahead, go through our achievements in the last year - what worked well and what less so well - and of course pledge to March for the Alternative on March 26th.

The focus of a great deal of our work must now be towards building for this demo. It has to be huge, but also see the launch of a summer of resistance and a program of action that doesn't stop with a big demo from 'a' to 'b'.

After all, the Stop the War Coalition marched people up to the top of the hill... but we were marched down again.

This movement must be different. So, see you there, for starters.

Fighting spirit at Unison's higher education conference

2011-02-26T02:22:00.000-08:00

by a Unison union member

Over 150 delegates from universities across Britain met in Harrogate last week at the Unison union’s higher education conference.

They met to the backdrop of the student protests and the biggest attack ever on higher education in the form of rising fees and mass privatisation.

Read the full report here.

Tory Scum, Here We Come! Student Protests: The Story So Far

2011-02-25T03:33:00.000-08:00

The rise of the incredible student movement, in a short version for trade union and other meetings. This and the full 65 minute version are on the latest Reel News DVD (No 26), along with films of protests in Ireland and the London firefighters strike. Order your copy at www.reelnews.co.uk

Coordinate strike aciton agaisnt all the cuts

2011-02-24T10:05:00.000-08:00

Typical bad luck! The second NEC meeting since I got elected clashed with by my Branch AGM, and so I missed a discussion on coordinated strike action in defence of our pensions.

Our pensions are now pegged to CPI instead of RPI, which means our they'll be worth 15 percent less when we get them. We're likely to be made to pay more, work longer and get less in return. We might well see an attack on the 'final salary' aspect, and see an 'average salary' pension instead. Great. So what do we do about it?

"We need to make sure our members know about these threats," said Mr Prentis, warning that the attacks could be the issue which sees co-ordinated national industrial action. And if action is necessary, he warned, it will need to be on a scale greater than in 2007.

I argued at Higher Ed conference we need to prepare for coordinated industrial action in defence of our public services. And as I rushed back to Holloway Road for our AGM, we heard about these attacks in greater detail from Glynn Jenkins, Head of Pensions at UNISON.

A good turn out again at our AGM, means most of our members are well aware of these attacks and the need to fight them (and just one member was not in a pension).

We're continuing to build our branch and get ready for action in defence of job cuts, pay cuts and pension cuts - they're all part of the same package. And as I said before: give them an inch, and they'll take a mile. We shouldn't be weak on pay because we're fighting or pensions or jobs.

I'll post some more on the NEC later, as well as our my report to our branch AGM, specifically on the Rule Changes (and disciplinary action), on organising and on Palestine. Until then, read these reports:

From UNISON:
http://www.unison.org.uk/news/news_view.asp?did=6622

UNISON Active (Bob Oram)
http://unisonactive.blogspot.com/2011/02/and-now-end-is-near-report-of-last-ever.html

And from NEC member for London, Jon Rogers, who is good at reporting in detail from these meetings:
http://jonrogers1963.blogspot.com/2011/02/pensions-time-for-action.html

Kingsley Abrams - good old Lambeth

2011-02-24T08:41:00.000-08:00

I no longer live in Lambeth but I was born and brought up in that borough, so I'm delighted to hear about the resistance to the cuts there. Firstly a lone brave councillor who voted against the cuts, Kingsley Abrams. Hear why he took this stance here:

Then there was an occupation of the Town Hall. Good old Lambeth (read more here from Jon Rogers).

At the NEC yesterday I had to leave early to Chair my own branch AGM, but the issue of defying the Tory cuts in Labour councils by setting 'needs budgets' was raised (obviously there are wildly differing views on this). I hope we hear of many more courageous councillors like Kingsley.

I'll report back from the little I did get to discuss at the NEC shortly.

Higher Education Conference: a Personal report

2011-02-22T08:37:00.000-08:00

It was strange to be sitting on the top table this year, my second year at HE conference, and it was great to hear (at times) a good debate and see new members and new faces, especially younger members. There were three contentious issues, (you can download all the motions from the UNISON website). Firstly, the Privatisation of Higher Ed, secondly Standing Orders' refusal to back down, and thirdly, our Pay Claim. There was also a Q&A over the FE/ HE merger, which I won't go into here.

1) A 'defeatist' motion defeated
A motion on Privatisation of education was defeated because it was deemed 'defeatist' (e.g it said private education is 'here to stay'). When an amendment that tried to changed its emphasis fell, the motion was defeated.

2) Standing Orders: referred back and back and back again!
They were like a Jury walking into a court room to deliver their verdict: all heads turned and you almost expected the Chair to call for silence in court. The verdict: 'not an emergency' on two counts, and 'not competent' on one other. knowing looks as the council conferred, and requested to approach the bench were turned down.

The persistent Manchester Metro Branch, lead admirably by Linda Holden, and Birmingham Uni Branch, who had both submitted alternative claims on pay, insisted that for the sake of democracy their motions were 'referred back'. Conference agreed each time, sent them packing only to hear back two more times the same 'verdict'. This went on until the end of conference and the President, in the Chair, had to declare the conference over! That's not what democracy looks like!

3) Pay, in all it's forms
This meant there was only one motion on pay. The debate was essentially about whether we link pay claims to the rest of the cuts. Do we separate pensions, pay and job cuts, or do we fight the cuts as a package, and resist on all fronts? Several speakers lined up to call for the latter, and castigated a motion for a flat rate, as it was deemed a 'capitulation'. Those calling for a 'realistic' claim lost the debate, and the motion for a flat rate claim fell.

So our secretariat has just circulated a consultation to all branch secretaries:

"At the UNISON Higher Education Conference on 16 February 2011 no valid resolution was carried in respect of the content of the 2011/12 pay claim. The Higher Education Service Group has therefore agreed to undertake a brief consultation with branches on what they believe the key aims of the claim should be..."

Make sure your branch secretary discusses this in your committee and gets a return in on time.

The UCU are currently balloting on national action over cuts to pay, jobs and pensions. Do we want to be in the same position next year, with the UCU in dispute whilst our members keep their head down, hoping it'll go away?

The branches that won a 'reject' vote this year owe it to the rest of the sector to give confidence that we can fight back and win (such as Birmingham, who fought and won an increased offer). We must learn from their experiences and try to inculcate the same sort of fighting spirit in the rest of our sector.

Let's win this argument and develop a fighting strategy against the cuts to our sector.

I made the usual (attempted) rabble-rousing speech in support of a motion to fight the cuts, about the need for coordinated industrial action, and concluded:

"We're often told, as lay reps that we're the back-bone of the union. So let's show some back-bone; stand up tall, with our heads held high. Take this motion back to our branches and prepare for battle..."

Unlike last year, when I was quoted in three articles in the Morning Star, I could only speak on a couple of items and none were picked up in the labour-friendly press this year.

Sometimes when left activists get elected onto committees, there is a fear that there won't be enough 'good speakers' from the floor.

This year's HE conference showed there are plenty to take our places, and our fighting branches were well represented.

Gail Cameron and Allan Pike did a sterling job representing London Met, and Birmingham had two new speakers stepping up to the mark too. Antonia Bright from SOAS spoke plenty of times - also articulately and with passion - telling it like it is, pegging the cuts agenda to a racist agenda.

Carole Hanson is no stranger to the podium, and also got stuck in: hopefully her leadership skills, which helped to win a rejection of the pay claim this year, will also be felt on the executive committee after June. There are plenty in her branch to take the floor if she does, too.

Other militant trade unionists did an excellent job - especially the new comer Andy Cunningham from Manchester Met who apologised for speaking too much (but shouldn't have felt the need to).

I was also impressed by the number of LGBT motions to HE and in particular David Cosgrave from Imperial, who gave an articulate speech on the new legislation about Single Equalities and the apparent contradiction between protecting religious groups from discrimination and at the same time protecting members against homophobia. It's a shame this year the Morning Star covered the UCU's press release on Imperial instead.

Us active HE branches must get our act together on writing good, competent motions and getting them accepted so it doesn't become a 'Standing Orders-Fest'. E.G. when calling for strike action, always insert "lawful" before industrial action, and include "within UNISON's rules" too, this seems to help sometimes... And maybe next year we'll have a full day's debate?

For more, the reports on the UNISON website on the debates are pretty good:

'TUPE stands for "tear up previous expectations"'.
(16/02/11) Outsourcing rips up terms and conditions in higher education
'I'm fighting for my grandchildren's rights to go to university'
(16/02/11) Higher education conference vows to stand up for education
Cuts to higher education risk growth of inequality
(16/02/11) Delegates at UNISON's higher education conference speak out

So, we've had our conference in Harrogate (the irony that the conference centre staff are facing job cuts did not go unnoticed, so sent a message of support to the local UNISON branch who leafleted us at lunchtime), and now the ongoing discussion about our strategy and our pay claim for next year continues.

I've got my second NEC tomorrow, and the Defend the Four campaign are going to be meeting us in the morning as we go into Mabledon Place ... I'll let you know what happens!

Tax Justice

2011-02-22T08:31:00.000-08:00

Tax Justice from PCS Union TV on Vimeo.

19 branch nominations!

2011-02-18T07:19:00.000-08:00

ALMOST hit target of 20...

1. Birkbeck
2. Imperial College*
3. London South Bank University
4. Middlesex
5. University of East London (UEL)*
6. University of Cambridge and Colleges
7. London Metropolitan University
8. University of Bedfordshire*
9. Liverpool John-Moores University*
10. Manchester Metropolitan University*
11. Southampton District*
12. Westminster*
13. UWE*
14. Bristol*
15. Brighton University
16. Senate house, Uni of London*
17. SOAS
18. Birmingham University
19. Anglia Ruskin*

*new nominations. Great stuff - well done folks.

And well done for getting so organised and with great speechs at conference - which sent us on the Executive 'back to the drawing board' for a better pay claim in Harrogate... :)

I'll see you in March, at the demo on 26th to pick up election leaflets...

Give them an inch, and they’ll take a mile!

2011-02-18T07:10:00.001-08:00

We must stand up to this government’s despicable attacks on our education and our welfare state, public services, jobs and pensions. It’s not too late to win this battle if we act now, but we desperately need a fighting leadership to win.

I’ve got experience successfully fighting job cuts and outsourcing London Met University Branch, proven willing and able to lead a campaign of action and since November 2010 I’ve taken this experience onto the NEC and the HE Executive – thanks to you all who voted.

We need to take escalate our response to defeat these cuts – we must stand up to all the attacks we face: we mustn’t accept a pay freeze, job cuts or attacks on our pensions.

Give them an inch, and they’ll take a mile!

We should take inspiration from our students, who shook the government to the core, and smashed all illusions these cuts could get through without a fight. The union movement can finish what the students started.

The government want an elite-based education system, for the rich, privileged few, rather than education for all. Our members have joined the students on the streets and in the campuses: we must also join with the UCU and other education unions to coordinate strike action, and throw everything we’ve got into defending ourselves

We must believe we can win this.

We must rediscover our self-confidence as an organised union in which all of us take part. Many members have never been on picket lines before, and even more don’t vote in elections.

Many Universities have never had compulsory redundancies: but those times are over.

We need members with experience leading action against cuts and getting new members involved in the union. Our branch, through our struggle against cuts, has recruited many new activists along the way.

Actions speak louder than words – that means more than stunts for the press in front of Downing Street.

We lay activists and members are often told we are ‘the backbone of the union’ – so let’s show some backbone, stand up strong, with our heads held high.

The March 26th TUC Demonstration is a good start – we should now launch a summer of resistance to the cuts.

Members must make key decisions, not unaccountable officials. Local branches should have more say over their own disputes: when members want to take action, officials should fully support them, not delay and tip-toe around legal hurdles until the momentum is lost.

I’m an independent socialist, non-aligned to any party, a supporter of the ‘United Left’, with a strong track record of organising members and inspiring new activists.

Please also vote for Carole Hanson, for the female HE seat and for all candidates for a fighting democratic union and encourage your workmates to do so too.

See you in the streets! Get in touch, get involved, visit:

www.maxwatsonunison.blogspot.com

Vote Max Watson - a fighting candidate, standing up for you!

Max Watson

Proud to be UNISON online

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Let's Work Together to get public service workers to No1!

Let's Work Together to get public service workers to No1!

Dear Max,

Why I'm supporting Mark Campbell for UCU Gen Sec

Sparks national day of action - REEL NEWS footage

LONDON MET UNI - NOT FOR SALE!

UNITE the RESISTANCE

Students at the heart of the system? 'Profit' would be more apt

HE UNISON Branch wesbite directory

It's time to take to the streets again ... #N9

RE-INSTATE QMUL UNISON BRANCH SEC. VIK CHECHI

UNISON members vote Yes to action - Higher Ed unanimously support #N30

Today's students are tomorrow's pensioners - let's stick together

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The NHS is not for sale!

London Met UNISON members are voting YES to Protect our Pensions!

Toryspotting

UNITE the RESISTANCE

Of course, I'm voting YES to Protect my Pension!

Middlesex University UNISON votes to Strike!

London Met Uni UNISON members tell the government: Hands off our Pensions!

Hands off ALL our pensions!

Plymouth UNISON branch re-recognised: *LIKES*

Support Middlesex UNISON Branch

Unofficial action at Senate House - Cleaners stand firm

Middlesex University UNISON Branch Ballots for Industrial Action.

UNISON Higher Ed disputes pay freeze

Strike action at London Met short film (Reel News)

Pensions: we need a little less conversation, a little more action

Higher Education Pay 2011 Final Offer

Support Sheffield University UNISON

'Freedom for Palestine' single - buy it NOW!

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Support UNISON and UCU coordinated strike action at London Met Uni - Wed 22nd June

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UNISON members ballot for industrial action against job cuts at London Met

London Met Uni film against the cuts

If I could make one law... (Free education)

If music be the food of protest, play on...

We are London Met, not EasyMet!

UNISON News | The public service union | Sheffield University members to ballot on strike action

We won't stand for cuts - London Met Occupation song

We are London Met - Education not Privatisation!

All trade unionists should support UK Uncut

UNISON left slate - website launched

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Vote for a fighting, democractic union

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Labour movement

Tower Hamlets shows the way

Plymouth UNISON branch re-recognised: LIKES