Tony Benn and Roy Bailey: Coming to Eastbourne

Saturday 14th April, 7.30pm at the Birley Centre (Eastbourne College) as part of the Eastbourne Festival

The Writing On The Wall is a collaboration between two eminent and respected socialists.

Tony Benn, now in his 87th year, is Britain’s longest serving MP. Famously outspoken and often controversial, he spent 50 years in parliament, many of those on the front benches. Roy Bailey also has a career stretching over 50 years as a folk singer and, in that time, he has appeared all over the world. He has been described as one of folk music’s finest carriers of the people’s message and interpreters of both traditional and contemporary song.
Together they present a performance of writings, speeches and songs taken from the words of socialists, radicals, chartists, suffragettes and revolutionaries that illustrate nearly 1,000 years of campaigning for justice, freedom and equality.

Tickets £21.50 and £18.50 only from the Hailsham Pavilion (01323)841414
http://www.spyboy.co.uk/

Save Community Learning at Sussex Uni: Sign the Petition

The UCU branch at the University of Sussex reports:

"Sussex UCU regrets the proposal from the university management to end large parts of continuing education and community engagement activity in the Centre for Community Engagement.

Sign the petition here

The management’s proposal will deprive local adult students, especially older and second chance learners, of opportunities not otherwise available to them and does not reflect the university management’s often-stated commitments to community engagement, widening participation and learning opportunities outside traditional hours and locations.

Continuing education and community engagement have a long and illustrious history at Sussex. Recently CCE has produced novelists, archaeologists, supported community volunteering, put on public events, engaged with efforts to promote sign language in support of deaf communities, and engaged with teachers and young people through Creative Partnerships schemes. It has also provided full-time and visiting students with access to disciplines such as archaeology that are not otherwise covered by mainstream departments.

CCE has led the way at Sussex in terms of widening participation amongst non school leavers, such as: ethnic and minority groups, refugees, disabled people, people from socially deprived areas and deaf communities. This has been achieved during the last 18 years by a range of European funding which continues to the present.

The decision to close all non-ISS courses and the running down of the Centre in recent years puts dedicated and innovative staff at risk of redundancy, that could be avoided, and at a time of rising unemployment. The management’s proposals appear to have the unintended consequence of forcing the cessation of activities which are not loss making, because all non ISS staff are proposed for redundancy.

Sussex UCU will be fully engaged in consultations to protect staff and students and we urge the university to explore financial opportunities such as those mentioned above for supporting CCE, its staff and its valuable and distinctive educational and community provisions. Enquiries to Kate Edwards at ucusussex@sussex.ac.uk "

Sign the petition here

Are You Working for Free ?

The government's own statisticians, the Office of National Statistics, has revealed that British workers are undertaking £29 billion of unpaid overtime each year. The TUC has used the figures to estimate that a record 5.26 million people worked unpaid overtime last year, worth £28.9bn to the UK economy.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:

"These figures shine a light on the valuable but too often unrewarded extra hours that UK workers put in every week. Employers should do more to recognise the unpaid overtime that their staff do, which contributes £29bn to the UK economy every year.

But while average hours are falling across the economy - both as a result of the recession and changes in working practices - UK workers are still doing the third longest shifts in Europe, with only Austrians and Greeks working longer. Smarter working practises and an end to pointless presenteeism would help make staff more productive and get a better work-life balance."

The TUC promotes Work your Proper Hours Day every year- you can read more at the website here.

Support musicians and entertainers working in the West End

Parking charges from the City of Westminster Council may not seem of much interest to Eastbourne trades unionists, but, as raised by Musicians Union delegate to Eastbourne Trades Council Roy Martin at the last meeting, the decision to impose steep parking charges is having a hugely detrimental effect on gigging musicians and other entertainers from across the South East.

The London Evening Standard reported that an independent study by respected independent City forecaster the Centre for Economics and Business Research predicted that introducing the evening charges would cost the West End's economy £800m and would lead to the loss of 5,100 jobs. Tory-run Westminster council did not carry out its own economic impact research before it rubber stamped the new restrictions on 1 August.

A demonstration against the proposed Westminster Parking Charges took place in London’s West End on Thursday 2nd December. Despite the rain and the cold, MU members from West End shows such as Wizard of Oz, Legally Blonde, Ghost, Blood Brothers together with orchestral players and BBC Concert Orchestra members turned out to leaflet the public and raise awareness of this imposed tax on employment and entertainment. Union officials were joined by Equity officials, casino workers and a defiant arrival from the Motorcycle Community all to join forces in this process. Lord Richard Bradford on behalf of the restaurant industry and Labour Leader Paul Dimoldenberg added their support.

All trade unionists are encouraged to show solidarity with their MU and Equity colleagues as well as the many other workers in the West End whose livelihoods are threatened by this move.

Save our BBC

After the announcement of a massive package of cuts – termed in typical BBC-speak Delivering Quality First (!) – we now know the scale of the assault on the UK’s public service broadcaster.

The cuts, which will do irreparable damage to the corporation if allowed to go ahead, include slashing 2,000 jobs and proposals that will led to a reduction in quality journalism and programming across the BBC. This represents a 20 per cent cut over 5 years – in addition to the 7,000 jobs already lost at the BBC since 2004.

News content at the BBC is being disproportionately hit and there are bleak plans to cut local radio, investigative journalism and the Asian Network. Despite all the BBC’s public pronouncements on becoming less metropolitan and more regional in its approach, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are facing severe cuts to jobs and services as are the English regions, especially local radio and news.

The National Union of Journalists is calling on trade unionists to support the campaign, by writing to their MP, and by taking part in the BBC's online consultation, here.

You can visit the NUJ's campaign site here.

Media Coverage of the Strike

Good media coverage of the action and the rally in Eastbourne.

• Online slide show of photos from the Herald


• On strike day, the Gazette ran a significant feature on Trades Council secretary and NUT official Dave Brinson


• Feature from Unison, looking at the impact of the changes on low paid workers.


• Also, local MP Stephen Lloyd (former speaker at the Trades Council) says that the Government is offering a "reasonable" compromise, and is offering "even more money" (they aren't!)


• School Closures listed in the Eastbourne Gazette. More than half of East Sussex schools were completely shut.

The Eastbourne Herald of 2nd December reported that its online poll suggested that 51% of readers supportted the strikes. The same issue also contained a bitter and ill-informed article by Anne-Marie Field, suggesting "More attitude, less gratitude." Very few Trade Unionists will agree that asking to receive the pensions that we paid for in good faith throughout our working life is asking any sort of favour !

Eastbourne says "Hands off our Pensions"

A huge turnout of public sector workers and our allies from private sector staff and retired workers attended the Trades Council organised rally at Eastbourne Bandstand on November 30th.

Originally, the plan had been to meet at the top level of the bandstand and then march down to the Unite Eastbourne Centre for a rally. However, by 10.30 it became visibly apparent that there was no way even half of those assembled could fit into the Conference Hall. So, thanks to some portable PA equipment (provided by Calvin Prior of Calvin Prior and the Riderbacks) an impromptu open-air rally was staged at the bandstand.

Trades Council Secretary and NUT Executive Member Dave Brinson opened the proceedings, welcoming the huge turnout from a range of local unions.

As well as the teachers' unions NUT, NASUWT and ATL, support staff, local government and health workers from Unison, GMB and Unite, civil servants from PCS and university and college staff from UCU, there were banners from specialist unions such as the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists, the Society of Radiographers and the Association of Educational Psychologists. We were joined by Head Teachers from the NAHT, taking action for the first time in their history, and school inspectors and advisers from Aspect. Most heartening was the significant support from private sector staff who were not on duty that morning, but had come along to show solidarity.

Dave pointed out the fact that the Government continues to refuse to revalue the schemes, to tell us how much of our money is in the pot. He told the crowd that "...I have a small savings product, and when I go to the bank, they tell me how much is in it, how it's doing, and what fees they are taking. Why will the Government not show us the same courtesy ?"

He ended with a plea to all those assembled not to let the Government and the tabloid press paint this as a public vs private conflict. He quoted from the excellent research by the National Pensioners' Convention showing the appallingly low level of the state pension in comparison to other European countries, and the attacks on occupational and private pensions in recent years.

Finally- he invoked Ricky Tomlinson's Jim Royle character in response to the allegations of "gold plated pensions" citing the average woman worker in local government who will retire on just £2500 a year. "Gold plated ....?" he asked. The crowd were able to finish the Jim Royle-style sentence !

Sharon Wentworth and Gordon Dyer spoke on behalf of private sector workers in Unite the Union, expressing firm solidarity. Gordon told the crowd that we had a "neo-Thatcherite Government declaring war on working people"

Christine Lewis and Dave Fellows from Unison spoke, along with a colleague from PCS. The 500+ crowd then marched through the town centre to the Town Hall, with Gordon Dyer proudly leading the march under the Trades Council banner.

Fair Pensions for ALL: The Facts

Fair Pensions for All is a pamphlet produced jointly with Unite, PCS, UCU and the National Pensioners Convention. This document dispels the myths about public sector pensions, exposes the scandal of pension provision in the private sector and sets out the compelling case for fair pensions for all.

• The UK currently has the fourth lowest state pension in the EU- only Estonia, Latvia and Cyprus pay less to keep pensioners in security and dignity in old age. The basic state pension is currently £102 a week, worth only 57% of the government’s official weekly pensioner poverty level of £178


• More than two million UK pensioers officially live below the poverty line, with a further million in fuel poverty.


• Just over a decade ago nearly half of all private sector workers were in a workplace pension scheme; today it is only a third.


• However, while pensions have been ripped away from ordinary workers, the directors of large companies continue to net very generous pensions averaging £175,000 per year in retirement. These generous fat cat schemes at the top lapped up the bulk of the £37.6bn in tax relief that private sector pensions get every year.


• The Hutton report “firmly rejected the claim that current public service pensions are ‘gold plated’ …the median payment is around £5,600”. This equates to just over £100 per week in retirement. For a woman worker in local government the average pension is just £2,600.

Download the full facts, in the leaflet HERE

N30: Eastbourne Rally for Pensions

EASTBOURNE SAYS: HANDS OFF OUR PENSIONS !
Decent pensions for ALL

A rally to support the public sector pensions strike, and to call for action for dignity and security in retirement for all – in both the public and the private sector.

Wednesday 30th November.
The Unite Eastbourne Centre, Grand Parade, Eastbourne Seafront

Assemble at 10.30am by Eastbourne Bandstand; rally at the Unite Centre at 11.00am

Speakers to include: DAVE BRINSON (NUT National Executive), DAVE FELLOWS (UNison Schools Convenor) and speakers from the striking Unions.

N30: March for Pensions in Brighton

BRIGHTON MARCH AND RALLY TO SAVE OUR PENSIONS

On June 30th, when members of NUT, ATL, UCU and PCS took strike action over pensions, thousands of people took to the streets in Brighton. On 30th November, up to 20 Unions will be taking action across the country, so the turnout will dwarf June’s event.

Eastbourne Trade Unionists who can travel are encouraged to support the March and Rally in Brighton, alongside striking colleagues from across the region.

Wednesday November 30th
Assemble: Victoria Gardens, Brighton at 11.45 for a march through the city centre and then a rally at The Level.

Guest speakers to include Caroline Lucas MP (Green) and Tony Burke- Deputy General Secretary of Unite the Union, plus others from the striking unions.

NHS "Reforms": Minister's great cover up !

What's he trying to hide? For a year health minister Andrew Lansley has been refusing to publish a civil service report on the risks he's taking with the NHS. Now the Information Commissioner has ordered him to publish it. But he could still keep it hidden for another month – until after more key votes have taken place. (The Information Commissioner has ordered Lansley to release the report within 35 calendar days. But Lansley could even appeal to drag things out even longer)

We can't afford to wait that long. The House of Lords is debating the NHS plans right now. If the report on risks to the NHS is released immediately, it could persuade key members of the House of Lords to stand up to the government.

Let's raise an uproar in Parliament and force Lansley's hand. Pressure group 38 Degrees is co-ordinating a massive national campaign on this issue. Email your MP now and tell them to demand this secret NHS report is made public immediately.

Pressure from MPs could force Lansley to publish this report. If enough of us contact them now, we can get it out in the open before it's too late. MPs won't want to find themselves back under fire because of Lansley’s cover-up. So let's all email our MPs now and tell them they have to force Lansley to publish his secret NHS risks report.

The Information Commissioner's ruling lists Andrew Lansley's arguments for why he wants this report kept secret. Lansley argued that releasing the report "would have jeopardised the success of the policy"! [3] He's kept us, MPs, and members of the Lords in the dark deliberately because he's worried that making these risks public could derail his plans.

Please take two minutes to ask your MP to demand the NHS risks report is made public immediately

The NHS belongs to all of us. We all pay for it, and we all rely on it to care for us and our loved ones. We don't want it put at risk - that's exactly why we've been campaigning together all these months. We have a right to see what this report says.

Let's work together to get our MPs to force Lansley to publish the secret NHS risk report !

Trades Council Meeting: November

There will be a meeting of the Eastbourne Trades Council at 7.30pm, Tuesday 29th November, at the Unite Eastbourne Centre (formerly T&G) , Grand Parade, Eastbourne. All local trade unionists are invited, (although only delegates from affiliated unions may vote on financial and policy matters.)

Liz Walke will be joining us from the Save the DGH campaign, and will update us on the latest threats to local hospital services, and how trade unionists and their local branches can support the campaign.

It is likely that trade unionists in the public sector will be taking strike action the following day- and there will be an opportunity to share information and discuss the events taking place in the local area.

A G E N D A

1. Introductions and apologies for absence
2. Approval of new affiliations.
3. Minutes of previous meeting
4. Matters Arising from the Minutes.
5. Guest Speaker Liz Walke from Save the DGH Campaign.
6. TUC Day of Action (tomorrow)
7. Treasurer's Report
8. Len Caine Award
9. Any other Union Campaigns: Colleagues invited to provide information on their Unions’ local and national campaigns, and any support that the Trades Council could give.
10. Any other business.

As always, the bar will be open after the meeting ! Apologies or requests for documents etc. to the Secretary at secretary@east-sussex.nut.org.uk

Defend Eastbourne DGH

Trade Unionists in Eastbourne are strongly urged to support the Save the DGH Campaign, to preserve services at our local hospital.

The Save the DGH Campaign reports that "on Setember 24th, a protest against the current proposals to remove emergency heart intervention treatment and possible threat AGAIN to downgrade our Maternity unit this morning saw over 200 people join us at 7.30am. An open letter (view here) was handed over to Darren Grayson Chief Executive of ESHT (the Trust that run Eastbourne DGH) and Stuart Welling who is the Chair of ESHT."

The next meeting of Eastbourne Trades Council on Tuesday 29th November will be discussing how local trade unionists and their branches can publicise and get involved with the campaign, and we hope to have a spokesperson from the campaign joining us that evening. Agenda to follow.

Eastbourne Unites to Defend Pensions

Trade unions across the public sector are preparing to take action to defend pensions against an onslaught from the Government that would leave millions of public servants working longer, paying more and getting less in retirement.

The Government has made what it claims to be concessions, and the unions are carefully considering the implications of these- however the Government still refuses to carry out a valuation of the pension funds to tell us how much money is in the schemes. (The agreed changes to the pension schemes in 2005-6 were made based on the valuation, and were sustainable and affordable. What has changed in the intervening years ?)

If you buy a financial product (such as a pension) from your bank, you would expect to be told how much money is in it, how it is performing, and what fees are being taken. We expect no less from the Government !

And this is NOT a public vs private sector dispute. Trade Unionists in the private sector have seen dreadful attacks on their pensions, with employers failing to make appropriate employer-side contributions, or taking complete breaks from their obligations when the schemes were healthy (so calles "pension holidays") The Government must take urgent action to ensure that all workers have access to a decent pension scheme to provide dignity and security in old age.

In Eastbourne, members of the NUT, the ATL, and UCU education unions, and PCS civil servants took well supported action in June. It looks increasingly likely that they will be joined by Unison members across the public sector, who have voted to approve action, plus results are awaited from the NASUWT teachers' union, the National Association of Head Teachers, and general unions GMB and Unite. Senior civil servants in the FDA and specialists in Prospect are also balloting.

Officers of the local unions will be meeting this week to discuss what action can be taken to publicise and support the campaign, including on the 30th November if we are forced to take strike action. Watch this site for updates.

Defend Concessionary Coach Travel

At the Comprehensive Spending Review the Government announced its intention to withdraw the Coach Concessionary Travel scheme from the end of October this year. (The equivalent scheme in Scotland - which provides free, not half price coach travel, will remain.) The scheme provides half price coach travel for disabled people and those over 60 within England and Wales.

Trade Unionists are concerned that the extra cost now involved in coach travel will deter people from travelling. The reduction in passengers could trigger the removal of local coach services and the opportunity to travel from a small community and visit friends / family will be removed.

TSSA delegate to Eastbourne Trades Council, Michael Litchfield has been lobbying Stephen Lloyd MP, urging him to encourage the Department of Transport to work with the coach industry to fully understand and reduce the impact the removal of the Coach Concessionary Travel scheme will have on the elderly, disabled and small communities. Local Trade Unionists are encouraged to add their voices to the campaign. You can download a model letter by clicking here.

Bombardier: The Impact in East Sussex

We now know the full impact of the Government's disastrous decision to award the contract for building the new fleet of Thameslink Trains to Siemens in Germany, instead of the UK Bombardier plant, potentially spelling the end of train manufacturing in Britain.

Tens of thousands of supply chain jobs in nearly every constituency in the country will be affected. According to research from the RMT Union, East Sussex firms in the Bombardier supply chain include:

Longsite Management and Logistics of East Dean, Tuthill Controls Group in Hailsham Southdowns Environmental Consultants in Lewes, and Deutche UK in Hastings.

On top of the thousands of job losses we now know that that nearly 250 apprenticeships and engineering jobs for new graduates from the Bombardier “Centre of Excellence” will be lost if the government fails to reverse the decision to send the Thameslink fleet contract overseas. With nearly a million young people out of work, kicking the legs from under a skills and training Centre of Excellence is a further major blow to youth employment.

We have also learnt from parliamentary answers that more accountants than engineers advised the Government on the contract. Of the nine government officials involved in the project only two had an engineering background.

It was also shown that the government spent ten times as much for advice from lawyers and accountants than engineers. It is shameful that the procurement exercise has been dominated by accountants and management consultants on fat fees while the skills , and engineering excellence of Bombardier at Derby has been totally ignored.

Please support the Parliamentary Rally and briefing to save Bombardier jobs on Wednesday 12th October, 12.30pm, at Committee Room 10, House of Commons, London.

Support the Rally to save Bombardier Jobs

Bombardier trade unions are urging support for the Parliamentary rally to save Bombardier jobs on Wednesday 12th October, Committee Room 10, House of Commons, London.

At the Parliamentary Transport Committee on 7th September both the Secretary of State for Transport and representative of the European Commission admitted it was legally possible to reverse the decision to award the Thameslink trains contract to Siemens of Germany.

Last week the TUC unanimously agreed to back the campaign and there is now overwhelming political, media and popular support for the government to reverse their disastrous decision.

And we know if it is allowed to go ahead the impact of the government’s decision will go beyond Derby. Tens of thousands of supply chain jobs in nearly every constituency in the country will be affected.

That is why every single MP in the country has been invited to the rally on 12th October to hear how the threat to Bombardier in Derby could also threaten the livelihoods of their constituents.

Answers to a parliamentary question from John McDonnell MP last week have further demonstrated the scandalous nature of the government decision. Ministers have admitted that almost £20m has been spent on consultants to provide advice on a process that could spell the end of UK train manufacturing

Please support the rally on 12th October and ask your MP to attend. Please also ask your MP to sign the parliamentary motion tabled by Chris Williamson MP. You can check if your MP has signed by clicking here

The contract is still at preferred bidder stage. There is still time to reverse this decision. Please support the rally on 12th October

Trades Council Meeting: September

There will be a meeting of the Eastbourne Trades Council at 7.30pm, Tuesday 27th September, at the Unite Eastbourne Centre (formerly T&G) , Grand Parade, Eastbourne. All local trade unionists are invited, (although only delegates from affiliated unions may vote on financial and policy matters.)

Stephen Lloyd, the MP for Eastbourne will be our guest speaker. Stephen was elected as the Liberal Democrat MP for Eastbourne at the 2010 election. Prior to this, he worked in small business development, with a particular focus on disability issues. Stephen will speak about his work in promoting econominc development in Eastbourne, particularly the creation of apprenticeships, and will ,of course answer questions on the full range of his work as a Member of Parliament.

A G E N D A
1. Introductions and apologies for absence
2. Approval of new affiliations.
3. Minutes of previous meeting
4. Matters Arising from the Minutes.
5. Treasurer’s report
6. Guest Speaker: STEPHEN LLOYD MP. 7. Trades Council Priorities for 2011-12: The TUC has issued its programme of work for the next twelve months- copies are available online via the website www.eastbourneTUC.blogspot.com. The meeting to decide how Eastbourne Trades Council can incorporate these priorities into its work.
8. Union Campaigns: Colleagues invited to provide information on their Unions’ local and national campaigns, and any support that the Trades Council could give.
9. Articles and timing for next workplace newsletter
10. Any other business

As always, the bar will be open after the meeting !
Apologies or requests for documents etc. to the Secretary at secretary@east-sussex.nut.org.uk

Coalition attack on Agricultural workers

MPs have voted to to begin the abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board – which over 130,000 workers in Britain rely upon.

Unite the union is the recognised union for agricultural and rural workers across the UK. The union says the abolition of the AWB will have dire consequences for farming and farm workers leading to falling living standards in rural communities across England and Wales.

Wages and terms and conditions are set by the Agricultural Wages Board on behalf of 154,000 agricultural workers.

Unite national officer, Ian Waddell, said: "Even the Thatcher and Major governments didn’t go as far as scrapping the Agricultural Wages Board, recognising that rural workers need protection if food supplies are to be secure. Unite is building a broad alliance across rural communities to oppose the government's decision.

"The government's decision to press ahead with abolition of the Agricultural Wages Board will have dire consequences for farming and farm workers. Living standards across rural communities in England and Wales will fall as a result.

“Agriculture is critical to food supplies in this country and we have very real concerns. There is already a shortage of skilled labour and this will only be exacerbated if wages are under pressure, jeopardising our food security.”

Unite has a petition to defend the AWB- you can sign it by clicking here. The Labour Party also has a petition supporting Unite's position- you can sign by clicking here.

The Agricultural Wages Board is an independent body with a statutory obligation to set minimum wages for workers employed in agriculture in England and Wales. It was established by the Agricultural Wages Act (1948). The Board also has powers to decide other terms and conditions of employment, e.g. holidays and sick pay. It produces a legally binding Order which is enforced by Defra. The Order is made annually and normally comes into force on 1 October.

If you would like to advice on how the Order’s provisions apply to you, or if you think you might have been paid less than the minimum wage you should contact the Pay & Work Rights Helpline on 0800 917 2368. The helpline can also arrange for a copy of the Order to be sent to you. You can download the current guide to the orders (2010) here.

If you work in agriculture you can learn more about your entitlements under the Order by visiting the Directgov pages here.

Trades Councils: Programme of Work 2011-12

The TUC has published the Programme of Work for the local Trades Councils for the forthcoming year.

The programme outlines five priority areas of work for the Trades Councils:

• Cuts, Jobs and the Economy


• All Together for the NHS


• Green Workplace, Green Community


• Community Organising: changing, developing and building the trades council movements


• Fighting fascism and the far-Right

Eastbourne Trades Council will be discussing how it can best support the programme and its campaigns in our town at the September meeting. All trade union members are welcome.

You can download the full policy document by clicking here.

Trades Council Meeting: Tuesday 19th July

TRADES COUNCIL MEETING- with speaker DAVID TUTT, Leader of Eastbourne Borough Council.

There will be a meeting of the Eastbourne Trades Council at 7.30pm, Tuesday 19th July, at the Unite Eastbourne Centre (formerly T&G) , Grand Parade, Eastbourne. All local trade unionists are invited, (although only delegates from affiliated unions may vote on financial and policy matters.)

A G E N D A

1. Introductions and apologies for absence


2. Approval of new affiliations.


3. Minutes of previous meeting


4. Matters Arising from the Minutes.


5. Treasurer’s report


6. Guest Speaker: David Tutt, Leader of Eastbourne Borough Council. David has responsibility for the economic development of the town and community strategy. As a trade unionist himself (CMA- now part of Unite the Union) David will be looking forwards to hearing questions and opinions from local trade unionists.


7. Union Campaigns: Colleagues invited to provide information on their Unions’ local and national campaigns, and any support that the Trades Council could give. Will include updates on the joint pensions campaigning and the local campaigns on Legal Aid.


8. Articles and timing for next workplace newsletter


9. Any other business

As always, the bar will be open after the meeting !

Happy Birthday NHS- and hands off our DGH !

Today is the 63rd anniversary of the founding of the NHS, and it's even more important to mark the birthday of Britain's most popular institution this year, as we face the potential dismantling of the NHS in the form of Andrew Lansley's Health and Social Care Bill.

The NHS is working: Public satisfaction with the NHS is at an all-time high. Doctors, nurses, midwives, support staff, patients groups and more have all spoken out about the dangers of these changes. All Together for the NHS is a joint campaign co-ordinated by the TUC, bringing together unions and campaigners from across the health sector. Please visit the campaign site here.

Also, once again, our local NHS Hospital faces threats. Many local trade unionists marched and demonstrated to oppose plans to close consultant-led maternity services and accident and emergency at Eastbourne DGH. After a long battle which received support from across the political parties, the local NHS Trust was forced to abandon these plans in 2008.

However, a recent report from the Care and Quality Commission was critical of standards at the hospital. Could this be used by the Trust management as an excuse to bring back old cuts proposals ?

Back in March, the Save the DGH Campaign warned that they had learned of plans to “temporarily” close maternity services at Eastbourne, and that staff had been threatened with disciplinary action if the news was leaked (…to the ordinary people who pay for it !) Meanwhile, less than three years after their last plans for closure were slapped down by the then Secretary of State Alan Johnson, the Trust bosses are undertaking another “review” of maternity services. Stephen Lloyd, MP for Eastbourne has written to the current Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, urging him to intervene to halt the review.

You can read more about the campaign to protect hospital service in Eastbourne by visiting the Save the DGH site here.

ALL OUT for Public Service Pensions: June 30th

Members of the National Union of Teachers, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, the University and Colleges Union and the Public and Commercial Services Union will be taking strike action over attacks on their pension schemes on 30th June.

Members are angry at proposals that would make members work longer, pay more and get less for their pensions. The Government is plucking figures from the sky, yet have consistently refused to undertake a valuation of the pension funds (overdue by more than a year) to prove whether or not the schemes, which members pay handsomely for, are sustainable. We firmly believe that such a valuation would show that they ARE.

The Government has made much of its willingness to "negotiate", but the negotiations have been next to meaningless. They refuse to discuss:

The 50% increase in members' contributions to the schemes (even though the unions had already agreed to an increase if the Government could demonstrate that this was necessary to make the scheme sustainable- and proved by a revaluation)

The increase in retirement age from 60 or 65 (depending on the schemes) to 68 years old.

The move to a "career average" scheme- hitting women members hardest, who often secure their promotion later in their career becauseof family commitments (also with the threat of changing the accrual rate, so you would have to work 50 years, rather than the current 40 or 30, to get your full pension)

The imposed change in the calculation of inflation to determine annual increases in pensions from RPI to the lower CPI rate. This has been imposed on existing pensioners, despite the legal right not to have their pensions retrospectively changed.

In Eastbourne the action is going to be strongly supported. We know already that Bishop Bell, Eastbourne Academy, Hazel Court, Ocklynge, Bourne, West Rise, Langney, and Pevensey and Westham schools will be shut, with Ratton, Willingdon, The Lindfield, Cavendish, Shinewater and others opening only to a fraction of the students.

Sussex Downs College and the University of Brighton will be signifiacntly affected, and PCS members at the Department for Work and Pensions, the Tax office and the Driving Standards Agency will also be taking action.

Other unions including the NASUWT, Unison, GMB and the non-TUC National Association of Head Teachers are considering or have announced balloting for action in the Autumn.

Members of these Unions and other supporters are encouraged to attend the march and rally in Brighton, meeting at The Level for 10.30am, or the Hastings Rally at the White Rock Theatre also at 10.30am (Trades Council Secretary Dave Brinson and SERTUC Regional Secretary Megan Dobney will be speaking at the Hastings event.)

For more information on the Pensions Campaign, visit the NUT Website, the ATL website, the UCU website or the PCS website.

Save the NHS: Petition handed in to Stephen Lloyd MP

Over 400,000 people signed the petition against the coalition's NHS "reforms" organised by the 38 Degrees campaigning group.

Trades Council secretary Dave Brinson joined local organiser Lucette Davies and other local campaigners to present the Eastbourne section of the petition to Stephen Lloyd MP on Saturday 25th June.

Dave says: "Hundreds of thousands of trade unionists, patients and health professionals have
made their dismay at the coalition's cuts and privatisation agenda for the NHS loudly and clearly heard. The coalition are now making a big play that they have 'listened': let's wait and see whether their actions reflect their warm words !"

Support Unite members in Southampton

Unite and Unison members at Tory-controlled Southampton City Council need your help.

4,300 workers have been told they will be sacked on July 11th unless they take a pay cut and sign inferior contracts. Council leader, Royston Smith, has refused to negotiate with the unions, Unite and Unison, and has instead tried to impose cuts on workers.

The unions proposed wage freezes in return for security for jobs and services - but Royston Smith rejected these out of hand. This forced the workers into taking industrial action. All they want is a fairer way forward. They now need your support.

It is essential that they win their dispute. If the Tory leadership at Southampton gets away with imposing pay cuts without negotiating then other councils, and indeed private sector employers, will follow suit.

Southampton workers are taking a stand but they urgently need your support.



Please help by making a donation to the strike fund. Your contributions, however small, can help: * TGWU 2/8 Strike Fund, Unity Trust Bank, Ac No: 20185358, Sort Code: 08-60-01
*NB: this is a Unite fund. A long-standing TGWU account is being used to ensure there is no delay in supporting the workers.

Lobby Stephen Lloyd to save the NHS !

Local residents will be handing a petition organised by 38 Degrees to our MP, Stephen Lloyd, on Saturday 25th June, at his constituency office, 100 Seaside Road at 3.30pm. For full details and to sign up, please click here to visit the 38 Degrees website.

After an overwhelming response from 38 Degrees members asking for the campaign to protect the NHS to continue, hundreds of thousands have signed the petition, and people all over the country are writing to their MPs to ask them to save the NHS. Over the past months, 38 Degrees members across the country have been handing in the 250,000 strong Save our NHS petition to MPs on the scrutiny committee for the NHS Health Reform Bill – the committee which has been examining the government’s NHS plans.

If you haven’t already, you can sign the petition here

Across the country 38 Degrees members wanted to show their MPs that they really do care about the NHS in their MP’s local constituency surgery or coffee morning by handing in the petition. Now, people are writing to ask their MP’s what they think about the proposed changes to the NHS. If you want to send a letter to your local MP to see if they are supporting the Bill, you can use the link to: Tell your MP to Protect the NHS here.

March against Legal Aid Cuts: 3rd June

There will be a march in Eastbourne as part of a National Day of Action on Friday 3rd June 2011 in response to the recent government proposals to cut the Legal Aid Budget. These proposals will have an impact on people who need access to specialist Debt, Housing and Welfare Benefit, Employment, Immigration (where the litigant is not detained), Consumer, Education, Civil and Family Law advice, as well as impact on those agencies who provide this advice.

The Ministry of Justice received over 5,000 responses to their consultation on legal aid reform. Respondents, many of whom were CAB’s and organisations with charity status currently providing legal aid funded advice, are concerned that the proposals are lacking in evidence, misunderstand the extent and range of legal advice needs and underestimate the potential impact on the poorest and most vulnerable people[i]. A clear message about the need for legal aid funding has been sent to the MOJ and it is being ignored in the rush to cut public expenditure

Eastbourne Citizens Advice Bureau and Brighton Housing Trust’s Eastbourne Advice Centre will be leading a march against the cuts, setting off from 1.30pm outside Debenhams, Terminus Road on Friday 3rd June. Stephen Lloyd MP, who has raised his concerns in several parliamentary debates, will be joining us. A stall will also be based outside Barclays Bank, in the Town Centre, with information about the proposals and a petition for the general public to sign and the march will pause here to hear from him.

Should the proposals be agreed, funding for Social Welfare Law advice in East Sussex will be halved at a time when services are under increasing pressure and demand. Residents will find themselves without access to Legal Aid at the very time when events in their lives, cuts to services or changes to the benefit system mean they are most in need of specialist advice. Good quality specialist advice enables people to take control of their lives.

The Eastbourne Advice Agencies are keen to have strong representation would therefore appreciate it if you could circulate this letter and encourage people to attend. It would also be appreciated if you could confirm attendance with trudy@esap.org.uk, who will provide you with further details should you require any, or via the Facebook Page which has been set up; “Eastbourne Day of Action against cuts to Legal Aid”

Health Secretary bottles out of addressing nurses

The Royal College of Nursing is not a TUC affiliated union, and we would always encourage our brothers and sisters in the nursing profession to join an appropriate TUC union such as Unison, GMB or Unite. However, the decison of Tory Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley to sidestep the opportunity to address the RCN's annual conference is of interest to all trade unionists.

The BBC reports that: "Health Secretary Andrew Lansley is facing a confidence vote from nurses in reaction to his planned changes for the NHS in England. After a "listening exercise" at Downing Street with the PM and voluntary sector representatives, Mr Lansley will go to the Royal College of Nursing Congress. He will meet a group of 50 nurses - not the whole conference - which has prompted some to question his nerve. Meanwhile, Labour leaders will have an emergency meeting about the NHS plans.

Under the shake-up, GPs are to be given control of much of the NHS budget, while greater competition with the private sector will be encouraged. But critics, including the Royal College of Nursing, have warned the changes could undermine the NHS. After months of attacks, the government said last week it would run another consultation, even though the bill underpinning the changes has already started progressing through Parliament.

Wednesday marks the first significant step in that process. In the morning, Mr Lansley is meeting voluntary sector chiefs in Downing Street to discuss how they can get involved in delivering services. He will then travel to Liverpool to meet nurses. Instead of addressing the entire conference - he will have a separate meeting with 50 nurses representing all parts of the UK. The decision to attend the smaller meeting has caused anger among delegates at the conference.

Julian Newell, an A&E nurse from Sheffield, said: "I think it's a shame Andrew Lansley does not have the guts to come up and face congress as a whole tomorrow. "I'm not sure it's the right thing to say we'll have a selected group of small people to meet with him. I would rather us say if you can't face congress as a whole then we don't want to meet with him."

RCN general secretary Peter Carter also questioned the decision. "It's his judgment call, he feels it's better but he is going to get stick from congress. Congress is going to interpret it as him not having the courage to speak to them."

Tell Stephen Lloyd to defend the NHS !

If we’re going to stop Andrew Lansley’s dangerous plans for the NHS, the next couple of weeks could be critical. David Cameron and Nick Clegg are having a crunch meeting to discuss public opposition to the plans. We need to make sure that every MP is telling them that their voters are demanding a rethink.

If MPs receive a flood of emails ahead of the crunch discussions it could just tip the balance and persuade the government to back off. The more of us that email our MP, the more chance we have of protecting the NHS.

Can you send Stephen Lloyd a quick email today? It will only take a copule of clicks ! Please visit the 38 Degrees Website- there's even a suggested wording !

Brighton anti-cuts day school

The Brighton Stop the Cuts Coalition has organised a day school this Saturday 9th April and they very much encourage activists from across the South East to come along.

There will be sessions and a wide range of speakers from Unions (including Alex Gordon RMT president), South East Region TUC , Defend Council Housing, Anti-Cuts Economists, Keep Our NHS Public, Anti-Academies Alliance and much more! There will be lots of time for discussion and debate on how we take the anti-cuts movement forward.

It is free and open to all. So come along and please take the time to forward this email on to others who may be interested. We are keen to have activists from across the South East come along so pass the message far and wide.

People can arrive from 10am with a view to starting at 10:45am, we should finish by 4:30pm and have a bit of entertainment to finish.Its at Falmer House, Sussex University which is a few minutes from Falmer Train Station. Any questions or ideas let Phil Clarke know on BrightonTradesCouncil@Gmail.com.

Hastings Trades Council March and Rally

Our brothers and sisters in the Hastings Trades Council will be staging a march and rally on 19th April to put the case for the alternatives to the savage cuts being inflicted on their town and our region, including:-

• CONQUEST HOSPITAL…….JOB CUTS AND CLOSURE OF WARDS


• ASHDOWN HOUSE…..JOB CUTS AND PRIVITISATION


• HERON HOUSE…..JOB CUTS AND PRIVITISATION


• HASTINGS COUNCIL…..JOB CUTS AND CUTS TO ESSENTIAL SERVICES


• C.A.B……JOB CUTS


• HASTINGS VOLUNTARY SERVICES……JOB CUTS


• ROYAL MAIL……JOB CUTS AND PRIVITISATION


• TAX OFFICE….PARTIAL CLOSURE.

The demonstration is being supported by Unite, Unison, GMB, BUT, PCS, Usdaw, the CWU, FBU, RMT, TSSA and ASLEF, plus others from the local community. The march assembles at 12.30pm at Hastings Pier on Saturday 19th April. For more details contact the Sam Buckley of the Hastings Trades Council at swpsam@hotmail.com 0r 07807 289253

Trades Council Meeting: April 5th

TRADES COUNCIL MEETING- with "KEEP THE POST PUBLIC" speaker.

There will be a meeting of the Eastbourne Trades Council at 7.30pm, Tuesday 5th April 2011, at the Unite Eastbourne Centre (formerly T&G) , Grand Parade, Eastbourne. All local trade unionists are invited, (although only delegates from affiliated unions may vote on financial and policy matters.)

A G E N D A

1. Introductions and apologies for absence


2. Approval of new affiliations.


3. Minutes of previous meeting- for information only (the AGM Minutes will be formally approved at the 2012 AGM)


4. Matters Arising from the Minutes.


5. Treasurer’s report- Gordon Dyer


6. Guest Speaker from Keep the Post Public Campaign Peter Sinnott of the local Communication Workers’ Union will talk about the campaign against privatisation of the Royal Mail.


7. Anti-Cuts Campaigning: Where next after March 26th ? Report on progress of Eastbourne Anti-Cuts activity.


8. Local Elections: Update on campaigning opportunities around the Borough Council elections, including any threat of BNP candidates.


9. Union Campaigns: Colleagues invited to provide information on their Unions’ local and national campaigns, and any support that the Trades Council could give.


10. Articles and timing for next workplace newsletter


11. Any other business

March for the Alternative

A hugely successful demonstration (notwithstanding a tiny handful who were NOT part of the TUC March, but nonetheless managed to hijack the news headlines with their actions.)

Estimates of up to or even over 400,000 people marched peacefully to demonstrate their opposition to the cuts. They were joined by Eastbourne members of Unison, NUT, Unite, NUJ, PCS and others.

The march is done, but the campaign continues.

Support PCS members against cuts and victimisation

Civil Service union PCS is currenty balloting members over staffing cuts and the victimisation of Union reps in its Home Office group. Please click here for further information, and for a link to sign the online petition and e-mail your local MP.

There is a further article about the proposed job cuts in the Home Office on the main page ofthe PCS website here.

March for the Alternative: JOIN US on Saturday

Eastbourne Trades Council is supporting the massive TUC Demonstration against the Cuts and attacks on public services and pensions this coming Saturday 26th March, and still has free seats available on coaches laid on by local Union branches.

If you would like to join us on the march, and need a place on the coach (likely to be an early start- 7.30 am) please e-mail the Secretary as soon as possible.

Read more about the March for the Alternative by clicking here.

Royal Mail- Not For Sale !

March and Rally- Saturday 19th March at 12.30, at The Level in Brighton.



12.30: Assemble at The Level, Union Road, Brighton
13.15: March through Brighton, returning to The Level at
14.15: Rally with guest speakers and music from Love Music, Hate Racism.



Speakers invited include:

Billy Hayes and Dave Ward (CWU)
Caroline Lucas MP (Green)
Cllr Gill Mitchell (Labour)
Dot Gibson (National Pensioners' Convention)
Cat Smith (Compass Youth)
Phil Clarke (Brighton Stop the Cuts Campaign)



For more information, contact the Communication Workers Union at keepthepostpublic@virginmedia.com

Keep the Post Public

Eastbourne Trades Council welcomes the Communication Workers Union as our latest local affiliate. The CWU is currently running a national campaign against Post Office privatisation.

The union believe that the Post Office is a vital part of the local community. But the government’s plans to privatize the post office will cut or increase the cost of services which small businesses, communities and vulnerable groups rely on.

In particular the union believe three things will happen if the Postal Services Bill is passed in its current form:

Mail services cut
Royal Mail delivers and collects to 28m UK addresses for six days a week for a single stamp price (uniform tariff). This is called the universal postal service; it is expensive to provide, particularly in rural areas. The Government has been keen to stress this service will be protected under a privatised Royal Mail.
However, the reality is that in order to make Royal Mail attractive to investors, it will need to cut the cost of providing those services. That is why the bill compels the proposed postal services regulator, Ofcom, to review the universal postal service within 18 months. Such a review, with the need to make Royal Mail attractive to investors as a backdrop, is hardly likely to determine that the current universal service minimum requirements should become more onerous! At least nine clauses in the Postal Services Bill allow the regulator to amend or vary the application of the minimum requirements that make up the universal service. Such sell-offs are very rare internationally, but in Holland the minimum requirements were reduced following privatisation.

Increase in mail prices
The Postal Services Bill allows for Ofcom to make an assessment of the financial burden of the universal service on Royal Mail and to make recommendations for how to alleviate this burden. While the Bill requires that prices be affordable — this leaves wide scope for price increases. Already the Regulator has approved a huge 5p rise in stamp prices next year. Still higher prices would be deeply unpopular and run counter to public perception of what it is to protect the universal service.

Local Post Offices under threat
There is no guarantee in the Postal Services Bill that Royal Mail will continue to use the Post Office as the primary retail outlet for some or all of its products. A privatised Royal Mail could choose to use other outlets such as supermarkets or high street chains. This would deprive the post office network of a third of its income, and would put thousands of post offices at risk, especially in rural areas where post offices are particularly struggling. Fewer post offices in these areas mean that vulnerable groups in those communities will have to travel further to get access to vital services.

You can get involved in the campaign against privatisation- including a model e-mail for your local MP, by visiting the CWU's Keep the Post Public website here.

Eastbourne Trades Council- back up and running

The Eastbourne Trades Council had its re-founding AGM (after ten years) on 15th February at the Unite Eastbourne Centre.

Local union stewards and representatives from NUT, NASUWT, Unite, Unison, TSSA, PCS, Usdaw, GMB and NUJ met to agree plans for the coming year.

Megan Dobney, the Regional Secretary from the South East Region TUC (pictured) was the guest speaker and spoke about the role of the Trades Councils and the current campaigns of the TUC. In particular, she spoke about the organisation against the cuts- building for the "March for the Alternative" National Demonstration on 26th March, but also about the need to organise before and afterwards, especially in light of the local elections coming up in May.

The meeting agreed to support the demonstration, and to ensure a good presence from Eastbourne. We agreed to support the PCS coach, and publicise this to local trade unionists. There was also agreement to support the work of the Eastbourne Against Cuts group.

The officers elected at the meeting were: Val Thomas (Chair,) Dave Brinson (Secrteray,) John Goddard (vice Chair) and Gordon Dyer (Treasurer.) Ian Thomas and Sharon Wentworth were nominated to the Executive Committee. Michael Litchfield will take the Health and Safety and Disabilities responsibility, Claire French the womens' portfolio, Lib Blayney- young members, and Pia Sands and Pat Bacon the retail sector.

Any local trade unionists who would like to receive copies of the full minutes of the meeting, should contact the Secretary.

The next meeting will be April 5th, where the speaker to be invited will be on the CWU Keep the Post Public campaign.

Choose Youth – Stop the cuts to young people’s services

At 2pm on Saturday 12th February there will be a live webcast of a rally at which 1,000 young people and their youth workers representing 100,000s of users and staff will join forces to get government to think again, as funding cuts threaten to wipe out the youth service all together.

You can watch how young people and Unite will rise to the challenge to stop these cuts. The day will focus on how to organise campaigns to stop the cuts with a session from a 12 year old campaigner from the prime minister's Witney constituency who has been working tirelessly to save his local youth club. At 2pm on Saturday 12th February log on here.

The assault on young people’s services will have a devastating effect on their hopes for the future and will have far reaching effects on communities and the economy.

• Cuts of the scale proposed are a sure-fire way to deepen social problems in months and years to come.
• The roll call of services at risk of closure is growing daily. Warwickshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Manchester city council now plan to scrap its youth service.
• Those services include: youth clubs, youth programmes, Connexions centres and youth counselling centres. 82 per cent of voluntary sector youth groups anticipate that they will have to close whole projects.

7,000 professionally qualified staff… 30,000 trained youth support workers… half a million volunteers……Britain’s youth services are world class. They’re far too good to lose.

But nearly every project working with 13-18 year olds is at risk. It’s not too late to tell the decision makers that they’ve got their priorities wrong. Send them a clear message: a message that Youth Services Change Lives.

To find out more about Unite's campaign to save youth services click here.

Trades Council Meeting: February 15th

The AGM of the Eastbourne Trades Council will be at 7.30pm, Tuesday 15th February 2011, at the Unite Eastbourne Centre (formerly T&G) , Grand Parade, Eastbourne.

All local trade union members are invited, although only delegates from affiliated unions may stand as officers or vote on financial or policy matters.

A G E N D A

1. Introductions and apologies for absence
2. Approval of affiliation requests from union branches
3. Adoption of Rules
4. Treasurer’s report
5. Election of Officers

a) Chair
b) Vice Chair
c) Secretary
d) Treasurer
e) Additional non-officer members of the Executive Committee, if required

*It is proposed that the nomination of campaigns contacts is taken later in the meeting, after hearing from our guest speaker

6. Guest Speaker: Megan Dobney. Megan is the Regional Secretary of the TUC (SERTUC) and will speak to us about the TUC’s current campaigns and how the Trades Council can support these.

7. March 26th: National Demonstration
8. Campaigns and Industrial Issues: Delegates may wish to raise particular campaigns or issues from their own Union, that the Trades Council may find of interest. Please let the Chair know before the meeting if possible, to ensure the best management of the meeting time !
9. Nomination of Campaign Contacts
10. Pattern of Meetings for 2011
11. Any other business

March for the Alternative

The Trades Union Congress is calling a massive national demonstration against the Government’s cuts agenda, which threatens jobs, services, pensions and the future for our young people.

The cuts will directly affect working people, families, students and pensioners in Eastbourne- and it is important that our town is represented. Trade union branches up and down the country have pledged to come to London to march, and will be joined by pensioners groups, students and other campaigners who want to stand in solidarity against these attacks.

Already, the local NUT, PCS and GMB Unions have announced that they will be taking coaches for their members and supporters to travel to the event. Eastbourne Trades Council wants local trade unionists to join them.

Our meeting on 15th February will decide how we can best support local trade unionists to attend the march- either by laying on coach or train travel or by putting people in touch with those unions already taking members from Eastbourne.

If you would like to march with us, please let us know ! You can contact the Secretary for information about coaches from Eastbourne by clicking here.

For more information about the March for the Alternative, click here.

For more information about why cuts are not the answer, visit the False Economy website, by clicking here.

For information about the TUC's cuts campaigns, click here.

Stephen Lloyd MP writes:

Whatever our political persuasion we all know the UK is facing a very difficult economic challenge. We may differ on how best UK plc should address the challenges but we all recognise that it exists.

Prior to becoming the MP for Eastbourne and Willingdon my job was as a freelance consultant with the FSB (Federation of Small Business) and over the last few years I met and worked with hundreds of small companies in South London. I was struck by their determination to succeed and by their determination, over the last 2/3 years, to weather the recession. In that, many have already made the right moves to strip out excess costs and to coin a phrase, be lean and keen. Wages have been flat, focus has been on price and significant efforts have been made to weather the downturn. This has put the private sector in a strong position to benefit from the anticipated growth upswing later, hopefully, this year. In fact manufacturing has been growing strongly over the last two economic quarters. In Eastbourne over 500 new jobs have been created in the last 6 months alone. That’s not in any way to say it’s easy out there at the minute but it is moving in the right direction.

For the public sector though the immediate future is uncertain. Few of the tough decisions the private sector have taken over the last few years had, up until recently, been taken by our public services. Naturally, there are exceptions to that and our own local Eastbourne Borough Council had taken some of the difficult decisions and consequently look set to fare much better than most if not all of the other councils in the South East.

For people working in the public sector in the UK, many of whom I know well in Eastbourne and many of whom are good friends, it is a worrying time. I am determined to do all I can to support constituents who work in the public sector, both to try and alleviate the consequences of redundancies by growing the town’s economy so other jobs become available, and also by lobbying the government to ensure we retain as much of the funding stream as possible.
In this difficult climate, Trade Unions have an important role to play and I am committed to working with them. There has been some robust language towards Trade Unions generally from some sections within the Coalition Government. I do not share those sentiments. Never have, never will! I do not mean we always see eye to eye on every issue – we don’t. But Unions’ value and importance to many people, particularly in the public sector is something I respect and wish to encourage and support.

If any Trade Union constituents would like to get in touch, they can call my office in Seaside Road for an appointment on 01323 733030 or drop me an email at stephen.lloyd.mp@parliament.uk

Stephen Lloyd is the Member of Parliament for Eastbourne and Willingdon.

Teachers Unite to Save Pensions

All of the TUC Teachers’ Unions, as well as lecturers’ union UCU, and the non-TUC affiliated Head Teachers’ associations have joined together in a common campaign to defend teachers pensions from attacks.

Pay more ! Work longer ! Get Less !

The Coalition Government wants to increase teachers’ pension contributions from 6.4% of pay to 9.5% or more. It may also propose higher retirement ages and a change to pension based on final salary. Without consultation, it is also threatening to change pension indexation from RPI to CPI, cutting the value of pensions by 15%.

Together in 2006 the teachers unions negotiated agreements with the Government which have already cut the long term cost of teachers’ pensions. The planned cost savings are on course and are being achieved. There is no need for further change: teachers’ pensions are affordable !

Pensions are deferred wages and are part of teachers’ pay. Schools and employers also make a significant contribution to the pension fund of their staff.
All of the teachers’ unions are committed to working together to defend our pensions. We will work together to protect members if the Government proceeds with its threat to impose pension cuts.

Dave Brinson, secretary of East Sussex NUT said: “As trade unionists, we believe that everybody should have access to a decent pension. But we should campaign for improvements to all pension schemes- and not be drawn into the government and tabloids’ ridiculous attempt to set working people against each other in a desperate rush to the bottom.”

PENSIONERS MUGGED IN EASTBOURNE !
Hundreds of retired teachers in Eastbourne are facing the theft of pensions which they have paid for all of their working life. Pensioners who paid into a pension were promised that their pension would be indexed to keep up with the rate of inflation. The Government has announced, without consultation, that they will change the calculation of this from Retail Price Index to the lower Consumer Price index. This will cost many teachers thousands of pounds through their retirement- of pension they thought they’d paid for !
IT’S DAYLIGHT ROBBERY !

Savage Cuts at East Sussex County Council

Phil Clarke (NUT)

East Sussex County Council has recently announced savage cuts to services, with Children’s Services at the forefront of the attack.

The proposed 8.6% cut in Children’s Services in one year is the highest of any council department. 6/10 of the Children’s Service areas are in the council’s ‘High Impact’ cuts category- and around half of the 400 jobs expected to go are in Children’s Services.

East Sussex Council has the 4th highest cash level reserves nationally- £130 Million. The figures for the cuts in East Sussex Council do NOT include the grants to services direct from the central government. These grants are expected to have a far larger percentage cut.

The following are a few of the council’s estimates:

· Youth Opportunity Fund 100% CUT .
· Sure Start Centres 25% CUT.
· Youth Offending Teams 25% CUT,
· Diploma local delivery support 100% CUT,
· National Challenge school support 100% CUT,
· Family Learning 25% CUT,
· Music Service 25% CUT ,

The impact of cuts in Government grants will, as a East Sussex Children’s Service senior manager explained: ‘leave no-one unaffected’. Many services will now be able to offer the minimum legal support to young people and families.

Again any examples we give are only a small selection of the planned cuts and do not represent those that we necessary regard as having the most impact. Inclusion support will no longer carry out preventative work, training for staff and advice for parents will no longer be available. Youth Clubs and Children’s Centres will close. The Connexions service will no longer be available to the majority of young people, Early years support is to be cut by 60%.

School Staff will feel the cuts in children’s services impact them in many ways. Not only will advice, support and training offered by the services be radically reduced, school budgets already set to decrease in real terms (despite government promises) will have to be used to buy in services that have previously been supplied by East Sussex County Council. This will mean less money for schools, greater workload for those working in schools and opens up the risk of redundancies in schools as budgets are stretched.

CAN YOU TAKE ACTION NOW TO OPPOSE THE CUTS ?
East Sussex County Council is an elected authority. You elect local councillors to take decisions about the council’s budget and policy. Your local County councillor may not be knocking on your door until 2013 to ask for your vote- but trade unionists have long memories !

In the meantime, write to your councillor and urge them to oppose these cuts that will damage children and young people in our county. You can find out who your local councillor is, and their mailing and e-mail address by clicking here.

Phil Clarke is Secretary of Lewes, Eastbourne and Wealden NUT, and Chair of the Brighton Stop the Cuts Campaign.

GMB fight £5,000 cut to Ambulance Service staff

GMB Union members are to fight plans to cut wages by up to £5,000 a head at South East Coast Ambulance Service.

GMB consider that paramedics, technicians and other ambulance workers provide a vitally important service to the public and they should be paid properly for doing so.
South East Coast Ambulance Service Trust, which runs all emergency and non-emergency ambulance services throughout Kent, Surrey and Sussex is planning cuts of up to £5,000 per annum in the pay of frontline staff. This is the equivalent to 25% cut for all frontline staff. The planned cuts will come from proposals to reduce unsocial hours payments.

Directors of the Trust, who are attempting to prepare it for Foundation Trust Status, have stated that the alternatives is either to reduce salaries or make up to 30 staff redundant. GMB represents staff at the Trust including paramedics, technicians, emergency care support staff, managers and call centre staff.

Rob Macey, GMB Regional Organiser said: ‘GMB will fight these proposals which will have a devastating affect on employees and their families. GMB members feel they are being treated appallingly by SECAMB, who appear hell bent on making these cuts in order to achieve their Foundation Trust Status. GMB consider that paramedics, technicians and other ambulance workers provide a vitally important service to the public and they should be paid properly for doing so. Morale is now at an all time low and it is a very real fear that patient safety could be put in jeopardy.’

Peter Skinner, MEP for the South East added: “To see dedicated ambulance workers being treated in this way is unacceptable. These people aren’t bureaucratic managers, they are the frontline of our health service; they are the paramedics, technicians and ambulance staff that work hard to save lives. There will be no doubt that these cuts will have a devastating effect on individual workers, but this could also threaten the future quality of ambulance services across the South East.”

A new Trades Council for Eastbourne

For over a century the movement of local Trades Councils has brought together trade unionists in their local area to campaign, share ideas and to promote the campaigns of the Trade Union Congress. Eastbourne, sadly, saw its trades council wound up in the early 1990’s after many years.

We believe that in the current situation, and with savage cuts on the horizon, there has never been a more important time for trade unionists to work together in Eastbourne. As a result, members of NUT, NASUWT, Unite, Unison and Usdaw met in November, and agreed to re-launch Eastbourne Trades Council as a campaigning forum for trade unionists in the town.

Trade Unions face a busy and unsettling time in the forthcoming months, as they face threats to jobs, conditions and pensions. The Eastbourne Trades Council will operate an “organising agenda”- activity will be about supporting each other in campaigns, sharing problems and successes, and organising working people !

Our general meetings will be open to all local trade unionists- for our re-launch AGM we are pleased to welcome Megan Dobney, the Regional Secretary of the TUC, who will talk to us about the forthcoming challenges and campaigns, and how the Trades Councils can be at the heart if working people’s organisation !

Join us on Tuesday 15th February, 7.30pm at the Unite (T&G) Centre, Grand Parade.

Newsletter now out

The first workplace newsletter for the Eastbourne Trades Council is now being distributed. If you are in a unionised workplace in Eastbourne, this should be on its way to your steward/rep now.

If you don't receive this, it may be that we don't have your workplace on our database- please let the secretary know by clicking here.