Solidarity with the NUT in Hastings

As you may have heard, NUT members at William Parker Sports College in Hastings will be taking strike action tomorrow, in protest at their transfer to the ARK Academy chain, which does not recognise School Teachers Pay and Conditions.

While Hastings is not in our Trades Council area, a number of members live in Eastbourne- and the actions of East Sussex County Council in this saga do not bode well for trade unionists in Eastbourne schools !   While only NUT are taking tomorrow's action,  all of the TUC-affiliated unions in the school (NASUWT, ATL, UNISON and GMB) are firmly opposed to Academy status, and the way that East Sussex have imposed the ARK chain without any debate or consultation with staff, unions, parents or the local community.

(ARK, incidentally was set up by hedge fund managers, and run by a board of trustees including fund managers, bankers, the Tory Party treasurer and a former News International executive.)

The NUT  had productive talks with East Sussex County Council and ARK last week, and were willing to postpone the strike action to allow for further talks. Under trade union law, this would have required the employer to request an extension to the negotiation time.  EAST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL REFUSED, ON AT LEAST THREE OCCASIONS, TO TAKE UP THIS OFFER.  

 

If the county believe that they can call members' bluff over this, they are sorely mistaken. Members gave a 100% yes vote for action, and are angry at the intransigence of the County Council.

Messages of solidarity can be sent via Dave Brinson, East Sussex NUT Division Secretary.  The campaign has a website where these will be displayed alongside other information about the dispute.  View the site here.

Labour and Trade Union History Course: Brighton

The Brighton Free University, in conjunction with the Plebs League, are running a course on Labour and Trade Union History at the Brighthelm Centre, North Road, Brighton, on Tuesday 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th April, and Tuesday 7th May. Course Tutor is Terry McCarthy.   For more details contact Terry by clicking here.  Admission Free The Brighton Free University offers many more courses For more details visit their website here.  

Regional Disabled Workers Conference

All local trade unionists are invited to apply to attend this conference, jointly run by  SERTUC Disabled Workers Committee with SERTUC Young Members Network conference. Places are free, but application in advance is essential !

"Young Disabled People, employed and empowered?" is on Saturday 6 April from 11am to 3pm  at Congress House, Great Russell Street, London.

Sessions include:-

• Further and Higher Education: the specific challenges facing disabled young people with Jawanza Ipyana, National Union of Students
• Panel Discussion: Employment, Policy and Good Practice in the workplace with Rob McCraken CWU and Jonathan Naess CEO Stand to Reason
• Question Time: How the Paralympics' dream was destroyed by the cuts with Tara Flood, Paralympic Gold Medallist and Director of Alliance for Inclusive Education, Penny Pepper and Roger Lewis Disabled People Against Cuts, Rob McCraken and Jawanza Ipyana

This conference is free to attend, but registration is essential - please register with Joanne Adams at jadams@tuc.org.uk

Save the DGH- an update from Stephen Lloyd MP

Our MP, Stephen Lloyd has written to us, along with many other Eastbourne residents with this update on the DGH situation.  While we don't usually use the Trades Council website as a mouthpiece for local politicians, the attacks on the DGH are immediate, and there is important information in the letter that our members need to know.  The Trades Council has invited the Save the DGH campaign to our next meeting to advise us on how trade unionists in Eastbourne can support the campaign- more details to follow.

I would like to update you on what is happening with maternity and associated services at the DGH.

After the announcement by East Sussex Healthcare Trust that they intended to downgrade our maternity and paediatrics due to safety concerns, I rushed back from my father’s funeral in Spain to ensure I was able to make the Emergency General Meeting in Bexhill.

I put a number of questions to the Trust’s Board, but I have to say though, I thought the meeting was a complete sham! On Wednesday last week staff at the DGH were told the Special Care Baby Unit was closing and paediatrics was having its opening hours slashed. Yet at the meeting 2 days later they discussed a number of options, completely straight faced as if they were all still on the table. It was surreal and even led to some laughter in disbelief at what we were hearing.

I am bitterly disappointed we are in this position, however I have a commitment from ESHT that this move will be temporary and the Chair publicly assured me that consultant-led maternity would be returning within 18 months. Frankly, I would have preferred it to have been much sooner and will continue to press for this and hold the Chair to his word.

What is shockingly disappointing though, is that I know many of you will remember the battle from 5 years ago, when we saw off an attempt by our local NHS to downgrade maternity. The Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP) - the independent expert on NHS service change which advises the Secretary of State for Health on contested proposals for health service reconfigurations - rejected the plans on safety grounds. The IRP found women’s access to, and choice of, services at the DGH would be seriously compromised, and the journey from Eastbourne to the Conquest Hospital 'posed a risk of incidents for women, especially during unexpected transfers'. This situation has not changed!

Furthermore, a recent report by the National Clinical Advisory Team into maternity services in East Sussex found 36% of first time mums and 20% of mums having their second or subsequent baby need to be referred to a consultant at some point during labour. The fact that there were approximately 2,000 births in Eastbourne last year will mean a number of worrying dashes to the Conquest for expectant mums to the consultant-led service. The proposed downgrade will leave midwife-led maternity at the DGH, which is exactly what we fought last time. I don’t wish to cause unnecessary alarm, but this is a potentially awful and dangerous situation we find ourselves in.

This week I have written to the Prime Minister and the IRP, as well as submitting a number of Freedom of Information requests to the local NHS. I have very real concerns that the recommendations the IRP published in their report in 2008, to improve and ensure the safety, sustainability and quality of maternity services, were not properly implemented. I am determined to get to the bottom of this and ensure those people who have failed our town are held to account.

In the meantime I would ask that any of you receiving this who work at the Trust, particularly in the departments affected, please keep me updated on any developments, issues or observations about the way in which the hospital is being run and how the current changes are being introduced.

I am really sorry to have to bring you this update. Eastbourne is a wonderful town and in so many areas we really are bucking the economic trend, but when it comes to the DGH and our community NHS services, I believe we are being let down by the ESHT management team. Please rest assured that I and the cross-party ‘Save the DGH’ Campaign Group are determined to do all that we can on behalf of Eastbourne DGH, its staff and all its patients who just seek, what we all do – a fully functioning district general hospital to serve the fastest growing town in Sussex.

Many thanks,
STEPHEN LLOYD MP

Regional Events and Actions

The following events and campaigns around the region may be of interest to Eastbourne Trade Unionists who want to get involved, attend or just show solidarity !
 
PETITIONS AND ONLINE LOBBYING:
 
CWU defending the Royal Mail universal service obligation, Early Day Motion 818 .  Encourage Stephen Lloyd to sign- write to him here

Shrewsbury 24 Campaign  sign the petition for full disclosure of all Government documents relating to the 1972 building workers strike and the conspiracy trials at Shrewsbury.

PCS supporting Jon Bigger, dismissed by the Home Office. Jon is also the Secretary of SERTUC's International Committee.  Please write to the Home Office Permanent Secretary, see here

PCS supporting Kevin Smith, dismissed by the Home Office. Petition here 

UCU and Unison defending suspended members. Petition here 

MEETINGS AND ACTIONS

National Pensioners Convention RPI Action Day Monday 8 April. Details here

SERTUC Public Services Committee & International Committee conference "Resisting Austerity in Europe and the UK" Saturday 16 March. Flyer, more details and registration: Joanne Adams jadams@tuc.org.uk 020 7467 1218  

SERTUC Disabled Workers Committee with SERTUC Young Members conference "Young Disabled People, employed and empowered?" Saturday 6 April  keynote speaker Paralympian gold medal swimmer Tara Flood

Brighton & Hove trades council AGM Wednesday 27 March 7.30pm guest speaker Matt Wrack FBU, E-mail for more details-  brightontradescouncil@googlemail.com

Campaign for Trade Union Freedom launch rally Saturday 23 March 1.30-4.30pm Friends Meeting House London. With Len McCluskey Unite, Bob Crow RMT, Billy Hayes CWU.  
 
Action for Rail day of action Wednesday 27 March (the 50th anniversary of the Beeching Report). Stations covered will be circulated shortly - but if trades councils want to take action at stations within their own community please inform Matt Dykes

Burford Levellers' Day 2013 one day programme of speakers, presentations, exhibits, workshops (on the theme "Learning the Lessons of History") and a march around Burford Saturday  18 May more information soon confirmed speakers Dr Nick Mansfield (University of Central Lancs), John Hendy QC, and Professor Mary Davis, chair Megan Dobney SERTUC

Venezuela Solidarity Campaign national conference Saturday 27 April London. E-mail for details here.

Burston Strike School Rally 2013 note the date Sunday 1 September confirmed speaker Mark Serwotka PCS.

ARTS

London St Patrick's Day Parade on Sunday 17 March there will be a trade union section, assemble 11am Green Park, contact Austin Harney

London Irish Women's Centre first screening of documentary film of its history Friday 15 March 5pm. More details here, or phone  020 7354 5248

"The Tailors' Last Stand" at Barons Court Theatre 19 February to 10 March new review here. 

Photographic exhibition Mariavittoria Scala "Faces and voices of the informal economy" 1
to 15 March

Unison supporting Mary Seacole fundraising night in Brixton, with jazz musician Courtney Pine Wednesday 10 April tickets from Gail Adams gail.adams@unison.co.uk or online here

UpRise 2013 festival will be all over Peckham Sunday 29 September note the date !