USDAW responds to speculation about Tesco job cuts

Shopworkers' union USDAW has responded to reports of plans to slash jobs at Tesco, including on bakery, meat and fish counters.

Pauline Foulkes - Usdaw National Officer said:

“Reports and speculation in the media about significant job cuts are distressing for Tesco staff and it is appalling that they should hear about the future of their jobs in this way. Usdaw is seeking an urgent meeting with the company to clarify the situation, to examine the details of what changes they are proposing and what this means for staff. Our priority will be to press Tesco to confirm the details of their proposed changes to stop any further speculation. In the meantime Usdaw’s officials and reps are on hand to support our members and further updates will be provided once we have further information”.

The BBC carried information about the rumoured cuts in an article you can read by clicking here.
The Mail on Sunday carried an article you can read here.

Our solidarity with USDAW and its members at Tesco stores in Eastbourne! 

Next Trades Council: Tuesday 9th October

The next meeting of the Eastbourne Trades Council will be at 7.30pm, Tuesday 9th October, at the View Hotel (formerly T&G/Unite Centre) , Grand Parade, Eastbourne. All local trade unionists (including retired trade unionists) are invited. 

A G E N D A 

1. Introductions and apologies for absence

2. Approval of any new affiliations.

3. Minutes of previous meeting (July) and matters arising.

4. Treasurer's Report

5. Campaigns Update:
(a) Derecognition of NEU at East Sussex College Group
(b) RMT ongoing safety dispute at Southern
(c) Retail Update
(d) NHS Update including pay settlement and DGH parking
(e) IndyCube and Community Union self-employed workers' campaigning.

6.  Anti-Cuts campaigns: including East Sussex Save the NHS, People's Assembly and campaign against Social Care Cuts in ESCC.

7. Events:
(a) Modern Slavery campaign- possible link with the Co-op Party campaigning
(b) Engels Plaque update
(c) Pride Report

8. ANY OTHER BUSINESS

May Day: We marched!

Eastbourne trade unionists proudly marched through the town on Monday to mark International Workers' Day.  This year, the march proudly welcomed a contingent of staff, parents and students from the East Sussex Music Service, whose instrumental teaching service was earmarked for closure last month.  Nearly 12,000 people have signed the petition against closure: if you haven't yet, please click here.

Other banners and flags on the march included the National Education Union, Unite the Union, RMT, Unite Communuity,  Usdaw, The People's Assembly, Eastbourne Labour Women's Forum,  East Sussex Co-operative Party,  and Devonshire and Meads Labour Party. 

A rally and picnic at the Wish Tower slopes was introduced by Trades Council secretary Dave Brinson. Attendees heard an impassioned speech from Jane Humberstone, union rep at East Sussex Music Service, as well as from  Lucette Davies from East Sussex Save the NHS,  Unison's Chrissie Parsons about threatened social care closures including Milton Grange and Firwood House, and Julie Hart of USDAW speaking about her union's Respect for Shopworkers campaign.  Carol Mills from Unite Community spoke about some of Eastbourne's less well-known radical history. 

The marchers were pleased to be visited by local MP Stephen Lloyd at the start of the march in Hyde Gardens, and to welcome USDAW's new national President, Amy Murphy, as a guest at the rally.

The May Day march was a feature in Eastbourne's campaigning calendar for decades, and the Trades Council were thrilled to bring this tradition back last year, after a twenty year gap.

Eastbourne TUC Says: Congratulations Amy!

Amy Murphy, secretary of Usdaw in Sussex, has been elected as the Union’s new national president.

Trades Council secretary, Dave Brinson said: “Way back in 2010, a handful of local trade unionists sat in a room in Eastbourne Town Hall, and agreed to try and re-form a trades council for Eastbourne.

We succeeded, building the vibrant trades council we now have- and I am thrilled that one of those trade unionists ‘who believed’ is now national President of Britain’s fifth largest Union.

Amy has been a great and steadfast friend of trade unionists in Eastbourne, and will be an excellent President of Usdaw.”

Next Trades Council Meeting- Tuesday 14th November

The next meeting of the Eastbourne Trades Council will be at 7.30pm, Tuesday 14th November, at the View Hotel (formerly T&G/Unite Centre) , Grand Parade, Eastbourne.

All local trade unionists (including retired trade unionists) are invited.

A G E N D A

1. Introductions and apologies for absence

2. Approval of any new affiliations.

3. Minutes of previous meeting (October) and matters arising

4. Treasurer's Report

 5. CAMPAIGNS:

            (a) CWU Royal Mail dispute

            (b) RMT Southern Rail dispute

            (c) USDAW Respect for Shopworkers Campaign

            (d) Other Union Campaigns

 6. EVENTS:

Bill Ball from Lewes Trades Council will speak about possible joint work, including possible coach to Tolpuddle 2018, plus any early planning needed for May Day, WMD, Prides etc.

7. Any other business

The bar will be open afterwards!

Next Trades Council Meeting: 3rd October

The next meeting of the Eastbourne Trades Council will be at 7.30pm, Tuesday 3rd October, at the View Hotel (formerly T&G/Unite Centre) , Grand Parade, Eastbourne. All local trade unionists (including retired trade unionists) are invited.

A G E N D A

1. Introductions and apologies for absence

2. Approval of any new affiliations.

3. Minutes of previous meeting (July) and matters arising

4. Treasurer's Report

5. Conferences Reports (TUC and Labour)

6. CAMPAIGNS:
   (a) RMT Southern Rail dispute
   (b) CWU Royal Mail dispute
   (c) USDAW Respect for Shopworkers Campaign
   (d) Other Union Campaigns

7. EVENTS:
Report on Nature of the Beast showing, and  any early planning needed for May Day, WMD, Prides etc.

8. Any other business

Nature of the Beast

Eastbourne Labour Party will be presenting the first showing of this acclaimed documentary film about Labour and trade union stalwart Dennis Skinner MP at the Curzon on Saturday 30th September. The event has been sponsored by the Trades Council, Unison East Sussex Hospitals branch and Usdaw Sussex.

Tickets are £6 with £5 for concessions, and can be booked in advance through Eventbrite by clicking here.

You can find out more about the film at the filmmakers' website by clicking here  and there is a trailer for the film viewable on YouTube by clicking here.

Retail and Hospitality Campaigns Successes

Usdaw has negotiated a significant pay rise for all retail staff in Tesco, taking the basic hourly rate to £8.42 over the next two years.

The deal includes improvements to maternity and new starters pay and a partial consolidation of premium pay into the hourly rate. The first stage of the pay increase will be paid from November.

Usdaw national office Pauline Foulkes said:

“Tesco’s recent difficulties are a matter of public record and the staff have played a big... part in helping turn the company around. Last year they received a one-off 5% bonus in recognition of that.

Meanwhile, Unite campaigners yesterday handed a petition to business secretary Greg Clark urging him to release the government report into tips for restaurant staff. The petition calls on the business secretary to give staff 100 per cent of their tips with complete control over how they are shared out, ban bogus "tronc" schemes and make the code of best practice mandatory.

The 2015 tipping abuse scandal sparked outrage, leading to a huge public backlash, after it emerged that restaurants, including Pizza Express, Bill’s and Strada were pocketing tips and service charge payments intended for staff. The consultation for submissions closed a year ago yet the report is nowhere to be seen. The petition will be delivered to the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in Victoria Street at 1pm today.

The union has been forefront in exposing the rip-off culture that has seen restaurant bosses creaming off money left for tips that customers thought were going to cash-strapped staff.   The two-month long government consultation was launched on 2 May 2016, after an eight month review into the dubious tipping practices of some of the UK’s most popular restaurant chains, first exposed by Unite at Pizza Express in the summer of 2015.

Eastbourne Trade Unionists marching with Pride

Trade Unionists from Eastbourne were well represented in the Brighton Pride parade, yesterday.

As trade unionists we are proud of the work we have done, and continue to do in fighting for equality- and Pride is a visible celebration of this.

The NUT South East region had an open topped bus, decorated with artwork from students at several local schools, highlighting the history of the equality struggle, and those parts of the world where LGBT people are still persecuted. Dave Brinson, secretary of Eastbourne Trades Council proudly waved his flag on this float.

Unite the Union had a bright float, featuring the Trades Council's very own Sharon Wentworth, and members of East Sussex FBU marched with the East Sussex Fire and Rescue service's brightly decorated fire engine. We were especially pleased to see them, to thank them for their work on Thursday.


The RMT Union marched proudly with their branch banner, and members of the POA were well represented in HM Prison Service's walking float.  Usdaw members marched proudly with the Tesco LGBT network, and GMB had a well-stocked information stall at the park.

It was great to be joined by students from Sussex Downs College- some proudly wearing t-shirts from the college's LGBT and Supporters network.

Maybe, with 4 active Trades Councils in East Sussex, we should consider our own float for next year- to represent the other trade unions active in our area, and to celebrate the work the that Trades Councils do every day of the year, in fighting for equalities and rights. Let us know !

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

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.