Next Trades Council Meeting, Tuesday 12th July

The next meeting of the Eastbourne Trades Council will be on Tuesday 12th July at 7.30pm, at The Railway Club, Hampden Park. All local trade unionists are invited. 

 A G E N D A 

1. Introductions and apologies for absence and approval of any new affiliations. 

2. Minutes of previous meeting (January 2022)  and matters arising. 

 3. Treasurer's Report 

 4. Campaigning reports from affiliated Unions 

 (a) Wealden Bin Strikes and ongoing legal action 

 (b) UCU dispute 

 (c) Equity Jekyll's issue in Hastings 

 (d) CWU action in BT 

 (e) Any other campaign reports from affiliates 

 5. Other Campaigning Reports 

 (a) Climate Campaign including motion from Carol Mills 

 (b) "Join the Union" Stall proposal 

 (c) Paul Robeson commemoration update 

 6. Any other business

Marching with Pride

Eastbourne Trades Council were proud to be represented at the Eastbourne Pride march and festival this summer.  A number of union banners took part in the parade, and we had a stall at the park, where information about the work of the trade union movement supporting LGBT+ workers was available.  Thanks to members of NEU, Unite, UCU, GMB and Unison for their help with the stall.

Pride will happen in Eastbourne next year- lets make sure EVERY union with members in Eastbourne is represented on the march!

Solidarity with UCU at Sussex Univerity and nationwide!

Eastbourne trade unionists stand in solidarity with the University and College Union members taking strike action in defence of their Final Salary Pension scheme, in the face of proposals that would lead to a hit of between 20 and 40% to their pensions.

UCU members at the University of Sussex will be taking action on:
Thursday 22 February, Friday 23 February, Monday 26 February, Tuesday 27 February, Wednesday 28 February,
Monday 5 March, Tuesday 6 March, Wednesday 7 March, Thursday 8 March, Monday 12 March,
Tuesday 13 March, Wednesday 14 March, Thursday 15 March and  Friday 16 March.

The UCU explain...

WHY WE ARE STRIKING:
We are university staff and members of the University and College Union (UCU) and we are taking strike action to defend our right to a fair pension. University employers want to end guaranteed pensions and reduce retirement income for all.

PENSIONS UNDER ATTACK:
University staff have always accepted pay levels that are lower than comparably skilled professions, partly because we had a decent pension. Now our right to a well-earned retirement is under attack.

WHAT EMPLOYERS’ HARDLINE PROPOSALS WOULD MEAN:

• Final pensions would depend on how the stock market performs not on contributions.
• A reduction in retirement benefits by between 20% and 40% depending on grade and length of service. A typical lecturer stands to lose around £10,000 a year.
• The worst pensions in the education sector, far worse than those available to both school teachers and staff in ‘new’ universities.
• A recruitment and retention crisis as staff seek better financial security elsewhere

STRIKING IS ALWAYS A LAST RESORT:
No education professional wants to strike but we also deserve long-term security and our students deserve staff who are able to focus fully on the job. We have called for extended negotiations with the employers but, disappointingly, talks ended with the changes being imposed. Staff feel angry and betrayed but even now we call on university leaders to work with us to find a solution and avoid widespread disruption for our students.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR STRIKE

UCU members voted overwhelmingly for this action on the highest turnout this union has seen. We have been left with no choice but to take strike action and to withdraw the goodwill that the university relies upon but that has been taken for granted.

Visit the UCU's website for more information by clicking here.

Standing up for Jobs and Education

NUT and NASUWT members took solidly-supported strike action over proposed job cuts at Sussex Downs College last week.

While the Unions welcome progress that has been made through negotiations with SDC management to reduce the number of redundancies, members still face significant cuts in hours.

The unions warn that cuts may lead to increased workload for  members, higher class sizes and less teaching time for students. They are bad for NUT and NASUWT members and bad for education.

Division Secretary of the East Sussex NUT, Dave Brinson explained:

"We are calling on SDC management to take urgent further action to avoid job reductions and losses. However we recognise that significant blame lies with recent savage Government policy towards post-16 education:

·         Independent research published recently (by the Institute for Fiscal Studies) has provided details of the impact of the cuts on the post-16 sector.  Sixth form funding will be cut by 17.6 per cent in real terms over the period to 2014.

·         The Government’s cuts come at a time when the increase in the education participation age to 18 will put additional pressure on individual colleges.  The increase in the participation age must be fully funded – instead the Government is cutting 16-19 funding in an attempt to implement increased participation on the cheap !

·         The abolition of the EMA has affected student numbers, as it has deterred many potential students from lower-income backgrounds"

The strike mainly involved teachers at the former Park College, where most staff were NUT and NASUWT members. The rest of Sussex Downs College is organised by the UCU Lecturers union, who are also in dispute with the college over cuts, but did not take strike action this week.

Eastbourne striking for Fair Pensions

Workers in Eastbourne will be taking strike action in defence of their pensions this Thursday.

Across the public sector schemes, the Government is demanding that front line staff work longer (to 68), pay more (a 50% increase in pension contributions), and get less through “career averaged” schemes, linked to the inferior CPI measure of inflation.

In Eastbourne, the PCS Civil Servants' union will be mounting a picket line at the DWP Job Centre Plus in St Anne’s Road, and members will also be taking action at other civil service sites in the town. They will be joined by Unite the Union members in the NHS, and by the UCU lecturers’ union at Sussex Downs College.

Members of the striking unions will be marching and rallying- with a demonstration in Brighton, and, nearest to Eastbourne, a march from Hastings Pier at 11.00am, organised by our brothers and sisters in the Hastings Trades Council.

Colleagues in the Police Federation, the Prison Officers' Union POA and the National Association of Probation Officers will be staging a national demonstration over pensions on the same day.

Teachers in NUT and NASUWT remain in dispute with the Government over pensions. The NASUWT has a current "work to contract" action in schools, and both Unions are expected to announce dates for strike action imminently.

 The PCS union explains the reasons for the strike:-

"The government want PCS members to:

·         Pay more – Extra pension contributions have been imposed for most civil servants –with further increases planned for the next two years.

·         Work longer – Civil service retirement is now linked to the state pension age – that’s already rising to 68 and the government says it will get higher.

·         Get less – Changes to indexation from RPI to the lower CPI inflation mean pensions fall by 15 to 20%.

And a two-year pay freeze is to be followed by 1% rises. New regional pay plans mean that everyone outside London might face further cuts.

We can’t afford not to.

Civil servants and other public sector workers are uniting to defend everything we have worked for. The government is:

·         Making civil servants pay up to three times as much for smaller pensions after working up to eight more years – or even longer.

·         Freezing wages while prices are soaring

The latest scheme is regional pay – which would mean wage cuts for everyone outside London. The strike is your chance to take a stand with colleagues from across government departments and with other trade unions across the public services.We are demanding real negotiations with the government, not imposed cuts.

Who else is involved?

Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers across the civil service, the health service and education will be joining the 10 May walkout."

You can find out more from PCS about the strike by clicking here

You can find more from lecturers' union UCU by clicking here

You can find out more about the Unite the Union health action by clicking here.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 !