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.

Let Billy Go to School

The NUT Strike Rally on July 5th rally heard the story of local teacher and NUT member Leanna Forse, who faces having to give up her teaching job, as the local authority will no longer fund his specialist transport to school.

Billy Forse was born with a rare- possibly unique- chromosome disorder which has left him with profound disabilities. He has thrived at a local special school, however since turning 16, while the County Council expect him to attend school, they will no longer provide transport, leaving mum Leanna- a single parent- either having to find in excess of £500 per month to pay for specialist transport, or giving up her job as an English teacher in an Eastbourne school.

In the climate of cuts to adult and children's services, transport for disabled youngsters over 16 is considered "discretionary"; and in an extraordinary judgment, the council has determined that Billy's profound disabilities and thus the need for specialist transport, do not constitute an "exceptional circumstance"  They also concluded in a letter that they did not consider that Leanna faced "financial hardship" as a result.

AND NEARLY EVERYONE AGREES!...

Leanna and Billy's 's case is one of those rare occasions where nearly everybody seems to agree- apart from the County Council, of course! Local political figures have joined together to express their support:

Former Lib Dem MP for Eastbourne, Stephen Lloyd said: "...what really gets my goat is the county council accept that under 'exceptional circumstances' they do have a duty to provide school transport but somehow it doesn't apply here. This is plain wrong in my view and the reason is simple; Billy's mum - Leanna - cannot remain in employment AND take Billy to and fro school every day but if support is not forthcoming, she'll have no choice but to give up her job. Ehhh!? Are the council seriously suggesting that she should become unemployed so her disabled son can still attend his school, which he needs to for his own progress and is also legally bound to do?"

Dave Brinson, vice-chair of Eastbourne Labour Party wrote to local County Councillors, expressing amazement that the authority appeared to be suggesting that an additional £500 per month would not cause 'financial hardship' to the single mum: "It seems ludicrous that a panel could make this assumption of a single mother on a main-scale teacher's salary. Is it the policy of the County Council to ensure that our disabled youngsters receive the support to which they are entitled, or does the authority actively seek technicalities to save money by depriving them of this ?!"

Even our local Tory MP was critical of the Conservative-run County Council. Caroline Ansell MP said: "I understand the need for policy, but this young person turning 16 has no real bearing on his ability to get to school due to the level of his disabilities, and I have made this clear. “Flexibility must be applied so Billy can attend his classes and Leanna can continue her important work as a teacher. I know Leanna wants to take this case to the ombudsman and I have pledged her my support in her doing this."

Eastbourne Buzz have given this case some excellent coverage- you can see more below.

Trades Council AGM: March 17th

The AGM of the Eastbourne Trades Council will be at 7.30pm, Tuesday 17th March 2015, at the View Hotel  (formerly T&G/Unite Centre) , Grand Parade, Eastbourne.

All local trade unionists (including retired trade unionists) 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. Minutes of the AGM from 2014
3. Adoption of Rules for 2015 (proposal is same as for 2014) and new affiliates.
4. Officers' Reports and Accounts
5. Election of Officers for 2015

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

6. Campaign Updates- including local and national Union campaigns, Save the DGH and the CAB survey on zero hours. This item will include update and proposal regarding joining East Sussex County Association of trades councils. 

7. Pattern of meetings for 2015
8. Campaign Contacts for 2015

9. Presentation of the Len Caine Award

Fair Pay Fortnight- Well Done Eastbourne

Eastbourne Trades Council is proud to have supported the TUC's Fair Pay Fortnight, campaigning for a Living Wage and against exploitative zero-hours contracts in Eastbourne and across the country !


Our dedicated Fair Pay for Eastbourne website has carried information about the Living Wage, advice on Zero Hours contracts, and how and which Union to join.

We have published a list of known Living Wage employers operating or employing staff living in Eastbourne.

We literally kicked off the fortnight by mobilising football fans in Eastbourne to join the 38 Degrees campaign for Fair Pay for ordinary staff such as ground staff and cleaners in Premiership football clubs. Only one team (Chelsea) is currently a Living Wage employer.  We promoted the excellent 38 Degrees petitions- one for each team in the Premier League. These are still open, and you can find your team and sign here.

We have helped the local Citizens Advice Bureau promote their survey into zero-hours or variable hours contracts in Eastbourne, and have circulated important campaigning information around combatting zero-hours contracts to union activists across the town.

We were proud to promote the work of the Citizens UK I Care about Care campaign, which is calling for a charter of rights for staff working in the social care sector. This affects many working people in Eastbourne, many of whom are not just paid under the Living Wage, but many have contracts that mean, in practice, they are being paid less than the National Minimum Wage.  We promoted Unisons' petition calling for this exploitation to end.

Stephen Lloyd MP is a vocal champion of the Apprenticeship scheme, but also a conspicuous defender of the disgraceful £2.73 per hour minimum wage for apprentices. The excellent report from the National Union of Students- entitled Forget Me Not blows apart some of the myths around the Apprenticeship scheme, and we proudly promoted this.

We have encouraged local trade unionists to support a range of national Fair Pay campaigns, including:-

• Living Wage and BECTU  union recognition for Picturehouse Cinema workers- including at the Duke of York's in Brighton.
• Amazon- Pay your staff and Pay Your Taxes- a campaign run by the GMB
• Church of England- practice what you preach- after the letter from Bishops about the Living Wage exposed failings in a number of C of E employers !

The fortnight may be over, but the campaign goes on.  We will continue to update our Fair Pay for Eastbourne site, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates.

UPDATE: Support package unveiled, but what about the Pier Workers ?

Pic by Sophie Lewis

Not a phrase that a lot of trade unionists would use often, but it was a good thing that David Cameron was in Eastbourne today.  The PM and chancellor visited the scene of the Pier fire, spoke to those involved in the rescue, and announced that up to £2 million, apparently from the coastal communities fund, would be made available to support the local economy. At face value- very good, but, as always, the devil will be in the detail.

Cynics point out that Eastbourne is a key marginal seat, and the election is only months away. This is undoubtedly true, but any government of any political hue should be taking this disaster for Eastbourne's community seriously. While Cameron managed to get a swift plug for the Tory candidate in on his social media within hours of the visit, the main thrust appears to be focused on being supportive. His political opponent, Stephen Lloyd, our Lib Dem MP has also seemed to be extremely busy on this issue.  Commendable, and indeed, no less than our community should expect of an elected representative, again, whatever their politics.

First of all, and this seems to have been made clear today, the money should not be for the restoration of the pier itself. This was a privately owned building, and should have paid for adequate insurance.  If there are additional costs around the accuracy and quality of a rebuild, there are grants available from sources such as English Heritage that would be more appropriate.

The small, usually sole traders with concessions on the Pier have been specifically mentioned as being targeted from this fund, and we should support that. These people are  not "big business"- they are very much part of the working people's movement, and many face ruin.  Already suggestions of stalls at Airbourne and pop-up shops in empty units have been mentioned, and this is quite right.

But- and this is the big but- what about the people who worked on the Pier- in the arcade, in the bars, in Atlantis, on the maintenance and management of the Pier ?  Support for them seems an unanswered question at the moment.

We know that many of these staff were on relatively low wages, and there were no union recognition agreements in place (although we believe that there were individual union members working on the Pier.) They have lost their livelihood too.

As trade unionists, we should be demanding, first of all, that the employers (and their insurers) meet their obligations, both contractual and moral. If there are to be job losses, there should be a consultation with the staff and representatives, plus contractual notice. Staff on temporary contracts will not have accrued the right to redundancy money, but should still be paid their notice period.  We don't know how many, if any, staff were on the notorious zero-hours contracts, but if this is the case, they should be given a deal based on the hours they would have expected to work, and the employers should be publicly shamed if this is not offered. Those staff who are individual members of a Union should contact them right away for advice and support.

Even with their contractual rights however, many of the workers will face hardship. Already on fairly low wages, some may face as little as a week's notice, and then the task of seeking alternative employment at this late stage in the season, where most high-season vacancies will have been filled.  The Chamber of Commerce has been heavily involved in the talks in the past few days- they should strongly urge their members to offer any vacancies to staff displaced by the fire.

And, of course, the money to support "the local economy". This must include support to alleviate the hardship of ordinary working people who gave their services to the Pier, and find themselves facing uncertainty through no fault of their own.  The fund must be used to help them too.

We are informed that the MP and the task group that has come together, are looking very seriously into the plight of the Pier workers, and that an announcement is due very soon. To help them, we provide this useful graphic (we have started from 4.00pm yesterday, when it became clear that the Pier would be closed for business for some time.)  We will take it down when Pier staff get the fair deal they so rightly deserve.

 

Are you a member of Pier staff ?  Do you want advice or support about your contractual rights ?  Please let us know via e-mail here.

Eastbourne Pier Tragedy: A trade unionist's perspective

Every trade unionist, resident, worker and visitor to Eastbourne was horrified by the blaze which devastated our Pier yesterday afternoon. Today, the full extent of the damage becomes more visible- with the old ballroom/blue room/arcade building reduced to an iron shell.

As trade unionists, our first mention must be to our brothers and sisters in the Fire Brigades Union, who bravely and expertly fought the fire- in particular managing to stop the blaze spreading to other buildings along the pier. Had that happened, we would probably be joining the ranks of those seaside towns whose piers were lost for ever.

Next, we think of the effect on jobs and working people in our town. While much has been made of the "decline" of the English seaside holiday, tourism remains buoyant in Eastbourne, supported by the conference and language school trade.  Hotels remain popular, and day trips swell the numbers throughout the season.  Thousands of jobs depend either directly or indirectly on that flow of visitors to our town- in shops, hotels, arts and historical venues, restaurants, the transport industry- and those services that support all people in Eastbourne, whether resident or visitor.

Eastbourne's seafront has been key to the town bucking the trend as far as seaside resorts go.   The well maintained Victorian façade has given us an edge over many rivals- and the Pier is central to that. Look at any brochure, magazine article, even many of the signs in the town, and the Pier is genuinely iconic.  Even the film industry has drawn on the town- Brighton Rock was actually filmed using Eastbourne's Pier !

So, what needs to be done ?

First of all- Eastbourne is open.  Many community leaders have been quick to talk up the town. MP Stephen Lloyd has been a highly visible figure: while we don't always agree with him, it is right that he, and all representatives of the town keep making that point.

However, we need to try and avoid some of the wilder speculation that has been going on- whether about how quickly or otherwise the pier will be reopened, right down to some of the stranger conspiracy theories doing the rounds on social media (I won't insult your intelligence by linking to them) .  The experts from the police support and  fire service (many of them our members) will be carrying out the most thorough investigations, and we should support them in doing that.

Already, some cynical comments have been made about how the re-opening of the Pier will be affected by "'elf and safety" rules.  Well, as trade unionists, who every year remember our brothers and sisters who are injured or killed at work, we know the value of safety rules at work.  Given that the Pier will carry hundreds of people, over water, with limited exits, it seems reasonable that safety is a top priority ! We should be pushing for the Pier not just to be reopened in the quickest way possible, but also in the safest way.

There are many people who directly rely on the Pier for their livelihood.  Staff who are employed on the Pier will face an uncertain time, and we should be available to give whatever support and advice we can (both to union members and not) to make sure that they are treated both in line with their contract, but also in a way that is fair and values their service to the company.   Many of the small outlets are run by small, sole traders, who potentially face ruin: and we should welcome the fact that the first priority of the fundraising efforts being set up is to support these people- many of whom could not get insurance for a pier-based business. If there are staff facing hardship, especially any short term staff who have not accrued employment rights (now requiring 2 years thanks to the coalition's attack on workers' rights) then the fund should look at how to support them too.

Then, of course, comes the need for the Pier to be properly restored.  The Pier is owned by a private company, and we assume that they have adequate insurance to cover such an iconic Grade 2* building.  However, insurance companies are often reluctant to pay out more than they deem necessary, and the community needs to ensure that no half-measures are taken or corners cut in restoring it.

I can draw on a bit of convoluted experience here.  I was a director of the company that runs  Stoke Rochford Hall, the NUT's training centre, in a Grade 1 listed building in Lincs. A few years ago, we suffered a devastating fire, which seriously damaged the building.  As well as us and the insurers, the local authority, English Heritage and others all took an interest, in ensuring that the building was not just restored, but restored in the highest quality manner.  It was not always easy, but the end result was an award-winning restoration that employed some of the most skilled (and scarce) artisans in the country.  Nothing less should be good enough for Eastbourne Pier !

Dave Brinson is Secretary of Eastbourne Trades Council, an official of the National Union of Teachers, and an Eastbourne resident of more than 30 years.

Trade Unionists are encouraged to join the Twitter and Facebook groups for the friends of Eastbourne Pier- @EBPier  and on Facebook here.  Pier workers who would like informal advice about their employment rights should contact the Trades Council, in confidence, by clicking here.

Photo: Sophie Lewis