Get involved- latest campaigns in the South East

Latest campaign information and resources from the South East Region of the TUC

European TUC Day of Action & Solidarity Wednesday 14 November  "For Jobs & Solidarity in Europe. No to Austerity" 

Wednesday 14 November including strikes, demonstrations, rallies and other actions

• Oxford trades council is staging a lunchtime protest in the Cornmarket 12 noon to 1pm. Contact them here.
•  Coalition of Resistance demonstration and rally "Europe against austerity" 5pm Smith Square London
• ETUC list of actions taking place across Europe
• ETUC newsletter number 70

Regional Trades Council actions

• Kings Lynn trades council final Women for Change lecture Saturday 17 November 11.30am Kings Lynn with Cristel Amiss from the Crossroads Women's Centre in Camden. Contact them here. 
• Bromley trades council AGM Thursday 22 November 6pm HG Wells Centre, St Marks Road, contact Paul Rooney

Union actions:

• Unite defend the Agricultural Wages Board, lobby and rally now Monday 12 November Old Palace Yard 12.30pm 
• Unite lobby against attack on National Terms and Conditions, Bromley Council Monday 12 November 6pm at the Civic Buildings. Contact for details here.  
• RMT Charles Watkins Memorial Lecture Tuesday 27 November 7pm London with Professor Roger Seifert
• RMT is seeking as large a turnout as possible at its demonstration on Sunday 18 November to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Kings Cross fire and to highlight the continued need for a full staffed and safe tube network. 11am outside Kings Cross station.
• PCS forum to expand on the alternatives to the austerity agenda 7pm London Wednesday 28 November with Mark Serwotka PCS, Dexter Whitfield author, Nick Wrack TUSC  Contact here for more information.  

Other Events and Actions:

• Campaign for State Education conference "Picking up the pieces" Saturday 17 November London.
• Solace Women's Aid "Rock against violence" fundraising event Tuesday 20 November 7pm Islington
• Andrew Wiard photographic exhibition in Congress House to Friday 16 November
• Latin America 2012 conference "Making a better world possible" Saturday 1 December 9.30am London  
• NHS Ipetition  in defence of Lewisham A&E and Maternity Services.
• Institute of Employment Rights one day conference "Equality and Discrimination" Wednesday 5 December 9.30am London with Sally Brett TUC and many others.
• War on Want greetings cards and gifts available here
• Cuba Solidarity Campaign greetings cards featuring the paintings of Miami Five prisoner Antonio Guerrero, proceeds to the Free the Miami Five Campaign. 
• East London Federation of Suffragettes public meeting "Learning from great campaigners 100 years on" hosted by Tower Hamlets Labour Party and the East London Fawcett Society supported by Unison Wednesday 14 November 7pm with Professor Mary Davis historian and Tower Hamlets Councillor Rachael Saunders
• National Assembly of Women conference "Women, power and politics. Sisters fight back" Saturday 17 November Unison Centre London. Speakers include Sarah Veale TUC, Gloria Mills Unison, Megan Dobney SERTUC, Councillor Barbara White.

Resources and Information:

• TUC Labour Market Report number 30 October
• Economics: the plain truth A series of briefings for Reps and Activists. No.1: Government Debt
• SERTUC pay seminar 3 November - the powerpoint presentations from Heather Wakefield (Unison) and Enrico Tortolano (PCS)
• PCS briefing on the latest attack on civil service terms and conditions
• Low earners have suffered the weakest earnings growth over the last 26 years, with link to Office for National Statistics figures
• Unions in the community new website with dedicated area for trades councils

Local Pay- bad for Eastbourne

We all want to see fair pay for the nurses, teachers and others who work hard to deliver good public services. But on top of pay freezes, the government now wants to change the way pay is set in the public sector.

Instead of a fair, transparent national system, they want local or regional pay that would mean different rates for people doing exactly the same jobs, just because of where they live.

Here are just five reasons why it doesn’t add up:

• It’s unfair:  Regional pay could mean two nurses or teachers with the same skills and experience being paid differently in two different places – even though they’re doing the same job. People should be paid based on their skills and the work they do, not where they live. Low pay could make it harder for poorer regions to attract and keep the skilled public sector workers they need.
• It’s bad for the economy:  Public sector workers are already feeling the pinch from pay freezes, the VAT rise and inflation. Regional pay would mean holding back pay for even longer in the parts of the country that are struggling the most.  Holding back public sector pay will take money out of public sector workers’ pockets that they would otherwise spend in local shops and businesses.  
• It isn’t backed up by evidence: The government has argued that public sector pay stops the private sector growing. In fact, there’s no evidence to support this. There is an average of five  people chasing every job vacancy, and up to 30 unemployed people per vacancy in some areas. It’s the lack of demand in the economy, not the wages of nurses and teachers that is causing the problem.
• It isn’t what the private sector does: Most big private sector employers recognise that a national system is the fairest and most efficient way to set pay. In fact, companies like Waterstones, Greggs,  Marks and Spencer, BT and Halfords all take the same sort of approach as the public sector: a national pay system with limited additions for London and the south east of England.
• It’s unpopular: According to a recent opinion poll only 28 per cent of voters believe the idea of extending pay freezes for public sector workers outside of the south east and London would be fair. As few as 17 per cent believe that real term pay cuts for public sector workers would help low pay regional economies. It’s time that coalition MPs listened to their constituents, heard their concerns and put a stop to these damaging and divisive plans.

It isn’t just about a North-South Divide !   Eastbourne has long been a “low wage” economy within the South East.  The Education Secretary’s speculation about schools introducing “local market-facing pay” could even lead to Eastbourne teachers being paid less than their colleagues in Brighton- regardless of where they live !

   

For more information, go to www.tuc.org.uk/payfair for information and materials, plus tips and links to help you contact your MP or  local newspaper.

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.