Brighton TUC- Protest at Lib Dem Conference

The Liberal Democrats- junior partners in the coalition Government- will be holding their Annual Conference just down the coast in Brighton later this month.  Our colleagues in Brighton Trades Council will be staging a protest against the austerity policies of their Government on Saturday 22nd September.

Brighton Trades Council are pointing out that:

"The government has embarked on an unprecedented programme of cuts and privatisation.

Schools, hospitals, councils, benefits, the welfare state is torn apart while jobs are lost and pay is cut, Debt reduction through 'austerity' in Britain and across Europe has now been proved not to reduce deficits, but it is part of a massive transfer of wealth from the poor to the very richest.

The Lib-Dems prop up a government that has seen the wealth of the richest 1,000 people increase by £78 billion since they took office. This is the party who pledged to scrap tuition fees and protect EMA, yet EMA has gone and tuition fees have been tripled. "

Trade unionists are urged to join Brighton unions and anti-cuts activists in a march and rally- assembling at The Level, Brighton, at mid-day on Saturday 22nd September. For more information, visit the Brighton Trades Council website here.

Stephen Lloyd to meet Trades Council

The MP for Eastbourne, Stephen Lloyd, will once again be our guest speaker at the Eastbourne Trades Council- on Tuesday 18th September.

While we don't always agree with Stephen, he has taken a keen interest in the work of the Trades Council, and union members in the town. Stephen spoke to us last year, and we were pleased to hear an update on his work in Parliament and in the town, followed by a full and frank discussion on policy questions !

Stephen will once again speak to us about his latest work- and we expect there to be a particular focus on the all-party Save the DGH Campaign of which both Stephen and the Trades Council are supporters. 

All local trade unionists are welcome to attend the meeting with Stephen at Eastbourne Town Hall, Grove Road, Eastbourne on Tuesday 18th September at 7.30pm.  PLEASE NOTE CHANGE FROM USUAL VENUE !

The meeting will also discuss other business, including the arrangements for the October 20th National Demonstration in London, called by the TUC.

THE AGENDA WILL BE:
1. Introductions and apologies for absence
2. Approval of new affiliations.
3. Minutes of previous meeting and matters arising
4. Guest Speaker: Stephen Lloyd MP
5. Treasurer's Report- Gordon Dyer

6. National Demonstration- October 20th
7. Any other Union Campaigns: Colleagues invited to provide information on their Unions’ local and national campaigns, and any support that the Trades Council could give.
8. Any other business.

 Any apologies, or requests for information, to the Secretary please

All out for the DGH on September 15th !

The Save the DGH Campaign have called a protest march from the Redoubt fortress at 10.00am on Saturday 15th September to oppose the plans to potentially remove stroke care, orthapedics and general surgery from the Eastbourne District General Hospital.

Chair of the campaign, Liz Walke told the Eastbourne Herald this week:

“We need more than 5,000 people,and need to make sure the Trust knows just how many we are representing.

If these services go, it is inevitable that others, such as maternity and paediatrics, will soon follow. If we miss this opportunity we won’t be able to oppose future plans because the infrastructure needed for departments like maternity will have already gone.

Anyone who does not think it is acceptable for patients in need of emergency, possibly life-threatening medical treatment, to have to endure a 30-minute ambulance journey to Hastings before that treatment can be started needs to join the march. This is our big chance to show we do not want the DGH to become a cottage hospital.”

All local trade unionists and others are stongly urged to join the march, and to meet at the Redoubt at 10am, with a rally starting at 11am.

Brighton Trades Council- Summer Action

Our colleagues in Brighton Trades Council have a number of important campaign events coming up over the summer. Eastbourne trades unionists are welcomed and encouraged to support.

Tuesday 17th July: Defend the NHS Public Meeting
Called by local NHS Union Branches and supported by Keep Our NHS Public 7:30pm, Friends Meeting House, Brighton.

Tuesday 7th August: Brighton Stop the Cuts Organising Meeting 
7:30pm King and Queen Pub.

Sunday 9th September:  Lobby the TUC for Co-ordinated Strike Action Against Austerity! Organised by National Shop Stewards Network, and supported by Brighton Trades Council. A march to the lobby will begin at 1pm at the Level. A rally addressed by Mark Serwotka (PCS General Secretary) and Bob Crow (RMT General Secretary) will follow the lobby.

Saturday 22nd September:  No to Austerity Government! Lib Dem Conference Demonstration  Meet at the Level Midday then march to Conference Centre. Organised by Stop the Cuts and the Brighton Trades Council

Saturday 20th October: Mass TUC Demo, London  A reserved train from Brighton is being co-ordinated by the Brighton Trades Council. Contact your own union branch in the first instance to book a place. Non-union member booking info to follow

Save the DGH- mobilise on 28th July !

There is a public “consultation” meeting by the hospital trust on the future of services in Eastbourne on Saturday 28th July at the Congress Theatre. Local campaigners from the cross-party Save the DGH Campaign will be mounting a demonstration outside, from 10.00am to show the strength of local support for a full range of services to remain at our local hospital !

Liz Walke has led a superb campaign over many years to protect the ongoing threats to maternity, cardiac and even Accident and Emergency services at our local hospital. The Save the DGH campaign is supported by all three main local political parties, the Trades Council, churches and many other community groups, as well as thousands of individuals in our town.

All local trades unionists are urged to go along on 28th July and show your support- 10.00 am at the Congress Theatre.

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.

Police Commissioner Elections: Ask questions, then vote !

The July meeting of the Trades Council  was pleased to welcome author and journalist Paul Richards to talk about the forthcoming Police Commissioner elections.

Paul was a special adviser to the last Government on Communities; and was an unsuccessful candidate for Labour’s nomination for the Sussex election. However, as a committed trade unionists, and a  Unite and NUJ member, we thought Paul would be ideal to talk to us  about the role of the commissioners !

Trade Unionists should consider the fact that the elected commissioner will set the budget headings for Sussex Police and its strategic priorities.

Paul highlighted the different attitudes likely to be taken by candidates on issues such as community policing, hate crime (especially race and LGBT) and protecting both uniformed and support staff jobs from cuts and privatisation.

The commissioner will also have control over the budget allocated for Victim Support work, and we should ask serious questions about how this will be allocated.

Paul spoke of the likelihood that the racist BNP will target this election, and that racist and fascist parties tend to do well when there is apathy and a low turnout- which is why it is vital that all trade unionists vote and encourage their workmates to turn out and have their say.

Eastbourne TUC, like all trades councils and the national TUC,  is party-politically independent and does not endorse any individual party or candidate. We urge all local trade unionists to read all of the material, follow all of the campaigns and weigh up the issues for themselves- then make sure you turn out to vote- and encourage others to do the same !

THE POLICE COMMISSIONER ELECTIONS WILL TAKE PLACE ON THURSDAY 15^TH NOVEMBER.

Trades Council Meeting: July

There will be a meeting of the Eastbourne Trades Council at 7.30pm, Tuesday 10th July, at the Unite Eastbourne Centre (formerly T&G) , Grand Parade, Eastbourne. All local trade unionists are invited, (although only delegates from affiliated unions may vote on financial and policy matters.)

The guest speaker will be local Unite member, author and campaigner Paul Richards.  Paul was a Special Adviser on Communities to Hazel Blears in the last Labour government, and had sought the Labour Party nomination for the forthcoming Police Commissioner election.  Although Paul was unsuccessful in this, he still has a lot of information and ideas about these important first elections.

Paul will be speaking about the Police Commissioners, the role and powers that they will have, and how trade unionists should be getting involved.  (Note: The Trades Council is party-politically independent, and does not support or endorse any party or candidate. Paul is invited as an expert speaker and a long-standing Unite the Union member !)

THE AGENDA WILL BE:
1. Introductions and apologies for absence
2. Approval of new affiliations.
3. Minutes of previous meeting and matters arising
4. Treasurer's Report- Gordon Dyer
5. Paul Richards- Author and Unite member- The Police Commissioner Elections

6. Priorities for Summer campaigning

7. Any other Union Campaigns: Colleagues invited to provide information on their Unions’ local and national campaigns, and any support that the Trades Council could give.
8. Any other business.

 Any apologies, or requests for information, to the Secretary please

Remploy- Well Done: more to do !

Well done to all Eastbourne Trades Unionists who e-mailed Tory Work and Pensions secretary Iain Duncan-Smith over plans to sack over 1,500 disabled workers in the Remploy factories.

Sally Kosky, National Officer of Unite the Union writes:-

"Hi everyone,

Thank you for all your emails to Iain Duncan Smith - he's had over 12,000 of us telling him to keep his hands off Remploy, and we're not letting up!

Overnight, we had this billboard put up outside Chingford station, slap bang in the middle of the work and pensions minister's constituency - and a mere 350 yards from his office. We just went to see it this morning, and we think it should get his attention nicely:

Can you help us spread the photo far and wide online to get more support for the Remploy workers? Use the links to share it right now on Facebook or Twitter.

Thanks all! Together, we're making this an issue that'll be hard for the minister to ignore for much longer.

Best,

Sally Kosky

National Officer

Unite the Union

P.S. If you'd also like to share the photo with friends and family by email, please send them this link

In Memorium

Eastbourne Trades Council pays tribute to two long standing friends of the trade union movement in Eastbourne, who have recently been taken from us.

TONY RIDDINGTON was a stalwart of the Labour and trade union movement in Eastbourne over many decades. A TGWU (now Unite) activist, Tony was a proud member and officer of Eastbourne Labour Party, standing for election many times in the Langney and St Anthony's area of the town. He also served tirelessly as the Secretary of the Trade Union Club in Seaside.  Tony was also an officer of the Eastbourne Trades Council for many years, and it was a great sadness to us that he was unable, for health reasons, to return to activism when the Trades Council was reformed in 2011. Tony passed away suddenly but peacefully at home on Thursday May 24th.

Tony's funeral will be on on June 15th at Eastbourne Crematorium, at 1.45pm. All friends welcome- please wear colours.  Family flowers only or donations for Cystic Fibrosis Trust or St Wilfrid's Hospice to Serenity, South Street Eastbourne.

ROY MARTIN represented the Musicians' Union on the Eastbourne Trades Council up to his untimely death, and was a regular attendee at our meetings. As well as being a popular local jazz musician, his background was as an electrician, and he was for many years an activist and convener for the EEPTU union- now part of Unite- of which he also remained a lifelong member.  Roy was a Liberal Democrat councillor for Polegate North on both Polegate Town Council and Wealden Borough Council, and for many years also served Polegate on East Sussex County Council.  Roy sadly passed away on Wednesday 30th May. He was 86 years old.

Funeral details to follow.