Trades Council Meeting: April 5th

TRADES COUNCIL MEETING- with "KEEP THE POST PUBLIC" speaker.

There will be a meeting of the Eastbourne Trades Council at 7.30pm, Tuesday 5th April 2011, 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.)

A G E N D A

1. Introductions and apologies for absence


2. Approval of new affiliations.


3. Minutes of previous meeting- for information only (the AGM Minutes will be formally approved at the 2012 AGM)


4. Matters Arising from the Minutes.


5. Treasurer’s report- Gordon Dyer


6. Guest Speaker from Keep the Post Public Campaign Peter Sinnott of the local Communication Workers’ Union will talk about the campaign against privatisation of the Royal Mail.


7. Anti-Cuts Campaigning: Where next after March 26th ? Report on progress of Eastbourne Anti-Cuts activity.


8. Local Elections: Update on campaigning opportunities around the Borough Council elections, including any threat of BNP candidates.


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


10. Articles and timing for next workplace newsletter


11. Any other business

March for the Alternative

A hugely successful demonstration (notwithstanding a tiny handful who were NOT part of the TUC March, but nonetheless managed to hijack the news headlines with their actions.)

Estimates of up to or even over 400,000 people marched peacefully to demonstrate their opposition to the cuts. They were joined by Eastbourne members of Unison, NUT, Unite, NUJ, PCS and others.

The march is done, but the campaign continues.

Support PCS members against cuts and victimisation

Civil Service union PCS is currenty balloting members over staffing cuts and the victimisation of Union reps in its Home Office group. Please click here for further information, and for a link to sign the online petition and e-mail your local MP.

There is a further article about the proposed job cuts in the Home Office on the main page ofthe PCS website here.

March for the Alternative: JOIN US on Saturday

Eastbourne Trades Council is supporting the massive TUC Demonstration against the Cuts and attacks on public services and pensions this coming Saturday 26th March, and still has free seats available on coaches laid on by local Union branches.

If you would like to join us on the march, and need a place on the coach (likely to be an early start- 7.30 am) please e-mail the Secretary as soon as possible.

Read more about the March for the Alternative by clicking here.

Royal Mail- Not For Sale !

March and Rally- Saturday 19th March at 12.30, at The Level in Brighton.



12.30: Assemble at The Level, Union Road, Brighton
13.15: March through Brighton, returning to The Level at
14.15: Rally with guest speakers and music from Love Music, Hate Racism.



Speakers invited include:

Billy Hayes and Dave Ward (CWU)
Caroline Lucas MP (Green)
Cllr Gill Mitchell (Labour)
Dot Gibson (National Pensioners' Convention)
Cat Smith (Compass Youth)
Phil Clarke (Brighton Stop the Cuts Campaign)



For more information, contact the Communication Workers Union at keepthepostpublic@virginmedia.com

Keep the Post Public

Eastbourne Trades Council welcomes the Communication Workers Union as our latest local affiliate. The CWU is currently running a national campaign against Post Office privatisation.

The union believe that the Post Office is a vital part of the local community. But the government’s plans to privatize the post office will cut or increase the cost of services which small businesses, communities and vulnerable groups rely on.

In particular the union believe three things will happen if the Postal Services Bill is passed in its current form:

Mail services cut
Royal Mail delivers and collects to 28m UK addresses for six days a week for a single stamp price (uniform tariff). This is called the universal postal service; it is expensive to provide, particularly in rural areas. The Government has been keen to stress this service will be protected under a privatised Royal Mail.
However, the reality is that in order to make Royal Mail attractive to investors, it will need to cut the cost of providing those services. That is why the bill compels the proposed postal services regulator, Ofcom, to review the universal postal service within 18 months. Such a review, with the need to make Royal Mail attractive to investors as a backdrop, is hardly likely to determine that the current universal service minimum requirements should become more onerous! At least nine clauses in the Postal Services Bill allow the regulator to amend or vary the application of the minimum requirements that make up the universal service. Such sell-offs are very rare internationally, but in Holland the minimum requirements were reduced following privatisation.

Increase in mail prices
The Postal Services Bill allows for Ofcom to make an assessment of the financial burden of the universal service on Royal Mail and to make recommendations for how to alleviate this burden. While the Bill requires that prices be affordable — this leaves wide scope for price increases. Already the Regulator has approved a huge 5p rise in stamp prices next year. Still higher prices would be deeply unpopular and run counter to public perception of what it is to protect the universal service.

Local Post Offices under threat
There is no guarantee in the Postal Services Bill that Royal Mail will continue to use the Post Office as the primary retail outlet for some or all of its products. A privatised Royal Mail could choose to use other outlets such as supermarkets or high street chains. This would deprive the post office network of a third of its income, and would put thousands of post offices at risk, especially in rural areas where post offices are particularly struggling. Fewer post offices in these areas mean that vulnerable groups in those communities will have to travel further to get access to vital services.

You can get involved in the campaign against privatisation- including a model e-mail for your local MP, by visiting the CWU's Keep the Post Public website here.

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.

Choose Youth – Stop the cuts to young people’s services

At 2pm on Saturday 12th February there will be a live webcast of a rally at which 1,000 young people and their youth workers representing 100,000s of users and staff will join forces to get government to think again, as funding cuts threaten to wipe out the youth service all together.

You can watch how young people and Unite will rise to the challenge to stop these cuts. The day will focus on how to organise campaigns to stop the cuts with a session from a 12 year old campaigner from the prime minister's Witney constituency who has been working tirelessly to save his local youth club. At 2pm on Saturday 12th February log on here.

The assault on young people’s services will have a devastating effect on their hopes for the future and will have far reaching effects on communities and the economy.

• Cuts of the scale proposed are a sure-fire way to deepen social problems in months and years to come.
• The roll call of services at risk of closure is growing daily. Warwickshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Manchester city council now plan to scrap its youth service.
• Those services include: youth clubs, youth programmes, Connexions centres and youth counselling centres. 82 per cent of voluntary sector youth groups anticipate that they will have to close whole projects.

7,000 professionally qualified staff… 30,000 trained youth support workers… half a million volunteers……Britain’s youth services are world class. They’re far too good to lose.

But nearly every project working with 13-18 year olds is at risk. It’s not too late to tell the decision makers that they’ve got their priorities wrong. Send them a clear message: a message that Youth Services Change Lives.

To find out more about Unite's campaign to save youth services click here.

Trades Council Meeting: February 15th

The AGM of the Eastbourne Trades Council will be at 7.30pm, Tuesday 15th February 2011, at the Unite Eastbourne Centre (formerly T&G) , Grand Parade, Eastbourne.

All local trade union members 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. Approval of affiliation requests from union branches
3. Adoption of Rules
4. Treasurer’s report
5. Election of Officers

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

*It is proposed that the nomination of campaigns contacts is taken later in the meeting, after hearing from our guest speaker

6. Guest Speaker: Megan Dobney. Megan is the Regional Secretary of the TUC (SERTUC) and will speak to us about the TUC’s current campaigns and how the Trades Council can support these.

7. March 26th: National Demonstration
8. Campaigns and Industrial Issues: Delegates may wish to raise particular campaigns or issues from their own Union, that the Trades Council may find of interest. Please let the Chair know before the meeting if possible, to ensure the best management of the meeting time !
9. Nomination of Campaign Contacts
10. Pattern of Meetings for 2011
11. Any other business

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.