The disgusting atrocities being committed by Israel have ignited the student movement in way that has not occurred for a generation.
Two days ago, the Brunei Gallery at SOAS was occupied and is still ongoing. For more info see: http://soassolidarity4gaza.blogspot.com/ Talks and lectures on wide-ranging political issues are being discussed and students have been climbing through the windows to get in!
In the last few minutes, comrades have taken to the stage in the main theatre at LSE and have established another occupation. I encourage all comrades who can to join them!
For peace and Palestine!
James Caspell
Lambeth UNISON Young Members Officer
Honorary Member, LSE Students' Union
Thursday, 15 January 2009
Students establish university occupations over Gaza
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
Lambeth UNISON AGM Election Results - Analysis to follow
"Lambeth Activists" highlighted in red, party affiliations in brackets:
Chair
Peter Woodward (Labour) 106 elected
Dan Jeffrey (Permanent Revolution) 69
Assistant Branch Sec
Khi Rafe 111 elected
Reg Morrison (Independent Socialist) 64
Membership Secretary
Katrina Hoogendam 89 elected
Dan Jeffrey (Permanent Revolution) 87
Publicity Officer
James Caspell 105 (Green Left/Green Party) elected
Andrew Tullis (Socialist Party) 69
National Local Government Male Delegate
James Caspell 53 (Green Left/Green Party)
Nick Venedi and
Jon Rogers (Labour) 80 elected
Lambeth Activists elected unopposed:
Assistant Publicity Officer
Gurmeet Khurana (Permanent Revolution) elected
Young Members Officer
James Caspell (Green Left/Green Party) elected
Dan Jeffery (Permanent Revolution) elected
Regional Council
Dan Jeffery (Permanent Revolution) elected
Chair
Peter Woodward (Labour) 106 elected
Dan Jeffrey (Permanent Revolution) 69
Assistant Branch Sec
Khi Rafe 111 elected
Reg Morrison (Independent Socialist) 64
Membership Secretary
Katrina Hoogendam 89 elected
Dan Jeffrey (Permanent Revolution) 87
Publicity Officer
James Caspell 105 (Green Left/Green Party) elected
Andrew Tullis (Socialist Party) 69
National Local Government Male Delegate
James Caspell 53 (Green Left/Green Party)
Nick Venedi and
Jon Rogers (Labour) 80 elected
Lambeth Activists elected unopposed:
Assistant Publicity Officer
Gurmeet Khurana (Permanent Revolution) elected
Young Members Officer
James Caspell (Green Left/Green Party) elected
International Officer
Gurmeet Khurana (Permanent Revolution) elected
Dan Jeffery (Permanent Revolution) elected
Regional Council
Dan Jeffery (Permanent Revolution) elected
Vigil for Gaza outside the Brixton Tate Library on Friday 16th January at 5.30-7pm
There is a plan to hold a Vigil for Gaza, ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal outside the Brixton Tate Library on Friday 16th January at 5.30-7pm, called by the local Stop the War Coalition.
Tuesday, 13 January 2009
Lambeth Activists - For a fighting, member-led branch
We are a group of activists who believe that UNISON and the trade union movement at large needs to be rebuilt from the grass-roots, encouraging maximum participation and control of unions by members and giving workers the confidence to fight collectively for their own interests in their workplaces.
We are comprised of a group of independent socialists, members of Permanent Revolution, the Alliance for Workers Liberty, Workers Power and Green Left, the ecosocialist platform within the Green Party.
We want an inclusive, active, fighting union that effectively takes on management and the government by involving all workers in action to defend and extend our rights.
Over the last ten years the Lambeth UNISON branch has halved in size and is no longer as effective at protecting our members. We need new blood – passionate activists who are prepared to give their all to fight for members and involve them in the running of the branch.
If you agree with our policies, we ask you to support us!
Candidates for elections at the 2009 AGM:
Chair
Dan Jeffery
Assistant Branch Secretary
Reg Morrison
Membership Officer
Dan Jeffrey
Publicity Officer
James Caspell
National Delegate Conference
Dan Jeffery
Local Government Conference
James Caspell
Regional Council
Dan Jeffery
The following candidates have been elected unopposed:
Assistant Publicity Officer
Gurmeet Khurana
International Officer
Gurmeet Khurana
Young Members Officer
James Caspell
If elected, we will:
« Demand to see Lambeth Council’s accounts and find out why and how Lambeth housing is millions of pounds in debt. No more £1000 per day consultants! Open the books!
« Fight against all redundancies and job losses – including “voluntary” redundancies. Campaign for staff to refuse to cover posts and refuse overtime while staff are being made redundant
« Launch an anti-bullying campaign and end the culture of management bullying and harassment
« Campaign to end scales 1, 2 and 3. Decent wages for all!
« Launch an effective campaign for decent wage increases and an increase in London weighting. We need to force the UNISON leadership to escalate the campaign to include sustained strike action and occupations if we are to win.
« Have no more talking shops and no more “sweetheart deals”– worthless agreements with employers and Councillors made without support of the members.
« Ensure decent working conditions for all staff. Lambeth must abide by health and safety law!
« Build a campaign to defeat plans to further privatise services and cut jobs; fight to bring all council services back in-house. No more auctioning off of council houses!
« Oppose the ALMO – fight for council housing to be brought back under direct council control
« Campaign to set up a Direct Labour Organisation (DLO), implement apprenticeships and training to provide staff and local people with skills and jobs.
« Work with residents to oppose service cuts, privatisation and above inflation increases in rents and charges, and demand substantial investment in public services.
« Demand that councillors support Lambeth’s workers and tenants – or campaign against them in the next local elections. End automatic and uncritical UNISON support for Labour.
« Win the increased severance payments staff have been promised.
« Fight for branches to have the right to set up hardship funds to support members in time of need
How we will build the Branch:
« Organise to recruit and involve temporary workers, shift workers and young people. Campaign for lower union fees. The more members we have, the stronger we will be!
« A steward and notice board in every shop – fighting the bosses in every workplace.
« Ensure convenors and stewards visit workplaces and hold regular workplace meetings.
« An easily accessible web site publicising contact details and actions taken by Branch Officers.
« Regular newsletters in every directorate – let’s communicate our successes.
« Fight against racism, sexism, homophobia and all forms of discrimination. Assist democratic and accountable self-organised groups to get more members involved.
« Branch officers to be fully accountable – all Convenors and Officers to publish monthly reports of how they spend their time to serve you.
« Make the Branch Office more attractive and welcoming, for the use of all members.
« Branches and Directorates to have the right to elect industrial action committees and control and manage their own industrial disputes.
Our broader policies:
« Demand that national and regional UNISON officials are elected annually. All representatives should get the average worker’s wage. Our General Secretary earns £100,000+ a year!
« Fight for to scrap the anti-union laws such as the ban on secondary strikes
« Work to stop climate change, starting by establishing workplace environment reps
« Fight for mass mobilisation and self-defence by the working class and oppressed groups against the BNP and other far-right organisations.
« Show solidarity with workers across the world! Coordinate our struggles with other local trade unions and with workers in other countries to win better rights for all.
We are comprised of a group of independent socialists, members of Permanent Revolution, the Alliance for Workers Liberty, Workers Power and Green Left, the ecosocialist platform within the Green Party.
We want an inclusive, active, fighting union that effectively takes on management and the government by involving all workers in action to defend and extend our rights.
Over the last ten years the Lambeth UNISON branch has halved in size and is no longer as effective at protecting our members. We need new blood – passionate activists who are prepared to give their all to fight for members and involve them in the running of the branch.
If you agree with our policies, we ask you to support us!
Candidates for elections at the 2009 AGM:
Chair
Dan Jeffery
Assistant Branch Secretary
Reg Morrison
Membership Officer
Dan Jeffrey
Publicity Officer
James Caspell
National Delegate Conference
Dan Jeffery
Local Government Conference
James Caspell
Regional Council
Dan Jeffery
The following candidates have been elected unopposed:
Assistant Publicity Officer
Gurmeet Khurana
International Officer
Gurmeet Khurana
Young Members Officer
James Caspell
If elected, we will:
« Demand to see Lambeth Council’s accounts and find out why and how Lambeth housing is millions of pounds in debt. No more £1000 per day consultants! Open the books!
« Fight against all redundancies and job losses – including “voluntary” redundancies. Campaign for staff to refuse to cover posts and refuse overtime while staff are being made redundant
« Launch an anti-bullying campaign and end the culture of management bullying and harassment
« Campaign to end scales 1, 2 and 3. Decent wages for all!
« Launch an effective campaign for decent wage increases and an increase in London weighting. We need to force the UNISON leadership to escalate the campaign to include sustained strike action and occupations if we are to win.
« Have no more talking shops and no more “sweetheart deals”– worthless agreements with employers and Councillors made without support of the members.
« Ensure decent working conditions for all staff. Lambeth must abide by health and safety law!
« Build a campaign to defeat plans to further privatise services and cut jobs; fight to bring all council services back in-house. No more auctioning off of council houses!
« Oppose the ALMO – fight for council housing to be brought back under direct council control
« Campaign to set up a Direct Labour Organisation (DLO), implement apprenticeships and training to provide staff and local people with skills and jobs.
« Work with residents to oppose service cuts, privatisation and above inflation increases in rents and charges, and demand substantial investment in public services.
« Demand that councillors support Lambeth’s workers and tenants – or campaign against them in the next local elections. End automatic and uncritical UNISON support for Labour.
« Win the increased severance payments staff have been promised.
« Fight for branches to have the right to set up hardship funds to support members in time of need
How we will build the Branch:
« Organise to recruit and involve temporary workers, shift workers and young people. Campaign for lower union fees. The more members we have, the stronger we will be!
« A steward and notice board in every shop – fighting the bosses in every workplace.
« Ensure convenors and stewards visit workplaces and hold regular workplace meetings.
« An easily accessible web site publicising contact details and actions taken by Branch Officers.
« Regular newsletters in every directorate – let’s communicate our successes.
« Fight against racism, sexism, homophobia and all forms of discrimination. Assist democratic and accountable self-organised groups to get more members involved.
« Branch officers to be fully accountable – all Convenors and Officers to publish monthly reports of how they spend their time to serve you.
« Make the Branch Office more attractive and welcoming, for the use of all members.
« Branches and Directorates to have the right to elect industrial action committees and control and manage their own industrial disputes.
Our broader policies:
« Demand that national and regional UNISON officials are elected annually. All representatives should get the average worker’s wage. Our General Secretary earns £100,000+ a year!
« Fight for to scrap the anti-union laws such as the ban on secondary strikes
« Work to stop climate change, starting by establishing workplace environment reps
« Fight for mass mobilisation and self-defence by the working class and oppressed groups against the BNP and other far-right organisations.
« Show solidarity with workers across the world! Coordinate our struggles with other local trade unions and with workers in other countries to win better rights for all.
Monday, 12 January 2009
"Green bans, red union": film showing and social
7pm, Thursday 5 February
The Bread & Roses, 68 Clapham Manor Street, London SW4 6DZ
As part of our fundraising drive, South West London Workers' Liberty will be holding a showing of "Rocking the Foundations", the story of the New South Wales Builders Labourers Federation in the 1970s, and how they built a powerful, politicised workers' movement that stood up for the environment and sustainable communities. (For more about the BLF, see here.)
Facebook group here.
Followed by a speaker from Workers' Climate Action, discussion and a social.
£2 unwaged, £3.50 waged, £5 waged
For more information email ruthycashman@yahoo.co.uk
The Bread & Roses, 68 Clapham Manor Street, London SW4 6DZ
As part of our fundraising drive, South West London Workers' Liberty will be holding a showing of "Rocking the Foundations", the story of the New South Wales Builders Labourers Federation in the 1970s, and how they built a powerful, politicised workers' movement that stood up for the environment and sustainable communities. (For more about the BLF, see here.)
Facebook group here.
Followed by a speaker from Workers' Climate Action, discussion and a social.
£2 unwaged, £3.50 waged, £5 waged
For more information email ruthycashman@yahoo.co.uk
Tuesday, 6 January 2009
Lambeth UNISON Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of the Lambeth Branch of UNISON will take place on Tuesday 13 January from 12.30 to 14.30 in Lambeth Town Hall. Lunch will be provided.
The AGM sets the Branch's policy and priorities for the coming year. It is also the place where we elect Branch Officers who run the branch on members' behalf - so it's important that all UNISON members come along if they can.
Motions (16 in total) and reports have now been published on the Lambeth UNISON Branch blog.
Click here to visit the Lambeth UNISON blog to resad the motions and reports.
The AGM sets the Branch's policy and priorities for the coming year. It is also the place where we elect Branch Officers who run the branch on members' behalf - so it's important that all UNISON members come along if they can.
Motions (16 in total) and reports have now been published on the Lambeth UNISON Branch blog.
Click here to visit the Lambeth UNISON blog to resad the motions and reports.
Should your office be closed?
· The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 stipulate that the minimum temperature in an office should be 16 degrees Celsius (61 Fahrenheit).
· Further relevant statute legislation is section 6 of the Offices Shops & Railway Premises Act 1963. The appropriate bits state:
· Further relevant statute legislation is section 6 of the Offices Shops & Railway Premises Act 1963. The appropriate bits state:
- "(2) Where a substantial proportion of the work done in a room to which the foregoing subsection applies does not involve severe physical effort, a temperature of less than 16 degrees Celsius (61F) shall not be deemed, after the first hour, to be a reasonable temperature while work is going on.
- (3)...there shall be provided for persons who are employed to work in a room to which... this section would apply, conveniently accessible and effective means of enabling them to warm themselves.
- (6)It shall be the duty of the employer of persons for whom means of enabling them to warm themselves are provided in pursuance of subsection (3) of this section to afford them reasonable opportunities for using those means, and if he fails so to do he shall be guilty of an offence."
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