Turn off your ******* Mobile phone!!!!

Off message but some lunchtime Friday Frippery. We have all been here. As victims and prepretrators. Hat tip Normblog.

UNISON Housing Association Branch AGM 2012

My Union Branch AGM takes place on Thursday 16 February 2012 at the new UNISON headquarters in Euston (5 minutes walk from either Euston or Kings Cross station). I have been re-elected unopposed as Branch Secretary. We will hold two separate meetings during the day and evening to try and maximise attendance.  All branch members welcome!

Our guest speaker will be Sean Baine, the Co-Chair of the London Equality Trust on "Why inequality is bad for all of us - and what we should do about it".  There is also a motion to be debated on income inequality in Housing Associations. The Equality Trust was set up by the authors of the "The Spirit Level". 

I will try to arrange a visit beforehand to the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson museum which is inside the UNISON building. 

In defence of DB

This is an article I wrote for on behalf of the AMNT in defence of Defined Benefit Pension schemes for all.  It was published in Engaged Investor in its December edition.

"While the Association of Member Nominated Trustees (AMNT) has no formal view on the dispute between the Government and the public service unions, many of our
trustees are strong supporters of defined benefit (DB) schemes. 

In fact, one of the most active AMNT working groups is dedicated to defending and promoting DB schemes and almost exclusively comprises private sector DB trustees. This group is convinced that DB should remain the cornerstone of occupational pension provision.

DB trustees are also concerned that the often inaccurate media attacks on public sector DB schemes are having an adverse impact on the standing of their schemes with their sponsors.

It is often forgotten that alongside the six million workers in the public schemes there are still 2.4 million continuing to build up DB benefits in private schemes. It is important that
the pension myths about all DB schemes are exposed and countered.

The first myth is that DB is “gold plated”. The average local government pension is only £4,000 per year while the average retired female NHS worker’s pension is less than £2,800 per year. The maximum that many retiring today will get in typical DB schemes is half pay and a lump sum typically 1.5 times their final salary. Are people really saying half pay after a lifetime of saving is too much?

Another myth is that DB is too expensive. Future employer contributions for many schemes are less than 14% and with some, such as the NHS’s scheme, it has already been agreed that employer contributions are capped at 14% and any future increase in cost will have to be wholly met by the employees.

In the absence of compulsion, unless we have pension schemes which are attractive to employees then people will simply not join or opt out. This will leave the taxpayer with an even greater bill to support these people on the poverty line when they are old.

Nobody is arguing that DB schemes are perfect, or that hugely damaging mistakes were not made in the past. Deficits for past accrual are often confused with future costs of DB, however. Most DB trustees remain convinced that people want a degree of certainty in their retirement. They want to share the investment risk with the employer and the state, not to personally bear the brunt of it.

There are many changes that could be made to improve DB. These could include merging DB funds and schemes; bringing together the 100 or so different local government pension schemes.  We need changes in the accounting standards that currently treat century-long pension benefit liabilities as if they were a credit card bill. We need to get a grip on spiralling fees. We need to improve governance and make sure that savers are not ripped off in future financial scandals.

The real scandal in pensions is not DB schemes but the two thirds of private sector employers who do not pay a penny towards their employees’ pension and the 50% of private sector workers who have no pension provision whatsoever".

UNISON and Family Mosaic agree to talks at ACAS

Hat tip UNISON press release " A planned ballot for industrial action by UNISON members at Family Mosaic Housing Association has been postponed after both parties agreed to hold talks at ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service).

The talks will aim to resolve the dispute over Family Mosaic’s proposals to increase working hours for all front-line staff and substantially
reduce the pay of many social care and support staff.

Family Mosaic has already issued letters of dismissal to all staff members who have not signed new contracts agreeing to the changes. It is anticipated that that threat of dismissal will be postponed whilst talks at ACAS take place.  

London UNISON regional organiser, Colin Inniss stated: “UNISON is genuinely committed to trying to resolve this dispute and we welcome ACAS’s intervention. But any agreed resolution has to be an equitable one. As things currently stand, a large number of our members will have pay cuts ranging from £3,000 to £8,500; a figure which will leave them and their families facing financial misery. Meanwhile, senior management are facing no salary cuts whatsoever. If we cannot get agreement at ACAS, UNISON will be left with no alternatives other than to conduct a formal ballot for strike action and to pursue legal action". Good news - but check out here and here.

London Marathon 2012 Wk 15: Olympic Park Circuit

Run of the week was a "circuit" (of sorts)  around the London Olympics

2012 Park in Stratford.

I ran from Forest Gate to the Greenway at West Ham. The Greenway was blocked off at the High Street. I tried to rejoin via Blaker Road but this was fenced off. So I went along the canal to Marshgate Lane and eventually came back on the Greenway, stopping off at the view tube to take pictures of the Olympic stadium and the Orbit (see right).

The Orbit at the moment does remind me of the monster aliens from HG Wells "War of the Worlds". But I have little doubt it will eventually become a poplar icon.

Past the Second World War pill box and anti-tank defences then Old Ford Canal Lock.  Do you remember Chris Evans and "The Big Breakfast"? It was filmed here at the Lock Keepers cottage. I use to cycle into work along the towpath and wave at Chris and his guests filming in the garden (they never waved back).  I ran along the towpath (the area has totally changed - there are now Art Galleries, cafes and residential blocks) until the Eastway.  Then there was a long bit of road and pavement towards Spitalfields Market.

I wasted time trying to find a way to cross the A12 at the Asda Retail Park (there isn't one). There were groups of people at the retail park being taken on a guided view point tours around the Olympic site. Eventually made it back to Forest Gate past Leyton Underground and West Ham Cemetery. I was supposed to be running for 90 minutes but it took me 2 hours. It was a good run but a bit of a slog from Leyton onwards. I will post other pictures from the run on FaceBook.

I am running the London marathon in April 2012 sort of using the official advanced training programme and will be raising funds for Homeless Youth charity "Alone in London". Click here to sponsor me.

Ken in Newham

This evening I joined Labour Candidate for London Mayor, Ken Livingstone and his team as they visited the historic Theatre Royal in

Stratford.

Ken had been in Newham all day and had already gone on a Housing enforcement visit with Council officers and Newham Mayor Robin Wales in the morning. He then had a briefing with local Councillors and a Q&A with students at Newham College, as well as a “walkabout” in Green Street.

With Ken was Assembly member Val Shawcross (who is standing for Deputy Mayor) local Assembly member John Biggs and Newham’s finest, GLA Candidate, Councillor Unmesh Desai (who is also East Ham Labour Party Agent).

At the Theatre Royal there was firstly an informal meeting with staff and local actors (whose first break had been in the Theatre) in the “Green Room” followed by a brief tour of the theatre and a visit to a Performing Arts class to observe a lesson on “improvisations”. Which was simply enormous fun to watch. Afterwards there was a very relaxed discussion between staff, the young people and Ken, Val and John about the future of performing arts, dance and further education generally. I think the photo above is great. 

Afterwards we went off to the Didsbury Centre in East Ham for the Newham “Tell Ken” event (sponsored by London UNISON Labour Link) which I will post upon soon.

Newham Burns Night: The GS Piping in the Haggis

On Friday I celebrated Burns Night at the Newham event in Stratford Town Hall.  I had heard that the new General Secretary of the Labour Party, Iain McNicol, was attending but I didn't know that he played the bagpipes. So I was astonished when he "Piped in the Haggis" (see picture).

I had a conversation with Iain later in the evening about various Party issues. A good guy I think.

While searching Google tonight I see from an usually reliable source that Iain also has a black belt in Karate. Which as the Labour Party GS will no doubt prove very, very useful...

John Gray - The Movie (coming soon)

"John Gray lives with his beautiful wife Susie Slumber, who unfortunately does not share his interest in plain oatmeal or overcast days. Wanting more, Susie leaves. Before John can figure out what to do, he is visited by the mischievous Rem. John must learn to look beyond his gray world fast before all is lost".

This is a "short" for a feature length film of the same name out in June. Seriously weird but nice camera work. Please note I assume that there will be the usual disclaimer "Any reference or similarity to anyone living or dead is purely coincidental, all 'characters' are fictitious"

:)

One Barnet UNISON Strike Action 9 Feb 2012

Barnet UNISON are balloting for a further round of strike action to prevent the wholesale privatisation of Council services in their borough. Send the branch messages of support via the website
www.barnetunison.me.uk. During previous strike action when members of the branch finished their picket line duties they went off to volunteer and work unpaid on various local Barnet community projects for the rest of the day.

"Britain & Europe: Which way for Labour?" Newham Compass & Fabians

A rather topical debate on "Britain and Europe: Which way for Labour?" will take place 7.30pm on 21st February at the West Ham Supporters' Club (the football club not the Labour Party! NewhamTrades Council also use to meet here). Organised by the local branches of Newham Compass and the Fabians. 

I've not heard Jon Cruddas MP speak about Europe before and no doubt he will have some interesting perspectives.  While Anita Pollack lives in Newham and was the MEP for London South West from 1989 to 1999. She wrote the excellent book "Wreckers or Builders: A History of Labour MEPs 1979 to 1999" which one day I
will try and do justice to in a review.

Yesterday at the UNISON NEC Policy Committee we had a good presentation and debate on Europe. The irony of ironies is that the Prime Minster, David Cameron, for short term political advantage "veto's" (sort of) an agreement on saving the Euro solely to appease his own anti-Europe fanatics. When in fact the actual measures he opposed for Europe are pretty much the same hard line slash and burn budgetary cuts being pursued at home.