Workers: Sweating for the Olympics - Event invitation from Playfair 2012

9 June 2010, 14.00-15.30

The Olympics is a multi-million dollar industry, yet most workers producing sportswear and Olympic souvenirs for sale on our high streets continue to be paid poverty wages and work in degrading conditions. Playfair found 12-year-old child workers, adults earning 14p an hour, and employees made to work up to 15 hours a day, seven days a week, producing Olympic merchandise.
But, it shouldn’t be this way. It’s time for the organisers of the London Games, the sportswear industry and the International Olympic Committee to take responsibility for the working conditions in the global supply chains producing these goods. As workers, trade unionists, students and consumers, we are linked to the millions of workers employed in these supply chains. Acting together, we have the power to bring about change and demand that London 2012 is the first ethical Olympics – providing Decent Work and dignity for all.
Find out more about the issues facing workers employed in supply chains producing sportswear and Olympic merchandise. Discover how you can get involved in the Playfair 2012 campaign and make a real difference to the lives of millions of mainly female workers, who help to make the Olympics possible.

Speakers:Tracy Clarke NEC member, Community
Lilis Mahmudah NEC member, Serikat Pekerja Nasional (Textile and Garment Trade Union), Indonesia
Sharon Sukhram, Playfair 2012 Campaign Co-ordinator, TUC

Followed by Q&As
Venue: Teversal Visitors Centre, Carnarvon Street, Teversal, Sutton – in – Ashfield, Notts, NG17 3HJ http://www.teversaltrails.com/find.htm
Please register for this event by sending an email to Ginny Pope at gpope@community-tu.org.uk
This event is part of a national speaker tour organised by the Playfair 2012 campaign. Playfair 2012 is coordinated by the Trades Union Congress and Labour Behind the Label, and supported by Anti-Slavery International; ATL, ASLEF, BECTU, Community, CWU, EIS, GMB, ITGLWF, NASUWT, NUJ, NUS, NUT, PCS, People and Planet, Prospect, PFA, STUC, UCATT, UNISON, Unite and War on Want

College jobs to go in Nuneaton

Up to 83 jobs may be lost at North Warwickshire and Hinkley College as funding cuts in further education come on stream. UCU, the union representing members at the college, are currently in discussions with managment over the proposals.
This has been reported locally in the.Nuneaton Telegrahttp: http://iccoventry.icnetwork.co.uk/nuneaton-tribune/nuneaton-news/tm_headline=threat-to-83-nuneaton-college-jobs%26method=full%26objectid=26541304%26siteid=50003-name_page.html

Axe begins to fall

The new government announcements on cuts totaling over £6.2 billion will inevitably lead to job cuts in  the midlands. We have already seen the announcement of further job losses in Coventry with the closure of Becta (The British Education Communications Technology Agency) responsible for the leading the development of technology for Schools.
The future of the QCDA (Qualifications Curriculum Development Agency) responsible for overseeing the curriculum, assessments and qualifications for the government is threatened with over 700 jobs at risk. Also now threatened is the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) formerly part of the LSC with 500+ employees.
These agencies, and the jobs within them, are doing work which would aid the recovery from the recession. Their loss will not speed recovery and will put hard working civil servants on the unemployment register.
Many of these jobs are based in Coventry, a city which the Regional TUC has highlighted as suffering particularly hard with a string of closures in the manufacturing, engineering and finance sectors in recent years.

Adam Walker cleared of racial and religious intolerance

BNP member Adam Waker was found guilty of making personal use school equipment during lessons - which was regarded as unacceptable professional conduct -  by the General Teaching Council hearing in Birmingham this week. He was, however, cleared of racial and religious intolerance.
The Birmingham Post report on the case is here: http://www.birminghampost.net/news/newsaggregator//tm_headline=bnp-supporting-teacher-cleared-of-racial-and-religious-intolerance%26method=full%26objectid=26517940%26siteid=65233-name_page.html

Protest against BNP teacher at General Teaching Council hearing

The General Teaching Council have been hearing the case against BNP member Adam Walker, a teacher accused of using school computer equipment to access online forums to post comments describing some immigrants as "savage animals" and "filth". Walker was employed as a technology teacher at Houghton Kepier Sports College in Houghton-le-Spring, near Sunderland at the time. He has since resigned his post.
Walker is the first teacher to appear before the GTC accused of racial intolerance.
A demonstration was organised outside the General Council hearing in Birmingham on Monday 24th May, pictures of the protest can be accessed on flickr at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/geoffdexter/sets/72157624126254654/detail/
and the Tuesday demonstration at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/geoffdexter/sets/72157624132530002/detail/
Photos courtesy of Geoff Dexter.

CBI call for public sector pay freeze will hit private companies too, warns TUC

Commenting on the CBI call today (Wednesday) for a two year freeze in the public sector pay bill, Midlands TUC Regional Secretary Cheryl Pidgeon said:

“This is special pleading from the CBI who is calling for the full brunt of spending cuts to fall on public sector staff rather than the billions spent by Government on private sector goods and services, such as consultants.

“But even cuts to the public sector pay bill will hit the private sector as public servants will have less to spend.

“The economy is still very fragile and any cuts could send us back into a double-dip recession.”

UCU to ballot members at west midland colleges

UCU today announced that members at four of the largest colleges in the West Midlands have voted overwhelmingly in favour to ballot for strike action if the threat of compulsory redundancies is not removed.

At well-attended meetings at City College Wolverhampton, South Birmingham College, Birmingham Metropolitan College and City College Birmingham there was clear anger at the employers' proposals to sack lecturing staff.
The colleges will be issued with the union's notice to ballot next week with a likely deadline of Tuesday 25 May to remove the threat of compulsory redundancies. If the deadline is not met then there will be ballots of UCU members for strike action. Those ballots would close on Wednesday 9 June with any action likely to take place before the end of the month.
Birmingham Metropolitan College has announced plans to make up to 100 job cuts and City College Wolverhampton has said that it is looking to make savings of £3 million with 160 posts at risk. UCU says that the cuts would hit some of the most vulnerable communities in the West Midlands.
UCU regional official for the West Midlands, Nick Varney, said: 'We are not unreasonable and we do accept that there will have to be difficult decisions made. What we do not, and will not, accept is colleges using funding cuts to unnecessarily sack staff or hold a gun to the heads of staff who fear for their livelihoods.
'What we want is a sensible approach from colleges to work through those difficult decisions with us. Yet some colleges seem hell-bent on using the excuse of funding cuts to introduce unfair selection criteria so that they can sack teachers with minimum compensation.
'Not only will that approach put hundreds of trained teachers on to the dole, it will also mean the end of educational opportunities for thousands of people in some of the most deprived areas. Our members have made it crystal clear that they will fight for their students and for their jobs.'

International Day Against Homophobia

The Midlands TUC LGB & T Network will be commemorating the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO Day), on Saturday 15th May. The event will take place in Chamberlain Square, Birmingham, opposite the Library at 2:00 p.m.

Speakers include the current Chair of the Network, Richard Jones, and former Chair Yvonne Washbourne. Music will be provided by RoosterSpake.

Derby Silk Mill March and Rally

Hundreds of trade unionists turned out in Derby today for the annual Silk Mill march and rally. This event, jointly organised by Derby Area Trades Union Council, The Labour Party and Co-operative Party, is one of the longest running labour movement celebrations in the region.

This year's event attracted high profile speakers including MPs Margaret Beckett and John Prescott who were joined by Unite Joint General Secretary Derek Simpson.  President of the trades council, Ian Wilson, introduced proceedings.

Prospective Parliamentary Candidates Cheryl Pidgeon and Chris Williamson were also invited to make contributions.