GMB Carillion 'Blacklisting' protest - NEC 31st October

The GMB is staging a photo-call protest at an Energy Awards ceremony hosted by Carillion at Birmingham NEC on 31st October to press Carillion to follow up their recent apology with compensation for the 224 workers they blacklisted. The Retro Expo Awards are hosted by Birmingham Energy Savers and Carillion Energy Services.

 

Carillion involvement with the blacklist included parts of their organization such as Crown House, Schal International, SkyBlue Employment Agency, Tarmac and John Mowlem as well as Carillion itself says GMB

This GMB photo-call will take place as follows:

- From 4pm to 6pm

- Wednesday 31st October

- Outside the Atrium in front of Hall 6

- At the Retro Expo Awards

- National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, B40 1NT.

There will be a worker dressed as an outlaw with a placard with the slogan "Carillion blacklisting outlawed innocent workers

　

In June 2012 GMB published a report showing that ain one quarter an estimated 2,776 names were checked by Carillion with the Consulting Association, whilst in the period from October 1999 to April 2004 it estimates that Carillion checked at least 14,724 names.

The GMB report "BLACKLISTING - illegal corporate bullying endemic, systemic and deep-rooted in Carillion and other companies" is on the GMB website.

Carillion’s involvement with blacklisting came to light when, in 2009, the Information Commissioners Office ( ICO) seized a database of 3,213 construction workers used by 44 companies to vet new recruits and keep out of employment trade union and health and safety activists. Only 198 of those on the blacklist know they are on it leaving 3,015 unaware of this.

 

 

Ed Miliband meets Black Country young people at TUC march

At the TUC march last weekend – which was attended by over 150,000 people – a group of unemployed youngsters from the Black Country met with Labour leader Ed Miliband to talk about their desperate search to find work.

Speaking at the A Future That Works rally, Ed Miliband said how important it was that young unemployed people had joined the TUC march. In particular, he referenced Ashley Parsons, 20, a member of the TUC’s youth unemployment campaign group from Wolverhampton, when he said:

“I am here to join with people from all walks of life ...Young people looking for work. Like Ashley Parsons from Wolverhampton ...Let us say we stand with all the young people who want to work in Britain today.”

Straight after delivering his speech Ed Miliband met with Ashley and other young unemployed people backstage at Hyde Park. The group included Dwayne Foster, 21, from Dudley, and Fiona Myers, 20, from Stourbridge, who are also active members of the TUC's campaign against youth unemployment. The Labour leader spoke to each young person and heard of their frustration at being unemployed and their anger that the number of jobs on offer has shrunk as a direct result of the government’s austerity policies.  

Ashley Parsons delivered one of the closing speeches from the stage at Hyde Park where he described his experiences of being unemployed. He spoke of being a victim of the cuts which have drastically reduced the public sector in the Black Country, the main provider of employment in the area. Ashley finished his speech with the words:

“Young people are not only the future, we are the here and now and right now I say to you, Mr Cameron, we need jobs not cuts.”

Broxtowe Save Our NHS to canvas public on threats to health service

Broxtowe Save our NHS are getting out on the streets to canvass public opinion on the governments proposals for the health service. Look out for them between 10:30am to 12:00 midday on the High St, Beeston, opposite Boots/WH Smith in the pedestrianised area of the town.

The campaign will follow up with the first of their public meetings which will be held on Friday 2nd November with past MP fr Broxtowe Nick Palmer being the keynote speaker. Why not go along and hear what he has to say - the meeting is being held at the Boat and Horses pub, Trent Road, Beeston, NG9 1LP from 7 p.m. This is near Beeston railway station.

Huge drop in household incomes shows need to put jobs and wages centre stage

Commenting on the latest statistics on national well-being published today (Tuesday) by the Office for National Statistics, Midlands TUC Regional Secretary Rob Johnston said:

"An over-reliance on the housing bubble and personal debt exaggerated income growth in the run up to the recession. Now families have been hit by the biggest squeeze in their living standards in nearly a century.

"That's why high quality jobs and a fairer distribution of decent wages must be at the heart of our economic recovery plan.

"A return to business as usual, where those at the top grab an ever larger slice of a dwindling earnings pie, will simply create another huge bust."

Marching for a Future that Works

150,000 people from all over the country marched through the streets of London at the TUC's March for a Future that Works on Saturday where the star of the day was undoubtedly a young man from the Black Country, Ashley Parsons, pictured third from the left holding the banner at the front of the march. 

Delivering one of the most powerful speeches of the day from the stage at Hyde Park where the march concluded, Ashley told his story of being desperate to work and contribute to society but having hundreds of applications turned down.  He spoke of being a victim of Government cuts as they have drastically reduced the public sector in the Black Country, which is the main provider of employment in the region.  Ashley finished his speech with the words:

'Young people are not only the future, they are the here and now and right now I say to you, Mr Cameron, to give us jobs not cuts.'

Top Tips for marchers this Saturday

If you are a first time marcher at the TUC "A Future that Works" march and rally in London this Saturday then take a look at our top tips. These are on a special page on this blog - look for the Top Tips page above the blog posts.

March for the future: Rallying cry for jobs and a real future at TUC protest

The TUC’s A Future That Works demonstration will call for a nation where people can work to get us out of the economic crisis.

 

Frustrated: Ashley Parsons

By line: Neville Williams, reprinted from the Daily Mirror website

 

Hundreds of thousands are expected to take to the streets to march for a better Britain this weekend.
On Saturday the TUC’s A Future That Works march will call for a nation where people can work to get us out of the economic crisis.
The Daily Mirror is backing the march. This week we will run stories behind the protests.
Ashley Parsons, 20, from Wolverhampton, said: “I have been out of work for more than a year since finishing college and am calling on the Government to take notice of the young people of Britain.
“I have lost count of the number of jobs he has applied for and is very frustrated at the lack of feedback from employers.
“I feel the constant rejections have been a real kick in the teeth but so far they have not stopped me from wanting to work.
“I am marching because I want to show that young people are not lazy and that the vast majority like me are desperate to progress in life.
“I am only just starting off in the world and it is so hard to get even a foot in the door, I can appreciate why some youngsters feel there is no light at the end of the tunnel.
“I want to get a mechanical engineering apprenticeship but despite applying to lots of companies I have not had any luck.
“Young people get criticised for apparently not wanting to work but my friends and I are working our backsides off trying to get a chance.
“The Government say we are the future but we are not, we are the present and we need help now.
“It’s important as many people as possible join us in London to show strength in our cause.”
* The march will assemble along Victoria Embankment on the north bank of the Thames from 11am on October 20 moving off around noon.
Go to: afuturethatworks.org ; mirror.co.uk/marchforthefuture ; or falseeconomy.org.uk/oct20 . Families can email marchwithmirror@mirror.co.uk.

Wembley Park Station open this Saturday for A Future that Works

 

We have just been informed that some of the planned Transport for London engineering works for the weekend of October 20^th have been cancelled.

As a result, Wembley Park station is now open.  Those parking at Wembley Arena should now be directed to Wembley Park station to take the Jubilee line to Waterloo or Southwark for the march form up.  This is great news as Wembley Park station is fully accessible with a direct journey time to Waterloo of under 30 minutes. 

We would advise people leaving Hyde Park to walk to Green Park or Oxford Circus and take the Jubilee line back to Wembley Park on their homebound journey.

Please let your networks know this revised travel information as soon as possible.  We will let you know if other changes arise.

Broxtowe Save our NHS launch website

 

Over in Nottinghamshire things are stirring - and the desire to keep a publicaly accountable, free at the point of delivery health service, is what has set the pot bubbling.
Our friends at Broxtowe Save our NHS have set up a new website to keep all those interested in saving our NHS informed of what is happening locally.
First up is a public meeting on Friday 2nd Novemebr with past MP fr Broxtowe Nick Palmer being the keynote speaker. Why not go along and hear what he has to say - the meeting is being held at the Boat and Horses pub, Trent Road, Beeston, NG9 1LP from 7 p.m. This is near Beeston railway station.
You can even Join the Facebook event

RMT train to A Future that Works this Satuday

The RMT have informed us that they still have a few tickets left for their special charter train this Saturday going to London for the "Future that Works" march and rally.

Special Train to TUC Demonstration in London against Government Cuts 20^th October 2012

The train departs Sheffield at 07:23 and calls at Derby and Leicester before arriving at London St Pancras at 10:15

Departure times are as follows

Sheffield              07:23

Derby                    08:14

Leicester              08:41

A train has been chartered for the return journey too which will leave London St Pancras 16:45

Arrival times for the return journey are:

Leicester              17:58       

Derby                    18:37       

Sheffield              19:21

 

Tickets are £20 each for a return journey - but you need to book really fast so they can be posted on Wednesday! Contact Dave Jones at RMT via d.jones@rmt.org.uk

World Mental Health day at University of Derby

Members of the Midlands TUC Disability Forum have spent the day talking to students and staff at the University of Derby about mental health issues. The exhibition, run by Derbyshire Healthcare, is the first time the forum has taken its message outside the union movement.
"We have had lots if interest," said Phil Norton, a Unite member of the forum, " with many not realizing that trade unions support and represent members with mental health issues - It's what we do".

Our Future - it must Work!

The Midlands TUC organised the successful trade union march and rally at the Conservative Party conference on Sunday 7th October. Thousands turned up to make their protest against cuts of all sorts - from disability and housing payments, to attacks on trade union members - and the lack of investment in manufacturing and infrastructure. Health service cuts were highlighted in the speeches in Victoria Square where several General Secretaries and senior union officials spelt out what life under the Tories is really like.
Pictured are some of those that are really suffering under the coalition and have joined the TUC 's campaign group under the banner of "A Future that Works". These are young people from the Black Country who have been campaigning against youth unemployment in their area. Some were marching for the first time in their lives to deliver the message to the government - that we need investment in jobs and skills.

After the night before

While the stage goes in for the Future that Works rally in Victoria Square, Birmingham, the city's cleaners are making sure that all is Spock and span - even the fountains get the once over. Public servants, fantastic people!

Birmingham rally today - the stage goes in.

Today's march and rally in Birmingham takes place in a few short hours. Our stage crew are on site and setting up ready for our speakers who include Unites Len McClusky and Ucatts Steve Murphy.

Victoria Square is new assembly and rally point for Tory Party march and rally

The final details for the march and rally at the Conservative Party conference this Sunday 7th October can now be announced. 

Please NOTE that there have been changes to the previously advertised march and rally as we now have the use of VICTORIA SQUARE in Birmingham. The march will assemble in Victoria Square at the slightly earlier time of 10:30 a.m. The march will move off at 11.00 a.m. and return to Victoria Square for speeches from union leaders. 

The new revised leaflet is reproduced below: