Announcing Friday Night at The Chainmakers

Friday night at The Chainmakers is to be held at the festival site, Bearmore Park, Cradley Heath, from 7.00 p.m. until 11.00 p.m. This is a free event and forms part of the Women Chainmakers festival which takes place on Saturday 8th June. 

The new promotional video can be viewed below or on YouTube here

Carling workers take ‘pay cut’ dispute to Burton public on Saturday

Unite Regional Officer, Rick Coyle

Employees at the Molson Coors brewery in Burton-on-Trent, who face being sacked and reinstated on inferior pay and conditions, will be lobbying the public for support in the town’s shopping centre on Saturday (25 May).

The workers will be on hand at The Octagon Centre in New Street between 10.00-14.00, next to a 4ft cut-out of a beer bottle.

The event, organised by Unite, the largest union in the country, is designed to drum up public support on the eve of the result of a strike ballot in the dispute over the management’s proposals, which include axing the wages of 184 brewery technicians by up to £9,000-a-year.

The 455-strong workforce at the brewery – Britain’s biggest – face being sacked after 10 June and reemployed on inferior pay and conditions.

The ballot result, expected to strongly endorse strike action, is due on Tuesday (28 May).  A mass rally of the workers is due to be held at Burton Albion football club at 18.30 on Tuesday when the ballot result will be announced.

Talks between the company management and Unite are due to be held at a secret location on Tuesday and Wednesday (28-29 May) to seek a solution to the long-running dispute.

The company’s senior global directors have been bombarded with 2,500 emails asking for a fair settlement at the Burton plant which produces Carling, Grolsch, Coors Lite and Cobra lagers, as well as beers including Worthington, White Shield and Stones.

Unite regional officer Rick Coyle said: “The event on Saturday is designed to explain to the Burton public the true facts about this dispute which could see some workers lose up to £9,000-a-year.

“The brewery is a major employer in the region and should treat its workforce with fairness and respect.

“We are expecting the workforce to vote by a large majority for strike action, but we hope that next week’s negotiations with the company will

result in a positive and constructive outcome.

“Molson Coors is a highly profitable company that has benefited greatly from the chancellor’s reduction in beer duty in the recent budget – and there is no financial reason for these proposed swingeing cuts in pay and conditions.”

One of the key issues in the dispute is that employees have been given notice of radical new shift patterns with 30 days annual leave - leaving 335 days either working, or at home and contactable to come into work at 23 hours notice.

Government should act on work capability assessments ruling, says TUC

The TUC has today (Wednesday) welcomed a legal judgement which has ruled that the government’s work capability assessments (which are used to work out whether people are eligible for certain benefits) hugely disadvantage people with mental health problems and learning difficulties.

Commenting on the decision – which follows a case brought by two un-named individuals – TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady (above) said:

“Rather than waste time appealing against the decision and causing individuals yet more distress and anxiety, the Department for Work and Pensions should instead concentrate on improving its procedures.

“If work capability assessments are to be fair and no longer discriminate against people with a mental illness or learning disability, all the relevant medical evidence must be sourced before a decision is taken about whether someone is eligible for employment and support allowance.

“Changes must be made to the assessments now, otherwise anyone who struggles to collect together the necessary material to support their case will continue to be assessed incorrectly and wrongly denied the support they need.”

Carling workers at Burton-on-Trent face £9,000 pay cut - or the Sack

Unite members at Molson Coors Brewery in Burton-on-Trent are asking for your support

As you may be aware, Unite members employed at Molson Coors brewery – makers of Carling lager - have been told they must take a £9,000 pay cut or face the sack.

This is totally unacceptable. Our members face losing their homes if management’s proposals (link to proposals on website) go ahead. And a cut in their pay will hit our communities hard – very hard.

We are now gearing up our members for strike action – and we will stop them – a yes vote is expected on 28 May.

How you can help

Please take a moment to send a message (link Burton.Brewery@unitetheunion.org) of solidarity to Carling workers in Burton-on-Trent. Send a message now by emailing Burton.Brewery@unitetheunion.org.

Donate to the fighting fund. Cheques should be made payable to 'Unite' with 'Burton Brewery' written on the back and sent to: Unite the Union, Finance Department, Transport House, 9-17 Victoria Street, West Bromwich, West Midlands, B70 8HX.

Tweet your support to #burtonbrewery
Link to (&&https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?hashtags=burtonbrewery&original_referer=http://www.unitetheunion.org/how-we-help/listofregions/westmidlands/supportcarlingworkersatburtonontrent/&xd_token=1c7613e6bfd398)

We have to stand up for our members – and your support is vital. Follow the campaign at www.unitetheunion.org/carling

In solidarity,

Gerard Coyne
Regional Secretary

Midlands launch of the TUC "A Future that Works" campaign

GMB bring blacklisting campaign to Birmingham

Today the GMB highlights the issue of blacklisting in the construction industry by protesting outside the offices of Dianne Hughes who was an HR officer at Carillion when that company used the services of the Consulting Association. The GMB is calling on former HR professionals who have knowledge of the practice to come forward and tell what they know.

Women Chainmakers festival returns to Cradley Heath

The 2013 Women Chainmakers' festival will be held at Bearmore Park, Cradley Heath on Saturday 8th June. Check out our promotional video on YouTube or watch it here.

Blacklisting Demo at Big Lottery

The GMB is to protest at the Big Lottery in Birmingham on Tuesday 14th May over HR professional's role in Blacklisting Construction workers. 

GMB asked Dianne Hughes if she would join other human resources professionals, and talk to us about blacklisting, to get to the truth, but instead she threatened litigation

GMB plan a protest demonstration from 11am on Tuesday 14 May outside the Birmingham offices of Dianne Hughes who is employed as Deputy Director of Human Resources at The Big Lottery Fund.

Ms Hughes was listed as the main contact for blacklisting at Costain by Ian Kerr, who ran the Consulting Association blacklisting body, in written evidence to the Scottish Affairs Select Committee Inquiry on blacklisting in the UK Parliament. She was Human Resources Business Partner, Carillion, 2002-2004 and then Head of Human Resources Crown House Technologies, 2004-2008.

Blacklisting came to light when in 2009 the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) seized a Consulting Association database of 3,213 construction workers and environmental activists used by 44 companies to vet new recruits and keep out of employment trade union and health and safety activists. Over 60% of those on the blacklist were aged between 30 and 50 in the mid1990s. They were mainly active trade union lay leaders on construction sites.

This GMB protest is the first as part of the union’s campaign to get named managers and human resources professionals involved with blacklisting in construction to apologise for their role in blacklisting, to come clean and tell what they knows about it.

The details of the protest demonstrations are as follows:

From 11am Tuesday 14th May

Outside Big Lottery offices 

Apex House

Embassy Drive

Calthorpe Road

Edgbaston

Birmingham

West Midlands

B15 1TP

Protesters will have flags and banners and placards with “You've more chance of being blacklisted than winning the Lottery”

Blacklisting was not something rare. GMB estimates that in one quarter for example that Carillion checked 2,776 names with the Consulting Association and in the period from October 1999 to April 2004 it estimates that Carillion checked at least 14,724 names.

By autumn 2012 only 194 of the 3,213 people on the blacklist knew that they were on the list as these had contacted the ICO directly.

ICO finally agreed to supply names, date of birth, trade and town to enable GMB to check against membership records to find members on the blacklist.

GMB found nearly 200 exact matches and the union is working to get files from ICO.  Leigh Day is preparing litigation to get them compensation at no cost to these GMB members.

GMB issued a map showing where in GB 2,554 lived or worked. GMB also disclosed that some on the list are green activists who have not worked in construction industry. GMB is asking if the security services were involved in them being put on the list. GMB also revealed that at least 240 on the list are women.

Of 1,864 people on the list there are: 529 electricians (28.4%), 240 labourers (12.9%), 211 joiners/carpenters (11.3%), 174 pipe fitters/laggers (9.3%), 141 platers, erectors and other metal workers (7.6%), 105 bricklayers (5.6%), 99 welders (5.3%), 96 scaffolders (5.2%), 66 banksman/ riggers (3.5%), 63 others (3.4%). 33 miners/ tunnellers (1.8%), 31 plumbers (1.7%), 25 fitters (1.3%), 21 drivers/crane drivers (1.1%), 17 plasterers/painters (0.9%) and 13 engineers (0.7%).The occupation for 1,349 people on the list is not known.

Justin Bowden, GMB National Officer, said “GMB will force the companies to apologise and compensate those they blacklisted. GMB is also calling to account all the managers and the human resources professionals who organized the whole thing for 20 years. That is the reason for this protest

GMB asked Dianne Hughes if she would join other human resources professionals, and talk to us about blacklisting, to get to the truth, but instead she threatened litigation.

New employers need to know their staff were involved in this shameful practice.

There will be a report at GMB Congress in Plymouth on 4th June on progress on a  High Court action on blacklisting involving over one hundred GMB members.

GMB is seeking a commitment that the Labour Party makes a public inquiry into blacklisting a manifesto pledge.”

Call Justin Bowden on 07710 631351 or Maria Ludkin 07956 632 657 or GMB press office at 07921 289880 or 07974 251 823

For union members to identify more names on the blacklist call please call Phil Read at GMB on 01603 742 877 or 07840 897997 or email him blacklisted@gmb.org.uk

Contact Dave Smith 07882 579 452 re Blacklist Support Group AGM.

What Government Education policy means for our children

24 hours until Parents, Teachers and the public rally for Education

As part of a campaign to defend the education of children and young people, parents, teachers, headteachers, governors and other members of the public will be taking part tomorrow (Saturday 11 May) in the next series of Rallies for Education, following the hugely successful events in the North West on 27 April.

The Rallies for Education are jointly organised by the NASUWT and NUT teachers’ trade unions, which together represent nine out of ten classroom teachers across the country.

Saturday’s rallies are being held in Birmingham and Leeds and will be addressed by NASUWT General Secretary Chris Keates and NUT General Secretary Christine Blower, as well as parents, teachers and others.

The rallies come as both unions embark on the next phase of their campaign of industrial action, which will include a one-day strike in the North West on 27 June.

Further Rallies for Education will be held in Cardiff and Newcastle in the coming weeks.

Chris Keates, NASUWT General Secretary, said:

“Parents, teachers and the public care deeply about the education of our children and young people. That is why there is widespread opposition to the education policies of the Coalition Government.

“These Rallies for Education are being held in defence of our world-class public education system which the Coalition Government is determined to wreck.”

Christine Blower, NUT General Secretary, said:
“We know that neither teachers nor parents are happy with education policy under Michael Gove. He is hellbent on riding roughshod over the wishes of parents, local communities and the teaching profession.
“Even the Public Accounts Committee has now publicly criticised him.
“These rallies give an opportunity for the voices of opposition to be raised. We know there are alternatives. Michael Gove must now stop, listen and reflect.”