Pensions Justice Action Saturday - November 19th

Trade Unions across the Midlands were out in force on Action Saturday, 19^th November.

(Pictured: Joe Morgan, GMB Birmingham and West Midlands Regional Secretary with Gerard Coyne, UNITE West Midlands Regional Secretary )

Unions were out in the community building support, discusssing with Saturday shoppers why unions are taking industrial action on 30^th November.

Activity was taking place in Birmingham, Telford, Leicester, Solihull, Lincoln, Mansfield and Nottingham.

In Birmingham alone some 10,000 leaflets were distributed by activists from the GMB, UNITE, NUT, PCS and NASUWT unions. The leaflets aimed to both dispell myths surrounding the pensions debate and promote the 'Pensions Justice - Day of Action' in Birmingham on November 30.

The reponse from the public was overwhelmingly positive, with many people choosing to sign a petition speaking out against the Government's 'Triple Squeeze' of working longer, paying more and getting less.

It is clear that the public are increasingly aware that working people are being scapegoated by the Government for the mistakes of the financial speculators.

Solihull Pensions leafleting Saturday 30th november

UNISON’s, Solihull Local Government Branch, will be leafleting in Pine Square, Chelmsley Wood & Solihull High Street between 10am and 1pm on Saturday 19^th November. If you can help for an hour just turn up and get leafleting!

Public Meeting - “Crisis in Midlands Journalism”

Public Meeting - “Crisis in Midlands Journalism”

6.30-9.30pm Thursday, December 8

Committee Rooms, Birmingham Council House, Victoria Square

Speaker: NUJ General Secretary Michelle Stanistreet

The Murdochs have dragged journalism’s reputation into the gutter nationally, but in the Midlands other dangerous attacks on the profession are taking place.

Trinity Mirror has put a dagger through the heart of its Midlands operations with news of scores of job cuts at its titles, including making all of its photographers in the region redundant and axing the 140-year-old Sutton Coldfield News.

National Union of Journalists members at the BBC’s Mailbox centre and Radio Coventry and Warwickshire are braced for around 100 editorial job cuts, as part of 2,000 demanded nationally because of the politically-driven short-changing of the Licence Fee settlement.

When these are combined with savage restructurings that have already taken place at ITV Central News, all the commercial radio stations and other local newspapers, we have a perfect storm not only for journalism, but democratic scrutiny in our communities.

Birmingham & Coventry NUJ Branch has called this debate to highlight the urgent peril to the West Midlands. Join us on the night to show your support for quality journalism.

Nottinghamshire Pensions leafletting tomorrow

Nottinghamshire trade unionists are holding leafletting sessions right across the county - can you help for an hour to promote this campaign to protect public sector pensions?
Contacts below:
Nottingham Market Square, 12 noon, contact nottstc@gmail..com
Beeston 12 noon, contact Thomas.unterrainer@talk21.com for more info
Sutton in Ashfield town centre, 12 noon, contact Mick at mansfieldcentralbranch@googlemail.com
Mansfield town centre, 12 noon contact Danny on maggiekind@btinternet.com
West Bridgford, Outside Oxfam Shop contact Martin Sleath on martin.sleath@nottscc.gov.uk
Sherwood Nottingham, 12 noon, contact Richard Buckwell, richardbuckwell@hotmail.com

Youth joblessness milestone is the true mark of government economic strategy

Commenting on the latest unemployment figures published today (Wednesday) by the Office for National Statistics, Midlands TUC Regional Secretary Rob Johnston said: “Today’s milestone of more than a million young people being out of work is the true mark of the government’s economic strategy.
“Government plans to offer cut-price work experience are a woefully inadequate response. The Prime Minister must stop the risk of losing a generation to unemployment and under achievement by guaranteeing a job or high quality training to every young person out of work for six months.
“But the UK’s jobs crisis is not confined to youngsters. Overall unemployment is now rising at a rate not seen since the worst days of the recession. And wage rises are falling at a faster rate than inflation.
“Rather than using the Eurozone as an excuse for our mounting economic troubles, the government should be using it to change course. The 2.6 million people out of work is the clearest sign yet that self-defeating austerity is not working.”

Scrapping the 50p tax would be both unfair and bad economics, says TUC

Midlands TUC Regional Secretary, Rob Johnston

Commenting on calls from business leaders that the Chancellor should speed up plans to scrap the 50p income tax rate, Midlands TUC Regional Secretary Rob Johnston said: "This is no more than a bunch of very rich people saying that they should make the ultimate sacrifice of paying less tax to help the economy.
"The truth is that giving more cash to the rich is not just unfair but bad economics as they are least likely to spend it in ways that boost jobs. Any plan for growth should ease the position of low to middle earners, not the super rich."

For more from the TUC on the arguments against scrapping the 50p tax, see this Touchstone blog from TUC Head of Economics Nicola Smith http://touchstoneblog.org.uk/2011/09/what-are-the-arguments-against-scrapping-the-50p-tax-rate/

Derby visit highlights social costs of government policies

Frances O'Grady with Mohammed Sharief, Executive Director of JET (right)
 and TUC Regional Secretary Rob Johnston (left)

When TUC Deputy General Secretary Frances O'Grady viisted Derby one message came through loud and clear - government policies on manufacturing, jobs, procurement, pensions and social welfare were just not working.
During her visit to the threatened Bombardier plant she heard of the frustrations of both management and shop stewards who knew their plant could be successful if they were given the chance. They also were very aware that Bombardier is the last UK based train manufacturer and were keen to see the skills required for train building retained in this country. Generations of derby workers had delivered high quality trains to customers - now threatened by the decision to give the Thameslink contract to Siemens.
The second leg of Frances' visit took her to JET - Jobs Education and Training - set in the most deprived wards of Derby. Mohammed Sharief, Executive Director of JET, explained how the need for the services his organisation had grown recently. "We now have over 1,000 people coming through our doors every month," he said, "looking for support in a whole range of areas from learning to speak English to setting up a business". Mr Sharief continued, "We are also aware that cuts to the voluntary sector means other support organisations are finding it difficult to continue so we look at how we can help them keep going."
The final leg of the tour was to discuss the current dispute around public sector pensions which will result in a day of action on November 30th. Plans to build for a march and rally in derby were well advanced - and turnout is expected to be high given some unions not noted for taking strike action had also returned yes ballots.
Frances said, "It is always good to get out of Congress House and hear the views of the people e represent, on both industrial and social issues. Clearly there is much going on in Derby of which working people can be proud - our aim is to keep them in work and to support those without jobs in getting them - and soon."