Fighting the BNP with every vote cast tomorrow

Since I became active politically, anti-BNP work has been a continuous part. From getting most of the windows in the big student area at Birmingham Uni displaying posters saying that fascist are not welcome – to this year spending hours at the computer calling members about the BNP.

UNISON has again produced our own materials aimed primarily at our members and their families, with a focus on the BNP and their affect on public services as well as their general nastiness. These have gone around the two hospitals I work in and seem to have gone down well. And as with last year we are the major supporter of the Hope not Hate campaign with Searchlight and the Daily Mirror. This activity gets out beyond our own membership and into the community and is really excellent campaign with brilliant materials and an excellent and intelligence lead anti-BNP strategy.

The fight this year was always going to be a tough one, which UNISON has been planning for a long time, but the events in politics over the last weeks and months have made our fight all the more difficult.

I’ve spent some time this week on the phone to UNISON members in the West Midlands. My region is a high target for the BNP and they came closest here in the last Euro’s. I’ve been asking members whether they’re likely to vote tomorrow and I’ve often heard that people aren’t planning to vote this year because they feel they’re all as bad as each other. Now hopefully these members have been talked round and will get to the ballot box tomorrow (I gave up on the one women that was about to leave the country to go on holiday, bit late to arrange a postal vote). But there will be many others feeling just like that.

I have been motivated this year by the real fear that I will wake up to a BNP MEP (not literally wake up to one you understand), representing me in Europe with their vial racist, homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic, disablist hate.

But that won’t happen if anti-racists turn out in numbers at the ballot box and defeat the fascists.

If you’re not going to vote BNP then you need to vote for someone. Obviously that you’ve voted is great, but who? I make no secret about my Labour Party membership, but I genuinely believe that a vote for Labour in Europe is a vote for people who genuinely represent the interests of our members. From equalities legislation to protection for agency workers, from help to reduced maternal mortality to fighting for the right of LGBT people to celebrate their identity in Pride events, Labour MEPs have shown they are on our side.

Don’t let racists speak for you – Vote in the Euro (and county elections if you live in one) and reject the racist BNP

Politics needs to change – it needs to put YOU first!

I’m on my way home from London at the moment having had three really good and important meetings, the Policy Development and Campaigns Committee, the Campaigns and Recruitment Working Group and National Labour Link Committee.

And the key message from all of these meeting is that in the light of all of the different thing going on in the world, things need to change. At PDCC we agreed the next steps for our response to the global economic crisis, being building a significant campaign around the ‘Putting YOU First: a million voices for change campaign’, the leaflet that has been produced already puts across the message that the PDCC has developed around building a fairer society and the importance of public services in a recession and the recovery. PDCC decided that this would be UNISON’s key campaign priority for at least the next year, if not three.

The Campaigns & Recruitment meeting then had the job of looking at the campaign in more detail. Key issues were raised about how we make this campaign real and meaningful for our members and how we support branches to deliver the campaign locally. It was agreed that materials wherever possible would be adaptable to local circumstances and issues. We also wanted to make sure that the campaign would go along side existing activities branches are being asked to do, so that we don’t increase the burden on branches – activities such as recruitment, talking to members, e-mail and other online communications. We also want it to be a campaign that all the different parts of the union can support, so well be looking for this to be discussed in each region, service group, self-organised group, retired members and of course young members.

Today was the Labour Link Committee and as well as the important topics of European/Local Election and Anti-BNP work, our parliamentary campaigns such as the Equality Bill and the Health Bill, arrangements for Labour Link Forum (where we are supporting every motion!), and Labour Party Conference, there was of course a big issue of expenses (MP’s not mine – I don’t have a moat to clean even if I could claim for it). The anger in the room reflected that in the public, but was also accompanied by disappointment and betrayal. There was a feeling that lessons should be learned from the European Parliamentary Labour Party, who in the light of problems with that expenses system agreed to their own extra provisions for transparency and decency. I put forward that the structures of the Labour Party should take control of this, and our members of the Labour NEC should take that strongly to their next meeting, including provisions for de-selecting MPs where necessary. Only bold action can help Labour recover from this, and I think that we in the party ourselves need to take that action to try and regain some credibility with the public, and recognise that our party and its membership are fundamentally decent despite what our representatives sometimes portray.

For me both these issues are united by the increasing disconnection between a ‘political elite’ and those of us they are supposed to represent. But I don’t think that should put us off from politics, but it should make us get more involved and claim back our political power.

Minimum Wage - some increase better than none and apprentice recommendation some cause for celebration

Today the Low Pay Commission have published their recommendations for the national minimum wage - and the Government have responded.

Against powerful and sustained business lobbying the LPC have recommended increases, though incredibly 'modest'. The increases are a disappointment but the increase at all can be regarded as a moderate success.

So the rates will be: (health warning on percentages - I've worked them out myself so my maths might be wrong)

• 22 and over can look forward to an increase from £5.73 to £5.80 an hour (7p! - 1.22%)
  
• The rate for 18 to 21-year-olds will also rise from £4.77 to £4.83 (6p! - 1.26%)
  
• For 16 and 17-year-olds, the rate will rise from £3.53 an hour to £3.57 (4p! - 1.13%)

Disappointingly there has been no movement on the age differentials, other than with the Government finally accepting the LPC's recommendation that the adult rate starts at 21, though this wont be implemented until 2010.

The real good news is the recommendation to include apprentices within the National Minimum Wage. UNISON, together with our campaign partners, have made strong arguments about the protection of these workers and the low pay commission has taken on board many of our arguments. The Low Pay Commission has asked the Government to ask them to look in detail at the arrangements for a rate to cover apprentices and its implementation in its next round. The Government has not yet accepted that recommendation and says it will respond in the summer when it sets the LPC's remit.

This means that there is now an important piece of work UNISON needs to do with our partners to make sure that the Government accepts the recommendation. Then it will be key to make sure that the provisions really support apprentices.

Last young members weekend

This weekend was my last young members weekend, as old age comes ever closer.

It was as always a brilliant weekend, and with record numbers of young members in attendance. One of the brilliant things about the Young Members Weekend is that the delegates range from the experienced old timers like myself to young members for whom the weekend has been their first activity within UNISON.

I helped to organise a fringe with the Cuba Solidarity Campaign were we showed the film which was made about our trip to Cuba last year.

For the first time this year we had a speaker from the Government, with Hazel Blears popping across from Salford. Government speakers at UNISON events are always controversial, and with all that's gone on Hazel was no exception. But she did really well, and it was really interesting to hear about what had brought her into the trade unions (NALGO at the time) and what had got her involved in politics.

A key part of the weekend is for regional groups to come up with action plans we're going to deliver back in our regions. This year these plans were presented back as 'Young Members Got Talent', with the best (though not the winner) was the West Mids with our song about our planned Hope not Hate activity.

As part of the close of the weekend I was asked to say a few words. I was surprised how emotional I got, particularly as I thanked those who have supported me to get more involved with Young Members and helped me get to where I am today. I particularly thanked Fiona Smith (Chair of the National Young Members Forum when I started on it and now NEC member for Scotland), Anne True (the NYMF Chair when I was Vice Chair and going on to be Asst. Regional Convener and then UNISON staff), and Angela Bowen (a fellow NYMF member when I started and now NEC member for the North West) and used them as an example of how getting involved with Young Members can then lead on to getting involved in the mainstream union.

I talked about three important elections and what we needed to do. The first being the NEC elections which close on Friday, emphasising how important participation in our elections are, making sure everyone returns their ballot. Secondly the European and local elections on June the 4th and the importance of voting against the BNP and helping to mobilise the anti-fascist vote. Thirdly, and most importantly, the General Election which is ahead in the next year. I emphasised the danger that the conservatives pose to our members and our services and the need to do whatever we can to keep them out of power; ultimately that means making sure we return the Labour Party to Government.

10 years in UNISON

I'm not sure sure of the exact date, but it was this time around 10 years ago that I both entered the workforce and joined UNISON.

I was working while at college and knowing that I wanted to be a nurse and needing a flexible job that I could fit around my studies I got a job as a care assistant (or Personal Carer as we were known) with HICA a private sector provider which had taken over care homes across Humberside (as was). I was very much from a family where it came as naturally as anything else that if you had a job, you joined the union, and the only recognised union was UNISON.

Being a member 10 years ago was for different to my experience now. I think I was the only member in the home (though I may not have been), those staff that had been members told me how they left because they felt let down and abandoned when they were privatised. Now I'm sure the local Branch were working hard on behalf these members (though it was about 5 years before I worked there) but rightly or wrongly those staff felt that their union had let them down.

As someone who is now massively involved in the leadership of the union, both at a Branch and National level, I always try and remember that unorganised workplace and the experience of those staff.

I hope in my own Branch that we try and communicate well enough with our members, face to face as much as possible, for them to feel involved and know we're on their side. That challenge is even harder on a national level but the principle's the same.

The sun shone on us at UNISON's Health Conference in Harrogate

The Sun has been out in force at every Health Conference I've been to. Harrogate was no different. It was my first visit to Harrogate and it's always good to be back in Yorkshire.

The weather was the same as last year, but the climate of the conference couldn't have been more different. Last years conference came days after the three year deal came forward, a deal with some real benefits, having smashed the 2% pay cap and was one of the highest in the public sector, but all the same a deal that was well behind what our members deserved. Conference took the difficult decision to ballot our members on the deal, and our members accepted.

A year later world economies have collapsed and unemployment is ravaging lives, and it was clear that our pay this year is protected thanks to the deal, and as RPI goes negative and the Tories are calling for the deal to be unpicked, it was good to hear Alan Johnson tell the conference that the Government wouldn't bow to those demands and they would honour the deal.

The key debate of Conference was on whether UNISON looks to leave the PRB (NHS Pay Review Body) process. There are worthy principles in the debate, but my intervention focused on asking delegates to look past the passionate speakers and the rhetoric and to look to what is best for our members back in our branches, and that with what has happened in the economy any Government will be looking to hold back public spending, and then the prospect of a Tory Government bring about the prospect of dramatic cuts.

I was glad that the conference clearly voted to stick with the PRB process.

A key announcement was from Dave Prentis, announcing UNISON's new partnership with the nursing times, allowing significant discounts for our members as well as supporting each other with dedicated online space. This will really benefit UNISON's nursing membership (students, auxiliary and registered) and will really help us recruit even more within those groups.

On a personal note I was really proud of my own Branch Secretary who in moving our Branch's motion on the nursing workforce made her first conference speech and did a brilliant job.

I've Voted in UNISON's NEC Elections - Now it's your turn

After nervously checking the post all week I got my hands on my Ballot Papers this evening when I got home after a 15 hour day on the ward.

We all know how important elections are, they are an opportunity to choose our representatives and have our voice heard.

But UNISON's NEC elections are crucial as they decides who spends our money that we give the union every month (we know that money is becoming more and more difficult for many of our members as our families are hit by the recession). And it decides who speaks for you and builds your union, and whether that's about what's in the interests of us as members or in the interests of small political cliches and their revolutionary ambitions.

I've used my vote for candidates who will look after our subs, speak for us all and build a union with members at its heart.

If you're interested (because this is an instance where copying is encouraged) here's how I've voted

West Midlands
Annette Mansell-Green (Female Seat)
Eleanor Smith (Female Seat)
James Anthony (Male Seat) - yes that's me
Mary Locke (Low Paid Seat)

Health Seat
Clare Williams (General Seat)
Ann Moses (Female Seat)
Chris Sullivan (Female Seat)
Eric Roberts (Male Seat)

Black Members
June Nelson (Female Seat)
Mark Clifford (Male Seat)

Young Members (the best one!)
Lisa Waldock

Make sure you use your vote!

If you haven't yet received your ballot paper it might still be in the post - but if you haven't received it by the 21st April you should contact UNISONDirect on 0845 355 0845.