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Jon's union blog
This is my personal blog. I am a member of the National Executive Council (NEC) of UNISON, the public service union (www.unison.org.uk).
UNISON is not responsible for the contents of this blog.
I am a socialist and a Labour Party member. I am a member of the Labour Representation Committee (www.l-r-c.org.uk).
To contact me use jonrogers1963@googlemail.com
I update this blog regularly - so scroll down...
Updated: 44 min 50 sec ago Support the tube workers!Members of RMT and TSSA taking strike action from this evening on the tube deserve all our support.
Job cuts never improve services - and having fewer staff on the underground network obviously compromises safety.
Over the coming months many more of us will face the need to take action...
Categories: personal
Jasper's mad attack upon the workersAt long last the cheap journalism of freedom of information requests made months ago by implausibly named Torygraph hack "Jasper Copping" has seen the light of day...
Categories: personal
Unblairable!So Tony Blair says that he knew Brown's premiership would be a disaster (http://m.guardian.co.uk/ms/p/gmg/op/sDtTw6B1McjXe3RtcOrYA_w/view.m?id=553170&tid=120787&cat=News).
I can't help feeling Blair brings all the perspective of an Ouslum bird...
Categories: personal
Critical Engagement? No Thanks!Brendan Barber's introduction to the General Council's report to the forthcoming Trades Union Congress (http://www.tuc.org.uk/congress/tuc-18386-f0.cfm) characterises the response of our movement to what he describes as the "onslaught" from the Coalition Government as one of...
Categories: personal
Using legal action against the cutsFull marks to UNISON for launching a legal challenge to ConDem plans for the break up of the NHS (http://www.unison.org.uk/asppresspack/pressrelease_view.asp?id=1958). Its good to see a combative approach to a reactionary Government which won't even pretend to listen to us.
At this...
Categories: personal
Good work by the IFS poses a challenge to the TUCGood for the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) for debunking Tory claims that the Emergency budget was not distributionally regressive (http://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/5245). In Plain English the IFS show that the ConDems are hitting the poor harder than the better off with June's changes...
Categories: personal
Labour leadership preferences...In a moment snatched from dealing with the current reality of redundancies I have contributed to an email discussion between members of the Labour Representation Committee about the Labour leadership election and - since work pressures restrict blogging just now - thought I would inflict my...
Categories: personal
Unity is strengthIt is the middle of the summer holiday - but that doesn't mean redundancy threats have gone on holiday - even those applying to workers whose conditions of service mean they aren't here to defend themselves in August.
I spent some time today (in a joint union capacity) filling in for NUT...
Categories: personal
Equality, cuts and contradictionsI’ve blogged before to welcome the admirable legal challenge from the Fawcett Society to the ConDem Emergency Budget for breaching the Gender Equality Duty through a complete failure to assess (never mind attempt to redress) the disproportionate impact of deficit reduction measures on women when...
Categories: personal
Flying piggy banksYou have to wonder what is going on in the minds of those trade unionists engaging in the Hutton review of public sector pensions as if it was a genuine exercise in assessing how to maintain fair and affordable pension provision for millions of public servants.
It's not. It's a softening up...
Categories: personal
Hands Off Our PensionsI think that when the leading independent money saving website tells me that someone is nicking money off me I ought to pay attention.
At our National Delegate Conference our General Secretary told us he would lead a fight against attacks upon our pensions. A massive attack has now taken place....
Categories: personal
Four more voices for public services...With an impressive 17,315 names signed up to UNISON’s “Million Voices” campaign in defence of public services, today brought the news of four more voices soon to be added (or at least increased in volume).
At twenty to seven on a Friday evening in early August, members of UNISON’s National...
Categories: personal
Coalition of ResistanceGood to see a broad basis of support for the statement in support of a coalition of resistance today (http://m.guardian.co.uk/ms/p/gmg/op/s8lV1K7bMN8iuj41C1_S3Xg/view.m?id=525597&tid=120787&cat=Comment). I'm pleased to see a fellow UNISON blogger (http://www.unionfutures.blogspot.com/)...
Categories: personal
Absence makes the heart grow fonder?I make a point of trying to enjoy every one of the 34 days paid leave I get - since several of them are the direct product of an important trade union victory thirteen years ago - when the joint trade unions in Lambeth Council saw off an attempt to attack our conditions of service.
Since that...
Categories: personal
Equality impacts on ConDemsLocal cuts had already focused my attention on the equalities dimensions of the coming attacks on jobs and services (http://jonrogers1963.blogspot.com/2010/07/cutting-away-at-equality.html) so I am incredibly pleased at the news that the Fawcett Society, having considered the disproportionate...
Categories: personal
ConDems hate our kidsWere I given to wearing hats I would tip mine to the Touchstone blog for summarising a range of recent cuts to Children's Services (http://www.touchstoneblog.org.uk/2010/07/cuts-watch-164-more-cuts-to-children%e2%80%99s-services/).
I don't lightly hat tip and do so on this occasion not...
Categories: personal
How can we make an alliance with our employers against Tory cuts?It’s good to be on leave. A change is as good as a rest and the different sort of busy is a restful change. I am pleased to have time to step back and look at what is going on at work.
I see that someone claiming to speak on behalf of Lambeth Council is in denial about clear evidence of a racial...
Categories: personal
US unions resolve dispute :)Having blogged here in the past about correspondence from US Union UNITE HERE concerning their problems with UNISON’s sister union, the SEIU, I am pleased to be able to link to the announcement that the inter-union hostilities in the US are at an end.
It does seem that the recent change in the...
Categories: personal
Cutting away at equalityI blogged earlier elsewhere about cuts locally, which the trade unions are resisting.
After some struggling to get an Equality Impact Assessment from the employer we have found that their proposals - as they stand - would disproportionately threaten black workers with redundancy. Though the...
Categories: personal
Partnership? No Thanks!Here's an interesting report I tripped over on t'intraweb the other day. It is an audit report from September last year which runs through some of the failures of a "partnership" involving Capita and Swindon Council and should be required reading for any gullible local Councillors (or lazy senior...
Categories: personal
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