Insight Winter 2013

The magazine for GMB members

Insight www.gmbscotland.org.uk

Winter 2013

Well ! ne do GMB bra nch funds Malawi well

r e toofw strength GMB’s Maureen Gordon beats her bully

“I won a car with GMB! Could you be next?” See p17

How you can make a difference and have your say!

GMB’s Purpose

“We work to improve the quality of life and provide new opportunities for all our members and their families.

We aim to improve the lives of GMB members and make sure that their achievements lead the way for working people in Britain and across the world. . .

We will aim to end exploitation, discrimination and injustice.”

Taken from the GMB Rule Book

art of this? p e b o t t n a w u o y do

sionate about, tell us about • If you have an issue you feel pas what you want to change. ut the workplace, it can be about • Your issue doesn’t have to be abo es that affect you and your family. the wider political and social issu

FOLK HERO GMB Congress 2014 will take place d. in Nottingham, home of Robin Hoo

You can help GMB shape a better future and make a real difference ed?

How do I get involv

r chance to be part of • What you have to say could be you or GMB campaigns influencing GMB decision making them about your ideas • Contact your GMB branch and tell into a motion for debate at • Your issue could even be turned GMB Congress in June 2014 ch Regional Office by • Your branch’s motions must rea 31 January 2014 For more information please go to www.gmb.org.uk/congress GMB Congress 2014 takes place from Sunday 8 June to Thursday 12 June 2014 in Nottingham.

To attend you must be nominated by your branch, and be a paid-up member for 53 weeks.

02 www.gmb.org.uk

In this issue...

Harry Donaldson ary et GMB Scotland secr

Could you train a guide dog? Page 6

Get GMB in your pocket with the new mobile app Page 16

Regional

National

4 Cathy on the NHS

9 Employer hostility

GMB member Cathy Murphy speaks on the NHS at Labour Party Conference

6 Charity spotlight

Scottish GMB branch funds water pump project in Malawi

7 Creating jobs

GMB pushes for new jobs for displaced nuclear facility workers

8 Look to the future

How the new local government pension scheme affects you

26 Safety first

GMB wins for members injured at work

28 What went wrong?

GMB is investigating how an ambulance worker became the victim of abuse

30 Tough at the top

GMB is looking out for the health of football coaches and managers

31 Back of the net!

We’re backing community footie teams

GMB regional editor Brian Johnstone: 0141 332 8641 Editorial director Stephen Pierce Editor Matt Robinson Art editor Johnny Goddard Contributors Victoria Ford, Ed Holden Advertising manager Steve Hulbert Account managers David Parker, Lisa Dunham Production and procurement manager Matt Eglinton Production co-ordinator Tracy Nugent Art directors Stuart Hobbs, Dermot Rushe Director, Future Plus UK Jayne Caple Printed at St Ives Direct

Anti-union hostility should be against the law

12 A Living Wage

GMB demands an extra £1 an hour

13 Paul Kenny says

The latest from your general secretary

14 Wealth of the nation GMB reveals the UK’s economic performance by region

16 Get online with GMB! Get the GMB app for your smartphone!

17 Win a car!

Switch to Direct Debit for your chance to win a Toyota Aygo worth £9,000

18 Eyes on the NHS

GMB is fighting for workers’ rights in the NHS

20 Put Labour in power Why you should vote Labour in 2015

23 Worldwide solidarity

How GMB’s International Solidarity Fund is winning justice in Latin America

Produced by Future Plus, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath BA1 2BW

We are committed to only using magazine paper which is derived from well managed, certified forestry and chlorine-free manufacture. Future Publishing and its paper suppliers have been independently certified in accordance with the rules of the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council).

Would you like to advertise in GMB Insight magazine?

Please contact Steve Hulbert on 01225 442 244 (ex 5205) Accepting of advertising and inserts does not imply GMB endorsement of the product or services.

Remember that GMB recommends all services and offers should always be used to test the cost against other commercial companies.

Members are advised to secure at least two quotes on all commercial transactions.

We will build on the good news and move ahead The growth of temporary work is ever increasing with more and more of the unemployed accepting temporary, part-time jobs or agency positions with no prospect of moving into full-time employment.

Involuntary part-time work and zero hours contracts show that beneath the employment figures there exists a vulnerable, insecure workforce struggling to make ends meet. Their lives are exposed to debt spirals and the clutches of payday loan sharks.

The GMB Scotland campaign for a Living Wage across all sectors of the economy continues to achieve success. We need to build on the good news and move ahead across all sectors of the economy, making a real difference to people’s lives and their communities. We welcome the decision by the Scottish Affairs Committee to launch an enquiry into zero hours contracts and the associated insecurities, uncertainties and anxieties suffered by workers.

GMB and the STUC are bitterly disappointed by the decision by the Scottish government to exclude the Living Wage from the Procurement Reform Bill. This was an ideal opportunity to make a real difference to those on low pay and the minimum wage.

GMB’s campaign to bring to account those construction companies who were involved in the deplorable and indefensible practice of blacklisting continues and this process appears to be turning the corner with the recent announcement by some of the biggest names in construction that they are to compensate workers whose lives were destroyed by this insidious practice.

This is a vindication of the legal cases brought by GMB to achieve justice. It highlights the real difference the collective voice of the trade union movement can make.

We are committed to ensuring that these workers, many of whom are GMB members, are fairly compensated. This should include commensurate employment or GMB will seek justice for its members through the High Court.

www.gmb.org.uk 03

l a n o i g e r

Move tto Direc Debit k

UPDATE

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G MB m o r f s w e n All the

“We’re better

” r e h t toge

rty a P r u o b a L s ll te y h p r u M Cathy conference how NHS saved her life

C

athy Murphy, one of GMB Scotland’s longest serving activists at Asda Parkhead, took the spotlight at this year’s Labour Party conference when Labour leader Ed Miliband introduced her to the crowded conference hall and live worldwide audience.

Ed told the story of how Cathy nearly died at the 2011 Labour Party conference in Liverpool and went on to praise the existing NHS cross-border arrangements that could be under threat if Scotland leaves the UK. Cathy, who is from Cambuslang near Glasgow and whose life was saved in a 14-hour operation in Broadgreen Hospital, 4 www.gmb.org.uk 04

Merseyside, by specialist doctors continues to travel south for six-monthly check-ups.

Cathy said: “At the time I wasn’t concerned because we were part of the UK so it was just a given that they fixed me. If we were independent I don’t know what would happen. I think there would be a very big impact. I worry that the cross-boarder expertise would be lost.

“There are lots of GMB members working in the NHS so it’s no wonder that it is such a

caring and special service. They were there for me when I needed them. I had the best possible care. Long may that be the case.

“I can’t thank GMB North West and Irish region enough for all the care and kindness they gave me and my family during my stay in hospital at Liverpool and the support of GMB Scotland and all my colleagues on the GMB Central Executive Council. You have all been fantastic.”

“They were there for me when I needed them.”

SIGN up for the GMB eNEWSletter AT www.gmb.org.uk

regional

A fair deal

GMB Scotland welcomes Scottish government’s commitment to living wage

G

MB Scotland has secured a commitment to the living wage for public sector employees from the Scottish government.

A new proposal, which has come about during GMB discussions with government ministers, will see a one per cent pay increase for government staff and the introduction of a £7.50 living wage (at least) over the coming year. In the second year there will be a further one per cent pay increase for local government staff and the living wage will be increased to £7.58 per hour.

The living wage is a designed to secure a reasonable standard of living for our members. We don’t want a minimum wage. We demand a living wage for hardworking people.

Although delighted to have secured a living wage for thousands of public sector staff, GMB is remaining focused on protecting the interests of our members. We are currently polling our public sector employees across the region to ask whether they are happy with these changes. We remain concerned for our members as living standards fall and the cost of living increases.

Alex McLuckie, GMB Scotland senior organiser for public services, said: “We welcome the increase in the living wage. GMB Scotland

MP’s Questions Tom Greatrex meets GMB members GMB is keen for MPs to meet activists and organisers so they can hear the concerns of our members. The latest of these meetings took place at Blantyre Miners Welfare when Labour MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West, Tom Greatrex held a question and answer session with a panel of local GMB members.

If you would like to meet with your local Labour MP, MSP or MEP please contact richard.leonard@gmb.org.uk

Labour links GMB members Richard Tullett, Frank Haughey, Monica Lennon and Ian Thomson meet Tom Greatrex MP.

fought long and hard to establish a living wage in local government and it is good to see it being continued into 2014/15. Our concern with this and previous offers is the general increase.

“This is the fourth year that pay increases have lagged well behind the rate of inflation, resulting in a significant drop in the living standards of local government workers in Scotland. We would like to see this addressed in any pay offer.”

If you have any questions regarding the living wage, please contact your GMB branch representative or contact GMB Scotland office.

get your career on track Interested in a job on the railway?

Major rail projects due to start soon are creating jobs for workers with Personal Track Safety (PTS) cards. The £37.5bn investment is set to create up to 80,000 opportunities for qualified workers across the construction industry.

If you currently work in construction and would like to start a job on the railway, the first thing to do is get qualified. Before you are eligible for PTS training, you must pass a Network Rail

pre-employment medical and a D&A test. For example, accredited provider Navigator Training can organise these across the UK. PTS courses can also be arranged at weekends after candidates pass the Medical and D&A test.

For further information contact mail@navigatortraining.co.uk After candidates pass the PTS course they will be given contacts to help them find work in their local area.

5 www.gmb.org.uk 05

regional

UPDATE

from GMB All the news

HYDRATION STATION A new water pump funded

by GMB members.

pump it up!

GMB Motherwell 3 branch brings running water to Malawi

C

lean drinking water means the difference between life and death in Malawi – so there’s no doubt that GMB Motherwell 3 branch are life savers. The branch has funded new pumps in the village of Ndaula through the Pump Aid project.

Pump Aid exists to bring appropriate, affordable and sustainable water and

sanitation solutions where aid is most needed in rural Africa.

Providing water and sanitation solutions stretches far beyond the hardware itself.

Pump Aid recognises that to ensure sustainability the community needs a sense of ownership of its water source and sanitation solution. Maintenance of the new equipment is also essential to the project.

The Ndaula water point has a current depth of 2.5 metres with a water depth of 1.5 metres.

It benefits 33 households and 235 people.

Help train a guide dog!

GMB members can help Scotland’s visually impaired

GMB Scotland is working with Guide Dogs Scotland to raise awareness of the needs of visually impaired people. Members are encouraged to get involved and can help in a number of ways: • b e a guide to help visually impaired people • b e a puppy walker • b e a fundraiser • b e a campaigner You can also work with GMB and Guide Dogs Scotland by campaigning for responsible parking, helping to improve the control of dogs, investing in talking buses and helping

06 www.gmb.org.uk

us deal with the dangers posed by quiet electric and hybrid vehicles to blind and partially sighted people.

Speaking about his work with Guide Dogs Scotland, Ian Thomson, secretary of GMB South Lanarkshire Public Services branch said: “The trade union movement has a history of not just representing people in the workplace but helping in the community too.

Our work with Guide Dogs Scotland is another example of a way in which GMB members can show that we are locally minded and that we care.”

SOUND AS A HOUND Julie Millar from Guide Dogs Scotland, Kassie and Ian Thomson

SIGN up for the GMB eNEWSletter AT www.gmb.org.uk

regional

Defusing the island unemployment li

time bomb GMB lobbies for new jobs for displaced nuclear site workers

BECOME A GMB WORKP ORGANILACE SER www.g mb .org.uk

iStock

G

MB is calling on the government to invest in jobs following the closure of the Dounreay nuclear reactor. Decommissioning has been taking place since 1994, but when the work finishes, it will lead to almost 1,000 job losses. With few other options in the area, skilled GMB members face a difficult time finding new work.

This is why GMB is again calling on Alex Salmond, the First Minister in the Scottish Government, to make good his commitment to visit the Pentland Firth area to see first-hand the skills being wasted. GMB is also planning to lead a coordinated effort to lobby elected politicians and agencies in a call for action before this part of the Caithness economy becomes a sinking ship.

The Dounreay reactor was established in the mid-1950s as a research reactor site with

Get involved

ke Sign the petition and ma your voice heard at www.gmb.org

fuel production and processing facilities. It had three reactors, the last of which was closed in 1994. It is currently being decommissioned and demolished by Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (DSRL) under a contract from the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency (NDA) which owns the site.

DSRL employs 800 people and there are hundreds more employed by agencies who will be unemployed when decommissioning is completed in 2023. In an area were wealth is already well below the UK and EU averages, this will be a serious blow to the community.

Bruce Crabtree, GMB regional officer, said: “The NDA has announced that the National Nuclear Archive is scheduled to open in 2016 at a cost of somewhere between £15m and £20m. It will employ approximately 20 people. Although these jobs are welcome they are only a drop in the ocean compared to the numbers who will find themselves unemployed in the coming years.”

Bruce says there has been a lot of ‘positive talk’ over the last six years but there are still no alternative businesses in place for the displaced workers.

“GMB is ready to lead a coordinated effort to lobby elected politicians and agencies such as MP and MSP calling for action before Caithness becomes a sinking ship.”

fe

Orkney rep Calum Mackenzie scoops learning award Ten years after the STUC established union learning in the Highlands and Islands, Scottish Union Learning has recognised some of the many achievements of Union Learning Reps (ULRs) and learners.

Calum Mackenzie, GMB ULR for Orkney, was one of the reps selected for an award.

Calum has been a ULR for 10 years and being a ULR on a remote island, as Calum can testify, is not without its challenges.

But Calum didn’t let that slow him down!

The only ULR among the unions represented on Orkney Islands Council, he has negotiated with the council for a learning agreement between the unions and employers. In his quest to promote the wider trade union agenda, Calum is also taking the lead in establishing an Orkney Trades Council.

Calum is a regular at Highlands and Islands ULR Forum meetings (even if sometimes this is via videolink!) and always makes the effort to travel to Inverness for Scottish Union Learning’s annual Highlands and Islands ULR Conference.

Through his perseverance and dedication, Calum has helped shape the direction of union learning in the Highlands and Islands. He received the award at this year’s Highlands and Islands ULR conference in June.

Congratulations Calum STUC General Secretary Graeme Smith gives Calum his award. www.gmb.org.uk 7

regional

UPDATE

A new pension scheme is proposed for local government employees in Scotland.

Here’s how it works...

08 www.gmb.org.uk

G

MB has the welfare of its e members at heart. So we hav sly rou vigo and ned paig cam negotiated for a new and sion scheme that we believe pen ed rov imp reassuring plan provides a fair, stabilising and kers. wor nt me ern gov l for retiring loca is planned e em sch sion pen ed pos The pro a range ring offe 5, for introduction in April 201 e. em sch t ren cur the of improvements to , tem sys ed rov imp and Under the new of rate l accrua members will be offered an e tim the ss acro 1/49th of average earnings the sly, viou Pre e. em sch spent paying into the ed ulat calc e wer nts me pay e’s pension schem er’s sion pen of the at an accrual rate of 1/60th a more to out ks wor This ry. sala l fina ment for most pay sion generous annual pen GMB members. based on The change from a payment salary means l fina average salary rather than sion scheme pen the into that a worker paying 0 a year ,00 £20 a at ting star for five years, 0, would receive salary and retiring at £24,00 Under the old r. a pension of £2,377 per yea ld receive wou ker system, the same wor r. £1,887 per yea local Furthermore, members of the now enjoy will e government pension schem option to the e hav will y greater flexibility. The

of the value of commute up to 25 per cent . sum p their pension into a lum ’s pension will ker wor any to Contributions a five-tier continue to be calculated on up to £18,000 system, with workers earning kers earning wor and t contributing 5.5 per cen cent. per 12 g utin trib over £40,000 con ulated calc are ns utio trib con the The way able sion has been improved, with pen k up to 37 hours. earnings now including wor e workers who t-tim par for l dea This is a better ir allotted hours. regularly work more than the now reflect the Their pension calculation will k. actual hours they wor l retirement Under the new system, norma e pension age age will come in line with stat be able to draw (65). However, members will between 55 age any upon their pension at res have asu me ilar sim of and 75. A variety oduce greater now been brought in to intr utors. flexibility for pension contrib of a review of lt resu The changes are the emes held to sch sion pen nt local governme the Public bring the scheme into line with 3.

Sector Pensions Act of 201 als can be Full details of the new propos have any you If .uk .org mb found at www.g new the ails of questions regarding the det B rep GM r you ask scheme, do not hesitate to ce. offi nch bra d tlan Sco or contact the GMB

iStock

from GMB All the news

l na O I T NA

E T A D P U

om GMB r f s w e n e h t l Al

Bring YOUR mag to life!

Discover a world of extras when you point your smartphone at the pages of this GMB magazine. To get started, download the Layar app from get.layar.com 1 Download the Layar app for iPhone and Android devices.

2 Point your smartphone at a WHOLE page of the mag where you see this logo.

3 Watch as it comes to life on your screen.

’ s r e k r o w h it w g in r Interfe union rights should be a B M G s y a s , e c n e ff criminal o

Rex Features/iStock

T

he TUC Congress has backed a GMB call for laws to make it a criminal offence for hostile employers to interfere with the civil rights of workers who seek the support of a trade union when they have problems at work.

Martin Smith, GMB national organiser, said: “So hostile are employers like Amazon, Next and Sports Direct that union organisation is driven underground and union members are forced to adopt the tactics of the French Resistance or a human rights campaign under a totalitarian regime. The blacklisting of 3,214 construction workers across the country shows that

GET ON THE CASE! We need a Leveson-style inquiry into blacklisting.

corporations are unafraid to take this kind of action.”

Martin’s comments come at a time when unions are unhappy that companies who have blacklisted workers have still not been held accountable. GMB wants a Levesonstyle inquiry into the practice.

Martin added: “Oppressive activity at work that denies our members their basic human rights should be against the law. GMB calls on the next Labour government to make it a criminal offence for an employer to deny workers their basic right to organise themselves and seek the support of a trade union when they have problems at work.”

SEE YOU IN COURT! GMB activists protest outside Swansea Crown Court.

are you On the Blacklist?

Contact Phil Read, GMB r blacklisting Liaison Office or 7 99 on 07840 897 k blacklisted@gmb.org.u

TURN OVER FOR MORE ON EMPLOYER HOSTILITY www.gmb.org.uk 09

national

UPDATE

from GMB All the news

s i h t s s o b r u o is y

E

Daily Mirror columnist Paul Routledge on how GMB is fighting employer hostility

very employee is free to join a trade union – and not get the sack just for doing so.

That’s the theory. The reality on the shopfloor can be very different. As too many workers are finding, employer hostility is spreading throughout industry.

Two hundred years after the Tolpuddle Martyrs were transported to Australia for daring to organise themselves against starving wages, history is repeating itself.

Employers are targetting workers who seek to bring the benefits of trade unionism to their place of work. They might not be clapped in leg-irons and shipped off to Botany Bay, but they do face discrimination and even dismissal.

It takes a brave man or women to stand up for our rights supposedly guaranteed by law.

Thankfully, there are brave men and women in every workplace willing to take up the challenge. But they shouldn’t be left to fight alone. They need legal protection from employers like Next, Amazon and Sports Direct who actively prevent employees turning to unions when they have problems in the workplace.

Working people have a theoretical right under international law to free association and combination with whoever they choose.

But hostile employers deny this right by intimidating or victimising anyone who turns to a union for help. It’s time such intimidation was outlawed by making it a criminal offence interfere with workers exercising their civil

right to organise and seek the support of a trade union when they have problems.

The 2013 TUC Congress has endorsed this strategy after GMB national organiser Martin Smith urged that the next Labour government must do more than repeal old anti-union laws. They must deliver protection from bully bosses who strike fear into workers who join a union.

GMB in Amazon This corporate bullying is widespread. Take Amazon, the hugely successful online shopping firm. It takes billions of pounds in sales every year – on which they pay as little tax as possible.

GMB is committed to organising and representing workpeople at Amazon. Two thirds of the company’s 15,000 workers in this country are agency workers.

And the agency isn’t even a UK operation. It’s a Dutch agency, so they’re not protected by even the inadequate regulations applying to agencies here. They need a union, but they live in fear of what might happen if they dare let Amazon know they have joined and are organising support to resist a bullying management. Being a trade unionist at Amazon is like being in an underground movement, like the French wartime resistance.

It’s as bad as that. I can’t even tell you where these brave GMB members work

“Left to their own devices employers spy and they lie.”

10 www.gmb.org.uk

iStock x 3

Bring these pages to life! because they might be identified and their jobs put in jeopardy.

Or take Next, another shopping chain that makes handsome profits. Earlier this year, GMB members employed in their stores fought and won a campaign to stop the company from imposing a cut in hours worked for all workers to less than twelve and a half hours a week. The aim of this management trick was to avoid the company paying the employer’s share of National Insurance contributions, saving money and diminishing workers’ rights.

What we NEed That battle was won, but at a cost. There is a constant anxiety that Next will exact revenge and find pretexts to force them out of work because they forced the employer to back down – and that some of them have no protection from unfair dismissal.

Since April this year, if you want to challenge your employer for unfairly sacking you, you have to have worked for the company for two years – double the time under Labour. You have no rights if you’ve been there a year and 364 days. How many workers in retail are given jobs that last as long as that?

What’s more, if you go to an industrial tribunal, you’ll be required to pay as much as £1,200 – 200 hours working at the national minimum wage up front before they will hear your case. That’s the price of justice under the ConDem government.

It must be nervewracking to try to organise under such conditions.

But it shouldn’t be like that. The shadow of fear must be lifted from the exercise of this basic freedom to turn to a union for support when you have a problem at work.

With the demise of

INTIMIDATED AT WORK? GMB is tackling bosses who victimise union members.

NATional

traditional industries like coal and steel, employment has shifted to retail, distribution, information technology, call centres and similar workplaces.

They almost always lack representation, because business bosses are hostile and resistant to unions.

They don’t want workers to exercise their legal rights, meagre as they are. They hate the very idea of collective bargaining. They want to hire and fire without restraint. But NEXT UP Next workers vote for that’s where trade unionism the right to have a union. is most needed, and where it must go, to help those who into workplaces to deal need it most. with problems they face at work – if need be The demand is there. When GMB asked with sanctions against recalcitrant companies Asda distribution depot workers across the who refuse to toe the line.

UK what they want in recognition ballots an It can be done. A Labour government in overwhelming majority per cent voted in Wales has taken action to halt the scourge of favour. Even workers who didn’t want to join blacklisting by threatening to withhold themselves voted for the right for everyone contracts from firms proven to be engaged in to have representation. this obscene practise. Nothing persuades the This basic civil right should be enshrined in private sector faster than a possible ban on a new legal framework, within which bidding for lucrative public contracts. workpeople can feel confident of getting The blacklisting scandal shows that left to together for the common good without their own devices employers spy and they lie. looking over their shoulder for the boss What the companies say and what the bearing down on them with a P45. companies do are two different things.

For any worker to be represented by a trade t Labour Suppor union in their workplace is a civil right that must be protected to the highest level, with new That’s why GMB took the issue of employer legislation backed by imprisonment and hostility and the coalition attack on trade unlimited fines for anyone who interferes with it. union rights to the Labour conference.

For the Labour Party, these should be bread Delegates backed a call for the party and butter manifesto commitments right now. leadership to convene “as a matter of And if it can be done, it should be done. As urgency” a commission on employment Maria Ludkin, GMB’s legal officer, told the 2013 rights. The purpose of this body will not just Labour Conference : “We live in a country be to redress new anti-trade union policies with one of the most flexible Labour markets brought in by this government, but to give an in Europe. But at the same time some of the active right for workers to be able to turn to weakest employment rights in the western unions when they have problems at work. world. But this government is not content This is vital to winning the war for job with that. They have mounted a sustained security. As of now, firms like Amazon can just attack on the rights of working people, with a slam the door in the face of anyone seeking to systematic casualisation of labour, and organise a union presence. They can – and do comprehensive destruction of legal aid.

– put a Chinese wall around the workplace, “This is about millions of working people sealing off their employees from help. having the protection from a Labour A Labour government must change that, government that they will never get from the legislating to give employees total freedom to Tories or the Liberal Democrats. No more turn to unions when they need help. Nobody prevarication – but protection for the workers. is forced to join a union. The closed shop was “After all, how much more protection do ended years ago. Instead, we have closed employers need from working people?” minds – on the other side.

Hear, hear! Ed Miliband has shown he Ed Miliband has shown a willingness to take is willing to take on the might of the energy on the big battalions in the energy industry. barons with a gas and electricity price He’s ready to force firms to employ freeze. Now, he should listen to the voices apprentices. He should bring the same of ordinary workers who demand the right courage to the issue of employment and to join and organise without fear of trade union membership rights, compelling employer intimidation. employers to enable workers to bring unions www.gmb.org.uk 11

national

Move Directo t D e b i t www.gmb .o

UPDATE

from GMB All the news

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MB is seeking a minimum pay increase of £1 an hour for local council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to raise their pay level to a Living Wage hourly rate. GMB believe the same £1 an hour increase should also apply to all pay points above the bottom rate as well. Local council workers in Scotland are currently considering an offer for a Living Wage of £7.58 an hour from April 2014.

200,000 GMB members are covered by these agreements.

It is a scandal that 500,000 local government workers are paid below the current Living Wage of £7.45 (£8.55 in London) an hour. This rate will increase in November.

Politicians from all parties have recently called for action to deal with low pay and are encouraging individual local authorities to pay a Living Wage.

85 councils in England and Wales are now paying or are committed to paying a Living Wage.

All 32 councils in Scotland are currently paying the Living Wage or will be within a year.

Brian Strutton, GMB national secretary for public services, said: “One and a half million council workers have seen their living standards cut by 18 per cent and 400,000 of their colleagues have lost their jobs. I don’t believe any section of the economy has taken such an austerity hit as local authority staff.

Street cleaners, school dinner staff, social workers, gravediggers, classroom assistants and all the other unsung heroes serving their local communities deserve a decent pay rise.

GMB’s claim for £1 an hour is not a king’s ransom but it will go some way towards restoring the real pay cuts that council staff have endured. Politicians have been right to call for action on low pay to end the hardship facing those on poverty wages and boost demand in the economy. Low pay and poverty pay are endemic in local government with too many members now reliant on tax credits and pay day loans.”

We d deman

An extra

r u o An h 12 www.gmb.org.uk

Which councils pay a Living Wage?

• Ashfield • Barking and Dagenham • Barnsley • Bassetlaw • Blackpool • Birmingham • Braintree • Brent • Brighton and Hove • Bristol • Bromsgrove • Burnley, • Caerphilly • Calderdale • Camden • Cambridge • Cardiff • Carlisle • Cherwell • Chorley • City of London • Coventry • Crawley • Croydon • Dartford • Deal • Ealing • Enfield • Exeter • Gedling • Gloucester • Greenwich • Haringey • Harlow • Harrow • Hastings • Hessle Town • Hounslow • Hyndburn • Ipswich • Islington • North Kesteven • Lambeth • Lancaster • Leicester • Lewisham • Malvern Hills • Mansfield • Manchester • Melton Mowbray • Merton • Newark and Sherwood • Newham • Newcastle under Lyme • Newcastle upon Tyne • Newport • Norwich • Nottingham • Oldham • Oxford • Plymouth • Preston • Redcar and Cleveland • Rossendale • Salford • Sandwell • Scarborough • Sheffield • Slough • South Gloucestershire • South Hams • Southwark • Stroud • Surrey • Swindon • Swansea • Tamworth • Thurrock • Tower Hamlets • South Tyneside • Walsall • Winchester • Wirral • Worcester • Wolverhampton • Wyre Forest • York • All 32 councils in Scotland now pay or are soon to begin paying a Living Wage.

iStock

£1 an hour pay rise to achieve Living Wage for local government workers

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Paul kenn y

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says

cretary e s l a r e n e g your GMB m o r f d r o w A

The determination to fight blacklisting is among our finest achievements

T

he recent startling revelations that the police and other state controlled bodies have been found to have provided information to the anti trade union blacklisting company “The Consulting Association” may have come as a shock to MPs, journalists and some others in the world. But for many of us this was just confirmation of what we always knew but could never prove.

This company, now defunct, was funded and controlled by a large number of private sector companies whose intent was to discriminate and thereby victimise trade union members whose only crime was to ask about health and safety or attend meetings.

Many victims of this evil intrusion into the most basic of our civil rights were denied employment and suffered huge damage to their personal lives and that of their families.

The truth Will out GMB has been fighting to uncover the truth for years and now, working with the Blacklist Support Group and others, we are beginning to see the layers of lies and corruption peeled back to expose the rotten core of how employers and state

conspired to interfere with and destroy the right of working people to organise.

What has also shocked many is the extent of the blacklisting: lawyers, journalists, peace campaigners, environmentalists and the latest victim to be uncovered – the comedian and campaigner for freedom Mark Thomas.

The whole story of this disgraceful episode would take more column inches than I am allowed but thousands of ordinary men and women were blacklisted and 2,768 still don’t know they are on the list because the government department responsible for dealing with this has failed to contact them!

This in itself raises huge questions about the role government has played in seeking to cover this up.

The so-called Information commission seems to be anything but when it comes to giving people information relating to behaviour from employers and the state.

In recent days, eight of the largest companies involved in organising, funding and controlling this blacklisting operation have admitted their involvement and offered an apology and a compensation scheme for affected victims.

GMB’s position has been that tough measures must be taken with these companies, though these may be far from

enough to stop this all happening again.

New tough laws to protect the rights of workers trying to organise a union in their workplace or in their community must have protection from discrimination and victimisation. The work done in exposing this evil conspiracy will all count for nothing if the law continues to fail ordinary people exercising their civil rights.

Deleting the list In the coming months, GMB will continue to campaign for a public inquiry into the collusion between the state and certain employers which not only allowed this blacklisting to exist but actually encouraged and supported it.

GMB has done many things of which we can be proud during our history but I believe the determination shown to fight and expose blacklisting will rank among our finest achievements.

The right of people to exercise their civil freedoms to organise, demonstrate or just question those who govern us at work or in society is such a basic right that it cannot be given away by apathy.

On page 9 of this magazine you will find details of GMB’s campaign and how to find out if you or anyone you know is on the list and may be liable for compensation. www.gmb.org.uk 13

national

UPDATE

from GMB All the news

e h t n o w u o Have y

l a n o i Reg lottery?

GMB map reveals economic activity across the UK and Ireland

Northern Ireland 86%

Border, Midland and Western 85%

A

key map (opposite) sums up how much economic activity there is per resident in all the 39 sub regions of the UK and Ireland where GMB members live. The result for each area is shown as a percentage of the average across all 27 countries in the European Union (EU).

It will come as no surprise that inner London has the highest level of economic output per resident at nearly three times that of the European average.

It will be a surprise that for the South East of England, far from all of it being an 14 www.gmb.org.uk

economic success story, there are areas below the average. The latest figures are for 2010 but there has been little or no recovery since then. Few will realise that the economies of the North East of Scotland, Southern and Eastern Ireland and Cheshire or those areas off the M4 corridor are stronger than Essex or Kent.

In fact in 26 of the 39 sub regions in the UK and Ireland, regional gross domestic product per resident is below the average per resident in the EU.

Southern and Eastern 145%

Gross domestic product (GDP) in an area is made up of all economic activity including farming and fishing, mining, oil and gas extraction, manufacturing, construction, utilities, transport and commercial and public services.

GDP is a key measure of an area’s economic development and is often used as an indicator of living standards.

Rex Features x 2

POWER HOUSES London’s financial districts host the wealth of the nation.

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Highlands and Islands 87%

Eastern Scotland 109%

North Eastern Scotland 162%

“This GMB map should sound a clarion call for investment.”

INDUSTRIAL HEART Fossil fuel extraction props up regional economies.

The map confirms that Mrs Thatcher’s legacy to the old industrial heartlands in the UK is that they have fallen far behind 88% the EU average in terms of output and living standards.

Tess Valley In West Wales and the Valleys gross and Durham domestic product per resident is the 77% Cumbria lowest of the 39 areas in these islands 94% West Yorkshire at 70 per cent of the EU average.

North The next ten lowest are: Cornwall Lancashire Yorkshire and Isles of Scilly (72 per cent), East Yorkshire and 93% Tees Valley and Durham (77 Northern Lincolnshire Greater Manchester per cent), Lincolnshire (78 per 83% 81% cent), Merseyside, East South Yorkshire 95% Merseyside Yorkshire and Northern 96% Lincolnshire, South Leicestershire, Rutland 81% 81% Yorkshire and Shropshire and Northamptonshire Lincolnshire and Staffordshire (all on 81 78% Cheshire Derbyshire Bedfordshire and per cent), Lancashire (83 118% and Notts Hertfordshire per cent), Border, Midland 92% and Western in Ireland (85 Shropshire and Staffordshire per cent) and Northern Ireland 81% West Midlands (86 per cent).

East Anglia 95% 104% Herefordshire, This GMB map should sound a 100% Worcestershire clarion call for investment that and Warwickshire 94% will bring jobs and prosperity to East West Wales Wales the old industrial heartlands and the and The 100% 113% rural areas that desperately need it.

Berkshire, Valleys Essex Politicians must heed that call with 70% Bucks and 89% regional policies. The devolution of Oxfordshire economic powers to local and regional 115% Gloucestershire, 143% level is essential. GMB will lead the calls Wiltshire and for action.

Bristol/Bath Kent 109% New jobs and investment has to be Dorset and 90% 114% the top priority for national and Cornwall and Somerset Isles of Scilly local governments and the EU. The Devon 92% 87% public and private sectors must Inner London co-operate to achieve this growth 328% 72% and development as neither can Hampshire and Surrey, East and Outer London do it on their own.

Isle of Wight West Sussex 95% South Western Scotland 109%

Northumberland and Tyne and Wear

www.gmb.org.uk 15

national

UPDATE get online with GMB from GMB All the news

www.gmb.org.uk GMB’s website lets you manage your membership and keep up to date

I

f you’re not registered online, it’s easy to sign up. Go to www.gmb.org.uk and click GMB ‘member login’. You’ll just need your GMB membership number.

Visit www. gmb.org.uk • Update your GMB profile • Switch to Direct Debit • Access the latest news • Download exclusive extras • Get support for your workplace

Get the GMB App Get the latest from GMB wherever you are with the new GMB app. Since the app was launched a few months ago, thousands of members have downloaded it to their smartphones. It’s available to download now from www.gmb.org.uk/app or from iTunes and Google Play for Android.

Download it now to: • Update your GMB profile • Get the latest news from GMB • Switch to Direct Debit • Find your nearest GMB office • Find your nearest GMB post holder • Become a workplace organiser

case study Gavin Palmer “I’m really glad I have it. It’s so convenient and easy to use – it puts all your membership information at your fingertips. I talk to a lot of members and I always recommend the GMB app.” Gavin Palmer is a GMB workplace organiser at Barking and Daggenham Local Authority. Representing members across the borough, he doens’t always have access to a computer, so getting the GMB app on his smartphone has proved invaluable.

Site Update!

Fresh tools online!

Are you looking to up-skill or organise your workplace? We’re updating the GMB@Work resources online so GMB post holders will be able to download everything they need. From training information to health and safety regulations, you’re just a couple of clicks away from making your workplace stronger and safer.

Go to www.gmb.org.uk/gmb-at-work 16 www.gmb.org.uk

SIGN up for the GMB eNEWSletter AT www.gmb.org.uk Bring these pages to life!

regional NATional exclus ive to

gmb

membe rs prize dra w

“I won a car with GMB – now it’s

your turn!”

D

iStock/ Car winner Kevin Nixon

irect Debit members will be in with a chance to win this gorgeous Toyota Aygo worth £9,000. You can be a winner regardless of whether you already pay by Direct Debit or are switching now – all you have to do is enter our prize draw. The draw closes at midnight on 31 December 2013.

Reasons to switch to Direct Debit • As some employers frown on trade unions, paying your GMB subscription by Direct Debit means that your membership is a matter for you alone. Your membership is not made known to your employer.

• You won’t lose your GMB membership as the result of an administrative slip-up in your payroll office.

• Your membership will follow you if you change jobs with your current employer.

• There’s no need to go through any boring admin to keep your GMB membership up to date. It’s all handled for you!

Last issue’s Toyota Aygo winner Annette Kay said: “I went to the GMB website to update my details and pressed the button to enter the competition. Now I’m a winner.” Use the Layar app to see the full interview on your sma rtphone.

Runners up: Yorkshire and North Derbyshire Region’s Mrs K Hibbet won an iPad . Birmingham and West Midlands Region’s Mrs R Wils on won an iPhone.

Switch to Direct Debit to enter this exclusive GMB prize draw to win a Toyota Aygo worth £9,000

Reasons to switch away from check-off • GMB pays an administration fee on this.

• Help GMB make that saving by switching away from check-off to Direct Debit.

design a new banner for gmb

how to enter Simply go to www.gmb.org.uk/ competition and click the link to switch to Direct Debit. You can also use the ‘Move to Direct Debit’ button on the GMB app, which you can download from www.gmb.org.uk/app You can still enter the prize draw if you already pay by Direct Debit. Simply go to www.gmb.org.uk/competition and press the button to enter the competition. You can also enter by post.

Just write to Freepost RSTL-ULCH-JBET GMB, 22 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2HD, and request to switch your payment to Direct Debit – good luck!

TERMS & CONDITIONS The winning entry will be drawn at random from GMB members who pay their GMB subscription by Direct Debit. It will be drawn after midnight on the closing date of 31 December 2013. The winner will be notified by GMB. No purchase necessary. The winner’s name and photo may be published in future issues. The GMB prize draw is open to GMB members who are signed up to Direct Debit at midnight on 31 December 2013. This prize draw is not open to any GMB employees or family members. The result of the draw is final. All entrants agree to publicity in GMB material. Only one entry per eligible GMB member.

FLY YOUR FLAG You could create ou r new GMB banner.

This is your chance to be part of GMB history and win £1,000 by designin g new GMB banners. Designs should cele brate what it means to be a GMB member today. Entries will be judged by Mar y Turner, GMB President, who is look ing forward to seeing your ideas!

Enter now at www.gmb.org.uk/ gmb-banner-competition but be quick!

The draw closes at midnight on 31 December 2013. www.gmb.org.uk 17

national

UPDATE

from GMB All the news

are

NHS staff told to join GMB before it’s too late

T

housands of NHS employees are facing a grim future as the Tory-led coalition opens the health service to private companies. GMB has concerns that, as well as inviting profiteers to take over our NHS, the government is allowing the all-important TUPE regulations to be eroded. GMB is telling those who want to protect their pay, holidays and rights at work to join now before it’s too late!

The TUPE (Transfer of undertakings and protection of employment) regulations were set up to ensure that employees’ rights are not infringed upon when their employment is passed from one employer to another. As the coalition continues to allow private profiteers to take over sections of the NHS, thousands of GMB members are relying on TUPE to ensure their interests are protected.

Employment relations minister Jo Swinson said: “TUPE rules are essential to making sure that when a business is transferred from one

ON THE LOOKOUT NHS staff should be wary of new employers.

company to another, it happens in a fair and efficient way. There have been some areas of uncertainty and confusion for businesses trying to comply.”

GMB members have been victims of the employment practices of private companies who are buying up sections of the NHS. Maria Ludkin, GMB legal and corporate affairs officer, said: “It is the major companies that profit NHS UNDER THREAT from work paid by public funds who GMB members have made clear . are the primary movers behind their objection to NHS privatisation these attacks on the protective concerned about their pay and TUPE legislation. These employers are also employment conditions is to join GMB. Your major donors to the local GMB branch and representative will be Tory Party. Therefore it able to offer vital assistance if any difficulty is no surprise to GMB with your new employer arises or if you are members who have involved in an incident at work. If you have been victims of the any colleagues who are yet to become GMB employment practices members, make sure they join up. of these companies The more members we gather in that they successfully threatened workplaces, the better equipped pushed through these we will be to fight any injustices. changes to the rules Tell your colleagues to join GMB now at and regulations.” www.gmb.org.uk/join The best first step for NHS staff who are

18 www.gmb.org.uk

iStock x 2

“These private companies are also major donors to the Tory party.”

national

E BECOMB A GM CE LA O W RKP SER ANI ORG .org.uk

UPDATE

from GMB All the news

www.gmb

meet

the new

gas et’s put L man labour

GMB stalwart Aubrey Thompson takes over as industrial side chair Aubrey Thompson joined GMB on his first day at British Gas back in 1975. Having established himself as a reliable and dedicated GMB rep and member, Aubrey is proudly stepping up to the role of GMB industrial side chair.

Aubrey became a rep before the age of 25 when he was asked to represent his service and repair colleagues at the Macclesfield British Gas depot. Shortly afterwards the distribution engineers in the same area asked him to be their rep. Within a few months he was looking after more than 60 colleagues.

In 1999 he was asked by his GMB colleagues to become their regional steward and within a month was elected to be the area joint secretary, starting work immediately on the 2000 Agreement.

We congratulate Aubrey and wish him even more success in his new position.

20 www.gmb.org.uk

in power

Labour’s new policies could bring about a Labour government in 2015

T

he new Labour manifesto demonstrates that a Labour government will be on the side of ordinary families. There is a real difference between a Labour government and the incumbent Tory/Lib Dem coalition.

The last Labour government set up the National Minimum Wage (NMW), increased pensions and child benefit, introduced the right to paid holidays and brought in the pension protection fund, which protects pensions when firms go bust.

There was an outcry from the energy companies about the freezing of energy bills proposed by Ed Miliband. They say

this would result in power cuts and the lights going out. But this is just scaremongering born of their concerns over their profit margins. The same tactics were used when the Labour government announced the introduction of the National Minimum Wage. The Tories said it would cost a million jobs. In fact it raised two million people out of poverty.

We must stop the attacks that this government is inflicting on society. To do that we need Labour Party policies we can campaign on.

The ConDem politicians continue to blame the last Labour government for the 2008 economic meltdown. In fact the

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GMB

tacts political con

Get in touch with your regional political officer GMB Birmingham & West Midlands Region Stephanie Peacock 0121 550 4888 stephanie.peacock@gmb.org.uk

GMB London Region Gary Doolan 020 7391 6748 gary.doolan@gmb.org.uk

GMB Midland & East Coast Region

Richard Oliver 0115 960 7171 richard.oliver@gmb.org.uk

GMB Northern Region Chris Jukes 0191 233 3930 chris.Jukes@gmb.org.uk

GMB North West & Irish Region Neil Smith 0151 727 0077 neil.smith@gmb.org.uk

GMB Scotland

Richard Leonard 0141 332 8641 richard.leonard@gmb.org.uk

GMB Southern Region Michelle Gordon 020 8397 8881 michelle.gordon@gmb.org.uk

GMB Wales & South West Region

Rex Features x 5/iStock

Labour’s new policies global economic crisis started in America and spread throughout the developed world.

It was the action taken by Gordon Brown and the Labour Government, ploughing money into the economy, that ensured that the UK’s ATMs remained full. Otherwise our economy would have crashed. It was this action that actually saved the UK economy and, yes, it’s created a deficit that needs paying back. The best and quickest way to pay it back is to stimulate growth and create jobs.

Freezing energy bills for 20 month s to sort out the m arket and the energy compani es and introduce a tougher new regu lator.

An increase from 15 to 25 hours of free child care fo r three and fouryear-olds to help working parents make it worthwh ile going out to work to provide for their families.

A commitment to abolishing the ‘bedroom tax’ th at is making life so difficult for disabl ed people.

A pledge that 20 0,000 new hom es will be built, pena lising developers that hoard land an d freeing council s from planning re gulations.

Mike Payne 029 2049 1260 mike.payne@gmb.org.uk

GMB Yorkshire & North Derbyshire Region Steve Jennings 0845 337 7777 steve.jennings@gmb.org.uk

GMB Euston Political Team Cath Speight, national political officer 020 7391 6746 Heidi Benzing 020 7391 6749 Gary Doolan 020 7391 6748 Hilary Perrin 020 7391 6753

e! get onrtylin what you

Tell the Labour Pa esto at want in the Labour Manif k g.u .or ain rit rb www.you y ne mo ing giv Find out who’s at s rie To to the searchthemoney.com

www.gmb.org.uk 21

national

UPDATE

from GMB All the news

GMB SUPPORT GMB members have raised the profile of the ARC.

0 0 0 , 3 €2 is just a start

raised

Grainne Griffin on how GMB members are helping the Irish Abortion Rights Campaign

T

he Abortion Rights Campaign This is a terrible injustice to the women and (ARC) is a movement for choice families who have suffered the indignity of and change in Ireland and Northern travel to access an abortion. The bill is also Ireland. It campaigns for free, safe problematic for women facing emergency and legal abortion. The ARC has joined forces medical situations like those faced by Savita with the Workers Beer Company (WBC) and Halannapavar, who died when she was denied GMB’s members to an abortion. raise money to fight The Irish ARC’s for Irish women to relationship with the have the same rights WBC started earlier as women in Britain. this year when it was The results have been approved to be a amazing! The volunteer group. relationship has led to Asking for volunteers an influx of volunteers to work at bars and a huge fundraising proved a hit with ARC UNION BONDS boost, helping the ARC The Workers Beer Company supporters, attracting take its message to an a large base of young joined forces with the ARC. even wider audience. people only too The legislation recently introduced in happy to work at some of the biggest music Ireland, ‘The Protection of Life in Pregnancy events in Ireland this summer.

Bill’ does not establish safe and accessible Working with GMB members from the abortion. The bill means that a person can North West and Irish region and WBC brought have a termination if they are dying, and their some unexpected bonuses. Our request for life can only be saved by having an abortion. volunteers brought hundreds of people into However the fact remains that a clear contact with ARC’s campaign for choice. We majority of people in Ireland support wider received nearly 500 applications in just three access to termination. hours after posting the request on Facebook!

22 www.gmb.org.uk

We now have hundreds of new recipients for our email bulletin too. The bonds built behind bars this summer will help build an active campaign. Indeed, many WBC volunteers helped steward this year’s March for Choice!

172 volunteers, five concerts and three festivals later, WBC volunteers raised €23,000 for ARC. Even more significantly, strong relationships have been built. Strong union support will be essential to bringing in constitutional change in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Our work with WBC and GMB was a great step on the road to full union support of a pro-choice agenda. The Abortion Rights Campaign look forward to working with all unions across Ireland and Northern Ireland to develop their policies on abortion rights.

get involved

to the To volunteer or sign up it: vis ter let ws ARC’s ne www.abortionrights campaign.ie

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Bring these pages to life!

Worldwide

Solidarity

BECOME A GM HealthB safety & rep w ww.gmb .org.uk

GMB members have donated £33,000 to the International Solidarity Fund

T

he International Solidarity Fund was officially launched at GMB Congress in June, 2011. Since then GMB members from 42 branches have shown their support for union members across the globe and donated more than £33,000 towards trade unions in Latin America’s agricultural sector.

GMB works with the Latin American Coordinating Body of Latin American Banana and Agro-industrial Unions, known as COLSIBA, part of the International Union of Food Workers (IUF). Despite the global reach of international trade union bodies, GMB members’ help is vital in their fight for bargaining rights and in giving their union organisers the power to get decent work for the men and women who produce the pineapples and bananas sold in UK supermarkets.

FAIRER FRUIT GMB is helping Latin American farmers get a better deal.

War on want/Jim Peterson

Who we’ve helped

GMB members’ donations to the International Solidarity Fund have already helped: • Nicaraguan union, FETRABACH, to get a 30 per cent pay rise for its members in one of Central America’s poorest countries • New Peruvian union SITAG, representing over 5,000 workers in the production and export of bananas, to train workers about women’s leadership, health and safety, HIV/AIDS prevention and collective bargaining • SITAG to get jobs back for 33 sacked workers and recruit hundreds of new fee paying members that strengthen the organisation and make it financially independent.

SHOW OF HANDS Who’s been helped by GMB’s International Solidarity Fund?

Workers on tropical fruit plantations endure harsh conditions. Union-busting firms operate in most producer countries and some activists are in fear for their lives.

Giant supermarket chains in Britain make upwards of a £1million a week surplus from the sale of bananas. Their suppliers can get as little as one per cent of the retail price but supermarket executives and shareholders benefit from profits measured in the billions.

Latin American workers sometimes don’t earn enough to feed themselves and their families. They and their unions are on the front line of the struggle for a social and economic justice. Their fight is our fight and GMB members can continue our support.

find out more

it For more information, vis t/ ou /ab .uk rg b.o www.gm out and gmb-international/ab officer, al on ati ern int contact GMB g ur nb we ou sch bert. @gmb.org.uk

www.gmb.org.uk 23

national

UPDATE

Putting the T

from GMB All the news

back in lgbt GMB Shout! launches project to stamp out transphobia

figures are growing,” said Sarah Hurley, GMB London region Shout! organiser at the GMB National Equality Conference. “From 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2011 there have been approximately 816 reported killings of transgender people across 55 different countries.”

Shockingly, recent reports indicate that more than three quarters of gay, bisexual and lesbian hate crime victims did not report these incidents to the police, so the real number of attacks could be much higher than the number logged.

Life at work is not easy for transgender people either. Many face discrimination and, as an example, a survey conducted in 2000

rk Make it wo

of tively raising awareness GMB Shout! has been ac T the g ttin tly launched Pu trans equality. The recen B GM ll ensure that all Back in LGBT project wi to equipped with the tools are workplace organisers at mb co d ns members an fight for the rights of tra lace. rkp transphobia in their wo

Trans facts

lete lace organisers to comp GMB Shout! asked workp e Th e. lac rkp ness in their wo surveys on trans aware en be ve ha ys tastic as 704 surve response has been fan press. returned at the time of

kit GMB reps’ tool from these

The information surveys has been used to produce a toolkit for GMB reps. The toolkit will be launched on 20 November, International Trans HQ Memorial Day, at GMB il with vig it lel nd followed by a ca and ers mb me trans community s. ive political representat

9000

24 www.gmb.org.uk

EQUALITY FOR ALL Discrimination of trans people is still a problem. found just one in four transgender people were allowed to use the toilet of the sex they had transitioned to. This is why GMB workplace organisers will be given the tools they need to protect transgender members.

transgender agenda At the National Equality Conference , GMB Shout! raised motions on trans equality, includin g: • I ncreasing the knowledge and awareness with all stewards and equality officers so that they are aware of trans rights in the workplace and can challenge employers to implement policy and bes • F ully supporting all trans members in thet practice. workplace and looking to ensure those who wish to take part in their region’s equality networks can do so in the gender they identify as.

• T o support campaigns that seek to change the views of countries that consider transgender people mentally ill.

• T o support campaigns that are pushing for the World Health Organisation (WHO) to brin g forward the date of the reclassification of transgende r people as not mental ill from 2015.

olvedon get inv r more information

Fo BT email Putting the T Back in LG .uk .co ail otm @h gmbshout B GM the for rch or sea k.

Shout! page on Faceboo

iStock x 2

D

iscrimination is wrong.

Violence is wrong. That is why GMB stands up to those who would oppress us, whether at work, in our homes or on our streets.

GMB Shout! – the self-organised network of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) GMB members – has launched a campaign calling for an end to attacks on transgender people and offering GMB workplace organisers support in addressing the needs of transgender members.

“In the world there are reported to be at least 18.6m transgender people, while here in the UK there are approximately 65,000 people who are transgender and these

TOM GRE ATREX

speaks

inister M y g r e n E w o The Shad policy y g r e n e on UK

The newly established regulator will ensure that savings are passed on

W

hen Ed Miliband announced that an incoming Labour government will freeze energy prices for customers and businesses, it did not take long for the energy companies’ spokeswoman, former Tory Minister Angela Knight, to claim that the consequences of this policy would be blackouts and bankruptcies. As GMB’s Gary Smith said, those threats are ridiculous and exaggerated. This kind of language only reinforces the public’s distrust of the energy suppliers.

Many GMB members work in the energy industry. They know that power stations are coming to the end of their working lives and that getting new power production in place – be it nuclear, gas or renewable

energy – is becoming urgent. The potential in terms of jobs and growth outside of the South East of England is huge, but it will only be achieved if the government makes sure the energy market is fair and transparent. Companies can’t expect the taxpayer to underwrite investment in new power generation while the energy market is broken. The Tory/Liberal Democrat coalition have refused to make those changes. The Labour leadership coming into government will bring about the energy reforms that are needed.

The big companies don’t like it. And while they have complained about the price freeze and issued all sorts of threats, the reality is that what they are more scared of is having a market with a tough regulator to prevent people being ripped off. Making exaggerated claims about

so-called green taxes on bills does not deal with the fundamental question: How do we get an energy market that works in the interests of consumers? While the average bill has gone up by more than £300 since the Tory-led coalition came into office and profits of the companies are increasing at the same time, that issue needs to be addressed urgently.

That is why Labour will freeze energy bills for 20 months while we put these changes in place. After that, the newly established regulator will ensure that savings are passed on to customers when wholesale costs come down. The rising cost of energy means that people at home feel the pinch. But it’s not just staying switched on at home. At the same time, workplaces are affected, making a difference to how many people they are able to employ in the UK. In 2008, when the wholesale price of energy to the big companies went up, so did everybody’s bill.

When a year later, the wholesale cost reduced by 45 per cent, only 5 per cent of that cost reduction was passed on to consumers. That increase in the profit margin has never been closed, meaning the big companies will have cost customers an additional £8bn between 2010 and 2013.

That is just not fair.

While the Edinburgh SNP energy spokesman Fergus Ewing parrots the Tory line about blackouts, many of the companies actually offer deals to fix prices to 2017 now. They may not like the price freeze, but with a Labour government it will happen. It will happen so we can get fairness into the energy market. That will benefit consumers, businesses and people who work in the energy industry. It is simply the right thing to do. www.gmb.org.uk 25

regional

UPDATE

HEALTH & SAFETY

from GMB All the news

HEALTH & SAFETY

PAIN IN THE NECK The government is putting your safety at risk.

update

GMB Scotland is fighting the coalition government’s attack on health and safety regulations

B

ack in October the coalition government launched its Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act. This makes changes to the Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974, removing workers’ right to claim compensation for injuries caused by an employer’s breach of health and safety laws.

The government claims this will reduce business ‘red tape’, but many – GMB Scotland included – believe it will simply make the compensation process slower and more expensive.

contrary to European law, which seeks to apply a level playing field across member states. Accordingly, it may be possible to challenge the the new Act amendment before the Courts and the regulation changes could be ruled illegal.

Less security The government will point out that workplace health and safety regulations are not being scrapped. And it is true that claims based on negligence can still be pursued if an employer breaches these rules. However, the government’s tinkering with the Health and Safety laws is another example of employers being protected by this government at the expense of workers.

s e g n a h c n o ti la u g re e h “T l.” a g le il d le u r e could b

how it works The changes remove the concept of strict liability for certain types of actions. For example, regulation around cases concerning defective work equipment has now been relaxed. Additionally, these changes erode regulations surrounding minimum requirements for workplace health and safety.

National courts have a duty to refuse to apply any laws that are incompatible with European law. Preventing workers from claiming reasonable compensation is

26 www.gmb.org.uk

Faced with the possibility that these changes are unlawful, the government has been at pains to argue that standards of health and safety are not being reduced. Viscount Younger, the minister responsible for steering the legislation through the House of Lords, said in a debate: “This measure does not undermine core health and safety standards. The government are committed to maintaining and building on the UK’s strong health and safety record.”

The government says it is not reducing health and safety standards when it is eroding regulations, but remember, the injury compensation involved may be enough to prevent a worker falling into mortgage arrears and losing their house.

help gmb

To help GMB prevent standards of health and safety slipping as a result of this legislative change , it important that memb ers notify their workplace org any breaches of health anisers of and safety.

If you’re injured at work or notice health and safety if you fail call GMB (Scotland)’s Inju ings, ry Line – 03333 216 219. In Report this we can ensure that emplo way, held to account by the He yers are alth and Safety Executive.

SIGN up for the GMB eNEWSletter AT www.gmb.org.uk

BECOME A GM HealthB safety & www.gmb rep .o rg.uk

regional

n for GMB wins compensatioat work three members injured

IN EE PA KN : ome 1 # rshall, a h r Ann Ma e CASE b juries m in e s m d seriou 9, GMB

0 taine ruary 20 uncil, sus t while On 2 Feb Falkirk Co y b pavemen y d e ic y n lo a p n m o e g itable r in re su p a c r slip ith any . knee afte rovided w p ing boots t o lk n a s w to her left a her own nt. She w e re n li e o c h w a w e t g men visitin uncil so sh ure settle by the co n a five-fig n e Council A th footwear n t o a w th licitors e agreed g d consider ju GMB’s so e h d ut faile to e case. T b s th n n io o it k d o e. they to ather con employe of the we ting their c te was aware ro p f means o necessary

CASE #2: nasty SLip In December 20 09, another GM B member, Ann Henderson, slipp ed and badly hu rt herself while making a home care visit. Poor Ann fractured he left tibia and fib r ula. The injury wa s so bad she ne returned to work ver . Her employer, South Lanarksh Council, failed to ire produce any ev id ence that they had carried out a suitable and su fficient assessm to reduce the ris ent k of injury to th e GMB member her case was wo and n when the Coun cil offered to se at the door of th ttle e Court.

CASE #3: Ill-Equipped GMB member in bad weather

iStock x 4

In a landmark victory, GMB member Tracey Kennedy was give n compensation following a slip on perilous ice that left her seriously injured. Tracey sustained her injur y while working at Cordia (Service s) LLP as a home carer in 2010. She slipped on an icy path as she mad e her way to the home of a terminall y ill client she had been caring for.

Having recovered following the incident, Tracey hoped to re-arran ge her visit but was not provided with any appropriate footwear by Cord ia, nor was she given any advice as to how to cope with the icy and dangerous conditions at the patient’s home.

Not good enough

GMB’s solicitors argued that it was simply not good enough for employers to send employees out to work in dangerous conditions without any reasonable assessm ent of the risks. In the judgement, Lord McEwan agreed that Cordia had failed to control the risk by takin g sensible precautions, such as supplying cheap overshoe attachments.

The right judgement

Lord McEwan concluded: “Miss Kennedy was on an errand of mer cy and in my view it cannot be said that she embarked on a risky course of

action. I do not find her in any way to blame in this.”

Another GMB win

Regional secretary Harry Donalds on welcomed the decision, saying: “Thi s is an important decision which serves as a reminder to all employers that it is necessary to give reasonable forethought to the dangers they expose their workers to in the interests of their business .

In this case, Cordia quite simply failed to properly take into consideration the safety of the GMB member. We took them to task on this and we are proud to have won the argument.”

www.gmb.org.uk 27

regional

UPDATE

from GMB All the news

MEMBERS

on the rise!

GMB attracts more members at Asda stores across Scotland

GMB Scotland lead officer Barry Fletcher and regional secretary Harry Donaldson visited Asda’s Fraserburgh store to take part in the Asda ‘Big Hello’. Over 100 colleagues attended to hear Harry explain the benefits of joining GMB. Asda in Scotland has seen a dramatic rise in GMB membership over the past six months and, with new GMB-organised working arrangements in place, we’ll continue to grow in the year ahead.

Harry Donaldson said: “Dedicated Asda workplace organisers are currently planning a scheme that could see 1,000 GMB visits to Asda Stores taking place during 2014.”

GMB Scotland lead officer Barry Fletcher added: “2014 presents a great opportunity for GMB membership to continue to grow in Scotland.”

If GMB members in Asda stores would like to become more involved in GMB Scotland by becoming a GMB workplace organiser or health and safety rep, they can contact the regional organising department on 01324 637 246 or Barry Fletcher on 07921 885 775.

HEALTHY GROWTH GMB membership continues to rise at Asda stores.

28 www.gmb.org.uk

Updat your GMe Prof B www.gmb ile .or g.uk

d e bb snu

in her hour of need

SEEKING JUSTICE Mick Conroy and Neil Findlay with abuse victim Maureen.

GMB asks how Glasgow paramedic Maureen Gordon was allowed to be harassed at work by her husband

G

Neil to meet them urgently to discuss MB Scotland has demanded the allegations. an inquiry into claims Senior GMB organiser Mick Conroy has put ambulance bosses turned their together a damning dossier which he claims backs on a paramedic who was exposes how the ambulance bosses snubbed crying out for help. GMB Maureen in her hour of need. He said alleges senior management at the Scottish “Ambulance service management have Ambulance Service failed to help abuse been heartless throughout this and victim Maureen Gordon despite have not supported Maureen in repeated pleas over a two-year period. any way.” The dossier exposes the The 49-year-old’s case hit the ambulance service’s failure to headlines in June when her protect Maureen even after she ambulance boss husband Grant had obtained a court order Gordon was jailed for subjecting her against her husband. Maureen said: to a campaign of terror. He was “If it had not been for the support accused of abusing his position to and assistance of GMB make Maureen’s life hell. and senior organiser The Sheriff who put Mick Conroy, I would Gordon behind bars for have been unable to various abuse charges, pursue this matter including assault, and I will always slammed the be immensely ambulance service for grateful.” failing to act upon

By John Paul Maureen’s complaints.

NEGLECTED Breslin, D C Now GMB has called on Maureen Gordon’s concerns were allegedly ignored.

Thomson Ltd Health Secretary Alex

w

richar d leona rd

speaks

ines Your political officer exam tionship la e r n io n u e d the Labour-tra

If the Labour Party turns inward it could pay a hefty price at the ballot box

I

’ve been fortunate in my life to get an unrivalled education in the labour movement. One subject rarely taught in school but from which we can learn much is local labour history.

The industrial town of Paisley where I live didn’t return its first Labour MP until 1924 when E Rosslyn Mitchell defeated the Liberal Party leader HH Asquith. The shock was generated not only in the downfall of a national party leader but by the fact that the Liberals had held this seat since 1832.

There was some poetic justice about the result too. HH Asquith was the Prime Minister who took the country to war in 1914, a war which Mitchell, then an independent radical, did much to oppose.

Then tipped for high office, Mitchell caused a further sensation just before the 1929 General Election when he announced that he would not seek re-election. The local press called it a ‘bombshell’. A couple of weeks later the same press reported that his successor,

James Welsh, had been selected by the trade unions to be the Labour Party candidate.

For, although individual membership of the Labour Party was provided for from 1918 onwards, Labour remained first and foremost the trade unions’ party and political wing.

New labour link I was struck by this in the light of Ed Miliband’s announcement that he wishes to fundamentally review that Labour-trade union relationship. Of course times have moved on, but are we really in such a totally different era?

As a GMB member, you will almost certainly still have to sell your labour to survive. This will be framed in law by an employment contract still run according to a master/servant relationship. You live in an unequal society rooted in an economy which is still dominated by a powerful and unaccountable elite. The need for a strong and continuing political voice for working

people is as compelling today as it was back in 1924.

That’s why elected delegates to successive GMB Congresses have voted overwhelmingly to keep the link between the industrial and political wings of the labour movement. It is a matter of principle that we affiliate collectively to Labour. We are after all a trade union not a collection of consumers in a market. Trade unions not trade unionists affiliate to the Labour Party. That is democratic. It is also right.

Make no mistake. GMB’s relationship with the Labour Party is not financial. GMB is not a Labour Party donor but a Labour Party affiliate. The relationship is a constitutional one, not cash related. Indeed, the amount you pay is pennies a week.

Be warned The chapter of labour history written by Rosslyn Mitchell serves to remind us that the trade unions’ relationship with the Labour Party has evolved. It is still the case that under current Labour Party rules, trade unions and other affiliated societies are able to make nominations for the selection of candidates.

But the final decision rests in the hands of local members in a secret ballot.

So the other powerful lesson from this episode in our history is that political shocks and sensations can happen, just like they did in Paisley in 1924. In politics nothing can be taken for granted, least of all the people. So let it serve as a warning to Labour. If it turns inward and in so doing is diverted from its historic goal of fighting rising injustice, privilege and inequality just at the very time when we have a most anti-working class government in power at Westminster, it could pay a very heavy price at the ballot box. www.gmb.org.uk 29

regional

UPDATE

injured ? orgk at w .uk .gmb.or

from GMB All the news

www

Fit to manage GMB protects the health of football managers and coaches

“The aim is to prevent avoidable health problems.”

FIGHTING FIt Hearts manager, Gary Locke gets a check up.

W

hile working in professional football is a dream for many people, the reality is an increasingly stressful industry in which coaches and managers put their health at risk. To raise awareness and help those working in football deal with the pressures of the beautiful game, GMB Scotland’s Managers and Coaches branch is promoting the new Managers’ Health Check project.

Hearts manager Gary Locke believes the Managers' Health Check project will give him and his fellow coaches peace of mind amid the ever-intensifying demands of professional football.

The Hearts manager has experienced the full gamut of emotions since taking charge at Tynecastle earlier this year. And Gary was keen to be the first manager this season to take part in the Managers' Health Check, which has taken place in the Hampden Sports Health and Injury Centre

30 www.gmb.org.uk

since 2008. Organised by GMB Scotland’s Managers and Coaches Branch (MACS), the project aims to ensure every manager and assistant manager from all 42 professional league clubs in Scotland – along with the Scottish national team coaching staff – are offered a full heart scan and health check.

“I think this kind of project is fantastic,” said Locke. “I’m quite a young manager but already I’ve come under a lot of pressure, as has been well documented.

“I speak to a lot of older managers who tell me that part of the job is to manage stress effectively. I think a project like this gives coaches and managers peace of mind because you understand what condition you are in so can manage your health better.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the results,” he said.

High-pressure Football is a high-pressure, results-driven industry. Through the project, the partners

involved aim to ensure that managers and their assistants are given access to the best sports medicine, facilities and advice in order to support their needs in a relentlessly demanding and unforgiving environment. Graeme Jones, sports scientist at the National Stadium Sports Health and Injury Clinic, said: “This project allows us to see current and potential health issues with coaches and managers.

“This will become a preventative measure so we can uncover issues early on and treat them effectively.”

Walter Macadam, GMB Scotland Managers and Coaches branch secretary, added: “We’re delighted to be supporting this worthwhile project. Managers and coaches come under pressure in a different way from players. This project will uncover current or potential health issues and effectively treat them.

“The aim is to prevent avoidable health problems which I believe this project will do.”

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BE SEEING YOU! GMB Scotland said a big thank you to Pat McGuinness (left) and Gerry McGreevy (right). These two long-serving senior shop stewards at Scotland Gas Networks (SGN) retired in August 2013. Commercial services

organiser Martin Doran said: “Pat and Gerry have made an outstanding contribution in the gas industry looking after the interests of GMB members and continually being at the forefront of health and safety matters.”

Stay active in

retirement

Come to the GMB Scotland Retired Members’ Association (RMA) conference If you’re retired and want to continue making a difference to GMB, come along to GMB Scotland’s Retired Members’ Association’s biennial conference on 7 February in Glasgow. GMB retired members play a vital role in making sure the demands of pensioners stay at the heart of our campaigns. The conference will be a chance for you to find out about the work of the RMA.

Contact your local GMB branch if you would like to come along. For further information contact Richard Leonard, RMA co-ordinator, on 0141 332 8641 or email richard. leonard@gmb.org.uk Remember, if you’re retiring and you’ve been a member for five years you can become a life member for only £25.

GMB in the

iStock

community Johnston Burgh are proud of their new GMB football kit, donated by the Private Care Branch.

Barry Fletcher, lead officer for care said: “This shows again how GMB helps in the community. GMB Private Care Branch has a history of helping local causes and will continue to do is in the future. This branch should be commended for the great work they do in the community.”

GMB SCOTLAND

Contact GMB

We have one regional and five area offices. This ensures that members have easy access to a local point of contact.

Please contact us with any queries at:

GMB regional Office

Fountain House, 1-3 Woodside Crescent, Charing Cross, Glasgow G3 7UJ Tel: 0141 332 8641 Fax: 0141 332 4491 Email: scotland@gmb.org.uk

GMB aberdeen Office

59 Dee Street, Aberdeen AB11 2EE Tel: 01224 582 367 Fax: 01224 571 125

GMB dundee Office

Kimberly Buildings, 38 Whitehall Street, Dundee, Angus DD1 4AS Tel: 01382 225 491 Fax: 01382 203 479

GMB falkirk Office

2/4 Glebe Street, Falkirk FK1 1HU Tel: 01324 670 676 Fax: 01324 638 576

GMB inverness Office 10 View Place, Inverness IV2 4SA Tel: 01463 233 088 Fax: 01463 233 124

GMB kilmarnock Office 9 The Foregate, Kilmarnock KA1 1LU Tel: 01563 574 455 Fax: 01563 539 101

GMB website www.gmbscotland.org.uk

www.gmb.org.uk 31

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