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The GMB magazine for the Northern region
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The magazine for GMB members
StarNorthern www.gmb.org.uk | Spring 2013
GMB@WORKin care homes
caReTaKe
the red card!GMB shows racismiT OuT!
KicKiNG
Does your boss keep you hanging on the line? See p14
WiNa pair ofGlasto tickets
See page 23
GMB wins a living wage for Barkingand Dagenham members Page 16
In this issue...
www.gmb.org.uk 03
4 More Remploy fury Sunderland branch to close
5 Committed to careGMB signs recognition agreements with care homes across the region
6 We’ve got your backGot a problem? GMB can help
7 Labour of lovePolitical officer Chris Jukes on why the Northern Region is backing Labour
25 Kick racism outGMB’s Peter Foley honoured by anti-racist campaign, Show Racism the Red Card
26 Siren songGMB attracts ambulance members
28 ObituariesGMB members who will be greatly missed
30 Desert trekGMB member Louise Kelly’s charity trek
31 Join us!GMB membership made easy
Regional National
A desert adventure to help beat cancer Page 30
Tom BrennanGMB Northern Regional Secretary
Together we will prevail
GMB regional editor Nigel Hepplewhite: 0191 233 3930Editorial director Stephen PierceEditor Matt Robinson Art editor Johnny GoddardContributors Emma Johnston, Jayne NelsonAdvertising manager Steve HulbertAccount managers David Parker, Lisa DunhamProduction and procurement manager Matt EglintonProduction co-ordinator Katty SkardonCreative director Matthew WilliamsArt director Stuart HobbsDirector, Future Plus UK Jayne CaplePrinted at St Ives Direct
Please contact Steve Hulbert on 01225 442 244 (ex 5205)Would you like to advertise in GMB Northern Star magazine?
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).
Produced by Future Plus, 30 Monmouth Street,
Bath BA1 2BW
9 Make a differenceHelp the Labour Party win the next election
11 Paul Kenny speaksA word from your general secretary
12 BlacklistingHow GMB is beating the illegal blacklist
14 Zero hours contractsPaul Routledge on the pitfalls of ZHCs
16 A living wageGMB is winning fair pay for members in councils across the UK
18 GMB@WORKHow to pay your GMB subs by Direct Debit
20 British Gas offerRecommend a friend for free insulation and get a £50 voucher with this exclusive offer
23 Win Glasto tickets Your chance to win tickets to Glastonbury
24 Save a life todayRegister as a blood or bone marrow donor and become a life-saver
Accepting of advertising and inserts and 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.
This Tory-led coalition government is determined and relentless in a deregulation frenzy to take away your employment rights, from unfair dismissal to health and safety, making it easier to sack workers and increasing the risk of serious injury or even death in the workplace.
All of this is under the guise of making it easier to employ people. I fail to see how making it easier to sack workers will create jobs. Or, am I missing something?
The Tories’ position and debate on our Euro membership is a distraction from the mishandling of the economy and all about reining in the host of benefits that have been bestowed upon workers from the Euro Club. This has nothing at all to do with retaining our sovereignty. As Samuel Johnson said: “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel”. It appears that the issue of European Common Market membership is a last resort and last refuge for the Tory party in its attempt to hang on to power.
Of course, they want to opt out then opt back in, but without the social elements. Again, attacking your employment rights, even though our Euro counterparts enjoy better employment protection than its UK brothers and sisters.
Another coalition madcap idea is to encourage employees to opt to sell their rights for either shares in the company or £2,000, the latter of which will be considerable to anyone who has been long-term unemployed, and possibly all too tempting to turn down.
And how will your union respond to this attack on our ability to defend our members from the worst excesses of employers?
Recruit and organise, that is what we will do. Resort to type in building up our forces and flex our industrial muscle, and that’s where you can assist us.
Join us in our campaign to recruit new members. The stronger our ranks the greater our ability to fend off these right wing attacks and advance our members’ objective in achieving a better work/life balance.
Together we will prevail.
It’s
not faIrstill
L ast March Remploy announced it would be
closing five of the seven factories in GMB’s
Northern Region. The remaining two –
Barrow and Sunderland – were retained to
be sold or kept as social
enterprises. Since then,
however, the Barrow site has
been taken over in a TUPE
transfer by Nationwide Filters.
and a number of job losses
have already taken place. Then,
on 14 December Remploy
shocked workers at
Sunderland by announcing it intended to
close the site. The news – which came just in
time for Christmas – saw 35 more people
destined to a future on the scrap heap.
GMB Organiser Val Scott, who represents
the Sunderland site, is bitter about this latest
announcement. “The government made the
perverse decision to close Remploy factories on
the basis of a flawed report made by Elizabeth
Sayce, whose own organisation stood to gain from
a share of the redistributed government funding
gained by the closure of the sites,” she said.
Val believes that, if it had been given the chance,
Remploy could have been a success
without the need for government
funding. She continued: “This
opportunity has been denied, despite
the vigorous campaigns of GMB. The
latest announcement made to workers,
a week prior to the Christmas holiday
period, shows not only a total lack of
respect for their vulnerable employees
but also a lack of respect for GMB, who learned of the
closure through the local press.”
GMB continue to make representations to government
through local MPs. It is questioning the decision of the
closures, particularly at a time when the government has
failed to reach its own work programme targets, not to
mention the fact that those who left Remploy in summer
2012 are still searching for work, despite the commitments
to place them within mainstream employment.
FIGHTING ONGMB will continue to
fight for Remploy.
“There’s a total lack of respect for employees.”
All the news from GMB
ReGionALUPDATe
Disabled workers shocked by
more Remploy job cuts
www.gmb.org.uk04
GMB signs recognition agreements with care home companies across the region
Who cares?
DONe Deal! GMB’s Billy Coates and
Ron McNamara of Roseberry.roseberry Care Group
SIGN THe lINeBilly Coates from GMB
with Kevin Groombridge
of Akari Care.
akari CareStaff at Akari care homes can now feel the full benefit of GMB membership. The company, which owns 39 care homes nationally, agreed to recognise GMB in November 2012. Akari and GMB have both committed themselves to working on a range of issues that cover terms and conditions, training and funding in the social care sector.
Speaking after the signing ceremony, GMB Senior Organiser Billy Coates said: “It
is clear to GMB that Akari Care has a strong commitment to high-quality care for residents and their families, as well as trying to employ excellence in terms and conditions for their workforce. The social care industry is under great pressure from budgetary constraints and a lack of a national consensus as to the way forward. We want to play our part in helping that process and build that consensus.”
Kenton Manor
Acting on a tip-off, GMB organising officers petitioned employees at Kenton Manor Care Home in Newcastle and met with workers off-site to discuss a range of work-related issues. After signing up a number of employees and receiving support from non-members, GMB made a formal application for recognition for collective bargaining purposes to the Central Arbitration Committee
(CAC), resulting in a recognition agreement signed in December. GMB Senior Organiser Billy Coates said: “The GMB Northern Regional Organising Team put some graft in to be in a position to go for recognition through the CAC. It just goes to show that from a standing start – with commitment and organisation – we can work with employers, become recognised and help GMB members.”
Roseberry Care Group owns 19 care centres in the UK, and GMB is proud to have signed a recognition agreement with them. GMB and Roseberry will be working together to deliver better terms and conditions, train staff and address funding in the social care sector.
Ron McNamara, Chief Executive of Roseberry, said: “Our priority is to
deliver an extremely high standard of care to our service users. We can only achieve that by having a well-trained, happy and effective staff group. We are confident that this partnership agreement with GMB will benefit both the service users, and our staff who we regard as our biggest asset. We look forward to working closely with our GMB colleagues to achieve this.”
GMB@WoRKGet organised in your workplace.
To find out more about making
GMB stronger in your
workplace, visit
www.gmb.org.uk
www.gmb.org.uk 05
SIGN up FOr THe GMB eNeWSleTTer aT www.gmb.org.uk ReGionALSIGN up FOr THe GMB eNeWSleTTer aT www.gmb.org.uk ReGionALSIGN up FOr THe GMB eNeWSleTTer aT www.gmb.org.uk ReGionALSIGN up FOr THe GMB eNeWSleTTer aT www.gmb.org.uk ReGionAL
GMB!
BeCoMeA GMBWoRKPLACeoRGAniSeRWWW.GMB.oRG.UK/GMBWo
www.gmb.org.uk06
All the news from GMB
reGionAlUPDATe
G MB’s legal service is part of a comprehensive package of benefits available to all GMB members. It has provided free
assistance to members whose employers caused them to be injured or become ill as a result of unsafe working practices or exposure to dangerous substances.
£9,500 for ladder-fall manA GMB member fractured his wrist when he fell from a ladder in wet and windy weather at an oilrig construction site in Tyneside. He was working on the rig in the early hours of the morning at Offshore Group Newcastle when he fell 2.5 metres, landing on his back and wrist. It was dark, wet and extremely windy and the ladder was slippery.
GMB’s specialist lawyers, Thompsons, investigated a claim for compensation and found that, before the accident, workers had complained the wooden ladders were unsafe in wet weather. Offshore Group Newcastle admitted liability and settled the compensation claim for £9,500.
The injured member said: “I feel like the company was just waiting for someone to have an accident before they solved the problem – unfortunately it was me that ended up in hospital.”
Settlement for asbestos victimRobert Kemp was exposed to asbestos while working as an apprentice and as a shipwright for two Wearside shipyards from the ’50s to the ’80s. When he began to suffer from a cough and chest pain in August 2010 he was diagnosed with diffuse pleural thickening.
The former GMB Branch Secretary has been left breathless with the condition and is now unable to walk long distances or do any DIY.
GMB’s asbestos claim specialists at Thompsons were successful in securing
GMB has won more than £3.4m in injury compensation for members in the last year
we’ve GoT yoUr BAck
The way that personal injury cases are funded is changing. So if you’ve been injured at work in the last three years, it’s important to act quickly to get the best out of your claim.
Go online for details: www.gmb.org.uk
Been injured? Act now!
who hAve we helPeD?
provisional compensation from two of his former employers’ insurers. This allows him to make a further claim for compensation if his condition worsens in the future.
He said: “This has had a huge impact on my life. It is very frustrating that I cannot do the things I used to be able to do. I’m terrified that I will get asbestos cancer.”
Family valuesGMB’s legal service also supports your family members who suffer injury caused by someone else.
Seven-year-old Annabelle Cotton-Hill broke her arm falling down a flight of stairs at the family’s rented home in Askam in Furness.
Annabelle’s father Russell Hill, a GMB Northern Region member, had complained about the stairs to the landlord on several occasions prior to the accident but nothing was done to fit a handrail.
Mr Hill contacted GMB and was referred to Thompsons Solicitors who alleged that the landlord had failed in his duty to make the house safe before allowing it to be occupied. The landlord admitted liability and settled the claim out of court.
injUreDAT work?www.GMB.orG.Uk/injUreDATwork
iSto
ck
GMB Political officer chris jukes reveals how
the northern region is backing labour in 2013
T he last few months have been very busy politically with a range of matters affecting GMB members, their families and communities.
The Tory/Lib Dem coalition government is implementing brutal cuts across the Northern Region. As the cuts bite, it’s worth remembering that the deficit is getting worse under this government and is much higher than anything Labour had or planned for. The fact that the deficit is massively higher than the coalition government inherited also means that the national debt is rising way beyond anything seen for many decades.
When Labour was in power, part of the reason why the national debt increased was because billions were put into keeping the UK banking system from collapse, and so that you and I could get our money out of the hole in the wall. But under the coalition the people who caused the crash – the people at the top – are getting away scot-free to take profit from the public purse.
In the GMB Northern Region we have seen the very sad loss of a good friend of GMB in the death of Sir Stuart Bell, MP for Middlesbrough for 29 years. In the subsequent by election, the Labour Candidate, Andy McDonald, won a triumphant and emphatic victory. GMB Northern Region was proud to support the campaign to send a very strong signal to this coalition government.
Across the Northern Region there were four important Police and Crime Commissioner elections. Labour’s Candidates won in Cleveland, Durham and Darlington, and Northumbria. Unfortunately, the Tory candidate won in Cumbria.
The government’s decisions to cut welfare benefits and make it harder for lower income workers to stay in their occupational pension schemes tells us all we need to know about the Tories and Lib Dems. There is a huge disconnection between the government and the voters on these issues. Even Thatcher wouldn’t have dared implement many of the things that Cameron is bringing in.
There is a major issue brewing around inter generational justice; with the elderly having to pay ever more for their care, families losing out on their nest egg, and young people having to pay for their education, take on massive debts, take home less pay, work
longer into retirement for a poorer pension and still have to pay
enormous sums for their own care when they reach that age.
The system is unsustainable and even a decision to adopt just one GMB policy – to make social care a universal service paid for out of taxation – would be a huge move and a massive benefit to millions of citizens.
The last few months have seen Newcastle City, Copeland Borough and Carlisle City council groups implement a policy of the Living Wage. Nick Forbes, Leader of Newcastle City Council, Joe Hendry, Leader of Carlisle City Council and Sam Pollen, GMB member and Councillor on Copeland Borough Council, deserve our praise for their efforts in pushing forward on the Living Wage campaign.
The Living Wage is one of several campaigns that GMB Northern Region is pursuing. The campaign to get Labour groups
“As the cuts bite, the
deficit is getting worse.”
Update!PoliTicAl
Andy McdonAld Welcomed emphatically.
Sir StuArt Bell MP
Sadly missed.
Continued over
www.gmb.org.uk 07
SiGn uP for the GMB eneWSletter At www.gmb.org.uk reGionAlreGionAl
BAckinG lABoUr
PenSion woeS
livinG wAGe
to table motions to their Councils around blacklisting is gathering pace. We have seen for ourselves the misery that companies such as Carillion have caused by their disgraceful tactics at the Swindon Hospital. We want Labour groups to repudiate blacklisting wherever it takes place and to recognise that they might be awarding contracts from the public purse to companies that carry out these pernicious activities.
As part of our commitment to equalities, GMB is supporting the campaign for equal marriage. Let’s make no mistake, discrimination by government or Church of England against same sex couples is abhorrent, and we would like Labour groups
to show that they treat equal marriage as a key issue of social conscience and don’t run for the hills when the subject is raised or discussed.
The last few months have seen a range of engagements with our GMB Northern Group of Labour MP contacts and a wide variety of activities have taken place. We held a Retired Members’ Meeting at the end of 2012 and welcomed Bridget Phillipson, MP for Houghton and Sunderland South, to the meeting. Bridget held a question and answer session and it was a really
excellent event – not to mention being very well received by our
retired members’ committee.
Talking of politicians, in 2013 we will see three
important sets of County Council elections in Cumbria,
Durham and Northumberland, as well as a Mayoral election in
North Tyneside. The only opposition to Tories, Lib Dems or Independents
wherever they stand, in our view is Labour and we will be working flat out to ensure that Labour Councillors and Mayor are returned. We hope that all GMB members, their families and their communities will do likewise.
eqUAl MArriAGe
MeMBerS’MeeTinG
elecTionS
BridGet PhilliPSon MP
Held a great Q&A.
www.gmb.org.uk08
All the news from GMB
reGionAlUPDATe
GMB northern region is delighted to announce the signing of a constituency development plan with Hartlepool Constituency Labour Party.
The development plan will enable GMB and Hartlepool Constituency Labour Party to work together in areas of mutual interest. This means we can help each other on matters such as campaigning, membership development and political education.
Tom Brennan, GMB regional secretary, said: “Having such a relationship with Hartlepool Constituency Labour Party is fabulous. We have been looking at this for some time with Iain Wright MP and Labour colleagues, and we are delighted that a development plan has been signed that helps foster that link between GMB and Labour in Hartlepool.”
labour loveofGMB and labour join forces in hartlepool
MeetinG of MindSGMB political officer Chris Jukes meets
with Hartelpool Labour officials Edwin Jeffries,
Iain Wright MP and Sylvia Thomas.
“We’re delighted
that a development
plan’s been signed.”
BecoMeA GMBworkPlAceorGAniSerwww.GMB.orG.Uk/GMBwo
www.gmb.org.uk 09
MEMBER
All the news from GMB
NATIONAlUPDATE
Stand up for working families in the UK
europe
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
BrING YOUr MAG TO lIfE!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.
W e all now realise the damage this Con-Dem government is inflicting on our public services and on GMB members and their families. The Lib Dems are complicit in the
havoc being wreaked on our communities; we should never forget that.
The GMB Central Executive Council (CEC) policy is to make the Labour Party electable in time for the next general election. GMB is now staffed with a political department and each GMB region has a regional political officer (RPO). These officers’ jobs are to organise politically and they are there to help, so get in touch – see the panel on the next page for details of your regional RPO.
GMB is encouraging members to join the Labour Party, become active in their communities and local Labour Parties, and help the party become electable. If our members are involved they can encourage the party to adopt policies which will help people provide for their families.
Only by being politically active can GMB members influence Labour Party policy and make sure it stands for the things we believe in: a stop to the privatisation of public services, a Living Wage for all working people and investment in our schools and hospitals.
As a GMB member you can be part of the Labour Party for just £1.80 a month – that’s only £21.50 a year. Download a form from www.labour.org.uk/trade-union-join and start making a difference!
Your chance to shape
www.gmb.org.uk10
NATIONAl
UPDATEAll the news from GMB
for GMB, Europe means a basketful of employment and social rights that we might otherwise never have had. Health and safety protection, paid holidays from work, limits on working hours, protection when faced with collective redundancies and rights when the company we work for is sold. The transfers of undertakings (TUPE) regulations give GMB the right to make sure we keep our hard-won pay and conditions. Part-time workers are guarded; fixed term and temporary agency workers’ rights have been improved; we have improved maternity/pregnant workers’ rights and extensive equal treatment and equality rights. When workers come to the UK to work they have to be paid the negotiated rate of pay and cannot be exploited. And these are just some of the rights we enjoy from Europe.
Yet increasingly, when we hear and read about Europe, it is about why Britain should leave it. It's not about whether it's good for us as working families and everyday people to be in or out; the debate is being dominated by politicians. So if we are going to have a debate about Europe, we want it to be about shaping a Europe that works for us.
We want honest answers about what will happen to our jobs if we leave the EU. Around 50 per cent of everything we produce is bought by Europe. The USA has already said that for them the UK is a route to the EU – and if we’re not in they will find another route. All this will have big implications for us as working families, our jobs and our economy.
David Cameron says he wants to renegotiate the terms of our involvement with Europe rather than withdraw altogether. One of the top priorities for him and the coalition is to remove workers’ rights. So any renegotiation under a Con-Dem government is bad news for GMB members. The UK Independence Party (UKIP) would also remove our rights. They are not any friend of GMB members.
So get involved and help us shape a Europe that works for us – because its future is in our hands.
GMBPOlITIcAl cONTAcTS
GMB BIrMINGhAM & WEST MIDlANDS rEGION Stephanie Peacock 0121 550 4888 [email protected]
GMB lONDON rEGION Gary Doolan 020 7391 6748
GMB MIDlAND & EAST cOAST rEGION Richard Oliver 0115 960 7171 [email protected]
GMB NOrThErN rEGION Chris Jukes 0191 233 3930 [email protected]
GMB NOrTh WEST AND IrISh rEGION Neil Smith 0151 727 0077 [email protected]
GMB ScOTlAND Richard Leonard 0141 332 8641 [email protected]
GMB SOUThErN rEGION Michelle Gordon 020 8397 8881
GMB WAlES & SOUTh WEST rEGION Mike Payne 029 2049 1260
GMB YOrKShIrE & NOrTh DErBYShIrE rEGION
Steve Jennings 0845 337 7777 [email protected]
GMB EUSTON POlITIcAl TEAM
Cath Speight, national political officer 020 7391 6746
Heidi Benzing 020 7391 6749Gary Doolan 020 7391 6748Lisa Johnson 020 7391 6764Steve Kemp 020 7391 6700Hilary Perrin 020 7391 6753
GET IN TOUch WITh YOUr rEGIONAl
POlITIcAl OffIcEr
Shaping a europe
What does europe
that works for you
mean to you?
In the November edition of this magazine we appealed to members to put themselves forward to stand as Labour candidates for the 2014 European elections. This was a huge success and many GMB members will be on the list of candidates to be voted on by Labour Party members in July. The result of the ballot and final regional lists of candidates will be announced at the Labour Party Annual Conference in September.
Some of us see the EU as distant or gobbledygook that we don’t understand and just over 30 per cent of us voted in the last European elections. Yet GMB members benefit from the rights that belonging to the EU brings
us, and we must to fight to ensure these are protected and improved, not taken away.
We have the power of our vote to start shaping a Europe that works for us – and if we want positive change we must vote for it at the next European election. We must vote for the GMB members and other trade unionists who have stood up for us and know that the EU needs change, but not at the expense of our hard-won rights. The rights from Europe came to us when we had majorities of Labour and Socialist MEPs, commissioners and governments at European level. It is no surprise that since we lost the majority across the EU, these rights fell under attack.
WATch GMB TVWant to know more about getting involved? Get it from the horse’s mouth! Watch interviews with Labour MPs and GMB organisers at www.gmb.public-i.tv
GET ONlINE!Tell the Labour Party what you
want in the Labour Manifesto 2014
at www.yourbritain.org.uk
Find out who’s giving money
to the Tories at searchthemoney.com
www.gmb.org.uk 11
T here is a line in a Joni Mitchell song which goes “you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone”. How true those words ring when the
people you love are no longer around, and I guess that is what the song was written to convey. However, such sentiments also apply to the standards of equality, justice and services which are lost, diluted or just plundered by politicians and the vested interests of markets and millionaires.
We now live in a country where our natural resources are all owned by private companies, who make vast profits selling us back natural resources, like water, which falls from the sky for free!!
Our energy, railways and public services are all seen as primary wealth producers for corporations’ shareholders or entrepreneurs rather than being instruments for a richer economy for all, a planned future for the benefit of the many.
I look in disbelief as this generation of snake oil salesmen that masquerade as our government, package up our health service for privatisation. How they tell us that somehow giving hundreds of millions, currently spent on patient care, to the back pockets of privateers, is the health service we need or indeed want!
The power of the business lobby is stronger now than at any time in modern government and where better to see that power than to look at the “special advisors” from business, which now adorn every government department. The lobby group who don’t ever have to book an appointment to see the minister. They just waltz right in from the office next door!
These “business” interests, demanding cuts in regulations on everything from health and safety to employment rights and equality laws.
These are the same guardians of our interests who welcomed cuts in public services whilst applauding cash hand outs to millionaires.
The same crew who demanded and got cuts in corporation tax alongside cuts in benefits.
The vested interests of multi nationals who earn billions from our country yet pay nothing or virtually nothing back in taxes on their vast profits.
The vested interests of the companies who were allowed to get away with compiling blacklists designed to discriminate against ordinary men and women whose only crime might have been to attend a meeting about working conditions or airport expansions or similar environmental concerns.
It is a scandal that people who live in a country that politicians like to tell us is a free democratic society are victimised for asking questions or having the desire to just listen to a debate.
GMB has led the way in both exposing and demanding action on these matters, from tax avoidance by the Starbucks and Amazons of this world to the companies like Carillion and McAlpine whose involvement in blacklisting is now out in the open. If anyone thinks GMB will tire of pursuing these companies, then they better think again.
The first political party which has the courage to break the strangle hold of the self-interest buccaneers will be embraced by millions of British people who have become victims of the snout in the trough arrangement, the “we can do whatever we want” culture, of so many companies and individuals whose only interests are their own. I hope that party is Labour. I hope Ed Miliband has the strength to follow his own natural instinct on justice and equality. And a vision which enhances the lives of British people, not on servicing the vested interests of an unelected rich elite.
After all when it comes to political support, as the song goes, “you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone”.
SEllING IT Off
DEMAND AcTION
PAUl KENNYSAYS
A word from your GMB general secretary
rISKY BUSINESS
It is a scandal that people are victimised for asking questions
national
UPDatEall the news from GMB
are you, or is someone you know, one of the
3,213 names on the construction
industry blacklist?
M ore than 3,000 names appear on an illegal blacklist used by companies in the construction industry. The
map, right, was made by GMB to show how many people in each area of the UK were on the blacklist of 3,213* workers.
The blacklist first came to light in 2009. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) seized a Consulting Association database of 3,213 construction workers used by 44 companies to vet new recruits and keep out trade union and health and safety activists.
By autumn 2012, only 194 of the 3,213 blacklisted workers knew they were on it.
After GMB pressed for disclosure, the ICO agreed to supply names, dates of birth, trades and towns of residence on a restricted basis to enable GMB to check our own membership records to find members who are on the blacklist. We found 200 exact matches and are in contact with these members to get their files from ICO. GMB appointed lawyers Leigh Day are preparing litigation to get compensation for them.
There were a further 300 names on the list, who may be GMB members, but we need more information to assess if they are.
We publish the map, based on locations supplied by ICO for all 3,213, to prompt responses from members to help us in this. If you were a construction worker from one of these areas and as a trade union or health
and safety activist were denied work for reasons you could not explain, get in touch so we can crosscheck the records.
GMB’s priority is to step up the campaign to get every blacklisted GMB member compensation.
GMB is calling on councils not to award work to the companies that operated the blacklist until they compensate those they damaged. GMB is also pushing ICO for a proactive action to inform all builders affected that they are on the blacklist.
A GMB report on blacklisting showed that it was not something isolated or rare. The
report estimated that in one quarter, Carillion, for example, checked 2,776 names with the Consulting Association, and in the period from October 1999 to April 2004 it estimates that Carillion checked at least 14,724 names.
STAND UP FOR JUSTICEBlacklisting makes innocent members into outlaws.
www.gmb.org.ukwww.gmb.org.uk12
3,213blacklisted
1
1
NORThERN IRElAND
EIRE
SIGN UP FOR ThE GMB eNEWSlETTER AT www.gmb.org.ukSIGN UP FOR ThE GMB eNEWSlETTER AT www.gmb.org.uk nationalSIGN UP FOR ThE GMB eNEWSlETTER AT www.gmb.org.uk national
BEat BlacklistinGIf you can help us identify more
of the people named on the
blacklist, tell Phil Whitehurst,
GMB construction officer on
07968 338 810 or phil.
or GMB, 22 Stephenson
Way, London NW1 2HD.
“Blacklisting is not something isolated or rare.”
GRIM PRACTICE GMB members demonstrate at
a Carillion court hearing in Swansea.
* When alias names and duplicates are excluded
there are 3,213 individuals on the blacklist. The
map shows where 2,554 lived or worked. There are
an additional 12 unmapped in Wales and 8
unmapped in Scotland. For 639, or 20%, no proper
addresses are given. The ICO using NI details
could, with help of DWP, find current addresses for
most of 3,213 but they have not done so.
www.gmb.org.uk 13
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7
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23 1
57
9
4
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8
18
3
5
5
5 9
9
7
ORkNEy ISlANDS
hIGhlAND
15
14
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5212
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2215
140
183
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www.gmb.org.uk14
national
UPDatEall the news from GMB
D on’t call us – we’ll call you!” That’s the old showbiz gag. Promoters who exploit struggling artistes tell them to stay by the
phone on the off chance of something coming up. But it’s no joke in modern-day Britain, where employers impose “zero hours contracts” (ZHC) contracts on people desperate for work.
These breadwinners spend hours listening for the boss to call them in for a few hours’ paid work. Sometimes the phone rings, sometimes it doesn’t. It’s not a job. It’s not even a genuine contract – it’s a con-trick.
But nowadays it’s year zero every year in UK plc, as employers rush to turn their workforce into casual labourers. Once upon a time, it was the dockers, gathered at the dock gates waiting for the foreman to shout
“You, you and you! The rest go home.” Today, this system goes right across the board from fast-food outlets to the NHS.
Exactly what are we talking about here? Under a zero hours contract, employees are obliged to make themselves available for work – but the employer is under no obligation to provide work. There are no specified hours, and work can vary from week to week. Workers are paid only for the time they work, so the waiting time they spend by the phone is unpaid. And some employers don’t even pay for waiting time spent on work premises, though legally workers are entitled to payment.
ACAS, the employment relations service, says, “National Minimum Wage (NMW) regulations state that workers on ‘stand-by time’, ‘on-call time’ and ‘downtime’ must
still be paid the NMW if they are at their place of work and are required to be there.
“Similarly, such time is likely to count as ‘working time’ under the Working Time Regulations if the worker is required to be on call at the place of work. This means that it’s against the law to ask employees to ‘clock’ during quiet periods but still remain on the premises.” Workers should be aware of these provisions.
It’s obvious why the employers like this evil system. As GMB puts it: “This isn’t a proper job at all, but being on a bank of agency workers, with no rights, no guarantees and unable to plan their lives.”
Security work has been particularly hard hit by the zero hours revolution. And as the union for security workers, GMB members and GMB workplace
telephonehangin’ on the
Daily Mirror columnist Paul Routledge on how zero hours contracts are keeping UK workers waiting by the phone
BECoMEa GMBWoRKPlaCEoRGaniSERWWW.GMB.oRG.UK/ GMBWo
SIGN up for the GMB eNeWSletter At www.gmb.org.uk regional
www.gmb.org.uk 15
nationalBRinG thESE PaGES to lifE!
75,000 employees on zero hours contracts, 32,000 of them women. In 2011 this had increased to 146,000, with 85,000 women.
These figures show a doubling of ZHCs since the bankers’ recession hit the economy, with women now more likely to be exploited by employers. And the official numbers are just the tip of an iceberg. They exclude hundreds of thousands of agency workers – who are not technically employees.
The clear and present danger of exploitation from zero hour contracts has prompted GMB to back a call for a National Minimum Hours strategy to complement the National Minimum Wage, with GMB giving evidence to the Low Pay Commission.
GMB executive policy officer Ida Clemo says: “Employers regard these workers as ‘flexible’, but it is GMB policy that if workers That’s because ZHCs cut both ways. How
can an employee treated badly in this way feel any loyalty to a company that treats him or her like an industrial serf? These work deals first reappeared in the recession of the ’90s. They didn’t guarantee any hours or pay. But they were a contract with that employer, so the employee could not work anywhere else, nor could they sign on for benefits. Where did they go afterwards? As soon as the labour market eases and better forms of employment become available, people stop accepting them and they become rare.
But there are few signs that the labour market is picking up. Quite the opposite. And with the UK economy bumping along the bottom, most new employment is low-paid, part-time work. Hundreds of thousands of worthwhile jobs in the public services have been sacrificed in the name of austerity but the private sector only wants “flexible” staff who can be called out when they’re needed.
This is a recipe for disaster, because dissatisfied workers are reluctant workers. Whatever the nature of the work, you need people who are committed to doing a good job. “A fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work” is an old maxim, but one that reflects the British way of life. A way of living now under siege from the zero hours mobsters.
“Where workers are isolated and communication is poor, it’s easy for them to be abused by management.”have a regular pattern of work over a fixed period then they must be offered employment on a permanent contract, not
a casual one.”The security industry is traditionally
a low-wage economy with long hours. In addition to this many sites are not GMB-organised sites, and there is a high potential for guards to be exposed to violence. As such security guards are SIA-licensed and vetted to high standards. The big players, with whom GMB has recognition agreements, fund the license with the cost repaid if guards leave before the end of the three-year license period.
However, most guards who aren’t GMB members are on ZHCs and have to pay for their own license and training with no guarantee of work.
The logical outcome of this cut-throat business practice was perfectly demonstrated during the Olympic Games, when security firm G4S – many of whose security officers were on ZHCs – failed dismally to produce the tens of thousands of guards required to keep the sites safe.
JoB INSeCurItY Factory workers suffer
from unfair contracts.
oN CAllAndy Burnham, Shadow HealthSecretary, objects to ZHCs.
tiP of thE iCEBERG
organisers have spotlighted the excesses and are driving action by the union in the workplace and in a wider public debate.
GMB has successfully challenged ZHCs in a number of companies, where the employer has agreed minimum hours so workers have a “default position” knowing just how much they will get.
But it’s a tough fight we have on our hands. The industry is highly fragmented, with many people working alone and on night shifts. Where workers are isolated, and communication is poor, it’s easy for them to be abused by management.
Security is probably the worst in terms of exploitation, but ZHCs are also found in local government, schools, food processing, telecommunications, agriculture and some parts of manufacturing. And in the NHS, one Trust in south-west England has more than 1,000 people on ZHCs at all levels of the organisation: healthcare assistant, midwife, doctor, surgeon and admin worker. None have security of income.
Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, Andy Burnham, has called on the coalition government to halt the spread of ZHCs in the NHS pending an urgent review into the potential risks to continuity of care and patient safety. “What we’re seeing is the casualisation of our health service, turning parts of the NHS into a temping workforce,” he warned.
Reliable figures across the nation are hard to come by, but the official government Labour Force Survey calculates that in pre-recession Britain of 2005, there were
GEt hElP fRoM GMBHave you been offered a zero
hours contract? Get in touch
with your regional office
or find out more online
at www.gmb.org.uk
toUGh fiGht
I t’s nonsensical that council workers’ pay has to be topped up by state benefits. More councils are signing up to the GMB living wage
campaign all the time, so check out the latest list of the councils that haven’t at: www.gmb.org.uk/livingwage
GMB is calling on all UK councils to pay a living wage. In England and Wales GMB wants councils to pay £7.45 per hour. With a much higher cost of living in the capital, GMB is seeking an hourly rate of £8.55 from the 33 London boroughs. The campaign is being backed by Labour Party. A sokesperson said, “Labour councils are leading the way in committing to pay a living wage to their staff and subcontracted workers. As part of Labour’s policy review we are now looking at ideas for extending it further into the private sector.”
Council rates of pay have been pushed up by GMB negotiators over time, but years of
pay freezes have meant that this progress has been halted and dragged back, leaving some GMB members at the lower end of the pay scale on £6.30 per hour. GMB is determined that members on these lower pay rates, who are forced to claim tax credits, free school meals, housing benefit and council tax benefit to make ends meet will be paid a living wage.
Around 280,000 – 16 per cent of local authority staff – would
benefit from a living wage. Jobs currently paid £6.30–£6.38
per hour include home help, teaching assistants, cleaners, grave diggers, admin assistants, sure-start,
caretakers, care workers and school crossing patrols.You will find GMB living wage
material at www.gmb.org.uk/livingwage GMB has petitions
among council workers and is meeting with the chief executives of councils and calling on elected councillors to vote for a living wage.
At the time of writing, 35 councils in England, including 10 London boroughs
The campaign steps up as some councils make the first step to get on board
which will pay the higher hourly rate, have committed to pay a living wage. They are Ashfield, Blackpool, Birmingham, Brent, Brighton & Hove, Calderdale, Camden, Carlisle, Chorley, Croydon, Dartford, Deal, Derby City, Ealing, Enfield, Gloucester City, Hackney, Harrow, Hounslow, Hyndburn, Islington, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newark & Sherwood, Newcastle, Norwich, Oxford City, Preston, Sheffield, Southwark, Wirral, Wolverhampton, Barking & Dagenham, Greenwich and York.
Scotland is leading the way by paying £7.20 from 1 April this year in all 26 Scottish councils. GMB Scotland intends to move on to the private sector contractors delivering catering and cleaning services to councils by extending the campaign to cover them too.
None of the 26 Northern Ireland councils have signed up to the GMB living wage aims Only two of Wales’s 22 councils, Cardiff and Swansea, have signed up to pay a living wage of £7.45.
GMB wants a living wage for members in the private sector too, not just in councils.
GMB wins a living wage of £9ph for members at Barking & Dagenham council in London.
www.gmb.org.uk16
£7.45 The hourly rate that experts
say people need
to be paid to have an
acceptable standard
of living (£8.55
in London).
naTIonaL
UPDaTEall the news from GMB
a living wagegMB calls on
UK councils to payIT’S A LIVING THING GMB secures a living wage at Barking & Dagenham council.
How GMB makes life easier for you
www.gmb.org.uk18
national
UPDatEall the news from GMB
one afternoon…
the End
GMB workplace organisers are there to offer support and advice, so whether you are having a problem that you need help with, or if you just want to know what your rights are, call them!
you have a legal right to be a gMb
MeMber wherever you work,
whether your boss recognises gMb or not.
Thanks, Jen. if you give Me the Direct
Debit forM i’ll fill it out now. by the way,
helen is Moving to the new Depot.
Jen, i start a new Job next week anD My new boss won’t DeDuct My
gMb contributions froM My wages.
i still want to be a gMb MeMber.
what can i Do?
Don’t worry, clive. Just fill in a Direct
Debit forM anD i will senD it off to gMb.
it’s that siMple.
yes, i saw your naMes on the list of
staff who are leaving. i’ll be Meeting with
you both later in the week.
great! i’ll ask helen to fill in a MeMbership
transfer note. then payroll can keep her gMb
DeDuctions going.
Gav
in R
ober
ts
national
UPDatEall the news from GMB
www.gmb.org.uk20
REFER a FRiEnDTo earn a £50 voucher, tell an eligible
friend or relative to call British Gas on:
0800 107 1683 quoting ‘GMBMAG’ with your name,
address and telephone number.
if you receive one of the following benefits: 1. State Pension Creditor 2. Child Tax Credit with an income below £15,860or 3. A combination of the following:
Income-related employment and support allowance, which must include a work-related activity or support component
Income-based job seekers allowance
Income support
Has parental responsibility for a child who ordinariliy resides with that person where the child is:(i) under the age of 16; or(ii) 16 or over but under the age of 20 and in full-time
education (other than higher education)
A child tax credit which includes a disability or severe disability element
A disabled child premium
A disability premium, enhanced disability premium or severe disability premium
A pensioner premium, higher pensioner premium or enhanced pensioner premium
AND
Working tax credit and has a relevant income of £15,860 or less
Has parental responsibility for a child who ordinariliy resides with that person where the child is:(i) under the age of 16; or(ii) 16 or over but under the age of 20 and in full-time
education (other than higher education)
Is in receipt of a disabled worker element or severe disability element
Is aged 60 years or over
AND
OR
Who qualifies?Visit www.britishgas.co.uk/smallprint or see the table below:B
ritish Gas is offering a FREE £50 voucher to anyone who refers a friend on qualifying benefits to receive free insulation worth up
to £1,000. If you have a friend on any of the benefits listed in the table to the right, you could get them FREE insulation and a £50 voucher for yourself!
The voucher will be sent to you once the installation has been completed. What’s more there is no limit on the number of people you can refer.
As well as getting FREE insulation, the customer you refer will be paid £50 too and they don’t even need to be a British Gas customer to be eligible.
The offer is part of a government initiative to help Britain’s homes become more energy efficient – and it is FREE to anyone who qualifies. The whole process is hassle free and is usually complete in less than a day. What’s more insulation can save your friend money on their bills. Loft insulation alone could save as much as £175 a year!
Refer a friend to British Gas for FREE insulation and earn yourself a £50 voucher!
could be yours!
iSto
ck
tERMS anD ConDitionS To be eligible, a member of the household must be on eligible benefits call 0800 107 1683 or see britishgas.co.uk/smallprint for details. British Gas installs in mainland Great Britain only. Not all homes are suitable for insulation. Offer only applies to loft and cavity wall measures recommended by an appointed surveyor. Offer includes up to £1,000 of specialist equipment at the discretion of the appointed surveyor. Tenants must seek landlord permission. Offer only applicable to residential properties and excludes all other properties including commercial or part commercial premises. The Offer is subject to availability and subject to change or withdrawal at any time. A £50 Love2shop voucher will be sent to the Applicant and the Referrer within 30 days of completion of insulation installation. Employees of British Gas, members of their immediate family and British Gas contractors are not eligible for the £50 reward. Referrers may refer more than one Applicant. Applicants must provide proof of their eligibility for the Offer, including proof of receipt of eligible benefits as set out above and/or proof of age and proof of their residential address. Free insulation is limited to one per Applicant. Phone lines are open 8am-8pm Monday to Friday, 8am-4pm on Saturday and 9am-4pm on Sunday. Closed on Bank Holidays. Calls are free from a BT landline, however charges from mobile phonesand other networks may vary. Calls may be monitored and/or recorded for quality assurance and compliance purposes.
£50a
VoUCHER
PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
EXCLUSIVE TO GMB MEMBERS!
could be yours!
yoU’ll BE BoWlED oVER By
PlyMoUtH, 2–6 jUnE
ConGRESS2013 TELEVISION
Watch it live on Congress tV!Go towww.gmb.public-i.tv
GMB Central Executive Council is backing the future of the Durham Miners’ Gala, which was first held 142 years ago and is the biggest celebration of trade union values in Britain today. However, the cost of the Gala is increasing year on year and we need your
help to keep this institution running.
Since our coalfield was destroyed 20 years ago by a vengeful Tory government, we have had no regular subscription to our funds from working miners. Our financial problems have now been further compounded, as we have to pay more than £1.4m in legal fees.
Anyone who donates £2 a month or a one-off payment of £24 a year will become a member of The Friends Of The Durham
Durham mINErS’Dave Hopper, general secretary, Durham Miners’ association appeals to GMB members
Save the
GalaMiners’ Gala Society, and each year will receive a glossy magazine with photographs of the Gala and a report of the speeches. Donations can of course be more than £2 per month if circumstances allow, and one-off payments are equally acceptable.
To join or donate, please contact us through our website (details below). You may also wish to buy one or more of the items for sale from the site.
This year’s Durham Miners’ Gala will be held on Saturday 13 July.
MINERS’ MARCH The Durham Miners’ Gala is
142 year-old tradition.
SIGN Up fOR THE GMB eNEWSLETTER AT www.gmb.org.uk national
www.gmb.org.uk 21
BRinG tHESE PaGES to liFE!
PlEaSE DonatEThe Durham Miners’ Gala
needs your help!
www.durhamminers.org
G MB has worked hard over the years for maternity rights and pay. Here are some basic facts for new mothers:
What maternity pay will I get?If you earn the lower earnings limit of £107 a week and you have worked for your employer for at least 26 weeks before the 15th week before your baby is due you will probably be entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP).
Is it true that all women get 52 weeks’ maternity leave no matter how long they have worked for their employer? Yes! The first 26 weeks of leave is known as Ordinary Maternity Leave and the second 26 weeks is Additional Maternity Leave. Employers will assume you're taking the full 52 weeks’ leave. If you want to go back to work before the 52 weeks, you must let your employer know the date you will return to work.
What if I decide not to go back to work?You never have to pay back any SMP. If you are getting more than SMP, or if you're getting payments from your employer even
Going to be a mum? Don’t miss out on your maternity rights
mother carethough you are not entitled to SMP, this is Contractual or Occupational Maternity Pay. You should look at your employment contract or the maternity policy to see what it says about maternity pay.
There may be a requirement for you to pay some money back if you don’t return to work for a certain length of time.
Remember...The situation with your employer may change, so always discuss your individual
situation with your GMB workplace organiser. This is
a brief guide to your legal minimum rights and is not
a definitive guide to the law, which may change.
Fighting forsuFFerers
cancer
Get helpMacmillan has an Essential Work
& Cancer Toolkit available at at
www.macmillan.org.uk/work,
or call 0808 808 0000 for
answers, support or just a
quick chat on the issues.
www.gmb.org.uk22
natIonal
UpDateall the news from GMB
GMB and Macmillan help with cancer in the workplace
Four in 10 people in the UK will be affected by cancer at some stage of their life. Many cancer sufferers say that work is important to them, as a job can help restore normality, routine, stability, social contact and income.
However, Macmillan Cancer Support has established two hard facts: 91 per cent of workers suffer a loss of income and/or increased costs as a result of cancer, and 48 per cent of cancer patients are not given any financial support information.
Macmillan is keen to work with GMB in raising the profile on what can be done for
working people suffering the emotional and financial effects of cancer. GMB, which has long campaigned on the prevention of workplace
cancers, will be getting involved to roll out the issue on a regional basis with the help of workplace reps.
iphone winner!
Rex
Fea
ture
s
a paIR oF tIckets to GlastonBURy
Just register at www.gmb.org.uk and update your profile to enter!
WIn!
F ancy going to this year’s Glastonbury festival, taking place from 26–30 June? We’ve got a pair of tickets to give away in association with the Workers Beer Company. For your chance to win follow these steps
to update your GMB profile on GMB’s new-look website.
this could be you!Your chance to win a pair
of tickets to Glastonbury.
teRMs & conDItIons The winning entry will be drawn at random from fully financial GMB members only who register for/login to www.gmb.org.uk members area and update their GMB membership record with additional data before close of business on Friday 3 May 2013 . The winner will be notified by GMB. Prize is subject to availability. No purchase necessary. Entries from employees of GMB or their families will not be accepted. The winner must be prepared to participate in publicity arising from the competition. Winners’ names and photos may be published in future issues.
• Go to www.gmb.org.uk • select ‘GMB members login’• enter your GMB membership number
and password or create a new password
select ‘update profile’ and enter your:• email address• Mobile number • home address
step 1
step 2GMB member Mercedes Fernandez Regalado-Tivy won a brand new iPhone when she entered the prize draw in the last issue of GMB magazine.
she’s a winner! Mercedes receives her new iPhone from her GMB branch secretary Vaughan West.
last issue’s
natIonal
www.gmb.org.uk 23
BRInG these paGes to lIFe!
www.gmb.org.uk24
Be alife-saver
www.gmb.org.uk24
You might have seen Woodcraft Folk at the TUC march in London last October. There were parents, children and volunteers of all ages in our group – having fun, but taking action on a serious issue at the same time.
Woodcraft Folk is a movement for children and young people, which aims to help young people value the planet. We believe no one is too young to learn about social change, and that no one is too old to play games and have fun. We put all this into practice in our local groups, where all ages work together to make the world a fairer place.
If you’ve got children, or if you want to volunteer for a youth movement that cares passionately about society and the environment, go along to your local Woodcraft Folk group. Find your closest group at www.woodcraft.org.uk Alternatively email [email protected] or call 020 7703 4173.
Verity Jones on why you should join Woodcraft Folk
Have fun and cHangetHe world
VERITY JONES Verity loves being part
of Woodcraft Folk.
SERIOUSLY FUNWoodcraft Folk membersuse fun to make a serious point.
GMB backs charity aCLT’s call for blood donors
T here’s nothing more tragic than a young life needlessly lost, as Beverley De-Gale and Orin Lewis told GMB’s equality conference.
Their son, Daniel, had battled for years with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia; a blood-related cancer. He had overcome many of the hurdles that a cancer sufferer faces, however at the age of 21; he tragically passed away from an unrelated illness.
Aged eight Daniel needed a life-saving bone marrow transplant if he was to win his [then] three-year battle against leukaemia. At this time in 1996, there were only 550 donors from black communities on the entire UK bone marrow register. Sadly, for the black, mixed race and ethnic communities this translated to a one in 250,000 chance of
finding a matching bone marrow donor; compare this to the one in five chance for a white member of the UK population. Such statistics were the reason for Beverley and Orin forming the ACLT. For the past 17 years the charity’s few but hard-working staff and
volunteers have recruited thousands of blood donors. There are now 40,000 people of minority ethnic origin on the UK bone marrow registers. This has improved the odds, but only to one in 100,000.
It is the racially specific characteristics of bone marrow that mean compatible donors
for black and mixed race sufferers must come from the black or mixed race population. GMB urges members to sign up to become a blood or organ donor, irrespective of racial origin,
but particularly if you are from a black, minority ethnic or mixed race community. Sufferers from these backgrounds are three times more likely to need an organ transplant but only one per cent of people on the NHS organ donor register are from this community!
The ACLT (African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust) was inspired by Daniel. After his successful bone marrow transplant, he enjoyed a precious 12 years with his friends and family. To give other sufferers a similar opportunity, the charity raises awareness throughout the UK, to enable potential donors to come forward and make them potential life-savers.
To join the bone marrow, blood or organ donation registers, or to make a financial donation, call the ACLT on 020 8240 4480 or visit aclt.org
HAPPY FAMILY Beverley De-Gale and Orin Lewis
with their son Daniel.
naTionaL
UPDaTeall the news from GMB
Racism out
G MB Regional Secretary Tom Brennan honoured ex-Scunthorpe United footballer Peter Foley on behalf of anti-racism campaign Show
Racism The Red Card (SRTRC). Foley, a long-term member of GMB’s Central Executive Committee, has played an important role in developing GMB’s equality and diversity policies. He was recognised for his contribution by SRTRC, who invited him to join the Hall of Fame.
Peter said: “I’ve been involved with this kind of work for a number of years now, and to get the recognition from an organisation like Show Racism The Red Card was absolutely fantastic. I loved the event – the children asked really good questions and it was great for the youngsters.”
Kicking
Footballer Peter Foley is recognised for his commitment to equality
KICK IT OUTAnti-racism campaigners
Tom and Peter.
www.gmb.org.uk 25
ReGional
all the news from GMB
ReGionalUPDaTe
GMB gets recognition at Cumbria roofing companyGMB’s Cumbria team has been working behind the scenes to gain recognition at a roofing component manufacturer in Cumbria. After being approached by several workers at Steadman & Son, based in Warnell, Carlisle, GMB organisers arranged a meeting to see what the strength of feeling was. A number of GMB members were quickly recruited and it became clear that a formal recognition application for collective bargaining purposes was a real possibility. Several meetings were arranged with company
directors, with involvement from ACAS. Over just a couple of months, an agreement was reached and a formal recognition agreement was signed in January 2013.
GMB Regional Organiser Kevin Young said: “There was a tremendous amount of work that went in from the team and we persevered when it could have been difficult. By engaging with GMB members and recruiting non members, we were able to utilise the law to become recognised for hourly paid manual operatives.”
Raising the roof
“A tremendous amount of work went in from the team.”
RAISING THE ROOF Workers at Steadman & Son are now GMB members.
UPDaTe yoUR GMB PRoFile www.GMB.oRG.Uk/UPDaTe
GMB membership in the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) continued to grow in 2012 and sees no signs of slowing down in 2013!
GMB reps are dedicated to regularly visiting all stations and sites to speak with members on a one-to-one basis. Stephen Brown, Branch President, thinks this dedication is responsible for the massive uptake of GMB membership at NEAS. He says “Visiting sites regularly gives us a real connection with our members. That face to face contact is really appreciated and that’s why our membership has consistently grown.”
GMB has launched a focused NEAS Members Bulletin Board from the main regional website, which will be updated with newsletters, announcements and any other information for NEAS members.
If you are a GMB member working in NEAS make sure you regularly visit us by going to www.gmbnorthern.org.uk and clicking onto the NEAS section.
GMB membership goes from strength to strength at North East Ambulance Service
G MB Winlaton branch has been very busy since it was set up 15 years ago – it was originally a holding branch
for all new members who did not have their own branch at the time of joining GMB. It has always worked hard to make a difference to GMB and to the Gateshead communities and has had members on a number of committees,
including the Community Health Council, Gateshead PCT, Sure Start and Gateshead Trades Union Council.
The branch has also sponsored
schools with sport trophies, football tournament and the end-of-term prize-giving.
GMB Branch Secretary, Jimmy Hewson, has been working with GMB for a long time. “I first joined the Seaman's Union in 1956 because if you did not, you would not be allowed to go to sea. I've been a Union member for about 56 years.” The branch is facing problems, however, with a loss of membership. “Our branch Officers have been talking about how we can bring this Branch back to life.”
Can you support the branch and help it continue the good work? Contact your regional office for more information, details on page 30.
BullEtiN BoArd
More support foraMbulance workers
CoNdolENCESWe send our condolences to Jimmy and his family in remembrance of his daughter, Louise Mary Hewson, who died 7 January 2012. She was a regular visitor to the Newcastle and Sunderland Offices and was loved by officers and staff.
it’s got a great track history, so why not support this vital branch?
You!winlaton branch needs
SIREN SONGGMB attracts newmembers in the NEAS.
www.gmb.org.uk26
All the news from GMB
rEGioNAluPdAtE
G MB members were at the
forefront of a mass
demonstration for a Future
That Works in London in
October. Sending out a clear message that
workers are prepared to fight to protect
their rights, it was a rallying cry for those
who want to oppose this coalition
government’s injustices. Now, it is
important that GMB workplace organising
and community activism carries on to
protect GMB’s core values. With austerity
measures taking their toll on ordinary
working families, it has never been more
important to get involved.
Chris Jukes, GMB Northern Region
Political Officer, said: “The spending cuts
have failed to get the economy growing,
but they have driven the UK back into a
possible triple-dip recession. We were told
that we were all in it together, yet David
Cameron’s main purpose is to protect
those at the top against the growing
international support for a Robin Hood tax
– and he wants to protect millionaires with
a tax cut.“To build a better
future we need to
build a prosperous
economy that can
generate the jobs
and industries we
need for the future.
We need to invest
in growth and not
come up with ridiculous ideas such as
those that make it easier to sack people.”
With the march demonstrating the
solidarity of GMB, it is time for GMB
members to build on the momentum put in place by letting the coalition government know we won’t stand for the cruel and nonsensical measures that it is trying to force through parliament.
Chris Jukes added: “The Tories and the Lib Dems have shown that they are against people on low and middle incomes, they are against those who
want to work hard, whether it be at school, college, university or work. They have shown that they are against parents, teachers, the armed
“The cuts have failed to get the economy going.”
forces, the police, above all trade unions,
and many more besides.
“The values and energy generated by
trade unionists, community activists and
many more by marching through Central
London must be galvanised into being
organised in our workplaces and our
communities, to fight the greatest threat
to our way of lives that any of us have
ever faced.”
FIGHT FOR THE FUTURE GMB General Secretary Paul Kenny makes a stand.
BECoMEA GMBHEAltH & SAfEty rEPWWW.GMB.orG.uk/GMBHSrEP
Why marching on london was just the start of a new fight for workers’ rights…
WorkSSIGN Up FOR THE GMB eNEWSlETTER AT www.gmb.org.uk rEGioNAl
a future that
www.gmb.org.uk 27
SIGN Up FOR THE GMB eNEWSlETTER AT www.gmb.org.uk rEGioNAlSIGN Up FOR THE GMB eNEWSlETTER AT www.gmb.org.uk rEGioNAlSIGN Up FOR THE GMB eNEWSlETTER AT www.gmb.org.uk rEGioNAl
www.gmb.org.uk28
All the news from GMB
reGionAlUPDATe
oBiTUAriesGMB says goodbye to members who will be sadly missed
T he north east and Cumbria’s biggest general trade union (GMB) would like to pay tribute to Sir Stuart Bell, Labour MP for
Middlesbrough. Sir Stuart was a longstanding GMB member and a member of the GMB parliamentary group of MPs.
GMB’s Northern Regional Secretary Tom Brennan said, “Sir Stuart Bell was a very experienced and respected Labour member of parliament who was a passionate and tireless advocate for our people. He first went to parliament when
Labour was in the wilderness and through sheer tenacity helped in the process of dragging Labour back to office.
“When once again Labour went into opposition in 2010, it was the wise counsel of people like Sir Stuart who helped Labour in its hour of need.
“He was a very loyal GMB friend of the Northern Region, and his contribution to our members’ lives will be missed but never forgotten.
“Our thoughts and sincere condolences are with Sir Stuart’s family.”
sir sTUArT Bell
GeorGe BriGGsit is with deep regret we report the death of George Briggs, Branch Secretary, on 2 January 2013 at the age of 70. George began his apprenticeship as a boilermaker plater at the Met Fab Ltd engineering shop in 1958. During his apprenticeship he became an active participant in the 1960 national engineering apprentice strike, which he said convinced him that there was nothing the working class could not achieve collectively under the banner of trade unionism.
After completing his apprenticeship he worked at various engineer shops throughout the Wear district. During the ’70s he quickly earned a great reputation for representing our members seeking fairness and social justice. In 1976 he became Shop Steward at Geoffrey Maskell Engineering Ltd, dedicating himself to negotiating some of the highest wage rates in the district. At that time he was also a Wear district committee member and member of the CSEU district committee, Assistant Secretary at Sunderland number two branch, attending bi-annual conferences on a regular basis, and also an active member of the Labour Party and president of Sunderland Trades Council.
In 1980, the company he worked for sacked its total workforce, including George, and de-recognised the union. As a result of this, he was blacklisted and had great difficulty in gaining employment, working for just two years in total from that time until his retirement age. Not withstanding this, he concentrated his energies on branch organisation, actively recruiting and training younger members.
In 1985 he was awarded the Boilermakers’ Society Shield for outstanding service to the union. In 1990 he was elected secretary to the amalgamated Sunderland number one branch, a position he held until his death.
A working class warrior, George was a model trade unionist and socialist – a “by example” comrade. There was definitely no “third way” with George.
Our sincere condolences go to his wife Irene and family.
www.gmb.org.uk 29
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CHrisTine MAVis oUGHTonDarren leyland, Branch secretary n26 Branch, remembers a much-missed GMB member…
Christine oughton passed away peacefully on 4 November 2012 after a long illness. She was a devoted mother to her children and will be greatly missed by them all. Christine was a brave and passionate person and this showed in her role as a GMB rep within N26 branch. She always led with her heart and would help any member at the drop of a hat, whether the problem be large or small. During Christine’s final weeks she would still be involved with any branch duties that would arise, and she would put everyone’s problems and issues before her own.
Christine was from London originally and would never hide her great love for Arsenal football club. We would often have banter together regarding our love of different clubs, but her favourite player of all was the famous Italian and Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. She loved her music as well – none more so than AC/DC and Whitesnake. She enjoyed letting her hair down with live concerts and loud music, but she also had her very soft and caring side. She adored her cats Mr Growly and Puss Puss.
All members and colleagues who met Christine knew that she was a passionate GMB steward. She always believed in the union and believed that the foundation of GMB is its members, whose voice should be heard. The more members GMB had, the louder we shouted and the more we were heard. She was the cornerstone in bringing GMB to EDF Doxford many years ago, and she was an active steward until her final days.
On behalf of N26 branch, I would like to say it was a pleasure and a honour to have known you, Christine. You will be sorely missed but never forgotten.
RIP Christine: you were loved by all.
BoB sHielsGMB is sad to report that one of its most outspoken representatives, Bob Sheils, passed away aged 66 on 18 October 2012, having lost his fight against mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer most commonly caused by exposure to asbestos.
Bob, who had cerebral palsy, had been an active member of the union movement since 1962, when he began work at Remploy Newcastle after leaving school. While he was there he joined the Transport and General Workers and threw himself into supporting their campaigns.
From 1965, Bob worked for the NHS as a telephonist at the Regional Hospital Board in Newcastle, where he became a member of NUPE [National Union of Public Employees] and became a union representitive – he later joked that he got the job because he “had the biggest mouth”!
He moved to South Shields General Hospital in 1973, before moving to the Royal Victoria Infirmary as a night-duty telephonist in 1975. There, having become a representitive once again, he attended college and eventually rose through the ranks to become Branch Secretary and chairman, until 1990, when he left that union and moved across to join GMB. GMB helped him attend college in Manchester to complete a reps course, and in 2001 Bob became Branch Secretary of GMB Northumberland’s Commercial Services Section at the health service branch. He remained dedicated and continued working for GMB throughout his illness.
Bob was a well-respected, well-liked and very influential member of the trade union movement. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him, and GMB extends its deepest sympathies to his family.
JoHn HePPleWHiTeJohn Hepplewhite, a former executive member of the Boilermakers and GMB, passed away on 12 September 2012 aged 90. John joined the union at the age of 21 in February 1943, and was an active member of the Hebburn Boilermakers’ Branch. He played a major role in bringing about the nationalisation of the shipbuilding industry in the late ’80s, and represented the union in the shipbuilding and engineering industries in his executive member position. He continued to do this up until the amalgamation with the then GMW before his retirement. GMB would like to pass its sincere condolences on to his family.
PeTer MATTHeWs
Peter died in September 2012 aged 72. Back on 25 September 1972, Peter joined the Hebburn branch of Apex as an office worker, working for BICC Pyrotenax as shop steward (staff rep) and Branch Secretary. He was a keen negotiator and tactician when it came to securing improvements for members.
Following a merger of branches in 1995, Peter remained active in the enlarged Newcastle general apex branch, becoming branch secretary in 2001. He was instrumental in maintaining the branch, and rarely missed a meeting.
Peter was a great supporter of the union’s decision-making processes, and a willing conference visitor or delegate, giving comprehensive reports to the branch on his return. He was also a keen member of the retired members’ network, being a GMB retired workers’ spokesperson during the regional government campaign. He could always be relied upon to work in the campaigns of branch members seeking election to councils or parliament.
He is greatly missed by the branch and its members.
www.gmb.org.uk30
GMBNORTHERN REGION
GMB NORTHERN REGION 1 Mosley Street,
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cONTacT GMB Please feel free to contact your regional or local GMB office with any questions
that you may have.
REGIONaLuPdaTE
all the news from GMB
TREKCHARITY
Sponsor young member Louise as she treks across the desert
a dventurous GMB member Louise Kelly is about to embark on the trip of a lifetime for charity. Louise is
set to take part in the Britain Versus Cancer Desert Trek though Jordan on behalf of St Benedict’s Hospice.
Louise will make the trek from 19–26 April and along the way she’ll celebrate her 30th birthday in the desert!
Funds raised by Britain Versus Cancer will support some of the many charities that undertake research into the causes and possible cures for all types of cancer, or provide emotional and practical support for the many thousands of
St Benedict’s Hospice, Sunderland Registered charity number 1019410
individuals and families who are affected by the disease.
To donate please visit www.justgiving.com/Louise-KellyBritainvcancer and help Louise raise as much as she can for those affected by cancer!
BE a yOuNG MEMBERFind out more about joining
GMB young members
online at www.gmb
northern.org.uk
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