Saturday 9 May 2015
The Wellington 37 Bennetts Hill,
B2 5SN, Off New Street, 10 minutes’ walk from New Street Station. Birmingham
Time 12-3 PM
Draft Agenda
1. Attendance/Apologies
2. Minutes
of the last meeting/matters arising.
3. State
of the GRL and the United Left and other unions – Len McCluskey, Paul Kenny,
Dave Prentis, the rest of the TU leaders and the 2015 General Election
4. Keith
Henderson and Steve McKenzie will speak on the GMB General Secretary Election.
5. Blacklisting
– Dave Smith invited
6. Workplace
Reports.
7. Proposals
for Future Actions,
8. Finance.
9. Motions.
10. AOB,
Announcements, forthcoming events etc.
11. Pooled
fares, next meeting
Secretary’s report:
18th
March 2015
Support Keith Henderson for GMB General Secretary
Support Keith Henderson for GMB General Secretary
Following the statement of the
23rd February 2015, indicating that Keith Henderson will be seeking
nominations, for the forthcoming General Secretary election in the GMB: this
supplementary statement is being issued to clarify the reasons as to why
nominations are being sought.
“I believe in democratising the GMB and defeating the reign of terror that has operated in this union for far to long” said Keith. “All officers should be elected and made accountable to the membership.”
“It is my commitment, if elected as General Secretary, to end the reign of terror in this union that has lasted for far too long. Once achieved to a level that ensures anyone can stand in such an election, if they get the necessary support, I will stand down as General Secretary to facilitate a free and fair election and I will aim to call a fresh general secretary election within 6 months of me being elected.
If I received enough nominations to stand and enough votes to win the election I believe it would be my job as elected General Secretary to end the reign of terror that prevents officers of the union and lay members from standing for this or any other elected position in the GMB through fear. Fear of losing your job if you are an officer and stood in such an election. Fear that you would be humiliated and deemed not competent by those in the current structures who have a vested self interest in ensuring that the status quo was maintained, if you are a lay member.
The fresh General Secretary election that I will call within 6 months of me being elected as General Secretary is to facilitate a free and fair election and to allow any officer and lay members to stand in this election without fear.”
“I believe in democratising the GMB and defeating the reign of terror that has operated in this union for far to long” said Keith. “All officers should be elected and made accountable to the membership.”
“It is my commitment, if elected as General Secretary, to end the reign of terror in this union that has lasted for far too long. Once achieved to a level that ensures anyone can stand in such an election, if they get the necessary support, I will stand down as General Secretary to facilitate a free and fair election and I will aim to call a fresh general secretary election within 6 months of me being elected.
If I received enough nominations to stand and enough votes to win the election I believe it would be my job as elected General Secretary to end the reign of terror that prevents officers of the union and lay members from standing for this or any other elected position in the GMB through fear. Fear of losing your job if you are an officer and stood in such an election. Fear that you would be humiliated and deemed not competent by those in the current structures who have a vested self interest in ensuring that the status quo was maintained, if you are a lay member.
The fresh General Secretary election that I will call within 6 months of me being elected as General Secretary is to facilitate a free and fair election and to allow any officer and lay members to stand in this election without fear.”
Blacklisting:
Open ended Labour Movement inquiry into blacklisting
against trade union activists needed.
I went to the Dave Smith launch
of his book Blacklisted on 21 April in Bookmarks. He spoke well on the blacklisting
and state and police involvement and the need for militant mobilisations like
when they blocked Oxford Street and Park Lane in defence of shop stewards
sacked on Crossrail etc.
He spoke on the Amicus officials
who participated in the blacklisting, one in particular who openly admitted it,
defending it as the most natural thing in the world. And the state involvement,
spies sent in who passed over complete lists of all at meetings like those in
defence of Brian Higgins in his dispute with that UCATT official and the
article in the Irish Post. The state spook chaired the meetings and handed over
the attendance lists, all of whom got blacklisted, of course. All this now
openly admitted. When will we get revolutionary justice for this?
The Blacklisting Campaign are
demanding a public inquiry and the Labour Manifesto promises a . “A full
inquiry that is transparent and public”.
Ok I'd say but why not organise a Labour movement inquiry with
well-known public figures to conduct (Hendy?) endorsed by as many prominent
politicians and trade union leaders as possible whilst we are waiting for this?
This need not be counter-posed to the demand for a full and open Public Inquiry
but it would put more pressure on for one and, more importantly, the terms of
reference etc. can be set democratically by those involved in the existing
democratically structured rank and file committed set up for the express
purpose of fighting blacklisting. Trade union officials should be encouraged to
participate but should have no vote or veto on how the inquiry is to proceed.
That is, after all, the entire strength of the Blacklisting campaign, its
independence from the trade union bureaucracy and willingness to mobilise “with
them if possible, against them if necessary”.
Public inquiries take forever to
get going and the state can stymie them from the outset by setting the terms of
reference in such a way so as to exclude any really useful outcome. We should
not be fooled by the promise from Labour of a full public Inquiry, the terms of
reference are the crucial matter here. “A full
inquiry that is transparent and public” may well turn out to be an awful lot
less than that, we must make sure that blacklisting class is independently put
by a Labour Movement Inquiry as well.
For instance offering immunity from
prosecution to witnesses and not giving it the power to summons witnesses can
render it impotent. They can drag on for years thereby postponing and
effectively denying. And you have handed over to the state the defence of the
militants, who they regards as the scum of the earth because they are the only
real people who defend and promote the cause of the workers and oppressed, who
will always be their enemies as long as capitalism exists, as Dave pointed out.
The experiences of the blacklisted workers who took their cases to industrial
tribunals related by Dave - incredibly they all lost even when the company
admitted in full the wrong doing- shows how futile appealing to the state is
without a mass movement to force concessions out of them.
I would say a Labour movement
inquiry would be anti - establishment from the outset and that's what's needed
in the building industry. And not just the building industry, the discussion
outlined how it already existed in most industries and the building industry
firms were spreading it to the NHS through PPF etc.
Blacklisting in
the Election Manifestos - update 14 April 2015
STEVE MCKENZIE
To
henderson.keith1985@gmail.com
CC
jerryhicks4gs2010@yahoo.co.uk
grahamdurham@hotmail.com Steve Forrest 3 GERALD DOWNING
Apr 15
This must be turned into reality if Labour can form a government after 7th May
1. Blacklisting makes the General Election manifestos
Labour:
"Some sectors and occupations have particular issues of concern
that need to be addressed, such as the problems of false self-employment and
blacklisting uncovered by recent investigations. Self-employment is a vital
part of our economy, but there is evidence that in some cases it is being
wrongly used to avoid tax and employment rights, notably in the construction
industry. Labour will tackle bogus self employment in construction and a set up
a full inquiry that is transparent and public to examine the issue of
blacklisting. Recognising historic cases, we will release all papers concerning
the ‘Shrewsbury 24’ trials".
Green:
"End Blacklisting - We will set up a full investigation into
blacklisting in the construction industry and consider the creation of a new
criminal offence"
Page 46 - https://www.greenparty.org.uk/assets/files/manifesto/Green_Party_2015_General_Election_Manifesto.pdf
Plaid Cymru:
"Plaid Cymru will legislate against blacklisting"
TUSC:
"Fully independent public inquiry into police collusion in the
scandal of blacklisting"
Blacklisting firms fund the Tories
2. Public Inquiry
Blacklisted workers continue to campaign for a fully independent public
inquiry into the blacklisting scandal and for a public inquiry into the role of
undercover police spying on trade unions and other peaceful democratic
campaigners. Teresa May has announced a public inquiry into police spying.
Labour & Greens have pledged some kind of inquiry / investigation into the
blacklisting scandal. Professor Keith Ewing (long time friend & supporter
of the Blacklist Support Group) asks whether the proposed inquires will go far
enough and actually uncover the full story of police spying on trade
unions.
3.
Blacklisted Book reviews and tour dates
Reviews by blacklisted workers Brian Higgins and Pete Shaw in the UK and
others around the world
Blacklisted Book Tour Dates
April
Tues 21st - London
- Bookmarks (6:30pm) https://bookmarksbookshop.co.uk/events
Sat 25th - SWTUC -
Devon
Sun
26th - CWU conference Bournemouth with Billy Hayes (12:30)
Tues
28th - Liverpool - Jack Jones House, Unite offices (6pm)
Wed
29th - Liverpool - News from Nowhere (am)
Wed
29th - Leeds Trades Council public meeting Swathmore Centre (7pm)
May
Fri
1st - Manchester, Kings Arms Salford (6pm)
Mon
4th - Kent Workers Festival, Aylesham
Wed
13th - FBU conference Blackpool with Matt Wrack (5:30pm)
Thur
14th - Bristol - Tony Benn House, Unite office (6pm)
Fri
15th - Bristol - UWE CESR seminar (2pm) www1.uwe.ac.uk/bl/bbs/bbsresearch/cesr/cesrseminars.aspx
Sat
16th - London - Bishopsgate Institute
Wed
20th - Nottingham - Fine Leaves Books (7pm)
June
Wed
10th - GMB conference Dublin
Thur
25th - Glastonbury Festival
July
Fri
10th - Durham Miners Gala - NUM office Redhills, pre-festival events(5pm)
Sat
18th - Tolpuddle Festival
Any
other trades councils, festival stages or conferences else wanting a speaker
please feel free to contact us.
Please keep posting your photos of people reading the book to Facebook
and twitter with the hashtag #blacklistedbook
4. United We Stand
The brilliant play about the Shrewsbury Pickets continues its UK tour in
the run up to the General Election. If you haven't seen this play yet - book
your ticket asap.
5. Blacklisting in the airline sector
Victoria Weldon
AN aircraft engineer who claims he was sacked after
raising safety concerns over procedures at British Airways is suing the airline
for unfair dismissal.
John Higgins, who worked as an aircraft maintenance
supervisor for the firm, claims he made protected disclosures to BA and the
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) over who was allowed to sign off on work carried
out on aircraft.
Mr Higgins, from High Blantyre in South
Lanarkshire, had a 27-year unblemished career with the airline. He was
dismissed when he installed the wrong part on a plane at British Airways
Maintenance Glasgow (BAMG) in March last year.
He claims he made the mistake because he was under
extreme pressure due to staffing problems, an excessive workload and
unreasonable timescales and said the error "did not compromise the safe
operation of the aircraft".
However, BA found that it did and dismissed him
before offering him a demoted post on appeal - a proposal which Mr Higgins
rejected, leaving him to resign.
In a written statement submitted to an employment
tribunal in Glasgow, Mr Higgins - who now works for Monarch Airlines - said:
"I raised concerns during 2006 and 2007 that BA was not complying with
full safety requirements in carrying out their aircraft maintenance.
"The disclosure I made was that at my
workplace of British Airways, 80 per cent to 90 per cent of the aircraft
maintenance work was not being performed in strict compliance with CAA and
European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) safety provisions.
"It was my belief that this was a serious
safety lapse which could potentially result in fatalities."
Mr Higgins claimed he met with CAA officials to
discuss his concerns, resulting in them issuing seven findings of failure
against BA and an EASA working group being set up to look at the issue.
However lawyer Samantha Cooper, acting for BA,
suggested that neither were directly linked to Mr Higgins's alleged disclosure.
Miss Cooper also suggested there was no basis for
him to allege that the approach taken by BA was contrary to regulations.
Mr Higgins replied: "I saw flaws with
it."
BA manager Stuart McMahon said he had checked with
the CAA and they had no record of Mr Higgins's disclosures, however he accepted
under cross-examination that this did not mean they had not been made.
The tribunal was told that BAMG was seriously
short-staffed on March 1 and 2 last year when Mr Higgins was overseeing
contractors working on an Airbus A321.
One of the contractors damaged a wire and Mr
Higgins repaired it with a splice which turned out to be the wrong one.
When he returned to work later that week he was
suspended and claims he was told by a manager: "I am so sorry. I can't
have another Air Malaysian situation here and need to send you home."
BA argue that the repair Mr Higgins carried out was
important to the safety of the plane. They also claim he did not properly
record the repair and failed to pick up on poor wiring by a contractor.
Miss Cooper put it to the engineer that supervisors
had told him to just do what he could on the days in question. He said he had
tried to do that.
She accused Mr Higgins of being reckless and he
replied: "I don't agree with that."
He added: "I did the best I could under the
circumstances."
The tribunal also heard from BA manager Brian
Queally who took the decision to dismiss Mr Higgins.
In a written statement, he said staff are never
expected to "cut corners" due to time pressures, adding: "The
potential impact of the claimant's use of the incorrect splice was huge. If the
splice failed it could have affected the correct functioning of the landing
gear, resulting in a potential catastrophic incident."
The manager also said he had no knowledge of Mr
Higgins's disclosures about safety concerns prior to dismissing him.
The tribunal, before Employment Judge Susan Walker,
continues.
Comment on Lufur
Rahman and Tower Hamlets:
Lufur Bajlur Rahman was a left wing Labour politician who opposed
austerity as best he could, part of the leftist Ken Livingstone GLC opposition
to Thatcher. Tower Hamlets, under his leadership, supported the campaign
against blacklisting – see below. Of course no revolutionary but the
'establishment', could not and will not tolerate that. Look at the judgement. A
bigoted Tory Islamophobe, in coalition with a racist, bigoted Labour
bureaucracy are desperate to let us know that there is no future for the
working class and oppressed poor other than serving the economic and political
interests of the masters of life, the global finance capitalist bankers and
transnational corporations.
The BBC Panorama is the organ of the state to tell us all that our
role in life is to enhance the privileges and profits of the ruling classes.
And a mass media and political class who will parrot the interests of the
ruling class as some of the grovelling comments I have seen on this do. What
else are we here for if not to make sure that the capitalist and bankers have
no opposition to their domination of the planet?
Shame on those 'Rahman is
corrupt' careerist bandwagoners in the Labour party and trade unions who cheer
because the Tory judge delivered his ruling on behalf of his class and
privileges. Is there any vestige of socialism left in the rotten souls of those
who grovel in this way?
Mayor Rahman stands convicted of
corruption although there is absolutely no proof presented that he personally
benefited in any way, he is “corrupt” because he defended the interests of the
poor and oppressed and mobilised too well in that cause, albeit not in a
revolutionary way but in a radical left reformist way. But this is altogether
too much. Contrast this to the gaggle of Westminster parliamentarian actually
caught with their hands in the till in the expense scandals, stealing money for
personal enrichment, how sympathetically and leniently they were threatened, with
only the most blatant cases punished. The old boys’ and girls’ network worked
well for them.
The Daily Telegraph photo and
article: Andy Erlam, Angela Moffat and Azmal Hussein, who petitioned against
Lutfur Rahman
Four people are needed and so Mr
Erlam was joined by Angela Moffat, 47, a Ukip member, Azmal Hussein, 63, a
Brick Lane restaurateur, and Debbie Simone, 44, a Labour candidate who felt she
too had been cheated.
The Labour party candidate, Debbie
Simone,, was obviously ashamed to be publicly photographed with the UKIP candidate,
Angela Moffat, but Ken Livingstone is not afraid to charge the Tower Hamlets
Labour party with racism and co-operating with UKIP to appeal to racist bigotry
seems to confirm it.
Council pledges to take action against the blacklisting of workers
Tower Hamlets Council is the first council in the
country to pledge to take action against the blacklisting of workers in the
borough.
An emergency motion, tabled at a meeting of the
Full Council on September 18, was unanimously agreed by all parties.
It formally stated the council’s support of the GMB
union’s campaign against the blacklisting of construction workers, a process
whereby those workers perceived to be union activists were prevented from
accessing employment. The chamber also agreed that it would be unacceptable for
any company in a contractual relationship with the council to engage in
blacklisting.
The council resolved to support the pledge made by
Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, to take action against blacklisting in
Tower Hamlets.
Council members also resolved to invite the GMB’s
National Officer to address the next meeting of Full Council to assist them in
implementing the pledge.
Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, said: “Tower
Hamlets was the first council to introduce the London Living Wage in 2009 and
we take the welfare and well-being of working people very seriously. I am proud
to say that not only does Tower Hamlets not have any active contracts with the
companies involved in this practice, but that it never will.”
GMB has raised the profile of the practice of blacklisting workers by publishing a list of companies that use a network of private investigators to compile databases of workers perceived as union activists or agitators. Companies then used the database to run illegal background checks and deny work to those on the list.
GMB has raised the profile of the practice of blacklisting workers by publishing a list of companies that use a network of private investigators to compile databases of workers perceived as union activists or agitators. Companies then used the database to run illegal background checks and deny work to those on the list.
Len McCluskey, General Secretary of Unite the Union
said: "Tower Hamlets is blazing a trail by becoming the first London
council to stamp out blacklisting. This is a fantastic development and we commend
the council for their positive action. We are urging other councils to take
note of the Tower Hamlets decision to ban the blacklisters and to follow
suit."
September 19, 2013
UCATT reports:
Welsh Government issues anti-blacklisting guidance
In September 2013 the Welsh Government became the
first devolved administration to issue guidance to all public bodies and local
authorities detailing how they could bar construction companies involved in
blacklisting from public sector contracts.
Prior to this a number of local authorities had
already passed motions calling on companies that had been involved in
blacklisting to be barred from bidding for contracts.
Also in September 2013 Tower Hamlets Council became
the first council to issue a pledge not to award any contracts to any of the
companies guilty of blacklisting workers.
Following the guidance issued by the Welsh
Government, UCATT are urging all devolved administrations and the British
Government to issue similar guidance
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