NETWORK The bimonthly magazine for activists – May/June 2016 ALAN JOHNSON MP ON WHY YOU SHOULD VOTE TO REMAIN IN THE EU THE EU REFERENDUM ••• RECRUITMENT ••• HEALTH AND SAFETY ••• EQUALITIES ••• ADM ••• Facebook YouTube Twitter Flickr Instagram WELCOME Comment General secretary John Hannett All eyes are on the EU Referendum vote on Thursday June 23. It’s a momentous decision and one that will impact on all our lives not only in the short-term but for many years to come. Usdaw’s position is clear and was reaffirmed at this year’s Annual Delegate Meeting. We support a ‘Remain’ vote, and we do that for many reasons. First and foremost staying in will protect jobs, workers’ rights and the economic well-being of the UK and its workforce. Staying in will also cement the UK’s position at the heart of Europe and not as the Leave campaign would have us, standing on the outside looking in, powerless and isolated. No one in the Remain campaign is pretending the EU is perfect, few, if any, institutions are. But if we want to reform it, and we do, we can only do that by being an active player in political forums on the European stage. We know the free movement of labour, immigration and the exploitation of workers are concerns for many of our members and we have to acknowledge and address those issues. Take for example,the Swedish Derogation, which allows agencies to employ staff and pay them less. This should be repealed. But let’s be clear the vast majority of those in the Leave campaign aren’t interested in workers’ rights. In fact they oppose legal protection on the very issues our members hold dear – on wages, employment protection, maternity rights and much more. Voters should also remember many MPs on the Leave side are no friends of trade union members and have aggressively promoted their anti-union, austerity agenda in the last few years. On June 23 vote to promote job security, vote for economic growth and vote for international co-operation. Vote ‘Remain’. Finally... A reminder to all of our activists and members to try and catch the Usdaw 125 Anniversary Tour Bus as it travels across the UK from now until mid-August. The full tour timetable can be found on our website. 11 EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Sarah Bailey & Paula Barke Network is published bimonthly and distributed to Usdaw activists. Published by: USDAW 188 Wilmslow Road, Manchester M14 6LJ T: 0161 224 2804 E: network@usdaw.org.uk W: www.usdaw.org.uk HEAD OF MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS Mike Glover EDITOR Peter Rees-Farrell REPORTER Mairead Bradley 02 Network May/June 2016 24 OTHER CONTRIBUTORS Sarah Bailey, Jo Bird, Ruth Cross and Doug Russell. PHOTOGRAPHERS Della Batchelor, Ian Sadler, Fraser Band, Paul Tibbs and SWNS Agency. 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CONTENTS 04 LATEST NEWS The final arguments in the EU Referendum, Marks and Spencer contract changes, the BHS collapse, Muller job losses and Usdaw’s Mencap link. 08 STAFF NEWS Two long-serving area organisers retired in the summer and Network reports on the tragic death of Garry Gibson from the North Eastern division. 09 EQUALITIES Catch up with Usdaw’s delegation at the TUC’s Black Workers’ Conference and see how reps are tackling racism on the shopfloor. 11 ACTIVIST IN-DEPTH 16 The North Eastern division’s Sharon Day talks to Network about her role as a rep, the Annual Delegate Meeting and her plans for the rest of the year. 12 CELEBRATING 125 YEARS The last 25 years have been as eventful as any other period in the union’s history but one issue has been constant – membership growth. 14 EU REFERENDUM Q&A Leader of the Labour In For Britain campaign Alan Johnson MP answers Network’s questions on the forthcoming EU Referendum. 16 ANNUAL DELEGATE MEETING /UsdawUnion Watch interviews with reps, officials and MPs @UsdawUnion If you’re talking about Network remember #NetworkMag 24 RECRUITMENT & ORGANISING Usdaw’s small army of reps is using campaigns on Legal Plus, Respect and Supporting Parents and Carers to boost membership and raise awareness. 28 HEALTH & SAFETY A round up of all the latest developments, the future of workplace safety if the UK leaves the EU, and an interview with safety rep Jon McEwan of KP Foods. @UsdawUnion All the latest photos and videos on Instagram UsdawUnion Browse the union’s photo galleries Follow UsdawUnion on Facebook Regulars LET’S GET SOCIAL 09 Reports on the big debates, guest speakers, and all the decisions taken at the union’s 70th ADM – the biggest event in Usdaw’s calendar. 07 ACADEMY1 INTAKE 10 MEMBER SERVICES 30 YOUR LETTERS & PICS 32 USDAW BUS ON TOUR Network May/June 2016 03 NEWS Follow us @UsdawUnion #Networkmag Final word on EU vote The campaign for the UK to remain in the EU moved up a number of gears in May with the treasury, independent forecasters, company chiefs and the TUC weighing in with evidence outlining the dangers of voting to leave. The former bosses of Tesco, Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury’s and B&Q have warned that shop prices will rocket if the UK votes to leave the EU on June 23. They also predicted that jobs would be lost, the value of the pound would fall and British exports would face export tariffs. In an open letter they said: “This is not scaremongering, it is just good business to understand the risks before reaching a conclusion in this complex debate.” Meanwhile, the Treasury claims the UK will be plunged into a year-long recession if the Leave campaign win on June 23. It claims house prices will fall, interest rates will rise and jobs will be lost. The prime minister called it a ‘DIY recession’ and EXCELLENT said the UK would become less open to trade and investment if it was outside the EU. The report follows similar claims of ‘a significant shock to the UK economy’ made by the Bank of England, the International Monetary Fund, the Institute For Fiscal Studies and the National Institute for Economic and Social Research. In its final announcement before Referendum rules prevent any further comment from Government departments the Treasury published an analysis on the potential impact of Brexit on pensioners. According to the research, pensioners stand to lose up to £32,000 if Britain leaves the European Union. It also suggests that rising inflation and instability in the financial markets could impact upon the value of pensioners’ homes and assets ‘by up to £300 billion’ in the event of a ‘severe shock’. The TUC has also added its weight behind the Remain campaign with warnings over the threat to workers’ rights, jobs and the economy if the UK was to leave the EU. 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We may receive a commission from them for the introduction. 04 Network May/June 2016 Workers at Marks and Spencer face upheaval and uncertainty in the coming months after the high street chain announced significant changes to their terms and conditions, pensions and possible store closures later in the year. Usdaw has called on the company to open talks about the proposed changes, which include: ■ Consolidating Sunday and night shift premiums into the hourly rate of pay for its store staff. ■ Closing the final salary pension scheme to new contributions from existing members, who will be moved to a defined benefits scheme. ■ Reviewing the viability of stores, which will report in the autumn and could lead to closures. National officer David Gill said: “Our members in Marks and Spencer are very concerned about the proposed big changes to their pay and pension, along with the threat of store closures. “While the company doesn’t formally recognise any union we have almost three thousand members in the stores and Usdaw will be providing the support and advice that they require at this uncertain time.” NEWS Email the editor your views network@usdaw.org.uk Dairy job losses More than 200 jobs are at risk after dairy giant Muller announced plans to centralise its operations in Scotland and close its dairies in Aberdeen and East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire. The company intends to expand and invest £15m in its dairy at Bellshill, North Lanarkshire, and said that wherever possible, it will offer employees the opportunity to relocate within the company’s network. National officer Daniel Adams said: “After extensive local consultation with the business in an attempt to secure jobs, this news is a devastating blow for the loyal and hard-working staff in Aberdeen and East Kilbride. “The East Kilbride site looks set to remain open for another 24 months and we will be IN BRIEF... Usdaw teams up with leading charity using this time for important discussions on a number of issues. “Usdaw will continue to support our members at both sites and to press the company to maximize redeployment opportunities to minimise job losses. “We will provide full support for those members who are unable to find alternative positions within the business.” New branch officers take up residence Usdaw has chosen Mencap as its charity partner for its 125th anniversary year and will be working to help support people with a learning disability get into the world of work. Usdaw’s aim is to raise money for Mencap to help it provide services and support to help people with a learning disability, their families and their carers. There are 1.4 million people in the UK with a learning disability and they have the lowest employment rate among disabled people as a whole with only two in ten people with a learning disability being in paid work, despite an estimated 80 per cent being able and willing to work. There will be lots of ways that you can get involved with the partnership, from cake sales to campaigning – there will be something to suit everyone. Please keep your eyes open for further information on fundraising and how you can support Learning Disability Work Experience Week. Supporting Parents and Carers in frame Newly elected branch officers went to the national training centre at Warrington in April for their tailor-made six-day residential course. The activists take a close look at how the union is run, locally, divisionally and nationally and also get to meet senior officials and members of the central office departments. You can view almost 200 photographs of active reps taking part in Usdaw’s Supporting Parents and Carers Spotlight Day in May at: www.flickr.com/ photos/usdawunion/ sets/72157668567080565 Network May/June 2016 05 NEWS IN BRIEF... BHS collapse hits two suppliers Meanwhile, two BHS suppliers CUK Clothing and Courtaulds Brands have collapsed into administration, with the loss of 350 jobs in Derbyshire and London. The two companies blamed the demise of their ‘major’ client BHS and declining sales and profitability. Retail stalwart exits after 100 years High street chain Austin Reed has gone bust, with the loss of 1,000 jobs. Administrators confirmed in early June plans to wind up the company after failing to find a buyer. All 120 stores are expected to close by the end of June ending a century of retail history. Discounters pile pressure on big 4 Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda continue to lose sales to the cut price chains Aldi and Lidl, according to recent figures. However, Waitrose and the Co-op posted a growth in sales for the 12 weeks to 22 May. Email the editor your views network@usdaw.org.uk END OF AN ERA Attempts to sell high street veteran BHS as a going- concern collapsed in June after the administrators failed to find a buyer for the 164-strong store chain. More than 11,000 jobs will go and the state-backed insolvency service will have to pick up the bill for redundancy and other payments. Arcadia owner Sir Philip Green sold the struggling retailer last year for £1 to a private equity company. He will face questions from MPs as a parliamentary committee look into the circumstances surrounding the collapse and the pension deficit, which runs into hundreds of millions. General secretary John Hannett said: “Something went seriously wrong with the running of BHS and it’s the workforce who have paid the price. “This is a devastating blow for staff many of whom have long service and will be worried about their futures. “This reminds me of the Woolworths collapse where the tax-payer was forced to pick up the bill for corporate incompetence. “Similarly the state-backed pension protection fund will take over the company’s scheme. “We stand ready to apply for a protective award for our members at BHS if they are not properly consulted by the administrators.” Buses, books and badges mark 125th birthday This year sees Usdaw celebrate its 125th year and to mark the milestone the union has commissioned a number of initiatives to raise awareness of its proud campaigning history, including: ■ A travelling exhibition looking back on how the union responded to all of the industrial upheavals. ■ A fully-decked out bus that is touring high streets and workplaces across the UK. ■ A special commemorative booklet highlighting the main New reps in frame Newly elected reps from the North West division made the most of their introductory three-day course held at the national training centre in Warrington in April. For more information on all the union’s training courses visit: www.usdaw.org.uk 06 Network May/June 2016 challenges faced by the union and its predecessors. ■ A range of new merchandise from bags, mugs, pens and badges. Details of all these events can be viewed at the union’s website: www.usdaw.org.uk ACADEMY1 2016 Activists raring to go This year’s Academy1 is already underway with 60 busy reps on their six-month secondment to the union South Wales and Western division Front: Alex Bingham, Daniel Ball and Rob Buckley. Back: Crian Williams, Marie Pollard, Maureen Dawe, Val Main, Debbie Wilson and Kally Needham Inset: Mark Atkinson North West division Front: Stuart Lloyd, Joe Edmunds, Anthony McDonald, Elizabeth Davidson, Ryan Quick, Sue Hulse and Andrew Firman. Back: Nia Williams, Emma Cunningham, Lisa Stewart, Thomas O’Brien and Mike Faulkner Scottish division L-R: James Redpath, Lillias Peden, Frank Wilson, Jan Main, Perry Saunders, Norman Donaldson, Geraldine Downs, John Woods and Rafal Kowaslski Courtesy of WIN AN Eastern & Southern divisions L-R: Lloyd Towner, Jacqueline Perry, William Akadi, Kevin Brett, Rebecca Ruddick, Juraj Zilik, Joshua Cooper, Michelle Harris, Sharon Churchill, training officer Terry Louder and Mitzi Bent (not pictured, Julie Winterflood) North Eastern division Front: Selina Creasey, Janine Bowler, Susan Airstone, David Hooper and Samson Muteke. Back: Ciaran Pinkney, Ryan Ball, Brian Hall, Michele Jones and David Landall Midlands division L-R: Sean Gamble, Denise Evans, Russell Jones, Stevie Cassidy, Lisa Preston, Melanie Darby, Andrew Sadler and Andrew Boyes with 4K Ultra HD at www.usdaw.org.uk/win WIN! Sign up to Usdaw’s e-news and you’ll be entered into a prize draw to win this fantastic prize. Sponsored by Usdaw Insurance. Closing 14 July 2016. Terms apply. www.usdaw.org.uk/uia Network May/June 2016 07 STAFF NEWS www.usdaw.org.uk/jobs Organising duo bow out Two stalwarts retire and the tragic loss of area organiser Garry Gibson... George Cain Area organiser George Cain retired in May after 26 years in the North Eastern division. George, 56, joined the staff in the Newcastle office in 1989 and moved to South Shields in 2006 when the regional office was relocated. He has been a union member for 38 years and joined the union in 1977 when he worked for Littlewoods in Sunderland. He soon became active in his local branch and went on to hold a number of union positions including divisional councillor. George was also a keen activist in his local Labour Party. “It’s been a tremendous journey for a young man who left school at 16 especially considering I had dyslexia,” said George. “I’m very lucky to have worked for Usdaw and alongside such a supportive and dedicated group of people in the North Eastern division. “The role has given me many opportunities to develop my skills and promote the union through the local media and the labour movement and I’ve enjoyed all of these challenges. “I’m looking forward to spending more time in County Durham with my family and with my wife’s family in Prague.” Chris Hope Eastern division area organiser Chris Hope will retire in July after 19 years on the union’s staff. Chris, 55, was based initially at the former Eastern’s division’s Enfield office in 1996 and in 2000 transferred to Dilke House and later moved to the Waltham Cross office in 2006. He joined Usdaw when he worked for Tesco where he had been a rep for five years. “I’m proud to have worked for an organisation that is celebrating 125 years,” said Chris. “And despite many changes to industrial relations and the labour movement it continues to grow and remain strong. “I’ve spent so much of my career in North London where I’ve built up a good relationship with many excellent reps, as well as employers. “I’m hoping to remain an influence as it’s hard to let go of somewhere I regard as my area. “I’m also looking forward to spending time with my family in the West Country and getting more involved in local voluntary work. “I wish all my colleagues in the division and the union all the best for the future.” GEORGE CAIN CHRIS HOPE Community hero Garry mourned GARRY GIBSON 08 Network May/June 2016 Usdaw was deeply saddened following the death of area organiser Garry Gibson in March, he was 55. Garry joined the union’s staff in 2007 and was based at the Leeds office. Three years earlier he had completed the Academy programme when he was working at the Smith & Nephew site in Hull. His appointment coincided with his graduation from the University of Lincoln where he was awarded an MSc in Human Resources after studying for three years. Garry played a leading role in his local boxing club where he coached and motivated hundreds of amateur boxers over a number of years. He was a very gifted boxer himself in his younger days. The local community turned out in force to give Garry a moving send off with former colleagues and friends keen to pay their respects General secretary John Hannett said: “Garry made a huge impression on so many people both within Usdaw and the wider community. Often bringing our union campaigns in to his local gym. “He was a hard-working, reliable and inspirational figure and his death is a tragedy for his family, friends and Usdaw. He will be sadly missed. “He was hugely respected for his work with the local boxing club and he won the respect of many fighting for his work colleagues and members during his time with Usdaw. If you had Garry on your side you wouldn’t go far wrong. “On behalf of everyone in Usdaw we send our deepest condolences to his family, friends and the many young boxers he inspired over the years.” EQUALITIES email: equalities@usdaw.org.uk NO PLACE FOR RACISM Usdaw’s delegation at the TUC’s Black Workers’ Conference spoke out against all forms of racial discrimination... Racism remains a stubbornly persistent feature of far too many black and minority ethnic workers’ lives, Usdaw activist Maureen Loxley told the TUC’s Black Workers’ Conference held in April. “There is clear evidence of higher levels of unemployment and lower pay amongst black and minority ethnic workers as well as significantly higher numbers in temporary, insecure and casual jobs,” she said as she moved Usdaw’s motion ‘Organising against racism in the workplace’. “Racial harassment in the workplace is also on the increase.” Usdaw’s own research shows that tackling racist abuse at work is a priority issue for the union’s USDAW’S DELEGATION black and Asian members. More than half of black and Asian members have experienced racist abuse at work. Those at highest risk are Pakistani and Bangladeshi members. As one member said: “I have been called a terrorist by customers and on one occasion by a colleague simply because I’m a Muslim. This is really upsetting – it’s difficult to know how to respond.” Once again Usdaw sent a full delegation to the conference which is a unique event in the trade union calendar as it brings together black minority ethnic activists from across all sectors, industries and all parts of the country to discuss the specific issues that matter to them. While black workers share many of the same concerns as white workers such as pay, time off to care and short working hours, they also have particular concerns such as being on the receiving end of racial harassment and discrimination. Equalities officer Jo Bird said: “On a positive note there is also clear evidence that the vast majority of Usdaw reps see tackling racism as an important part of their role. Many reps have got in touch with Usdaw to tell us about the work they’ve been doing to tackle racism in their workplaces. “Reps are taking positive steps to create workplaces that have a zero tolerance approach to racism or any form of abuse. In response the union has put together brand new leaflets and tackling racism merchandise to help reps campaign on this issue.” Workplace activism tackles discrimination Growing numbers of Usdaw reps are organising anti-racism campaign days in their workplaces, writes equalities officer Jo Bird. There is a great deal of activity going on in a wide range of Usdaw workplaces, sending out the message that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect at work. Usdaw reps are setting up stalls, handing out surveys, using their union noticeboards, putting up posters and talking to members and non-members about how they feel they are treated at work. Usdaw rep Maria Barber said: “Along with my area organiser we set up an anti- racist campaign day in a large supermarket where staff on the night shift felt they couldn’t speak out about abuse at work. There were a lot of racist comments and so called jokes and we really wanted members to feel that they didn’t have to put up with this. “By running the campaign day we were able to show staff that this is something the union takes seriously. It also made managers realise that there was an issue they had to get to grips with.” To support reps who want to campaign against racism at work activists can now order; posters, leaflets, t-shirts, wristbands, badges and other giveaways. All you need to do is email: equalitymatters@usdaw. org.uk and you will be sent campaign materials. “The idea is to encourage and support reps to organise some kind of anti-racist activity in their workplace. 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I’ve done Academy1 and 2 and now I’m on stand-down. How were the Academies? I loved them. If someone would’ve told me I’d be sat in a classroom learning again in my forties I would’ve said ‘no way’. It was challenging but the encouragement and support that you get is phenomenal. I’d recommend it to everybody. Have a go, we’ve all got it in us, it’s just getting it out. How many reps are in your team? At the time I became a rep it was just myself looking after over 200 members and it was too much. My area organiser told me I could recruit some more reps so we now have ten. Five reps cover the day shift and five reps cover nights. We’re a team and we all support each other. union, it’s where they will learn. They’re not on their own, they don’t have to sit in a corner which is what I used to do many years ago. They build your confidence. What does it take to make branch meetings work? Better communication. I think that’s what we need to get the branches up and running. We’ve just launched a Facebook page for our branch, and I think it’ll make a big difference. What are the main issues for your members at the minute? The main issues are pay and the taking away of the night premium. It’s mainly affected the long serving workers. It’s been a massive issue and caused us to lose members. Staff were blaming the union, but I think we’re managing to get through to people now. Have you been to ADM before? Last year was my first time. It was very daunting. I didn’t get up and speak but I did this year. Everyone has been very encouraging and supportive. I know I can do it, it’s just confidence. Do you attend branch meetings? What did you think of Jeremy Corbyn’s speech at ADM? Yes, I recommend branch meetings to all members who don’t know much about the It was amazing. I could’ve listened to him all day. Straight to the point, I understood & Fact File trivia EMPLOYER... Tesco AGE... 52 LIVES... Sheffield FAMILY... A son and a daughter and two amazing grandchildren him, that’s what I liked about him. I’m not politically minded, although I’ve now decided I do need to learn a little bit about it hence I’ve applied for summer school 2 in September for the politics option. Any advice to a member that’s thinking about becoming a rep? Go for it. I would tell them about my journey and how nervous I was about going back in the classroom and how proud I feel right now about what I’ve accomplished. I didn’t think for one minute I would come this far. I used to let someone else do the talking and I’d be stood in the background, but not anymore. Your thoughts on the Referendum? I’ve listened to both the Remain and Leave camps. It’s a hard issue and I’m a bit concerned on which way it’s going to go if I’m honest. Which news items have caught your attention recently? I feel that the press in the UK don’t report all the issues that the Government are trying to push through and so the public don’t see exactly what’s going on. So what’s next for you? I don’t really know. I’m going to summer school hopefully in September. So we’ll see. JOINED USDAW IN... 2004 BEEN AN ACTIVIST SINCE... 2012 UNION POSITIONS HELD... branch secretary, divisional equalities forum, union learning rep and shop steward. Currently on stand-down. I SPEND MY SPARE TIME... Looking after my mum and the grandchildren. MY FAVOURITE FILMS... I’m a big fan of the Marvel films. MY FAVOURITE TV PROGRAMME IS... Criminal minds. Don’t like the soaps, life is not about a soap, life is about life. BEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE SO FAR... Probably my grandkids. Network May/June 2016 11 125 years in the making In the third instalment of our look back on Usdaw’s 125 years’ history we focus on the campaigns, the sectors, international involvement and how education and training remains at the heart of the union... A union of many trades Although commonly known as ‘the shopworkers’ union’, Usdaw (the clue has always been in the name) can justifiably claim to represent tens of thousands of other workers in the transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical and other sectors. Over the years it has built up an unrivalled expertise in dealing with the issues and concerns of its members in these sectors, particularly on health and safety, and has developed a strong network of reps, holds national trade conferences and runs divisional committees to cement the union’s role. In the last 25 years all of these sectors have seen major reorganisation with depot closures and openings, changes to the drivers’ regulations, mergers/takeovers, outsourcing, and the influx of overseas workers. Despite all of this Usdaw maintains a strong presence in all industries thanks to the determination and hard work of its activists and officials. However, one industry where Usdaw’s presence has declined is the milk sector. Since the early ’90s the doorstep delivery has declined rapidly (in 1980, 90 per cent of domestically consumed milk was delivered to the doorstep but by 2016 this was estimated to be less than 10 per cent), despite Usdaw’s campaign to save it, as the supermarkets provided cheaper options. The traditionally employed milkman was encouraged to become a franchisee, and self- employed, but supplied by the milk producers. Between 1995 and 2015, doorstep delivery Education and declined from 45 per cent to 3 per cent of the retail milk market. On the production side, as margins collapsed, mergers became increasingly common as did automation. In 1995 the state-owned Milk Marketing Board was replaced by the privatised Milk Marque. By the turn of the century the Co-operative movement had already began to exit the milk industry selling its interests to the dominant players in the sector. Further consolidation continued apace. By 2015 the vast majority of the UK’s milk was processed by just two companies Ireland’s Arla and German-owned Müller. In 2016 only around 9,000 milkmen/ women were thought to be employed in the sector. Another sector that has been transformed is the mail order/ home shopping industry. Once present in most working class homes the catalogue has fallen out of favour to be replaced by online shopping. While the sector has seen massive concentration, the loss of familiar names, and thousands of job losses the share of internet sales continues to rise in the UK. international affairs International affairs Usdaw continued to support trade unionists abroad in the ’90s as part of its commitment to international worker solidarity. Its campaign against the Apartheid regime received an early boost in February 1990 when Nelson Mandela was released from jail in South Africa after 27 years, signalling the beginning of the end for white minority rule in the country. As arrangements were made for the first democratic elections in the following years Usdaw officials were part of the independent scrutineers who witnessed the historic vote in 1994. Closer to home, Usdaw continued to press for improvements in workers’ rights at a European Union level and worked closely with Euro-Fiet an international federation of unions which registered early successes for protection and pension rights for part-time workers. As the decade progressed, further rights on working time limits were introduced via the EU and Usdaw was involved in setting up the early European Works Councils at multi-national companies. In 2009 Euro-Fiet went through a re-organisation Usdaw has always put training and education at the top of its agenda and has a proud history of offering members a ‘second chance’. A number of members have gone on to graduate from university having returned to learning because of the opportunities offered by the union. It is no surprise that Usdaw’s unprecedented growth has been fuelled by a small army of dedicated and committed activists who receive expert training once they become a rep. During the last 25 years the union has overhauled its training and education programme for not only its reps but its organising staff and senior officials. The union’s Home Study Course offers interested members an easy- to-use introduction in to the world of trade unions, which members complete at home and are then given feedback by a union tutor. Presidents General secretaries Garfield Davies 1986 - 1997 Bill Connor 1997 - 2004 John Hannett 2004 - present Audrey Wise 1991 - 1997 Marge Carey 1997 - 2003 Jeff Broome 2006 - present Save Our Sundays Introductory courses are offered to new reps within weeks of their election and this then opens up a number of follow-on courses dealing with health and safety, employment rights and the law, pensions and the organising and recruitment agenda. The union’s residential summer schools 1&2 have been revamped, branch officers have their own tailor-made course and the union’s very best reps can take part in the Organising Academy – a six-month secondment to the union where reps, mentored by an established area organiser, recruit and organise across sites in their division. Graduates of Academy1 are then eligible to apply for Academy2 – another six-month secondment to further develop themselves and their fellow reps. The union draws its vast majority of new area organisers from its Academy trainees. The issue of Sunday trading, its introduction and plans to deregulate it completely have been a constant threat to the working patterns of both retail staff and workers in the transport and distributive trades over the last 25 years. In the early 1990s such was the clamour for Sunday trading from some retailers they knowingly broke the law and opened on a Sunday. Usdaw immediately lobbied local councils and MPs to prosecute the law-breakers and in 1991 at least 60 injunctions were issued against illegal trading. However, the issue would not go away as some companies lobbied the Government for change. The union’s warning that Sunday premiums would disappear if unregulated Sunday trading was allowed would turn out to be prescient. Illegal opening continued and when high street butcher chain Dewhurst collapsed it blamed Sunday trading. In 1993 Labour MP Ray Powell spearheaded the union’s campaign, aiming to enshrine premium payments in law if to become the Union Network International Global Union with Usdaw’s general secretary John Hannett currently president of its Europa Commerce section. Usdaw also continued to support the Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign, the Irish Confederation of Trade Unions, and has hosted delegations of trade unionists from around deregulation went through. Meanwhile, Usdaw’s appeal to staff not to volunteer to work on Sundays was ignored. By the end of the year the union accepted Sunday trading for large stores but only with a 6-hour trading window. It was a controversial decision, unpopular with some activists, but it was taken in recognition that staff were working Sundays regardless of the union’s policy. Following discussions with all interested parties the 1994 Sunday Trading Act became law restricting large stores to only six hours and offering the workers the opportunity to ‘opt out’ of Sunday working. Legal protection of premiums was not included although the union did sign agreements that year with eight companies to the world. In 2014 Usdaw added its voice to the call for UK retailers to sign up to the Bangladesh Accord after 1,100 textile workers were killed in the Rana Plaza tragedy. The Accord called for independent safety inspections, mandatory repairs and maintenance of factory buildings to protect workers’ safety. protect premiums. Further changes in the Deregulation Act in 1995 again weakened workers’ protection. Sunday trading reappeared again in 2000 as pressure mounted from some retailers and the union responded vigorously. (Protection for workers in Scotland, where trading laws are different, would be introduced in 2004, although a campaign to stop New Year’s Day trading in Scotland would fail). The issue continued to bubble under but Usdaw would triumph in 2006 as its lobbying, petitions and evidence-based surveys persuaded the Government to ditch its plans to deregulate. However, the election of a Tory Government in 2015 saw deregulation back on the table with plans to allow local councils to relax Sunday trading laws meant Usdaw’s campaign began yet again. Parliamentary lobbies, a national petition supplemented by more than 12,000 members emailing their local MP to put the case against deregulation once more won the day and the proposal was defeated in the House in early March 2016. A stunning victory for Usdaw – yet again! Q&A WITH ALAN JOHNSON Why the UK should vote attracts more inward investment than any other EU country. That’s because Britain is seen by many as the gateway to Europe. So if the UK votes to leave, you have uncertainty and the absolute certainty that the pound will fall and a whole range of economic issues at a time when the UK is not out of the woods since the 2008 crash, our economy is not very strong and is in fact very weak. Are workers’ rights under threat if we leave? Visit: www.labour. org.uk/index. php/infor britain Visit the Usdaw website: www.usdaw. org.uk Follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion The EU Referendum Thursday 23 June 2016 Alan Johnson MP, former home secretary, and leader of Labour In For Britain campaign, answers Network’s questions.... do it. Before we had the European Arrest Warrant system it could take up to 13 years to deal with this sort of criminality. Is the UK safer, more secure, in the EU? Since the Referendum campaign began economic uncertainty has deepened, why? Yes. People instinctively understand that crime doesn’t recognise borders. Neither does terrorism or organised crime and they will move around and look for the point where it is safest to carry out their criminal activities and terrorism does that too. People also instinctively understand that through co-operation with the other 27 EU countries that this helps us tackle organised crime and terrorism. The Leave camp say we do that anyway, yes we would try to do that but we wouldn’t have the framework to do that. Let me give you an example: Say a British copper recognises a number plate, checks it, and finds the driver/owner is wanted in say the Netherlands. Information is exchanged. The driver is arrested, using the European Arrest Warrant – available only in the EU – and that driver is dealt with accordingly, in a matter of days. If we are outside the EU that can’t happen. Nor would we have the vital structures and access to information for tackling terrorism. Warm words from the Leave campaign just won’t 14 Network May/June 2016 Yes it has and it worsened when Boris Johnson – the ex-Mayor of London of all people – came out on the leave side. London is a city that depends on being in the EU. I know the financial services sector doesn’t get a great deal of sympathy but it does provide a lot of jobs and brings a lot of money in that helps to pay for welfare benefits. If we are outside of the EU many finance houses could leave London and go to Paris or Frankfurt. The ex-Mayor’s decision immediately saw the pound diminish and uncertainty deepen, and Boris let himself, and the UK, down with that announcement. If the UK votes to leave, article 50 is invoked. This means we spend at least two years negotiating our terms of exit. However many companies, for example Airbus, or Japanese car manufacturers, or Siemens, they want open access to the EU market to export their goods and services and have people moving backwards and forwards in Europe. If we leave all that could be lost. Remember the UK Yes without doubt. Remember it was the Labour Government that signed up to the EU Social Chapter which delivered a raft of measures on, for example, four weeks paid holidays, equal pay for part-timers, improved protection for contract workers, maternity/paternity leave and pay. The previous Tory Governments had opted out. This shows how hostile Conservative governments are to workers’ rights. You only have to look at what they are trying to do in the Trade Union Bill to realise nothing has changed in the Tory Party. Unfortunately we haven’t a Labour government at present and we can’t take the risk that these rights will be protected if we leave the EU. Many of the leave campaign quote red tape but this is often a cover for wanting to do away with workers’ rights (often minimum standards on rest breaks for example) but they haven’t the courage or honesty to admit it. The EU has rules to protect workers, to protect consumers and to protect the environment; those in the Leave campaign don’t want those rules. Don’t forget the social dimension of the EU has changed many trade unionists opinion of our membership of the EU. Anyone who believes the Tories will give us these rights in domestic law doesn’t know their history and the Tory approach to workers’ rights. Q&A WITH ALAN JOHNSON to remain in the EU Immigration featured in the 2015 election and will figure in the Referendum, do you agree? Yes it was an issue at the last general election and people voted Tory to bring it down, but net migration is now at record levels and much higher than when I was Home Secretary and most of it from outside the EU. For those who will vote based purely on the issue of immigration I have to say to them it is clear the UK will be worse off if we leave the EU. At present we are in the happy position of being in the Dublin Accord but outside the Schengen Agreement. This means asylum seekers need to register in the first European country they arrive in. The UK deports around 1,000 people a year for that reason. If we are outside the Accord we couldn’t do that. Because we’re not part of Shengen you need a visa to get here and we check people even from the EU. In fact we have more controls on free movement after Cameron’s renegotiation. Another reason why we will be worse off is because our most vulnerable point is the Calais to Dover area. Anyone who has driven over there will see it’s the UK Border Force. We moved our Border Force to Calais from Dover (with French agreement, although not universally popular in France), if we leave it is inconceivable that there will be sufficient goodwill to keep that going and we will have more people coming in. Our access to the single market depends on free movement, and it gives us so much prosperity. We get the benefit of EU membership when we take holidays, or our teenage children go on gap years. Take Norway, for example, it is outside the EU but applies virtually every EU instruction, they have free movement, and has a higher per head immigrant population than ours. It’s a similar story in Switzerland. We can’t build a wall around Britain. Being in the EU is all about co-operation. People have to think very carefully but it’s clear to me we will not be better off in terms of immigration if we leave. But EU migrants have impacted on the terms and conditions of the UK workforce haven’t they? Many leavers don’t want to stop free movement they want to enhance it and want Britain to be an offshore version of Singapore, a race to the bottom, an ‘anything goes’ economy. People have very understandable concerns about exploitation and fairness, and we can tackle that and Usdaw, along with other unions, is doing that to protect migrants. The Swedish Derogation, part of the Agency Workers Directive, allows agencies to employ staff directly and pay them less than the going rate, that loophole has to be closed and unions are aiming to do that. That wasn’t on Cameron’s agenda, but it would be on ours. The idea that leaving will somehow improve things for workers, just like the argument on immigration, is misguided. Immediately you will lose the ability to work with other countries to tackle this issue and it takes us back to the ‘anything goes’ scenario. If any section of society is going to benefit from leaving I’d expect workers and their rights to be at the back of the queue. We have to work with other countries to close these loopholes but we can’t do it if we’re outside the EU. The EU is seen as a distant institution, how do you re-connect the EU with the UK electorate? There’s no such thing as a perfect institution just look at the House of Lords, many unelected, previously based on inheritance, so we can’t pretend our system is perfect. But the EU parliament is very important. Yes the voting system needs changing but the main point is to dispel the myths surrounding the EU. In particular the myth that bureaucrats make the laws – that is not the case. Decisions have to be made by elected ministers or leaders of each country and agreed with other countries via the elected parliament. Qualified majority voting has also improved the system. So I’d say yes, it’s not perfect, it appears remote and that needs addressing. But look at what went before – the two world wars and before that the almost constant state of war on the European continent. The origins of the EU are based in stopping that carnage and bloodshed, and to share trade and promote co-operation. Isn’t membership of the EU just like being in an expensive club? Don’t believe the figures you hear bandied about. Annually the net cost is £6bn. And you have to look at where the money goes often to the poorest areas and its aim is to raise all these regions up so they can contribute and reach a level of prosperity, just look at Wales, Yorkshire and the Humber, Cornwall, all have had capital investment which was just not there in the ’80s, so we gained from that trading bloc. Analysis says that we get back between 3-28 times what we put in because of that EU single market and the jobs and the prosperity that provides. The CBI estimate that on average a UK family is £3,000 better off a year because of our EU membership. The newspapers are overwhelmingly for leaving, does that matter? The newspapers are not as important as they once were, social media has damaged their influence, and these days their power is not as strong. There’s some great websites out there, have a look at www.infacts. org or Richard Corbett MEP’s Doorstep EU app. We have to do our job and provide that information, and counter the garbage put out by some strands of the tabloid media. Network May/June 2016 15 ADM 2016 Debates, decisions and democracy Paddy Lillis Jeff Broome John Hannett It was a double celebration for Usdaw at this year’s Annual Delegate Meeting (ADM) as the union celebrated its 125th year and its 70th annual conference since its 1947 merger with its predecessor unions. Political heavyweights Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn MP and Alan Johnson MP, leader of the Labour In For Britain campaign, along with Zoey Purdey of charity Mencap, were the guest speakers during the busy four- day event. Almost 600 delegates debated and voted on more than 100 propositions on the Final Agenda Barbara Wilson Paper on issues from Europe to equality, wages to welfare, housing to health and safety and much more. They were joined by 200 lay and union officials and more than 350 visitors in the impressive Winter Gardens, Blackpool. Activists were also kept busy at the afternoon fringe meetings on politics and equality and the charity fund raising events in the evening. The Usdaw bus also attracted a great deal of attention parked just outside the venue. President Jeff Broome conducted proceedings, executive councillor Barbara 16 Network May/June 2016 Wilson led the standing orders committee, which ensures the ADM runs smoothly, general secretary John Hannett and deputy general secretary Paddy Lillis replied to the debates and moved the three executive council statements. During the Special Delegate Meeting conference agreed to a small subs increase of 2p on both Scale A and C taking the new weekly rates to £2.34 and £1.47 respectively. Delegates also agreed to campaign for a ‘Remain’ vote in the forthcoming EU Referendum on June 23. ADM 2016 ADM headliners back EU Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn added his voice to support the ‘remain’ vote in the EU Referendum during his keynote speech at ADM. “We want a Europe where we work together, with unions and progressive parties all across Europe,” he said. “We want to work together on workers’ rights and on a social Europe. “We’ll work together on environmental protection and we’ll work together to achieve the social justice that our movement was set up to achieve. “I fear the agenda of Boris Johnson and many others who want to leave, is actually to tear up things that we have achieved: the right to paid leave, maternity and paternity leave, limits on working hours, the right to take regular breaks, transfer of employment undertaking legislation. “We know how the Tories behave in Europe. They blocked “ I fear the agenda of Boris Johnson and the Leave campaign is to tear up the right to paid breaks and holidays and other important rights for workers EU proposals that were put forward to save the UK steel industry. They blocked six times attempts to tackle tax avoidance, and that was before we heard about Panama. “We and unions in general in Britain believe that we are better off working together with our union friends all across Europe.” Choose prosperity not isolation The EU referendum on June 23rd is every bit as important as the post-war election in 1945 as the outcome will decide what kind of country we are and what kind of society we want to be, Alan Johnson MP and leader of the Labour In For Britain campaign told conference. By voting to remain in the EU, he said: “We can ensure that the great post-war vision of our predecessors is not diminished and undermined by those whose vision of Britain is as an offshore, regulation-free, anything goes, race to the bottom.” He reminded conference of the EU’s role in delivering improved workers’ rights at a time when the Tories wanted to cut them in the 1990s, and how the vast majority of UK trade unionists were backing a ‘remain’ vote to protect those rights. “As trade unionists, our challenge is to continue to campaign for change, for reform, for a better Britain and for a better Europe. You don’t win a negotiation by derecognising yourself, which is what we are being asked to do by the Leave campaign.” He said the Brexiteers want ‘isolation’, ‘to go it alone’ and to abandon the biggest market in the world – the EU – with its 500 million citizens. “That’s not an option. Our alternative is to do what Britain does best, to rise to the challenges of the modern world, like the generation of 1945 to deliver a better Britain, to deliver a better Europe and to deliver a better world.” “ Britain does best when it rises to the challenges of the modern world, just like the generation of 1945, to deliver a better Europe Network May/June 2016 17 ADM 2016 Conference agrees to back ‘Remain’ vote Delegates overwhelmingly voted to support staying in the EU after a thorough debate. Many of the politicians who want us to leave the EU are the same ones who opposed the introduction of the National Minimum Wage, equal rights for part-time workers and paid holiday entitlement for staff, general secretary John Hannett said moving the executive council 2016 Statement on Europe that recommends a ‘remain’ vote. “If we were to leave the EU there is a clear risk important working rights would be dismantled by a UK Conservative government,” he said. “We have a choice – to go it alone – or embrace a global connected world, utilising our strength, knowledge, and experience, to deliver a positive future based on a growing economy and increasing employment rights. “Of course, the EU is not a perfect organisation. There are many challenges that exist in any structure, whether it is the European Union or not. But it was built on the back of two World Wars which cost millions of lives, where, in the aftermath of those wars, it was agreed and understood, that countries trading with each other could not afford to become countries fighting with each other. War in Europe is very much a thing of the past and we take that for granted because of the number of years that have elapsed since. “For many of us this is a once Stephen Rydzkowski in a lifetime decision. I can understand how voters may be confused about what is the right thing to do, but make no mistake this Referendum will shape the future of the UK and our economic prospects for generations to come.” A vote to leave Europe poses the biggest threat for a generation to employment law, civil liberties and the wealth and prosperity of the UK, Stephen Rydzkowski (Fallowfield K21) told conference. He called on the union to develop workplace campaigns and awareness of the benefits of EU membership and warned there would be a weakening of: The Human Rights Bill: The Working Time Directive, maternity, paternity and adoption rights and the Equality Act if the UK left the EU. “Potentially billions of pounds of European investment will be lost from British business, which can only mean a loss of British jobs,” he said. “These issues are all part of this campaign that we have to deliver. We have to deliver it for our members to protect their rights at work, their civil liberties, and the UK jobs and investment that is so important. We have to win the ‘Yes’ to Europe debate and secure a ‘remain’ vote.” A number of delegates spoke in support of the proposition and the executive council statement to back a ‘remain’ vote on June 23. Lee Bracey 18 Network May/June 2016 Q&A Alan Johnson MP answered a number of questions from delegates on the EU Referendum... Transport Frank Dunanway (Reading General H67) Q. If we leave, what would be the impact on lorry drivers and the time sorting out customs, the costs to the industry and the impact on prices? Before the Single Market, British goods going abroad carried a tariff and that made the goods more expensive and made them more difficult to sell; it meant that you were selling to a market of 65 million instead of a market of 520 million. The Single Market was to take those barriers down. Take for example a trucker, let’s say from Sunderland to Saltsburg, before the Single Market the truck driver would need about 40 to 50 pieces of paper, now they need just one. Free movement Lee Bracey (Chelmsford & Harlow No.1 C35) Q. If we vote to leave and have to renegotiate with the EU, it would insist on free movement and we would not have a say on the rules of the EU club would we? The Leave campaign say ‘Why can’t we be like Norway or Switzerland?’ who are outside the European Union. They have access to the Single Market, but they pay for it. Norway is the tenth highest contributor to the European Union. It pays almost as much as us. The tenth biggest contributor and they have no say in what goes on in Europe at all. They have free movement and more free movement than we have. Ditto Switzerland, Iceland and Lichtenstein and all the countries in the economic free trade area where we would be, who are not members of the EU but wish to gain that huge prosperity; 45 per cent of our exports go to the European Union. 50 per cent of steel, if you really want to kill the steel industry off, come out of the EU and see the tariff that is put on our steel to export to Europe. Britain would be without a voice or influence around that EU table if we leave. Price rises Douglas Pearce (Weston-Super-Mare A216) Q. How quickly would prices begin to increase if we vote to leave? Some people think if you leave the European Union by June 24th you are out. No, something called Article 50 kicks in and that says that there is a process of two years to try to disentangle yourself from 43 years of legislation relating to the EU. So, it takes at least two years. The conservative estimate is that it would take 10 years. In those two years we have to negotiate the trade deal with the Single Market again, if we want to try and retain it. So companies like Nissan, Toyota, Siemens will have to pay a levy, a tariff, to send thir products back to Europe. They will go and locate in Europe ADM 2016 because then they will not have to pay the tariff. The people who decide whether to extend it beyond two years are the other 27 Member States. We will not have a seat round that table. We do not have a say in that at all. Leaving is a recipe for disaster. Every single reputable analysis, Oxford Economics, London School of Economics, the Governor of the Bank of England, the Treasury, the International Monetary Fund, they all consistently say interest rates will go up, it will take a big chunk out of our economy, out of our GDP, and jobs will be lost. Northern Ireland Ryan Quick (NW Sainsbury’s Retail No.2 K234) Q. What do you think will be the implications for the Northern Ireland peace process if we leave the EU? There are 1.3 million people voting in Northern Ireland, and they are very worried both North and South of the border because of the crucial position that the EU plays in the peace process, the Good Friday Agreement where the EU was an arbiter for all of this. Also because if we leave the European Union, you will have a border between the Republic of Ireland, an EU country, and Northern Ireland which will be a non-EU country. Going back to free movement, what would happen? If anybody wants to move freely into the United Kingdom they can come across that border, unless they put border posts up there, and they put guards on the border between North and Southern Ireland and then you are straight back into a period of Ireland’s history that nobody wants to revisit. This has particular ramifications for Northern Ireland. They are net recipients of money. It was European money that helped them come out of the terrible troubles that they experienced and to rebuild Northern Ireland, and it was a very big issue over there. I think there is only one scenario, you can imagine, for Northern Ireland and that is that they will go backwards if we leave the European Union. Migrant workers Laurence Mager (East Yorkshire and Humberside Morrisons F60) Q. Most of our members are concerned that employers have used migrant workers to undercut and undermine wages and conditions. How would you answer their concerns? The issue of migrant workers is an issue on the doorstep and it’s about free movement. It is an essential part and it is a two-way process, but there is exploitation. Never mind about free movement in Europe, there is exploitation that goes on in every industry. That is what the trade union movement was born to fight against. What happens at present is that people are being brought over from Eastern Europe, in particular, to undercut British workers and to pay a lower rate by virtue of the fact that they are agency workers. Now, the trade union movement in Europe sought to resolve that through something called the Agency Workers Directive that said that all agency workers must get the going rate in the company they are working in, the same as part-timers must get the same as full-timers, people on temporary contracts must get the same as regular staff. There is a loophole, it is called the Swedish Derogation, that says if the agency employs them rather than the companies that want their labour, then they can pay them any rate they like. Now, if we leave the European Union we would lose the protection for the agency workers all together and exploitation of workers would be worse. I know it is not a simple answer to the people who talk about exploitation and fairness and they have a right to do it, and we have to say we are here to tackle that but you do not tackle it by walking away. The scenario that says we’ll be better off outside the EU just doesn’t add up. Laurence Mager Trade barriers Daniel Forrest (Tesco Banking Glasgow G372) Q. Many working class families are struggling to make ends meet with the current cost of living, which is going up and going up. If Britain leaves the EU what is likely to happen with prices in shops and retail where we work? Douglas Pearce There are huge ramifications. If you put tariffs on produce, and this is why the National Farmers Union is in favour of remaining in the European Union, you increase the price. If you put tariffs on anything, and people are struggling to make ends meet, there is only one way prices are going to go. My final point is this, the kind of optimism we hear from the Leave campaign that; ‘Oh, everything will be fine’, ‘It’ll be all right on the night’, ‘they’ll give us a brilliant deal’, ‘we’re more important to them than they are to us,’ this kind of idea that Europe is always something that is done to us. Their exports to us are 7 per cent, our exports to them are 45 per cent. Leave say, ‘Oh, we’ll do a better deal with the Commonwealth’. Well, every Commonwealth Prime Minister has said, they want the UK to stay in the European Union. We export more to the Republic of Ireland than we do to all 52 Commonwealth countries put together. If we leave we will suffer some very damaging consequences. Ryan Quick Daniel Forrest Frank Dunaway Network May/June 2016 19 ADM 2016 Health services must be improved says ADM Angela Thomas Shane Oakes Giving women over 64 access to regular screening for cervical cancer will save lives, Angela Thomas (Swansea General A196) told conference. “It’s amazing that here we are in the 21st century and we still have to put forward this proposition,” she said. “Women, aged 64, are no longer called for regular cervical cancer screening, why? Statistics show 33 per cent die of cervical cancer aged over 64, are they irrelevant, is it okay for them to die? But this policy is still imposed. “These women are not just statistics but mothers, daughters, sisters and wives. “The statistics also show if caught early enough they have a better chance of survival. We have to let people know we’re not willing to let it go on. Too many women are dying.” Dementia care George Cunliffe Patients suspected of having dementia should wait no longer than 12 weeks before they receive a formal diagnosis, George Cunliffe (NW JD Williams K200) told conference. “Did you know Alzheimer’s kills more people than breast or prostate cancer each year and is set to rise to half a million in the next ten years “Early diagnosis is essential and medication can be a great help. It gives more time to plan, there’s less anxiety, allows greater participation in drug trial to advance research, and gives patients more time to make decisions about their care, legal matters and finances. “Too many areas wait too long for diagnosis especially in poorer areas, the NHS must act. Support for deaf There are not enough services to help deaf people and Usdaw should lobby the Government for more support, said Shane Oakes (NW General No.2 K172) who was given a standing ovation after he made an articulate and impassioned speech during the health debate. “I’m 98 per cent deaf, it’s hereditary, and the stereotype says deaf people are dumb,” he said. “But it has never stopped me, at school, college and university. “I’ve had tremendous support from my family but it is hard to get access to services. Eleven million people in the UK are severely or profoundly deaf and the majority are introverted Policy statements agreed Conference agreed to support three executive council statements on The Tory Attack on Trade Unions, Europe, and Working Carers Under Pressure. All three are available to view or download from the union’s website at: www.usdaw.org.uk The Tory Attack on Trade Unions Executive Council Statement to the 2016 ADM 20 Network May/June 2016 Europe Executive Council Statement to the 2016 ADM because they don’t feel they can say ‘I need help’. Society doesn’t give a damn and doesn’t realise how difficult it is for deaf people. We shouldn’t feel any less of a human being because of our disability. “I’m not the type to feel sorry for myself. This proposition is about giving others a voice.” Blood donation and more... Conference also agreed to support propositions on: ■ Lobbying the Government to remove the restrictions on gay men donating blood: ■ To seek legislation banning e-cigarettes in cars where children are present: ■ Lobbying the Government to increase awareness of inflammatory bowel disease: ■ Increasing support for women going through the menopause: ■ Raising awareness of mental health issues: ■ Introducing mental health awareness on to the national curriculum: ■ Increasing resources for counselling for male victims of sexual abuse: and lobbying the Government to increase funding on research in to womb transplants. ADM 2016 Housing market at crisis point in UK Trevor Howson Dawn Arnold The UK needs a long-term programme of council house building to meet demand and weaken the stranglehold of unscrupulous private landlords, Trevor Howson (Mid Sussex H23) told conference. “We are concerned about the availability of social housing, and the demand on councils who have an inappropriate level of housing available,” he said. “This forces families and individuals to rely on unscrupulous landlords who charge whatever they can get away with. “Let’s use our expertise to resolve it and use our political links, in the Houses of Parliament, to help low paid workers. The current situation is not fair or just. “The UK is the 6th biggest economy, but political engineering has seen the stock of council houses sold off but not replaced. This Government is making life harder for councils to fulfil their housing obligations.” Landlord controls There should be a cap on the number of properties private landlords are allowed to have, Dawn Arnold (NW Tesco retail No.4 K120) told conference, who said first-time buyers were being pushed out of the market. “I accept the need for private rental but this is pushing out low paid workers while landlords are getting richer.” Gillian Morley (Basingstoke H13), Elizabeth Adegoke (West Midlands General No.2 E131), Foluke Moses (South West London H88), Marijerla Ratnaseelan (Capital Retail C12), Colin Anderson (Barnstaple and District A14), and Kirsty Lowe (Glasgow No.1 (Miscellaneous Trades) G111) supported the propositions. Deputy general secretary Paddy Lillis replying to the debate said: “Good quality, safe secure accommodation is a basic human right and affordable social housing is a key issue for Usdaw. “Housing Associations are under threat from the Tory Government who want to sell them off, and pull the funding. “We know we need a variety of tenures as not everyone can afford their own home and we need more social housing. Young people looking to rent are at most risk. “Unscrupulous landlords should face prosecution but instead they are prospering under the Tories. “Yes there should be limits on private landlords and we need to hold this sector to account.” Equality centre stage Legislation should be introduced that insists public and private sector companies promote equality and monitor the impact of their own schemes, Michael Anderson (East of Scotland Tesco G26) told conference. His branch also submitted a proposition urging negotiating officers to promote analysis of companies’ workforces to measure the effect of their policies on different groups of employees. “Despite decades of race and equality legislation black workers are far more likely to be unemployed than their white counterparts and women far more likely to be paid less than their male colleagues,” he said. “Discrimination against disabled workers is rife and LGBT workers are far more likely to be bullied or discriminated against at work. All of this legislation is failing black, women, disabled and LGBT workers. “We need a campaign to widen the scope of the Equality Act and improve the equality duty on employers.” Replying to the debate, that also called for chip and pin devices to be Braille user-friendly and improved access to disabled toilets, deputy general secretary Paddy Lillis said: “We take equality very seriously and want to get justice for all workers. That means we must tackle discrimination in the workplace whether that’s on gender, disability or race. “We will also continue to campaign for our members who juggle work with their caring responsibilities. “We have made some great progress since we launched our Supporting Parents and Carers campaign but with a Tory Government determined to cut the support to the disabled, to penalise carers and to attack the vulnerable our campaign has to continue.” Michael Anderson Network May/June 2016 21 ADM 2016 Political leadership, policy and campaigns Michael Cashin Peter Wejrowski Lisa Willis ised Cash ra w’s a for Usd y charit The current Conservative government is worse than the Thatcher administrations of the ’80s, general secretary John Hannett told conference as he moved the executive council statement The Tory Attack on Trade Unions. “The Tories are trying to financially cripple the Labour Party with its Trade Union Bill,” he said. “That’s the cost of losing the last election. However, we can still make an impression on the political front and our Sunday trading victory proved that. “Now is not the time for navel gazing or arguments over idealism, or to get dragged down by doom and gloom all of that will play into the hands of our opponents. “2020 may seem far away but it isn’t and Labour has to present itself as a government-in-waiting, a credible opposition and reach out to a wider audience. “If you ignore politics, politics will not ignore you. We have to be in power to make the difference to the people we represent. We have a responsibility to have a political voice.” Political fund Usdaw should use its political fund as much as possible to support Labour in the local and national elections, encourage its members to join the Party and build a social movement to sweep the Tories from power, DM at the A 22 Network May/June 2016 £1,971 was raised at Irish Night Michael Cashin (Nursling Industrial H63) told conference. “Our union should be at the forefront of achieving Labour Party victories,” he said. “If we don’t support Jeremy Corbyn at the next election we could get Boris Johnson, and with Donald Trump in America, if that happened, we’d be doomed.” Workers’ rights The next Labour Government must repeal the anti-trade union and employment legislation and replace them with decent laws for the 21st Century not the Victorian era, Peter Wejrowski (West Yorkshire Co-op F115) told conference. “Tribunal fees should be abolished, the threshold to take a claim should be six months not two years, and redundancy rights should be improved,” he said. “Hard working employees are treated disgracefully these days. Who can afford tribunal fees? “Loyal workers should be rewarded by companies and not got rid of on the cheap.” Media bias The Government should act to regulate the media to put an end to news being reported in a politically biased way, Laurence Mager (East Yorkshire and Humberside Morrisons F60) told conference. “We expect bias from the gutter tabloid press like the £2,213 was raised by the National Young Workers’ Committee Sun, and Murdoch’s news organisations but we shouldn’t have to put up with it from the BBC which is meant to be impartial,” he said. “The public should be allowed to make their own minds up and the media should report facts and not distort stories to keep the privileged in power.” Nationalisation All former public utilities and the railways should be renationalised, Lisa Willis (East of Scotland Morrisons G12) told conference. “Vast public subsidies are going to the owners of the utility companies and the UK has some of the highest fares in Europe,” she said. “Reports suggest that prices would be between 10-20 per cent cheaper if these sectors had not been privatised. Price hikes continue year after year and so does the number of people living in fuel poverty. “There is massive public support to bring these industries back into public ownership. Remember the post-war Labour Government who had big ideas, the time is right for more big ideas and the public will support us.” Conference also agreed to support members who may be hit by the Trade Union Bill, and to lobby the Labour Party to extend its National Conference For Labour Women. £3,500 was raised at the North Eastern night £4,500 was raised at Cockney Night ADM 2016 Domestic abuse awareness call Robert Gallacher Jonathan McCartney The union should lobby the Government to raise awareness of the issue of domestic violence against males, Robert Gallacher (Weetabix E107) told conference in an emotionally charged speech. “We condemn any form of abuse but with male victims it is especially under-reported,” he said. “Surveys show millions of people suffer abuse, both men and women, every year. I was one of them but as you can see I’m alive and kicking. No one should have to endure domestic abuse.” Seconding the proposition, Jonathan McCartney (Ayrshire and South West Scotland Tesco G3) said: “Domestic abuse charities have had their funding cut by this Government. “Anything the union can do to support these victims and charities is vital.” Victim support Marie Tranter Joan Samuels Victims of hate crime and sexual assault should get more support from the Government, Shane Oakes (NW General No.2 K172) told conference. ‘These personal attacks can lead to mental health issues,” he said. “I was a victim of a hate crime and it had a lasting affect on me, it destroyed my trust in people. I didn’t feel safe. I was terrified. Why should people have to stop being who they are because of someone else? It took months for my confidence to be rebuilt. “Last year more than 52,000 hate crimes were reported in the UK. That’s not good enough. There were half a million sexual assaults, including rape, last year. Many people don’t report these crimes. We need more support for the victims of crime. We can all help even in a small way.” Noisy neighbours People are left feeling vulnerable and fearful in their own homes because regulations on nuisance neighbours does not go far enough, Marie Tranter (Warwickshire Area Tesco E54) told conference. Nuisance neighbours have a serious effect on people’s mental health,” she said. “The Government should set up a regulatory body to ensure the issues are dealt with. Vulnerable people in particular need support.” Police cuts The union should press the Government to stop the closure of 28 police stations in the West Midlands, Joan Samuels (West Midlands Sainsbury’s E41) told conference. “If these go ahead it will have a detrimental effect on police response times in the local communities,” she said. “Law and order should be a priority and the public should be protected and consulted at local and national level. “This care-less Tory Government is starving services of funds. We need to send a strong message to the Government to support community policing in our cities and neighbourhoods.” Conference also agreed with Michael Green (Northern Morrisons F99) to press the Government to improve the response of the police to emergency calls. A call to reconsider the law around the use of cannabis was lost after a card vote. ADM IN BRIEF YouTube live stream As part of a trial conference was live streamed via YouTube giving members the chance to follow proceedings during the four days of conference. Health and safety Conference agreed to lobby the Government to run a campaign to highlight the adverse affects firework displays can have on vulnerable people such as the very old and young. The public should also be warned of the dangers of halloween costumes. International issues Conference agreed to; support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign in solidarity with the Palestinian people; call on the Government to break all commercial ties with Saudia Arabia and; to lobby the Government to help repeal anti-women legislation and promote gender equality across the globe. A call to oppose the renewal of Trident was defeated. Welfare debate Conference agreed to; lobby the Government to increase funding for care for the elderly; press the Government to stop Carer’s Allowance being used to offset other benefits and; to lobby the Government to reverse the Work Capability Assessment programme and the harsh impact it has on vulnerable people. Network May/June 2016 23 RECRUITMENT AND ORGANISING In-store reps make their mark Activists are doing a great job to promote the union... Tesco Extra, Cheltenham View the Recruitment and Organising Gallery on the UsdawUnion Flickr page Follow us @UsdawUnion on Twitter for helpful tips and advice Reps at the Tesco Extra store in Cheltenham were joined by senior union officials during Respect Week last November. “It was a great morale booster for our team of reps as well as the members,” said Kate Ashby, 65, who has been a rep for 13 years and is also a health and safety rep and branch secretary. “We have a fabulous team of reps, hard-working and very committed and it was great for all of us when Paddy Lillis the deputy general secretary visited the store. “We’ve built membership up over the last ten years to more than 85 per cent, an achievement in itself. Members always look forward to a union event in store such as the Respect Week and the Supporting Parents and Carers campaign. “Even during difficult times members know only too well that the union will always support them and try to get the best deal possible. “We’ve worked hard to explain the new pay deal to members and how it may affect them. “We’ve also recruited two new reps and Danny Jovicic, Steve Newman and Simon O’Brien have kept on top of all inductions. “Working together as a team helps us to keep on top of all the issues and we’ve also built up a good rapport with management. “The team’s aim is to continue supporting our members and encouraging new staff to join and get involved.” Deputy divisional officer Mike Walker added: “The way our team of reps handle their roles and responsibilities at the Cheltenham store is a fine example of how it 24 Network May/June 2016 should be done. “It’s a flagship store with a high membership and this is totally down to a committed team of well trained and motivated reps, the team are a credit to themselves and the division.” Tesco Extra, Handforth Dean It’s a double win for health and safety reps Brian Judge and Janise Corfield from the Tesco Extra store in Handforth Dean who picked up the national safety award for the second year running at the union’s annual awards ceremony in Manchester. “I was delighted two years ago for Janise, first of all when she took the divisional award and then when she won the overall national award for 2014,” said warehouse worker and 2015 winner Brian, 52, from Wilmslow. “And I have to say I was surprised when I found out I’d been put forward last year to represent the division and couldn’t believe it when my name was called out as the national winner on the big night in January. “It’s a real honour for the store and a testament to how hard our team of reps work. “Just like Janise I became a rep to try to make our workplace a better and safer place to work and I know between us we are achieving that. “We’ve worked with management on many issues and made progress with our checkout chairs and in the warehouse. “There is still some work to be done around the store but I know we are in a better and safer working place than a couple of years ago. “We have meetings once a month and are looking at improving on this and holding them once a week. “Our aim is to get everyone to think health and safety so we deal with issues as they arise and sort them out quickly. SAINSBURY’S, FALLOWFIELD, MANCHESTER TESCO EXTRA, CHELTENHAM “I’d like to see more safety reps in the workplace. It’s a great role, it’s interesting and I really enjoyed the training, it’s very thorough.” Sainsbury’s Fallowfield, Manchester Val Taylor and the reps at the Sainsbury’s store in Fallowfield, Manchester, held their first Legal Plus Day during Membership Week to help raise awareness of the union’s free legal service for members and their families. “We’d read about successful legal days in other workplaces but didn’t know how to go about organising one, so we spoke to our area organiser Clare Hansen,” said Val, 56, who has been a rep for six years. “Clare put us in touch with the legal department at central office and they TESCO EXTRA, HANDFORTH DEAN In numbers... Membership for week ended 21 May 2016 50,688 Eastern 65,242 Midlands 56,500 North Eastern 59,588 Scottish 45,370 Southern 61,052 North West 94,404 Total MORRISONS, WOOD GREEN arranged for one of our solicitors to come down. We advertised the event in-store advising staff that they could make an appointment to speak to the solicitor and telling them about the will-writing service. “It was a real winner. The day went very well with reps Simon Dunne, 40 and Pip Nash, 25, on hand to speak to staff and give them advice about the benefits and the legal issues the union can help them with. “Members felt comfortable speaking to the union solicitor especially because they could do it at their ease without leaving work. They were also surprised at how good the will-writing facility was and that it was free for members, it was very popular with everyone. We were really pleased at how well it went.” South Wales and Western Morrisons, Wood Green Tesco dotcom driver Jim (Jacob) Haughey has been on a steep learning curve since he became a rep 18 months ago. Usdaw’s rep’s training and development programme has seen him take on many new challenges. “I did three weeks of stand-down in January which was a really good experience,” said Jim, 58, who works at the Enfield depot in Hertfordshire. “It gave me a taste of how things are in other companies like Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Argos, Ikea, Poundland and Primark. “I teamed up with experienced rep Christina Kyriacou from the Tesco Lea Valley store to run a Legal Plus 432,844 campaign at the Morrisons Wood Green store in North London. “We worked closely with store reps, Julie Barnett, a rep for two years and Iosifina Messinezi, a rep for six months. “The event was very successful. We signed up new members and a new rep, Dale Nicholas. “More recently I’ve been involved with the ‘Keep Sunday Special’ campaign and went to the Houses of Parliament and lobbied my MP, Nadine Dorries the Tory MP for Mid Bedfordshire. “I told her how I and my colleagues felt about Sunday trading and the plans to extend it. She agreed and said she thought the Sunday Trading laws had gone too far already. “It was a great victory hearing MPs had rejected the plans especially knowing I’d played a part.” Network May/June 2016 25 RECRUITMENT AND ORGANISING Teamwork lifts membership Sainsbury’s, Heaton Park, Manchester Email the Network team: network@ usdaw.org.uk Visit the Usdaw website at: www.usdaw. org.uk Sainsbury’s team leader Bev Jamieson organised a lifelong learning campaign promoting courses and new skills to more than 300 members in her store when she returned to work after six-months with Academy1. The two-day event, held during Membership Week in January, had an immediate impact with 40 members signing up for a variety of courses. “After the Academy I returned to work eager to run a workplace campaign,” said Bev, 40, who works at the Heaton Park store in Manchester. “Getting involved with the union has given me the confidence and the skills to change my life and now I want to help others achieve their goals. “Before the Academy I worked closely with mobile union learning rep Don Cuthbert to introduce some informal learning such as sign language, Spanish, maths and English and we even had four lads sign up for a Japanese course. “And there’s always a buzz from the book club which is set up in the corner of the staff canteen! I also had the support of mobile union learning rep Sue Sowe. “Members had the opportunity to come along at their leisure and sign up for a course of their choice. “With over 50 courses on offer from photography to Polish, to Get Online and Learn My Way and the option to study at home, at college or online, there was something on offer for everyone. Members went away saying they couldn’t wait to get started.” Kettle Produce, Scotland Experienced rep Tony Sneddon and his team recruited 14 new members during a special Legal Plus recruitment event at Kettle Produce in Fife during Membership Week in January. The session was held at the 26 Network May/June 2016 Balmalcolm site where there are 500 staff and 261 union members. The vegetable processing company’s other site is two miles up the road at Orkie where there are 400 staff and 100 members. “This was our first ever union event and it went really well,” said Tony, 58, who has been a rep for 14 years and is also branch secretary of Fife Produce branch and a Scottish divisional councillor. “We have a team of 13 reps across the two sites. Those who are already members were keen to say how good the reps and the union benefits are. “Because of the company shift pattern there was plenty of opportunity to speak to half of the staff who were generally positive about the union and were pleased they were asked to join.” Derek Mitchell, 35, has been a rep for seven years, he said: “I enjoyed the event, I had time to spend with staff and explain the benefits and it’s very satisfying when they sign up.” Area organiser Jim Postings was full of praise for the team. “All credit to the reps who have worked tremendously hard to overcome language barriers with the migrant workers on-site. “They have done a great job and made use of all the unions resources and leaflets and also recruited new reps who are able to speak different languages.” Tesco, Toxteth Doing stand-down is the perfect opportunity to put your skills to the test, according to Tesco’s Mike Faulkner who has been a rep at the Bidston Moss Extra store in Birkenhead for two years. “I did my first stint over 12 months ago and I’ve been out about eight or nine times since, it’s been very rewarding,” said Mike, 56. “I’ve done a lot of Tesco Express stores as well as a couple of B&M’s, KETTLE PRODUCE, FIFE, SCOTLAND TESCO, TOXTETH, LIVERPOOL Boots, Co-op, Sainsbury’s as well as the bigger Tesco stores. “Every visit is different so preparation time beforehand is vital, mapping the workforce and making sure I have all the right information with me. “I speak a little Polish too so I was pleased I was able to communicate effectively with our Polish colleagues and they appreciated it too with many of them eager to ask questions and sign up. “Not only have I learned new skills, I’ve learned a lot about myself too. I’ve enjoyed working on my own and the challenges it brings.” Network caught up with Mike in January at the Tesco store in Park PRIMARK, KING’S LYNN, NORFOLK SAINSBURY’S, HEATON PARK, MANCHESTER Road, Toxteth in Liverpool. “This is a big store so there are challenges to getting to meet everyone, but you do get to see them eventually. “Stand-down gives you the opportunity to chat to other reps and find out what’s happening, what ideas they have, and different ways of supporting the members.” Primark, King’s Lynn Primark reps Leanne McGregor and Donna English have recruited 60 new members at their King’s Lynn store in Norfolk during the last two years. “It’s gone well working with Donna and together we’ve gradually built the membership up from only six members to around 65 per cent, we’re both extremely proud of our achievement,” said 44 year-old Leanne. “We’ve also recruited a new weekend rep, Amy Rossiter, 20. We have a good relationship with our manager too. “It’s a young workforce and once one person joins you usually find that they chat to their friend who signs up too. “I’ve worked at Primark for five years and been a rep for just over two years and I’ve recently finished my training as a health and safety rep. Becoming a rep is one of the best things I’ve ever done. “I’ve surprised myself, my confidence has grown and I’m more comfortable dealing with new situations. I’ve met so many great people and I do feel part of the Usdaw team. “Academy rep Karen Allison is my mentor, she’s been very supportive and encouraged me all the way. “I’ll be going out with Karen to recruit in the Norwich store too, this will be a real test but I’m looking forward to the challenge. “I’m enjoying branch meetings and learning how the union works and I went to ADM in April. I’m proud to be part of a union that is celebrating its 125th anniversary. “I’ve also applied for summer school in September and if selected I’m hoping it will be a stepping stone to the Academy next year.” View the Recruitment and Organising gallery on the UsdawUnion Flickr page Network May/June 2016 27 HEALTH AND SAFETY Safety – a winning recipe Usdaw reps working in food and drink manufacturing have a new opportunity to step up activity on safety in their workplace after the main employers’ organisations all signed up to a common strategy based on the Recipe for Safety campaign. The campaign started in the early 1990s following the Health and Safety The campaign has been a success. In the 25 years since it was launched, the rate of reportable injuries has been reduced by over 60 per cent and there have been major improvements in work-related ill health. But the fact remains that the injury rate is still well above the manufacturing average and there are 12 issues which account for 96 per panel) with checklists, case studies and links to more detailed advice. Usdaw health and safety reps have already made significant improvements in many workplaces by focusing on the key hazards identified in earlier versions of the Recipe for Safety campaign. The new version provides a great opportunity for reps to work with management through the Commission’s concern that injury rates in the food and drink industries were too high. At the time the HSE worked with the Food and Drink Federation and with the trade unions to develop guidance on the key safety and health hazards across the industry. cent of injuries and occupational ill-health: The latest version of the ‘Recipe for Safety’ guidance was overhauled in 2015 with Usdaw involved in the working party. There are short sections on each of the 12 priority hazards (see health and safety committee to review what has been done and to improve health and safety even more. The revised Recipe for Safety guidance is available from the HSE at: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/ hsg252.pdf Tell the TUC about your safety role Union reps are being asked to take part in the TUC’s national safety reps survey about the hazards they face and the health and safety organisation in their workplace. The survey is designed to provide essential information to the TUC and to individual unions about what health and safety reps do and about the problems or challenges they face. This will help Usdaw to develop new materials to support our health and safety reps. It also gives the TUC evidence to use in campaigns for better health and safety standards and in their work with the Health and Safety Executive. The information safety reps provide is crucial, so it is vitally important that as many Usdaw reps as possible respond to the survey. www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SafteyRep2016 or contact the health and safety section in central office for a paper copy. The closing date is 01 July 2016. 28 Network May/June 2016 More expert advice available for Usdaw safety reps The latest edition of the TUC’s best-selling guide to health and safety Hazards at Work is now available. It explains the way unions organise to improve health, safety and welfare, how the law has changed in recent years and gives full details of the key legal provisions and how they are enforced. At the core of the book is the 24-chapter section on the common hazards and causes of ill-health at work, and how to assess and prevent them. Other categories, include young, casual, agency and disabled workers. The book also contains extensive checklists, case studies and web resources. Health and safety officer Doug Russell said: “This latest edition is published at a time when the regulations that underpin workers’ protection are still under government scrutiny. “It is no secret that cost-cutting and an obsession with ‘red tape’ lie behind the motives for reducing the impact of some laws, or even repealing others completely. “That is why trade union reps, officers and anyone with a practical interest in health and safety matters should have a copy of the 2016 edition.” Single copies direct from the TUC will cost union safety reps £20. However, Usdaw has secured a bulk purchase discount. Usdaw safety reps can order copies from the stationery department at a reduced price of £14 plus £2 p&p (£16 in total). Order forms for the new edition will be circulated to branches. HEALTH AND SAFETY Dangers of EU Brexit Leaving the EU could put millions of people in the UK at increased risk of accidents or injuries in the workplace, according to a report from the TUC. The report ‘EU Membership and Health and Safety’ concludes that EU legislation has helped stop illnesses and injuries at work, and saved lives. Much of the health and safety law in the UK is now underpinned by the EU. Almost two-thirds (63 per cent) of new British health and safety regulations introduced between 1997-2009 originated in Europe (41 out of 65 laws). In addition to Working Time Regulations, EU laws cover basic issues such as manual handling, work equipment and workplace welfare. These safety rules have contributed to a reduction in workplace fatalities in the UK. In 1992 there were 368 worker fatalities in Britain; this dropped to 142 last year. Over this period, the rate of deaths fell from 1.5 to 0.46 per 100,000 workers. The report notes several areas where EU law has had a significant impact: If the UK votes to leave the EU, the government would be able to decide whether or not to keep protections derived from EU laws. There is no guarantee that they would keep health and safety legislation at its current level. In fact the Government has indicated it wants to reduce this so-called ‘red tape’ of EU protection. The TUC report can be seen at: www.tuc.org.uk Safety watchdog faces more cuts The TUC and others are warning that the Health and Safety Executive is not the regulator it used to be – and things will get worse. The HSE’s Business Plan for 2016/17 has revealed further massive cuts to central funding over the next three years. It follows earlier cuts and a dramatic decline in workplace safety inspections and enforcement. In 2009, before the Coalition Government HSE received £231 million from the Government. By 2020 this will have been cut to £123 million, a reduction of 46 per cent in ten years. According to the TUC the effects of cuts to funding can be seen in the current business plan, which lacks new targets or regulatory proposals to tackle the main causes of ill health and injury such as musculoskeletal disorders and stress. Instead the plan states that HSE will support the Government’s deregulatory agenda by looking to simplify the laws on hazardous chemicals. While it says some positive things on the continued role of regulators in enforcing health and safety, the TUC and others have questioned how this will be done with fewer inspectors. According to the TUC head of health and safety, Hugh Robertson: “There is no doubt the cuts in the HSE budget are already having an effect, with the decades long downward trend in work- related fatalities and ill-health stalled and in some instances reversed. “If no one is going to enforce the law then the law becomes useless. However, given the 46 per cent cut in the budget, it is wrong to put the blame on the HSE. The deregulatory agenda comes from the Government.” ■ The HSE Business Plan is at: www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/strategiesandplans/businessplans ■ Hugh Robertson’s comments are on the TUC Stronger Unions blog at: strongerunions.org/2016/04/06/what-future-for-the-hse/ In conversation with Jon McEwan... A health and safety rep since 2003, who works at KP Snacks in Ashby De La Zouch. His other union roles include; divisional councillor, branch chair, rep and union learning rep. What’s involved in your safety role? I work in a team of about 15 reps looking after 300 members. All the reps cover different shifts and we get paid release to attend health and safety meetings with management once a month. After the meetings we have a walk around to have a closer look at things. We’re currently promoting a near miss system where people report occurrences that could potentially become accidents and cause harm. Any specific problems in your industry? Working with heat, we’ve got 180 degree fryers and because we’re inside with a metal roof it gets hot. We had new ventilation and extractor fans put in at the end of last year so hopefully it will improve. Manual handling issues also crop up. But jobs have been rearranged to minimize the risk. Have you influenced any big changes into your workplace? We had an old flavouring unit and you had to carry a large bag of flavour up seven steps to feed it into a vat of oil. Production increased and we went from lifting seven bags a shift to 20. I raised it with management as a grievance. About a year later the company spent £80,000 putting in an automated flavour system, so now all we need to do is to lift the bag to waist height, tip it in and it gets fed up the system to the oil, it’s a lot easier. How do you keep up to date with changes in health and safety? Our main health and safety rep on site keeps us up to date and tells us if there are any major changes in laws. In 2012 I did the TUC diploma in health and safety, which has helped me a lot. Have you got any top tips for other health and safety reps? When you go on courses make sure you pick up all the leaflets and take in whatever information is available to you. Also, make contacts with other reps on the course, because no doubt you’ll all have similar issues. Keep at it and keep going. Network May/June 2016 29 LETTERS Email your letters and photos to the editor: network@usdaw.org.uk Your Letters & @mickmoo79 TWEET DECK LGBT leadership weekend success Town challenge Some of Network’s favourite tweets to @UsdawUnion @sjrb84 Had a great response to the Pensions Awareness Day Campaign. Brilliant way to help our members! @JadeBotterill Celebrating 125 years of @UsdawUnion at the North Eastern Divisional conference this afternoon @cara_hilton It’s @UsdawUnion’s 125th birthday & delighted to attend launch of exhibition at Edinburgh People’s Story Museum Follow us @UsdawUnion YouTube UsdawUnion Instagram UsdawUnion Flickr UsdawUnion aim of the weekend was to empower LGBT members to get more involved in Usdaw’s structures, campaigns and leadership and to enhance understanding of issues facing LGBT members in the workplace. The weekend was a great success and our thanks go to everyone who participated. The Scottish Divisional Equality Forum, in conjunction with Lifelong Learning, have been successful in receiving funding through the Scottish Government’s Fair Work Directorate to help develop leadership capacity within the trade union movement. This will be essential in taking forward the Fair Work agenda. We held a training weekend, in March in Glasgow. The Jill Little-Woodhouse, lifelong learning project worker Life after Academy Rep appreciation The above photo was taken on the joint campaign day involving the Southern Division and the Medway Labour Group. This five town challenge took place on Saturday 26 April 2016, the campaign was based on voter registration, the EU Referendum, the Hope Not Hate campaign and the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections. We helped Labour’s, and Usdaw member, Tristan Osborne, who was standing for PCC in Kent. The challenge covered Rainham, Gillingham, Chatham, Rochester and Strood. Aided by many helpers, the schedule ran well and was a great success. Alan Higgins, Southern Faversham Sata H108 Award for Ian I was on the Academy in 2010. The Academy educated me on lots of different things, such as Usdaw, Tesco, other unions, other retail companies and their policy/agreements. I met hundreds of new people and it helped me to build more confidence. It encouraged me to be more determined and not just sit back and do nothing. I loved also having the opportunity to get back into the classroom. I’m very grateful for the experience and would encourage others to do the same. Margaret Reston (above left) pictured with her manager Lisa was nominated for an Individual Recruitment Award for 2015. Margaret is a very hard working rep with 100 per cent density in her own store. She also represents and recruits in stores in the central belt. I would like to say a massive well done Margaret and... keep up the good work! This is Ian Barnett from Morrisons Kingsbridge being given his Most Promising New Activist certificate, at the A206 branch meeting held in Torquay in April. On the right is Gerrie Messer the branch secretary and myself to the left. Heidi Herlihy, Chelmsford and Colchester Retail C37 Lorraine Barr, area organiser, Scottish division Suzie Green, area organiser, South Wales and Western division 30 Network May/June 2016 Write to: Network Editor, Usdaw, 188 Wilmslow Road, Manchester M14 6LJ 0 LETTERS A dedicated space to share your news, views and achievements. Let us know what you have been up to and you could win £50! Please send letters/emails and photos to either of the addresses given above. We reserve the right to edit all letters published. 125 Noticeboard Mencap event I changed our noticeboard to make people aware of the 125 years of Usdaw and workers memorial day. I even reprinted our reps photos in black and white to go with the vintage theme. I got some really positive feedback from our staff. On a recent awareness day we raised £203 for Mencap, Usdaw’s chosen charity for 2016 in it’s 125th year. Thanks to everyone’s efforts in this fundraising event, especially Boots who were very generous and supportive throughout the event. Laura Cervini, Chelmsford and Colchester Retail C37 Simon Willmott, Boots Logistics (Nottingham) E190 Llandudno hosts Labour conference Above: Paddy Lillis, centre, with the Usdaw delegation at the Welsh Labour Conference in February earlier this year in Llandudno. Activists meet for Glasgow conference Shop Direct celebrate thirty years Celebrating 30 years of Usdaw membership at Shop Direct in Shaw Loyal members 30-up in the picture Anti-clockwise from left: Janet Grey (Tesco Lunsford Park), Michael Rowlands (Tesco Lunsford Park) and Marina Hubbard (Tesco West Malling) Officials at the Scottish divisional conference held in Glasgow in March. The theme was ‘Standing up for Working People: Election 2016’. Celebrations in Tesco Ballymoney Members in Tesco Ballymoney celebrate completing Essential Skills ICT Levels one and two with Northern Regional College. Network May/June 2016 31 #UsdawOnTour We're celebrating our 125th anniversary this year! Look out for the Usdaw campaign bus which will be touring the country from June to mid-August, to promote the Union's work to members, non-members and the general public. Follow @UsdawUnion on Twitter to find out more 0845 60 60 640 www.usdaw.org.uk/usdawontour