NEWS

THREAT TO REFUSE SERVICE AS GMB CONSIDERS STRIKE ACTION
Representatives from the GMB Union are meeting members at Hollingdean Depot to discuss impending strike action in protest to planned redundancies in the Council.
Contrary to a statement released by Brighton and Hove City Council, the GMB has been informed that they plan to cut 21 operatives jobs at Cityclean. This is in addition to the hundreds of jobs that are already under threat within the Council.
The GMB deplores this decision due to the effect it will have on the employees and their families and due to the additional workload that will be placed on the remaining operatives. If the cuts go ahead the end result will be a poorer refuse service for residents living in Brighton and Hove.
Mark Turner, GMB Branch Secretary said:
‘This is the start of the Council bringing in a change of the collection service to the general public, because the workforce will not be able to maintain the weekly refuse and recycling collection for much longer if this cut is made.
The GMB will stand firm with its members, and oppose any cuts that will affect their terms and conditions and the good service that they provide to the city.’

Recognition agreement signed between GMB & Kelly Communications
After a long and protracted series of events GMB South East London and Kent (Area 5) secured a full recognition agreement with Kelly Communications which covers all staff employed in the Brighton area.

The staff are contracted to install Cable, TV, Internet Broadband connections and telephones. This is the first recognition agreement between the GMB and a company in this industry. Hopefully it will not be the last.

Credit has to be given to the GMB members who have stood firm and stayed loyal to the GMB through many difficult months.

Charles Harrity, GMB Organiser said “This has been a good end to a difficult road. I would like to acknowledge the help I received from Rob Macey and Don McLean in securing this recognition deal. Don, who is the GMB contact especially has maintained the GMB’s profile amongst his work colleagues. I am sure with will on both sides the company and the trade union can improve the terms and conditions of the staff employed at Brighton. If we can make a success of our working relationship in Brighton we would like to try to expand recognition across the region.”

The Secretary of State for Works and Pensions has decided to assist this process by appointing an independent person to chair the consultation meetings. The person appointed is Roger Poole who has considerable experience in chairing matters of an industrial and public nature and has previously worked with the Secretary of State.

We have therefore agreed to postpone the national consultation between management and the trade unions until 24 August at which time a meeting will be held between a small representative group from both sides chaired by Roger Poole.

In order to enable this to have every chance of success Remploy has agreed to extend the consultation period. We hope that at the end of this period we will be able to move forward with an agreed solution.

Professional Drivers
GMB set up a national campaign to tackle long hours and low pay of professional drivers. Taxi and private hire drivers from every part of UK met to launch a national campaign to bring trade unions to the industry. The GMB Southern Region has recently established a membership within professional drivers in Brighton.

Campaigns

Request for your opinions on the UK’s asylum system.
CITIZENS SPEAK is an initiative launched by the Independent Asylum Commission to make sure that ordinary citizens get a say in the biggest independent public consultation on sanctuary in the UK in recent times.

See the letter from Sir John Waite, Co-Chair of the Independent Asylum Commission, here.

Private Equity
Southern Region has led the campaign on Private Equity following its fight back against the AA and the de-recognition of the GMB.

This campaign led by Paul Maloney has now spread nationally and inter-nationally. Please look at Paul’s article in the Spring issue of Vision for further details (this can be downloaded from the website).

Migrant Workers
The Region is also leading the way in regard to recruiting migrant workers. Having established the UK’s first migrant workers’ branch in Southampton we have now followed this up with appointing two project workers who are young Polish women. They are Asha Morasz based in the Swindon office and Joanna Lucyszyn at the South Coast office.

Part of this campaign has led to a recognition battle within World Flowers. For further details please see the article in the Spring edition of Vision which is in Polish and English (this can be downloaded from the web site).

Events

Glastonbury
Ex-Appledore Shipyard workers from North Devon led by organiser, Gary Cook, came together on the weekend of the 11th June 2007 to erect a new design for the left field tower at Glastonbury Festival site. GMB members will also be working on the Workers’ Beer Company beer stalls at the Glastonbury Festival starting on the 20th June.

GMB signs Learning Agreement with Airsprung Beds Ltd

Education News

On Wednesday 13 February, Alan Fraser, GMB Education Officer, Joanna Morasz, GMB Project Worker for Wiltshire and Jason Carey, Production Manager, Airsprung Beds Ltd signed a new learning partnership agreement.,

The agreement between the employer and the union enables members to undertake training in the workplace to improve basic skills, including literacy and numeracy. It also enables members who have migrated from other countries, 95% of whom are from Poland, the opportunity to learn English. The courses will be delivered by Wiltshire College after a provider agreement was reached between GMB and the College.

GMB will be asking all employees to complete learning needs surveys which will show what learning needs the employees have and what the learning priorities should be. These will be regularly updated.

The new agreement will be implemented by four new Union Learning Reps – Dave Wasley, Kevin Chapman, Marcin Nawrocki, Rafal Owczarski, supported by GMB Shop Steward Mino Stojkovski. These ULRs are currently undergoing training with GMB for this new role. GMB is seeking the election of a further two ULRs as part of the agreement who will also be fully trained.

Sue Wright from Wiltshire College will undertake workplace assessments of employees from 13 February onwards for English Language training. Shortly after GMB will undertake a Literacy by IT course, which will lead to better qualifications for members in both English literacy and in Information Technology.

The agreement is the first of its kind in Wiltshire for the GMB but promises not to be the last. Joanna Morasz, GMB Project Worker for Wiltshire, has been working with GMB Officers Andy Prendergast and Michelle Gordon to negotiate with employers in Wiltshire and beyond to bring learning to the workplace.

GMB podpisalo umowe z Airsprung Beds Ltd, w sprawie wspó³pracy przy doksztalcaniu pracownikow

W srode 13-tego lutego 2008, Alan Fraser, GMB Education Officer, Joanna Morasz, GMB Project Worker rejonu Wiltshire i Jason Carey, Production Manager, Airsprung Beds Ltd podpisali nowa umowe w sprawie wspolpracy przy doksztalcaniu i szkoleniu pracownikow firmy Airsprung.

Umowa pomiedzy zarz¹dem firmy Airsprung i Zwi¹zkami Zawodowymi GMB umozliwia pracownikom podejmowanie kursow i szkolen na terenie zakladu pracy, w celu udoskonalenia podstawowych umiejetnosci, uwzgledniajac matematyke i zajecia z jezyka ojczystego. Jest to równie¿ ogromna szansa dla imigrantow pracuj¹cych w firmie Airsprung (z czego 90% stanowia Polacy) na nauke lub poprawienie znajomosci jezyka angielskiego. Kursy bêd¹ prowadzone przez wykwalifikowanych nauczycieli lokalnego Collegu, co podpiera niedawno podpisana umowa miedzy Wiltshire College a GMB, w sprawie organizacji regularnych kursow.

GMB bedzie rowniez regularnie przeprowadzac ankiety wsrod pracownikow, dotyczace kursow i szkolen. Ankieta umozliwi departamentowi edukacji GMB na rozpoznanie potrzeb wsrod pracownikow, jak rowniez bedziemy mogli wybrac priorytety sposrod kursow.

Nowa umowa wspierana rowniez bedzie pomoca przestawicieli GMB ds.edukacji pracujacych w firmie Airsprung – Dave Wasley, Kevin Chapman, Marcin Nawrocki, Rafal Owczarski, Mino Stojkovski. Przedstawiciele GMB ds.edukacji, potocznie nazywani ULRs obecnie beda rozpoczynali GMB kurs, który wdrozy ich w nowe role. GMB bêdzie równie¿ chcialo powo³aæ 2 nowych ULRs, jako czesc umowy, którzy równie¿ uzyskaja pelne szkolenie.

Rowniez 13-tego stycznia 2008 roku wraz z Wiltshire College rozpoczelismy wstepne egzaminy w firmie Airsprung dla pracownikow, ktore pozwola okreslic stopien znajomosci jezyka angielskiego u potencjalnego ucznia (migranta). Krotko po tym planujemy rozpoczêcie kursu Literacy By IT, ktory cieszy sie szerokim zainteresowaniem, ze wzgledu na jednoczesna nauke jezyka i podstaw informatyki.

Jest to pierwsza tego typu umowa w regionie Wiltshire, ale obiecuje ze nie ostatnia. Przy wspolpracy z oficerami GMB- Andy Prendergast i Michelle Gordon, negocjujemy i dostarczamy edukacje do miejsc pracy. Wraz z departamentem edukacji GMB staramy siê rozpowszechniac swiadoma potrzebe nauki przez cale zycie.