Community Issue 12 | Spring 2010
strongerâ– together
Steel: The Heart of Teesside
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Post Office Christmas Club Dear Community member,
Post Office® Christmas Club: Special Member Offer We’re delighted to make available a special offer to all Community members joining the Post Office® Christmas Club for 2010. Join the Christmas Club at your local Post Office® branch and we’ll top up your Christmas Club Card with an extra £2.50 for Christmas 2010. All club members will also receive a booklet of discount and special offer vouchers in the run up to Christmas, making the money you have put aside go ever further. To take advantage of this offer, sign up to the club at your local Post Office® branch. Counter staff will provide you with an application form. On the application form write the following code – COM10 - to the left of the bar code. Once we’ve received your application we’ll top up your account with an extra £2.50. The Post Office® Christmas Club represents a great way to put aside money for Christmas; you can sign up with as little as £2. Top up your card, up to a maximum of £1000 per annum, throughout the year and next Christmas you’ll be able to shop at a great range of top retailers including Argos, Sainsbury’s, Boots, WH Smith, Currys, Top Shop and many, many more. Michael Birchall,Product Manager
The Post Office Christmas Club Card is issued by Bank of Ireland- incorporated in Ireland with limited liability. Registered No. C-1. Head Office, Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2, Ireland. Authorised by the Irish Financial Regulator and authorised and subject to limited regulation by the Financial Services Authority. Details about the extent of Bank of Ireland’s authorisation and regulation by the Financial Services Authority are available from Bank of Ireland on request. Post Office Limited is registered in England and Wales. Registered No 2154540. Registered office is 148 Old Street, London EC1V 9HQ.
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Community Spring 2010
A clear choice – and your vote counts
stronger■ together INSIDE …
Dear Community member Hello and welcome to the new ‘Stronger Together’. This fresh, modern design will now be arriving in your letterbox quarterly, keeping you up to date with what’s happening in your union. 2009 was a difficult year for many of our members. Community responded by negotiating with management to identify cost savings, training schemes and government stimulus to cut the numbers of forced redundancies. The recession bit deeply but our members have shown their resilience and solidarity. 2010 will also be a difficult year as some businesses recover and recruit staff while others continue to feel the squeeze and cut costs. But as we start to see the first green shoots in the economy, now is the time to ensure that working families are not left behind. The sacrifices that working people made for their employers over the last year must be recognised and rewarded. This is a key period for workers across Britain. Workers need to unite to ensure that the jobs created during any recovery are ‘real’ jobs. Too often have we seen big business use any excuse to replace full time positions with temporary or agency jobs. A strong union presence in your workplace is the key to ensuring that you and your colleagues don’t miss out during any economic recovery. An economic recovery is not guaranteed however. Many workers and businesses around the country require government stimulus while waiting for growth in global demand. Any political party that implements cuts before a recovery has begun would force Britain back into recession. The 2010 election will offer a stark choice between investment in the people, businesses and the future of Britain, with savage cuts that will force thousands onto the dole queue. While the economy remains weak, government spending, through the car scrappage scheme or investment construction, keeps thousands employed and small and medium sized businesses above water. Cameron’s policies however, would see a Tory government attacking your employment rights, while cutting public services on which we all depend. The choice is clear and your vote this year will make a difference.
Climate change Unions have a role to play Justice for Glen Shaw staff Community wins justice for 57 Breaking down barriers Campaigning for a disability champion in Scotland Cameron ignores steel No reply to Community letter Teesside There is an alternative Reinstate the Llanwern 3 Union reps victimised Supported employment Community works to save jobs Betting shop violence High street chains must act Communitas Learning opportunities for you Your rights at work Holidays Legal advice service Dodgy builders; civil proceedings; a stolen caravan
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Cover Image by Simon Gaunt (www.smileyouroncamera.co.uk) If you have any comments or suggestions for the next edition please contact Duncan Harrod on editor@community-tu.org or on 020 7420 4024 Stronger Together. February 2010. Editor: Duncan Harrod Editorial Office: 67/68 Long Acre, Covent Garden, WC2E 9FA Tel: 020 7420 4000 email: editor@community-tu.org Printed by The College Hill Press www.collegehillpress.co.uk/
General Secretary Michael J. Leahy OBE
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news
Copenhagen climate summit THE COPENHAGEN Climate Summit last year was a huge event that brought together world leaders, national governments and big business. Trade Unions also had a part to play, representing over 175 million working people across 155 countries. This is not a new role for Trade Unions. Trade Unions were among the first groups to champion environmental legislation. From JESS HURD/REPORTDIGITAL.CO.UK
the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, working people were the first to suffer from industrial pollution near their towns and communities. Today, Trade Unions are trying to manage the process of moving towards a green economy, balancing the importance of addressing climate change with the need to protect jobs in traditional industries. Your Union Community joined the TUC, European TUC and International TUC at the Copenhagen conference to argue for a ‘Just Transition to a Green Economy’. The Trade Union delegates came together in the ‘World of Work’ Pavilion. ■■You can find more information about the International Trade Union effort at http://climate.ituc-csi.org/
Protesters in Copenhagen demonstrate what a tonne of carbon dioxide looks like
■■You can find out more about Your Union’s Environmental work at www.community-tu.org/environment
Justice for knitwear workers YOUR UNION, Community, won justice for 57 former workers of Glen Shaw Knitwear at Coatbridge in central Scotland. The tribunal agreed that the workers had been unfairly dismissed and applied the protective award. Community Union Branch Secretary Alison Ferguson said: “We were given only 40 minutes between being told we’d lost our jobs and being locked out of the factory. “Only the support of the union has allowed us to take this case to the tribunal. “Without the invaluable support and advice from Our Union, Community, the workers of Glen Shaw would have been thrown onto the street with no recognition of years of loyal service.”
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BREAKING DOWN THE BARRIERS
DISABLED WORKERS have suffered during the current recession as local authorities across Britain have cut funding for supported employment. This has a dramatic effect as a supported employment position is not simply a job, but a social outlet for disabled workers. That is why Your Union, Community, has launched the Breaking Down the Barriers campaign in Scotland. This campaign hopes to pressure the Scottish Government to appoint an ‘Article 19’ champion. A position which would promote the products of Scotland’s supported employment factories and push priority procurement from both public and private workplaces. ■■ You can help by asking your family and friends to visit www.community-tu.org/article19
David Cameron features in a series of online posters at mydavidcameron. com
Cameron ignores steel industry TORY LEADER David Cameron has failed to respond to a letter from Your Union, Community. The letter asked David Cameron to list any policies he supported which would aid the Steel Industry as it faced the most serious threat of the post war years. David Cameron has ●●Opposed the Car Scrappage Scheme which created demand for cars and therefore steel ●●Opposed investment in schools and hospitals which has retained a demand for steel ●●Wished to “refocus” the Train to Gain budget which would deprive Corus of £2m ●●Pledged to abolish the Regional
Hartlepool Learning Agreement YOUR UNION, Community, is proud to have signed a Learning Agreement at Hartlepool’s 20" Pipe Mill. Learning Agreements allow Your Union, Community, to bring Communitas into the workplace and offer all members further education and lifelong learning opportunities. Whether you want to build basic IT skills or to qualify for an NVQ, Communitas is your pathway to education and training in the workplace. ■■For more information about Communitas visit www.community-tu.org/communitas
■■ For more information visit www. community-tu. org/industry
Development Agencies that provided £3m to Corus ●●Declared government subsidy or protection is not ‘the right answer’ David Cameron has failed to list a single policy which would aid the steel industry, failed to say a word as thousands were made redundant and offered no solutions to the closure of Teesside Cast Products. In addition, not one Tory or Lib Dem has signed a Parliamentary motion in support of Teesside. All this leaves us to wonder, what is the Tory Policy on Steel?
TULIP: BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER IN THE MIDDLE EAST TULIP – Trade Unions Linking Israel and Palestine, has set up a fund to support Israeli and Palestinian Trade Unions undertaking projects of mutual interest, that foster peace and hope in the region. Your Union, Community, helped to found TULIP to promote peace in the region. Michael J. Leahy OBE, General Secretary of Your Union, Community, hosting the first meeting said: “The real work of unions is not boycotts that would hurt Palestinian workers but bringing people together and making the situation on the ground better in Israel and Palestine. I hope we have started our part of this today.” Chairing the inaugural meeting of the TULIP Executive, Paul Howes, National Secretary of the Australian Workers’ Union said: “The opportunity to provide practical support to working people in Israel and Palestine should not be missed. We aim to support projects developed by Israeli and Palestinian trade unions to bring progress to a region in need of more action rather than words.” TULIP is an international organisation that has affiliates in Australia, UK and the USA.
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save our steel MARK PINDER/REPORTDIGITAL.CO.UK
Around 3,500 steelworkers, their families and other trade union members marched through Redcar in Cleveland to protest at huge job cuts by Corus in the British steel industry
TCP: There is an alternative TATA CORUS is preparing to mothball Teesside Cast Products at the end of February, a move that would devastate an entire community. Your Union, Community, has opposed this move at every step of the process. Community believes that the quality of the product, the skill of the workforce and the support of the local community shows that Teesside steel has a future. Community is still pushing alternatives to mothballing and it is testament to the strong campaign that our fight continues nine months on. Viable alternatives could include
■■ To follow the situation at Teesside, visit www. community-tu.org/ saveoursteel
new off-takers, new owners or sending slab to Llanwern. Tata Corus have a moral and social obligation to the Teesside workforce that doesn’t end at the steelworks gate. Tata Corus need to prove that they have exhausted every possibility before they consider mothballing the site.
HOPING FOR THE BEST, PREPARING FOR THE WORST WHILE YOUR Union, Community, is hoping and fighting for the best, it is preparing for the worst. Our support arm Communitas is active on-site. Communitas helps members access the most appropriate training, advice and guidance to find new employment. ■■ To access Communitas services, visit www.community-tu.org/communitas
Reinstate the Llanwern 3 THREE COMMUNITY union reps – Mark Hill, Kevin Mulhall and Gary Stewart – were all unfairly selected for redundancy because of their trade union activity. They worked at Corus Strip Products in Llanwern. Community has taken their case to an employment tribunal. But rather than doing the right thing Corus are trying to appeal the decision and are still refusing to reinstate the Llanwern 3. This goes to the heart of what we do as a
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union. Community is built on volunteers like Mark, Kevin and Gary, who give their time to defend the interests of their colleagues. The action that Corus has taken against them is an attack on all our representatives and all our members within Corus. Collectively Mark, Kevin and Gary have 70 years membership of Community and its predecessor union. Together they have 40 years of experience as union reps. Corus must reinstate the Llanwern 3.
NLBD JESS HURD/REPORTDIGITAL.CO.UK
Recession hits supported employment This recession has taken a terrible toll on disabled workers. As budgets have tightened, supported employment factories have been under increasing pressure. From London to Aberdeen, whether council programmes or charity projects supported employment has been a victim of this recession. GLENCRAFT
Action required IN ABERDEEN, Your Union, Community, has run a long term campaign to support our members at the Glencraft factory. Glencraft has operated under threat of closure for over a year, since the local SNP council reneged on agreements. The commitment of the workers as well as the support of the community has kept the Glencraft branch strong and forced commitments to guarantee a social enterprise to replace the factory hopefully in March. We want Glencraft 2.0 and other businesses like it to have a secure future – this means implementing the right procurement policies, using Article 19, and maximising opportunities provided by major public projects like the Commonwealth Games. Above all, today’s words must be tomorrow’s action
BOLTON
Jobs guaranteed
IN BOLTON, the hard work of Branch Secretary, Charles Rennie won agreements from the local council guaranteeing jobs for all members despite the closure of Bolmoor Industries. The challenge now is to ensure that the council honours its commitments and develops a clear role, not just for the Bolmoor workers, but also for any other disabled people looking to enter the workforce.
Using a jobsearch terminal in a Jobcentre in Newham, East London
SOUTHWARK
Factory closed IN LONDON, Action for Blind People announced the closure of their supported employment factory in Southwark. This has serious implications, not only for the 34 blind or visually impaired employees but for the future of supported employment in London. This action comes in the wake of the merger between Action for Blind People and the RNIB. Your Union, Community has been watching this merger closely and is concerned that the RNIB seems to be moving away from front line service provision. The branch is actively fighting this closure and has the full support of their union.
THIS YEAR will require dedication and commitment as Community seeks to rollback these trends. The threat of a new government slashing programmes for disabled workers is very real. Your Union, Community, is the only disability organisation with the expertise, experience and dedication to successfully represent the interests of all disabled workers. On a positive front, membership is growing in the PLUS factories in Exeter, Plymouth, Barnstaple and Torbay. While these factories are growing through a difficult reorganisation at this time, providing the agreements that we are seeking are put in place, Community sees these factories as a successful part of the future.
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betting shops
A new law could protect you … if the big chains decide to act
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Community Spring 2010
DUNCAN PHILLIPS/REPORTDIGITAL.CO.UK
COMMUNITY IS proposing new legislation which would introduce additional penalties for people that assault workers in the course of their duties. This legislation would build on new laws that protect emergency service workers. A new law would allow judges to apply an aggravated sentence (i.e. longer or harsher) where it was shown that the assaulted worker was performing their duty. This could include betting shop workers who have a duty to staff the counter while at work. However, any law will only make a difference if the high street chains choose to act upon it. Many people will be familiar with successful zero-tolerance campaigns in the transport industry. The transport unions won the support of the employers and working together cut the number of violent incidents towards staff. The anti-social behaviour around betting shops is a growing problem, up 66% since 2005. A survey of our members found 1 in 10 had been assaulted in the past 3 months. But the big chains pretend that this is not an issue. Your union has found time and time again that the big chains misreport incidents to downgrade their severity, fail to report incidents and often refuse to prosecute. This attitude has given a green light to repeat offenders and persistent trouble makers. Taking a zero tolerance approach to violent behaviour in the high street chains would have a dramatic effect, as would advertising this policy in shops. It is a disgrace that the big chains will not even place posters in their shops asking customers not to assault staff. Your union, Community, is working to address this issue with local councils, the big chains and the Minister for Sport and Gaming. Local councils have some regulatory power and the Minister can apply pressure, but the big chains must accept their responsibility to their staff and adopt these policies.
Poster promoting social behaviour towards staff, Euston Station, London: Transport unions won the support of employers to work together to cut the number of violent incidents involving their staff
YOUR UNION … YOUR ISSUES … YOUR GOVERNMENT COMMUNITY UNION Regional Director Christine Hardacre met with Minister for Sport and Gaming Gerry Sutcliffe to share the evidence that we have collected from you – Think21! and single staffing are not working and increasing the number of violent incidents against betting shop staff. By involving the government, Your Union, Community, is signalling to the high street chains that we are serious about safety in the workplace.
Communitas Community General Secretary Michael J. Leahy OBE (centre) and John Healey (front), MP for the Wentworth constituency in South Yorkshire , with the Forging Ahead team
Forging ahead THROUGH OUR support provider Communitas, Your Union, Community, has developed a course – Forging Ahead – to help members in Yorkshire deal with redundancy. The course includes sessions on CV writing and interview techniques, introductory computer skills, and money management, and provides information about training opportunities as well as job openings in the local labour market. Martin Bramhill, one of the Forging Ahead participants, and a former employee at Brinsworth Strip Mill praised the course, saying: “It opened my eyes to the available help and resources, and my CV looks a lot better now!”
Would you like to learn another language? YOUR UNION, Community, has run a Conversational Spanish Course for a group of members (right) in Scotland. With the help of the Scottish Union Learning Fund, Your Union, Community, organised John Wheatley College to bring the course to our members’ workplace.
BEYOND THE WORKPLACE
YOUR UNION, Community, has won funding from the Union Modernisation Fund (UMF) to run a new project in South Yorkshire and the East Midlands. Beginning in February, Your Union, Community, will partner with the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations. The project ‘Beyond the Workplace: Community in the community’ is designed to support our members through the recession and ensure that any member made redundant has access to all the services needed to re-enter the workforce. ■■ For more information on this project: visit www.community-tu.org/beyondtheworkplace
LOOKING FOR A LEARNING OPPORTUNITY? YOUR UNION, Community, has Union Learning reps across the country, as well as our training support arm Communitas. Your Union, Community, can also access the many training courses run by the General Federation of Trade Unions. ■For ■ more information on lifelong learning and the opportunities you can access, contact your regional office or visit: www. community-tu.org/ education
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your rights at work Welcome to the regular feature that addresses some of our members’ frequently asked questions. While we hope this information is useful, you should always speak to a Community Union rep before taking any action.
S E L S S A H Y A D I L HO WHAT ARE MY BASIC RIGHTS FOR HOLIDAYS? As of 1st April 2009, all workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks paid holiday a year under the Working Time Regulations. This may include Bank Holidays. You may have a more generous holiday entitlement from your employer under your contract of employment.
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CAN I BANK ON BANK HOLIDAYS?
You have no statutory rights to be off work on a public holiday or bank holiday. Your contract of employment may give you an entitlement to public holidays and bank holidays, either providing time off or extra pay.
However, you should check your contract. If public holidays and bank holidays are not recognised and you choose to take them as holiday these will be deducted from your annual holiday entitlement.
S? E T A D Y M E D CI E D R YE LO P M E CAN this period at their discretion. take You can request when to your holiday. Employees should give a period of notice which is twice the length of the period of e leave. This will not guarante acceptance of the holiday, however, employers can waive
Community Spring 2010
However, employers can refuse you individual requests by giving ing notice equal to the holiday be ay requested not to take the holid can at a certain time. An employer n also restrict holidays at certai times of the year.
CAN I BE TOLD WHEN TO TAKE TIME OFF? Your employer can specify which weeks are to be taken as holiday. Your employer can also direct you to take holidays, if they require. However, the employer must give notice. The period of notice is twice the length of the period of leave. Therefore two weeks notice must be given before enforcing a one week period of leave.
free legal advice service Your Union, Community, operates a Free Legal Advice Service (FLAS) open to all members. FLAS can help members with a wide range of legal queries, such as consumer issues, neighbourhood disputes, welfare benefits and housing matters. Your Union, Community, has a team of legal advisors in our Member Service Centre waiting to help you. Here is how we have helped other members.
evidence to the court by way of standard disclosure and also an application to the court submitting extra evidence and calling an additional witness. When the judge reviewed the member and her husband’s supporting evidence she dismissed the whole case against him.
Legal trouble can happen at any time The Community team helped a member in Wales who had purchased a caravan some time ago. When he sold the caravan on, the new owner discovered that the caravan was in fact stolen and the caravan was returned to the original owner by the police. Our member had to reimburse the purchase price to the person he had sold the caravan. The community team then assisted our member in recovering his money from the person who had originally sold him the caravan. Our member was assisted with a small claim through his local county court, but the matter was eventually resolved in an out of court settlement.
IT’S NOT JUST FOR ISSUES AT WORK Building a strong defence A member in region 5 had employed a builder at his property. The work was unsatisfactory and our member refused to pay until the builder fixed his mistakes. The builder took our member to court over this non-payment. The Community team helped our member draft a defence and lodge a counter claim. Our member was successful, having the builder’s claim dismissed and the court ordering the builder to pay for remedial measures to repair the original work.
Free Legal Advice also covers your family! A member from the North West contacted the Community team earlier this year. Civil proceedings had been commenced against her husband for the alleged theft of £6,000 worth of signed autographs/memorabilia. The Community team assisted the member and her husband to submit supporting
Let our team help you
The Community team recently helped a member with an Industrial Injuries Benefit Appeal for Industrial Deafness and Vibration White Finger. The Community team prepared the papers for the appeal, and sent a representative to the tribunal. The member’s appeal for Industrial Deafness was successful and his benefit has been backdated.
ICE? DO YOU NEED LEGAL ADu Vwith a
n help yo Your Union, Community, ca team aim to resolve range of legal matters. Our ible, but some issues your issue as quickly as poss rral to a dedicated may require research or refe service will be outside agency or advisory appropriate. contact the Member If you have an issue, please Service Centre on Freecall: 0800 389 6332 mmunity-tu.org co @ re nt ce ice rv se l: ai em Or Community Spring 2010
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FIVE THINGS YOU CAN DO REGISTER TO VOTE
SIGN UP FOR NEWS Visit www. community-tu.org/details and leave your email to get the latest news, advice and support from your union
Visit www.aboutmyvote.co.uk Register to vote and have your voice heard at the next election
SIGN THE SIGN UP A PETITION NEW MEMBER Visit www.community-tu.org And sign the petition in support of the Llanwern 3
Hand the membership form that came with this magazine to a family member, friend or colleague
TAKE A PHOTO Take a photo of your workplace and send it to editor@community-tu.org Your union is looking for great images to use in our magazine and on our website
strongerâ– together