Community Issue 25 | Winter 2013
stronger together
Our union will never stand still, pledges
Roy Rickhuss
COMMUNITY’S NEW GENERAL SECRETARY
Community in conference Focused on issues that affect the daily lives of our members at work and in their communities
Andrew Gutteridge argues his point in the debate on the future of Tata Steel OVER 150 delegates from across the union gathered in Jersey for Community’s Biennial Delegate Conference. Debates were on wide-ranging issues from Scottish independence to CCTV at work to food banks to the living wage. Community’s ethos as a union that aims to create better communities was reflected in the conference, with the overwhelming majority of motions focused on issues that affect the daily lives of our members in their
communities, not just at work. Conference was also addressed by a number of guest speakers including TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady, Jyrki Raina from IndustriALL, Chuka Umunna MP, Gareth Thomas MP, Nita Clarke from the Involvement and Participation Association, Hywel Francis MP and Jim Murphy MP. ■■ You can find out more about the decisions of conference by visiting our website www.community-tu.org.
Gozie Joe Adigwe asks about Labour’s plans for social housing in a question and answer session with Chuka Umunna MP
Robert Mooney tells conference that ‘everything is in the name – Community’ as he gives his presidential address. A piper, inset, played Auld Lang Syne in his honour
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Labour Campaign Network member Eilidh MacDonald calls for the union to campaign for a NO vote in Scotland’s independence referendum
Charles Kwalombota tells conference about the successful industrial action campaign at Tulip
label We will continue to grow
stronger together INSIDE … News
Dear member, This is my last editorial for Stronger Together as I will be retiring at the end of this year and Roy Rickhuss will take over as General Secretary. It has been a privilege to serve at all levels of the union through 49 years of membership. The union is in good fettle and we are growing in new areas. In my time as General Secretary I have seen our membership diversify and I believe that this has made our union stronger. As I look to the future there are plenty of opportunities for growth in both TNT Post and in our Justice Sector. We must also continue to strengthen and support our existing branches and membership. The steel industry may still be struggling from the economic crisis of recent years, but I know that steel will continue to be at the heart of this great union. Without the ethos of the steelworkers of Community, the union would not be in such a healthy or progressive state. It was their support for my predecessor Keith (now Lord) Brookman and the Fresh Start programme that put their steel union on the path to becoming a true community union. I would also like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to those who have supported me most closely during my time in office. Eddie Lynch was a loyal and committed Assistant General Secretary of the ISTC, who remains a trusted friend of the union. Peter Crowe, as Deputy General Secretary from the Knitwear and Footwear section, ensured that the newly formed Community had the chance to establish a firm foundation. Finally, Joe Mann, as my Deputy, has inspired us all to modernise the union while keeping it firmly rooted in our members’ communities. Roy Rickhuss has also been at the heart of the leadership of our organisation for many years now, so I know that the union will go from strength to strength. I wish Roy every success and trust, with your support, that the union will continue to be growing, stronger, modern and proud.
Tata jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Community at the Labour Party conference . . . . . . . . . . . 50-year badge is launched . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,000-up at TNT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Energy drinks campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Community benefits
How you can recoup the cost of your membership subscription with our new Community Offers . . . . . . . 6 New higher education bursary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Welcomes and farewells
Roy Rickhuss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Joe Mann . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Phil Hornsby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Europe
Euromyths debunked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Food banks
Community campaigns to end ‘collective shame’ . . . . . . 11 Cover and conference photos (pp 2, 4 and 8): Kandidprints Photography
If you have any comments or suggestions for the next edition please contact the editor on editor@community-tu.org or on 020 7420 4000 Stronger Together. Winter 2013 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
Yours in Unity General Secretary Michael J. Leahy OBE
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news
CAMPAIGNING FOR MP’s visit: (l to r) Jon Bolton, Tata Steel Long Products Director; Lucy Rigby, Labour prospective parliamentary candidate for Lincoln; Chuka Umunna MP, Shadow Business Secretary; Sean Scorer, Community NEC; Nic Dakin, Labour MP for Scunthorpe
Tata jobs risk follows renewed call for active industrial policy COMMUNITY RENEWED calls for an active industrial policy as 500 jobs were put at risk in predominantly management and administrative functions across Tata Steel’s Scunthorpe, Workington and Teesside sites. The company’s announcement came just a week after Shadow Business Secretary Chuka Umunna MP had visited Scunthorpe calling for “the proper industrial strategy we need to drive growth which is better balanced across Britain’s regions and in sectors which
provide better paid, more highly skilled and secure jobs”. Umunna was attending the launch of a “Foundation Industries” campaign developed by Community with Scunthorpe Labour MP Nick Dakin and with the support of Tata Steel. The campaign aims to highlight the challenges faced by UK industries, such as steel, which form the foundation of the country’s industrial base. The job cuts announcement was yet more evidence that the
economic recovery, championed by the Government, was “fragile” according to Community’s General Secretary Michael Leahy. “It reflects the lack of any real impetus by government to support our manufacturing base”. Community has advised Tata Steel management of its opposition to any compulsory redundancies and has engaged its own independent steel expert, at the company’s expense, to look at the restructuring proposals and support the union response.
DESPITE SIGNS of economic growth, too many of Community’s members are not feeling the benefit. Our conference strongly backed more action on the Living Wage as one of the ways to tackle the cost of living crisis. The union took the issue to Labour Party Conference in Brighton, where NEC member Carol Hodgson (right) called for companies in receipt of public funds to be living wage employers.
HOW DO WE CREATE A LEVEL PLAYIN the question Community asked at its Labour Party Conference. Anna Turley Candidate for Redcar (left) spoke alon Change Secretary Caroline Flint MP (r Park and Jeremy Nicholson from the E Sawford, MP for Corby, chaired the ev
50 year badge is launched with presentation to ELEVEN OF Community’s longest serving activists were the first to be presented with the union’s new 50 year gold badge in recognition of their long membership and service. Among the 11 attending the ceremony at the Biennial Delegate Conference was former Iron and Steel Trades Confederation (ISTC) General Secretary Bill Sirs, who counts an astonishing 74 years of membership of the union. In a memorable and emotional moment, Bill was presented with his badge by our President Robert Mooney and the General Secretary (left). Other recipients were: ●● Lord Keith Brookman, former General Secretary of the ISTC;
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●● Eric Cauldwell, ISTC president in 1988; ●● Brenda Clarke (above), still an invaluable Regional Representative and a committed activist from the Knitwear Footwear and Apparel Trades section; ●● Russell Clearie, an outstanding Union activist from Clydebridge;
R A LIVING WAGE
New TNT Reps discuss how to organise the growing membership: Kevin Haynes, left; Dexter Gaynair, Ginnen Inthiraraj, Francisco Martinez, l-r above
Over 1,000 new TNT Post workers join Community
NG FIELD FOR UK INDUSTRY? was well-attended fringe meeting at the y, Labour Prospective Parliamentary ngside Shadow Energy and Climate right) along with Community’s John Energy Intensive Users Group. Andy vent.
stalwarts ●● Tommy Fellows, ISTC President in 1999; ●● John Griffiths, former National Executive Council member from Stocksbridge; ●● Peter Lightfoot, longstanding Divisional Officer of the union; ●● Tony McCarthy, former General Secretary of the National Union of Domestic Appliance and General Operatives, and National Secretary of Community; ●● Jimmy O’Rourke a committed activist and disability rights campaigner; and ●● Gordon Rudd, former General Secretary of the Power Loom and Carpet Weavers and Textile Workers Union. ■■ If you qualify for a 50 year badge you can apply through your branch secretary.
OVER 1,000 new TNT Post workers have joined Community as the company expanded its ‘end-to-end’ delivery operations in London and Manchester. New starters at the company were invited to join the union as part of their induction. “It’s great to see so many people, particularly young people, joining Community,” said Bill Lambe, Community’s National Officer covering TNT Post. “Very few TNT Post workers haven’t taken
up the chance to sign up to the collective voice in their workplace. People recognise the benefits of Community membership.” The union has made great progress since signing a recognition agreement with the private postal operator, which had remained non-unionised despite being in operation since 2003. Community now represents well over 80 per cent of the workforce and has used this organisational
strength within the company to deliver significant improvements in pay, terms and conditions. Before the union’s involvement, zero-hour contracts had been prevalent across the business. Community negotiated an end to zero-hour contracts in the sortation depots. Community reps are currently in talks about this year’s pay claim and are looking for a further boost to members’ terms and conditions.
Community councillor’s ‘energy drinks’ campaign COMMUNITY MEMBER Councillor Norma Austin Hart has launched a local campaign against shops selling “energy drinks” to children. “So many parents have told me how unhappy they are about the effects on children of soft drinks with high levels of caffeine that I did a survey of local shops,” she said. “I found that all the shops were willing to sell these drinks to children so I thought I would write to the CEOs of the big supermarkets and ask them to be Responsible
Retailers of Energy Drinks.” The RRED campaign was launched (left) at St Catherine’s Primary School in Edinburgh. Norma has written to all the supermarket bosses asking them to be more responsible by asking for an age check; putting up advisory notices in shops, self-service checkouts and online; training staff; and working with locals schools to promote a healthy lifestyle. ■■ If you want to get involved in the campaign or if you have got a similar issue in your area, email lcn@community-tu.org
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community benefits
Save the cost of your membership
A NEW SCHEME has been launched for Community members who will now not only have access to unrivalled professional advice, support and representation, but also to Community Offers, a portfolio of money-saving discounts designed to support you both personally and professionally. There is no sign-up process, nor any extra charge to access these benefits – you are automatically eligible by virtue of your membership. At a time when every penny counts more than ever, Community Offers has been designed to make membership even more rewarding. We realise that it is becoming increasingly easy to find “competitive” deals and offers through work or on the internet. That’s why many of the benefits carry price promise stamps: National Price Promise – This means that you should be getting the best possible price/deal in the UK, for this product or service. Provider Price Promise - This means that you should be getting the best possible price/deal that this company makes available
With a vast array of benefits available to members, we are certain there is something for everyone. These are just a few of the benefits on offer:
Car Insurance Through Community Offers, Community members can save 15% on their current car insurance renewal premium (including free legal expenses), without compromising on cover or service. If your renewal is not yet due, you can set up a renewal reminder request and you will be contacted nearer the time.
Cinema Admissions By purchasing their cinema tickets through Community Offers, Community members can save an average of 38% on cinema tickets. Members can purchase vouchers to be used at their nearest participating cinema (including Cineworld Cinemas, Odeon, Empire, and Showcase) at discounted prices.
Community Offers benefits come in several categories. These will give you an idea of what is on offer.
LEISURE Discounted cinema admissions, retail cashback at over 50 major retailers, discounted eye care with Vision Express, 2-for-1 restaurant dining at over 6,000 restaurants, corporate-rate gym memberships, energy price comparison, magazine subscriptions, top UK attractions and more
TRAVEL
Retail Cashback Retail cashback is becoming an everyday essential for the savvy shopper. By using My Cashback Cards for all your purchases you can earn cashback of between 5% and 15% at retailers such as Sainsbury’s, ASDA, Currys PC World, River Island, Costa, New Look, M&S, Boots, House of Fraser and H Samuel to name just a few.
Package holidays, hotel accommodation, car hire, airport parking and lounges, cottages, foreign currency and more
INSURANCE Save 15% on your current car insurance renewal premium, 20% on your home insurance renewal premium as well travel, life and roadside assistance
ADVICE Tax returns, mortgage assistance, conveyancing.
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Travel Discounts Community members can take advantage of great low prices on a wide range of popular destinations through the Travellers Advantage service. All the major tour operators are available to book at discounted prices including Thomas Cook, First Choice, Virgin Holidays, Cosmos, Airtours, Crystal, Neilson and Kuoni.
Community Offers could help you save on a family holiday
EXAMPLE SAVINGS We believe that many members could easily save the cost of their annual membership of Community. In most cases, if you were to use the scheme for your everyday needs (home insurance, car insurance, grocery shopping, package holidays, gas and electricity, going to the cinema, going to the gym etc.) we would expect to be able to save you a multiple of the cost of membership. Here are just a few example savings: ■■ A member whose car insurance renewal premium is £400 can save £60, without compromising on cover or service, through Baxters Streetwise ■■ A family of two adults and two children attending Cineworld in Wandsworth would pay £22.20 instead of £30.80. If they visited once a month over a year, the saving would be £103.20 ■■ Spending £250 a month on groceries with a Sainsbury’s cashback card would earn £130 (net of charges) in cashback per year ■■ Compare gas and electricity tariffs in your area and see how much you could save. Average member savings are currently £205.65 for dual fuel Terms and conditions apply to all benefits. See Community Offers website for details. Offers subject to change without notice. All insurance is subject to underwriting. Some benefits not available in Northern Ireland or outside the United Kingdom.
To access the wide array of benefits, visit Community Offers via www.community-tu.org
NEW COMMUNITY BURSARY FOR HIGHER EDUCATION
COMMUNITY HAS been at the forefront of the lifelong learning revolution in trade unions. But we always want to do more. So we are launching a University/ Higher Education Bursary Benefit which will provide 20 members or their children with a bursary of either £1,500, £3,000 or £4,500 to support them in their first year at university or higher education college. Roy Rickhuss, General Secretary Elect, said: “As somebody who has been a lifelong learner through the union, I know the value of a good education. I also know that, thanks to this coalition Government, the cost of higher education has dramatically increased. That’s why I’m proud that we are offering this opportunity to our members and their children.” If you are a member going back into higher education or if your son or daughter is off to university or college then you/they could be considered for a bursary. If you can answer “Yes” to one or more of the following questions, then you should think about applying: ●● Does your family have a low household income? ●● Is the higher education course related to an industry or sector where Community traditionally has members or to the work of the union? ●● Are you (your child) active in the local community? ●● Could you (your child) inspire others from your community to go on to higher education? Roy said: “I hope members who are going back into education or the sons or daughters of our members will consider applying. “We did talk about whether we could provide all members and their children with a higher education benefit but rather than providing £20 book tokens for all, we decided the union’s support could have a bigger impact if we provided 20 individuals with a bursary that could transform their experience of their first year in higher education and that, in turn, they could go on to inspire others from their communities. “Of course, if this first year is a success, we would hope to expand the benefit in the future.” ■■ For further details visit www.community-tu.org
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Welcomes and farewells INTRODUCING ROY RICKHUSS
Our union will never stand still
AT COMMUNITY’S Biennial Delegate Conference General Secretary Michael Leahy announced that he would retire at the end of 2013. In August the National Executive Council started the process to elect a general secretary. On 20 September, Roy Rickhuss was elected having received over 220 nominations and unopposed support from across the union’s regions and sectors. Born and brought up in Wolverhampton, Roy first joined the ISTC, one of Community’s founding unions, when he started working in a steel tube rolling mill in Wolverhampton in 1979. One of his earliest experiences of
‘Michael and Joe have ensured Community has always been ready to adapt and embrace change, and that approach will continue under my leadership’
Joe Mann: ‘A lasting legacy’ “WE WOULDN’T be where we are today without his vision that the union movement could be something different,” said Michael Leahy paying tribute to Joe Mann who retired as Deputy General Secretary in October. Joe’s retirement came after over 40 years of trade union membership and well over a decade’s service to Community and its predecessor, the ISTC. Joe led the National League of the Blind and Disabled (NLBD) for almost 20 years, including through its transfer into the ISTC, an important step on the way to the foundation of Community. “Joe is passionate about us being a true community union, rooted in the communities where our members live and work,” said Michael Leahy. “This was our shared vision that drove us towards the creation of Community. When people first heard that the steelworkers’ union and the blind workers’ union had joined forces (in 2000) they didn’t believe it. “But when you heard Joe talk about the shared history and the desire to create the future through a new approach to being a community union, then it all made sense.” Joe’s personal trade union journey began at Westland Helicopters in Somerset, where he rose through the union ranks to become a convener and cut his teeth industrially and politically during the “Westland Crisis” of 1986 when the Conservative Cabinet was bitterly divided over whether the company should be rescued by European or American companies. Joe became increasingly politically active and the mission to get Labour into power is something that he has said he will continue to pursue in his retirement. His first taste of Labour victory was in 1994 when he won a seat from a Tory to give Labour overall control of Exeter City Council for the first time in its history. Joe was heard to say on more than one occasion
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that “I was disabled by polio in 1956 and by a Tory government in 1979”. This experience greatly informed the way that Joe led the NLBD, after he became its General Secretary in 1995, winning the election on a record 65 per cent turnout. Joe always turns his politics into action. For example, he was a member of the Labour government’s Disability Rights Task Force, which made recommendations that achieved the enforceable civil rights legislation for disabled people that was a key part of Labour’s equality agenda. His advocacy and defence of supported employment workplaces for disabled people has been constant. Finally, Joe recognises that you cannot empower working people or create better communities without campaigning for political change as well as organising industrially. This ethos has been behind the creation of Community’s Labour Campaign Network (LCN), which brings together ordinary Labour Party members with Community trade unionists as we campaign to win for Labour and win for our members. Michael Leahy described the Labour Campaign Network as “a lasting legacy to Joe of how unions can combine the industrial and the political in the interests of all our members.” The LCN is going from strength to strength with more members joining and more campaigns and actions being taken across the UK. With this legacy secure, Joe will have more time for flying planes. But even this pastime has interacted with his trade union life. Community was the first trade union to have its banner flown in the skies above the Tolpuddle Festival in Dorset. The main reason our union has that honour is because the pilot of the plane on that day was our Deputy General Secretary! We wish Joe a long and happy retirement.
being in the union was the steel strike in 1980, where, along with thousands of other steelworkers, Roy was on strike for three months. “During this difficult time, despite the hardships the workforce endured, I was proud of the solidarity shown by my branch,” says Roy. He believes this experience was a major factor in him becoming an active trade unionist and taking up his first elected union position as a health and safety representative for his branch – Monmore Tubes. On his election as General Secretary, Roy was clear about the responsibility he was taking on. “Being a member of this union for over 30 years and an employee for 20 years, I know the importance of the task that lies ahead,” he said. Roy became a full-time officer for the union in 1993. He has worked across a number of its regions, including the West Midlands, the North West and, in particular, South Wales and the South West. In 2004, the National Executive Council appointed Roy as Assistant General Secretary of the ISTC. The title was changed to National Officer following the merger with KFAT that formed Community, a position he held until his election. Reacting to his election, Roy said: “I am proud to be taking over a growing organisation from Michael and ahead of his retirement it is important that we recognise his huge contribution to Community and the wider movement. I also want to pay tribute to Joe Mann’s role in creating the modern and
proud union that Community is today. Michael and Joe, with the support of our National Executive Council, have ensured Community has always been ready to adapt and embrace change and that approach will continue under my leadership. “Our union will never stand still – our members expect no less. I look forward to working across our organisation in building a strong independent union, fit for the 21st century that will make a real difference to the lives of our members and their families”. Roy has begun to put in place a new team to take the union forward and is conscious of the challenges ahead. “We know our members are facing a cost of living crisis,” he said. “But we also know that strong trade union organisation and representation is the best way to raise people’s standards of living. I want to take that message out around the union. “In the coming months I’ll be visiting every region to talk to senior officials, activists and members. I want to listen to their concerns and views and discuss our vision for the future of Community.” Roy concluded: “I’m grateful and humbled by the expressions of support that I have received since my election and I’m looking forward to serving the union and its members as General Secretary for the years ahead.” ■■ Look out for more details of Roy’s regional visits in the new year or visit our website www.community-tu.org where you can also email Roy direct.
Phil Hornsby, second from left, with the founder members of the Prison Service Union in 1988
Phil Hornsby – a truly remarkable achievement AFTER A career spanning over 30 years in the trade union movement, Phil Hornsby retired as General Secretary of the Prison Service Union (PSU) in September In the months before his retirement, he had been working alongside Community’s General Secretary, to ensure the successful completion of the transfer of PSU members into Community, thereby securing Phil’s lasting place in the proud history of the PSU. He began his career in the Prison Service in 1972 working as a Prison Officer and went on to serve at HMP Gartree, HMP Leicester and HMP The Maze in Northern Ireland.
In 1984 he became a full-time union official. Among the founding members of the PSU in 1988, Phil went on to become the union’s first full-time official in 1996 and by 1998 Phil officially became the PSU General Secretary. Membership is based in the privatised justice sector, which expanded rapidly through the 1990s. Under Phil’s leadership, the PSU recognised that justice and custodial services workers in the private sector were not unionised and it became the mission of the PSU to provide those workers with a collective voice at work. The union grew from a few
hundred workers to the thousands it represents today. Phil’s vision and subsequent achievements in this regard are truly remarkable when one considers that for the first few years under his leadership the PSU could not afford to employ any in-house legal or financial resources. As membership levels rose, Phil was eventually able to employ two full-time officers and two full-time administrative assistants. Today the Justice and Custodial Services section of Community continues to represent more workers employed in the privatised justice sector than any other UK union.
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Europe
Europe: facts and Glenis Willmott, Labour’s leader in the European Parliament and East Midlands MEP and Community member, and Rory Palmer, Labour Candidate for the 2014 European Elections in the East Midlands, dispel myths about Europe IN RECENT months tabloid newspapers have blamed Brussels for banning Famous Five books in our schools, classic cars on our roads and homemade jam at our village fetes. They would have you believe that the very fabric of British life is under attack from the Eurocrats. If you listen to the UK Independence Party (UKIP), you might well be expecting millions of Bulgarian and Romanian migrants soon to be arriving on our shores clutching their welfare benefit application forms and heading straight for our overstretched NHS the minute they step off the plane, train or ferry.
Myth 1: Leaving the European Union could result in a jobs boom
THE FACTS: As part of the European Union (EU) of 28 countries, Britain is part of the world’s biggest trading block – a single market of more than 500 million people. Some 3.5 million jobs are linked, directly and indirectly, to the export of goods and services to the EU. A British exit from the EU could cost many British jobs as companies relocate to remain in the Single Market. For example, Japan has warned the government that 1,300 Japanese companies could relocate. Car manufacturer Nissan says that leaving the EU could create barriers to foreign investment.
Myth 2: Britain would save money if it left the EU
THE FACTS: Eurosceptics are fond of telling us how much it costs us to be a member of the EU and it’s true that we are a net contributor. But these costs are far outweighed by the increased trade and affluence that being a member of the Single Market brings. This has resulted in income gains in the UK of between 2% and 6%. Or to put it another way, every man, woman and child in Britain is better off by between £457 and £1,373 a year.
Myth 3: Brussels bureaucrats decide for the UK
THE FACTS: Decisions are made in the European Parliament where the UK has its share of elected MEPs and in the Council of Ministers, where the UK government is a major player.
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food banks
fiction Myth 4: Millions of Bulgarians and Romanians will come to Britain next year A UK Independence Party (UKIP) leaflet used in the 2013 Eastleigh by-election claimed: “Next year the EU will allow 29 million Bulgarians and Romanians to come to the UK.” THE FACTS: The cross-party lobby group Migration Matters Trust estimates that the number of Romanians and Bulgarians to arrive in the UK in 2014 could be as few as 20,000. In comparison, 711,151 UK citizens were living in other EU countries in 2011.
Myth 5: Europe is strangling the UK in red tape
THE FACTS: Single Market rules replace 28 national rules with a single EU rule. Those remaining are there to prevent potentially serious harm, make the Single Market work, or in some cases do both. David Cameron may call these rules “Red Tape”. We call them workers’ rights and health and safety protection. They include the right to guaranteed paid holidays, a limit on the hours you can be expected to work, tea and lunch breaks during the working day and the right to a day off a week. They include rights for mums – like the right not to be sacked for being pregnant, protection when coming back to work after maternity leave, the right to time off for ante-natal appointments and health and safety protection for pregnant women and new and breastfeeding mums. And they include equal treatment for workers employed through an agency. It is useful to remind ourselves of how the EU has improved our rights, as opposed to the Euromyth, because when Cameron talks about “negotiating the Treaty” and “repatriating” powers to Westminster he means taking these rights away from working people. As the Trade Union and Labour Party Liaison Organisation (TULO) sets out, hundreds of rights at work that have been negotiated between European governments and are guaranteed by European Law could be at risk if Cameron gets his way. Every step we take to improve conditions for workers is opposed by the Tories and other right-wing parties in Europe – just as in the UK. That’s why it is crucial that Community members get involved in our European election campaign and make sure that Labour MEPs who will defend workers’ rights and campaign for better health and safety standards are elected on 22 May 2014.
For more information about how to get involved in the European Election Campaign through Community’s Labour Campaign Network email lcn@community-tu.org.
Paul Warren (left) presents the food donation to Nigel Perrot from Trussell Trust
Community campaigns to end ‘this collective shame’ FOLLOWING THE unanimous support of Community’s conference for the union to get organised to support local food banks, Community members have raised the profile and the activity of the campaign. In Scunthorpe and on Teesside, the involvement of Community activists has seen record-breaking food donations to their local food banks. At the conference, delegates donated over £1,500 to the Trussell Trust, which was matched by the union. This was in addition to over £4,000 that has been raised by Community members in
Sean Scorer speaking at the Movement for Change Rally Scunthorpe – enough to cover the annual warehousing costs of the food bank based at the Scunthorpe Baptist Church. Members at SSI on Teesside organised food collection points across the steelworks and there was a fantastic response. Paul Warren, Community rep and Chair of the Multi-Union dropped off the collection and was told by Trussell Trust volunteer Nigel Perrot that “it is the biggest single donation the food bank has received”.
Community took the issue to the TUC, where NEC member Tom Butler described “how devastating it can feel” to rely on a food bank as he related the experience of Sheerness members who were forced to turn to help from their local food bank when they were made redundant from Thamesteel without their last pay packet. “I had one guy come to see me in tears when he was forced to ask for a food parcel to be able to feed his family,” Tom told Congress. “The wife of one of our members turned up at the union office with her kids to ask about the food parcels because her husband was too proud to ask for a handout. This is the reality of Tory Britain. Families feeling distressed and desperate.” The motion received unanimous support from Congress and Community went on to promote its activity at Labour Party Conference. Sean Scorer, NEC member from Scunthorpe, spoke at the conference’s biggest-ever fringe meeting, which was organised by Movement for Change. “There has to be a collective shame that we need food banks in 2013,” Sean told the audience of over 300 community organisers, activists and Labour Party members. “Our desire is to get rid of the need for that food bank.” He went on to describe how Community members were pulling together partner organisations in the area to turn the food bank into a drop-in support centre where local people did not just get a food parcel but also get access to advice and training. The new initiative was launched on 14 November.
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SAVE THE COST OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP See inside for details or visit our website to start saving
www.community-tu.org
GET YOUR UPDATED COMMUNITY DIARY The 2014 Community diary is now available to members. This year’s diary includes an updated section on Your Rights At Work as well as all the usual helpful information. The diary will only be sent out automatically to members who made an individual request for a diary last year. Members who received diaries from their branch secretaries last year should ask their branch secretary again. If you wish to receive a free copy: Telephone the diary order line on 020 7420 4004 or Email diary@community-tu.org with your full name, first line of address, postcode and Community union membership number. A diary will then be posted to your home address.