very own Mary Turner!TUC celebrates our

goldsTar!

Use your smartphone to bring this issue to life! see p9

WIN an apple

iPhone!see page 10

The magazine for gMB members

www.gmb.org.uk | Winter 2012

vital servicesgMB fights forNHs sos!

Get elected to

reGional

GMB London regional council is an elected body that

oversees the regional committee and meets twice a

year to make decisions on the things that matter to

members in the region. If you have been a GMB member for more than one

year, you are entitled to stand for election to the council

and influence the decisions that affect your fellow GMB

members in the region.You can seek nomination by contacting your GMB

branch (shown on your membership card). Nominations

close on 28 February 2013. The newly elected regional

council will take office on 15 April. For more information,

contact your GMB regional office.

Advice in line with GMB rules 17F, 18.3, 19, and 20.

council

Don’t miss your chance to be part of GMB decision making!

GMB congress decides what polices the union will follow – but this is built on

the hard work of GMB branches over the rest of the year. So if you’re not already

involved in your branch, now’s the time to start. Branch meetings take place

regularly and are you chance to make a difference.

conGreSS 2013

FinD Your GMB BrancH Find your GMB branch on your membership card or ask your GMB workplace organiser. Alternatively, check your profile at www.gmb.org.uk

Get reaDY For

To attend GMB Congress 2013...

• You must be nominated by your branch

• You must have been a paid-up GMB member for 53 weeks

• Your branch’s motions must reach regional office

by 31 January 2013

GMB congress takes place in Plymouth, 2-6 June 2013

HaVe Your SaYFinD Your GMB BrancH Find your GMB branch on your membership card or ask your GMB workplace organiser. Alternatively, check your profile at www.gmb.org.uk

con-Dem attacksThe latest attack on working people at work comes from Vince Cable, who can no longer hide behind his portrayal of them as ‘Nasty Tories’.

His proposed ‘settlement agreements’ are nothing short of an attempt to further weaken workers’ rights, denying them rights at employment tribunals, and the benefits and support of their trade unions.By dressing it all up as being economically beneficial to small employers, he is implying that workers’ rights in small companies should be downsized. Why? Regardless of the size of the company, employment rights are employment rights and should apply to us all.

Yet again this demonstrates the ongoing need for collective organisation and trade union strength. Never again should we experience the hire-and-fire policies that these settlement agreements would allow, taking us back to the days where “if your face doesn’t fit, you are down the road.” Only by our collective strengths can we protect the vulnerable and hold bad employers to account.

Now more than ever, we need to organise and campaign to protect the individuals and our values.

On a brighter note, once again, “Our Mary”, dinner lady extraordinaire, pictured on the front page, has received an honour. This time it’s the TUC Women’s Gold Badge for her outstanding services to the trade unions and women in general.Mary, the London region is, as ever, proud of you.

Help breakthrough breast cancer Page 28

In this issue...

GMB regional editor Rose Conroy: 020 7391 6755Editorial director Stephen PierceEditor Simon Hugo Art editor Johnny GoddardContributors Jake Day-Williams, Victoria Ford,Jayne Nelson, Matthew RobinsonAdvertising manager Debbie BlackmanAccount managers David Parker, Lisa DunhamProduction and procurement manager Matt EglintonProduction co-ordinator Katty SkardonCreative director Matthew WilliamsDesign director Dylan Channon Director, Future Plus UK Jayne CaplePrinted at St Ives Direct

contact Debbie Blackman on 01225 442244 (ex 2243)Would you like to advertise in GMB Candid magazine?

www.gmb.org.uk 03

4 Save our NHS!GMB fights hospital cuts across London

5 It’s a living thingGMB wins a living wage for council workers

6 News in briefs GMB wins for sacked La Senza members

8 Beat the blacklistLabour backs GMB Carillion campaign

25 Past the finish lineGMB stands by its Olympic members

26 Eyes on the boardFind your GMB schools board contact

27 Equality updateAll the latest from across the region

28 Easy as TLCGet the facts to help beat breast cancer

29 Beat the bulliesWith GMB, you needn’t suffer in silence

31 Contact GMBNames and numbers you can call on

9 Get elected with GMBWe’ll help you stand for office – and win!

12 TUC cracker!Award for national president Mary Turner

13 Paul KennyA word from your general secretary

14 The heat is onSign the petition for fairer energy policies

15 Pensions for all!How automatic enrolment will affect you

16 Paul RoutledgeThe Mirror man on the future of gas

18 Better off with GMB Our annual report on GMB membership

20 The best you can beGMB’s John Kane on living with Parkinson’s 22 Watch your wages! Beware the dangers of regional pay 24 The Full Monti GMB defeats EU threat to workers rights

Regional National

Produced by Future Plus, 30 Monmouth Street,

Bath BA1 2BW

We are committed to only using magazine paper which is derived from well managed, certified forestry and chlorine-free manufacture. Future Publishing and its paper suppliers have been independently certified in accordance with the rules of the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council).

now more than ever, we need to organise

Mary Turner gets a TUC gold badge Page 12

Fron

t cov

er: A

ndre

w W

iard

/ Rex

Fea

ture

s

Paul HayesGMB Londonregional secretary

servicessave our

life-threatening cuts to London hospitals

H undreds of GMB members are fighting to save vital hospital services from closure. They are campaigning, holding marches,

leafleting and gathering signatures in a bid to stop planned closures in four West London hospitals.

GMB members and residents have rejected the plans, which threaten intensive care, emergency and maternity facilities at leading hospitals in Ealing, Central Middlesex, Charing Cross and

Hammersmith and Fulham. The proposals were revealed in a document called Shaping

a Healthier Future, which covered plans for nine hospitals in North West London.

The plans have caused widespread concern, prompting opposition from MPs, councillors, doctors and others working in the NHS.

NHS consultants have said that if these proposals go ahead, more than 700,000 people who live and work in the affected London

boroughs will see a dramatic change to their NHS services.

Patients will have to go to central London to be treated – making waiting times longer at the hospitals taking on the strain. Experts have warned of longer waiting times for ambulances, longer waiting times at A&E departments and – with the closure of maternity and intensive care units – more lives being lost.

This is just a taste of things to come. The government promised that the NHS would not be cut, but that is clearly not the case. GMB will continue to fight against this and all other plans to give you less health care. So if you live nearby, or even if you don’t, please get in touch with your local GMB office, who will help you make it clear to NHS managers in the consultation that you want the plan stopped. It could be your local NHS services next.

LIFE SAVERS GMB members speak

up to save lives.

London waitinG

GMB members lead the fight against

www.gmb.org.ukwww.gmb.org.uk04

all the news from GMB

reGionaLUPdate

GMB members joined thousands of people on marches through Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham to demonstrate against planned hospital closures in the boroughs (see left).

An estimated 12,000 people took part in the marches across London. The campaign to stop the closures has the support of all three political parties and GMB, and is chaired by London Assembly member Dr Onkar Sahota.

The crowds heard speeches from GMB national president, Mary Turner, and GMB national officer for the NHS, Rehana Azam. Dr Sahota, who is a practising GP, took the stand, telling marchers that the government’s plans were deliberately confrontational, pitting hospitals and GP practices in competition against one another.

“We need people power to stop these proposals,” said Julian Bell, leader of Ealing Council. “We desperately need the accident and emergency units, and other health services that these hospitals provide. I am concerned that financial considerations are driving the changes rather than people's health needs.”

reeLinG...and more hospital closuresare planned across London

GO WESTGMB members took toEaling’s streets in protest.

eaLinG’s

stand UP for yoUr services!Make sure your voice is heard! Download the special GMB campaign materials from www.gmbunion.org/specialday.html – including letters you can email, or print out and post, to your local councillors, MPs and doctors to make them aware of your

view that services must not be cut. The campaign is sure to be the first of many. If you hear of any proposed changes to NHS services in your area, contact GMB by calling 020 8202 8272, or send an email to info@gmb.org.uk

www.gmb.org.uk 5

SIGN up FOR ThE GMB eNEWSLETTER AT www.gmb.org.uk reGionaL

www.gmb.org.uk 05

GMB wins a living wage for council workers

it’s a LivinG

tHe BareMiniMUM

tHinGthe London boroughs of Brent and Hounslow have agreed to pay all their employees a living wage of at least £8.30 per hour, following discussions with GMB. The amount is based on the true cost of living in London, taking into account the price of rent, food and travel.

The London living wage, as it is known, is set each year by the Greater London Authority and is used as a baseline for GMB and other fair pay campaigners.

“We’re very pleased that both Brent and Hounslow councils have recognised the real costs faced by London workers,” said Brent branch secretary and GMB national president Mary Turner. “These members work hard and contribute so much to their boroughs, so it is good to see these two councils leading the way.”

GMB is now working with the other 30 London boroughs to get them to pay the living wage, too.

GMB is campaigning for all its members to be paid a living wage, but you are already entitled to earn the minimum wage. If you think you are being paid less than the legal minimum (see below), get in touch with your GMB office (see p31) or email dave.powell@gmb.org.uk

statutory minimum wage rates from 1 october 2012

aged 21 or over

aged 18-20

above school-leaving age but under 18

apprentices under 19 or in the first year of their apprenticeship

£2.65 p/h

£3.68 p/h

£4.98 p/h

£6.19 p/h

www.gmb.org.uk06

GMB wins for members in La SenzaNewS iN BriefS

L ingerie firm La Senza must pay £50,000 compensation to 15 GMB members who were sacked without warning. The members,

who worked at the company’s Hayes distribution centre in West London, turned up for work as usual on 9 January, only to find the gates locked and operations closed down.

They later found out that they were among 1,300 workers to lose their jobs that day, as the company had gone into administration, with insolvency firm KPMG sacking half the UK workforce.

La Senza did not consult with GMB or give its staff any notice. However, the

GMB members were entitled to legal advice and GMB sued La Senza for compensation on their behalf.

At an employment tribunal in August, GMB’s top legal team successfully argued in favour of compensation, with the tribunal agreeing that the members were “badly let down” by La Senza.

GMB won compensation for the members equivalent to three months’ pay each, totalling around £50,000.

Of all the La Senza workers sacked in January, only those who were with GMB have received any compensation.

“All these members were treated very badly by La Senza, but only the GMB members had somewhere to turn,” said GMB organiser, Perry Phillips. “It just

goes to show it really does pay to be with GMB. Being a member keeps you safe at work and protects you when the worst happens.”

“These members were treated very badly by La Senza. ”

reGioNaLUPDaTe

all the news from GMB

Alison lights up

T his year saw a summer of sport that no one in the London region will ever forget. It wasn’t all confined to the capital, either,

as Alison Cousin, president of Lowestoft L43 branch can testify!

GMB’s Alison was proud to carry the Olympic torch through Lowestoft

on 5 July, after GMB members from the Asda store where she works nominated her as a reward for

all her hard work on behalf of the union.

“It was a very thrilling experience to carry the torch,” said Alison, “but not as exciting as addressing GMB

Congress, which I did for the very first time in Brighton this year!”

Alison’s colleagues felt she was the ideal choice to represent GMB in the torch relay because she helps them every day and listens to their problems.

She followed up her moment of Olympic glory by taking her torch to work, and letting her colleagues carry it, as a thank you for their support. She also gave interviews to the local press, where she was quick to highlight all the good work GMB does for its members.

Alison now uses the torch to help with charity events, and it has already drawn plenty of interest during an Olympic-themed assembly at Fen Park primary school and a local community fun day.

Branch president carries olympic torch

LIGHT THE WAY

The whole town came

out to see Alison.

Lowestoft

FLAMES OF PASSIONAlison was nominated by her

branch for her dedication.

www.gmb.org.uk08

regionalUPDaTe

all the news from gMB

Branch beats snail mail with instant messaging

a gMB branch has doubled turnout at its meetings by thinking outside the letterbox and contacting its members by text message!

The Hendon branch tested the service before a series of briefings on the local government pension scheme (LGPS) for staff in the London

Borough of Barnet, and now uses it to send members important local updates.

“We used to find it hard to contact our members at short notice, as not everyone has email and snail mail is too slow,” said Hendon branch convenor Paul Coles. “So when we heard that the national office was trialling a free text message service to branches, we knew it was just what we were looking for.

“We were able to send our members a short message telling them of the date, time, venue and purpose of the LGPS meetings. As a result, we got twice as many attendees as we had at last year’s briefings.”

As part of its communications drive, the Hendon branch is also setting up a website at www.gmb.org.uk/hendonbranch

“We felt it was important to have a web presence, as more and more people are accessing the internet through their phones and TVs,” said Paul. “Now you don’t need to own a computer, or even know how to turn one on, to get the latest GMB news online!”

i can’t keep up!

Construction workers in the London region are a step closer to finding out if they were among the 3,200 builders blacklisted by Carillion and other firms, after a GMB campaign won the backing of the Labour party.

GMB already knows of 51 construction workers in the London region who were blacklisted by Carillion. The firm was one of several that checked an illegal list to see whether workers had trade union links, before denying them work as potential ‘troublemakers’.

GMB is now demanding that the information commissioner reveals the full list of workers who were illegally shunned. In 2009, the commissioner revealed the

names of 44 companies that had paid to access the list, including Carillion, Balfour Beatty and Mowlem.

GMB is now calling on all local authorities not to give any new public contracts to Carillion until it apologises to the affected workers and pays them compensation, estimated at £600 million.

labour backs gMB call to name namesBlacklistBeat

the

Do We HaVe YoUr DeTailS?With so many ways to get in touch, it’s important GMB has your full, up-to-date contact details so you don’t miss out on important updates and documents, such as the recent LGPS ballot and, of course, your regular copy of Candid.

It’s easy to check we have your details, and all you need is your membership number. Just go to www.gmb.org.uk and click on the GMB Members’ Area box to get started, or call our membership services team on 020 8202 8272.

TAKING SCYTHES Above: GMB sent the Grim Reaper to the Labour

conference to highlight Carillion wrongdoing.

Left: The story as it appeared in The Sun.

And

rew

Wia

rd

www.gmb.org.uk 09

All the news from GMB

NATIONAlUPDATE

GMB is helping its members get elected to public office – and you could be one of them!

Rex

Fea

ture

s x

2

properly...

Discover a world of extras when you

point your smartphone at the pages of this GMB magazine. To get started, download the Layar app from get.layar.com

BrING YOUr MAG TO lIfE!1 Download the Layar app for iPhone and Android devices.

2 Point your smartphone at a WHOLE page of the mag where you see this logo.

3 Watch as it comes to life on your screen.

YOUR FACE HERE!

With GMB behind your election

campaign, who knows where

you might end up?

I don’t agree with that! Why didn’t

Labour sort this out when they were

in power? I could do a better job than

this lot!

How many times have you said something

like that recently? Many GMB members felt let

down by the Labour government, and now

we’re stuck with a cutters’ coalition

literally no one voted for.

There is still a lot of

work to do to make sure

the Labour party has real

policies that help ordinary

people and families. That’s

why GMB members made

a decision at Congress this

year. If we want a Labour party that

we can really get behind, we need to

do something about it.

Whether its local councils, the European

Parliament, the London, Wales and Northern

Ireland Assemblies, or the parliaments in

Westminster and Scotland, we need to get

people who have real-life experience into

positions where they can make a difference.

That means more GMB members as councillors,

MPs, assembly members and MSPs.

You might not think you’ve got what it

takes, that it’s “not for people like me”, but we

already have hundreds of ordinary, working

class GMB members in elected office.

GMB developed their skills and gave them

the insight and confidence to run a winning

campaign. Now they’re making a difference

every day for their own communities and for

GMB members across the UK. With GMB’s help

and support, why shouldn’t you be next?

Turn the page to find out more!

If you want a job doing

WIN aN IphoNe 4s!Register online to enter

TeRMs & CoNDITIoNs The winning entry will be drawn at random. Draw includes members who enter themselves into the draw by phone or email before close of business on Friday 14 December. The winner will be notified by GMB. Prize is subject to availability. No purchase necessary. This prize draw is only open to GMB members. Entries from employees of GMB will not be accepted. The winner must be prepared to participate in publicity arising from the competition. Winners’ names and photos may be published in future issues.

Ca

se

sTu

Dy

1

Name: Lisa Forbes

Labour’s prospective parliamentary

candidate for peterborough

I’m a mum of four who has lived in Peterborough for

over 25 years. I’m from an ordinary working class

background: my dad was a manual labourer and my

mum was a carer in the NHS. I’ve done all sorts of jobs,

from potato picking to being a travel agent!

I got involved with the Labour party after the last

election, because I remember what happened to my

family the last time the Tories were in power. People

Get 50% off Labour party membership! Go to

www.gmb.org.uk

here can’t afford for that to happen again. I know my

family can’t – we’re already starting to feel the pinch.

Thanks to the support of the trade unions – especially

GMB – I was recently selected to be the prospective

parliamentary candidate for Peterborough. GMB is

serious about helping people like me get into parliament.

They’re serious about supporting people with a genuine

connection to the everyday lives of working people, and

the support they gave me really showed that.

If Labour is going to deliver policies that relate to the

real lives of the people we seek to represent (and win

elections at the same time), we need more GMB members

to come forward to become party members, activists,

councillors, MPs and elected representatives at all levels.

It might seem daunting, but whether it’s going along

to your first branch meeting or asking for advice on

standing for council there is always someone on the end

of the phone to ask for advice.

When I moved to Peterborough 25 years ago, I never

dreamed I would be standing to be the city’s MP. Now

I am determined to beat the Tories and make sure that

people have someone in Westminster who understands

the impact of government policy on their everyday lives.

www.gmb.org.uk10

NaTIoNaL

upDaTeall the news from GMB

e very elected official needs to stay in touch! That’s why, when you tell us that you want to stand for the Labour party, we’ll

automatically enter you into a free prize draw to win an Apple iPhone 4S!

The iPhone 4S is a super-fast phone, camera and music player, with email, internet and access to thousands of apps and games – all available to download. It also comes loaded with maps, HD video

recording capability and futuristic Siri voice-recognition software.

To find out more about standing for election, and to be entered into the free prize draw, call GMB national political officer Hilary Perrin on 020 7391 6749, or email hilary.perrin@gmb.org.uk before Friday 14 December.

When emailing, remember to include your name, address and your GMB membership number.

MUM’S THE WORD

Working mum Lisa has the people

of Peterborough behind her!

GMB members are already Mps, sMps, Meps or aMs

100+100+

Want to become a Labour candidate? here’s what you need to do…

1 Join the Labour party at the discounted rate

for GMB members at www.gmb.org.uk/LabourpartyapplicationForm

2 Call GMB national political officer Hilary

Perrin on 020 7391 6749, or email her at

hilary.perrin@gmb.org.uk and tell her

which seat you want to stand for.

3 Sign up for GMB’s I Want To Be Elected programme for all the help you need to be

selected. Sign up at www.gmb.org.uk/ GMBLabourcandidatesnews

what to do

Get elected, then get online for full support from GMB

SIGN Up fOR THE GMB eNEWSlETTER AT www.gmb.org.uk NaTIoNaLBRING These paGes To LIFe!

G MB won’t desert you once you get elected! We’ve set up an exclusive network to offer you help and support in your role on the local council. GMB’s councillors’ network is a new online forum where GMB councillors can share

experiences and best practice, ask for and offer advice, and set up real- world meetings with fellow members who have plenty of experience of council business.

So, maybe you want advice on implementing the living wage for council workers? Log-on to the forum and ask Gary Doolan, GMB national political officer and councillor for the London borough of Islington, where the living wage is now official policy.

This is the sort of difference that GMB can make, and with info and ideas flowing, we can make those differences nationwide!

GMB has more than a quarter of a million members working in local government, with many more directly affected by the decisions their local councils make. So who better to turn to for help and advice?

The network is completely confidential and exclusively for GMB members. To sign up, go to www.gmbcouncillorsnetwork.org.uk and enter your GMB membership number to get started.

Join the GMBcouncillors’network

Ca

se

sT

uD

y 2

ON THE fRONTlINE

Army man Clive joined other GMB

members on a recent Remploy demo.

Name: Clive LewisLabour’s prospective parliamentary

candidate for Norwich south

I’ve lived in Norwich for more than 12 years and work

locally at the BBC. I’m not from a professional political

background, so running for Labour was daunting.

It was certainly a bit different from the Afghan desert,

where I served as an army reserve!

From the coalition’s plans to close two-thirds of

Remploy factories, to their nakedly political attack on

the pensions of public sector workers, it’s obvious

that the first priority is to get rid of this government.

But I don’t think that’s enough in itself. Undoubtedly,

the Labour party did many good things during our time

in government, but we also got some very important

things wrong and didn’t do enough in other areas.

I’m not in politics for the career – I want to see real and

lasting change for the many not the few. For me, getting

a Labour government is just the first step.

GMB supported me throughout my selection and continues to support me now. I will be working closely with GMB to secure the change we need for people, families, communities and for society as whole. If you live in Norwich and want to get involved, get in touch at clive@clivelewislabour.org.uk

www.gmb.org.uk 11

GMB members are already Labour councillors

285285

C ongratulations to GMB national president Mary Turner, who was awarded the TUC Women’s Gold

Badge at this year’s TUC Congress. Mary was presented with the award

by TUC general secretary Brendan Barber and dedicated it to trade union members around the world.

TUC Congress is the annual policy- making get-together of the Trades Union Congress, made up of GMB and other unions. This year’s event took place at the Brighton Centre from 9 to 12 September and was chaired by GMB general secretary Paul Kenny in his role as TUC president.

Also flying the flag for GMB was CEC (central executive council) member Barbara Benham, who took the shadow chancellor Ed Balls to task during his address to delegates.

“The last Labour government failed to regulate so many areas to protect the interests of the British people,” she said. “Labour deregulated and removed controls over pricing in areas like energy markets, failed to build social housing, embraced PFI, and lost touch with millions of people by taking their votes for granted.”

She went on to ask Mr Balls what he would do differently if he could turn back the clock. He replied immigration and regulation of the banks.

TUC Congress also paid tribute to outgoing GMB national secretary and TUC general purposes committee (GPC) member, Phil Davies, warmly congratulating him for all his hard work on behalf of Remploy and wishing him well in his retirement. Sharon Holder will now replace Phil on the GPC for Congress 2013.

GET HELP SAYING HELP!

Want to know how to ask for help abroad? Go to www.missingabroad.org for a list of essential foreign phrases, plus lots more vital info for travellers.

Originally set up to help families of missing people, the GMB-backed charity now offers practical support for anyone who has been affected by an accident or serious crime away from home.

If you or your loved ones get into trouble abroad, call the Missing Abroad 24/7 helpline, which is part-funded by GMB donations, on 020 7047 50 60 (or 44 20 7047 50 60 from overseas).

GMB member Maggie Hughes has won a change in EU law with help from GMB. Victims of violent crime across Europe will now get better access to medical care and legal help, thanks to her campaign.

Maggie’s own son Robbie was beaten and left for dead while he was on holiday in Crete in 2008. She did everything she could to support him in his hour of need, but didn’t speak the language and found there was nowhere she could turn for help and advice.

With support from GMB Brussels officer, Kathleen Walker Shaw, Maggie has spent the last four years campaigning to make sure other victims and their families get better treatment than her and her son.

The new laws will make sure all EU countries offer the same levels of advice and access to medical and judicial services.

“I hope that no other family will now have to go through the agony, frustration and pain that we did to get support and justice for our son Robbie,” Maggie said. “I am delighted by the progress we have made on victims’ rights in the EU.”

“However, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and once these measures have been adopted, all member states need to work hard to implement them in their countries. This will turn the progress we have made into a practical reality on the ground.

“I have been on a major journey with GMB, and I would like to thank everyone who has supported our campaign so far.”

AIDGMB and Maggie Hughes win change in EU law

COSTA LIVING Don’t go away without

Missing Abroad’s details.

TURNER PRIZE Mary Turner is the GMB national president.

Mary Turner honoured at TUC Congress

Overseas

Rex

Fea

ture

s

www.gmb.org.uk12

NATIoNAL

UPDATEAll the news from GMB

girlgOlden

A ny suggestion that George Osborne doesn’t know how tough things are right now for his friends have been robustly put to

flight by his decisive interventions to protect millionaires from the mansion tax and, of course, his £40,000 a year hand- out to the super-rich from next April.

At a time when decent, hardworking families are facing pay freezes and cuts to working families tax credits threaten to finally shove hundreds of thousands into poverty, this Conservative government reverts to type and – with utter contempt – merely goes about lining the pockets of the rich and greedy.

Pay freezes; cuts to our NHS, schools and services; and unemployment – particularly among the young – are the price the country is paying for Osborne’s obsession with an economic plan which even his own side are having to admit just isn’t working.

In fact, the deficit is growing not shrinking – a direct result of more people out of work courtesy of Cameron and co, and the

subsequent downturn in spending created by year upon year of squeezed household budgets.

Is it any surprise that the Olympic crowds, who cheered their hearts out at every event and for every competitor, ended up roundly booing George Osborne at a medal ceremony? Why, the pundits asked, did 80,000 people boo George Osborne? Answer: that’s all the stadium could hold!

As the TUC march for the alternative showed, hundreds of thousands of people in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England are prepared to march and campaign for a change in economic strategy. Social and economic justice will not come about by doing nothing.

Everyone knows that building more social housing will cut waiting lists, reduce emergency housing costs and help cut the £20 billion a year housing benefit bill, most of which ends up in the tax-free offshore back pockets of private landlords and property companies which feed off the council housing shortage.

Everyone knows that leaving a million young people without jobs or access to higher education is storing up a huge social problem for us all – as well as the pure waste of talent that mass youth unemployment brings.

Everyone knows that attacking the basic protection rights of working people leads to abuse, fear, bullying, stress and unfairness in the world of work. What’s more this spills over into family life.

Everyone who relies on the NHS knows it is in danger of being sold off to profit- making spivs in the name of progress. Just like the disasters of rail and water privatisations before, our NHS is in real danger of becoming a cash machine for private companies first, and a service to the public second.

It seems that everybody knows these things except George Osborne and his millionaire mates. Well, when you have just been handed a £40,000 wage increase, life under Osborne and the Conservatives must seem a little more rosy than for the rest of us ‘plebs’.

IT’S NoT WoRKING

ATTACKING RIGHTS

Protection from a mansion tax and £40k pay rises for the super-rich show whose side osborne is on

PAUL KENNYSPEAKS

A word from your GMB general secretary

TIME FoR CHANGE

www.gmb.org.uk 13

T he UK is facing an energy bill crisis. One in every four households can’t afford to heat their homes, and this is expected to rise to one

in three by 2016. Cold homes damage the health of our most vulnerable citizens, including children, older people, those on low incomes and people with disabilities.

The main reasons for the crisis are that gas, oil and coal prices are high, and the UK’s homes are some of the most energy inefficient in Europe – badly insulated and with old-fashioned boilers. This means they cost much more than they should to heat and power, and they contribute to climate change, too.

But there is a fair and permanent solution. We can have warm homes, reduce our fuel bills, and help the environment at the same time!

The government currently taxes big companies on their carbon emissions, which are harmful to the environment. If the government used the money it gets from those taxes to fund an energy efficency drive

across the UK, it would keep people warm while cutting their fuel bills, cut harmful carbon emissions and create jobs!

Over the next 15 years, the government

will raise an average of £4 billion every year in carbon taxes. The companies eventually pass these taxes on to consumers in the form of higher bills, so it

is only fair that the government recycles the revenue back into households by paying towards better insulation, modern boilers and renewable energy.

GMB is part of the Energy Bill Revolution, a campaign calling on the government to do just this, making our homes super-energy efficient and driving down our energy bills forever.

Hundreds of charities, consumer groups, businesses and politicians are already behind the campaign, but there is still more to do. By taking two minutes to go online and sign the petition, you can add your voice to this vital cause. You can also help by writing to your MP, and by sending the link to your family and friends. Together we can end the energy bill crisis forever.

Join the revolution by signing the petition at www.energybillrevolution.org

“GMB is calling for super-energy efficient homes.”

joinThe

www.gmb.org.uk14

naTional

UPDaTeall the news from GMB

ON THE UP Help stop rising prices with GMB.

DUKes of hazarD

SIGN UP fOr THE GMB eNEWSlETTEr AT www.gmb.org.uk regional

www.gmb.org.uk 15

naTional

new rules guarantee a workplace pension for millions of workers

PENSIONS FOR ALL!

If this happens to you or anyone you know, tell your GMB workplace organiser and your local GMB office (see p31).

The government has already written to employers explaining the new system, so bosses have no excuse for not knowing what to do. Many large employers have already started enrolling employees, and even the very smallest must do so by April 2017.

Though GMB welcomes automatic

enrolment as a step in the right direction, the union is disappointed that the standard of pension scheme required by the new system is not very good. Currently,

the minimum employer and employee contributions stand at just one per cent of pay, which is nowhere near enough to secure a decent income in retirement. However, it is a start, and GMB will continue to argue for higher employer contributions.

i s your boss ready for automatic enrolment? October saw the start of a new pension system which requires employers to include their workers

in workplace pension schemes by 2017 at the latest – but many bosses still claim to be unaware of the changes.

Known as automatic enrolment, the new system is the first time employers have been obliged to put their staff into pensions, and to make contributions towards them. It has been introduced to tackle a pensions crisis caused by very low state pensions combined with a lack of individual saving.

Workers will be auto-enrolled if they are aged between 22 and the state pension age, and earn at least £8,105 a year. You also have the right to be enrolled if you are outside this age group but earn more than £5,564 a year.

Workers have the right to opt out of the system, but they must not be pressured or encouraged to do so by their employer.

This year’s national Hazards Conference took place at the University of Keele, bringing together health and safety activists from around the UK.

High on the agenda was the problem of asbestos, which remains a deadly danger after all these years. I was amazed to discover that the British Commonwealth is a major part of the problem, as Canada continues to mine and produce the fatal fibres with seemingly no regard to the dreadful implications.

Meanwhile, in UK schools, government policy is not even to remove asbestos – simply to seal it off and make it ‘safe’. Yet that same government has approved £1.2 billion to remove all traces of asbestos from the Houses of Parliament! How much clearer could they be that they only care about themselves?

Another major issue to emerge from the weekend was workplace stress. This has huge iS

tock

“Workers must not be pressured to opt out.”

GMB health and safety representative Dave Carter reports from the national hazards Conference

financial implications for many companies, but more important is the cost to the health and wellbeing of affected workers. Stress levels are rising as budgets are falling, yet government responses have been atrocious at best.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) budgets have been slashed by 35 per cent; many industries have been reclassified as low-risk; and vital inspections are no longer being carried out. So not only are workplaces suffering from HSE cuts – the flagship body of health and safety itself is becoming a hotbed of stressed and overworked employees!

One of the highlights of the conference was a wonderful speech from Louise Adamson, a young woman whose brother was tragically killed while working as an electrician.

exeCUTive sTress

Louise has turned her bereavement into positive action, becoming involved with a group called FACK, or Families Against Corporate Killers, and her evocative speech lambasted big business for trying to shirk its responsibilities when it comes to deaths caused as a result of work, and she went on to receive a standing ovation.

If the conference taught me anything, it’s that – no matter who you are or where you work – health and safety must be the paramount concern for all of us, all the time. This government simply doesn’t care, so we – as workers, managers, companies and GMB members – must look out for our colleagues, our loved ones and, of course, ourselves. Work safe. Go home safe.Dave Carter is a GMB health and safety rep at Harsco Metals in Scunthorpe.

BrinG These PaGes To life!

www.gmb.org.uk16

national

UPDatEall the news from GMB

Plans to phase out gas for home use will inflate your bills says Daily Mirror political correspondent Paul Routledge

Rex

Fea

ture

s x

3

cooking with

H ow many of you remember the catchy jingle “Cook, Cook, Cookability – That’s the Beauty of Gas!” that went out on TV as long

ago as 1978?Written by award-winning Roger

Greenaway – author of “I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing” and other hits - it was timed to coincide with the flow of North Sea gas into people’s homes.

The ad ran for years, and even featured a very young Noel Edmonds bopping with teenagers in a kitchen.

The industry was still publicly-owned in those days. How things have changed since!

But the reality behind the slogan is as true now as it was then. Gas is still the cook’s friend, and a versatile fuel that remains the nation’s favourite for central heating.

It doesn’t make sense to burn this vital primary energy source in power station

furnaces to produce electricity.But that’s precisely what the

Coalition government threatens to do - up to and beyond 2030, probably in contravention of Labour’s 2008 Climate Change Act and certainly with greater risk of global warming.

Gas is needed in the home and in industry to supply clean, efficient power, not the ovens of privatised power stations looking for a quick buck.

However, ministers in what David Cameron once called “the greenest government ever” are trying to rat on their pledge to de-carbonise the electricity generation market.

In particular, Chancellor George Osborne, under intense ideological pressure from anti-wind farm Right-wing Tory MPs, wants to get round policy commitments put into law by the Labour government. In private, he sneers at legal curbs on toxic emissions and panders to the gas lobby.

As the union for energy workers, with 40,000 members working in the industry (and more than half a million members with gas in their homes), GMB takes a close interest in developments in this field. And recently, top scientists on the government’s Climate Change Committee intervened to undermine GMB’s case. They want to see gas phased out and be replaced by electricity for home heating and cooking.

This reckless and extremist policy could lead to a four-fold increase in your energy bills if households are forced to use electricity to cook and heat their homes. Thousands more would have to be spent on new appliances.

They wrote to Energy Secretary Ed Davey

expressing “great concern” that the government plans to favour imported gas over nuclear generation and renewable forms of electricity generation.

The Thatcher government’s “dash for gas” of the 1980’s is in danger of becoming a permanent feature of energy policy under Cameron’s Tory-led Coalition. But there are huge financial penalties in store for consumers, warns GMB’s national officer for energy and utilities, Gary Smith.

“Our union has never been a supporter of burning gas to produce electricity,” he explained. “Even with the development of shale gas GMB do not think it is the best use of what is a finite resource.

“We recognise that while gas-fired stations are easy to turn on to meet peak demand, the UK needs investment in low-carbon ways of producing electricity including nuclear.

“The view that gas should not be burned to meet base load electricity is right.”

GMB agrees with the scientists that

Back-UP, not BasE

IT’S A GAS Noel was always warm in the 1970s.

FRIED ED The heat is on for energy

secretary Ed Davey.

SIGN up FoR ThE GMB eNEWSlETTER AT www.gmb.org.uk national

www.gmb.org.uk 17

government ministers are sending out “mixed

messages” about energy policy that will damage investment in low-carbon technologies. There is already evidence of a “very poor” investment climate in the industry.

These new electricity generating methods are needed to tackle long-term climate change. But there is an even more pressing demand to bring home to politicians the impact on families of switching from gas to electricity for cooking and home heating says Gary Smith.

“There is a need for a reality check by some of these experts about the economics

of energy. A unit of electricity is about FOUR TIMES as expensive as the equivalent unit

of gas.“Given the fact that around 80 per

cent of British homes use gas for heating and cooking there is no way

they will easily or cheaply move from gas to electricity.

“Nobody in their right mind would suggest that people will have to fork out thousands of pounds to replace their gas boilers and gas cookers with electric units – and then have to endure a fourfold increase in fuel bills.

“The experts need to face the fact that the suggestion of forced conversion to electricity

is bonkers and will not be accepted by households.”

Energy Secretary Davey – one of the Lib Dems in the Tory-

dominated Cabinet – defends his policy with a weasel-worded

statement, offering only “significant” de-carbonisation of the industry. No

dates, no promises.One fifth of the nation’s power stations

are due to close over the next decade, he says, adding : “We have always said that this will include gas-fired plant which is quick to build and flexible. After 2030 we expect that gas will be increasingly used as back up….but gas has an important role to play.”

In plain English, the Coalition intends to keep as much gas-fired capacity for as long as possible, and certainly beyond the date when it should be phased out. That’s bad news for climate change and very possibly for consumers.

And Davey isn’t the worst of them. Cameron’s appointment of hard-liner Owen Patterson to be Environment Secretary in his autumn Cabinet reshuffle is seen as a snub to the green-tinged Lib Dems. A dedicated opponent of

wind turbines, with the ear of the Prime Minister and the

Chancellor, he’ll be hostile to GMB policy.

But Gary Smith is clear that the union will continue to campaign for a rapid transition to nuclear and renewable power supply, to stave off the imposition of totally electricity-dependent cooking and heating.

All this is a far cry from yesteryear’s “The Beauty of Gas” commercial.

Adverts today stress the ease of switching from one supplier to another, rather than “cookability” or the versatility of gas.

The industry is mired in an ideologically-driven, profit-based dispute about the best way forward for consumers and energy generators alike. GMB stands four-square with households and the champions of climate change through conversion to low-carbon technology.

There is a role for gas in electricity production, Gary Smith agrees. But it has to be back-up, rather than supplying the base load. “We also have to think about carbon capture and storage for coal-fired generating stations, but the reality is that in the long term, electricity has to come from renewable sources, which in practice means nuclear.”

Gary also criticised ministers and the energy companies for failing to spend the £1.3 billion already taken from customers to help insulate their homes and bring down bills for poorer people. “This is a scandal,” he added. “This is an obligation from government. We are all paying for this but the energy companies can’t find the people whose homes need insulating.”

That’s the beauty of consistent energy policy.

“this reckless policy will mean a four-fold rise in energy bills.”

olD FlAME Even tellies ran on gas in those days.

No DEAl Even Noel couldn’t foresee the problems of

modern energy policy.

hoB-NoB Chancellor George Osborne

isn’t out of the frying pan.

FRIED ED The heat is on for energy

secretary Ed Davey.

BRinG tHEsE PaGEs to lifE!

www.gmb.org.uk18

national

UPDatEall the news from GMB

official!

W orking people who are trade union members earn an average of 18.1 per

cent more than those who aren’t. That’s a big increase on last year’s figure of 16.7 per cent, so it’s more worthwhile to join GMB now than ever before.

It’s not just GMB saying this, either, but official figures from the annual labour force survey, published by the Office of National Statistics.

The report shows that the hourly earnings of UK union members average £14.18, an impressive 18.1 per cent above the hourly rate for non- union members, which comes in at just £12.01 an hour.

a collective agreement is an understanding between employers, which regulates terms and conditions for all

employees. These collective agreements affect your pay, working hours and duties and even have a bearing on the duties of your employer.

They usually follow long bargaining sessions between unions and employers and this is a fundamental way in which

GMB improves conditions in workplaces all over the UK.

The trade union membership report 2011 shows just how important collective bargaining is. A whopping 73.2 per cent of members are covered by a collective agreement. Almost a third (31.2 per cent) of employees said their conditions were affected by collective agreement.

In the private sector, collective agreements cover just 16.9 per cent of

We’ll fight for your rightscollective agreements – how unions make a difference to your workplace

employees, while in the public sector they account for a much healthier 67.8 per cent of employees.

The highest sector for collective agreements is public administration and defence, with 71.1 per cent, while the lowest rate is in accommodation and foodservice, which has just 4.6 per cent.

yoU’rE in GooD coMPany

Between September 2011 and September 2012, GMB membership grew by 1.6 per cent, making GMB one of the fastest

growing unions.

yoU’rE BEttEr off With GMB

national

www.gmb.org.uk 19

BrinG thESE PaGES to lifE!

GMB nation

£14.18avEraGE hoUrly WaGE

for Union MEMBErS

34.5%of PEoPlE aGED 50+ arE Union MEMBErS

£12.01avEraGE hoUrly WaGE for non-Union

MEMBErS

PErcEntaGE of WorkErS Who arE Union MEMBErS (By coUntry)

+18.1%aMoUnt that

Union MEMBErS Earn aBovE non-

Union MEMBErS

48% of GMB MEMBErS

arE WoMEn

33.6%n. irElanD

34.9%WalES

29.8%ScotlanD

24.8%EnGlanD

We’ve got your number! Stats from the trade union membership report 2011 give us a detailed view of the UK’s union members. This information is helpful to GMB members, workplace organisers and officers

for planning recruitment, supporting existing members, and recognising areas that need improvement.

21.6%of aSian anD BritiSh aSian WorkErS arE

Union MEMBErS6.4mPEoPlE in Work Who

arE Union MEMBErS

2.5mUnion MEMBErS in

thE PrivatE SEctor

56.5%of PUBlic SEctor WorkErS arE traDE Union MEMBErS

87.1%of PUBlic SEctor

WorkErS havE a Union in thEir WorkPlacE

+£3.23hoUrly Extra EarnED

By WoMEn in UnionS ovEr non-MEMBErS

can be!

www.gmb.org.uk20

My life with Parkinson’s, by GMB Sellafield branch president, John Kane

I first knew I had a problem in 2005. My social life had always revolved around darts and for 25 years I had played at the highest levels –

captaining the Cumbria county team, winning national and international

titles, even winning the old ITV game show Bullseye! But now, at a

national team competition final in Blackpool, I found I was not the

darts player my teammates had come to rely on.

Together, we won the competition, but amid the

celebrations that followed, I couldn’t shake off the

feeling that something was wrong. There had been something up with my hand- eye coordination that I had never experienced before. Little did I know that in two years I would never be able to play darts again.

I saw my GP, who arranged an appointment with a neurologist. I was also a keen runner, and my trainer could not explain why my right arm and leg suddenly lacked the speed and rotation I still had on my left side, so I was really starting to worry. But when the specialist put me through tests including nerve conduction, a lumbar puncture and an MRI scan, they all showed up nothing, so I carried on with my life.

When I started dragging my right leg in 2007, I thought I might have suffered a stroke, with the worst of it masked by my youth and my general fitness (I was only just in my 50s). I went to see the doctor at Sellafield, where I worked, and he put me in touch with a Professor Bates in Newcastle. Within 20 seconds of meeting me, and after seeing me walk along the corridor, the professor told me he was 99 per cent certain I had Parkinson’s. He said the only way to be sure was with a DAT scan, which shows up a lack of dopamine

WE’VE GOT THE POWER

John with 15-times darts world

champion, Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor.

FLIGHT CREW John (far left) with his

winning darts team.

TEsTInG TImEs

the best you

natIonal

UPDatEall the news from GMB

Rex

Fea

ture

s x

2

can be!

sIGn uP FOR THE GmB enEWsLETTER AT www.gmb.org.uk natIonal

www.gmb.org.uk 21

• Started work at Sellafield and joined GMB on his first day.

•Became a shop steward while working for BNFL in the Magnox reprocessing plant.

• Voted onto the Sellafield shop stewards committee.

• Elected GMB convenor at Sellafield.•Married Dot, now his wife of

30 years. •Together they have two children,

Laureen and Jenna.

• Lead the national campaign for the licensing of THORP (Thermal oxide reprocessing plant).

• Negotiated new company contract raising basic and pensionable pay by 40 per cent.

• Stepped down as convenor after seeing members through the MOX data falsification scandal.

• Elected Labour councillor for Copeland.

• Awarded honorary life membership of GMB while still at Sellafield.

• Elected chair of the West Cumbria branch of Parkinson’s UK.

• Remains president of the GMB Sellafield branch.

the life and times of John Kane

1970s

1990s

1980s

2000s

BrInG thESE PaGES to lIfE!

– the chemical in the body that helps to control movement. My earlier doctors had not considered such a test because they simply aren’t looking out for Parkinson’s in anyone my age.

After the scan confirmed the professor’s diagnosis, I decided to give up the job I loved and do all the things I had planned to do when I eventually retired naturally. Parkinson’s isn’t fatal, but it is progressive, and worsening symptoms relating to lack of movement control and balance often lead people to become housebound – or the victims of tragic accidents. My wife and I always wanted to travel the world. Now I wanted us to do it together while we still could.

I also decided to stay as active as I could in the wider community. I had many years experience with GMB, first as a shop steward and then as convenor, so I knew I could deal calmly and confidently with other people’s problems and concerns.

In the same year I was diagnosed, I was elected as Labour councillor for Copeland. At first, I didn’t tell anyone about my Parkinson’s, but when I did, nobody treated me any differently, or expressed any doubts about my ability to do the job.

I also got involved with the charity Parkinson’s UK, working hard to raise the profile of the condition, which most people know so very little about, and organising days out and other activities for people with Parkinson’s and their families.

My work for Parkinson’s UK is what really motivates me now. I’ve had some very hard times since I was diagnosed – not just with the symptoms, but with the drugs I have been prescribed to control them. Among the many things people don’t know about Parkinson’s are the extreme side- effects that the drugs can cause, including

compulsive behaviour – and for a while I became obsessed with gambling, keeping it secret from my family while my debts and my shame grew.

I am on a different drug now, that suits me much better, but the experience has only spurred me on to spread the word. I’m lucky to have such a loving and understanding family (and a daughter who’s a nurse!), but many people with Parkinson’s risk becoming isolated and some even become suicidal.

That’s where my work with Parkinson’s UK comes in. I go into care homes around the North West running awareness courses

for staff who might not spot the signs of Parkinson’s, or might simply mistake them as the signs of old age.

I talk about diagnosis, about the drugs, about the way the condition affects every individual differently. I share my own experiences, using

humour and all the invaluable skills that I learned standing up and talking in front of people during 30 years representing members in GMB.

I have always believed in fighting for what’s right, whether as GMB steward, a Labour councillor or as a campaigner for Parkinson’s UK. In every job I have done, I have also believed in being the best you can be, and I get a great deal of satisfaction from knowing that I make a real difference.

Last year I was elected chair of the West Cumbria branch of Parkinson’s UK and I am still GMB branch president at Sellafield. I’m 57 now, with two wonderful grown-up children, and my wife and I have just returned from trips to Borneo and Kuala Lumpur. So it’s not all doom and gloom!

I have made it my ambition to raise the profile of this condition, because Parkinson’s is often forgotten when it comes to charity donations. Without money for research, a cure will never be found. If you want to help, go to www.parkinsons.org.uk and please give whatever you can.

• Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition• There is currently no cure and doctors don’t know what causes it• One person in every 500 has Parkinson’s• Most people with Parkinson’s are aged 50 or over

but younger people get it, too• Both Mohamed Ali and Michael J Fox were

diagnosed with Parkinson’s in their 30s

ParKInSon’S faCtS

PLAnT LIFE John dedicated his working life

to GMB members at Sellafield.

sIdE EFFECTs

kEEPInG ACTIVE

yOu CAn HELP

“the tests showed up

nothing, so I carried on

with my life”

www.gmb.org.uk22

national

UPDatEall the news from GMB

Government proposals for regional pay spell disaster

watch

waG syour

LOOK OUT! The government wants

to slash your pay.

SIGN Up fOr The GMB eNeWSLeTTer AT www.gmb.org.ukSIGN Up fOr The GMB eNeWSLeTTer AT www.gmb.org.uk rEGionalnational

www.gmb.org.uk 23

BrinG thEsE PaGEs to lifE!

t he pay of millions of public sector workers would be cut if the ConDem

government goes ahead with its plans to scrap national

agreements and introduce regional pay.

These agreements are negotiated with GMB and other unions to ensure a fair rate of pay for workers, and scrapping them could lead to harsh salary cuts.

Public sector workers make up 24 per cent of the total UK workforce – and

as much as 30 per cent in some regions. A pay

cut for them would mean less money

going into their local economies.

The areas that would be hit

hardest are in Wales, Northern Ireland, the North East and Scotland.

Eilean Siar in the Western Isles, has the highest percentage of public sector workers with 42.7 per cent facing a pay cut. Many other areas would be badly affected too. See the full list at www.gmb.org.uk/newsroom

GMB general secretary, Paul Kenny said “GMB negotiators have built up the pay of public service workers over many years and now the government wants to cut the pay of millions of public services workers by getting rid of the national agreement that is so successful.

“If they succeed it would be a further devastating blow for local economies, where previous Tory governments have devastated the mining and manufacturing industry.

“The Tories have a problem with workers in the regions. They just don’t like to see them doing well.”

The general secretary warned that pay cuts would be a harsh blow to British workers, and affect all local businesses. He continued: “To reduce their pay further would not only be iniquitous, it would also reduce consumer spending and choke-off business confidence. The result would be local economies suffering a further drop in demand and private sector jobs being lost in their thousands.”

GMB membership is the best defence in the face of the government’s reckless plans to cut wages across the country in the public sector. Paul Kenny concluded: “GMB is proud of its record in raising pay

in the regions and cutting it back is in no one’s interest. As well as a regional policy to promote good, well- paid jobs we need to see the levelling up of the poor pay in the shops and other commercial services, not a levelling down of public sector pay.”

20

london

south East

East

East Midlands

west Midlands

south west

Yorkshire &the humber

north west

scotland

north East

northernireland

wales

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

are

a b

y %

ran

k

% of people

% of workers employed in the public sector

££££

££££££

£££££££

££££££££

£££££££££

££££££££££

£££££££££££££

£££££££££££££££

££££££££££££££££££££

££££££££££££££££££££££

£££££££££££££££££££££££££

££££££££££££££££££££££££££££30

28.8

28

27.125.3

24.523.4

23.2

22.9

22.3

22

21.3

United Kingdom as a whole 24%

Deep CUTS Nearly a quarter of UK workers

would be affected.

“Regional pay will choke-off business confidence.”

iSto

ck x

2

www.gmb.org.uk24

I s the European Union a social project, designed to improve people’s lives, or a purely economic one, designed simply to make money?

That was the question at stake back in September, as GMB and other unions fought against proposals that would have undermined the fundamental rights of workers, including the right to go on strike.

The proposed Monti II regulations, which have now been abandoned in the face of overwhelming opposition, were meant to safeguard the right to collective action (including strike action) in the face

of pressure from regulations allowing the free movement of goods across EU borders.

“From the day these proposals were launched, trade unions across Europe told the European Commission that they were not going to solve the problems they set out to resolve,” says GMB European officer Kathleen Walker Shaw. “In fact, they actually posed further threats to trade union rights.

“GMB welcomed the decision to withdraw these very damaging proposals, but the Commission still needs to find a workable solution to make sure fundamental trade union rights and freedoms are not restricted or undermined by economic freedoms.”

The need for clarity comes from two judgments in the European Court of Justice in 2007. While the freedom to take collective action is a fundamental workers’ right,

The FullMonti

protected by the European Union charter, the court judgments raised questions about what happens when that right comes into conflict with regulations on the free movement of goods, persons, services and capital.

“There are huge legal uncertainties left by the EU Court of Justice rulings regarding the rights of workers,” says Labour MEP Stephen Hughes. “The problem is not going away and the European Commission has the responsibility to act.”

European social policy includes commitments to improved living and working conditions, proper social protection, and dialogue between management and labour. GMB believes the European Union should put those commitments first and foremost.

EU drops plans opposed by GMB that would have restricted workers’ rights

WELCOME NEWS Kathleen Walker Shaw

led GMB’s opposition to

the dropped plans.

EUROPE MUST ACT Labour MEP Stephen Hughes says

workers’ rights must be clearer.

“Fundamental trade union rights and freedoms

must not be undermined.”

www.gmb.org.uk24

naTIonal

UPDaTEall the news from GMB

N ow the Olympic Games are

over, many GMB members are

looking for their next job. To

help them, GMB is talking to

employers across the UK to make the jobs

legacy happen.Many security staff were out of work

before the Olympics, and GMB is determined

to make sure that monumental waste of talent

and resources doesn’t happen again. Our

members helped deliver one of the most

successful Olympic Games ever. Now they

deserve jobs that make the best of their skills.

With that in mind, GMB has been talking

to G4S about vacancies across the UK, to

British Gas about jobs in Scotland, and to Asda

about jobs in its new stores. Details will be

circulated to members very soon.

GMB now has more than 8,000 members

licensed by the Security Industry Authority

(SIA), most of whom have Home Office

accreditation, and 13 weeks practical

experience at the biggest sporting event

in the world.The jobs they are qualified to do include

office reception/security; security in the

leisure sector (music venues, sporting events,

pubs and nightclubs, etc); static security for

building sites and car parks; and many other

security roles.Don’t miss out on your chance to find a new

job with GMB. Make sure that your contact

details and membership are all up to date by

calling your local GMB office (see p31) or by

logging-in to the members’ area of the GMB

website at www.gmb.org.uk

uNique experieNce

remember GMB membership covers you wherever you work! Make sure you

take that protection with you by paying your membership fees by direct debit.STAY prOTecTeD!

if you think G4S owes you payment for training or expenses, fill in your details at www.surveymonkey.com/s/GMB cleanupSurvey

You are entitled to be paid if you went to SIA licence or role-specific training for London 2012 – even if you did not then work on the Olympics.

GMB has secured agreement from G4S that right and proper recompense will be paid, and is also trying to secure refunds for any members who incurred expenses during their training.

fuN AND GAMeS

TrAiNiNG pAY

At home and around the world, London

2012 has been hailed as a great success.

GMB members deserve enormous thanks

for the part they played, and have been

rightly congratulated by everyone from

Sebastian Coe to Boris Johnson.

However, no one would pretend it was

a trouble-free ride. Many of you were left in

the dark by G4S, and were denied work you

had counted on because of accreditation

hold-ups and scheduling problems.

GMB worked very hard to solve these

problems wherever it could, and to ensure

decent pay and conditions across the

board, reflecting the responsibility and

commitment you have shown.

Jessica Ennis-levels of applause must go

to senior organisers Angus Groat and Dave

Gigg, as well as our secretarial staff Natalie

Williams and Carol Woodman, who dealt

heroically with all sorts of issues on behalf

of members. We hope your experience of

the Games, and of GMB, has been positive

as a result of their sterling efforts.

www.gmb.org.uk 25

reGiONAl

All the news from GMB

reGiONAlupDATe

Where next for members who worked on the Olympics?

WINNING WAYS In the race for jobs, it

pays to stick with GMB.

Rex

Fea

ture

s

I am a GMB member and I have a concern at the school where I workMy GMB membership number is My concern is

My mobile number is

My email address is

My home address is

I work at

I f you work in a school and have a problem, GMB has someone you can talk to. The London region schools board is made up of GMB members who work in schools and

can help with the issues that affect you. It meets regularly to discuss and plan action on

subjects such as:• Who should provide medication

for pupils?• Are you on the right pay grade? • Does your school protect

you against allegations?• Will your terms and

conditions change if your school becomes an academy?

If you have a problem in your school, or simply want advice or information, email your local London region schools board member, using the details opposite, remembering to include your name, membership number, and the name of the school where you work.

Alternatively, complete the form below and send it to Sandra Vincent at GMB, Wentworth House, 352 Eastern Avenue, Gants Hill, Essex IG2 6NH, or email jo.tanner@gmb.org.uk

If you work in a school, you need to know about the GMB London region schools board!

the boardeyes on

Rex

Fea

ture

s/iS

tock

CLASS ACT The London region schools

board is there for you.

www.gmb.org.uk26

rEGIoNALUPDATE

All the news from GMB

The GMB London region also has members on GMB’s national schools committee. The most recently elected members from our region are Cathy Holland, Dora Savva,

and Martin Foster. Where they are unable to attend national schools committee meetings, Sharon Walden and Deborah Logan will deputise in their place.

GMB NATIoNAL SCHooLS CoMMITTEE

YoUr BrANCH YoUr GMB SCHooL BoArD CoNTACT

Barking and Dagenham Sharon Whittaker apex@lbbd.gov.uk

Barnet Keith Williams keith.williams@gmb.org.uk

Brent George Fraser george.fraser@brent.gov.uk

Buckinghamshire county council

Jim Hiom jim.hiom@btinternet.com

Cambridge city council K Roberts gmb@cambridege.gov.uk

Cambridgeshire county council

K Roberts gmb@cambridege.gov.uk

Camden Dennis McNulty dennis.mcnulty@camden.gov.uk

Central Bedfordshire council Martin Foster bedsgmb@yahoo.co.uk

Ealing Dean Gilligan gmbtradeunion@ealing.gov.uk

Enfield Roy Dunnett gmbenfield@btconnect.com

Essex county council Cathy Holland cathy.holland@gmb.org.uk

Hackney Sue Dulligal sue.dulligal@hackney.gov.uk

Hammersmith and Fulham David Green david.green2@lbhf.gov.uk

Haringey Gary Doolan - garydoolan@hotmail.com

Harrow Sanjay Karia sanjay.karia@harrow.gov.uk

Havering Colin Kerr colin.kerr@havering.gov.uk

Hillingdon Michelle Dempsey michellegmb@hotmail.co.uk

HounslowWilhemina Mitchell-Murray wilhemina.murray@gmb.org.uk

Islington Vaughan West vaughan.west@islington.gov.uk

Luton borough council Diane Mullane diane.mullane@sky.com

Milton Keynes council Jim Hiom jim.hiom@btinternet.com

Newham Sharon Waldron sharon.waldron@newham.gov.uk

Norfolk county council Vivien Thomas vivienthomas@btinternet.com

Norwich city council Keith Rowley

Peterborough city council K Roberts gmb@cambridge.gov.uk

RedbridgeDeborah Logan logan.deborah@yahoo.com or Dorra Savva theodora_savva@hotmail.com

South Bedfordshire district council

K Roberts gmb@cambridge.gov.uk

Southend borough council Harry Burgess southendbranchgmb@xln.co.uk

Suffolk county councilAnn Skipper annskipper@btinternet.com or Len Lewis lenlewis@charriot.co.uk

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

Mick Aulsberry mick.aulsberry@rbkc.gov.uk or Jackie Nield Jackie.nield@rbkc.gov.uk

Thurrock council Chris Powell gmbc35@blueyonder.co.uk

Tower HamletsJohn Cray jcray@bishop.towerhamlets.sch.uk or Danny Anson danny@arnhemwharf.towerhamlets.sch.uk

Waltham Forest Richard Gull gmb@walthamforest.gov.uk

Westminster city council Icilda Calvin gmbconvenor@westminster.gov.ukLOUD AND PROUD GMB Shout! members

celebrate Black Pride.

LoNDoN PrIDEMembers from the region attended World Pride in central London on 7 July and UK Black Pride at the Ministry of Sound nightclub in south London on 18 August, representing the LGBT group GMB Shout!

SISTErS ACT!The new GMB women’s self-organised group has set up a committee and will be known as GMB Sisters. Its first AGM took place on Tuesday 20 November. Email sue.hackett@gmb.org.uk for more.

FrESH MEETGMB Young London held its first ‘big meet up’ in July, where young members from the region once again elected David Braniff-Herbert as their representative on the National Equality Forum. Well done David!

GroUP oN!The London region launched two new self- organised groups in October, representing the disability and race equality strands. Email sue.hackett@gmb.org.uk if you would like to attend their future meetings.

GMB LGBT AGMGMB Shout! will hold its AGM at the GMB national office in Euston on 29 November, 6pm-8pm, all GMB members welcome. For more information, email Carl Banks at gmbshout@hotmail.co.uk

ANSWErS, PLEASE!The GMB equality survey helps the union get a better picture of its members and the issues that really affect them. If you have received a survey form, please fill it in and return it to sue.hackett@gmb.org.uk

CLASS ACT The London region schools

board is there for you.

www.gmb.org.uk 27

SIGN UP fOR The GMB eNeWSLeTTeR AT www.gmb.org.uk rEGIoNALSIGN UP fOR The GMB eNeWSLeTTeR AT www.gmb.org.uk rEGIoNALSIGN UP fOR The GMB eNeWSLeTTeR AT www.gmb.org.uk rEGIoNALSIGN UP fOR The GMB eNeWSLeTTeR AT www.gmb.org.uk rEGIoNAL

roll call!Find your GMB schools board contact below

EqUALITYUPDATEAll the latest from across the region

breakthrough!bridge the gap in cancer care with gMb member evelyn Martin

b reast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK. It accounts for nearly one in three of all female cancers, and one

in eight women in the UK will develop breast cancer at some point in their lifetime.

GMB member Evelyn Martin works with Breakthrough Breast Cancer, raising awareness to help the 48,000 women and 350 men in Britain who are diagnosed with the disease every year.

Evelyn’s work in social services means she meets lots of women who have, or have had, breast cancer and she wanted to help them in any way she could.

“The good news is that more women than ever before are surviving breast cancer thanks to better awareness, better treatments and better screening,” says Evelyn. “However, 1,000 women in the UK are still dying from breast cancer every month.”

As part of Breakthrough’s campaigns and advocacy network (CAN), Evelyn is helping to close this gap in breast cancer survival. The group’s ‘Bridging the gap in breast cancer survival’ charter (see below) seeks to improve care in the UK on three specific platforms: awareness, screening and access to treatment.

Also making a valuable contribution to the first of these is Breakthrough’s TLC (Touch, Look, Check) campaign, which encourages women to examine themselves regularly. It’s easy to do, as the guide at the top of the page explains.

breast cancer

“Most cases of breast cancer are found by women noticing unusual changes, taking the initiative and visiting their doctor,” says Evelyn. “The earlier breast cancer is found, the better the chance of beating it.

“There’s no special technique to check for changes and you don’t need any training. The important thing is to be familiar with how your breasts look and feel normally, so you notice anything unusual.”

Whatever your age, it’s good to get into the habit of checking

regularly, though the risk of breast cancer increases with age. “Maybe when you’re in the bath or shower,” says Evelyn, “or while getting dressed. Lumps are

vital to look out for, but there can be other important signs, too. If you do find a lump, in most cases they turn out not to be cancerous, so try to stay calm and in control, but do see your doctor about anything unusual.”

With Evelyn’s help, Breakthrough also played an active part in this year’s TUC women’s conference, winning support for its Bridging the Gap campaign from more than 40 unions.

“I was very proud of that,” says Evelyn. “We worked hard to get our message across, and there was more interest and readiness to support us than I’ve ever seen before.

“I really feel like our message is getting through,” she goes on. “I’m very pleased about that, because it saves a lot of women’s lives.

“As a result of all our campaigning, I really do think the government is listening more than it used to. Knowing that breast cancer is high on the political agenda is marvellous. I’m so happy to be part of such a movement of people. I really do think it’s wonderful.”

But there’s still more to be done. The UK lags behind most of Europe when it comes to survival rates. If we could match the best, we would save 1,000 more lives every year, in England alone.

“We just have to be determined to go forward,” says Evelyn. “We can’t turn back now. Until we control this disease once and for all, we cannot and will not stop.”

To join Evelyn in the fight against breast cancer, sign up to the campaigns and advocacy network at www.breakthrough.org.uk/can

take the initiative

join the fight

“Make sure you see your doctor about anything unusual.”

Breakthrough needs You!breakthrough’s ‘bridging the gap in breast cancer survival’ charter lists three key

areas of action to bring uk breast cancer care up to speed with the best in europe.

go to www.breakthrough.org.uk/gap to pledge your support for:

awareness: promoting the tLc awareness message (see above) to drive early diagnosis.

screening: access for all eligible women to a gold standard nhs breast screening programme.

treatments: maximising the potential of research, to create personalised or targeted treatments.

Easy as tlcTake the time to check

your breaststouch your breasts. Can you

feel anything unusual?Look for changes. Is there any

change in shape or texture?check anything unusual

with your doctor.

www.gmb.org.uk28

regionaLuPDate

all the news from gMb

breakthrough!iS

tock

IN THE PINK GMB’s Evelyn is at the forefront

of the fight against cancer.

Beat theBulliEs

With gMb, there’s no need to suffer in silence

b ullying is a sad fact of life. Employers and unions have a responsibility to acknowledge that it happens

and to work together to stamp it out. Bullies must learn that their behaviour is unacceptable, and victims must know they have somewhere to turn.Here are a few ways to begin the fight against bullying in your workplace.

If you are being bullied, don’t suffer on your own. Tell your GMB health and safety representative about it, or call your local GMB office. They can offer advice and will treat your case seriously and confidentially. If you want to help tackle bullies, talk to GMB about carrying out a confidential bullying survey in your workplace.

People don’t tend to think of bullying as a health and safety issue, but GMB health and safety reps can use their

training to help tackle the problem. If you are a health and safety rep and know that bullying is taking place, speak to the bully directly. Don’t be aggressive – simply ask them politely to stop. This may be all that is needed.

Your employer should have a policy on bullying that is available to all staff. The policy should say that bullying is not acceptable and will not be tolerated, and should tell victims who to talk to within the company for confidential support. Such support should not just be an empty promise, but a genuine source of advice and action.

Bullying often goes on behind closed doors. If you are being bullied, it’s likely that others in your workplace may be having the same problem. By talking to GMB, you could be helping many other colleagues in similar or worse situations. Remember that a bully’s power comes from singling people out for intimidation. But with GMB, you never need to be alone.

What you can Do

What your boss can Do

What gMb can Do

SIGN uP for THE GMB eNEWSlETTEr AT www.gmb.org.uk regionaL

www.gmb.org.uk 29

www.gmb.org.uk30

regionalUPDaTe

all the news from gMB

Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

helps disabled people live more

fulfilling lives by helping with

transport costs and mobility aids.

Two thirds of people who currently

receive DLA will not be eligible

for the new PIP.

Most disabled people say their DLA

payment is essential. In the words

of Paralympic athlete David Clarke:

"If a minister found himself in the middle of

a city with no one to help get a taxi, he would

probably appreciate his DLA."

DLA fraud is extremely rare at

just 0.5 per cent, according to the

government’s own estimates.

Mobility allowance (currently part

of the DLA) will be taken away

from every person who lives in

residential care preventing them leaving

their home independently.

The new PIP tests will be carried

out by controversial private

company Atos, and will cost

taxpayers £400 million.

Thierry Breton, chief executive

of Atos, has received a 22 per

cent pay rise this year, despite

widespread criticism of Atos.

PIP tests are not fair. According

to the charity Disability Rights

UK, a disabled person who

turns up for their test in an electronic

wheelchair will be considered able to

move unaided. They will not be eligible

for PIP and, as a result, will then lose

the wheelchair!

In fact, as many as 90,000

wheelchairs and other mobility

aids will be repossessed as

a direct result of these changes, because

disabled people will not be able to afford

the repayments on them without DLA.

Without DLA, 25,000 people

will have to give up work.

These people currently receive

a total of £90m in DLA payments, but

pay much more into the economy, in

the form of £147m in taxes (based on

average pay). Out of work, they will

claim £128m in benefits, and be able to

pay nothing back.

i n april next year, the ConDem government is set to axe Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

and replace it with an unworkable system called Personal Independence Payments (PIP).

Not only will these changes make life harder for thousands of disabled people across

the UK, they will also cost the taxpayer millions more than the current system, as a result

of increased unemployment and needless red tape. Here’s everything you need to know about

this latest attack on the most vulnerable in our society.

How GMBcan Help

gMB has plenty of experience fighting for its disabled members. Here’s a letter we recently received from a retired member called Frances:

I spent my whole working life as a nurse, until degenerative wear and tear on my spine forced me to retire. I am now unable to work and rely on benefits to supplement my modest NHS pension.

Recently, the job centre started to harangue me, saying me that my benefit would be taken off of me if I did not return to work. This was a horrendous experience for me, as I already struggle with quite severe illness.

I contacted GMB and they gave me great advice. With help from them and my GP, I was able to convince the job centre that I couldn’t work and was entitled to continue receiving benefits.

The matter has now been resolved, but there must be many other people in similar situations who do not have the benefit of GMB membership. I’m so pleased I decided to join all those years ago and have kept my membership up. I want everyone to know the support you get is invaluable.

How the government is attacking our most vulnerable citizens

So many workers from the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAS) have joined GMB recently that they now have their own GMB branch.

It’s not surprising that GMB membership has soared at the NHS Trust, as managers are growing increasingly hostile – cutting breaks and imposing longer working days, in some cases to more than 15 hours. Health and safety issues are also on the rise, wages are under threat and workers are under increasing pressure as colleagues leave and are not replaced.

EEAS is currently spending huge sums on private providers and, if this continues, the service will become entirely private. GMB members in EEAS have already been doing all they can to ensure the public continues to get a safe and timely service, but will now be able to redouble their efforts, with their own GMB branch structure behind them.

The GMB East of England Ambulance branch is currently electing its committee and branch officers. For more details, call Tony Hughes on 01462 499 650, or email tony.hughes@gmb.org.uk

Building work has already begun on new chemotherapy facilities at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, thanks to the massive fundraising efforts of the local GMB branch.

King’s Lynn branch was supported in its efforts by GMB members and other branches from across the region, raising a total of £5,000.

“I am pleased to say that building work has now started,” said King’s Lynn branch secretary, Dave Dennis. “The

Macmillan ward chemotherapy rooms will be completely rebuilt, and the unit should be opened by February 2013.

“We’re very proud to have raised such a large amount for this most worthy cause. It’s a fantastic achievement, which has been made possible by the generosity of GMB members over the past two years. The latest cheque, for £1,400 will be presented at this year’s branch Christmas party, which takes place on 8 December.”

generous members raise £5,000 for King’s lynn cancer unit

GMBtHank

you

www.gmb.org.uk 31

gMBlonDon region

gMB lonDon regional office HenDon

Thorne House, 152 Brent Street, Hendon, London NW4 2DP.

T: 020 8202 8272 F: 020 8202 2893

gMB cHelMSforD 53 Duke Street, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 1JA.

T: 01245 345165 F: 01245 345129

gMB fUlHaM 691 Fulham Road, London SW6 5UJ. T: 020 7736 5683 F: 020 7371 7457

gMB ganTS Hill 8th Floor, Wentworth House, 350-352 Eastern

Ave, Gants Hill, Ilford, Essex IG2 6NH. T: 020 8518 9200 F: 020 8518 9209

gMB HaYeS 213 Church Road, Hayes, Middlesex UB3 2LG.

T: 020 8573 6969 F: 020 8756 0276

gMB BalDocK The Maltings, 44 Whitehorse Street,

Baldock, Herts SG7 6QQ. T: 01462 499650 F: 01462 499699

gMB norwicH 38-40 Bethel Street, Norwich NR2 1NR.

T: 01603 626492 F: 01603 766516

gMB SoUTHenD 41 Queens Road, Southend, Essex SS1 1LT.

T: 01702 390512/390427 F: 01702 435074

conTacT gMB If you have a problem at work, contact

your GMB workplace organiser. If you do not have one, go to the GMB website at

www.gmb.org.uk. Still no luck? Call the GMB regional office on 020 8202 8272

and ask to speak to the duty officer.

SIGN up for the GMB eNeWSletter At www.gmb.org.uk

Branching outeeaS gets its own gMB branch