The Greens and Trade Unions - deputy leadership candidates questioned

 

 

For those depressed by the prospect of a summer of debate between the candidates for the Tory leadership, the contest between candidates for the Deputy Leadership of the Green Party may offer some  hope. 

The Green Party Trade Union Group has achieved increasing prominence within the Green Party through its activities in support of trade union struggle and its insistence that the transition to a low carbon economy can only be achieved through working with trade unions. 

Here the four candidates respond to some searching questions from members. 

The candidates are:

• Shahrar Ali
• Nick Humberstone
• Zack Polanski
• Tyrone Scott

 

Workers, Unions and the Cost of Living Crisis - video of panel discussion

 

From the Green Party Trade Union Group

The cost of living crisis engulfing the UK has the potential to define our politics. But what are the political implications of the rising cost of living? How can workers and trade unions respond? And how does the Green Party navigate the crisis? To discuss these and other questions, we welcomed an array of expert speakers, well-placed to offer insight into the crisis and its political impacts: - 

• Kate Bell, Head of Rights, International, Social & Economics at the Trades Union Congress (TUC) 
• James Meadway, Director of Progressive Economy Forum and former adviser to John McDonnell 
• Andy Beckett, journalist and author of 'When the Lights Went Out: Britain in the 70s' 
• Emiliano Mellino, organiser and labour journalist with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism
• Molly Scott Cato, Green Party spokesperson on Finance & Economy

 

A Just Transition for Aviation Workers - a Green Party Trade Union Group discussion

   

 

The contribution of flying to global warming has long been an issue for environmentalists with many activists refusing to fly, most notably Greta Thunberg, and others rationing themselves to flights only when there is no alternative - although of course some would argue that the alternative is to stop completely, although that is a fraught decision in communities such as ours when families have so many relatives oveseas.

The rise of zoom conferencing during the pandemic may well  lead to an overall reduction in flying in the business sector and those not very healthy 'red eye' flights.

'Just Transition' refers to the demand that the transition to a low carbon economy is only viable if workers in the high-carbon sectors are offered alternative training and employment and not thrown into unemployment.  The importance of the Green Party engaging with trade unions over these issues was reiterated at our recent conference and a commitment made to emphasise work with trade unions and trade unionists in pursuit of a just transition.

 

 

Support for trade unionism wins through at Green Party Conference

 

Two vital motions were passed at Green Party Conference today with overwhelming majorities:

 

Winning Over Workers is Crucial to Fighting Climate Change

 

To win the fight against climate change the GPEW needs to link up with workers and trade unions to promote a Just Transition to a sustainable green economy. The GPEW needs to send the message that it supports workers. 

 

Motion 

 

The Green Party of England & Wales (GPEW) believes that winning over workers and Trade Unions is crucial if we are to have any chance to fight climate change and save the planet. In the UK, 6.35 million people (23.4% of employees) are members of the trade unions as well as millions who want to be in trade unions but are pressured not to. 

 

The GPEW need to win as many of these people to the idea of a Just Transition to a green economy. To not take this seriously would be a serious mistake in the struggle to save the planet. 

 

The position of Trade Union Liaison Officer was agreed by Conference a number of years ago and GPEW does have a good record of active support of workers struggles and supports the repeal of anti-Trade Union Laws. The development of Green New Deals and Just Transition in the trade union movement reflects this progress. So, it would be very concerning if the party is now seen to relegate workers. Removing the TULO position and/or not including the Green Party Trade Union group would suggest that workers are seen as not being important in our work. 

 

Action:

 

That the GPEW builds on the position of the Trade Union Liaison Officer (TULO) and the Green Party Trade Union group in any reorganisation mandated by its own democratic procedures. 

 

That the GPEW ensures that workers and a Just Transition are centre stage in policy formation in respect to our number one remit to save the planet and building the green economy. 

 

 

Emergency Motion on Pay Rise for NHS Health and Care Workers

 

The government proposed 1% pay rise for NHS staff is correctly being described as ‘a kick in the teeth’ and ‘an insult’ by workers and their unions (4/3/2021). NHS workers have often reached beyond their contractual duties to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, at great personal risk and sacrifice.

 

With NHS staff nearing the end of a 3-year pay deal, this conference resolves to support the Moving Forwards on NHS Pay campaign led by fourteen trade unions (including Unite, Unison, GMB, RCN) representing over 1.3 million members, to secure a fair pay rise for all health service workers. We believe if the government can award lucrative contracts to ministerial cronies, it can afford a decent pay award for health workers.

 

This conference also resolves to support the demands of the grassroots NHS Workers Say No to Public Sector Pay Inequality and Nurses United campaigns, including a restorative 15% pay rise across the board for all NHS workers on ‘Agenda for Change’ contracts and for outsourced services in the NHS to be brought back in house.

 

Conference urges Green Party spokespeople and councillors to support the fight for a fair pay rise for health service workers, and to make links with these campaigns locally, regionally and nationally. We urge Green Party members to engage actively with NHS workers’ independent trade unions in supporting these campaigns.

 

We instruct our MP, Peers and Leaders to write to the NHS Pay Review Body and make it clear that applause is not enough.

Green Party Trade Union Group gets behind NEU decision to advocate on-line learning for all but vulnerable and keyworker primary children

 

Vix Lowthian, a secondary school teacher, parent, NEU member and the Green Party's Spokesperson on Education  spoke at a Green Party Trade Union meeting yesterday on 'Covid, Schools and School Workers.' 

At the beginning of the meeting she was completing the signing off of  a press release backing the National Education Union's decision to advise members to not work in full classes due to the rise in Covid cases but instead teach on-line or in the small bubbles formed for chidlren of key workers and vulnerable pupils.

In Brent and the rest of London primary schools are closed to all but vulnerable and key worker children,  and teaching moved on-line. Tonight decisions are still bing made by individual schools, headteacher and local authortiies in other parts of the country.

The video gives a full acount of the issues involved.

 

Schools: Green GLA candidate slams 'chaotic and dangerous government' and backs Harrow Council's action

Emma Wallace

 

Reacting to yesterday's events Green Party GLA candidate for Brent and Harrow said:

Thank you to Harrow Council for taking decisive and sensible evidence based action, advising Harrow's primary schools that they can move to online learning from Monday. 

 

The government's decision to leave out Harrow, whilst all surrounding London borough's including Brent, Barnet, Ealing and Hillingdon having been listed as being able to delay their opening, despite having very similar rates of Covid-19 infection, was inconsistent and nonsensical.  

 

To find out that Gavin Williamson has announced a last minute U-turn advising that all primary schools can now close, except for vulnerable and key worker children, reveals once again the complete incompetence that we have now come to expect from this dangerous and chaotic government.  There is no evidence that the Conservatives are adhering to specialist medical advice or 'following the science' as they so proclaim.

 Vix Lowthian, Green Party Education Spokesperson said on Twitter on Labour Party nationally:

Labour must not ignore the unions, educators, parents and entire communities. Schools have been opened without adequate safety measures. Now as we reach a crisis, teaching must move to distance learning. Labour have to change tack - it's not about chaos, its about safety.

The National Education Union  Executive is meeting today to discuss their reaction to events as the Covid rates amongst young people continues to rise.  There will be a zoom meeting for all members on Sunday where thousands of school workers are expected.

Commenting on the latest decision by Government to close all London primary schools until 18 January at the earliest, Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General Secretary of the NEU, said:

 

It is welcome that, albeit in their usual last-minute fashion, ministers have corrected an obviously nonsensical position - one that it could not justify by evidence or sense.

 

But the question has to be asked: why are education ministers so inadequate and inept? Who is advising them? 

 

And what is right for London is right for the rest of the country. With the highest level of Covid-19 infection, and hospitals buckling under the tsunami of very ill patients, it is time for ministers to do their duty - to protect the NHS by following SAGE advice and close all primary and secondary schools to reduce the R rate below 1. 

 

It is time for the government to protect its citizens, and in particular its children, by shutting all primary schools for two weeks in order for the situation to be properly assessed, schools made much safer and children and their families protected.

Vix Lowthian, Education Spokesperson for the Green Party, will be speaking at a Green Party Trade Union Group Meeting at 4pm this afternoon. The meeting is open to all Green Party members. Email  yrrumuk@googlemail.com for joining details.

 

Green Party must stand shoulder to shoulder with workers during Covid-19 crisis

The Committees of Green Left and Green Party Trade Union  Group (both Green Party organisations) have issued the following statement:

Green Left and Green Party Trade Union Group (GPTU) call on all Green Party of England and Wales’ publicly elected representatives, MP, Assembly Members and Councillors, to seek out and work with trade unions and local and national authorities to ensure that:

· all essential workers are provided with adequate protective equipment, sanitary measures and testing during the CV19 crisis. We note that this should not only include health and caring workers but also cleaners, food and pharmaceutical distribution and preparation workers, transport workers and security workers. 

· no threats of dismissal, pay cuts or other means of coercion are used to compel workers to work when they are in danger of transmitting or contracting CV19. 

· workers who take industrial action due to the unsafe attitude of some employers and government, are supported, so that they do not suffer financial and/or disciplinary sanctions for taking such actions 

· attempts to organise non-unionised workers are supported.

*The Green Party of England & Wales (GPEW) is a significant political presence at local authority level with over 300 Councillors many organised in the Association of Green Councillors (AGC). 

They and other public representatives can play a positive role in defending workers rights at a local level. 

We would also ask local Green Parties to stand shoulder to shoulder with workers over this issue at this very important time.

https://wembleymatters.blogspot.com/2020/04/brent-council-found-no-cause-for.html

http://greentulondon.blogspot.com/2020/04/london-bus-drivers-must-be-provided.html

https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/nurses-told-to-refuse-to-treat-coronavirus-patients-if-they-cannot-get-protective-equipment-as-criticism-of-government-mounts

https://www.rcn.org.uk/covid-19/rcn-position

Opposition to Tory Trade Union Act given top priority at Green Party Autumn Conference

Green Party Trade Union Group at Tolpuddle Martyrs' Festival last month

Trade Unionists in the Green Party, organised as the Green Party Trade Union Group (GPTU), have successfully put Trade Union issues at the top of the policy agenda for this year’s Green Party Autumn Conference.

GPTU’s first motion opposes the Tory Trade Union Act, passed into law earlier this year, and has been voted by members as the top priority in the “C” section for policy motions.

The second, calling for legislation to make it easier for Trade Unions to organise in new workplaces, has made it to fifth place (out of 25) on the agenda for policy motions.

Kieron Merrett, Green Party Trade Union Group Secretary, said,

As Trade Unionists in the Green Party, we’re delighted that Trade Union and workers’ issues have been voted as the very top priority for policy discussion at this year’s Autumn Conference.

Well done to all those Green Party members who voted in the prioritisation ballot. It is clearly no coincidence that the Green Party has the most pro-worker and pro-Trade Union policies of any major party.

We’ve shown that the Green Party is the party for Trade Unionists and working people.

Greens out in force at End Austerity Now! demonstration

The extent of the Green Party's recent growth was evident at today's End Austerity Now! demonstration as well as the youth of many of our new members.

There were high spirits as hundreds of Greens processed through the streets of London in the company of thousands of other anti-austerity protesters. The Labour Party was  notably absent apart from the presence of leadership candidate Jeremy Corbyn.

Unconfirmed reports say that the Green Bloc was the biggest bloc today.

At the Green Bloc assembly point in Cornhill, City of London Photo: Mike Shaughnessy  

Green Party Trade Union Group  Photo: Shahrar Ali

Green Party leaders Amelia Womack, Shahrar Ali and Natalie Bennett Photo: Amelia Womack

Green Party solidarity for National Gallery strikers at PCS Rally in Trafalgar Square

As the Conservative Government moves to tighten anti-trade union laws, Romayne Phoenix, Green Party Trade Union Liaison officer, spoke today at the solidarity rally for National Gallery workers striking against privatisation. The rally was organised by their union the PCS and supported by the Green Party Trade Union Group.

CNWL lecturers to strike over casualisation proposals.

Lecturers at the College of North West London will be striking on February 23rd and 25th over the college management's replacement of permanent contracts by hourly paid contracts.

The college UCU branch said:

Following the strike on the 8 December 2014 and subsequent negotiations we have not been able to persuade our employer college (College of North West London, Dudden Hill Lane) to either abandon its policy of achieving greater casualisation (replacing permanent contract with zero hours contract) through compulsory redundancies and nor persuade the College to reinstate one of our members Michael Starrs, plumbing lecturer, who became a victim of this policy. 

Therefore our members are having to take further strike action on the 23rd February and 25th  February following the half term break. A reputable law firm, employed by our union is handling his case at the Tribunal as it considers he has a reasonable prospect of Success.  

The vast majority of Michael's plumbing students have signed a petition supporting his reinstatement. He was also voted as the most popular teacher by students in 2012/2013. Members who voted unanimously to take two days a strike action believed that more strike action maybe needed to resolve this dispute.  

We are planning a public meeting very soon over this issue nearer the election as we did for our " Save Kilburn College Campaign" on the eve of the 2010 general election, where a number of MPs' and prospective candidates came for a debate.

The Green Party Trade Union Group  has issued a statement of support:

The Green Party Trade Union group supports CNWL strikers, casualisation and victimisation of education workers is not just an attack on workers and their conditions of employment, but it's also an attack on education. We need Further Education to train and educate those who can help to create the low-carbon economy that is so urgently needed and need FE managements that value their staff and treat them properly.

The college management blame the proposal to move 30% of staff on to hourly paid contracts on sharply reduced funding for the current academic year.

Young Greens launch campaign to get young people organised

The Young Greens today launched their latest campaign 'Get Organised! Getting a new generation organised and unionised!' at a joint workshop with the Green Party Trade Union Group.

Speakers from the RMT, NUS, the Students' Assembly and the Green Party discussed the benefits of trade union membership and the need to convey these benefits to young people.

The RMT Young Members' group were keen to get into schools to talk to pupils about this as a part of citizenship education but had found schools resistant. I suggested that theatre in education, based on actual events such as the Grunwicks strike, could be a stimulating way of doing this.

There was also a discussion on reviving  the idea of  a School Students' Union  (something similar existed in the 70s)  that could give  school students experience of collective organisation and negotiation.

" Israel's contempt for human rights" - Green Party Trade Union Group:

The Green Party Trade Union Group fully supports the recent statements of Caroline Lucas , Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales (letter to William Hague), calling for the release of the international campaigners arrested and unjustly imprisoned by the Israeli government. We also want ALL these campaigners to be released and for them to be able to proceed to Palestine as they had intended, but we would like especially to send our solidarity and support to , Pippa Bartolotti, Deputy Leader of the Wales Green Party, and to Ann Gray of Haringey Green Party a supporter of GPTU and a member of Green Left.

Unjustified arrest is relatively mild by the standards of many of the actions that Israel has taken against Palestine, nonetheless it shows the contempt which the Israeli government seems to show for the human rights of Palestinians and their supporters, Pippa and Ann are quite right to take part in a protest against this and in no way deserve any unlawful punishment for doing so.

BACK VESTAS OCCUPATION

I fully endorse the following statement from the Green Party Trade Union Group:

Workers at the Vestas wind turbine blade plant on the Isle of Wight have occupied their factory in Newport in an attempt to prevent its closure, which was scheduled for the end of this month. The Green Party Trade Union Group sends its full support to them.

Job losses in a recession are tragic and counterproductive, serving only to worsen it by throwing people out of work.

This particular closure would be doubly damaging because it would remove one of the few capacities Britain has to build the new, environmentally friendly technologies urgently needed to construct the infrastructure that could help to counteract the effects of climate change.

Importing turbine blades is a false solution because their transport would increase the environmental cost of wind turbines. Furthermore the skills and knowledge of the Vestas workers could be dispersed and lost just when we need them most.

If the government allows this closure, its commitment to dealing with climate change will seem a total sham.

How can it let Vestas close when it can afford;

¤ The Afghan war effort
¤ The bail out of banks including continuing taxpayers’ support for excessive fatcat salaries..
¤ The renewal of the trident missile system
¤ New nuclear power stations
¤ And a ridiculous scheme of paying MP’s expenses ?

The Green Party Trade Union Group urges everyone who can to support the Vestas occupation and put pressure on government to actually enact a strategy of creating an environmentally friendly infrastructure for Britain and new jobs for its peoples.

P.Murry GPTU secretary