"We are the Lions" has opened to much praise and is stimulating solidarity with Deliveroo, Uber drivers and Durham teaching assistants

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 From Grunwick 40

 "We Are The Lions", the exhibition about the Grunwick strike is open and it's getting a fantastic reception! 

"History pulsating from the walls"

"A wonderful display of such an important, inspiring and pivotal moment in history"

You can read some of the press coverage here, here and here. What's more, you can also watch curator  Poulomi Desai talk about the exhibition on London Live here and listen to her too on the Robert Elms show (39 mins in).

We're really delighted at the feedback so don't forget to visit yourself! Click here for opening times and details.

Some upcoming events

This Weds 2nd November, we meet at SOAS for a screening of the "The Great Grunwick Strike" film. Directed by Chris Thomas in 2007 and featuring original footage and interviews, the film tells the inspiring story of the strike and the people behind it. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Amrit Wilson (writer and activist), Conseulo Moreno (SOAS Justice for Cleaners Campaign) and Sujata Aurora (chair of Grunwick 40). The discussion will be chaired by Parvathi Raman of the SOAS Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies who have co-organised the event. Admission is free and there's no need to book, just turn up at 7pm to the Khalili Lecture Theatre at SOAS (Click here for details and a map).

The legal ruling last week on Uber drivers' employment rights has brought into sharp focus the issues of the so-called "gig economy" where many migrant workers are now concentrated. On 26th November we'll be bringing together activists, trade unionists, campaigners and thinkers, to discuss the legacy of the Grunwick strike and the new terrains for resistance. We'll be tracing the thread of what links Grunwick to current struggles for justice and participants will include the Durham teaching assistants and others currently in dispute. "From Grunwick to Deliveroo: getting organised, getting unionised" takes place from 10am-4.30pm in Willesden. Admission is free but registration is essential. Click here to book.

Finally, we are still working on the permissions and the paperwork for the unveiling of the mural and hope to make an announcement soon. In the meantime you can get a sneak preview of some of the work that went into the mural at the "We Are The Lions exhibition".

We look forward to seeing you either at the exhibition or at one of our November events.

Yours 

The Grunwick 40 team

Does Fairtrade have a future? Public debate November 17th

PUBLIC DEBATE ON FAIRTRADE

KENSAL GREEN ON THURS 17 NOV

Brent Fairtrade Network is joining with Fairtrade groups in Harrow, Ealing, Hounslow, Richmond and Kingston to host a debate on the future of Fairtrade on

Thursday 17 November 7-9 pm at St Martin’s Church, Kensal Green,

Mortimer Road, NW10 5SN.

All are welcome and entry is free. We shall be discussing topics such as the following:

•   Is the Fairtrade model still a good one?

•   Why not a Fairtrade label for manufactured goods?

•   Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade: are two labels needed?

•   Why do we need the Fairtrade Sourcing Programme?

•   Workers’ wages and rights raised by the critical SOAS report in 2014 “Fairtrade, Employment and Poverty Reduction in Ethiopia and Uganda”

•   What is the future of ethical certification?

•   How should Fairtrade respond to the proliferation of schemes?

We have a great line up of speakers to discuss these topics with:

•   Anne Cooper, Oxfam

•   Barbara Crowther, Fairtrade Foundation

•   Stuart Singleton-White, Rainforest Alliance

•   Vidya Rangan, ISEAL: global movement of sustainability standards

The event starts at 7 pm with Fairtrade refreshments and stall: bring cash or cheques for early Christmas shopping. From 7.30 pm we shall hear briefly from the speakers on the topics above before opening up discussion, ending by 9 pm. 

If you plan to attend please register: www.eventbrite.com/e/does-fairtrade-have-a-future-tickets-28817702524  This helps us with the planning – but you are welcome to come even without registering.

The Autumn glory of a Brent council estate

There are many stereotypes surrounding council estates and impressed by the beauty of the King's Drive/Pilgrims Way estate in Wembley I thought I would share some pictures with you that will perhaps challenge the stereotype and show that social housing estates can be beautiful.

The estate is in a corner of what is now Fryent Country park and is built on part of a larger site on which prefabs (temporary housing for bombed out families) were built by German prisoners of war in 1946-7.  The majority of the housing is still rented or lease holder with some private after the council right-to-buy of the Thatcher era.

A claim to fame is that Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts lived on the estate and was expelled from his home to practise his drumming in the surrounding fields. Follow these links for more LINK LINK LINK

Accounts of the time speak of the 200 or so prefab children who used to play in what seemed like countryside surrounding the prefabs and today it is still a wonderful rare place for children to be able to play out safely with their friends.  They can have adventures, play hide and seek and pick blackberries just 15 minutes walk from Wembley Stadium.

Built on a gentle slope which goes down to Fryent Way with Barn Hill to the north the estate benefits from the retention of many mature trees when the prefabs were replaced with blocks of flats and staggered terraced housing in the 80s.

The trees enhance the estate not just with their beauty but as a habitat for birds and mopping up air pollution, screening traffic noise and providing cool in the hottest of summers. I always notice a difference when I get home after a hot and dusty day in Central London.

Some of the trees, particularly the flowering cherries, are at the end of their lifetime and I do hope that Brent Housing Partnership will replace them to preserve the estate's beauty. Another problem is that Veolia, the council's Public Realm contractor, has a habit of taking a chainsaw to shrubs and,  irrespective of their natural shape, reducing them to cuboids or spheres sheering off buds or berries.

I have posted a gallery of pictures below which I hope illustrate the power of trees to enhance a semi-urban landscape:

Cracks appear in Labour's approach to pavements as Barnet Labour calls for choice

 

Image from RAT - Resistance Against Tarmac

So, continuing to look at what our neighbouring boroughs are doing and saying, here is Barnet Labour Party (in opposition) taking a rather different approach  to Brent Labour (in power) on the tarmac versus paving debate.  LINK:
 

Tarmac v Paving: Labour call for residents to be given a choice over pavement resurfacing

Labour councillors are calling for residents to be given a choice between tarmac and paving slabs for pavement resurfacing after receiving complaints about newly completed tarmac treatments in Beresford Road, East Finchley, and a petition from residents living in Granville Road N12.

The Granville Road petition, which will be discussed at the Finchley & Golders Green Area Committee on 26 October, says: “The overwhelming majority of people we spoke to do not want a cheaper tarmac surface on the pavements if this is indeed the proposal. There are many concerns about how it will look, that it will bring down the appearance of the road, that it will be uneven, that it won't last and will crack, that it will become sticky in the summer, that it will encourage even more vehicle drivers to mount the pavement.”

The petition also states that residents are given only two weeks’ notice of pavement works with no real way to respond as the contact number given on the letters is not answered and messages left have not been returned by the Council.

Barnet Council has received seven separate complaints from residents in Beresford Road about the tarmac resurfacing recently completed there which has featured in the Evening Standard on 13 October.

The Conservative-run Council are planning to save £550,000 in reactive road and pavement maintenance by moving to different resurfacing methods. For pavements this means completely replacing paving with tarmac or using tarmac with some block paving for vehicle crossovers and margins. Only pavements in town centres and conservation areas will have paving slabs replaced.

The new tarmac pavement treatments form part of plans by the Council to spend £50m on road and pavement resurfacing across the borough between 2015-2020. However, the Council’s published news release on the issue (20 October) showed a picture of paving slabs being used rather than tarmac. Labour councillors believe this is misleading to the public. The letters sent to residents have also been totally misleading as they have stated "we will be laying paving in your road", despite the fact the Council intends to use tarmac.

Labour councillors have also highlighted complaints from residents about the cheaper road surface dressing that leaves loose chips on roads.

Repair of roads and quality of pavements are two of the lowest rated universal services in Barnet according to the Council’s most recent Residents’ Perception Survey.

Only 27% of residents responding to the Survey rated repair of roads highly – 14% points lower than London (41%), and down 8% points from autumn 2015 (35%); and only 33% of residents rated quality of pavements highly – 8% points lower than London (41%), and down 1% point on autumn 2015 (34%).

The Survey also showed that the state of roads and pavements is the second highest concern amongst residents.

Barnet Labour's Environment Spokesperson, Cllr Alan Schneiderman said:

The decision to use tarmac rather than paving stones has been imposed without residents being consulted. Residents have also been misled by being sent letters saying that paving will be laid in their road when in fact they have no choice but tarmac.

We need to do all we can to minimise trips and falls and repair footways, but I want to see residents given a choice between using paving stones or tarmac for their road.

Wembley Matters additional comment:

Just in case one of the Brent Conervatibe groups wants to take up the issue this is what Barnet Conservatives (in power) had to say LINK:

According to Cllr Dean Cohen, Conservative for Golders Green, asphalt is being used in “appropriate areas” because it is “safer, more durable and cheaper to maintain over their life”.

Cllr Cohen, who chairs the environment committee, said: “We know that the quality of pavements is a top priority for residents which is why we are investing £8m this year alone on footways.

“Asphalt surfaces enable a greater number of roads to benefit from the programme of investment – this was a committee decision which Labour members did not oppose.

“The council will continue to engage with residents as clearly as possible ahead of work taking place."

Camden Council leader condemns lack of political oversight and public engagement in STP

It is often instructive to look at what Councils in our neighbouring boroughs are doing and saying. This is a press release from Camden's Labour leader. Camden's STP is different from the NW London plan which includes Brent but the overall approach is the same.
 

The NHS in the north central London area – which represents Camden, Haringey, Islington, Barnet and Enfield – has submitted a draft Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) to NHS England.

This has been developed by a host of NHS organisations with the support of officials from the area’s local authorities to propose changes to the way services are delivered, to make them more effective and efficient.

Councillor Sarah Hayward, Leader of Camden Council, said:

There is a national crisis in both the health and social care systems - both need to change and we recognise that they could be more efficient. That said, I have serious reservations about the Sustainability and Transformation Plan process so far.

There has been no political oversight, and minimal public and patient engagement. At present, there is a lack of appropriate focus on adult social care. That lack of public, patient and political involvement is why I am publishing this document on our website. It is vital that there is full transparency in Camden as this work progresses.

The next stage is for the bodies involved to respond to this draft plan and we will be consulting residents and patients on our response over the coming weeks. Local Authorities see first-hand the impact of the profound health inequalities that exist in the north central London area. In the light of this, we’ll be using our role to influence the future quality of local social care and to improve the health and wellbeing of our residents.

As the provider and commissioner of social care services in Camden we want to be sure that future needs are reflected in this plan. We will be holding a number of public events to gather the views of residents before our response to the draft plan is considered in public by Camden’s cabinet.

GMB puts employers on notice after Uber victory

Great money? £5.03 an hour after costs and fees.

 From the GMB union

 Similar contracts masquerading as bogus self employment will all be reviewed says GMB

GMB, the union for professional drivers, has won their case against Uber as the London Employment Tribunal has determined that Uber has acted unlawfully by not providing drivers with basic workers’ rights. (see notes to editors for previous press releases)

GMB brought two test cases to the Central London Employment Tribunal on 20 July 2016 and it has decided that Uber drivers are entitled to receive holiday pay, a guaranteed minimum wage and an entitlement to breaks. The Tribunal decision will have major implications for over 30,000 drivers in London and across England and Wales and for workers in other occupations.

GMB found last year that a member working exclusively for Uber received just £5.03 per hour in August after costs and fees were taken into account, significantly below the national minimum wage of £7.20. Lawyers for the drivers also argued that Uber acts unlawfully by frequently deducting sums from drivers’ pay, often without informing the drivers in advance, including when customers make complaints.

Maria Ludkin, GMB Legal Director, said:

This is a monumental victory that will have a hugely positive impact on over 30,000 drivers in London and across England and Wales and for thousands more in other industries where bogus self-employment is rife.

Uber drivers and other directed workers do have legal rights at work. The question for them now is how those rights are enforced in practice. The clear answer is that the workforce must combine into the GMB union to force the company to recognise these rights and to negotiate fair terms and conditions for the drivers.

This loophole that has allowed unscrupulous employers to avoid employment rights, sick pay and minimum wage for their staff and costing the government millions in lost tax revenue will now be closed.

Uber drivers and thousands of others caught in the bogus self-employment trap will now enjoy the same rights as employees. This outcome will be good for passengers too. Properly rewarded drivers are the same side of the coin as drivers who are properly licensed and driving well maintained and insured vehicles.

GMB will be getting on with the business of campaigning and recruiting at Uber to ensure our members’ rights are respected.

GMB will give evidence to the new Taylor review on terms and conditions within the sectors of the economy offering precarious employment. We will make the case that average hours worked over the past 12 weeks should be deemed to be the contracted hours of work for those on zero hours as it already is for maximum hours of work under the Working Time Directive.

GMB puts employers on notice that we are reviewing similar contracts masquerading as bogus self employment, particularly prevalent in the so called ‘gig economy’. This is old fashioned exploitation under newfangled jargon, but the law will force you to pay GMB members what they are rightfully due.

 Nigel Mackay, Leigh Day employment lawyer, said:

We are delighted that the Employment Tribunal has found in favour of our clients.

This judgment acknowledges the central contribution that Uber’s drivers have made to Uber’s success by confirming that its drivers are not self-employed but that they work for Uber as part of the company’s business.

Uber drivers often work very long hours just to earn enough to cover their basic living costs. It is the work carried out by these drivers that has allowed Uber to become the multi-billion-dollar global corporation it is.

We are pleased that the employment tribunal has agreed with our arguments that drivers are entitled to the most basic workers’ rights, including to be paid the National Minimum Wage and to receive paid holiday, which were previously denied to them.

This is a ground-breaking decision. It will impact not just on the thousands of Uber drivers working in this country, but on all workers in the so-called gig economy whose employers wrongly classify them as self-employed and deny them the rights to which they are entitled.

Pro-Heathrow Cllr Stopp throws his hat into Richmond by-election ring

Sam Stopp, the Labour councillor for Wembley Central, has signalled via Twitter, that he intends to put himself forward as the Labour candidate for Richmond in the wake of Zac Goldsmith's resignation over Heathrow.

The Liberal Democrats are the second party in Richmond and Labour MP Clive Lewis has urged Labour to stand down to enable a Tory defeat.

Stopp is adamant that Labour should stand and has said he will stand on a pro-Heathrow third runway ticket advocating growth and job creation.

Stopp was a supporter of Yvette Cooper's leadership bid and this time round supported Owen Smith, declaring that he was embarrassed by Brent Central's support for Corbyn.

He rejects any notion of a progressive alliance whilst we still have a first past the post elelction system.

Cllr Stopp is Chair of the Labour Campaign to End Homelessness.

Brent Council Tax set to rise by 3.99% in 2017-18 and 2018-19

This is the official Decision Minute of Monday's Brent Cabinet meeting:

Budget Proposals 2017/18 – 2018/19 PDF 299 KB

• View the background to item 6.
• View the decision for item 6.

This report sets out draft budget proposals for 2017/18 and 2018/19.  Subject to the results of consultation it is envisaged that these would then form the basis of the budget to be agreed at the Full Council meeting of February 2017.

Additional documents:

• Appendix One - Previously Agreed Savings , item 6. HTM 2 KB
• Appendix Two - Summary of New Policy Proposals , item 6. HTM 2 KB
• Appendix Three - Detailed New Policy Options , item 6. PDF 159 KB

Decision:

1.    Cabinet noted the overall financial position.

2.    Cabinet endorsed the savings previously agreed, as set out in Appendix One.

3.    Cabinet agreed to consult on new draft policy options, as summarised in Appendix two and detailed in Appendix Three.

4.    Cabinet agreed to consult on council tax increases of 3.99% in each of 2017/18 and 2018/19.

5.    Cabinet endorsed the technical assumptions underpinning the budget as set out throughout the report.

6.    Cabinet authorised the drawdown of further capital resources to support delivery of the temporary accommodation reform plan, as set out on paragraph 6.7.