From Hackney UNISON

Friends, Please use your own lists to forward this message to trade union activists and community
campaigners.

Hackney Unison Local Government branch is in urgent
need of support and solidarity. We are making an
appeal for financial assistance and for delegations
to our picket lines and lobby.

The branch, representing 2,500 Hackney Council
workers has been in disputewith the employer
for over a year. The council is in deep financial
trouble due to failed privatisation, and chronic
underfunding. The council's response was to
sack its workforce and offer them their jobs
back with lower pay, longer hours and less holidays. Despite six days of strike action, the council
refused to back down, and eventually imposed
the cuts in terms and conditions in October this year.

Less than eight weeks later, next week,  on Wednesday 28 November, the council plans to rush through £50 million of cuts. These cuts will devastate
services to one of Britain's most deprived communities. Hundreds of council workers jobs will go, and services that this community have a right to
expect will no longer be delivered.

Earlier in the year the employer sacked a trade union negotiator over issues
arising directly out of his participation in trade union duties. The Unison
branch is also facing effective de-recognition. Facility time arrangements
are being cut, with the employer targeting the Unison equalities officer.

The attack on the equalities officer appears to be the employers 'revenge'
after Unison's success in convincing the Commission for Racial Equality to
serve a non-discrimination notice on the council. Unison had exposed how the
Managing Director (Chief Executive) had colluded with racism by doctoring
the findings of an investigation presented to a disciplinary hearing. As
well as removing time off for trade union duties, the employer is now
expecting the union to pay for the use of office accommodation, and even for
the use of a telephone, which should be provided free under legislation and
ACAS guidance covering recognition. They even want to charge us when our
stewards are absent from their workplaces undertaking trade union duties. We
believe the sole intention is to prevent us representing our members and
campaigning for social justice in Hackney

Despite all of these set backs, the branch is alive and kicking. Our members
in Libraries will be on strike on Saturday 24 November, in protest at the
withdrawal of Saturday enhanced pay. Workers will strike every Saturday
until the enhancement is re-instated. We are soon to ballot our grounds
maintenance staff over cuts in their pay.

On Wednesday 28 November we will be staging a lobby in conjunction with the
local community protesting at the next round of government inspired cuts.
The government has required a further £50 million of savings. Neither
Hackney workers nor the community can afford to allow this to happen. A
branch wide ballot has been requested from Unison.

The branch is also pursuing a strategy of collective Employment Tribunal
applications arising out of the terms and conditions dispute. These include,
Unfair Dismissal, Sex Discrimination, less favourable treatment on the basis
of trade union membership, unlawful deductions of wages, and breach of the
equal pay act.

It is not clear at this stage whether Unison will support any of these
claims, they have consistently indicated that the claims fall short of the
notorious 50% rule, which means Unison only takes claims it is confident of
winning, and drops cases that are more difficult. Early indications are that
Unison may pursue the unlawful deduction of wages claims, we have a member
with legal costs insurance whose insurance company will pursue the unlawful
dismissal (which Unison will not), and we are seeking support from the Equal
Opportunities Commission to pursue the sex discrimination claim.

The branch has also established a local fund to pursue the claims, Unison
rules preclude us from using our branch funding to pursue these claims, and
we have established a separate fund to do so. This is a fund held on 'trust'
and will be fully audited at the end of the financial year.


We are seeking solidarity donations from trade union branches. The
dismemberment of Hackney Council, is part of an ideological offensive by the
Labour government aimed at accelerating privatisation, and abandoning
working class communities to poverty and exclusion. If we lose here in
Hackney, the grotesque social experiment will be applied to other failing
boroughs. We are appealing for donations for three purposes; to support our
industrial action fund, (to pay strike pay), to support our general campaign
fund (hire of halls, public meetings, positively public campaigning, adverts
in the local papers etc) and to support our legal strategy. All donations
should be made payable to 'Hackney Unison'  with an indication of how the
funds should be apportioned

Thank you for your support.

John Page
Branch Secretary Hackney Unison