E-Bulletin, Issue 14 - February/March 2008
Welcome from Unite North West Regional Secretary,
Laurence Faircloth
Two issues are converging that demonstrate the imbalance of
the laws relating to both tax and worker rights.
The government is coming under intense attack
from business groups, and even a government Minister, all be it
Digby Jones, on its' plans to tax so-called 'non-dom residents',
the very wealthy people who live here in the UK but claim this
status in order to take full advantage of generous tax
concessions.
The government's move is a welcome one but
will still mean that these people will only be subject to a flat
rate £30,000 tax per annum, a very modest amount given these
individuals mega wealth.
Unite believes that these people have been
able to evade their tax obligations for too long and that it's
about time that non-doms gave something back to the country, the
economy and the workers who very often have helped them generate
this wealth.
This includes the estimated 75% of senior
staff at private equity firms who maintain non dom status and, by
their own admission, pay less tax than their cleaners. Recent
research has demonstrated that a sum in excess of £4.3 billion
would be raised if the non-doms rule was abolished
altogether.
As well as sharing their wealth, Unite
believes that it's time for private equiteers to share information
too. Currently, the law allows Private Equity consortia not to have
to inform or consult with their workers in buy-out situations and
leave them in the dark on issues relating to jobs, pensions and
plans for the company. We believe this is wrong and that workers in
Private Equity companies should be given the same TUPE terms and
conditions as other workers who have a new employer.
That's why we're backing John Heppell's Bill
on March 7th. Please read the full story and how you can support it
later in the bulletin.
Unite challenge Chief Executive over
Rolls-Royce closure
Unite challenged Sir John Rose, Chief
Executive of Rolls-Royce, at a Parliamentary select committee last
month on the company’s decision to close its plant in Bootle and
move production to America.
Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley) and Tony Wright (Great
Yarmouth) Co-Chairs of the Unite/Amicus Parliamentary Group and MPs
on the Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Select Committee
questioned the Chief Executive on why the company decided to pull
the plug on production at the Rolls-Royce plant in Merseyside
costing more than 200 highly skilled jobs.
Sir John Rose had been asked to give evidence
on the future of high value-added manufacturing in the UK in front
of the select committee at Portcullis House, London. Rolls-Royce
workers from the threatened Bootle plant and from other Rolls Royce
sites across the UK also attended the inquiry.
Hundreds of people turned out for a rally in
Liverpool in protest against the decision to close its Bootle
factory last month.
Deal on pensions reached at
Goodrich
Workers at aerospace company Goodrich have clinched a deal on
pensions following a one day strike held on Monday 28th
January and a continuous ban on overtime.
Whilst the union is disappointed that the
final salary scheme will remain closed to new entrants, a ground
breaking deal has been reached that will secure the scheme for
existing members going forward. The company has guaranteed that it
will not make any changes to the scheme for the next 5 years.
Unite national officers, John Rowse and Bernie
Hamilton said: "Unite is disappointed that new staff
will no longer be eligible to join the final salary pension scheme.
However, the scheme remains open for existing staff and the union
has clinched a ground breaking deal with Goodrich which guarantees
no changes to the scheme for at least the next five years. This is
an industry first and to date is virtually unheard
of."
Increases in contribution rates have been
agreed but will be phased in over two years. The cost of the
increase will be partly offset by two instalments of £250 over the
two year period.
Goodrich employs 1600 staff based across
the country including Merseyside.
Unite brings Lil-lets boycott campaign to the North
West
Unite will be calling on people across the North West to join their
campaign to boycott Lil-lets products at this year’s International
Women’s Day event in Manchester.
Unite officials and representatives will be handing out leaflets
on Saturday 8th March at Manchester Town Hall to encourage the
public to think again before buying Lil-lets products.
Leaflets explaining why the general public should support the 150
Lil-lets workers who lost their jobs when production was sent
abroad to Taiwan and Poland will be handed out.
Unite Regional Officer, Lawrence Chapple-Gill said:
“We are asking the local community to support our
campaign by boycotting Lil-lets until the company reconsiders its
decision and ensures that the workers get the pension
they had hoped for.
The Unite campaign aims to build pressure on the company to
persuade Lil-lets’ private equity owner’s Electra to give
discretionary pension payments to the redundant workers over
50. Unite believes a boycott of Lil-lets is the best way to
make the private equity company do what we believe is the right
thing.
If any colleagues are interested in helping please
meet at Manchester Town Hall from 10.30 am on Saturday 8th March.
For further information on the campaign please click
here.
MPs vote for fairness for temporary
and agency workers
Overwhelming support from 147 Labour MPs for a
private members bill that could give agency workers the same rights
as directly employed staff forced Prime Minister, Gordon Brown into
meeting with union leaders.
Unite joint general secretary, Tony Woodley
and other union leaders met with the Prime Minister to press home
the union demands for legislation that would protect vulnerable
agency workers.
As part of the campaign run up to the vote
Unite sent an undercover operative to work for agencies across the
West Midlands. Simon kept a diary of his experiences working for
these agencies which you can view by clicking
here.
Equal Treatment for UK Agency Meat
Workers: Tell Marks & Spencer to 'Look Behind the
Label'!
Unite is stepping up its campaign for equity
for UK meat workers.
Marks and Spencer claims to be one of the
leading ethical supermarkets but Unite has evidence that there is
widespread discrimination in the treatment of workers in the meat
supply chain. A permanent two-tier workforce amongst many suppliers
has been created, starting conflict between migrant and indigenous
workers and helping cause community disharmony.
On Wednesday 27th February, Unite placed an
advert on Google calling on viewers to 'Look Behind The
Label' and check the reality for workers producing M&S meat and
poultry. More than 40,000 people viewed the ad during the
course of the day.
Joint General Secretary, Tony Woodley, said:
“M&S and other retailers must face up to their
responsibilities and start putting workers, communities and
consumers first.
“M&S must show respect for
workers in its supply chain and insist that the meat supply
industry ends exploitation and discrimination.”
To support the campaign, you can send a
message to M&S corporate management by clicking here.
Copies will be automatically sent to
Unite.
For further information about the campaign
click
here.
Fury as AKZO Nobel axes 109 jobs in
Darwen, Lancashire
Unite are shocked and angry by AKZO Nobel’s
announcement that they intend to close their industrial finishes
unit in Darwen and move production to Sweden with the loss of 109
local jobs.
Workers at the plant are surprised by the
company’s very sudden decision as January has been the best month
for the plant in 5 years and they had only recently been promised
that the plant had a bright future.
Unite is convinced that AKZO Nobel, one of the
biggest worldwide paint and coatings manufacturers and a major
supplier of specialty chemicals, has a very viable future in
Darwen.
Unite Regional Officer, Peter Wheeler, said:
“Unite is determined to ensure these jobs stay in
Darwen both for the workforce and the local community. This is no
way for the company to reward their hard working and conscientious
staff.
“These job losses would be another
nail in the coffin for Darwen's manufacturing industry and will
have a devastating effect on the local economy.”
Unite are now seeking an urgent meeting with
the management to discuss this announcement and the future of the
plant.
Response to US Airbus contract
announcement
Unite has welcomed a US military contract
which will help to safeguard thousands of UK jobs.
Bernie Hamilton, Unite National 0fficer for
the Aerospace industry, said: "This safeguards
thousands of jobs in the UK at plants in Filton and Broughton. This
contract was won against stiff competition from Boeing and
reinforces the fact that the UK aerospace industry is a world
leader in wing technology.
"The UK government should also be
commended for its efforts in helping to win this
contract."
Unite sponsor major anti-racism
carnival
Unite has joined up with Love Music Hate
Racism to mark the anniversary of the iconic 1978 Rock Against
Racism (RAR) carnival and march. Unite are the main sponsor of the
event which is being billed as the biggest anti-racism event to be
held in London for 30 years.
The event is being held on Sunday
27th April at Victoria Park, London, E3.
Unite Joint General Secretary, Derek Simpson,
says:
“Events like these that bring
people together are vital to helping suppress the threat we face
from racist organisations. These organisations are attempting to
gain votes by playing off people’s disenchantment with politics and
their insecurities.
“Unite is proud to support this
event which will send out a strong message of unity to 80,000
Londoners days before the Greater London Authority election for
London Mayor on May 1st.”
1978 headliner Tom Robinson is confirmed to
appear along with Babyshambles, The Paddingtons, Roll Deep, Fionn
Regan, Natty and Ace & Invisible.
For the latest information on the event visit
http://www.lmhrcarnival.com/
Equity for private equity
employees
Hot on the heels of the success of the Agency
Workers Private Members Bill, Unite is giving its backing to a
second Private Members Bill that would give workers in companies
that have been bought out by private equity consortiums TUPE
protections.
Currently TUPE protections for workers and
rights to information and consultation do not apply in cases of
private equity buyouts and the number of workers affected is
increasing rapidly with one in five private sector workers in the
UK already employed by private equity concerns.
Help us win backing for John Heppell MP’s Bill
that will give transparency to millions of workers by asking your
MP to attend the bill’s second hearing on Friday 7th
March.
Click here
to link in to a letter to email to your MP.
To email your MP click here.
Unite reaction to AstraZeneca's
proposed job cuts
Unite has grave concerns that AstraZeneca's
proposed job cuts of 310 skilled scientific roles from its Alderley
Park, Cheshire site will have not only a drastic effect on the
local area but also that of the wider UK.
Unite says that the loss of these highly
skilled jobs will have a significant effect on the UK
pharmaceutical industry, which is currently a world leader, and its
ability to develop and discover new drugs.
Pharmaceutical companies add significant value
to the UK economy. The industry spends £3.2billon on research and
development in the UK, accounting for almost 10% of global R&D
spending.
Unite National Officer, Linda McCulloch, said:
“Pharmaceutical research is vital to the industry
itself and to the overall prosperity of the UK. We believe that the
loss of these highly skilled roles will have long term detrimental
effects on the economy and the UK skills base.
“Unite also has concerns that
people will be deterred from studying science subjects in school
and university which again will have damaging consequences of the
UK’s ability to compete in the global economy.
“We will be strongly representing
the views of our members and trying to mitigate these proposed
redundancies. We will
initially be supporting our local representatives to
minimiseany compulsory
redundancies.”
Northern Rock employees finally get a
voice
Unite Joint General Secretary, Derek Simpson,
visited employees of Northern Rock in Newcastle and Sunderland last
week, following news of the government’s plan for
nationalisation.
His visit to Northern Rock coincided with an
appearance on the panel of BBC Question Time which Derek used to
stress the importance of safeguarding member’s jobs and conditions
of employment.
The General Secretary has written to Alistair
Darling, Chancellor of the Exchequer and the new chairman, Ron
Sandler to set out the demands of the workforce for the publicly
owned bank including a workforce representative on the new
management board of the company and no compulsory redundancies.
Derek Simpson said: “Our members
in Northern Rock have endured many months of uncertainty and
insecurity as a result of the failure of the bank. They were not
responsible for the failure of the bank and they should not be
expected to pay the price for it.
“Now that Northern Rock has been
taken into public ownership the government and the new management
of the company have the opportunity, and we believe a moral
obligation to recognise the value of the staff and their rights as
stakeholders.”
Unite member gets five figure payout
for unfair dismissal
A Unite member has been paid a five figure sum by NTS, a railway
maintenance company based in Preston after the company dismissed
him following his wife's death.
Glyne Greenidge of Preston, Lancashire had
worked for the company since 2003 and was a trade union convenor at
the site. He says he believes he was persecuted by the company for
undertaking trade union duties on behalf of Unite members at the
company.
Mr Greenidge took a case against NTS for
unfair dismissal after the company sacked him when he took time off
work to care for his dying wife at home, despite the fact his
managers had previously told him he could take as much time off
work as he needed.
With the support of Unite and Thompsons
solicitors Mr Greenidge started tribunal proceedings against NTS
but the company agreed to settle on the day the case was due to be
heard.
Dave Gorton, Regional Officer for Unite trade
union, said: "We are delighted that NTS had the good
grace to settle this case without putting Mr Greenidge through the
further trauma of a Tribunal hearing. Unite believe that Glyne
Greenidge was persecuted by the company because he assisted
colleagues at the plant to stand up to management as a trade union
steward. NTS tried to use Mr Greenidge's sad situation to their
advantage.
I hope this is a lesson for NTS
and any other employer that feels they can bully and intimidate
workers undertaking trade union duties on behalf of their
colleagues."
Mr Greenidge is still looking for work. He was
dismissed by the company in February 2007.
Dates for Diary
Area Quarterly Meetings:
Manchester
12 February,
20 May, 19 August, 18 November
Meetings commence at 7.00 pm at the Unite
Regional Office, Bury New Road, Prestwich, Manchester.
Lancashire
20 February,
20 May, 20 August, 19 November
Meetings commence at 7.00 pm at the County
Hall, Preston.
Cheshire
5 March, 11
June, 3 September, 3 December
Area Committee meetings commence at 6.00 pm.
Main meetings commence at 7.00 pm at Legends (Bentley Motors),
Speed 8 Suite, Sunnybank Road, Crewe, Cheshire.
Merseyside
9 April, 9
July, 8 October
Meetings commence at 7.00 pm at Blackburne
House, off Hope Street, Liverpool
Cumbria
3 March, 2 June,
1 September, 1 December
Meetings commence at 7.00 pm at Washington
Central Hotel, Workington.
Isle of Man
11 March, 10
June, 16 September, 9 December
Meetings commence at 6.30 pm at the Empress
Hotel, Douglas, Isle of Man.
Please make a note of theses dates
in your diary of your local meeting as no further reminders will be
sent. Delegates may only attend their local Area Quarterly
meeting.
Workers Memorial Day – 28th
April
Workers Memorial Day events are being
organised across the North West to remember those who have died or
suffered ill health and injury at work.
Chorley – a service will take
place at the Unite Workers Memorial Tree in Astley Park, Chorley on
Friday 25th April. The service will commence at
6.00 pm – meet at the Park gate (Park Road) at 5.50 pm – all
welcome. For further information please contact Steve Turner
on 07859369492.
Manchester–
Rally at Peace Gardens from 11.30am on Monday 28th April.
Refreshments at the Mechanics Institute afterwards.
More details to follow. For further
information on Workers Memorial Day please visit http://www.amicustheunion,org/wmd/.
City of Manchester 10K – Sunday
6th July 2008
Manchester YMCA Harriers are proud to announce
the details of their annual road race. Run for yourself,
nominated charity cystic fibrosis or for a charity of your
choice. On line entries are now open click
here.
For further information please contact Graham
Jackson at Manchester YMCA Harrier at
grahamjackson7@btinternet.com
or telephone Graham on 0161 740 7277.
This bulletin has been produced by
Karen Viquerat, if you have any stories or contributions please
email karen.viquerat@unitetheunion.org or telephone Karen on 01704
546 500.
