Renationalise. Do it please Mr Ed.

Please read this and sharehttp://labourlist.org/2013/10/labour-should-stick-to-the-centre-ground-and-advocate-renationalisation/.

CWU Disability Conference report

Capability tests and benefits cuts become a matter of life and death

29th October 2013
Life for disabled people in the workplace and in general society has got worse under the ConDem government to such an extent that lives are at risk. That was the resounding message from this year's CWU Disability Conference.

Delegates from across the UK met in Chester on 26th October and shared their experiences of the daily tragic impact of benefit cuts on disabled members. People are attempting suicide under the stress while others are dying in poverty while awaiting the results of appeals against essential income being taken away, conference heard.

Calls for action included active support for groups campaigning for the repeal of the bedroom tax, and the replacement of Atos - the occupational health adviser employed by Royal Mail and also the work test assessor and subsequent disability benefit adviser employed by the Government.

Marion Brain (Birmingham, Black Country and Worcester branch) said that Atos had left one of her branch members without a penny for six weeks: "Instead of removing the barriers to disabled people they are making the barriers higher. We have to oppose this company. They are only concerned about making money."

Disability Advisory Committee (DAC) member Brian Booth listed some of the fundamental problems: "People can't have face to face meetings when they need them, the person is distraught, reports are rubbish and they quite happily ill health retire our members then have to wait, subject to appeal, for very lengthy periods of time. What that does to an individual's health is atrocious. "

Brian reminded delegates that Atos are also used by the government and that, out of the 1.8 million cases that the company judged as fit for work, 600,00 went to appeal and a third of these won. "Some people who have been judged fit to work went on to die before their appeal was heard, which is disgusting. We don't think Atos is fit for purpose," he said.
Tony Pedel from York and District Amal branch described Atos as Royal Mail's vehicle for threats, intimidation and removing people from the company.

Conference also urged the union to get BT to end the company's increasing emphasis on managing people with a medical condition out of their role where they are still capable of undertaking it. They said BT is driving through unfair performance targets but not making reasonable adjustments for people with disabilities.

There was a string of examples from speakers who knew of disabled members who have been undertaking the same role for years, but are now being pushed out of their jobs by BT because the company is increasingly using and abusing MCC process (managing changing capabilities).

Jason Reynolds (Capital branch) explained: "These members are having their jobs taken away where all that has changed is the targets. They are being made unemployable without reasonable adjustment. This questions where it leaves BT with the Disability Discrimination Act."

Gail Wright, (Birmingham, Black Country and Worcester) told conference: "We've had three people attempt suicide this year by people told they could be out of a job". Afterwards Gail added: "Their situations were made worse by the issues brought up by discrimination at work due to their disability. And its not just happening at our branch."

Joyce Stevenson from Scotland No. 1 branch was among the who attacked BT's target culture. "BT just seems to be about unfair performance targets. When people ask for an explanation as to how they have set a target it seems to be a target plucked out of the air."

Describing his own experience, one speaker recalled: "The problem is that the managers don't have a clue. I was put on the MCC process but they concentrated on what I couldn't do, not what I could do."

DAC member Jeffrey Till said too many managers ignore the fact that "the process is supposed to be about them doing everything they can to keep you in the job you are doing."

Anne Nickolson was among those who pointed to BT's contradiction in public appearance and actual approach: "They employ disabled people but don't do a lot about keeping them."

Meanwhile, the Conference supported the DAC motion for the union to negotiate with Royal Mail on the introduction of a reasonable adjustments card system with all businesses in the Royal Mail Group.

Looking beyond the workplace, delegates agreed that the union should back the abolition of the bedroom tax encouraging support of groups such as Disabled People Against the Cuts (DPAC) and the Anti Bedroom Tax Federation.

West London branch's Linda Kietz said: "Many disabled people need an extra bedroom. The bedroom tax needs to be repealed now and we must support the groups fighting for this. If it's not bad enough being disabled, you've got Atos on your back and now the bedroom tax."

The law only affects people in council or housing association homes who are deemed to have a spare room, forcing people to pay extra rent, or move. DAC member Annmarie McCall pointed out that the bedroom tax only hits vulnerable people in our society.

Guest speaker Adam Lotun from DPAC, addressing delegates from his wheelchair: "The bedroom tax is an abhorrent piece of legislation. There are so many things wrong with it. It is unfair, undemocratic and downright immoral".

He is among the thousands of disabled people fighting to reclaim justified and essential benefits that have been taken from them after years.
"We estimate that about 1,700 people have died or committed suicide when they've been told they have lost their benefits or their job; some have died while waiting on appeal," Adam concluded.

General secretary Billy Hayes told Conference: "When you hear the distressing stories about the bedroom tax you know what a scandal it is. Eighty per cent of people with severe disabilities across the EU do not have a job. It's quite clear that we are not all in this together." He said that an increase in hate crime against disabled people was "exacerbated by the dehumanising narrative of the media."

He congratulated the tireless work carried out by the DAC, supported its continued success in campaigning on behalf of the most vulnerable in society, and said that lobbying remains important because "this government is no friend of disabled people". Further success by the union means "We've got to move from being the patient to being the doctor. That means we have to solve things," said Billy.

The proportionality and representation review is a major focus of the union, he said, to ensure that that the union's structures are representative of its members.

"Hidden" disabilities came under the spotlight when Conference delegates agreed that the union should hold an awareness week to make union activists, workers and managers aware of the needs of people with disabilities such as chronic fatigue syndrome, schizophrenia, depression and anxiety. Another discussion supported the need to increase awareness of of neurodiversity and the impact that conditions such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and attention deficit disorder have on people in the workplace.

Read Billy's speech in full on Billy's blog.

National equality officer, Linda Roy and DAC chair Tony Sneddon set the tone for some of the key themes of the conference when they opened the event.

"Support for disabled people is being eroded by this Government," stressed Linda. "We will do everything we can to give disabled people a voice through campaigning, talking to employers, taking employers to task and lobbying Parliament."

Tony added: "Austerity measures are putting disabled people at severe disadvantages compared to our able bodied colleagues. Disabled people are poor and fifty per cent live in poverty. We will continue the fight against discrimination and unfair and unjust treatment."

Also guest speaking was Ruth Stafferton who was invited to explain the work of Cancer Research UK, which depends entirely on donations. The biggest proportion of its expenditure is on laboratory research on cells. Thanks to the charity's groundbreaking work on early diagnosis, prevention and drug trials, survival rates have dramatically improved since the 1970s. However, explained Ruth, the charity's forthcoming challenge will be dealing with rarer cancers which people will develop having survived initial cancers.

Post Office staff to strike wit Royal Mail on Monday

From: Sian Jones
Sent: 29 October 2013 13:58
Subject: Press release: Post Office staff to strike with Royal Mail on Monday

29^th October 2013

For immediate release
Post Office staff to strike with Royal Mail on Monday

Staff in the country’s network of 372 Crown post offices will take a thirteenth round of strike action on Monday 4 November. Staff working in admin and supply chain functions (such as Post Office cash vans) will also take a first day of strike action in a dispute over pay. The action is being coordinated with strike action by Royal Mail and Parcelforce staff.

The long-running Crown office dispute affects up to 4,000 staff and is over a pay freeze, plans to close and/or franchise 75 offices and cut up to 1,500 jobs. The admin and supply chain dispute involves up to 1,500 people and is in reaction to a pay freeze.

Dave Ward, CWU deputy general secretary, said: “We are coordinating strike action across postal companies for Monday 4 November to increase the impact of the action and try and focus the minds of company negotiators.

“Post Office management is out of touch with its staff and customers over plans to close Crown offices and cut staff. The company is unfairly imposing pay freezes on both Crown staff and now admin and supply chain workers while senior managers have enjoyed significant bonus payments. These double-standards cannot continue and we hope to make progress in talks this week.”

Talks are scheduled for Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 October to discuss the future of the Crown office network.

The Post Office wants to close and/or franchise 75 Crown offices, 20% of the network, and cut up to 1,500 jobs. These main offices make up 3% of total post office network but handle 20% of all customers and 40% of all financial services sales making them the powerhouse of the network. Staff at Crown Post Offices have not had a pay rise since April 2011 while all other staff represented by CWU in the Post Office have had two pay rises totalling 6.75% in this period. Last year head office managers shared a bonus pot of £15.4 million and Chief Executive Paul Vennells received £697,000 – an increase of 37% on the previous year.

Strike action will affect up to 4,000 staff working in 372 Crown (main) post offices. Post Office staff voted by nine to one (88%) in favour of strike action and have already taken strike action on twelve previous occasions: Easter Saturday, 19 and 29 April, 7 and 28 May, 20 June and 29 June, 17 and 29 July, 24 and 26/7 August and 30 September or 1 October.

The closure and franchising plans are meeting stiff opposition across the country with tens of thousands signing petitions, and public meetings unanimously rejecting the plans.

A full list of post offices involved in the dispute and those under threat of closure is available at: http://www.cwu.org/pay-and-the-future-of-the-crown-office.html

-ends-
For more information please contact:
Sian Jones, Press Officer, tel: 020 8971 7267, mobile: 0779 3314249, e-mail:sbjones@cwu.org
Kevin Slocombe, Head of Communications, mobile: 07714504413, e-mail:kslocombe@cwu.org
www.cwu.org www.cwutv.org Twitter: @CWUnews

 Notes to editors
CWU represents non-managerial staff working throughout the Post Office. CWU is the largest trade union in the communications sector with more than 200,000 members working in post, telecoms, mobile and financial services, working as delivery people, drivers, engineers, call centre staff, support services and other roles.

What is a Crown Post Office?
A Crown Post Office is one directly-owned and managed by Post Office Ltd. They are the larger branches, normally in town and city centres, with organised queuing systems and a full range of Post Office products and services.
·         There are 372 of these large offices
·         This is 3% of the post office network, but...
·         Crowns handle 20% of all Post Office customers (up to 4 million a week)
·         Crowns do 40% of all Post Office financial services sales
The original figures of 373 crown offices and 76 under threat has reduced to 372 and 75 because Broadgate, central London, has been closed.
Bonuses
·         Chief Executive Paul Vennells received a 37% increase in her reward package, taking home £697,000 in 2012/13 in comparison to £510,000 for 2011/12.
·         A Freedom of Information Request by the National Federation of Subpostmasters revealed post office managers shared a bonus pot of £15.4 million for 2012/13.
Ballot result
CWU members in Crown offices voted 88% in favour of strike action on a 75% turnout on 8^th March 2013.
CWU members in Crown offices voted 90% in favour of industrial action short of strike on a 58% turnout on 15^th August 2013.
CWU members in admin and supply chain voted 76% in favour of strike action on 24^th October 2013.
The pay dispute
CWU submitted a pay claim of 3.5% for 2012/13 and 3.25% for 2013/14. This is exactly the same increase that staff in other parts of the Post Office received.
From Sian Jones | Press Officer
E sbjones@cwu.org | T 020 8971 7267 | M 0779 3314249 | Twitter @CWUnews
Communication Workers Union  The communications union
Headquarters 150 The Broadway | Wimbledon | SW19 1RX

T 020 8971 7200 | F 020 8971 7300 | www.cwu.org | www.cwutv.org

Election of delegates to TUC equality conferences

LTB722/13 - CWU Delegates to the TUC Equality Conference?s - 2014 No. LTB722/13           Ref:TK/PM/SN Date: 28th October 2013   To: All Branch Secretaries   Dear Colleague   Elections of:   CWU Delegates to the TUC Equality Conference’s - 2014   Please find attached the regulations, nomination forms and Candidate consent and biographical details forms for the above Conferences. The details of which are  as follows:-   TUC WOMEN’S CONFERENCE   Date:          12 – 14 March 2014 Venue:       Congress House, London   TUC BLACK WORKERS CONFERENCE   Date:          11 – 13 April 2014 Venue:       Congress House, London   TUC DISABLED WORKERS CONFERENCE   Date:          TBC - 2014 Venue:       Congress House, London   TUC LGBT WORKERS CONFERENCE   Date:          TBC - 2014 Venue:       Congress House, London   The Timetable for the elections is as follow:   Nominations open:                             29 October 2013          Nominations close:                             12 November 2013 (14.00) Despatch ballot papers:            19 November 2013 Ballot closes:                              3 December 2013 (14.00) Reminders:- All candidates for election to the TUC Women’s Conference must be women. All nominees require the nomination of their own Branch. Any enquiries regarding this LTB should be addressed to the Senior Deputy General Secretary’s Department on telephone number 0208 971 7237 or email address sdgs@cwu.org.   Yours sincerely,     Tony Kearns                                     Senior Deputy General Secretary

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Elections to equality advisory committees

Get your nominations in!

13LTB721 - Election of National Representative Positions ? 2014 No. LTB721/13 Ref: TK/PM/sn Date: 28th October 2013   To: All Branches   Dear Colleague   Election of National Representative Positions – 2014   ·         Women’s Advisory Committee ·         Race Advisory Committee ·         Lesbian and Gay Bisexual and Transgender Advisory Committee ·         Disability Advisory Committee ·         Members Auditors ·         Independent Review Body           The NEC has agreed the election arrangements for the above National Representative positions listed above. Accordingly please find enclosed the regulations and nomination forms for these elections.   Branches will wish to note that the term of office for these positions is for a 2 year period commencing from 1st January 2014.   Also attached are the dates for the meetings of the CWU Equality Advisory Committees scheduled to be held in 2014   The Timetable for the elections is as follows:-   Nominations open               29 October 2013 Nominations close               12 November 2013 (14:00) Despatch ballot papers        19 November 2013 Ballot closes                        3 December 2013 (14.00)   Any enquiries regarding this Letter to Branches should be addressed to the Senior Deputy General Secretary Department on telephone number 020 8971 7237 or email address sdgs@cwu.org.   Yours sincerely   Tony Kearns                                     Senior Deputy General Secretary

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