Is Feminism the same as choice and individuality?

Study day: Opening the Cage Door

Saturday 28 January, 10.30am – 4.30pm
£16/£14 concessions

This day will look at some of the most prominent strikes of the 19th & 20th century when many working women were forced to protest against low wages and poor working conditions. From the Cradley Heath chain makers of the Black Country, and the 1888 Bryant and May match girls’ strike, to the Ford machinists strike in 1968 and the Grunwick strike of the seventies. Join historians, union members, and those who took part in protests to hear about the legacy of these iconic events that contributed to change for women’s working conditions. With contributions from Louise Raw, author and historian, Anitha Sundari, University of Lincoln, Ruth Pearson, University of Leeds, trade unionist Viv MacKay, and curator of ‘All Work and Low Pay’, Clare Rose.

Right from the oven: Please read our November Newsletter with plenty of interesting stories including info on how to join the picket lines & demo on Nov30th!

The TUC have developed a quick calculator to give you an idea of how the pensions changes might affect your own public service pension. Go here to find out how much YOU will be worse off under the government’s proposals (UNISON Members at London Met are in the ‘Local Government’ scheme):

http://pensionsjustice.org.uk/for-reps-activists/pensions-changes-calculator/

Our esteemed VC, Malcolm Gillies wrote to all staff on Friday last week, about our strike on 30th Nov, and got his facts wrong. He wrote: “The University recognises staff’s right to strike or demonstrate but if you do take strike action on 30 November you need to contact your Head of Department or Dean to ensure that this is registered and your pay is deducted.”

I’m sure, when management have read through this thoroughly, somebody will tell Malcolm that he needs to correct his mistake. Shurely… In the meantime you are welcome to forward this to any manager who asks you if you are on strike or not. Or if asked verbally if you will be on strike, you can say any of the following:

[Our VC has since this email backtracked and admitted this is a request (rather than a requirement), confirming that you can indeed chose not to bother replying to their threatening emails.

To confirm: UNISON has fully complied with the law, and a letter has been sent to the employer outlining the number of staff from our union who have been called out on strike. All you have to do is join our picket lines to show your support. If you’re not a member then you need to go here: http://www.londonmetunison.org.uk/join/

See here for more:
http://www.unison.org.uk/pensions/protectour.asp

We all know it’s been a difficult year, we fought it through together and that’s exactly how we should have our Xmas party: TOGETHER! Let’s all meet on the 2nd of December with the rest of the comrades

Londonmet staff is on strike later this month. To remind you why, watch this campaign film for the TUC Day of Action on Public Service Pensions on 30 November 2011.

Members of the trade union UNISON at London Metropolitan University met this week and declared their intention to join the huge one day public sector strike over pensions on 30th November 2011.

The support staff at the university, based in Islington, the City of London and Tower Hamlets, met on 16th and 17th November, following the national ballots for action returned a 78% yes vote for industrial action. They declared their intention to shut down the University for the day alongside with their sister unions, the UCU and GMB.

The Students Union have also declared their support for the strike.

Dozens of UNISON members gathered to express their outrage at the government’s ‘pensions robbery’, and lined up to show support to be photographed with a placard which reads ‘I’m taking action on 30th November.

Susan Lloyd, an administrative officer, said she’d be striking on Nov 30th, because: ”I haven’t had a decent pay rise in years so simply can’t afford to pay a further 50% more into my pension.”

Jonathan McCree, added he would also be withdrawing his labour because: “Only by doing so will I protect my pension and send a message that everyone deserves one.”

Eddie Rowley, who works with the student union, said: “I shouldn’t have to pay 50% more in pension contributions to fund the bank bailouts!”

All the unions at the University will be on strike on 30th November, with support from the students’ union, leading to a likely shut down of the two campuses. Management have promised to deduct a day’s pay from striking staff but Max Watson, Chair of the UNISON Branch, said:

“The threat of losing a day’s pay doesn’t really compare when you look at the long term pensions robbery the government has in mind. I’ll be paying over £500 a year extra for a pension that will be cut by 23 percent according to the government’s proposals, and I won’t get it until I’m too old to enjoy it! There’s no way I’m putting up with that, and our members have made it clear they’re behind this strike all the way.”

One of our UNISON members is in a band called The Greycats and they’re doing a gig to raise money to Lewisham Save our Services NHS Fundraiser on Sun 27th November.

London Met UNISON Branch is one of 800+ supporting organisations that are organising a convention on Saturday 19th November to ‘UNITE the RESISTANCE’. All welcome. For more info go here: http://uniteresist.org/

Londonmet UNISON members went to show some support to Anti-Capitalist Protesters camps outside St Paul’s Cathedral & the Bloomberg Building.

Watch the dedicated video produced by our sister organisation INEM Productions: