PCS Strike Rally - Friday 7th June 2013

PCS Essex

SUPPORT THE STRIKE ACTION AND RALLY ON FRIDAY 7^th JUNE

The Government plans to close every HMRC public enquiry office starting on 3 June in the North East. HMRC enquiry centre staffprovide an excellent service to the public. Management plan to redirect their customers to our already overworked DWP offices. If these plans are not stopped another 1,300 jobs will be threatened

PCS members in the DWP are angry because:

• 20,000 jobs have been cut in the DWP since May 2010
• Years of pay restraint has seen our livingstandards drop by 20% 
• We are all be affected by planned cuts in our terms and conditions
• Targets, attendance management andpeople performance mean more stress
• Our pensions have been attacked

RALLY 11AM HIGH STREET, OUTSIDE ODEON

SPEAKERS: 
NEC & Vice President of DWP - ADAM KHALIF

GEC for HMRC - IAN POPE President, Southend TUC - RACHEL HEEMSKERK

Southend Against The Cuts

and
Stand Up For Our Libraries -  PETER PASSINGHAM

Leigh Folk Festival 2013

The annual Leigh Folk Festival is widely recognised as the largest free folk festival in the country. The Festival has grown enormously in scope and scale, and now encompasses concerts, dance displays, céilidhs, a centrepiece procession, workshops, open mic, kids' activities, film, street theatre, storytelling and plenty more besides. The festival is a registered charity and rather than drifting towards becoming another commercially driven, ticketed event, the team of volunteer organisers has doggedly held fast to the original grass roots, access-for-all ethos, and so the festival has retained its unique, eclectic and idiosyncratic atmosphere.

Given the historical links between the labour movement and folk music, as seen at events like the Tolpuddle Festival and the Burston Strike School event, the Southend TUC takes great pride in supporting and sponsoring the Leigh Folk Festival. Our involvement helps to raise the profile of the Trade Union movement in our local community.

 

Notice of next meeting

NOTICE OF NEXT SOUTHEND TRADES UNION COUNCIL MEETING

Date :             Wednesday 3^rd April 2013

Time :             6.30pm

Venue :         268 Sutton Road, Southend on Sea

AGENDA

1.         President's opening remarks

2.         Apologies for absence

3.         Minutes of last meeting held on 6^th March & matters arising

4.         Campaigning activities

5.         Branch Reports

6.         Financial Report

7.         Correspondence

8.         Any other business

10.       Close of meeting - by 8.00pm

Ian Pope

Secretary

AGM

Notice of 2013 Southend Trades Union Council Annual General Meeting

 

Date:              Wednesday 6^th February 2013
Time:              6.30pm
Venue:           Labour Party Office, 268 Sutton Road, Southend on Sea

 

AGM Agenda

 

1. President's opening remarks

2. Apologies for absence

3. Minutes of 2012 AGM

4.  (a) Election of Officers

(b) Appointment of Delegates to Essex County Association of Trades Councils

(c) Appointment of Delegate to Trades Union Councils' Conference 2013

5. Adoption of Accounts for year ended 31 December 2012

6. Adoption of Secretary's Report - year ended 31 December 2012

 

7. Motions - of which notice has been given

8. Close of meeting - by 7.00 pm

 

                                              Ordinary meeting

 

1. Minutes of last meeting - & matters arising

2. Branch Reports

3. Correspondence

4. Finance

5. Any other urgent business

6. Close of meeting - by 8.00 pm

 

Keep Blood Test Services in Southend

Lobby Health Commissioners - Keep Blood Test Services in Southend!

12:30pm, Thursday 31st January, meet outside Suffolk House, Baxter Avenue,Southend-on-Sea

The East and Midlands strategic health authority plan to send all blood tests from surgeries in Southend, Castle Point and Basildon to Bedford instead of to local hospitals.

This risks delays to vital test results but also means that the remaining services at the hospitals are likely to run down as half their work is taken away.

We will be lobbying the Southend Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), the organisation of GPs who order NHS services for this area, to urge them to listen to local people and not sign the contract which may mean your surgery's blood tests will go to a centre in Bedford.

This lobby is supported by: Southend Against The Cuts, Southend Trades Union Council, Keep Our NHS Public and Southend Local Government UNISON

 

 

Trade Unions and Socialism in a Global World

Saturday 19th January 3pm-5pm

Speakers:

 

Eric Lee - the founding editor of LabourStart.org

Richard Howitt MEP

 

 Venue: Leigh Community Centre, Elm Road, Leigh on Sea

 

 

 

          The Southend Labour Party are hosting this public meeting  Please spread the word!


 

UNISON warns of cuts in Southend's library service

Libraries review a cover for cuts?

Southend Council are undertaking a review to ‘consider the future direction’ of their library services but a trade union warns that when estimated savings of £32.5 million need to be made by the council over the next three years, this review may be used as a cover to make drastic cuts or even close libraries.

Southend Local Government branch of Unison, which represents workers in the library service, points out that though the purpose of the review is “ensuring libraries to be fit for the future” this is to be done “whilst reducing cost to assist in meeting the required Council spending reductions”.

Libraries across the country have faced severe cuts to services and opening hours over the last few years. For instance, Surrey County Council is already advancing plans to staff 10 libraries solely with volunteers whilst 13 branch libraries across Leeds were closed. This is the kind of consequence that Unison wants to avoid for the people of Southend.

Southend UNISON believes that libraries offer a host of vital free services to local communities such as access to books, information and computers. The union also says that the key to libraries being able to deliver a quality service is having knowledgeable, well trained staff to hand with access to adequate resources. Libraries are a free service, used by many, which local communities can be proud of and should fight for. The Councils ‘fact finding’ consultation asking the public what they want from their Library Service began on Monday 1^st October and ends on 6^thJanuary 2013.

The union is encouraging library users to play a full part in the consultation. They urge people to make sure there really is a representative response and, of course, to make clear that the public supports a free, well-funded and professional library service.

Claire Wormald, secretary of Southend UNISON Local Government Branch said:

“Libraries are an important free service that is open to the entire community. That’s why we are urging all residents to stand up for Southend Libraries by taking part in Southend Council’s upcoming public consultation and firmly state that they will not accept reductions in opening times, staffing levels, or the resources used to provide this key service. Cutting library services will be yet another false economy that will store up problems for the future.”

Southend Borough Council Webpage – information on the process and option to participate part in review online:http://www.southend.gov.uk/info/10109/librariesnews_and_events/1409/library_services_review

From Southend against the Cuts