When the Liverpool BT joint venture was first set up it was mooted as the new way of doing business. This wasn’t outsourcing it was partnership. Staff would retain their terms and conditions. Liverpool wouldn’t be ripped off like many outsourcing deals. This was different. Except it wasn’t. It is a painful and powerful lesson for politicians of all political parties to learn. If it walks like a duck and it talks like a duck the chances are it is a duck. The BT joint venture was outsourcing in any other name and designed to boost the profits of BT not make services better for the people of Liverpool.
Now Liverpool has taken the bold and right step to end the contract.
Over 5,000 anti fascists marched through Liverpool yesterday in a show of strength against racism and fascism. Hundreds of UNISON members joined the demonstration and riverside rally at the Pier Head. Roger McKenzie (UNISON Assistant General Secretary) spoke alongside Joe Anderson (Mayor of Liverpool), Len McCluskey (Unite), Christine Blower (NUT), Billy Hayes (CWU), Mohammad Taj (TUC President), Paul Nowak (TUC) and speakers from anti fascist and community organisations.
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| Roger McKenzie |
A unifying message of the march was the importance of removing Nick Griffin as a North West representative in next year’s European Parliament elections:
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/thousands-take-streets-liverpool-anti-fascist-6178497
Next Saturday thousands of trade unionists and other anti fascists will be marching in Liverpool as the campaign to unseat BNP leader Nick Griffin as a North West MEP is stepped up ahead of the 2014 European parliament elections. The march will set off at 1PM from William Brown Street in Liverpool city centre and end with a rally at the Pier Head, where UNISON Assistant General Secretary Roger McKenzie will be one of the speakers:
http://www.unitetheunion.org/campaigning/events/march-against-fascism/
Hundreds of trade unionists marched through Liverpool yesterday to mark the 100th anniversary of the Dublin lock out - Ireland's most important industrial dispute. The heavily policed march started from Larkin's birthplace in south Liverpool and ended at the Pier Head where CWU General Secretary Billy Hayes and his Irish counterpart Cormac O'Dalaigh gave speeches about Larkin and his relevance today:
http://www.cwu.org/billy-hayes/?p=901
#UNDC13 UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis sets the scene for National Delegate Conference with a scathing indictment of the Tory led coalition government's record in office: ‘Our fight with the Tories isn't just about pay or jobs, nor is it just about opposing privatisation and outsourcing - it's about the kind of society we leave to our children. It's about protecting and defending the rights that our grandparents fought for - our NHS, our welfare state. We will challenge the broken ideology that says markets know best. And we will build support over the coming months among communities and unions to reject Tory Britain and sweep this wretched coalition from power’
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/news/content/view/full/134306
#UNDC13 #ULGC13 The directly elected Mayor of Liverpool and UNISON member, Joe Anderson, opened the local government service group conference this morning. Trade union rights, blacklisting and facility time featured prominently in Joe’s speech as well as austerity and its devastating impact on his city which is hardest hit by local government funding cuts.
#UNDC13 Centre stage Sunday and Monday is the Local Government Service Group Conference. Having been at the apex of coalition cuts under Eric Pickles’ chisel for three years there should be no shortage of serious issues to discuss.
Sunday morning sees debates over attacks on union facility time and a wide ranging composite from Scotland, the SGE and North West on Welfare Reform. These are followed by Pension Scheme governance, childcare, Free Schools and support staff training.
After this gentle hors d’oeuvre Sunday afternoon is given over to all things pay.
Around 300 demonstrators defied the threats of violence and abuse from the far right to march through Liverpool. Led by the James Larkin Flute Band (who had also led the 20,000 strong march in Liverpool on the day of the National Pensions Strike on November 30th last year) the marchers were surrounded by a heavy police presence after the EDL and a scattering of other far right groups had vowed to stop the march.
