Fighting austerity in the North East

Red Pepper interviews Clare Williams, Regional Convenor of UNISON's Northern Region, about the impact of austerity in one of Britain's most socio-economically deprived regions and how the labour movement is fighting back. 'What I’d really like to see is that we continue to build, strengthen and deepen those alliances so that the majority of people understand that there is an alternative. Then when we get to the next general election, we vote out the present government who are clearly only focussed and concerned with a minority of people in society rather than the majority' says Clare:
http://www.redpepper.org.uk/austerity-bites-hard-in-the-north-east/

Con Dem cuts bias widens North South divide

A letter in today's Observer by Labour leaders of Northern English councils about the 'unfairness of the government's cuts' is a belated but welcome protest about the shameless bias in favour of Conservative voting areas in local government grant reductions since 2010:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/dec/29/cuts-councils-newcastle-liverpool-sheffield

North Tees NHS workers say hands off our terms & conditions!

Health workers in Northern Region rallied in defence of their national conditions of service on Thursday. A well attended protest outside the University Hospital of North Tees in Stockton heard local and national speakers condemn the Trust - for imposing worse terms and conditions on new starters from 1 November and for issuing a Section 188 statutory notice to dismiss and re-engage over 5500 staff on new contracts inferior to the national agreement (Agenda for Change), including removal of unsocial hours enhancements from sick pay:  http://www.shakewellbeforeopening.org.uk/home/?p=1558.

Austerity is widening the North South Divide

A recent Economist article highlighted the economic and social inequalities between Britain's regions. Although rooted in post-war deindustrialisation, the process is being compounded by austerity cuts in public spending. The Institute for Fiscal Studies, estimates that local authorities in the North must cut their spending by around 12%, compared with just 4.6% in the South East. IPPR, another think-tank, estimates that 86% of the government’s spending on big transport projects is in London.
http://www.economist.com/node/21562938

Northern young members leading fight against regional pay

An excellent short campaigning video - giving 5 reasons why Con Dem proposals to introduce regional pay for public service workers are a bad idea - has been produced by young member activists in UNISON's Northern region: http://www.shakewellbeforeopening.org.uk/home/?p=1390

Raise the minimum wage for under 21's!

UNISON Northern Region Young Members have launched an e-petition to raise the minimum wage for under 21 year olds, which the government unfairly froze at £4.98 in the recent budget, whilst at the same time giving tax cuts to those earning over £150,000. Please sign and circulate it to everyone you know! The target is 100,000 signatures so that the demand will be debated in parliament...
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/33865

Cuts in England - mapping the North-South divide‏

A heat map of the cuts does a pretty good job of showing the north south divide in the way government cuts are hitting people. Unsurprisingly, Liverpool having taken one of the worst cuts in the country is shown as having lost more than £40 per person out of next year's budget. St Helens and Knowsley are in the same category. http://blogs.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/dalestreetblues/2012/01/goverment-cuts-maps-shows-nort.html

Northern Region welcomes Colombian delegation‏

UNISON Northern received a visit from a prominent pair of Colombian activists in November. Trade unionist, Carlos Gonzalez, and human rights defender Berenice Celeita, were in the region from 11th to 15th November. Carlos is president of Sintraunicol, the Colombian university workers union, and Berenice is director of Nomadesc, a Colombian human rights NGO that works closely with trade unions, afro-Colombian and indigenous communities to help them to organise in order to resist human rights violations. The pair were in the North East to participate in the Better Way international forum at Newcastle Civic Centre.

North East women unite to Reclaim the Night

Hundreds of women gathered in Newcastle on the 26th November to take part in the first Reclaim the Night march and candlelight vigil to take place in the city centre. Women and men marched from the Haymarket to Eldon Square to mark the United Nations International Day to End Violence Against Women.