UNISON Local Government Conference preview‏

UNISON's largest service group meets in conference tomorrow and Monday. http://www.unison.org.uk/conference/localgov.asp Here we give a rundown and venture some advice on the main issues...

Pension Finance Initiative?‏

There is no secret that to satisfy those that seek to make a profit from public services the Con Dems will rip up the Warwick agreement and attack public sector pensions. The business lobby and wet behind the ears Tory ministers make a common mistake in lumping all public sector schemes together.

Iran: One year on since crackdown - hundreds still imprisoned‏

Today is the first anniversary of last year’s disputed elections in Iran, and is being marked by a Global Day of Action across the world, sponsored by Amnesty International and others.
http://12june.org/

I come and stand by every door by Nazim Hikmet‏

I come and stand at every door
but none can hear my silent tread.
I knock and yet remain unseen
for I am dead, for I am dead.

Questions to the next Labour leader‏

Jeremy Corbyn MP poses three key questions to the next Labour Party leader:

'We're angry, we're mad, we're NALGO and we're bad''‏

Former Islington Labour Councillor turned anti-labour movement heretic Leo McKinstry is the latest tabloid journalist to take a pop at public service unions who have the temerity to challenge the dominant neo liberal orthodoxy that large scale cuts in public services is the only solution to Britain’s economic problems. He even can’t resist the opportunity to settle a 20 odd year old score with Nalgo!http://www.express.co.uk/ourcomments/view/180094/Leo-McKinstry

CGIL names 25 June for 24 hour public sector strike in Italy‏

Italy’s CGIL union centre announced yesterday that it will hold a national strike on June 25 over the government's 25 billion-euro austerity measures including cuts to funding for local governments and salary freezes. CGIL’s public sector members, the hardest hit by the government's austerity package, will strike for 24 hours, while its other members will strike for just four hours. http://www.iii.co.uk/news/?type=afxnews&articleid=7935300&subject=markets&action=article
The strike will be preceded on June 12 by CGIL protest marches and rallies around the country.
http://www.cgil.it/DettaglioDocumento.aspx?ID=13911

Tory Mayor backs rise in GLA living wage‏

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, yesterday announced that he is increasing the London Living Wage to £7.85 per hour, a rise of 25p. In addition, this year, four major employers have signed up to pay the London Living Wage. They are Deloitte, Nomura, Prudential and Standard Chartered. The rise to £7.85 per hour represents an increase of 3.3 % per cent on last year’s figure, and an overall increase of 17 % per cent since the London Living Wage was introduced in 2005 at £6.70 per hour.
http://www.london.gov.uk/media/press_releases_mayoral/mayor-increases-london-living-wage-four-international-employers-sign

ICTU Union Post June: McKeown welcomes 51 per cent women

NIC-ICTU CONFERENCE 2010: UNISON's Patricia McKeown, welcoming the report on equality: “There is one other cause for celebration. It's official. Since the Executive Council met last Wednesday, for the first time in our history the general composition of the Irish trade union movement has gone 51 per cent female.” ICTU's Union Post June edition out now. http://www.ictu.ie/publications/fulllist/union-post-june-2010/

New alliances required to fight cuts‏ - a response‏

Gregor Gall’s discussion paper on ‘constructing alliances to oppose cuts in and privatisation of public services’ contains much useful food for thought. The question is how much appetite there is within UNISON and other public service unions for a broad public sector alliance? The PCS/UNISON initiative in the Northern region bodes well for the approach advocated by Gall.