Unite Viewpoint

Like many in the printing industry I was shocked to learn of the death of Unite member, Ian Ebbs, aged 43, a manitainance engineer at St. Ives' plant at Peterborough, who was fataly injured at work last week. As yet we do not know the details of the circumstances of Ian's death and obviously we cannot comment until our Health & Safety specialists have visited the plant and met with our FOCs and the company. Unite regional officers have been sent a brief update on the situation from Bud Hudspith. We hope to issue advice to members working on similar presses next week. Our condolences, prayers and support goes out to Ian's family at this most difficult time.

Watching TV is difficult when you are on holiday! Last week in sunny Cyprus I could only snatch chances to watch the BBC world news or Sky News either in the morning or early evening to catch up with the unfolding global financial crisis as bank by bank went into freefall and had to be rescued. There have been countless pundits expressing their views on what it all means and where will it lead us – the best so far has been Paul Mason and Michael Crick on Newsnight notably last night. (Friday). Mason’s BBC blog is a mine of information and updated daily at present. Derek Simpson, joint GS of Unite, welcomed Gordon Brown’s intervention but warned that” "The union is demanding that this financial support is tied to clear commitments to secure vital jobs in the financial services sector. The Government finance must serve to make the industry more transparent and accountable." Derek went onto say it was not acceptable for the Government to continue to capitalise the rewards in the finance industry and said measures should be extended to include undertakings by the banks of no job losses, no repossessions of homes and no rewards for "failure". He added: "It is imperative that the financial measures announced today mark the turning point in the world of banking and finance. Workers in the financial services industry are not the culprits of the credit crunch and we are not prepared to allow them to become the victims." Dead right. I think Gordon Brown has done as much as possible to “steady the ship” but to little avail at present – and like many – I wonder when “the day of reckoning” will come (if at all!) for the people who got us here. I don’t think many people believe or are fooled either by the Cameron/Osbourne line of the “no big bonuses anymore” and “heads must roll” sound bites. Their mates in the City know that this is all bluster. Also Osbourne using the phrase ‘Casino Capitalism’ was interesting – it was a phrase used earlier this year in the Morning Star (and I think by myself in Print Week) when the debate was raging about Private Equity. Don’t recall him using the phrase back then or calling for an end to big bonuses! The big worry is the effect on jobs, on our members and their families. In manufacturing and in print and media there is no doubt that there will be an effect in investment and on companies seeking loans for new kit or to tide them over the current crisis. Pagination in magazines is already dropping as publishers cut back on adverts, direct mail and new launches. Some companies who have been in difficulty some time before the current crisis could possibly go under – it was sad for me to learn yesterday of the situation at a company I know well, Buckley & Blands in Stockport (now called TPS) – it has been there forever! Everyone seems to agree that much tighter regulation is essential and is going to happen – it can’t come quick enough for me. And yet the TV is still has pundits and City based Hooray Henry’s saying that the market cannot be regulated and what is needed is a “light touch”. Over the last few weeks we have all learned a lot about what has been going on and where a "light touch" has got us - short selling: toxic debt; self cert mortgages; buy to let mortgages: bets made on falling shares that have sunk decent companies, share swops and other get rich quick schemes which appear to be nothing but pyramid selling, run by people who have already costs thousands of working families their jobs through sheer greed and an unregulated market. Nye Bevan’s phrase of “organized spivery” springs to mind. Many of these schemes would not be out of place on BBC 3’s The Real Hustle! Roll on the day of reckoning in both the UK and the USA.

A new website has been launched, assembled and supported by Unite which gives details of the recent ECJ rulings, news items, comment, a discussion forum all related to the ECJ rulings on Laval, Viking, Rüffert and Luxembourg. And you can sign the on-line petition. Should 1 million signatures be gathered, then the Petitions Committee of the European Parliament, will pass it on to the European Commission, so that proper action is taken. So, please send the link to your colleagues and encourage them to sign the petition or post the url on your networking, websites and blogsites! http://www.amicustheunion.org/lavalvikingruffert/default.aspx

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It seemed that this years conference season is never ending. The Labour Party Conference started on Friday for Unite delegates - travelling to Manchester. I started from London after attending a meeting at the TUC on the revision of European Works Council legislation (see its not all glamour!). This is an important peice of legislation that affects many Unite members who work for European and multi-ntaional companies - Unite is represented on 200 EWC and providing 50 union experts. In the print, packaging, media and paper industries there are over 20 EWCs with more in the pipeline. Unite has met the Government, lobbied hard in Europe, met MEPs and is working with other European trade unions to get a positive revision of the legislation. So to the Labour Party Conference. The first obstacle is getting to the conference "island", which means being dropped off on Oxford Road and lugging bags and breifcases - just what Unite DGS Graham Goddard and I did to the Midland after the cab driver was warned by a representative of GMP that he "was in a bus lane". Much of the conference was surrounded by speculation about Gordon Brown's future, who was set to resign (turned out to be Ruth Kelly for family reasons); set peice speech's by Ministers; who will get the longest standing ovation etc. But it is also a chance to influence party policy and Unite certainly did that - on energy and fuel poverty, the all important ECJ Judgements (which, if they remain will cause industrial chaos in the UK), public sector pay, the crisis in the finance industry and manufacturing. I was fortunate to speak on the behalf of Unite in the debate on manufacturing, making the case for support for our beleagured manufacturing base and sector training levies on those industries who fail to deliver - such as print. (See elsewhere in PW's website for debate on this point). Unite's finge meetings were well attended, notably, the support for the Miami Five, a group of Cuban's currently wrongly banged up in a US prison. Two of their wives were attending the Conference to lobby with Unite to get the US goverment to at least give them visiting rights (which are denied). See the Unite website for more details on this appalling situation. The 'Big 4' fringe was well attended, as was the fringe on Global Unions where Derek Simpson, Tony Woodley and Leo Gerrard of Unite's sister union, the United Steelworkers of America put the case for the creation of the first global trade union - Workers Uniting. It was good to see the Workers Uniting logo getting its debut at the conference! The Remploy firnge was as always well attended, with speakers including myself, Paul Kenny and the inimitable Phil Davis of GMB along with Paul Goggins MP for Wythenshawe who worked hard to keep the Remploy print site in Manchester open. Meetings with MP's and other unions meant it was difficult to attend all of the "big" set peice speech's - I missed Milliband senior's speech, but his younger sibling Ed was impressive. The decision by his wife Sarah to introduce Gordon Brown was a masterstroke and it worked well. The PM's speech was one of his best, but there were long parts of it that were annodyne. The promise to scrap prescription charges for cancer patients was well recieved and his attack on Cameron (an Milliband senior!) as novices hit the spot. On the financial crisis and the greedy energy companies he pressed the right buttons - but it should have been done weeks ago. Seven out of ten was the concensus - he has seen off the rebels - but only for the time being in my book. As has been said before - its the policies that need changing, we can't have "more of the same". So at the end of a momentous week - the American financial system is rescued by the US Government, they now own finaicial institutions Fannie Mae (which was btw the title of a hit R&B record by Buster Brown in 1959) and Freddie Mac, plus 80% of AIG, plus punishment (well, a clip across the ear at worst) for those that caused it - a dose of socialism in the USA, I'd say. And the billionaires at Eastlands got knocked out of the Carling Cup by Brighton - oh how the mighty have fallen! Still it was good to be back home in Manc Land. As the late Tony Wilson said in his last interview: "In the North West it rains and it rains. (During the LP conference it didn't - the sun actually came out) - and yet we managed to produce the industrial revolution, the trade union movement, the Communist Manifesto and even the goddam computer. Down south, where the sun never sets, you took all our money and what did you produce? Chas and f*****g Dave."

Back from the TUC at Brighton and having had time to reflect on proceedings here's my take on it. Much of the build up prior to the Congress was the response of the unions to issues such as the windfall tax, attacks on visiting Labour politicians. However, having attended every Congress since 1994 (and a few more before), delegates do recognise that there are the set peice debates, but there is a lot of work done by unions on the nuts and bolts of the world of work, with debates on health & safety, employment law, learning and skills and many issues that specialist unions wish to debate in what used to called "the workers parliament". However, you can't escape the expected and unexpected clashes between politicians and trade union officers. At this years Congress we were treated to Alistair Darling. The Times described his much trailed Tuesday speech as "indescribably boring". Actually, veteran Industrial Correspondent from The Mirror commented in his end of Congress speech, where the press comment on the week said: "No it wasn't, Darling's speech was describably dull." Harriet Harman concentrated on equalities and the unequal society, but had to pull back some of the tougher stuff for fear of upsetting the CBI and employers. It is reported that she toned down an attack on the class system by removing quotes from her speech to the TUC on government plans to tackle inequality. Harriet had been expected to say that social class rather than gender, race, sexual orientation or disability was the main reason why people failed to reach their full potential. "What overarches all of these is where you live, your family background, your wealth and social class." Instead she confined herself to two examples: showing how six-year-olds from the middle classes were already ahead of more able peers from working-class backgrounds, and how very rich men now live longer than poorer women. John Denham the minister for BERR gave a crumb of comfort with the uppping of the NMW for young workers with weekly earnings for apprentices in England will be increased from £80 to £95 per week from August 2009. This rise will benefit an estimated 26,000 people, about 10% of apprentices. As I said - welcome but crumbs of comfort compared to the issues we now face in manufacturing and on learning and skills. The best debate and speeches of the Congress were on the final day, when Derek Simpson Joint GS of Unite, moved the most important motion of the week on the European Court Judgements that could do so much damage to industrial relations in the UK, will undermine working peoples right to take industrial action to defend their employment and will damage the whole concept of social Europe. Leading in the debate Derek outlined the consequences of the judgements for collective bargaining and national agreements and put forward compelling arguments for strong political action across Europe to get the judgements reversed. He stressed there is now the need to mobilse unions and our members at every level, and at every meeting to explain the judgements and the effect they will have on working people. This is the nuts and bolts stuff that the public don't see but is vital to the work of trade unions. Unite of course were involved in many of the debates - the health service, public sector pay, health and safety, energy, the economy, transport, foriegn affairs and I seconded the NUJ's motion on the ownership of the press - which Print Week have turned into this week's comment peice. The Congress Fringe has got better each year - with an opportunity for delegates to listen to speakers on a wide range of issues. Highlights for me this year were the traditional Monday fringe meeting of the Liason Committee for the Defence of Trade Unions, with some fine speeches on the ECJ Judgements, Public Sector Pay etc from Derek Simpson, Billy Hayes, Christine Blower, Paul Kenny, Frances O'Grady Tuesdays Morning Star fringe was again packed to hear Derek Simpson, Bob Crow and Mark Serwotka get into a real political debate about the way forward for trade unions and the Labour Party. Good news for Morning Star readers as well - the paper will be moving to a 16 pager weekdays and a 20 pager at weekends, with full colour plus there will be a re-vamped website. Once again delegates turned out for the Remploy fringe meeting chaired by myself. Other Unite sponsored fringe meetings were well attended including the event to discuss developments in Bolivia, which Unite and the Graphical Sector are playing a big role, Justice for Columbia and support for the imprisoned Miami Five. This year saw the ending of a number of Congress "fixtures and fittings". The traditional cricket match between the press and the General Council has now ended. Having played in a few (very badly too) I am not surprised. The TUC has lost many of its better players - John Edmunds, John Monks, John Sheldon, Bill Morris and the journo'\s just got younger with fresh from university reporters hurling the ball at you at 90 mph! The traditional end of Congress knock-about "vote of thanks" from the press is going as industrial coverage is cut back by newspapers for who second rate celebs, Big Brother and increasing profits are now paramount - and this was also Tony Dubbins' last Congress. More tributes to Tony at some point later, (he has the Labour Party Conference in two weeks time to go as yet) but I know many delegates told me they will miss him. Tony's presence at the TUC has been massive. He is currently the longest serving GC member and has been a friend and confident of John Monks and Brendan Barber TUC General Secretaries. As was commented on Monday at the LCDTU meeting, it was Tony who traditionally moved the first big set peice motion at the Congress on employment rights, with the President announcing "I will now take Composite One, Employment Rights to be moved by Tony Dubbins of the GPMU." Game on!

The news today that the owners of the Liverpool Post and Echo - Trinity Mirror - are proposing to close the Liverpool site with the loss of 100 jobs is yet another body blow to the printing industry. In the last few weeks we have seen growing job losses in the newspaper industry as consolidation in the sector continues. There have been closures of print sites and the switch of advert production to India and South Asia. More publishers are looking to print titles in one regional site and we will see the impact of NI's plant in Broxbourne in the near future as they ramp up production and try to capture the production of more daily and regional titles. The news is a shock to Unite members and their families and discussions have commenced with our chapel members. Next week at the TUC I hope to highlight the changes that are taking place in the production of newspapers and the impact this is having not only on our members but the very real fears we have about the rise of the super-plants and the impact this will have on the diversity of the press and the printed media in the UK and Ireland. Another major concern to Unite in the print industry is the question of training. Print Week have given space to Unite's response to the ridiculous proposals of the Federation of Small Business's that workers in SME's should not have the right to call in a union rep when discussing training needs in order to cut "red tape". The FSB don't speak for the printing industry but Unite has lots of members working in small business's with whom we have a good relationship. it was good to see that an employer who employs just 16 staff comfirming that the FSE's proposals were unacceptable and stating that members had a right to bring in a union rep on this issue. Maybe we will get some progress on the whole issue of Learning, Skills and Training in the printing industry after all...

Following on from Unite's recent visit to Bolivia, the union representing workers at the global tissue manufacturer in Bolivia is to join the Uni Graphical Kimberley Clark union network which is campaiging for a global agreement with the company. http://www.union-network.org/unigraphical.nsf/527af848b17f3b51c125689b00418df6/fa351df2d7801691c12574b0002c1b10?OpenDocument

The TUC has produced a report which shows that the UK's most vulnerable workers are subject to "repeat offender behaviour" from some employers and agencies. Research by the Centre for Employment Studies Research has revealed that four in five employment advisers, at the CAB and Law Centres Federation, who report on mistreatment across low-paid and female-dominated sectors of the economy, said they received reports of unfair dismissal on a weekly basis. Two-thirds also receive problems with pay on a weekly basis while six out of 10 deal with working time and contractual rights in the same time frame. Brendan Barber, TUC general-secretary, said "We were shocked at the extent of abuses of employment rights," Barber said. "It is unacceptable that these practices exist today, and equally unfair that when they do, services to help vulnerable workers are left over-stretched and under-funded. Sustainable funding is also needed for independent employment rights advice, so that when workers experience problems they can access support, and government, trade unions and employers need to work together to make sure this happens," he said. The most common areas to experience problems were private care homes, hotels and restaurants, cleaning companies and wholesale and retail. More than half the advisers said they came across "repeat offenders". Additionally, 62% of CAB advisers and 81% of LCF advisers said temporary workers were seen frequently. The TUC has called on the government to increase the reach of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) and grant greater powers to enforcement agencies such as the Health and Safety Executive and HM Revenue & Customs' minimum wage enforcement unit.

This week the TUC has renewed calls for an extra bank holiday to be taken in late October. In a report the TUC says that the bank holiday should be called 'Community Day' and be used to encourage voluntary work. The TUC also argue that the extra day off would also boost spending and employee morale. Sectors such as retail, hospitality, leisure, tourism and transport sectors, have stronger trading days on bank holidays. Meanwhile, all employers would benefit from the improved productivity, morale, health and wellbeing, says the TUC. After the August bank holiday, workers in the UK have a four-month wait for their next official weekday off work - Christmas Day. The TUC estimates that if 10% of the population took an active role in Community Day, the activity would be worth £250m. TUC boss Brendan Barber said: "A new bank holiday would be very popular for Britain's workers, who have fewer public holidays than anyone else in Europe except Romania. But it could also bring in much needed revenue to about a million UK businesses. "A Community Day would encourage more people to take up volunteering for a day. In return, employers will have a healthier, happier and more productive workforce. We urge businesses, politicians and community groups to join us in our campaign for a new Community Day bank holiday." An extra bank holiday would be very welcome to Unite members and their families. No doubt we will soon hear the arguments from employers as to why it can't be afforded and civilisation as we know it will come to an end!

New Unite GPM Sector e-bulletin. Just click on the link! http://newsweaver.co.uk/unite/index000284604.cfm?x=bd9j4kM,bbdnCvmM

Its been a bad week for the papermaking industry - and more besides. Manufacturing in the UK is taking another pounding (as predicted in the media and elsewhere) and those companies with high energy bills and those needing to invest via bank loans are being hit even harder. Curtis Fine Papers in Guardbridge, Scotland is looking to close its doors after 135 years of papermaking at the mill with over 180 staff facing a bleak winter. Now Sappi has announced it is looking at the future of its mill in Blackburn, with over 100 staff facing an uncertain future. High energy costs are paying a key part in the job losses we are facing in manufacturing, with bills going through the roof, notably in companies that are heavy usuers such as papermills and the big UK printing plants. Unite has called for a windfall tax on the energy companies, who are continuing to make bumper profits, while family and industry bills rise through the roof - and are now beginning to effect employment. Yet the Government seems to be dither over what to do. As high energy prices kick in companies and the job losses mount - perhaps they will heed the warnings from the past - that as good jobs go and the only jobs on offer are temporary or agency jobs, or low paid insecure employment, Government gets the blame and they get the pay back at the ballot box. Bad news also came last week with the decision of Johnson Newspapers to close Northampton Web with the loss of 80 jobs as part of the on-going rationalisation of the printing sites owned by the big newspaper companies and contract print sites. There are a number of companies who expressed an interest in looking to save Curtis Fine Papers. Unite has said we will do whatever we can to help if a purchaser comes along - something, Butler & Tanner's did, which re-opened its doors this week re-employing 80 staff.

Lovemore Matombo & Wellington Chibebe - On trial 30 July in Harare Add your support at www.wearezctu.org Solidarity with Zimbabwe Trade Unions http://www.tuc.org.uk/international/tuc-15137-f0.cfm

Unite e-activist number 24 http://newsweaver.co.uk/unite/index000278561.cfm?x=bd4G2gm,b4DSkR

A copy of the Somerset Guardian arrived today with an article on the recent creditors meeting and Mr. Dolan's decision not to attend the meeting. Rather than selected the quotes from Peter Kubik, of administrators UHY Hacker Young Ltd and the papers' report of why Mr. Dolan failed to turn up at the meeting - here is the full story. Make up your own minds. "An investigation is to be launched into the way Frome's former printing firm, Butler and Tanner, was run. The news broke at a meeting at Frome Football Club on Tuesday which Mike Dolan, chairman of B &T's former parent company, Media Print Investments Plc, had decided not to attend because he said he feared for his safety. However, more than 50 former workers and creditors did go to the meeting which was called to discuss the position of the more than 300 creditors which, between them, are owed about £12 million by the firm. Peter Kubik, of administrators UHY Hacker Young Ltd, told the packed meeting they are unlikely to see any of the outstanding money owed. He said: "There was a huge amount of disappointment because of the amount of money which has been lost. "In terms of conclusion to the meeting I explained I intend to apply for the company to be placed in compulsory liquidation within three months. "I am about to begin two investigations into the conduct of the directors and the running of the company. "I will also be investigating the conduct of other companies within the Media Print Investments group." Mr Kubik told the meeting, which lasted about one-and-a-half hours, that Mr Dolan would not be attending up because he feared for his safety. The reaction was of shock and disappointment. "I would have liked Mr Dolan to have been at the meeting, as there were a lot of questions that were asked that he could have answered - and I'm sure the workers felt the same way," said Mr Kubik. "It was evident the audience wanted to ask him about why the company was placed in administration in May. "Unfortunately, these were questions I couldn't answer." Mr Dolan said he had decided not to attend the meeting after consultation with his security firm and police, who both said they did not have the rescources to protect him. In a statement, he said: "LCS Security, the firm MPI engaged when the Frome site was closed and whom the administrators have continued to engage, are adamant from their local intelligence gathering that my personal safety will be threatened if I attend the meeting. "Accordingly, I have informed the administrators that because of the police's inability to commit officers to ensure maintenance of public order and ensure my personal safety, coupled with the advice of our security consultants that my personal safety is at risk, I shall not attend." The two reports Mr Kubik is preparing will be handed to the Department for Business and Enterprise by October, which will continue the investigation once an application for liquidation has been made to the High Court."