Tuesday 3rd September 2013
Carrs Lane Church Centre
Carrs Lane
Birmingham
B4 7SX
6:00 pm for 6:30 start
Any apologies to branch chair: alan.weaver1@ntlworld.com
Agenda
1) Introduction by chair/those attending
2) Minutes of May meeting (not attached, incompetent minute taker)
3) Secretary/Treasurers reports
4) Branch reports
5) Up date on disputes
7) NUJ Delegate Meeting 2014
8) 'Gripes, Grumbles and Grievances'
9) Any other business
- Topics in this message:
- Zero-hours Workers Earn £6 Less per Hour
- Report Back from Durham Miners Gala Sat 13th July
- Detention of David Miranda Serious Abuse of 'Terrorism Act 2000'
- NUJ Open meeting for 60 + members
- Reclaiming Our Futures - Celebrating Disabled People
- NUJ Settles Pay Deal With BBC
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Zero-hours Workers Earn £6 Less per Hour
Workers on zero-hours contracts are being paid £6 an hour less than other employees, according to research published ahead of a summit to study what action is needed to tackle the issue. Labour is bringing together unions and employers following the revelation that a million people could be employed on a zero-hours basis, under which they are not guaranteed work from one week to the next. The opposition said official figures analysed by the Resolution Foundation showed that zero-hours workers earned an average of £9 an hour, compared with £15 for other employees.
Read more: Alan Jones, <http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/zerohours-workers-earn-6-less-per-hour-8775187.html>Independent, Tuesday 20 August 2013
Zero Hour Contracts: The NUJ Is Investigating Whether Any Members Are On Or Know Of Employers In The Industry Who Are Using Zero-Hours Contracts.
Email: Campaigns@nuj.org.uk
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Report Back from Durham Miners Gala Sat 13th July
Bob Crow, speaking at the Durham Miners Gala Sat 13th July, urged trade unionists to break their ties with Ed Miliband's Labour Party and create one that "speaks for working people", watched by Frances O'Grady TUC General Secretary (who followed on the rostrum), her attempts to be as militant as Bob were somewhat pale. I heard little of her "It's time to start making politics real and relevant to working people again" - TUC Press Release Puff. Overlong on what's wrong with the system but not even a stab in the dark how to right it, for as she well knows it can't be fixed
Still even if stymied by Bob, she had to throw her prepared speech to the wind, we were still treated to her conviction, the TUC would back "combined" union action, whatever that purports to be, I deduce however such militant sounding vocal postulating, amounts to little more than the usual annual, do nothing for months, 'building' for the march at the Tory Party Conference! Chuh! Marching up and down the bloody hill once again!
Comedian and actor Ricky Tomlinson spoke to the crowd on behalf of the Shrewsbury 24 campaign to overturn the convictions of 24 builders (including him). On leaving the stage there was an altercation between Ricky and persons unknown, who accused him of lying? Bad blood? As for the thronging crowd, well if there were at any one time, fifty people listening to any individual speaker I'd be surprised
Stalingrad O'Neill
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Detention of David Miranda Serious Abuse of 'Terrorism Act 2000'
The detention of David Miranda, the partner of Glenn Greenwald, the Guardian journalist reporting on the mass surveillance programmes by the United States National Security Agency (NSA), is yet another chilling incident in a series of attacks on civil liberties and freedom of the press. And an abuse of Schedule 7 Terrorism Act 2000
Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary, said: "The shocking detention of David Miranda for the crime of being the partner of a respected investigative journalist points to the growing abuse of so-called anti-terror laws in the UK. His detention and treatment was a gross misuse of the law and clearly linked to the work of his partner Glenn Greenwald, who revealed the extent of mass surveillance and wholesale interception of internet traffic by the US security services and its collusion with GCQH. It's rather ironic that the police's response, in turn, is to put the partner of a journalist under surveillance and detain him in this way.
Online Petition: Review the use of Schedule 7 Terrorism Act 2000, sign <> here . . . .
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NUJ Open meeting for 60 + members on Wednesday 2 October at Headland House, 308-312 Gray's Inn Road, London WC1X 8DP. It will start at 13.00 with light refreshments and finish at 16.00. Emily Georghiou from Age UK's policy and public affairs department is the keynote speaker.
A recent online survey of 60+ confirmed that there was no longer a clear division between members who had "retired" and those who were still working. The 60+ Council is part of the structure of the union and fulfills the role of a 'retired' section but more of course given developments in way age is now viewed.
The agenda will include items on proposed guidelines on reporting age, 60+ survey results and implications for the council's future work and the structure of the 60+ council. It will also be an opportunity to ask questions and inform council members on how you want the union to work on 60+ issues internally, but also in terms of NUJ policy on NHS, pensions etc.
If you wish to attend, email Lena Calvert, NUJ equality officer at <:> lenac@nuj.org.uk
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Reclaiming Our Futures - Celebrating Disabled People
Brought to you by -Disabled People Against Cuts, Black Triangle, Mental Health Resistance Network and the WOW petition
Seven Days of Action - 29th August to 4th September
Our rights are being stripped away day by day, by the neo-liberal policies being imposed on us all by the Condems, leaving us without much hope for our futures - or our children's.
We have been here before. Our history is littered with examples of how our community has come together when under attack to fight - and win. >From the early campaigns of NLBDP (National League of Blind and Disabled People) through to the founding and manifesto of UPIAS (Union of the Physically Impaired Against Segregation) and on to DAN (Direct Action Network)- Now we have DPAC leading direct action and a host of other key grass root campaigns working towards reclaiming our rights and futures.
Read More: <> Disabled People Against the Cuts
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NUJ Settles Pay Deal With BBC
The NUJ, and sister unions Bectu and Unite, have agreed the deal and have dropped threats of strike action. They have accepted the offer of an £800 pay increase and a 1 per cent increase on pay grades and allowances. The unions reached agreement after the BBC agreed to take off the table proposed changes to redundancy consultation terms and refer their proposals for changes to payments for working unpredictable and anti-social hours to broader consultation on pay and grading taking place for the remainder on this year.
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Keep the NUJ up to date: If you have moved recently, have a new phone number, become a rep or have made any other changes, please contact us at <> membership@nuj.org.uk or call the membership department on 020 7843 3737
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