WARNING candidates standing under the 'Reclaim the Union' banner are all members or supporters of ultra left political groups that want to take control of the Union from ordinary members. Do not give them your vote!

Tuesday, 14 May 2013

UNISON NEC Elections: still 10 days of voting to go!!!

The biannual postal ballot elections for UNISON NEC is still on until May 24th.

If you haven't already voted (and the great majority of UNISON members will have not voted) you still have the chance to vote for the pragmatic forces of light and reason. 

So check out the pile of post in the kitchen drawer that you haven't got around to sorting out yet. If you did not receive a ballot paper ring UNISON direct on 0845 355 0845.

Saturday, 20 April 2013

UNISON National Executive Council Elections (NEC) 2013

Regional Seats

Eastern
Reserved Seat – Julie Heywood

East Midlands
Female – Nicole Berrisford
Male – Chris Tansley

Greater London
Female – Kim Silver and Gloria Hanson
Male – Conroy Lawrence
Reserved – Irene Stacey

North West
General – Glen Williams
Female – Tracey Delaney and Paula Barker
Male – Eddy Redmond

Scotland 
General – Jane Carolan
Female – Sandra Dee Masson and Liz Handibode
Male – Gordon McKay

South East
Female – Kathy Symonds
Male – Steve Milford

South West 
Female – Lesley Discombe
Male – Mike Hines

Cymru/Wales
Female -  Melanie Fender or Linda Sweet
Male – Mike Hayes
Reserved – Sian Stockham

Yorkshire and Humberside
Male – John Campbell

Service Groups

Community 
Female – Isobel McVicar

Energy
General - Paul Glover or Angela Greenhalgh

HealthCare
General – James Anthony
Female – Ann Moses and Christine Sullivan
Male – Eric Roberts

Higher Ed
Female – Elizabeth Baptiste

Local Gov
General – Linda Crowther
Female – Wendy Nichols and Lynn Poulton
Male – Paul Gilroy

Police and Justice
General – Chris Hanrahan

Water, Env & Transport
General – Pam Sian

National Seats

Black Members 
Female – Elizabeth Cameron and Neelo Farr
Male – Calvin Smeda

Young Members
General – Daniel Goodwin

A New Voice for the North West


Cymru/Wales Low Paid Member Seat: Sian Stockham


UNISON NEC Community Election 2013 - Vote for Isobel McVicar



Dear Colleagues

This month there will be UNISON elections for membership of your National Executive Committee (NEC) and on the 22 April you will all be sent ballot papers for these elections to your home addresses.

Isobel McVicar & John Gray are your current NEC members for Community Service Group and they are standing again for re-election. John is standing for the Community General Seat and has no-one standing against him and Isobel is standing for the Female Seat.

The National Executive Committee of UNISON represents the Union and our members to the wider world. It decides upon issues and campaigns in between conferences and works with UNISON staff to support members.

Isobel has been a longstanding UNISON activist holding positions of Assistant Conditions of Service Officer, Publicity Officer and Branch Secretary in the Glasgow City Branch and International Officer in the Manchester Branch.

John has also been an activist in UNISON for many years and held a number of branch and regional positions including Treasurer, Health & Safety, Welfare, Labour Link, International officer and Assistant Secretary.  He is now the Branch Secretary of the Greater London Housing Associations Branch and is supporting Isobel for the NEC seat.

In 2011 they were the first ever elected Community members to be represented on the National Executive Council. While on the NEC Isobel has served on the Finance and Resources Committee and the International Committee.  John has served on the Policy and Development Committee, been a trustee on the UNISON staff pension fund and National Labour link.

Community members are facing amongst the very worse cuts in jobs and attacks on their pay, pensions, terms and conditions by this Tory led Government.
Care and support staff wages in particular are under threat as unscrupulous employers deliberately underbid to win Supporting People contracts then try and do their upmost to destroy TUPE protections.

While big Housing management organisations are cash rich after years of inflation plus rent rises yet still refuse to give their staff decent pay rises.

Many Community members belong to the Pension Trust or the Social Housing Pension Fund. Some employers are using flawed and discredited accounting measures as an excuse to try and close their schemes or raise contributions to unaffordable levels.  
John and Isobel have been working and campaigning with branches and regions to oppose these measures. They believe that Community members must also play their part in opposing Austerity and arguing for an alternative economic policy.

They also believe that there are a number of Community specific campaigns that UNISON should be pursuing such as:-
  • Binding Sectorial Pay Boards – Set up to decide the pay and conditions of all staff by collective bargaining including a living wage minimum for all Community workers and agency/sub-contractors.
  • Better governance and democracy – increasingly many of our employer management boards are run by highly paid unelected and unrepresentative “elites”. There should be union employee representation on all Community Trust or management boards, especially remuneration committees (if applicable)
  • Access to a decent defined benefit pension scheme for all.
  • No public money for anti-trade union employers. Community organisations that do not have trade union recognition agreements should not be allowed to bid for grants or contracts from local or national governments.
  • Adequate funding and resources for all UNISON branches that have Community members to ensure that we have the means to properly support and protect all members.  
They both work together well as your Community NEC team. While Isobel’s employer is a small charity, John’s works for a large housing association, so they  represent and complement both of the major sectors in Community.

You can contact Isobel on 07876 561643/ izzymcv@btinternet.com  and John on 07977 285 297/john.gray2012@btinternet.com.
(P&P on behalf of Campaign to re-elect John Gray & Isobel McVicar)

Re-elect Mike Hayes for Cymru/Wales NEC


UNISON NEC Elections 2013 FaceBook page


Check out the Facebook page here. Please like and share.

Elizabeth Cameron and Calvin Smeda for NEC Black Member's Seat


UNISON NEC London and National Service Group Health


Make Your Vote Count: Greater London Seats


Re Elect Angela Greenhalgh - ENERGY Rep on NEC


UNISON NEC London & Local Government Seats


My UNISON NEC 2013 Ballot Paper for Greater London & Community


NEC London & Higher Education Female


Vote for Scotland's NEC

Check out

Facebook.com/scotlandsnec