WHERE THE DOCKS MEET THE BEACH

Remembering the Miners strike & dockers dispute

2009-10-24T07:27:00.000-07:00

Sefton Trade Union Council has organised a meeting to remember the miners and Liverpool dockers dispute on Tuesday 27th October at 7pm

Speaking are Davey Hopper, North East secretary of the NUM and Doreen McNally, chair of Women of the Waterfront during the dockers dispute of 1995-98.

The venue is Bootle Salvation Army Hall 381 Stanley Road, Bootle Merseyside L20 3EF (2 mins from Bootle New Strand station)

See pubicity from the local paper:

http://www.crosbyherald.co.uk/news/crosby-news/2009/10/22/dockers-wife-is-set-to-give-a-talk-about-liverpool-dispute-68459-24987458/

Hope Not Hate - Crosby Music Festival

2009-05-24T04:32:00.000-07:00

Sefton Unison are sponsoring a music festival in Crosby Village this (bank holiday) weekend, 22-25 May, in support of the Hope Not Hate Campaign.

See http://www.crosbymusicfestival.com/ for further details.

Unite for Jobs

2009-05-16T10:02:00.001-07:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8053083.stm

May Day May Day

2009-05-02T15:10:00.000-07:00

It's probably no coincidence that both the workers flag and international workers day are used to symbolise danger. The spectre of workers protest still haunts much of the world, see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8028237.stm and http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/8028861.stm

Closer to home Sefton Trade Union Council supported the Merseyside County Association of Trade Union Councils May Day March, held this year at Wallasey Central Park in the Wirral. While many local people enjoyed the music, the fair and the football competition, the march itself was probably the smallest may day march many of us have ever took part in, with the banner of the North West PCS the only union banner visible to me.

Given the crisis of British capitalism and growing unemployment, why was a chance like this missed to put the case for workers organisation and collective solutions ? Is it just the case, as thatcherites and anarchists alike pronounce, that unions are a thing of the past?

6.9 million workers remain union members though, still earning more than those who are not unionised http://stats.berr.gov.uk/uksa/tu/TUM2008.pdf

What its important to understand is that unions are organised both vertically (ie top down, often from regional/national offices) and horizontally (through lay organisation, branches, stewards commitees and the trades union councils of local branch delegates). Union activists generally rely on both for support, and when we are on the defensive we rely more on the help of paid officials, for interpretations of complex legislation, campaigning publicity, press contacts etc.

Most union activists appreciate any help they get, and there is loyalty to the union structures on that basis. However these official structures are also more tied into the state, through the higher salaries officials receive, the time they spend developing working relationships with managers and HR, and the belief that the connections between them and Labour Party politicians means we have 'friends in high places'. Friends who take our money and then kick us in the teeth, that is..

While the membership contacts and subscriptions are held by the official structures, horizontal organisation is strongest when workers are acting independently, either through confidence or sometimes frustration, and organising (and believing in) themselves. Otherwise the branch structures, commitees and trades union councils tend to decline, as members lack the confidence to become activists, and those activists left lack the time and energy to organise themselves.

The officials themselves have at best an ambigious relationship with horizontal organisation. As its the trade union councils who organise the may day marches, they can't rely on the regional or national offices to mobilise for them, and its a fair best that most union members arent even told about such events.

However we may be seeing evidence of a revival of independent workplace action, with the symbolic victory of the Visteon workers factory occupations on May 1st a reminder of the power of organisation http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/britain/stunning_win_for_visteon_workers

Every worker can, and should be in a union, and every activist can go to their branch or stewards meeting, get themselves delegated to their local trade union council, and start organising with other union activists across the movement. We still have a world to win, and we can start by taking back our day in the sun.

Workers Memorial Day

2009-04-29T02:47:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, 28 April 2009

I joined UCATT's Workers Memorial Day in Liverpool today for a moving ceremony to remember all those killed at work.The UCATT monument on Hunter Street is modelled on a worker killed in the streets own development, and can be seen here www.johndavies.org/pic-hod-MEMORIAL.jpg

Alongside a delegation of primary school children was the deputy Lord Mayor of the city, and the Lord Mayor of Flint, both former construction workers themselves. PCS banners were also present, and a large contingent of teenage college students who I guess had some connection to the UCU Liverpool Community College branch, whose banner was also present.

Events like this highlight both how little value capitalism places on peoples lifes, and the real value of unions in defending the rights, and indeed the lives, of working people.Congratulations to the organisers for this.

For some reason both the GMB and Unite organised their own events, the latters press release making it to the BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/8022451.stm

Southport: The End of Suburbia

2009-04-24T14:13:00.000-07:00

I got the train up the Sefton coast last night to watch this film in Southport's Friends Meeting House http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3uvzcY2Xug

It was shown by the local Transition Town group, a grassroots idea that I support but that, like most environmentalism in this country, tends to be strongest in the leafier parts of cities and in suburban towns.

As a trade unionist facing squarely up both the crisis of capitalism and climate catostrophe, it seems obvious we need to be thinking about transition workplace communities too. The workplace is where most pollution takes place and most energy is consumed, not even counting transport to/from work.

The TUC have put this document out www.tuc.org.uk/economy/tuc-9996-f0.pdf , and anyone in a unionised workplace can take up its suggestions. TUC affiliates though continue to support nuclear power, coal fired stations, the third runway at Heathrow....

However Visteon factory workers in occupation have also raised the possibility of converting parts of the car industry to socially and envioronmentally useful production, see http://www.socialistunity.com/?p=3867 Thats both an idea ,and a struggle, we should give our full support to

Sefton Trade Union Council - next meeting

2009-04-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

Sefton Trades (ie Trade Union) Council next meets on Tuesday 28th April at 7pm at the South Sefton Unemployed Workers & Welfare Rights Centre, Sally Eccleston Memorial Hall, Moss Lane, Litherland, L21 7NW.

On the agenda is feedback from the North West Palestinian Trade Union Solidarity Conference and the South Sefton Unemployed Workers Centre. With the recession biting now these centres are more important than ever, and need your support.

Let us know if you can attend and/or please circulate to your members

Trade Union Palestinian Solidarity Conference (Afternoon session)

2009-04-19T13:26:00.000-07:00

The afternoon session began with a choice of workshops - BDS or Trade Union links and delegations. I went to the latter, led by Kevin Brown, FBU Regional Secretary.

Kevin had been part of the FBU delegation to Palestine and introduced their video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgGT6PrTmAo

He described witnessing the awful expeiences of Palestinian workers, being teargassed at a community protest against the apartheid wall and being threatened at gunpoint by Israeli settlers and soldiers. They met Palestinian fire fighters and saw and heard of their difficulties doing their jobs in an occupied country.

The delegation felt obliged to report their experiences to their members and debate with those who had reservations about it, noting that they had seen no anti-semitism at all from the Palestinian people.

They had sought to make contact with Hamas in Gaza, as they were the local administration, but felt it was essential to work through the PGFTU.

There was some debate about what we should be doing within the unions, with one delegate asking for trade union support to remove Hamas from the list of terrorist organisations. My own view was that it's right to defend the right of Palestinians to democratically elect their own government, even if we dont support them (I do not support Hamas myself, and their atacks on the PGFTU in Gaza is reason enough for that). But to build support for the palestinians within the trade unions we really had to be relating to palestinian trade unionists in the PGFTU.

I also felt it helped to make connections between our workplace and professions and those in Palestine. Workers in mental health, for example, could understand the unfair differences between prestigous conferences being organised in Israel while clinician's from the West Bank where denied travel pemits to conferences in Gaza last year, before the Gaza Community Mental Health Centre was itself blown up by the Israeli's.

A delegate who had been part of the Viva Palestina! convoy herself http://www.vivapalestina.org/ noted that there were practical difficulties with this sometimes, in her experience you had to relate to whoever you found was operating and organising on the ground. Kevin noted too that the PGFTU didn't organise public sector workers in the west bank, who under Jordanian employemet law were outside its scope.

An NUJ delegate also showed disturbing pictures drawn by palestinian children, illustrating their own trauma. It was important to them to know the outside world had seen their drawings and understood their distress.

The final plenary was addressed by Hugh Lanning, the Deputy General Secretary of the PCS Union and a representative of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign www.palestinecampaign.org/

Hugh said the question we had to ask ourselves was what are we going to do next? Within the unions, as within society, perceptions had shifted decisively from taking a 'balanced' position to one of clear solidarity with the Palestinians. They had three suggestions

1. Build a mass movement - including more individual and branch affiliations to the PSC. This could also mean more conferences like this throughout the country.

2.Change UK policies, including the EU favoured trading status for Israel. The European elections were a forum to raise this, and he noted the rapid growth of Labour Friends of Palestine too within the governing party.

3. Build a mass boycott. The question was what could each union do, it wasn't about being prescriptive to them. The important thing was to think what was the next step. We could make our own choices, but do something, don't do nothing.

Trade Union Palestinian Solidarity Conference (morning session)

2009-04-19T12:19:00.000-07:00

I attended this conference in Liverpool yesterday, organised by Merseyside Trade Union Council and Liverpool Friends of Palestine, as a delegate from Sefton Trade Union Council. See http://www.labournet.net/ukunion/0904/palconfrep1.html for a full transcript of the morning session.

There were between 50-60 delegates from across the North West, with a creche provided by the organisers and middle eastern food provided for lunch by the local muslim community.

The morning session was opened and chaired by Steve Farley, chair of the North West TUC and was then addressed through an interpreter by Manawell Abdel-Al, from the executive of the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU).

He noted that the PGFTU has to operate within three different employment legislation - Israeli, Jordanian in the West Bank, and the Palestinian government. This created practical and political difficulties, for instance in illegally occupied East Jerusalem where Palestinians do not recognise Israeli law.

A further organising difficulty was created by the destruction of the Palestinian economy, with unemployment at 30% in the West Bank and 50% in Gaza.

Then there was the racist, apartheid wall, which separated many people's workplace from their communities and family homes, meaning either long and impossible daily journeys when checkpoints are closed, or having to choose between work and home.

He unequivocally condenmed the attack on Gaza and brought a simple request to the conference - to boycott Israeli products and oppose policies that affect all Palestinians. Such actions, like those taken recently by South African Dockers who refused to handle Israeil goods, had 'lifted all their spirits'.

Here in the North west specifically he is aware of Veilloa bidding for waste contracts. This is the same company involved in projects connecting illegal settlements in the west bank to Israel proper. They lie that this involves helping palestinian villages - he lives in one of these villages himself and can confirm they receive no help from them at all.

Questions were asked about Palestinian workers in Israel (so called 'Israeli Arab's) - Manawell confirmed they suffered from discriminatory laws and practices); should we boycott the Histadrut ? - he had no hesistation supporting this. The PGFTU had an agreement with them to get their money back, but the Histadrut supported the attack on Gaza and one of its former leaders led the war on Lebannon.

Questions were also asked about the internal political situation, and he noted that Hamas is not represented on the PGFTU's executive. It has its own 'Islamic Trade Union' and before they talk about mergers he felt even this name was a problem - trade unions surely had to be for all workers, regardless of their religion. Hamas had taken control of the PGFTU offices in Gaza and then the Israeli's destroyed them. But the PGFTU has its own offices elsewehere in Gaza now and continues to organise.

A photo journalist from Gaza then presented an eyewitness report and was followed by Brian Campsfield, the Deputy General Secretary of NIPSA, Northern Ireland's biggest union.

Brian talked about how they had built support for the Palestinian's within the union and within a divided society, where the issue was often 'sectarianised'. He was involved with the Trades Councils who organised the protests for Gaza in Belfast and Derry. In answer to a question asking if there was comparisons between the Irish and Palestinian liberation struggles he said that the trade unions had not taken this position during the 'troubles' in Ireland, but they had been able to focus on civil rights and stand up for these.

Eamon McMahon from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) then spoke about the work of the Trade Union Friends of Palestine. ICTU November 2007 Palestine delegation report can be found here www.ictu.ie/download/pdf/palestine_final.pdf

Next up was a phone link from Bongani Masuka, the International Secretary of COSATU. He described what was happening in the middle east as the biggest display of Imperialist Aggression in the world. Israel was playing the same role there as the Colombian government in South America. He felt the Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions Campaign (BDS) was essential.

We're Back

2009-04-18T15:30:00.000-07:00

So we're back now, having missed out reporting on everthing that's hapened since last summer. Maybe I need sunshine to inspire blogging that can otherwise very quickly seem like homework!

Those happenings would include some small, but productive meetings of Sefton Trade Union Council with guest speakers from campaigns like this http://www.mrsn.org.uk/letthemwork/index.html ; and our free public film showing of this
http://www.powerofcommunity.org/cm/index.php , testing the water for eco-socialism on the Sefton coast.

The war on Gaza brought masses of people onto the streets, including in Liverpool http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec0WgaiRn1o , and inspired our Trade Union Palestinian Solidarity Conference (see next post)

The Unite General Secretary Election election, where a rank and file candidate almost caused a shock http://jerryhicks.wordpress.com/ also followed from the oil refinery protests which sparked a bit of a debate on the left. My own view is that 'British Jobs for British workers' was only ever a cynical politicians slogan. I am pleased of the work our comrades did to make this an issue of decent jobs with union agreements for everyone, and marched with Unite on the streets of Liverpool for this http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/7956612.stm

I didnt get to Put People First in London, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43UjPt4wmiU having a previous engagement with our fraternal friends in the North West TUC, so had to settle for the T-Shirt instead http://www.putpeoplefirst.org.uk/2009/03/put-people-first-t-shirts-from-philosophy-football-now. From experience I was not surprised about the police assaults on protesters and bystanders with tragic consequences later in that week. Seeing it on the news is a surprise though and lets hope for justice and accountability over this too.

We keep on keeping on with Keep Our NHS Public and its advantage local democray against the PFI scam http://www.labournet.net/ukunion/0904/royal2.html

I'm reading the very excellent Naomi Klein book 'The Shock Doctrine' at the moment, this recession is a scary time and collective organisation has never been more important.

Bickerstock

2008-08-03T12:37:00.000-07:00

Although I come originally from a place in between two big cities, I have to confess to picking up a few metropolitan prejudices along the way.

When I heard that there was a festival in the Lancashire village of Bickerstaffe this weekend, a passing thought of locals with pies and pitchforks who dont like strangers in these parts did come to mind.

Well shame on me. As the name suggests 'Bickerstock' is an open minded and welcoming event, which must be encouraging for creative personalities in the village. http://www.bickerstock.org/index.html

Anyone who can play an instrument there seems to take part, adding to the community participation feel, while some really decent bands make up the line up.

Highlights on saturday for me was Jim Holmes, and Sunday 'Northern Daze', though that just perhaps highlights my own tastes, with a Levellers cover reminding me of hearing the original in another field 15 years ago now.

And speaking of Levellers, it seems that the village itself was a centre of dissent back in the day, with the Quakers having large local support in the 17th century. Who would have guessed that?

For Peace & Ecology

2008-07-26T15:49:00.000-07:00

So, on to the latest counter-cultural celebrations, saturdays Peace & Ecology festival organised by Merseyside CND. http://www.laycock.uklinux.net/mcnd/

This was the second annual event of its kind, more of a gathering of progressive activists and their stalls with live background music, and sun too which was a result. Lots of peace groups and environmentalists, naturally, and international solidarity campaigns were well represented too.

And from my perspective particuarly pleasing to see the Keep Our NHS Public campaign established as a local presence.

Curiuosly no trotskyist left or trade union stalls - I'm not complaining about the absence of the former, though the non-trotskyist socialist groups are fairly idiosyncratic too. Maybe we should do something about the latter next year as local FBU and TGWU regions did fund and sponsor the event, as did Liverpool Trades Council

There were also more christian peace groups than I expected. This is perhaps explained by the very moving location this year. St Luke's in the city centre is the ruins of a church hit by a bomb in WW2, and is both grand and peaceful in itself; a real place of reflection which is usually left to people down on their luck drowning their sorrows away.

What the average city centre shoppers who stumbled across us makes of this I don't really know. But there was enough of an atmosphere not to care too much, and to relax and think only about the important things in life for a change.

Cut My Pay - No Way! NHS Day of Protest - 18 July 2008

2008-07-25T12:27:00.000-07:00

Unite members across the country took part in a day of protest against the NHS pay offer on the 18th July 2008. Workers campaigned around the slogan – ‘Cut my pay - No way!’.

We had a protest outside Broadgreen Hospital in Liverpool, perhaps we weren't photogenic enough to make the photo gallery!

http://www.amicustheunion.org/Default.aspx?page=8633

It's quite simply wrong for public sector workers to take the brunt of the latest recession, when we haven't caused it. Its enough to make people question the point of having a Labour Government, as they have done in Scotland and now most recently in Glasgow East.

The problem we have in England though is that in he absence of a left wing pole of attraction, oppossition to the Labour Government is principally aiding right wing parties. Surely something for those of us on the left to think seriously about

Salud!

2008-07-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

I have some reservations about the possibilities of creating socialism in one country, even if when that country is exotic Cuba. It's at best, a bit contradictory; one the one hand a hereditary dictatorship, on the other the most environmentally sustainable country in the world.

It's also a third/majority world country with a health care system that puts its neighbouring American superpower to shame, as Michael Moores film 'Sicko' highlights. It's for this reason I went to see Salud! on wednesday, a film about Cuban doctors and their international efforts http://www.saludthefilm.net/ns/synopsis.html

Organised by 'Rock Against the Blockade', it wasnt the sort of event to express your doubts. Acknowledging problems with the country's agricultural productivity led to the organisers themselves being heckled with the question 'which side are you on'...

Well I'm sure I'd be on the wrong side of the firing squad myself.

Nonetheless there were some interesting points in the discussion and the film itself is a worthy effort that highlights the humanity of the Cuban's. It also illustrates that political values are a more powerful force than professional ethics. Oppossition to the Cuban doctors missions by the self-interested and wealthy medics in other counties is subtly contrasted to their own altruism.

I wonder how medical students in this country would view it, and picked up a copy to see if we can test this later in the year.

2008-07-14T11:33:00.000-07:00

Festivals just keep coming, and you know we are now the capital of culture when you have a choice of two on a Sunday.

I managed to bodyswerve the 'Crosby Lions Carnival' however and instead had a nice time at the Arabic Arts Family Day near the city centre at Sefton Park http://www.arabicartsfestival.co.uk/

Its a pity we don't see more of that sort of multi-culturalism in the borough of Sefton itself. On a warm summers day, some decent food, a diverse crowd, a relaxed atmosphere and lively music might break down a few barriers.

I worry that we only really have inner city multi-culturalism in England. In the outer city and suburbs and small towns its still mono-culturalism that prevails, both in the sense of supermarkets and St George's flags, and its overwhelmingly white.

Well it feels that way sometimes, its just not the sort of place for identity politics really. Maybe I worry too much about the BNP, who are around but haven't made any real breakthroughs, not this side of the recession to come anyway.

Oranges are not the only fruit

2008-07-12T15:30:00.000-07:00

Today the Orange Order was out on the streets for their annual parade. Most people here now ask why and wish they would go away.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/local-news/2008/07/09/is-it-time-to-for-lodge-marchers-to-call-it-a-day-100252-21307992/

http://forums.chesterchronicle.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=9131

Orangeism used to be very strong on Merseyside. The classic divide and rule approach appealed to local politicians and with a largely immigrant irish population competing for unskilled work on the docks you can see why.

But working class solidarity was stronger in the end, and now its the Irish connections and culture that are celebrated.

Celebrate & Defend the NHS

2008-07-09T14:47:00.000-07:00

TUC/KONP march to celebrate and defend the NHS on it's 60th birthday.

About 200 people attended, marching through a thunderstorm from the Royal Liverpool Hospital to St. Georges Hall. We believe this was the biggest event of this kind in the country on the day

http://www.labournet.net/ukunion/0807/livnhs2.html

Liverpool left

2008-07-09T14:38:00.000-07:00

Mersey Paradise? Article on Liverpool left by a Scottish Socialist http://www.redflag.org.uk/frontline/Mar08/mersey.html