Manchester 'Day of Action'

NO SANCTIONS DAY OF ACTION ACROSS GREATER MANCHESTER: March 2016

This Wednesday 9th March sees a National Day of Action, with peaceful
direct action taking place all over Greater Manchester to protest at
unfair benefit sanctions and the devastating impact they have on
people.

"It's in opposition to the Department of Work and Pensions continued
onslaught against benefits claimants through sanctions" says Chris
McBride of Unite Community which is organising the Day

"Thousands of benefits claimants have had their benefits stopped for
months at a time and the reasons given include 'late signing on', in
many cases just one or two minutes, and late signing due to claimants
proven attendance at job interviews and funerals" he adds .

"Around eighty per cent of appeals against sanctioning have, in these
circumstances, proven successful, though much research has exposed
many claimants reluctance to appeal for fear of rejection, and even
victimisation.

"Suicides and sickness have been the result of benefits sanctions
according to many" he explains "Deaths commonly seen as directly
related to benefits sanctions include David Clapson, Stephanie
Bottrill, Victor Cuff, Jacqueline Harris, and many more."
A report by Sheffield Hallam University and Crisis states that, "the
sanctions rate has increased dramatically", leading to food poverty,
survival crime, family/relationship tensions, mental and physical
health problems, fuel poverty, debt and possible homelessness.

The latest availaible DWP statistics lists Rochdale Job Centre, Fleece
Street as having the third highest rate for sanctioning benefit
claimants in the whole of Greater Manchester.

Of the 4,078 people then being sanctioned at Rochdale Job Centre 40%
were sanctioned without being told why these sanctioned were imposed
by Claimant Advisers.

Locally the figures break down at:

•Rochdale Job Centre Plus, Fleece Street - 4,078
•Middleton Jobcentre Plus - 1,484
•Heywood Job Centre Plus, Taylor Street – 972

A total of 6534 in all.

Across the Greater Manchester, the Manchester East & West area had
24,072 “adverse” sanctions. Of these the majority by far were in the
18-24 year age group totalling 246, 592 individuals. With 91,603 in
the 25-29 year old age group.

Most worryingly across the whole of the United Kingdom there were
49,827 disabled people who were sanctioned by the DWP.

Mental health charities have campaigned against the scandal of one
hundred people a day with mental health issues being sanctioned by the
DWP under the DWP sanctions regime.

As well as Unite Community, the Day of Action is backed by Disabled
People Against Cuts, Unite the Union, Boycott Workfare and the TUC.

There's also a rally at Piccadilly Gardens Manchester between 2pm and 4pm.

For further details see Unite Against Sanctions Facebook page and the
Unite the Community Union online petition against sanctions at :

http://www.unitetheunion.org/campaigning/stop-benefit-sanctions/cut-out-cuts-petition/

Unite Rule 27: MEMBERSHIP DISCIPLINE

Degradation Ceremonies & a Curious Caste System

 by Brian Bamford

WHEN, in the 1970s, I wrote my unpublished dissertation 'Members and Officials:  Some aspects of a Trade Union Dispute', I was mindful of the model proposed by Harold Garfinkel in his essay 'Conditions for doing Degradation Ceremonies'.   Degradation in Courts of law, the defrocking of priests, and even at disciplinary hearings of trade unions etc. is an accomplishment which must be brought about by demonstrating that the proposed 'offender' has conduction him or herself in some untoward way which would put the proposed 'offender' outside what is considered to be proper.  Somehow the interrogation must artfully show that the 'offender' is beneath contempt or is acting outside the rules in some way.

 

On the 12^th, August 2015, I have been called to an 'investigation' under Rule 27 of the Unite Rule Book, specifically 'Rule 27.1.5 Bringing about injury to or discredit upon the Union or any member of the Union'. 

 

The allegation is that in March a report appeared on this Northern Voices Blog entitled 'Unite Committee Bins Blacklist Motion' that was 'inaccurate', and contained material that had consequences for the Unite union and undermined Mr. Sidney Graves, who was merely doing his duty as Chairman of the North West Local Authority Regional Industrial Sector Committee (Risc.) at a meeting on the 5^th, March 2015.  The problem was that the crucial decision or the non-decision of the North West Risc. to move a motion supporting the promotion of an effective Ethical Procurement Policy in the way local authorities award contracts to companies that have been involved in blacklisting building site workers.  Northern Voices considered that this failure to find anyone on the North West Risc. to move such an important motion or for the chairman to even hold a discussion, was something that was in the public interest.

 

Mr. Graves seems to have taken a contrary view, and he quickly complained to the North West regional secretary of Unite, Mick Whitley, that the report on the Northern Voices Blog was 'inaccurate' and he believed had consequences for  him and his committee.  As I write these words I am listening to a report on the Radio Four 'Media Show' in which a Scottish football journalist has just been banned by Rangers because he had refused to oblige the Club by producing what is called 'corporate journalism' or reports that please the football club.  Can it be that this week's investigation (12/08/2015) by Unite into Northern Voices is an attempt to produce a kind of 'corporate journalism' for Unite the Union?

 

Interestingly, Unite Rule 27.1.4 says:

'A member may be charged with ... Inciting, espousing or practising discrimination or intolerance amongst members on grounds of race, ethnic origin, religion, age, gender, disability or sexual orientation.'

 

Yet, Unite Rule 27.8 determines that:

'A member may not be charged under this rule in respect of any alleged act or omission in connection with the performance of his / her duties as a full time officer and / or employee of the Union.'

 

Hence, there will be no discrimination on grounds of race, ethnicity, religion, age, gender, disability or sexual orientation, and yet discrimination is enshrined within Unite Rule 27 at Point 27.8 on grounds of functional status:  It is clear here that in Unite that there is an 'officer class' which is beyond the reach of Rule 27, and at the same time that there is an ordinary 'membership class' which is covered by the rule.

 

This represents a 'Get out of Jail Free Rule' and the consequences of this predicament as demonstrated by Rule 27:8 are not difficult to predict:  in terms of this Rule 27 the 'officer class' of Unite the Union are unaccountable, unelected, and untouchable. The rule therefore clearly discriminates between two classes of 'member' – a rank and membership class subject to discipline under Rule 27, and a privileged 'officer' or 'staff' membership category.  As a consequence ought we to be surprised that there have been widespread allegations of full-time trade union officials being inclined to incompetence, corruption, and complicity in blacklisting with the now disgraced Consulting Association?

 

But the situation is now worse than a simple apartheid within the rule, because by invoking Rule 27 to seek to  investigate a report on an independent publication outside the remit of the trade union by the potential use of this rule Unite is surely creating a precedence which could have serious implications for future reporting of trade union affairs.  Does this decision to investigate the editor of Northern Voices mean that Unite the Union is seeking influence editorial decisions of people who also happen to be members of Unite?  Of course, if Mr. Sidney Graves as the Chairman of the Risc, felt he has been defamed by the report in Northern Voices, then he always had the remedy of writing to the editor to seek to correct the report.  Instead of that he sent a complaint to the Regional Secretary of Unite in the North West. 


Similarly sources in the Unite Greater Manchester Community Branch have reported to our Blog that another lay officer, Evan Pritchard, has also put in a complaint to the Unite North West region about other reports appearing on this Northern Voices' Blog under Rule 27:  these reports have commented upon certain internal attempts to censor a face-book page of the Greater Manchester Community Branch and are clearly in the public interest. 
All of these actions  could easily be seen as an attempt to censor and gag the media through the machinery of the Unite union book by the use of Rule 27.  This is bad news for transparency and freedom of the media and suggests a degree of small-mindedness among some of the lay-functionaries within the Unite today:  it appears to be another attempt to establish 'corporate journalism' such as was applied by the Rangers Football Club.

Community Union imposes restrictions on freedom of speech!

Northern Voices Editor - Brian Bamford

JUDGING from recent reports that we have received from sources within Unite the Union, it appears that union bureaucrats are cracking down on dissenting and awkward voices within the union in order to exert discipline and control over their members.

At a meeting of the Greater Manchester Community Union Branch, on Tuesday, which was attended by ten members, there was a recommendation from branch officer’s that branch policy in relation to postings on the branch’s Facebook page, should be changed with immediate effect to allow only content that reflected UNITE policy at either branch, regional, or national level, to be posted on Facebook. It was also recommended that only UNITE members should be allowed to comment, even though the function of the branch, is to carry out community campaigning work.

We understand that this motion to restrict free speech within the branch was opposed by Chris McBride, the branch communications and media officer, who hitherto had been posting articles of general community interest. He told the meeting that other UNITE branch’s Facebook pages were 'open, inclusive, and vibrant' and that this was what was needed, to build a branch of the union that was rooted in the community. Another member pointed out during the discussion, that even without these restrictions, some items being posted on the branch’s Facebook page, were being censored and blocked.

When put to the vote, the officers’ recommendations were defeated with three in favour, four against and three abstentions. The Branch Secretary, John Clegg, then immediately questioned the accuracy of the vote and Branch Chair, Communist Party member, Evan Pritchard, called for a fresh vote to be taken. The decision was then reversed and the officers’ recommendations were adopted.

Among those who attended Tuesday’s meeting, was the septuagenarian, veteran Manchester anarcho-syndicalist, Ronny (gall and wormwood) Marsden. This self-proclaimed libertarian evidently voted against the motion on the first vote but did a volte-face on the second vote - after being seen to exchange glances with the Branch Secretary – and voted for tighter controls over branch freedom of expression. 
The branch also unanimously agreed that officer's of the branch produce a newsletter.

Over the Pennines in Rochdale, another septuagenarian veteran anarchist is facing possible expulsion from Unite the Union, for allegedly bringing the union into disrepute after publishing a report on Northern Voices about a union meeting in Liverpool and blacklisting. Brian Bamford, Editor of Northern Voices magazine and Branch Secretary of Bury UNITE branch, has been summoned before a union inquiry to investigate whether he has broken union rules.