I wonder if  there is a think tank or reserach institute in the UK, or just someone with a little time on their hands, who would do the same study of the FTSE 100. Would we find much difference amonst our tax avoiding bosses particularly now the banks, doubtless after heavy lobbying, have been given the green light by their Tory friends to go on doing what they do so well – lining their own and their friends pockets at our expense?

The AFL-CIO Blog can be linked to HERE, if your interested, and the Institute web pages can be found HERE

This programme of work, based on discussions in workshops and debates at the 2011 trades union councils’ conference, is perhaps one of the most detailed that the Trades Union Councils Joint Consultative Committee (TUCJCC) has produced to date but it reflects the vital role that trades union councils and county associations can play across a wide range of economic, political and social arenas. It provides a framework for Trades Union Council action to build union organisation, form community alliances and raise the profile of the labour movement generally.

The programme consists of five main areas of work – Cuts, Jobs and the Economy; All together for the NHS; Green Workplaces; Green Community, Community Organising – changing, developing and building the trades union council and the union movement – building the trade union council movement; Fighting Fascism and the Far Right.

By getting involved in the recommended activities trades union councils are promoting the role of trade unions in the community and encourage more people to join the union  movement which is the prime raison d’être for all trades union councils and county associations.

And talking about getting involved, isn’t it time you got your union branch affiliated to a local trades union council. With a programme of work like this can your union branch afford not to be connected to their local trades union council.

A PDF version of the programme of work can be found here  – and you can look up your local trades union council contact details here

Sir Barry Cunliffe, Britain’s leading archaeologist, writes in the report that:

“cultural heritage is a finite and diminishing resource and there is a need for constant vigilance particularly at a time of economic constraint. When there are cuts to be made by national or local government, heritage is always the soft option, as we can see in the 32% cut in government support for English Heritage in the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review, and the savage cuts currently being made in the number of conservation officers employed in local government. Loss of expertise on this scale will be devastating.

It is even more  worrying coming at a time when the Localism Bill is proposing to diminish significantly the protection given to the settings of listed buildings and to conservation areas. One cannot help feeling that insufficient thought has been given to these matters: this is not surprising since the legislation is being rushed and consultation has been minimal.”

He goes on to say:

“Cultural heritage is too important and too subtle an issue to be left in the care of busy politicians unaided by sound academic guidance.”

Just shows you what can happen if you leave your cultural inheritance to an IT expert and a lawyer, culture ministers Jeremy Hunt and Ed Vaisey respectively.

For a copy of the report go to the BA report’s web page

Not only are centres places to get advice on a wide range of welfare and employment issues but they are campaigning bodies with their roots in the trades union movement. Isn’t it time your union or union branch got involved with the TUC Unemployed Workers’ Centres? TUCUWCs are at the centre of their communities and know the real effects of this government’s attack on working people and the unemployed. TUCUWCs put unions in touch with the community. You can find out more about the centres and where your local centre is by going to the TUC web pages on TUCUWCs

Derbyshire TUC Unemployed Workers Centres (DUWC) have just published their 2010 Annual Report which includes the following three case studies which seem to gainsay Atos’s protestations that they are not paid by results – getting people off ESA and the benefits budget down. But as the following stories show they get it wrong while causing pain, worry and grief to those they deny ESA.

TUC Unemployed Workers Centres are doing a brilliant job helping the unemployed, low paid and vulnerable workers. To find out more about the work of the centres and how you and your trade union can support or get involved with your local centre go to www.tuc.org.uk/extras/Hands_Up_for_UWCs.pdf 

If you have more such Atos stories please send them to me at the TUC marking the envelope ‘Atos Stories’

Here are  John Watkins, Gary Hollingworth and Sue Hutchings stories.

John Watkins was working as a lorry driver but developed acute tennis elbow through repetitive driving so that by January 2009 his right arm movement was severely restricted. As a result he had to stop work because he could no longer drive. John is right handed and after an operation in April 2009 had his whole right arm from his shoulder to his fingers put in a cast. John was called to an assessment where the medical found him fit for work. He did not score any points (a person needs 15 points to be judged incapable of work). John’s consultant had advised him not to use his arm, yet the Atos Origin Ltd medical said he was capable of using both arms to lift bulky objects. At a tribunal the decision was overturned and it was accepted that John could not lift using both arms or use a pen effectively. He was then entitled to the extra £25.50 per week, which was then backdated. John will need further surgery in December. He is incensed at his treatment and says: “I encourage people not to be put off pursuing their claim. They should seek advice and appeal if they feel that they have been unjustly treated, as I undoubtedly was.

Sue Hutchings: Sue was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2009. She had an operation to remove the lump on 14 August but unfortunately the surgery scar became infected. At a follow up appointment, Sue was told the cancer had spread beyond the original excision and she would have to have more tissue taken. She was prescribed antibiotics for the infection through to the end of September. During this time, she received and completed her ESA50 form, stating that she had breast cancer and was undergoing surgical treatment. On 7 October she had a pre-op appointment and further surgery was booked for the following week. Sue had her ESA medical with Atos Origin Ltd on 8 October and told them she was still recovering from surgery and had further surgery booked for 12 October. Sue’s GP had provided her with a sick note and all the supporting medical evidence requested by the DWP. Sue offered to show this medical evidence and her scar, but the Atos Origin Ltd nurse refused to look. Sue had her surgery and thought everything had gone well. At a follow up appointment on 4 November with her consultant Sue was told the cancer had spread again and she would need a full mastectomy. Despite this, upon receiving the report back from Atos Origin Ltd the DWP decision maker decided that Sue “could not be treated as having limited capability for work”. Sue received her ‘0 points’ letter on 12 November 2009. She appealed and a revision of the decision was carried out. She won on the grounds that exceptional circumstances regulations should have been applied. Sue is now in remission.

Garry Hollingworth of Langwith worked for the Royal Mail as a postman. He was off work for ten months with a serious heart condition. Royal Mail employed Atos to carry out a medical assessment on Garry. They concluded that ‘His mobility is restricted up to a few minutes by breathlessness, angina and leg pains’. They went on to say ‘Mr Hollingworth remains unfit for work in any capacity and I doubt he will be able to work again. There is no foreseeable return date and no adjustments that would facilitate his return at this stage’.

The Atos report stated that not only is he permanently incapable of carrying out the duties of his present post but also working for any other employer. They concluded that he would meet the criteria for medical retirement.

Weeks later, Mr Hollingworth had to attend a Work Capability Assessment, a requirement when claiming the new Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have a multi million pound contract with Atos Origin to carry out work capability assessments with those claiming ESA.

Imagine Garry’s surprise when he was sent a letter by Atos telling him he did not have a limited capability for work. He had received 0 points (15 are required to claim the benefit) which means he would have to claim Job seeker’s allowance which is £65.45 as opposed to £96.85 on ESA. Mr Hollingworth appealed the decision and was then given 6 points. The Derbyshire Unemployed Workers’ Centres (DUWCs) helped him put in a new claim as his condition had worsened. Garry has had a fresh medical via Atos and has now been given 9 points. He will appeal the decision again.

The DUWCs have two more Royal Mail workers and one NHS employee who have all faced medical retirement at the hands of Atos only to be given 0 points when trying to claim the benefit to which they are entitled. One of these workers is still awaiting her appeal.

“BEGGING BANKERS ON STREETS OF CHESTERFIELD

Begging Bankers will be out in force on Chesterfield Market Place this Saturday 30^th October at 11.00am.  A group of campaigners from ‘Coalition Against the Cuts’ will be staging a protest against the Government’s decision to cut public spending by slashing jobs and taking money from the poor.  The campaigners, backed by Chesterfield & District TUC, will be dressed as fat cat bankers with cigars and bottles of champagne.

‘They will not be begging for your spare change’ said James Eaden President of Chesterfield TUC, ‘They have already had that and much, much more.  Our fat cat bankers will now be asking for your jobs and services’

The Coalition Against the Cuts is linking together local trade unions with community groups and the many who will be affected by service cuts and changers to higher education funding.

‘Our bit of street theatre has a serious message’ James Eaden went on to say, ‘the budget deficit was caused by the bailing out of the banks and now they want me and you to pay for their binge’.

After Chesterfield the begging bankers will be appearing in towns throughout north Derbyshire. ”

You can contact James Eaden at jeaden@tesco.net

Now, more than ever, the trade union movement needs somewhere for a forensic examination of industrial relations and the role of trade unions in British society  generally, and around the world. Union Ideas Network is the forum which brings together leading academics in industrial relations, business and political and social sciences in to contact and dialogue with the trade union movement.

The new Union Ideas Network, www.unionetwork.org.uk/, launched today, will not only be a forum for trade unionists and academics to exchange and debate ideas and responses to today’s challenges but also to look to the future and anticipate what awaits society if the expansion of global capital continues, undermining democratic structures and local communities. What do unions need to do to meet the concerns of workers and their families and how can unions change to ensure their place in a changing society?

The ideologically driven Comprehensive Spending Review raises questions about how trade unions respond not only to the attacks on their members in the public sector but how they are seen as leading figures in the defence of living standards in the UK.

In our first Discussion Forum  Steve Davies, Senior Research Fellow, Cardiff School of Social Sciences at Cardiff University, argues that  the CSR offers opportunities for the unions to rebuild in the workplace, reach out to the wider community and lead a debate on the future of the country, as much as opportunities for the Tories to reconfigure the state.

Read Steve’s paper and make your response at the Union Ideas Network website www.unionetwork.org.uk/.

Joining the network is free.

“We held a good public meeting on 22 September after which we formed a Chelmsford Against the Cuts group. We have established a website at http://chelmsfordagainstcuts.wordpress.com/ and progress is in hand for a Facebook group. We have been leafletting against the cuts every Saturday and collecting signatures and have bought a banner. A photo is on the Chelmsford TUC web site of our demonstration in the town after the Chancellor made his announcement. We also published a leaflet attacking his statement and distributed to commuters on their way home.

The group is very positive and made up of different political views from the left and we all work well together. We have produced a number of leaflets which we intend to update regularly. We keep in touch constantly and Unison has been very supportive. We have received money from the Co-op Party, Labour Party and union branches.

We participated in a local newspaper “soapbox” event and had a lot of positive publicity although one self-employed worker objected to our position on public service pensions. Oh dear! We have been sending, and getting published, regular reports of our meetings. Petitioning and leafletting will continue again this Saturday from 11am to 1pm and we will also use PCS and CWU leaflets opposing the sale of Royal Mail.

Thanks to those who have sent in donations to pay for our banner, leaflets and other expenses. We have had £25 from the Co-operative Party, £100 from CWU (Telecoms) South East Anglia Political Fund, and £50 from Chelmsford Labour Party. We know that other trade union branches are also progressing donations.

We have also developed a strategy for action over the coming months. This will include engaging with shop stewards and reps in as many key sectors as possible. Arrangements have been made to visit a number of workplaces including the bus station, fire station, Anglia Ruskin, Benefit Office, County Hall, Chelmsford Borough Council, mail depots and FE Colleges. Chelmsford TUC will also assist in this regard but if you have any contacts do let us know; more importantly, try to get them involved in our activities. The objective being to hold an Essex-wide meeting in the middle of December to co-ordinate activity and to maximise support for the TUC demonstration in March. We also agreed to give support to other cuts groups in Essex when they hold meetings.

We will be targetting Essex County Councillors in the coming weeks and we will be developing ten questions for them to answer. Let us have your ideas on this so that we can circulate everyone; the email avalanche can then begin.We will also be attending the meeting of ECC’s Cabinet on the evening of 16 November (time to be advised) and the full meeting of the Council on 14 December at 10am.

The next meeting (we plan to make them every second and fourth Wednesday in the month) is on 10 November and then 24th November in the Red Lion at 7.30pm.”

Local union branches wanting to get involved in this activity should contact and affiliate to Chelmsford Trades Union Council through its website, www.chelmsford-tuc.org.uk/, or its secretary Malcolm Wallace on maljan@blueyonder.co.uk

A group of Catholic scholars contends that management efforts to break labor unions are a grave breach of the church’s social doctrine and tantamount to committing mortal sin. A statement from Weymouth, Mass.-based Catholic Scholars for Worker Justice, released May 1, the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, offers a detailed argument that actions to thwart union organizing campaigns, stifle contract talks, unilaterally roll back wages and benefits, and break existing labor agreements are a “grave violation of Catholic social doctrine on labor unions.”

“This violation of Catholic doctrine constitutes material grounds for mortal sin because it stands in grave violation of both the letter and spirit of Catholic social doctrine,” said the document, titled “Union Busting Is a Mortal Sin.” To find out more about this go to http://ncronline.org/news/union-busting-mortal-sin-catholic-scholars-say .

You might also want to send messages of support to the AFT on Guam who do a difficult job operating thousands of miles away from mainland USA. Find out how by going to the above AFT link.