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Network Journal 2006 Issue 4 Nov/Dec |
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Campaigns – Scotts Christmas Day and New Year's Day Trading
Campaigns – National Minimum Wage
Conferences
Editorial
Equality
Get Involved
Health and Safety
Letters
Lifelong Learning
News In Brief
Organising Academy
Pensions
People and Events
Politics
Recruitment and Organising
Rights at work
Training
Transport
Work and Life
Campaigns – Scotts Christmas Day and New Year's Day Trading
Bill clears first hurdle
Members in Scotland were given an early Christmas present after MSPs overwhelmingly agreed the first stage of a bill that will force large stores to close on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Campaigns – National Minimum Wage
Conferences
2007 Annual Delegate Meeting April 22-25
Usdaw delegates will meet at the Empress Ballroom in the Winter Gardens, Blackpool next April to decide the union’s policies for the coming 12 months.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
National road transport conference
This is an ideal opportunity to meet workers from other companies and discuss issues that are unique to us, said Dennis Noble an LGV driver for Capper & Co in Wales.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
North West Division
The union’s biggest division, the North West, has enjoyed a strong year and will go into 2007 confident in its ability to grow even bigger.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Northern Ireland boost
Usdaw membership in Northern Ireland, part of North West division, is now at its highest ever level, said General Secretary John Hannett.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Talking shop
“The weekend was excellent, not like a conference at all,” said branch chair and union rep Kay Bond who works for Asda in Northern Ireland.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Usdaw – the campaigning union
There was a new look and feel to the Retail Trades Conference this year, the second biggest event in the union’s calendar. More than 100 delegates and officials took a close look at how the union campaigns.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
White collar section in focus
Usdaw’s Supervisory Administrative and Technical Association (Sata) will be the subject of an ongoing in-depth review over the next 12 months, General Secretary John Hannett told delegates at the biennial national conference.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Editorial
Equality
Domestic violence – breaking the silence
Usdaw reps have a vital role in helping members who experience domestic violence – that was the campaigning message from delegates at the Eastern divisional conference who heard personal and moving testimonies from three members who had survived domestic violence.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Racism video: still relevant
Usdaw’s powerful and moving video of the experiences of its black and Asian members is as relevant now as it was three years ago when it was first produced.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Racism: an issue for all
Despite 30 years of legislation racism is still widespread in today’s society, said General Secretary John Hannett.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Standing up against racism
Tackling racial harassment was the theme of this year’s black members weekend held in October at the union’s national training centre in Warrington.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Get Involved
Looking ahead
This year’s organising academy has provided a massive membership boost with a staggering 10,000 new members and more than 1,255 new activists and reps recruited during the six month period.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Health and Safety
Letters
Lifelong Learning
News In Brief
Organising Academy
Building the union
“Usdaw was the first union to set up its own Academy which started in 2003 with 15 organising officers. In 2004 18 organising officers were taken on and in 2005, 23 organising officers were recruited. In 2006, 29 organising officers were put through their paces.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Building your confidence
Sainsbury’s distribution worker Kieron Murphy spent six months with last year’s academy working on a variety of projects in the Eastern division.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Sparkling success
Scotland-based organising officers Ian Campbell and Susan Coutts have spent the last six months putting their academy skills into action.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Pensions
Member nominated Trustees
New rules on Member Nominated Trustees (MNTs) have been announced which will significantly increase their numbers.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Pension Payments
The number of workers paying into employer’s money purchase pensions has outstripped those paying into final salary (also known as defined benefit) schemes for the first time, according to a new poll.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Pension plan revealed
A government bill outlining sweeping changes to the state pension system has been published.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Pension trustee?
Are you an Usdaw member who is a trustee of your pension scheme, or on a Pensions Consultative Committee?
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
The right course
The Pensions Awareness Campaign is an important part of Usdaw’s campaigns strategy.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
People and Events
Changing of the guard as retirement arrives
Usdaw veterans Tony Bennett, Alf Storey, Willie Keeley and Charlie Muir, four long serving members of the organising staff, have retired recently, while two new organisers Lorraine Barr and Paul McKenna have been appointed.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Network spotlight - Shaun Griffith
As part of a regular feature, Network meets up with one of Usdaw’s 9,500 strong army of reps and finds out what life is like at the sharp end. In this issue North West division’s Shaun Griffith answers our questions.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
New area organisers
Former Morrisons shop assistant and union activist Lorraine Barr took up her new role as area organiser at the Glasgow office in August.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Politics
At the heart of government
Usdaw’s campaigns have gained widespread credibility in parliamentary circles and have made a real difference to working people, Labour Party chair Hazel Blears MP, told delegates to the national political conference.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Giving you a political voice
The number of 18–21 year olds earning less than the adult rate of the minimum wage has almost doubled in the last five years, General Secretary John Hannett told this year’s Labour Party conference.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Recruitment and Organising
Action all areas
Hard-working reps at the Co-op’s massive national distribution centre in Coventry have made huge strides since the site opened 18 months ago.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Michele pounds the streets for members
Not content with stacking up 100 per cent membership in her own store, Poundland rep Michele Mellor set out on her very own recruitment drive and recruited 73 new members and five new reps.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
On the frontline
Activist and M&S employee Patricia Page got a great buzz when she spent a day on the campaign trail where she was joined by area organiser Jason Kershaw.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
On your Marks, Get set, Grow
Usdaw has launched a national recruitment drive at Marks and Spencer after a survey of members found strong support for an independent trade union within the high street giant.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Recruitment Information
The union has a wealth of leaflets, posters and booklets available to help its reps sign up new members. These include:
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Retail challenge
Usdaw’s influence in the retail sector is growing as its campaigns continue to energise existing and potential members, said Deputy General Secretary Paddy Lillis.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Tesco redruth: new team of reps
Usdaw official Debbie Holland moved swiftly to sign up a team of eight reps at the brand new flagship Tesco store in Redruth, Cornwall.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Top recruitment tips: communication is key
Top recruitment tips: communication is key
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Usdaw’s two wise men
A new improved recruitment facility with leading national milk processor and distributor, Robert Wiseman Dairies, is helping to boost union membership and the quota of reps in depots across the UK.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
What you said about the youth weekend
Somerfield Customer Service Assistant Sean Figg, 23, from Brighton.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Work, rest and play for young reps
Young members took a break from their weekend get-together in Warrington and headed for the streets of Liverpool to canvass shoppers about their attitudes to trade unions.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Rights at work
Unwins victory
Usdaw has won a landmark case securing substantial redundancy and compensation packages for long serving Unwins staff who faced financial ruin after the off-licence chain collapsed last year.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Training
Transport
Motoring ahead
Usdaw has its own Road Transport Section which looks after its 20,000 members who work in a variety of well-known transport and distribution companies right across the UK. It also has its own national conference.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Moving goods safely: an expert’s view
More than 40 per cent of all reported injuries for road haulage and warehousing in 2004/05 involved manual handling, guest speaker John Berezansky from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) told delegates.
18 December 2006 [Full Story]
Work and Life
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