MIDDLESEX UNISON defends our Pensions

A few photo's of the Archway Picket, Whittington Hospital Pensions Rally and the Middlesex UNISON Branch on the Pensions Demonstration in central london.



 

PENSIONS STRIKE 30th November 2011

On 30th November members of Middlesex UNISON Branch took part in the largest strike for a generation in defence of our Local Government Pension Scheme.

Pickets were established at the Middlesex Hendon campus, Trent Park, where steward Clive Anthony received this press coverage and the Archway Campus where Middlesex UNISON staff joined forces with Whittington Hospital staff who mounted an impressive rally outside the Hospital.

The Branch held pension meetings, recruitment stalls and in some areas walk throughs of departments, strong support for this action amongst the UNISON membership and non members was evident when the issues were discussed. This support was also reflected on the day in conversations with the public and the sounding of horns of passing drivers.


The Pension ballot remains "live" and further Strike action remains an option to defend our Pension schemes. Let your steward know what your views are on this issue, or email the unison1@mdx.ac.uk so the views of the Branch  are represented to UNISON nationally.

Further details are available from the UNISON website

4th October : UNISON call to ACTION!

UNISON members answered the call to take strike on the 4th of October 2011, joining UCU colleagues and the Students Union (shattering statements that Middlesex Students wouldn't support such action) UNISON members that took action on the 4th, whether joining the pickets, participating in the lobby or simply taking a days strike action should take pride in the fact they have supported the democratic mandate of the Branch and played their part in defending jobs and services at Middlesex University. More statements and information will be communicated by the Branch in the meantime enjoy the slide show!

Middlesex Univeristy UNISON Branch Committee

MUSU supports UNISON!

Middlesex Students Union have communicated their full support to UNISON and UCU in taking strike action next week.

“MUSU fully supports UNISON in its continuing struggle against the cuts.”

MUSU has passed a motion to  'Oppose cuts throughout the public sector'  that states: MUSU resolves:  To mandate the Students’ Union Executive to oppose all cuts. And to work with and support the campus Trade Unions in their struggle against these cuts.

MUSU sabbatical officers will be joining the UNISON and UCU picket lines to talk to students about why they are supporting our Strike.

Make sure you are alongside UNISON, UCU and MUSU on the picket lines on the 4^th.

We have faced 4 months of restructures, redundancies and anxiety. We face more restructures, outsourcing and redundancies in the future. We all face extra work and stress. This is our chance to show the University the collective anger of the entire workforce over the redundancies which are the real threat to the student experience and the future of the University.

 

The students and academics are with us are you?

Contact your Branch rep for details of the picket and planned lobby of the Board of Governors on the 4^th October

Middlesex University UNISON votes to Strike!

Middlesex University UNISON Branch members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of Industrial action in the face of compulsory redundancies at the University.

UNISON members at Middlesex University will now join their UCU colleagues in a day of co-ordinated industrial action on Tuesday 4th October.

UNISON members have stood firm in the face of a rolling programme of restructures, losing colleagues to "voluntary" redundancies and the stress and uncertainty of their jobs being deleted, having to apply for other posts, redeployment pools and compulsory redundancy. Those left face increased workloads, stress, potential future outsourcing and changes to their working patterns.

UNISON members have stood united and said loud and clear 

Enough is Enough

UNISON believes that these severe and drastic cuts represent a serious risk to the University, cutting too fast and too deep; potentially damaging key areas of the University business. Middlesex University appears to be adopting a "more with less" policy without adequately explaining how already overstretched staff will continue to provide the "student experience" that the University relies on in their marketing.

UNISON members at Middlesex University will take industrial action not because it is an end in itself. We will take this action as a statement of intent. UNISON will continue to defend our jobs and student services at Middlesex University.

Middlesex University UNISON joins Barnet Independence Day

Middlesex University UNISON branch joined UNISON branches from across London and members of the public to support Barnet UNISON's protest Barnet councils "One Barnet Programme." Barnet council plan to outsource 70% of the council services to the private sector, David Prentis UNISON's National General Secretary described the councils plans as a "reckless gamble" and John Burgess leader of Barnet UNISON described the plans as "political dogma"

Middlesex University UNISON Branch and its members, apart from sharing the sense of outrage of what can only be seen as an idealogical attack on the public sector, are also concerned about the impact on the Barnet Pension scheme which Middlesex University Employees share with Barnet staff. UNISON commissioned a report on the impact of outsourcing on the pension scheme : the report was damming of the "serious financial risk" to the scheme.

Further information is available from Barnet UNISON's website.

Temporary Website Preview

Middlesex UNISON website

This is a preview of a temporary website for the Middlesex Unison Branch. It is being developed to provide information and act as a repository of documents that members can access to recruit new members or keep up to date with Branch activities. Please email your comments to mdxbranchlines@gmail.com

View on a March : Helen Hayward

Not being a habitual marcher,(Ok I have only ever been on 2 marches); I thought I would roll up and show my face on Saturday 26^th, especially as the Branch committee was urging us all to support  it. I was asked to meet the others outside the Savoy hotel in the Strand at 10.45am. When I got out of Embankment station, the crowds of people were overwhelming and there were police everywhere. Feeling slightly claustrophobic, I made my way to the Savoy,but the others had gone and left me apart from 2 other members who kindly waited for me as I was 1 minute late ! We went down to Victoria Embankment where I ran into the new Comms officer who I roundly told off for not waiting, I think he was keen to march. 

Well I waited and waited, there was a carnival atmosphere, reminiscent of Notting Hill carnival, steel bands, whistles, people from all  walks of life, young old, you name it, it was there. I was wondering when we were going to get started, and Sara Wright Branch Chair a veteran marcher smiled pityingly at me, ‘you haven’t been on many marches have you, they never start on time’. At 12.00, the Top of the march, which seemed miles away, started to move, and then very slowly filtered down to us in the middle, and we began to move at a snails pace, underneath the  Middlesex Banner.There were people shouting slogans from loudspeakers, and police all at the sides of the march.People reminded me not to drink too much water as loos were in short supply.Too late I was dying to go, and it started to rain as well! Luckily a friend in the crowd bought me an umbrella, andI munched on a tuna sandwich as we walked down Whitehall, past the Houses of Parliament and past  the statue of Earl Haig. I wondered why the powers that be honoured him considering his conduct brilliantly described in Alan Clark’s book, ‘The Donkeys’. All these random thoughts were in my head as we got stuck in the crowd at Trafalgar Square. ‘Stick the kettle on’, 1 wag shouted at the police, a reference to their ‘kettling techniques’ and they smiled back good naturedly, I think they were sympathetic to our views. on saying No to Unfair spending cuts.

Walking past Haymarket and then past Green park on the way to Hyde park to the rally the crowd thinned out, but it was still dense enough that I lost most of the Branch committee members I had started out with.

 When we got to the Park, here was a huge stage with massive screens erected for all the different speakers.  I headed like a gazelle for the toilets and it was whilst queuing up that I missed Ed Milliband’s speech. There were lots of speakers from lots of different Trade Unions and the NHS, who all spoke up about the injustice of Public sector workers losing their jobs and being asked to accept pay freezes whilst Out sourcing companies and bankers are making record amounts of money. One fact that particularly resonated is that Philip Green head of Top Shop, avoided paying half a billion pounds worth of tax by banking in Monaco, and this present government instead of telling him off for this, have rewarded him by making him a Government advisor in how to implement Public spending cuts! The hypocrisy is incredible.

I thoroughly enjoyed my day on the March, and would highly recommend it to all Union members, it was perfectly safe and I will definitely be going on the next one.