NOVEMBER 2018

Secretary’s Report for NOVEMBER 2018

Wolverhampton, Bilston & District TUC www.wolvestuc.org.uk info@wolvestuc.org.uk

 

2019 affiliation forms have been sent to branches – delegates please raise at your next branch meeting

 

Health Campaigns Together: RECLAIM Social Care Conference Sat 17th November: Birmingham St Luke’s Church Centre, B15 2AT 11am-4.30pm, book tickets through eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/reclaim-social-care-tickets-50492034033

 

Stand Up to Racism demo London Saturday 17 November free coach from UNITE Wolverhampton 8am Faulkland St Coach Park email membership@unitetheunion.org or ring Sally Aspindale to book seat 0121 647 4832

 

Wolverhampton Palestine Solidarity plans the following events see www.wolvestuc.org.uk

Saturday 8th December Plant-an-Olive-Tree themed Christmas Social.

UNITE strike at WZ Packaging For the past three years workers at WZ Packaging (Halesfield 18, Telford, TF7 4JS) have not received a pay increase. This year the employer has informed them that, yet again, the company isn’t in a position to give them a pay rise but at the same time has been able to give the managing director an additional £60,000 a year which has, in effect, doubled his salary.

In response to this ongoing attack to their terms and conditions, Unite members at WZ Packaging have given the union a mandate for industrial action.

The company has responded by targeting UNITE reps which has led to one dismissal with another one pending.

This appalling treatment of workers cannot be allowed to go unchallenged and with this in mind, there was a series of 2 day strike actions planned from November and continue into December.

An offer has now come direct from the owners which is being discussed and the industrial action postponed.

Wolverhampton TUC joined Shropshire & Telford TUC and UNITE Community members outside WZ Packaging to show solidarity with the workforce a week before strike action was due.

UNITE has organised the workforce at WZ Packaging and the majority are members of WM6150 which is affiliated to our Trades Union Council. Their branch has donated £3,000 to their strike fund.

Motion passed by WBDTUC October 2018 in support of UNITE taxi drivers after Alan Lewis spoke at our delegate meeting.

Wolverhampton Bilston and District Trades Union Council condemns City of Wolverhampton Council for utilising Tory deregulation legislation in a way which harms the taxi industry; for example City of Wolverhampton Council has issued thousands of licences to drivers for use outside Wolverhampton in particular for Uber which apparently uses Wolverhampton due to its lower thresholds for operators and vehicles and lower licence prices, and which is contributing to the undermining of earnings of taxi drivers and threatens the future of the wheelchair accessible hackney carriages and private hire cabs bearing in mind that taxis are an integral part of our public transport system particularly late at night when other services shutdown. 

Moreover Uber appears to be challenging safety due to its apparent lack of vehicle age restriction and its apparent disregard for the total hours per week its drivers work (for Uber and at another job), thereby potentially breaching the weekly limit set in the Working Time Regulations.

Uber is running its business as a loss, apparently in order to drive out competition via a race to the bottom for standards.

We therefore call on all trade unionists and others to defend our taxi services and not to use Uber. 

We call on City of Wolverhampton Council to work with other West Midlands local authorities to:

1.  agree high quality standards for taxi operators and drivers and fair licence prices across the West Midlands for taxi operators.

2.  lobby national politicians to reverse the Tory legislation that:

(a) allows drivers to get licences from Local Authorities where they do not work

(b) allows operators to get licences from Local Authorities where they seldom operate

(c) prevents Local Authorities from setting a cap on the number of hackney carriage and private hire licences issued and operating in their area