Branch Secretary : info@housingworkers.org.uk
Branch Chair : info@housingworkers.org.uk
  

Branch meeting: What next for Black Lives Matter and the unions?

Fighting back

 

Following the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota there has been a huge wave of demonstrations and protests around the world. Many branch members have been on the London events.

 

As well as expressing solidarity they have taken up issues of discrimination, oppressive policing, poverty, and class. What does this mean for unions – and for our branch? Guest speaker Hugo Pierre will introduce the discussion and our next branch meeting on Tuesday July 14th.

 

 

Unite as a ‘fighting back’ union has issues supportive statements; a big contrast to Labour leader Kier Starmer, but what more should Unite do?

 

No progress in housing sector

 

In the branch we have taken up race equality and linked it to the need to fight austerity. We summed up our position in this resolution passed at a recent meeting of branch members.

 

We were able to score an important victory at Metropolitan Thames Valley.

 

Despite warm words from housing association bosses there has been no progress in recent years in making the leadership of housing associations more diverse. Housing associations have been going backwards on BAME representation. We have warned repeatedly that this would be the case unless workers rights are addressed head on.

 

Unite recently signed a Unity over Division charter with a major housing association; is this a way forward?

 

Hugo Pierre

 

There has also been discussion of important issues such as how we work with the police in supported housing schemes.

 

Hugo Pierre is a long-term campaigner against racism and a Unison activist. He speaks in a personal capacity and is a rep in Camden and is a Unison NEC member.

 

We are already doing a lot on these issues; this should be a good opportunity to discuss the underlying problems and map out a strategy to step up the fightback.

 

The meeting starts on Zoom at 6.00pm on Tuesday July 14th (our regular branch meetings are on the second Tuesday of the month). Members will be emailed login details. Email here if you do not recive an email.

 

 

 

 

Paul Kershaw July 1st 2020

 

 

 

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