Dear Councillors and City Mayor



I would like to invite you to a briefing organised by UNISON at 6pm, Monday 14th April in Committee Room 1 of The Civic Centre.



As you will all be aware, there is currently a three month engagement exercise taking place over the future of a number of services that support vulnerable people in Salford.



Our trade union is concerned about the impact of these proposals – not only on jobs and people, but also on the future finances of Salford City Council. We believe that the services under review are preventative services and that if they are lost or their scope is reduced it will lead to greater costs, not only in the distant future but in the next two years – two years which the Council predicts will also be the subject of reduced funding.



As a Labour Party affiliated union, we would welcome the opportunity to raise our concerns with Labour members in a clear and professional way and we hope you will take the opportunity to attend.



Regards,



Steve



Steven North

Branch Secretary, Salford City UNISON

---------------------------

From: City Mayor [mailto: citymayor@salford.gov.uk ]

Sent: 14 April 2014 15:00

To: Steven North

Subject: Re: UNISON Briefing for Labour Members



Labour Group Office

Salford Civic Centre

Chorley Road

Swinton

12 April 2014





Dear Mr North



I note from your correspondence you have written to me and the Salford Labour Party Group on the basis that UNISON, as a Labour Party affiliated Union wishes to brief the Salford Labour Party Group at a meeting to be held by you in the Civic Centre on Monday, 14 April 2014.



The relations between the Labour Party and its affiliate unions are very important. I am a strong supporter of Labour’s affiliate system where genuine trade unionists who are Labour members and supporters, play a full and active part in our Party, its decisions and its future and where the Labour Party is genuinely supportive of the aims of the trade union movement and works to try to meet the legitimate aims of working people and their trade unions. A shared vision, shared aims, shared values and joint working towards a shared future.



However, I must remind you that when you and I met after I had been democratically elected as City Mayor, you stated: “My name is Steve North, I am a revolutionary whose aim in life is to smash the Government, smash the Labour Party and smash Labour in Salford”.



Consequently, as your stated aim is to destroy our national democratic system and more specifically Salford Labour Party itself, I must tell you that it would, in my view, be inappropriate for any Labour Party members to engage with you personally or those of like mind to yourself.

I will not be attending any meeting with you that wrongly purports to be within the Labour Party constitution on Monday or any other evening for that matter.



However, as you state, UNISON as an organisation, is a bona fide and valued affiliate of the Labour Party. The Labour Party in Salford has excellent relations with UNISON as it has with all its other affiliated unions. UNISON has indeed supported the launch of our Salford Employment Standards Charter, the totality of which you have personally rejected.



The implementation of this charter has improved employment standards in Salford Council for Council workers even in these dark times of heartless Government cuts.



Our Salford Employment Standards Charter includes for example:



· The first council in the UK to implement a full living wage of £7.65 an hour, including for apprentices. This gave 1200 low paid Salford Council workers a ‘foot up’ on the journey out of poverty pay. Many of those Salford Council employees gained as much as £1300 extra on their wages, in one step last April. This year we have implemented the new uprated full Living Wage, as a fully accredited member of the Living Wage Foundation.



· We have banned zero hours contracts in Salford Council.



· We have introduced a formal council policy which banned the pernicious practice of blacklisting union members.



· We have adopted the TUC youth Charter.



All these standards have been implemented by the Labour Party in Salford and approved by full Council. We are now working to find a mechanism which will allow us to include these basic employment standards in our Council Procurement Rules.



Indeed, we will now move on to seek agreement with our Recognised Unions which will enhance the Employment Standards Charter into other areas including agreements on learning, dignity at work, equalities and other standards, which are important to our staff, the Council and workers in the wider Salford community.



To date 50 large, medium and small companies from the Private and Non–Statutory Voluntary Sector have signed up to the Salford Employment Standards Charter and 15 of those organisations have implemented the full living wage. The number of Salford organisations signing up to the charter on a voluntary basis is progressively increasing. This has been achieved by Salford Labour Council leading by example.



I must remind you again that you personally have formally rejected all the provisions of the Employment Standards Charter on behalf of all the recognised unions, on several occasions during the past 24 months.



On your own admission your personal aim is to destroy our democratic system in general and the Labour Party in particular, both nationally and in Salford. I must inform you that I believe it is unacceptable for Labour Councillors to engage with you and those of like mind, in what you speciously attempt to describe as a meeting that would fall within the Labour Party constitution definition of an individual or organisation affiliated to and or supporting the Labour Party.



I will not be attending your meeting on 14 April, nor would I expect any Labour Group members to do so either.



I wish to end by saying that in my view the Labour Party is the only Party which can defeat this Coalition Government at the next General Election. The people of Salford understand that the Labour Party wishes to protect and improve our democratic system, not destroy it as you and your fellow travellers advocate. The Labour Party will continue to campaign against the current government's failed economic policies and their unfair austerity measures.



We are doing this by taking the Salford people's argument for fair treatment to government at all levels; by seeking to mitigate against the worst effects of government cuts at local level; and by campaigning for a democratic mandate in local and general elections for the return of Labour Party candidates who will represent the real interests of Salford people now and in the future.



Part of that campaign will be to work, within Labour's democratic system, with affiliated unions like UNISON in the interests of both workers and other Salford residents. Therefore, we will be happy to continue our engagement with UNISON members, who are and continue to be, active members of Salford Labour Party; UNISON Regional and Full-Time Officers who are allocated to represent UNISON within the Labour Party; and the Salford UNISON Branch ‘Labour Link Officer’, who, by rule, must be a Labour Party member.



This is the proper constitutional way within our Labour Party structure for us to engage meaningfully and sincerely with UNISON through our shared internal Labour Party system.



Finally, I would remind you that all recognised unions have the right to continue to engage with the Council through the agreed local and national procedures. In recent years these procedures have been under attack by the current Government. I, and the Salford Labour Party, will stand shoulder to shoulder with local government unions to protect these local and national agreements. Those formal procedures are there to be used by our recognised unions to progress the legitimate concerns and interests of the staff represented.



Ian Stewart

Leader Salford Labour Group

-----------------------

-----Original Message-----

From: Steven North

Sent: 15 April 2014 10:31

To: 'City Mayor'

Cc: ' Councillor.Antrobus@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.balkind@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.boshell@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.brocklehurst@salford.gov.uk '; ' Councillor.EBurgoyne@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.vburgoyne@salford.gov.uk '; ' Councillor.Clague@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.coen@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.Connor@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.critchley@salford.gov.uk '; ' Councillor.Dawson@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.dennett@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.dirir@salford.gov.uk '; ' Councillor.Dobbs@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.ferguson@salford.gov.uk '; ' Councillor.Hinds@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.hudson@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.humphreys@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.hunt@salford.gov.uk '; ' Councillor.Jolley@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.jones@salford.gov.uk '; ' Councillor.Kean@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.kelly@salford.gov.uk '; ' Councillor.King@salford.gov.uk '; ' Councillor.Lancaster@salford.gov.uk '; ' Councillor.BLea@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.mashiter@salford.gov.uk '; ' Councillor.Mcintyre@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.merrett@salford.gov.uk '; ' Councillor.Merry@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.mold@salford.gov.uk '; ' Councillor.Morris@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.mullen@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.mmullen@salford.gov.uk '; ' Councillor.JMurphy@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.tmurphy@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.ord@salford.gov.uk '; ' Councillor.Pennington@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.pugh@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.reynolds@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.bryan@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.ryan@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.stone@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.walsh@salford.gov.uk '; ' Councillor.Warmisham@salford.gov.uk '; ' Councillor.Warner@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.wheeler@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.pwheeler@salford.gov.uk '; ' Councillor.Wilson@salford.gov.uk '; ' councillor.rwilson@salford.gov.uk '

Subject: RE: UNISON Briefing for Labour Members



Dear Mr Stewart



I am aware that this letter has been circulated to the wider Labour Group and as such I have included them in my reply. I also wish to state that I consider your email to be a public document as it was circulated to councillors and was sent to me via your City Mayor email account, rather than a private account. I therefore reasonably assume that you express your views in your capacity as Mayor of Salford and my employer, as well as Leader of Salford's Labour Group.



Before I deal with the blatant lies and defamatory comments you have directed towards me, I wish to deal with a more important issue and the principle reason for my anger at your email.



Yesterday evening members of Salford City Council staff employed in Adult Passenger Transport, Welfare Rights and Debt Advice, Mental Health Floating Support and Care on Call took the time - outside of work hours - to come to the Civic Centre in the hope of being able to speak with you and your Labour Group colleagues about the proposed cuts their services are facing. These are people who are largely unfamiliar with any manner of public speaking and who were incredibly nervous. They chose to come because they wanted to do their best to protect the services they deliver for vulnerable people. They expected that councillors would have the decency to turn up and listen to them, but they were wrong. When only three councillors bothered to turn up, they were left dumbfounded and confused. They could not believe why their views were not seen as important. I'm fair game Mr Stewart, they aren't and you should be ashamed of yourself for using them and the services they work in as pawns.



While I am fair game - and while I expect criticism and disagreement - I don't expect lies and slander.



Your email contains at least three blatant lies about me that have been circulated to members of my own union and other unions.



Firstly, your assertion that I stated to you, “My name is Steve North, I am a revolutionary whose aim in life is to smash the Government, smash the Labour Party and smash Labour in Salford” is an outright lie. I have never said any such thing and while I disagree with the Labour Party about its approach to cuts, I respect that most of Salford's politicians are Labour Party members and that many people in Salford choose to vote Labour.



Secondly, you assert that my "stated aim" is to "destroy our national democratic system". This is nothing short of libellous. I am a democratically elected officer. I believe in democracy. To state otherwise is another outright lie and an egregious personal attack.



Thirdly, you assert that I have -on behalf of UNISON and the other recognised trade unions - rejected the principles of the Council's Employment Standards Charter on a number of occasions. This I have never done. The document has never even been shared with me. To allege that I have rejected this document on behalf of my own members is bad enough, but to assert that I have done so on behalf of other unions is incredible.



I demand that you offer proof of these allegations or that you apologise by 5pm on Friday 18th April. If you do neither I will be seeking legal advice as an elected trade union officer, an employee of Salford City Council and a human being who has the right not to be libelled.



I further demand that you apologise to the people below for instructing your Labour Group colleagues not to meet with us yesterday evening. Hopefully doing so will restore their faith in their employer's willingness to listen to them and to take on board the things they know about caring for the most vulnerable:



Colin Condron, Vincent Jones and Alan Broughton - Drivers in Adult Passenger Transport Kevin Corran - Community Care Worker Steve Quinn - Debt Advisor Sue Dobson, Janice Riley and Ian Ditchfield - Mobile Wardens, Care on Call



As your malicious allegations have been made public, so should your apologies.



Steven North

Branch Secretary, Salford City UNISON