London Ambulance Service Branch

London Ambulance Service Branch

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On the 6th July 2007, I attended the National Unison Labour Link Forum in Manchester as a Delegate for the Greater London Region. A number of Motions were debated during the Forum and I moved a Greater London Motion on , Equalities in the Workplace which was successfully carried. I was also involved in a debate during a workshop with other Delegates where I was encouraged to give the LAS Unison point of view on the Health Service Reform and how it had affected us and our patients. Hazel Blears, Paddy Tipping and Treasury Minister Angela Eagle were among Mps who attended + MEPs Arlene McCarthy and Linda McAvan. Dave Prentis addressed Delegates and began by pledging UNISONs support for the Labour Link and said he looked forward to working with Gordon Brown The photo is of the members of the Greater London Delegation.

	I was one of a group of Health workers who were recently invited to Westminster to contribute to the Governments ongoing debate re. the Health Service reforms. We managed to speak to the Prime Minister along with Hazel Blears and John Prescott, who asked us , as ambulance crew , midwives and social workers,how we viewed the health Service and the problems we faced on a daily basis. They seemed genuinely interested and asked us to pass on the message that the work we do is appreciated.

Every issue raised within this Branch is affected by Politics, e.g.

Job security
Pay
Funding
Pensions

So any influence UNISON can exert on the Political process has to be a good thing.
Political lobbying is how this influence is exerted and in this Branch it is through the UNISON – Labour Link.
UNISON has been successfully lobbying this Labour Government throughout its eight years in power and Dave Prentis together with the other Trade Union leaders have influenced political opinion.
Recent examples of this have been the minimum wage, the Warwick Agreement (which included commitments to extending the two tier workforce protection, a review of NHS cleaning contracts and a monitoring of Private Finance Initiatives among other things).
We in the UNISON –Labour Link have just been involved in successfully lobbying the Government during Alan Johnson’s Pension Review, and the Government has decided not to proceed with the proposal to extend the retirement age for currently employed Health workers from 60 to 65.
There is a National UNISON-Labour Link Committee and regional committees.
I have been elected to serve, on behalf of this Branch, on the Greater London Committee.
Our last meeting was on the 7th October and was attended by Sadiq Khan MP (Tooting), Lyn Brown MP (West Ham) and Joanne McCartney, Greater London Assembly Member for Enfield and Haringey.
It gave me the opportunity to put questions to Sadiq Khan about how St. Georges Hospital Tooting will be affected by the Health reforms and of Joanne McCartney about the difficulties emergency workers will face by the extension of the Congestion Zone.
She in turn asked me about the July 7th bombings and how I thought we had dealt with communicating information to the general public and hospitals throughout the day.
The next meeting is scheduled for the 9th December and I would, as your representative , be pleased to take forward, with the consent of the Branch, any issues, questions or suggestions you may have for the Committee.
Please contact me either through this website or e-mail me at John.Gough@lasunison.com

Promoting UNISON in Labour

UNISON members have a very direct way of getting their message across to politicians - through political lobbying. When you join UNISON you are given the opportunity to opt in to what we call the UNISON Labour Link (formerly known as the Affiliated Political Fund or APF). Your contributions to this fund help to facilitate our lobbying within the Labour Party.

This enables us to promote members' views and argue for UNISON policies, which will improve working terms and conditions, help protect public services and create a better society. It's the opposite of a blank cheque for Labour. We keep up the pressure and use our valuable links to get UNISON's agenda heard.

Labour Link review

Between 2001 and 2003, we carried out an extensive review of the way the UNISON Labour Link operates. See below for our new rules adopted at our national forum and the consultation and a review by the NEC of the political funds.

Download 'Labour Link operational rules' (PDF format)

Download 'Review of the UNISON political funds' (PDF format)

What has Labour Link won for members, and what happens when UNISON disagrees with Labour?

As a result of UNISON Labour Link activities, Labour has implemented many positive areas of policy more..

About Labour Link

How can I get involved?. Will it cost anything?. How does Labour Link work?. Who is on the national UNISON Labour Link committee? more..

UNISON Group of Labour MPs at Westminster

A complete alphabetical list of all UNISON Labour MPs. more..

UNISON members in the European Parliament

About UNISON Labour-Link and the European Parliament. more..

UNISON Labour Link regional contact officers

For more information about the UNISON Labour Link in your area, contact your regional officer. more..

Constituency Development Plans

Constituency Development Plans create a direct local link between UNISON and a Constituency Labour Party. Administered by the UNISON Labour-Link, they support local campaigning and the development of local organisation. more..

John Gough
Branch Labour Link Officer
labourlink@lasunison.com
07717 807700