Festive greetings to all and best wishes for a peaceful and happy 2021

Aberdeen Trade Union Council wishes all our delegates, affiliates, associates and friends our best wishes for a wonderful festive season and a happy and peaceful 2021.

We particularly send greetings to those providing essential services over the holiday period.

After a very difficult year where workers have had to rise to the challenge of Covid-19 and unions have stood behind them, fighting for their rights, their health and their safety, and their jobs and livelihoods, we can only hope that 2021 sees an end to the pandemic. We will then face a struggle against further austerity and attempts to make ordinary people pay for the pandemic whilst the richest continue to amass wealth. 

ATUC and its affiliated unions and associations will continue to stand up for workers rights and human rights at home and across Scotland, the UK and the world.

Thanks to you all for your continued support. 

Happy Christmas!

ATUC supports Plant a Tree for Palestine initiative

 At its December delegates meeting, ATUC gave its overwhelming support to the Plant a Tree for Palestine initiative, launched by the Aberdeen branch of Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (SPSC).

This new campaign which aims to build local solidarity with and support communities in South West Bethlehem targeted by illegal settlement expansion.SPSC member and ATUC delegate, Fiona Napier presented the campaign and ATUC agreed to donate £500 towards tree planting in Palestine.

More information can be found at the Plant a Tree page of the SPSC Aberdeen website, where you can also donate.

ATUC has a proud tradition of supporting the Palestinian cause and calling for an end to the oppression of the people of Palestine and occupation of their lands.

Fiona told the committee, “Initially this project will focus on tree planting as political resistance via the ‘Plant-a-Tree in Palestine’ initiative, raising money for trees that can then be planted by farmers and communities, contributing to sustainable economic development as well as symbolic resistance against Israeli occupation.”

If enough money can be raised by February 2021, it’s hoped the first planting can take place by March (before the planting season ends). £8 will allow one olive tree or grape vine plant to be purchased and the ground properly prepared.  You can donate here.

ATUC calls for support to keep Old Aberdeen Medical Practice under health-board control

Aberdeen Trade Union Council is deeply concerned at the proposal made by NHS Grampian and the City Health and Social Care Partnership's (ACHSCP) to put the management of Old Aberdeen Medical Practice and five other medical practices in Aberdeen out to tender to be taken over as a for-profit GP-led practice.

This means that they would be run for profit instead of being run by the health board.  All nine of the Old Aberdeen Medical Centre's G.P.s have now resigned and the practice is on the verge of collapse.

We are calling on ATUC delegates, associates, families and friends to go on and like and share the Facebook page 'Save Old Aberdeen Medical Practice' that would be appreciated https://www.facebook.com/saveOAMP.

Please also sign and share the petition on 38 degrees to Keep old Aberdeen Medical Centre. 

If your practice is Old Aberdeen you can contact the local MSP Kevin Stewart and appeal for him to intervene before Thursday when the IJB takes the decision to the next stage via 01224 624719 and Kevin.Stewart.msp@parliament.scot.  

ATUC commends Aberdeen City for flying the Palestinian flag on the UN international day of solidarity with the people of Palestine.

Today is UN international day of solidarity with the people of Palestine. 

Aberdeen Trades Union Council sends greetings to the people of Palestine and pledges our continued support for an end to the oppression and occupation of the people of Palestine by the Israeli government.

We commend Aberdeen City Council and the Lord Provost for flying the Palestinian flag today to commemorate the international day of solidarity with the people of Palestine.

This continues Aberdeen City's excellent record of international solidarity, including awarding the freedom of the city to Nelson Mandela when he was still a prisoner on Robben Island. 

As Mandela said, “We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.”

ATUC Acting President, Graeme Farquhar said "We fully support the decision of Aberdeen City Council's Lord Provost  to yet again fly the Palestinian flag as part of the United Nations International Day of Solidarity with the people of Palestine.

 

"The Aberdeen TUC in line with STUC policy continues in its efforts to secure peace and justice for Palestine in line with United Nations Resolutions aimed at bringing an end to Israel's illegal occupied territories of Palestine."

The struggle continues.

St Andrew's Day Live Online Event 2020

Although this year, we weren't able to organise our usual St Andrews Day march and rally along Union Street in Aberdeen, we were able to have a fantastic online live event, instead!

With a theme of standing against racism and fascism, a superb line-up of speakers, and some fantastic music and poetry by some very talented artists, the event was a great success.  Don't worry if you missed out though - you can watch it again online here:

Aberdeen TUC supports the flying of the Palestinian flag by Aberdeen City Council in solidarity with the people of Palestine

Graeme Farquhar

Aberdeen TUC has issued a media release supporting the flying of the Palestinian flag by Aberdeen City Council as part of the United Nations International Day of Solidarity with the people of Palestine.

Acting President, Graeme Farquhar today said, "We fully support the decision of Aberdeen City Council's Lord Provost  to yet again fly the Palestinian flag.
 
"The Aberdeen TUC in line with STUC policy continues in its efforts to secure peace and justice for Palestine in line with United Nations Resolutions aimed at bringing an end to Israel's illegal occupied territories of Palestine."
 
As in previous years Aberdeen City Council's Lord Provost will fly the Palestinian flag this Sunday 29th November to mark the United Nations International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

This initiative is in support of the 2005 UN resolution 60/37 which encourages Member States to continue to give the widest support and publicity to the observance of this Day of Solidarity.
 

ATUC - leading in disabilities since the 1800s - celebrates Disability History Month

Aberdeen Trades Union Council is celebrating Disability History Month which takes place between the 18th November to the 20 December every year.

With a theme this year of Access: How far have we come? How far have we to go? it is timely to note that Aberdeen Trades Union Council's (ATUC) involvement with and support of disabled workers isn't new.

ATUC has a long history of campaigning for equalities and has been disability friendly from as far back as 1886, when two blind delegates attended Trades Union Council meetings for the first time. The two delegates were Mr  Johnston and Mr John Keir.  Keir had lost his sight as a result of an accident he had as a child aged four.

John Keir who was originally from Strathdon, went on to serve as ATUC President from 1895 – 1898 and he was also the Vice President  between 1888 - 1893.  He had an incredible memory for facts and figures and he barely got a delegate’s name wrong if at all.  John Keir was also the STUC President for a year 1898 when the STUC held their second conference which was in Aberdeen. Not only was Keir one of the former ATUC presidents he had also was one of the directors of the Co-operative and elected to the school board in 1894 and became chairman in 1911.

Please join the ATUC St Andrew's Day anti-racism and anti-fascism rally on 28th Nov and stand up for equality and fairness

 Aberdeen Trade Union Council will be hosting our St Andrew's Day anti-racism and anti-fascism rally online on Saturday 28th November at 12.15pm and we encourage all our delegates, associates, friends and family to join us.

 We have an excellent line-up of local speakers as well as some poetry and music, and it promises to be an entertaining and also inspiring event.

To see more details and to join the event go to the ATUC Facebook event.

The event takes place right after the STUC's online event so why not join both?

Acting President, Graeme Farquhar said, "It has never been more important to stand up against all forms of discrimination. We have seen during the pandemic the disproportionate impact on our Black and ethnic minority workers as well as on other equality groups.

Please join us to celebrate Disability History Month with booklet launch on Disability History

ATUC affiliate, Aberdeenshire UNISON will celebrate Disability History Month and the International Day of People with Disabilities on 3rd December 4-5pm with an online event.

This event  will also see the launch of a booklet, Disability History: Fascinating Facts, penned by branch equalities officer, Kathleen Kennedy.

All our delegates, associates, friends and families are warmly invited to attend.

You can join from your computer, tablet or smartphone. 

Go to the Facebook event for more details and full joining instructions.

The theme, ‘turning disability into ability’ focusses on the achievements of disabled people.  The Fascinating Facts booklet looks at disability over the past 200 years with a particular spotlight on the North East of Scotland. As well as the historical context it also includes features on prominent local disabled people who have achieved great things.

ATUC remembers the war dead at private wreath laying ceremony

Aberdeen Trade Union Council has paid its own tribute to the fallen of both world wars and other conflicts, as delegate Donna Clark laid a wreath at the War Memorial in Aberdeen.

In past years ATUC would have been part of the formal council ceremony to commemorate those who lost their lives in war. 

However, because of Covid, the council ceremony was a much smaller affair this year and Donna, on behalf of the ATUC laid a wreath at a private ceremony on Remembrance Sunday afternoon, 8th November.

The Scottish Government must put its money where its mouth is on Just Transition

Aberdeen Trade Union Council (ATUC) at its monthly virtual meeting on Wednesday 4th November, unanimously condemned the Scottish Government's decision to outsource the manufacturing work of offshore windfarm contracts that could and should have been manufactured in Scotland.

Aberdeen TUC delegates are very alarmed that the Scottish Government speaks well when talking of a Just Transition but takes business decisions that act contrary to the spirit and intent of its own policy and against the interest of workers and their families in Scotland.

ATUC Executive member and Aberdeenshire UNISON Green Champion, Steve Gray said, "Now is the time for a Just Transition in Scotland. We need to move towards a modern low-carbon economy in ways which protect not only the environment, but also workers’ livelihoods, particularly those who currently work offshore and in sectors reliant on fossil fuels.

"Radical action is needed now to avert the environmental and economic costs of climate change. We need to move towards a planned economy that has environmental and social justice at its heart, and which provides jobs making products in a sustainable way, where workers have secure employment and good terms and conditions.

"Trade Unions are fundamental to delivering that vision and will assist the process of transitioning traditional industrial sectors in a fair and just way. Workers, if losing their job in these sectors, should be able to redeploy to new sectors and the opportunities for retraining must be provided."

Join the Morning Star Fringe meeting on Sun 15th Nov at 3pm - overcoming the economic crisis

Please join us at the Morning Star Fringe Meeting at the STUC virtual Congress, "Covid and the economic crisis: Neoliberal policies caused it. How can we overcome it?" on Sunday 15th November 2020 at 3pm. 

Speakers include ATUC member Kate Ramsden of UNISON, alongside Andrew Murray, Unite Chief of Staff, Roz Foyer, STUC General Secretary, and Neil Findlay, MSP. Corolyn Jones, Vice-chair of the People's Press Management Committee will chair the event.

It promises to be an interesting and stimulating debate. Please come along.

Build solidarity for Richie Venton, sacked steward

 
Aberdeen Trades Union Council has already highlighted this appalling situation where shop steward, Richie Venton has been sacked by Ikea for legitimate trade union activities.

We have sent solidarity and support to Richie. Now, if you can, we are asking all delegates, associates, families and friends to join this online public meeting on Monday 26th October at 7pm to build solidarity across the trade union movement.

Please register for this event and take part if you can.

Please sign the petition calling on the Tory government to extend free school meals so children don't go hungry

 
Aberdeen Trades union Council is outraged that the UK Tory government has voted down a Labour proposal to extend free school meals to the school holidays.

We are urging all our delegates, associates, friends and families to sign this petition calling for an extension of free school meals into the school holidays. 

 http://chng.it/JQ89Vbxszb

The situation in Scotland is different but we want to raise our voice for children across the UK. It is a disgrace that children are starving in the sixth richest country in the world. The money is there - it is just the political will that is missing.

As the petiton states, children have a basic human right to have access to food. Denying them free school meals denies them this right. 

There are too many children going hungry. The Government's vote condemns children on free school meals to starve over the holidays. 

In the middle of a global pandemic where many families are on an even more reduced income, where many have lost their livelihoods, parents are working flat out to do everything in their power to feed their children and they are still not managing it. 

To make a child suffer for the shortcomings of our society is completely wrong. Taking away free school meals in the holidays, when these children need it the most is abhorrent.

ATUC support and solidarity to Bifab workers as Scottish government ends hopes for the communities in Fife and Lewis

Aberdeen Trade Union Council has described as "heart breaking"  to all those workers, their families and their trade union movement supporters, the collapse of a deal between Bifab and EDF for the manufacture of wind turbine jackets to support the Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind project.

 As part of the campaign to save Bifab last year, the STUC organised the November 2019 Energy Conference which offered wide spread trade union and environmental organisations' support for a just transition and support for the Bifab community.

Follow up reports have been produced but the failure to support the Bifab workers shows the lack of political will across the UK and Scottish Governments to support a just transition for working people.

 

ATUC sends our support and solidarity to Unite and GMB members affected by this apparent failure on the part of the Scottsh Government and to the communities that will be affected.

Responding on Wednesday 21st October to the breaking news over the collapse of a deal between BiFab and EDF for the manufacture of eight turbine jackets to support the Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) offshore wind project, Unite Scotland Secretary Pat Rafferty and GMB Scotland Secretary Gary Smith said:

“It looks like the Scottish government ministers have walked away from our best chance of building a meaningful offshore wind manufacturing sector, and in doing so have extinguished the hopes of communities in Fife and Lewis who were banking their future prosperity on it. 

“It’s a scandalous end to a decade which started with promises of a “Saudi Arabia of Renewables” supporting 28,000 full-time jobs in offshore wind and now finishes in mothballed fabrication yards and no prospect of any contracts or jobs on the horizon. 

Solidarity with Richie Venton sacked by Ikea for defending workers' rights - please sign the petition

ATUC sends our support and solidarity to Richie Venton, USDAW steward, sacked by IKEA for standing up for workers’ health and livelihoods in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and for carrying out the duties that any decent elected trade union representative would. 

Please sign the petiton to reinstate Richie Venton and to demand wages for sick workers at Ikea.

Since February, Richie consistently argued that anyone off sick or self-isolating from the worst killer pandemic in a century should receive their full 100% average wage - not to be put on company sick benefit; not to be penalised with sick absence points; not to be excluded entirely from IKEA sick benefit for exceeding the points threshold, but to get their full average wages.

Richie argued this was essential to prevent workers facing an impossible choice of financial ruin on £95 a week Statutory Sick Pay or ruination of their health and that of others by dragging themselves into work, potentially infecting a workforce of 540 people.

When IKEA – who made £11.2bn profits in 2019 - announced that from 1^st June wages would be removed from workers absent due to COVID-19, Richie repeated this case and then informed union members who had elected me as their shop steward and convenor, of company plans and his opposition to these as their union representative.

For that Richie was sacked, on a trumped-up charge of “breach of confidentiality”.

This is Union victimisation, to clear the path to even worse attacks on the rights and conditions of IKEA staff. It’s no accident that Richie had built union membership to the highest level in any IKEA store in UK and Ireland; to more than twice the density of the second best-organised store. 

'SYSTEM CHANGE, not just SPARE CHANGE'

When 12yr old Zak Hijazi heard that Aberdeen Trades Union Council was taking part in Challenge Poverty Week, he set about designing a graphic to support it. What he produced - as you can see below -was a powerful image and message! His reason for doing it - in his own words, ”Poverty is a crime caused by our governments”. 

Throughout this week, ATUC has been posting information that demonstrates just how right Zak is in his assessment.

On Nov 16, 2018, UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, Prof Philip Alston commented in his investigation of poverty in the UK, “Poverty is a political choice. Austerity could easily have spared the poor, if the political will had existed to do so.” 

A damning statement to be made about the (at that time) world’s fifth largest economy. Rather than move swiftly to rectify the situation, the government dismissed the report as “barely believable” and ignored the findings.

Two years on, the Covid pandemic has tragically shown the result of that callous response, as the results of years of chronic underfunding of vital public sectors have been laid bare. This is what happens when looking after people - especially the vulnerable - is seen as less important than big business and shareholder dividends.

As we plan our economic recovery, we must redesign our economy to reflect the values of justice and compassion we all share.

Poverty is indeed a political choice; it's up to us to change the narrative, and make sure the right choices get made!

Just transition report - offshore oil and gas workers' views

 

Click on image to see report

Aberdeen Trades Union Council is a long term supporter of a just transition away from fossil fuels and arms production towards renewables. We therefore welcome the Friends of the Earth Report  released this week, Offshore: oil and gas workers views on industry conditions and the energy transition, which is particularly relevant to the North East of Scotland.

The report builds on a survey of 1,383 offshore workers, revealing the impact of Covid-19 on their lives, their views on life in the industry generally and their hopes and solutions for the energy transition. In addition to the survey results shared, there are eight case studies in the report from the workers themselves, revealing an exhaustion with precarious employment in oil and gas and a huge appetite for alternative industries, including offshore wind and other renewables.

The report concludes with several recommendations, including the need for governments to engage in participatory policy-making with a representative section of the oil and gas workforce and their trade unions. We request that the government bodies and individuals listed in the report begin this process by meeting with a pool of survey respondents who have expressed interest in speaking with them.

Ryan Morrison, Just Transition Campaigner from Friends of the Earth Scotland. said, “I hope you think its a useful piece of work in the Just Transition struggle. We want to continue worki,g with workers, TUs and communities in crafting solutions for a just transition.”

ATUC delegates support #ChallengePovertyWeek

 
Aberdeen Trades Union Council, at its delegate meeting on 7th October, reaffirmed our commitment to Challenge Poverty Week. Delegates brought along posters and placards for this photo opportunity to say #TogetherWeCan end poverty.

Challenge Poverty Week runs from 5-11 October. It aims to highlight the growing problem of poverty in Scotland and showcase the solutions we can all get behind to solve it.  

With that in mind, ATUC has been sharing articles about how poverty manifests itself in our communities across Scotland and what we need to do to tackle it.

See more on our Facebook page. 

We are particularly concerned about the growing numbers of children growing up in poverty - one in six children in the North East of Scotland. 65% of those children are in a household with one or both parents in work. 

Growing up in poverty has a significant effect on our children, affecting their development, their confidence, their access to opportunities and their health.

Delegates also supported an emergency motion proposed by Gerry McCabe calling for an
Emergency Programme for Jobs, Services and Safety (see motion below)

ATUC sends solidarity and support to RMT striking for safe working conditions on SERCO Caledonian Sleeper

 

Aberdeen Trades Union Council sends solidarity to RMT union, which held the first of two 48 hour strikes on 4th October, in their members' fight for safe working conditions.

The strike on the SERCO Caledonian Sleeper was rock solid, with pickets out in force at key locations as RMT members fight for safe working conditions‎.

RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said;

“RMT members are standing rock solid in their strike action on the Caledonian Sleeper this evening but it remains a scandal that SERCO appear to have deliberately provoked this dispute and have never had any intention of entering serious talks. Instead of working with the union on a solution to the very real issues of safety and fatigue they have declared war on their staff. That is a disgrace.

“It is also wholly unacceptable that the political leadership in Scotland, distracted by the scandal of one of their own travelling on trains while COVID positive, have not lifted a finger to help us settle this dispute. They should get off their backsides and haul SERCO into line. Their lack of action is grossly irresponsible.

“Our members on the Caledonian Sleeper, demanding nothing more than a safe working environment, deserve better than this shocking treatment. We are grateful for the huge level of support that has flooded in and its now down to the company to get serious and negotiate a settlement.”

Join the ATUC and raise your voice against poverty in the world’s sixth richest country

#ChallengePoverty This is Challenge Poverty Week. Aberdeen Trades Union Council is raising our voice against poverty in the sixth richest country in the world. The money is there – it’s just in the wrong hands.

The key messages of Challenge Poverty Week are:

 ·       Too many people in Scotland are living with the constant pressure of living in poverty.

·       As we plan our economic recovery, we must redesign our economy to reflect the values of justice and compassion we all share.

·       By boosting people’s incomes and reducing the cost of living we can solve poverty.

They have also highlighted the importance of affordable and accessible public services – especially council services - critically important to the poorest in our society to ensure opportunities for families and children.

We all want to do right by each other. And yet, we live in a society where one in five people live with the constant pressure of living in poverty. And in the North East of Scotland almost one in six of our children live below the poverty line. Across Scotland it is one in four of our children and 65% of these children live in a household where one or both parents are in work.

Even before the pandemic, poverty was already too high and rising. However, these last few months have created a storm, the likes of which we’ve never seen before. It has caused exceptional damage to people’s livelihoods, income and wellbeing - and is pulling even more families under.

Please read on to find out what you can do....

Sign the petition to ban all unpaid work trial periods

 
Aberdeen Trades Union Council is calling on delegates, associaltes and their families and friends to sign this petition calling for a ban on unpaid work trial periods.

Unpaid trial shifts are open to exploitation as they can be used by unscrupulous employers to take advantage of vulnerable people looking for a job. Often unpaid trials are for minimum wage jobs and the people applying for them cannot afford to work for free but may have no other option. 

Potential employees might feel as though they can't say no to these exploitative trials without risking their future livelihood. It is unfair to force someone to work for hours without pay for a job they might not even be given. Moreover, there is the cost of travelling to and from the trial shift as well as having to buy a uniform such as a shirt, trousers, plain t-shirt etc. These are things that unemployed people cannot afford to be wasting money on and shouldn't have to for a job that is unpaid. 

Please sign this petition

ATUC joins hundreds to raise its voice against poverty in the sixth richest country in the world

#ChallengePoverty Aberdeen Trades Union Council (ATUC) is supporting Challenge Poverty Week, from 5-11 October, which aims to highlight the growing problem of poverty in Scotland and showcase the solutions we can all get behind to solve it.  

Poverty, especially child poverty, has long been a concern to the ATUC and we have raised this issue at the Scottish Trades Union Congress, winning support for strategies to end child poverty. We remain appalled and the growing numbers of food banks in Scotland and across the UK and that food banks so essential to prevent so many of our citizens from facing hunger in the sixth richest country in the world.

Child poverty in Aberdeen sits at 18% and Aberdeenshire sits at 14% - that is almost one in six of our children in the North East of Scotland who live below the poverty line. Across Scotland it is one in four of our children and 65% of these children live in a household where one or both parents are in work.

That is why the ATUC is supporting Challenge Poverty Week; that is why poverty is a trade union issue. We encourage all our affiliated unions, associated organisations and their members to do the same.

During the week we are joining hundreds of organisations from across Scotland in taking part in Challenge Poverty Week, with faith groups, local authorities, businesses, trade unions and charities all raising our collective voice against poverty. We all want to live in a just and compassionate Scotland, but to achieve this action must be taken to loosen the grip of poverty on people’s lives.

ATUC will be writing to our MPs and MSPs calling on them to act to end poverty in the North East, across Scotland and across the UK.

You can go on the Poverty Alliance website and get the letter templates to add your voice to this call.

Please sign petition calling for an immediate end to the Israeli blockade on the people of Gaza

Aberdeen Trades Union Council continues its support for freedom and justice for Palestine by calling on all delegates, associaltes, families and friends to sign the petiton calling for an end to the long-standing blockade of Gaza by the government of Israel.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/308206 

The Gaza Strip has been under siege from Israel since 2007.  The impact of this siege, coupled with intermittent bombardments, has already had a disastrous impact on the physical and mental health of Palestinians in Gaza, as well as devastating the economy.  

In the past weeks this disastrous impact has once again been brought into sharp focus as Gaza has reported its first cases of COVID-19 which has started to spread quickly through refugee camps and communities. 

COVID-19 is uniquely threatening to the people of Gaza. The 1.8 million Palestinians cannot safely self-isolate – there simply isn't space – and no one can leave the region.

On top of that, Israel has not allowed sufficient medical supplies, including tests, to enter. It's a catastrophe waiting to happen.

After 13 years of conflict and blockade, Palestinians in Gaza face a severe shortage of resources and medical personnel. Health officials warn that containment and treatment under the Israeli blockade will be nearly impossible.

Together we are demanding that Parliament call on Israel to end the blockade NOW, before more life is needlessly lost.

The people of Gaza have for too long been abandoned by the international community, and the UK has a particular responsibility to act.  This petition calls on the UK government to confirm to us that they will show leadership and stand in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

Please sign the petition. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/308206