RTUC & RDLP back GMB Cleaners' Action at Prospect School

Ray Parkes (sixth left, Unite), John Partington (seventh right,
TSSA) and GMB Regional Organiser, Nikki Dancey (third
right) of RTUC, with strikers and RDLP supporters

On 22 October 2019, Reading Trades Union Council and Reading & District Labour Party joined the GMB cleaners' picket at Prospect School to stand firm against the outsourcing ambition of the School Trust's management. With the announcement by Prospect School that Hayward Services Ltd were being appointed to take on the cleaning contract at the school - a decision taken without staff / trade union consultation - the GMB Regional Organiser, Nikki Dancey (RTUC Vice President), organised the affected staff. Nikki consulted with them on their views regarding the changes and - when it was clear the cleaners were solidly opposed to being outsourced - she called a ballot for industrial action, resulting in a 100% turnout and 100% support for strike action. With this mandate, the GMB has called for talks with the school in a bid to end privatisation of the cleaning service.

Cleaners' picket at Prospect School

RTUC and RDLP have long argued the merits of in-house provision of services by the public sector so this struggle was one they are keen to support. Since October 2018, RDLP policy has been against outsourcing (in line with national Labour Party policy) and in favour of progressive in-sourcing of services, with Reading Borough Council's delivery of the Revenues & Benefits Service and the Leisure Service both areas for the Labour Group to consider for in-house management. In line with the anti-outsourcing policy, the Prospect School dispute was supported by Cllr Sarah Hacker and Cllr Graeme Hoskin (both of Unite the Union) who will be looked to for support in the in-sourcing drive at Reading Borough Council.

Nikki Dancey (GMB) coordinates the picket
and protest at Prospect School's gates

The GMB handbill - all of which were distributed to parents and others collecting children from the school as well as neighbourly passersby and some staff - ran as follows:

"The cleaners at Prospect School are in a serious dispute about privatisation. The school wishes to outsource them to a private company - Hayward Services Ltd - but the cleaners want to stop this process and simply stay working for Prospect School. The cleaners have now been balloted for industrial action.

The school have said:

1. “They can’t manage the team” - This is because the team haven’t actually had a dedicated manager for many months and the school are refusing to simply reemploy a manager for them!

2. “Haywards is a good company” – But they have told the cleaners they shouldn’t even speak to the students and staff while they work. They are there to be “seen (cleaning) but not heard”. Good companies treat their staff like human beings, not servants.

3. “Their contracts and pay won’t change” – But Haywards gave all staff documents that they wanted the cleaners to sign that were essentially new contracts on far worse terms and conditions. If they hadn’t been in the union, they may have signed away their own rights. Haywards completely breached their trust and may have been deliberately trying to exploit them.

4. “Privatisation is the only way” - But the cleaners and the union have given numerous other potential solutions and have asked for time to see if they work, but all of them have been disregarded.

The GMB says :

• The school can stop this process very easily and for no cost at all. It is in their hands to ensure the school is cleaned and the workers are looked after.

• Prospect School have already told us that this privatisation will not save the school any money, so it won’t cost them a penny to solve this dispute.

• These workers, mainly women, and many who have worked here for over 20 or 30 years, just want to stay as part of the school and be valued for their work."

Reading Trades Union Council stands with Prospect School cleaners in their struggle. Congratulations to them and their trade union in so effectively organising! RTUC awaits GMB's next call to action when solidarity will again be willingly forthcoming!

RTUC Stands Firm Against Homophobic Chicken Chain

Within a day of the opening of Britain's first branch of Chick-fil-A in Reading on 10 October 2019, Reading Pride, backed by Reading Trades Union Council (RTUC), Reading & District Labour Party (RDLP) and other supporters announced a protest outside the entrance of The Oracle Shopping Centre. The protest was staged on 19 October, the day after The Oracle announced the fried chicken business would be leaving the mall once its six month trial lease came to an end.

The Reading Pride leaflet

Chick-fil-A CEO, Dan Cathy, has been vocal in opposition to same-sex marriage and the firm has made donations to fundamentalist Christian groups which practice conversation therapy and have ties to homophobic regimes in which homosexuality is illegal, such as Uganda. When challenged on these positions, the firm's spokespeople have declined to retract the actions or apologise.

Paul Britt, Chair of Reading Pride, opens the addresses

The event involved a gathering outside the entrance of The Oracle, overlooked by the Chick-fil-A window, with speakers addressing the crowd and passers-by using a loudhailer and a mobile public address system. Speeches were punctuated by periods of anti-Chick chanting by the crowd and music from the sound system.

David McMullen (GMB), Secretary of RTUC

Once the protesters gathered outside The Oracle, Paul Britt, Chair of Reading Pride, outlined Chick-fil-A's homophobic track record and thanked the supporters of the protest for showing their opposition in such large numbers, estimated at around 150 people.

Stephen Ireland (UK Pride Organisers' Network)

Giving the event a national perspective, Stephen Ireland, the Communications Officer for UK Pride Organisers' Network, also spoke, rousing the audience in a series of calls-and-response, asserting Chick-fil-A's presence to be unwelcome and assuring the company that their six months in Reading will be their only presence in the UK.

Two speakers, Cllr Sarah Hacker (RDLP/
Unite) and John Partington (TSSA/RDLP)

Reading Trades Union Council provided two speakers. John Partington (TSSA), RTUC Assistant Secretary, entreated his listeners to not only hold their employers to their diversity and inclusion policies, but to ask them what practically they were doing to broaden the diversity of their workforce, what recruitment strategies and interview techniques they were using to welcome talent from all groups in society. John also encouraged workers to lobby their employers to sponsor and be active in diversity events such as Pride. He also suggested those assembled form community groups within their workplaces and ensure they influence employers' policies in the realms of inclusion and flexibility. Don't rely on employers to hand down policy - workers must be engaged in producing it themselves and seeing that it is implemented.

David McMullen (GMB), RTUC Secretary, responded to a challenge from John Hoggett who asked what trade unions were doing for the LGBT+ community. David encouraged the LGBT+ community to join and become actively involved in trade unions, working with others to ensure all workers receive fair treatment from their employers.

From RDLP, Cllrs Sarah Hacker (Unite) and Karen Rowland spoke. Sarah asserted her pride at being a patron of Reading Pride and was pleased at The Oracle's response to condemnation of Chick-fil-A. She said she was keen to work with The Oracle's management to put in place improved vetting processes for prospective lessees going forward and she hoped Reading Pride could play a consultaative role partnership with The Oracle.

Sarah's sentiments were also contained in an open letter published by the following Reading Labour councillors, questioning The Oracles exercise of due diligence but welcoming the steps being taken to end Chick-fil-A's time in Reading as soon as practicable: Cllrs Adele Barnett-Ward, Rachel Eden, Debs Edwards, Ellie Emberson, Paul Gittings, Sarah Hacker, Graeme Hoskin, Sophia James, Micky Leng, Emmett McKenna, Chris Maskell and Karen Rowland.

Kevin Brandstatter and Nikki Dancey
(both GMB), leafletting for the event

The protest was a testament to Reading's community spirit and overarching sense of tolerance and respect, with a range of organisations and individuals coming together to defend the town's culture of diversity and inclusion. With John Partington (TSSA), David McMullen, Nikki Dancey and Kevin Brandstatter (all GMB) representing RTUC, the trade union movement showed itself to be central to the struggles of the town.

RTUC Protests Turkish Militarism against the Kurds

On 14 October 2019, Reading Trades Union Council, represented by Nikki Dancey (Vice President), David McMullen (Secretary), Kevin Brandstatter (all GMB), James Parker and Keith Jerrome (both Unite), joined a rapidly organised anti-militarist coalition in Reading Town Hall Square to protest Turkish military action against the majority Kurdish region of north-east Syria. RTUC joined Plan C Reading, Kurdistan Solidarity Network, RiseUp4Rojava, Reading IWW and Reading Communist & Anarchist Society, as well as unaffiliated individuals, to hear speakers, display placards and stage a march. The march of around 50 protesters left the Town Hall through Market Place, down Broad Street and West Street and back to the Town Hall via Friar Street.

On 6 October, US President, Donald Trump, gave the Turkish President, Erdogan, the green light to invade north-east Syria by withdrawing US forces from the area. Run by a Kurdish-led administration on the principles of direct democracy, equality for all peoples, ecological justice, a cooperative economy and women’s liberation, it is the most peaceful and stable part of Syria.

The actions of the Turkish state threaten to destroy this peace and Trump’s reckless policy risks unleashing genocide and a new refugee crisis. Over 11,000 people gave their lives in the struggle to defeat ISIS, including 10 British citizens like Anna Campbell, killed by a Turkish airstrike in March 2018.

Reading did not ignore their sacrifices. #RiseUp4Rojava! All efforts must be made to stop the Turkish invasion and control of north-east Syria! The demonstration showed Reading's solidarity with the struggle!