March for Jobs pictures

Local Government pensions - Taxpayers Alliance lie machine at work again

The "Taxpayers" Alliance, the right-wing ginger group of rentaquotes so beloved by the tabloids (and occasionally the gullible BBC), has been at it again on the Local Government Pension Scheme. It is making apocalyptic claims about a "black hole" in the LGPS......but it bases this on a straight comparison of assets against liabilities. Under this "formula" the only way there is a black hole is if everyone in the scheme retires at once - tomorrow.

In actual fact the LGPS is well able to cover its liabilities year-on-year. In 2008-09 the scheme paid out £5.6 billion in benefits and had an income of £10.2 billion.

What the right-wing ideologues at the TPA can't stomach is the success of the LGPS. Their real aganda is the dismantling of employer pension schemes - our schemes - funded by us with our contributions - our deferred wages.

HANDS OFF!

Apprentices: Council squirms

Having been caught redhanded and having received some very unwelcome publicity, the Council has issued an anodyne statement claiming that apprentices will only be used for "junior roles" - whatever that means.

The fact remains that their own written proposals for the Finance Department clearly show that they are deleting jobs and proposing to get apprentices to take over the work. Those are job opportunities which are being denied to the people of Brighton and Hove, and it is crass hypocrisy for the council to be claiming to be creating apprenticeships on the one hand whilst destroying jobs on the other.

So farewell then.......

In an age where we bemoan that our politicians are all style and no substance, Michael Foot had substance in spades. But because he fell short in the style department he was villified.

I think that he would have enjoyed the fact that one of the policies in that so-called "suicide note" of a manifesto, the nationalisation of the banks, ended up happening to stop the collapse of the finance system. Maybe if we'd done it back then, before they threw away our money, we might be in a better position.


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Vote for Dave Hill in Kemptown!

YOUR TRADE UNIONIST AND SOCIALIST CANDIDATE

Dave Hill is from a working class East End background, he was brought up in the back streets of Brighton in poverty with mother and his brothers, and joined the Labour Party, then a left –wing party, when he was 16. For twenty years he was a local and regional political leader. He stood twice for Parliament for the Labour Party for Brighton Pavilion constituency, and was the Labour Group Leader on East Sussex County Council, as well as serving as a Brighton Borough Councillor. He left the Labour Party, at last, in 2006 because of its pro-war and its anti-working class policies. He is now standing as a Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition candidate in Brighton Kemptown. http://brightontusc.blogspot.com/

WHAT WE STAND FOR

PUBLIC OWNERSHIP, NOT PRIVATISED PROFIT
Stop all privatisation, including the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), and the immoral privatisation of prisons. Bring privatised public services and utilities back into public ownership under democratic control.

NO CUTS - QUALITY PUBLIC SERVICES
Take rail back into public ownership and build an integrated, low-pollution public transport system.
For a high-quality, free National Health Service under democratic public ownership and control.
Stop council estate sell-offs and build eco-friendly, affordable public housing.
Good, free education for all, under democratic local authority control; student grants not fees.
Keep Royal Mail as a publicly-owned service, not a privatised cash cow.

JOBS, NOT HANDOUTS TO BANKERS & BILLIONAIRES
Bring banks and finance institutions into genuine public ownership under democratic control, instead of giving huge handouts to the very capitalists who caused the crisis.
Tax the rich. For progressive tax on rich corporations and individuals, with a crackdown on tax avoidance.
For massive investment in environmental projects.

EMPLOYMENT & TRADE UNION RIGHTS
Repeal the anti-trade union laws.
A minimum wage set at half average adult male earnings, with no exemptions.
Invest to create and protect jobs, including for young people.
Solidarity with workers taking action to defend jobs, conditions, pensions, public services and trade unions. Reinstate full trade union rights to prison officers.

PROTECT OUR ENVIRONMENT - STOP GLOBAL WARMING
Deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions - otherwise climate change, caused by capitalism, will destroy us.
Invest in publicly-owned and controlled renewable energy.
Move to sustainable, low-pollution industry and farming - stop the pollution that is destroying our environment.
Recognise that many of our planet's resources are limited and that capitalism fritters them away for profit.
Produce for need, not profit, and design goods for reuse and recycling.

DECENT PENSIONS & BENEFITS
Restore the pre-Thatcher real value of pensions. Reinstate the link with average earnings.
Protect entitlement to benefits; for living benefits; end child poverty.

DEMOCRACY, DIVERSITY & JUSTICE
Welcome diversity and oppose racism, fascism and discrimination. Defend the right to asylum.
Ensure women have genuinely equal rights and pay.
Defend our liberties and make police and security democratically accountable.

SOLIDARITY NOT WAR
Bring home all British troops from Afghanistan immediately - no more wars for resources.
No more spending on a new generation of nuclear weapons, huge aircraft carriers or irrelevant eurofighters - convert arms spending into socially useful products and services.
An independent foreign policy, based on international solidarity – no more being a US poodle, no moves towards a capitalist, militarist United States of Europe, no Lisbon Treaty.

SOCIALISM
For a democratic socialist society run in the interests of the people not the millionaires. For democratic public ownership of the major companies and banks that dominate the economy, so that production and services can be planned to meet the needs of all and to protect the environment.

Brighton and Hove Council's cheap labour scheme

Council cutting jobs and replacing them with "apprenticeships"

Anyone reading City News will be aware that the Council is trumpeting its Apprenticeships Strategy, claiming to have already created 70 apprenticeships with an aim of creating 500 by 2012 with other city employers.

Indeed, no-one could argue with the idea of creating genuine apprenticeships where young people can learn the skills they need for the labour market - even though this sits a little awkwardly with the simultaneous cutting of 100 jobs.

But there is now clear evidence that the Council is using apprenticeships to actually replace jobs - getting rid of skilled employees and getting apprentices to do their work at a fraction of the cost.

As a trade union rep it falls to me to be consulted on management proposals for the restructuring of services and departments, and I received a briefing on just such a restructure last Thursday. I was presented with a paper which showed quite clearly the cutting of posts alongside the increasing of the number of apprenticeships. Now, I could of course have misunderstood what the paper appeared to be suggesting, but the manager concerned was very helpful and quite happy to spell out the message......"we're cutting too-expensive full-time permanent posts and covering the work with apprentices".

Staff in the service concerned will find this out on Monday 1st March, and I will post again with more detail after that.

But perhaps people might be wanting to ask the Council what their agenda in creating apprenticeships actually is.

Creating opportunities for young people? Or cutting costs and getting work on the cheap on the way to zero tax-rise Nirvana?

TUSC launches in Brighton!

Bob Crow will speak at the launch meeting of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, which is standing in Brighton Kemptown at the General Election.

The candidate will be Dave Hill, former Labour Councillor and parliamentary candidate for Pavilion.

Come and hear about TUSC at the launch - 6.45pm, 9 March, Brighthelm Centre.

Public Ownership, Not Privatised Profit
• No Cuts - Quality Public Services
• Jobs, Not Handouts To Bankers & Billionaires
• Employment & Trade Union Rights
• Protect Our Environment - Stop Global Warming
• Decent Pensions & Benefits
• Democracy, Diverstiy & Justice
• Solidarity Not War
• Socialism
Come and find out more and how you can help!
Tuesday 9 March, 6.45pm Brighthelm Centre