Vote Mike Calvert For Deputy Branch Secretary: Message of support from Brenda Ramtahal, Calshot, HASS

Wednesday 12 March 2014

Message of support from Brenda Ramtahal, Calshot, HASS

In my 30 years in Islington Council, and being a union member, I have always found Mike approachable and supportive and I believe he is the ideal candidate to continue in this position.

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Mike Calvert: active in the trade union and labour movement for 35 years

I have been active in the trade union and labour movement for thirty five (35) years:

1979-1981 member of NUAAW (farm workers union)
1982-1983 member of the TGWU
1983-1986 at college and a member of the National Union of Students, holding many positions at South Bank Polytechnic and leading delegations to meet the South Wales miners at Seven Sisters
1986 I was a member of the TSSA when I worked at Waterloo Station
1986- 1987 I was a shop steward in the DHSS and a member of the CPSA
1987-1998 I worked for Lambeth Council and held many positions in first Lambeth NALGO then in Lambeth UNISON, and did many individual cases
1998 I joined Islington Council
1999 to the current day I have been a shop steward in Adult Social services, the Convenor of first ASS and then HASS, a post I carried out whilst a care worker working shifts with NO time off on very low pay indeed
Then I became Assistant Branch Secretary
Then in 2009 I became Deputy Branch Secretary and have held this post to date and was re-elected last year

I have represented hundreds of members in that time, led disputes, led on negotiations with Councillors and senior management

I was centrally involved in the discussions when the Mental Health Trust was established and argued very fiercely that Approved Social Workers (ASW's, now called AMHP's) should stay under the control of the Local Authority

At time management introduced "transformation" of Adult Social Services I was involved in much of those negotiations

I led the only strike this Branch has had against Islington Council in the last fifteen years, at Highbury Resource Centre.

I led, alongside Eric Hill, Peter Close and Jane in the dispute we held over pay parity with Camden (again for our ASW's). I liaised closely with the Nottingham branch who had a similar experience to ours

I was one of our two negotiators (with Jane) over bringing Enterprise back in house, and it was Jane and I who argued with Catherine West that the Director of Environment and Regeneration was wrong to break off negotiations with the trade unions. We won that argument and he was forced back to the negotiating table.

Jane and I have been travelling regularly to Ashton to meet our members up there who are totally isolated from the rest of the branch but nevertheless are an important section of members

In Jane's absence I represented our members in Mechanised Services (then HFI now HASS) when disputes broke out over cuts and other matters. These were very difficult discussions with HFI management and needed experienced Branch officers. You have no time to be briefed, you need to be able to 'hit the ground running'. The pressure cooker environment in these situations is huge and the membership depend on the fact their officers have experience rather than good intentions to see them through.

In October 2013, Jane and I discovered the scandal over redundancies and agency staff and consultants. We exposed this in the local press, petitioned the members of the branch and got 400 responses, and took a petition to the full council meeting.
This led to Richard Watts, the new leader, having his very first meeting after being elected on the Thursday night with us on the Friday morning!

I have been a member of the Greater London Regional Council of UNISON, the Regional Organisation Committee, the International Committee to name just a few positions.

The membership need somebody with experience who can step in for Jane, deal with nearly 100 personal cases and do all the above listed things. The membership needs someone who puts the membership above themselves, somebody who puts the membership above their own sectional or other interests. I will fight for the member's interests, not my own.

I am above all part of a collective leadership team.

Only I have that experience and those credentials, no other candidate in this election does.

Mike's Supporters in 2014

Adam Scannell, GLL Ironmonger Row Bath
Adenike Johnson, Libraries Shop
Agron Sejdiu, Children's Services
Ahmed Isse, Housing HASS
Alan McArdle, E and R
Alan Rylatt, Finance, Branch Treasurer and Branch Committee Member (BC)
Alan Wylie, Library Stewards Committee
Alex Shaw, Housing Benefits, Ashton Under-Lyne and Branch Committee member
Allan D Williams, Finance
Amanda Volpe, Teaching Assistant
Andrea Jones, Housing, HASS
Andrianna Francis, Finance
Angela Bladen-Hovell, Housing HASS
Angela Brooks-Grant, The Bridge School
Anthony Jackson, Libraries Shop
Audrey Russel, Old Street AHO, Housing HASS
Bayush Tafa, Adult Social Care HASS
Billy Hickmott, Housing HASS
Brenda Murphy, The Bridge School
Brenda Ramtahal, Adult Social Care, HASS
Brett Rose, Mechanised Services (E and R) and ex Branch Health and Safety Officer
Brian Turner, Premises manager at Highbury Grove School
Briony Densham, Young Members Officer
Carol Orgill, Legal Admin
Celina Kerr, E and R
Chia Wan, Ashton UL Shop
Chris Hollitzer, retired member
Christine Jones, New River College
Colin Finney, Housing HASS
Colin Hills, Drivers rep at Cottage Road Depot, E and R
Colin Spence, Libraries
Connor McIntyre, AMHP, HASS
Danny Moriarty, Libraries Shop
David Manlove, Retired Member, TSG
David Tannett, Libraries
Davina Henry, Adult Social Care HASS
Dean Aylott, Mechanised services (E and R)
Debbie Fossey, Schools
Denise Facey, Housing Convenor and Branch Committee member
Denise Hurley, The Bridge School
Des Skerritt, Kiers
Diana James, Chief Executive's Department and Branch Assistant Branch Secretary
Diane Edwards, Housing HASS
Dilek Ismail, Social Care, HASS
Dominic Hinds, Finance
Don Euripides, Finance
Donna Murphy, Finance
Dorrett Hobbs-Daley, Children's Services
Dwayne Coggins, Black members SOG, Equalities Officer and Branch Committee Member
Eddie Cornish, Retired Members Group
Efosa Ero, NSL
Eileen Rayner, Planning E and R
Eimear Nic Reamoinn, Housing HASS
Elsworth Samuel, Children's Services
Eric Hill, Retired members officer, former ASW and Branch Committee Member
Eryka Bancroft, Convenor E and R
Eva Stokes, Golden Lane Children's Centre
Eveline Marius, Adult Social Care, HASS
Fay Mitchell, Corporate Resources
Frances Williams, The Bridge School
Francis Heeley, The Bridge School
Geoff James, Libraries
Geoff Williams, Kiers
Geraldine Grizzle, Housing HASS
Gillian Wallington, Libraries shop
Gladys Alocoste, The Bridge School
Godfrey Ekemu, Finance
Grace McHenry, Adult Social Care, HASS
Harold Moyo, Finance
Henry Sklar, Housing HASS
Ian Spencer, Street Environmental Services E and R
Irene Hart, The Bridge School
Isaac Muyiwa-Ojo, NSL
Jackie Barton, The Bridge School
Jackie Gibbons, Finance
Jacqueline Kollepen, Housing HASS
Jacqui Delaney, Education Library Service
Jane Doolan, Islington UNISON Branch Secretary and Branch Committee Member
Janice Jones, Youth Offending Service, Children's Services
Jason Curtis, ISEP, E and R
Jay Oluyi, Housing HASS
Jean Birchall, Housing, HASS
Jenny Densham, Lifelong Learning Officer, TA at the Bridge School, Steward and Branch Committee Member
Jimmy Comer, Bermerton Villages TMO
Jo Wright, AMHP, HASS
Johanna Fashanu, Children's services
John Lloyd, Housing HASS
John M Phillips, Highways (E and R)
John Philpott, Libraries
Josie Galvin, Holloway School
Joy Pickering, Conewood St Nursery
Juliana Maguire, HASS
Karen Lucas, Housing HASS
Kathy Stocking, Adult Social Care HASS
Keith Facey, Housing HASS and Branch Publicity Officer
Kevin Perkins, LGBT Convenor
Kim Hambis, Corporate Resources
Lesley Palling, Children's Services
Lesley Tempa, Finance
Lez Quinn, Children's Services
Luke Taruvinga, Children's Services
Lydia Moruzzi, Finance
Maggie Ford, Corporate landlord
Maria Dixon, Housing HASS
Marie Appadoo, Children's Services
Marjorie Gunter, Children's Services
Mark Lysaght, E and R
Martin Goodsell, Children's Services
Matt Robson, Finance
Matthew Sale, Finance
Meeta Pattani, Ashton, Finance
Mervyn Espie, Housing HASS
Michael Curtis, School Premises Manager, Children's Services
Michael Gallagher, Housing, HASS
Michael Rene, Aquaterra Archway Pool
Michelle Dummeyer, E and R
Mohamed Koroma, Finance HASS
Monica Kumar, Building services
Nabil Fattal, Children's Services
Neville Griffiths, Driver, Finance
Nikola James, Adult Social Care, HASS
Noreen Kingston, Islington Education Library Service
Pam Woods, Former Assistant Branch Secretary and Environment and Regeneration
Pat Barry, Adult Social Care HASS
Patience Masuku, Housing HASS
Patrick Allen, Education Library Service
Patrick Fullerton, Finance
Paul Devall, Children's Services
Paul Green, E and R
Paul Jones, Housing HASS
Peter Growse, Adult Social Care HASS
Phyllis Miller, The Bridge School
Prem Stassopoullos, Libraries
Pushpa Majithia, Finance
Raimondo Adams, Daylight, HASS
Richard Gayle, Children's Services
Rita Powell, Adult Social Care HASS
Robbie Forrest, Housing HASS
Robert Anderson, careworker, HASS
Roger Allen, retired member
Romano Lusignani, Housing HASS
Rosalind Black, Holland Walk AHO, Housing HASS
Rosemary Plummer, Education Convenor and Branch Committee Member
Roy Collett, Housing HASS
Russell Woollard, Aquaterra
Samantha Clare, Finance
Sandra Donoghue, The Bridge School
Sandra Murphy, Children's Services
Sean Lee, Finance
Seun Olateju, Housing HASS
Sheila Edwards, Children's Services
Sheila Saunders, Libraries shop
Sherri Ashikoma, The Bridge School
Sherry Allen, Calshot, HASS
Simon Evans, Finance HASS
Sinan Ince, Finance
Sonia Swaby, Islington Arts and Media Steward
Stephen Rooney, Children's Services
Steve Hughes, Caretaker, Housing HASS
Steve Rogers, Finance (Pensions)
Steve Singaperoumal, Finance
Steve Walton-Harry, Libraries Shop
Sue Adler, Education Library Service
Susan Haire, Housing Aid, HASS
Susan Sailman, Children's Services
Sylvia Mawudoku, Retired Members Group
Ted Hans, NSL
Terry Luke, Retired member
Theo Russell, Libraries Shop
Theresa Hampson, The Bridge School
Theresa Rattigan, Adult Social Care, HASS
Tony Brown, Libraries Shop
Tony Morgan, Finance
Torsten Schietzelt , Finance
Tracey Byers, E and R
Tracey Harrow, Christ the King School
Valerie Westcarr, Housing HASS
Vincent Williamson, Children's Services
Zaf Raza, Children's Services
Zoe Warner, Children's Services

Vote Mike Calvert For Deputy Branch Secretary

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Wednesday 12 March 2014

Message of support from Brenda Ramtahal, Calshot, HASS

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