To reach government future targets for recycling a huge £30,000,000+ investment is required in new state of the art facilities on the Old Kent Road. Apart from all our desires to minimise the waste we individually and Southwark collectively generates the government charges Southwark £12 per tonne Landfill Tax. Additionally, if Southwark doesn’t meet ever tougher recycling targets the Government will fine Southwark a lot of money. The Landfill taxes and fines are getting bigger.
So Southwark has to make a huge investment in waste services.
‘helpfully’ the Labour Government has decreed that such huge investments should occur via Private Partnerships. No Liberal Democrat likes these partnerships, better ways to do this exist, but the government has made it abundantly clear that this is the ‘only show in town’.
This month the contract with Veolia to make this huge investment and run waste services with ever tougher recycling targets is due to be signed. Now the Unison union representing all of the employees involved are considering strike action. The same Unison that gave the Labour Party £464,434.00 during July-September 2007 alone.
I think Unison needs to makes it mind up. Either it supports the Labour Party and the near imposition of Private Partnerships and all that entails or it doesn’t.
For the individual Unison members in Southwark. You don’t have to pay the political levy. You can opt out if you think this Labour government policy affecting you is crass.
James it is always someone elses fault with you Lib Dems! When will you start taking responsibility for your actions I certainly did not see any Ecex reluctance to go down this route and perhaps you and your colleagues need to spend more time talking to the Unions rather than asking them to opt out of the political levy and can you remind me please the Lib Dem history of defending Trade Unionism in the UK as it quite frankly escapes me!
Happy New Year!
John
James it is always someone elses fault with you Lib Dems! When will you start taking responsibility for your actions I certainly did not see any Exec reluctance to go down this route and perhaps you and your colleagues need to spend more time talking to the Unions rather than asking them to opt out of the political levy and can you remind me please the Lib Dem history of defending Trade Unionism in the UK as it quite frankly escapes me!
Happy New Year!
John
John, Happy New Yeat to you as well.
As an ex. trade union member I have no problem with peoples right to join trade unions, strike or pay a political levy. But to criticise an employer and threaten strike action
for implimenting policies directed by the party your political levy is paying for is frankly unreasonable.
Where is the Unison campaign against PPP/PFI?
Why isn’t Unison saying to the Labour Party come up with another way or we stop paying the political levy?
John, do you think the Labour government driven outsourcing is good or would you have preferred the Labour Government to relax what Southwark could borrow?