Failures in Hospital Hygiene

Writing in today's Guardian Dave Prentis argues forcefully that the rise in hospital based infections is directly linked to the halving of hospital cleaners through privatisation. Employing more cleaners would not only create much needed employment opportunities but would save money on expensive antibiotics used to treat infections and improve outcomes for patients

Glad to be Back

You may have noticed that we have been “off line” for a short time, partly out of respect after Holmes lost his seat on the Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Committee and failed to get the Gen Sec nomination of our Regional Council, and partly because we’ve been busy doing other things.
Failing to get the nomination of Regional Council is one thing but loosing his seat on Regional Committee is another. After all how can someone ask those outside the region to support him for General Secretary when colleagues in his back yard refuse to have him represent them on our Regional Committee?
We celebrate our return to the blog with good news – in the last 48hrs Y&H regional nominations for Dave Prentis have reached 31. This is greater that we had anticipated and certainly beyond the number that we had predicted at the outset of the campaign. Holmes has so far managed to secure a paltry 5 nominations with Bannister performing even worse picking up just a single branch.
Despite failing to attract any significant mainstream support in the region Holmes continues to run a narrow campaign pandering to the extreme views of the ultra left. Once an arch critic of the SWP these days Holmes increasingly looks like a fully paid up member of the newspaper selling fraternity. Delegates attending the Regional Council were met with the grotesque spectacle of SWP members with paper in one hand and Holmes election material in the other.
Meanwhile, our candidate has been doing what he does best – leading million voices, highlighting the double standards of MP’s pay and standing full square with public sector workers at home and overseas.

Hire and Fire Holmes

As the campaign for nominations moves into its second and final month Holmes and his ultra left supporters are hopeful of a better second half after failing to make any major gains so far.

HE Service Group Backs Prentis

Members of the National Higher Education SGE yesterday voted to nominate Dave Prentis. Neither Paul Homes, Roger Bannister or Delroy Creary were able to secure the two people necessary to propose and second them at the meeting. This is further example of a complete failure in organisation and underlines the fact that none of the three opposition candidates have any mainstream support in the union.

Y&H Regional Nominations

Chart

Sheffield University Back Dave

Members at Sheffield University have joined the groundswell of support for Dave Prentis by nominating his for General Secretary. It is now clear that Dave is attracting considerable support from all corners of the union and is now well on course to obtain more branch nomination than he did in previous elections.

Women's Committee Endorse Prentis

Meeting before the start this years Women’s Conference, which is being held over the next few days in Gateshead, UNISON National Women’s Committee has endorsed Dave Prentis as a candidate in the General Secretary election. Dave secured 27 of the 32 votes, Roger Bannister was proposed but noone to second him and no mention of Paul Holmes.

Kirklees Council Employee Stats

Single - Non Single Status Feb10[1]

Apology For Our Mistake

There is never a good time to make a mistake, but to do so in the middle of a major campaign, and thereby hand to your opponents a significant advantage, is by far and away the worst time.

South Yorkshire Police Branch Nominiation Secured

Members of the SYP Branch Committee today unanimously agreed to nominate Dave Prentis.

Health SGE Nominate Dave Prentis

The National Health Service Group has today nominated Dave Prentis as a candidate in the General Secretary election. Dave secured 22 out of a possible 25 votes with three remaining votes going to Socialist Party candidate Roger Bannister. Paul Holmes failed to secure any votes.

Phoney Holmes – The Naked Truth Behind the Lies

Campaigns that are run by those with questionable integrity, a failed ideology and limited organisational capacity invariably come off the rails.
Today we sensationally reveal that the main proposition from Team Holmes – that his own Branch in Kirklees has a density of 85% - is a complete and utter fabrication.

Holmes Seeks Guidance from Leadership Guru

As the regional campaign heats up Paul Holmes appears content to find solitude in the Westminster tea rooms seeking guidance from those with experience of leadership elections. Meanwhile, in his own back yard, his campaign is haemorrhaging support as more and more branches recognise the extent of the intellectual and organisational divide between the candidates.

Prentis Gains Two More in Quick Succession

In the last few days two of the regions biggest health branches have swung their support behind Dave's campaign. Members at a packed AGM of the Leeds Community Health Branch fully endorsed a motion that “recognised the superiority of Dave’s leadership skills beyond those of his opponents”. This was followed by a unanimous endorsement at Grimsby Health Branch.

NEC Nominate Prentis

The NEC has today agreed to nominate Dave Prentis in the General Secretary elections. Votes were:

Dave Prentis 38
Paul Holmes 5
Roger Bannister 4 

Largest Health Branch Nominates Prentis

4000 member strong Sheffield Central Health Branch, the biggest health branch in the region, has agreed to nominate and support Dave Prentis at their Branch Committee on 4th February. Further updates to follow.

Paul Holmes on Technology

His new found identity in blogosphere sits in marked contrast to the way that Holmes denies the existence of ICT in his own Branch. A well known technophobe, Holmes takes his hatred of technology to almost unbelievable lengths. He has banned the use of email and the internet in the branch and until recently refused to carry a mobile phone. In an attempt to rekindle a bygone past Holmes fails to appreciate the extent to which the world has changed and how the use of ICT can assist in building trade union organisation.

As the major trade union in the country UNISON has had a proud tradition of championing new ways of working – the first union to advertise on TV, the first to develop an interactive web site, the first to move to greener on-line administration, and ground breaking mobile technologies to keep organisers in the field.

Unreconstructed Holmes would set the union back years in his attitude towards ICT – which he persists in referring to as “new technology” even though it is at least 25 years old - would simply fail to connect with the next generation of trade union activists. Young activists have been brought up in the modern world and many will not have even heard of the Luddites and would certainly not want to see one as General Secretary of their trade union.

UNISON GS election – news from the margins‏

See this excellent critique of the current elections over at UNISON Active

UNISON GS election – news from the margins‏

Wakefield Nomination Secured

Dave Prentis has secured the nomination and support of Wakefield Local Government Branch.

At a meeting of the Wakefield Branch Committee last week delegates of the 10,000 member branch voted overwhelmingly to support Dave as their preferred candidate. Paul Holmes and Roger Banister failed to win any support.

One delegate said “It was a hard act to follow when Dave took over the reins from Rodney Bickerstaffe but he has more than lived up to that challenge. He has been a very good friend to members of the Wakefield Branch and we repay that friendship by fully endorsing his campaign for a third term.”

Rotherham Back Prentis

Rotherham Local Government Branch has tonight weighed in behind Dave Prentis for General Secretary. The Branch AGM held earlier this evening unanimously agreed to support Dave’s candidature. Speaking after the meeting Branch Secretary, Carol Maleham, said “there was clearly never any doubt in the minds of our members who is the best person to take the union forward and I am pleased that we have agreed to support Dave. As we go into more challenging times we need strong leadership with a clear policy framework around which the whole union can unite.”

Bradford Met Branch Endorse Prentis

Members of the Bradford Local Government Branch have today resolved to nominate Dave Prentis for a third term as General Secretary. At a packed Branch Committee representatives’ of the 10,000 member branch voted overwhelmingly to endorse the nomination. Speaking after the meeting Bradford Branch Secretary, Linda Crowther, said "this election presents our members with a clear choice. On the one hand we have a candidiate with a proven track record of achievement, someone who has a clear policy agenda and, above all else, absolute credibility. Or, on the other hand, his opponents, who would both divide and weaken the union and set us on a course to oblivion.”

Elect Dave Prentis Web Site Launched

Go visit the Elect Dave Prentis web site and sign up to the e-neweletter and add your endorsement. Click here

Message of Suppprt from Wendy Nichols

As the Regional Convenor for the Yorkshire and Humberside Region and a member of the National Executive Council, you will appreciate that I have had regular contact with Dave Prentis. Throughout his time as the Leader of our union I witnessed at first hand his passion for the job and his relentless drive and energy in taking forward our union campaigns. I have no doubt whatsoever that he remains the right person to take our union forward into the future and I will be supporting him in his bid for a third term of office as our General Secretary.