Next meeting
will be on 17 July – if you want anything raised
let me know!
Proud Motion
I attended the Land Registry Group Conference held
in Scarborough as a trainee delegate between 19 –
21 May. I was amazed at how hard the delegates worked, and impressed
with the close organisation of the Group. I had put forward a motion
to my Branch to support LGBT individuals and demand awareness training
for staff, which was passed after a bit of a fight if you remember,
at Leicester Land Registry’s AGM. This motion was put to the Group
Conference as a composite motion along with a more comprehensive motion
put forward by the District Land Registry for Wales (I think the Proud
rep. for Wales, Debbie Rees, may have had a hand in this!). After some
debate about what was really only a sticking point, (the Wales motion
called on Group to encourage LGBT members to join Proud, and a delegate
felt this may be putting pressure on individuals to ‘out’
themselves), and a rousing supportive speech from the Secretary to the
Group Equal Opportunities Advisory Committee, Julie Kelly, in which
she praised the work of the Proud group, and encouraged all delegates
to conference to join Proud as associate members, the motions were put
to the vote and passed unanimously!
I am also pleased to report that I have been elected onto the Land
Registry Group Equal Opportunities Advisory Committee, and
am looking forward to working with my Land Registry colleagues on a
range of Equality issues.
Human Rights Law
The week before I went to Scarborough, 14 – 16 May, I went down
to London to the TUC National Training Centre at Crouch
End as a delegate on the Human Rights Law in the Workplace
course.
It was
an intense course, with only seven delegates (many of whom had law degrees,
and/or were full time union reps.) so it was a steep learning curve
for me. I have prepared a report back, which I shan’t reproduce
here, as it is quite long and will be put on the web site, and should
also appear in the next Proud Magazine issue. But I will tell you that
the course tutor was very impressive, being a Barrister in employment
law and who works in the Chambers of Michael Mansfield QC! It was interesting
to learn that there is protection from discrimination for lesbians gays
and bisexuals under Article 8 of the Human Rights Act– the Right
to respect for private and family life. But don’t get too excited,
as many claims take a long time, i.e. years, to reach the European Court
of Human Rights. And claims made and won at Employment Tribunals can
only offer a remedy for financial loss, the compensation regime for
unfair dismissal is limited to economic losses only and does not extend
to damages for personal injuries or injury to feelings. You wouldn’t
receive anything for emotional damage or stress.
The most
important lesson the course had for me, was that although it is important
to know how to use the Law to defend rights, it is also important to
know the Laws’ origins and limitations and that legislation is
no substitute for collectivism and good union organisation.
East Midlands Meetings
I must learn not to shoot my mouth off. If you remember the last Newsletter,
I announced that the next meeting was to be at the Broadway Café
in Nottingham on Saturday 3 May – BE
THERE OR BE SQUARE!! – I cheerfully jeered. And
I was ill, so I didn’t go! Life plays such cruel tricks. I did
have some involvement though, as I knew that people would be going that
hadn’t met each other before and had to be brought together somehow.
So from my sick bed, I was giving directions and co-ordinating people,
giving descriptions of what everybody looked like, on my mobile. And
it would be the one time that Jay came all the way from Peterborough,
wouldn’t it? Well, from my end, it sounded as though they
had a riotous time once they all met up – and they did all meet
up, amazingly!
Some of us regulars also snuck in a meeting in Leicester on 6 June,
Friday night. I haven’t been able to produce a newsletter until
now, so couldn’t advertise it widely – sorry! But we had
a good drink at the ‘Rainbow and Dove’, and even had the
company of a now, sadly, ex-Proud member. You see? We’re just
like family! The Nottingham lads, being a feisty bunch, went on to Leicester’s
premier Gay Club – ‘Streetlife’ to dance the night
away!
NEXT MEETING! – As I didn’t make the Broadway
Café in Nottingham the last time round,
we’ll try again! It’s on Broad Street,
and we’ll meet at 1.00ish as usual, on Saturday
12 July.
And while we’re at it, Dave asked me to fix up another date for
Leicester in August for a Friday
night, so we’ll go for 22 August, at 8.00pm
in the ‘Rainbow and Dove’, with a view
to boogying on down to ‘Streetlife’ later!
Put it in your diaries!
Leicester
Pride
I shall be manning a PCS Proud stall in the community
tent at this years Leicester Pride, so I would welcome
the company of any volunteers to assist, or just to come along to say
‘Hello’!
The Festival,
whose theme is – From Hollywood to Bollywood & Beyond!
will take place on Victoria Park, London Road (10 minutes
up the road from the railway station) at 1.30pm on
Saturday 21 June. Entry is FREE!
The Festival
will be preceded by a Parade, which will assemble at
12 noon, on Bishop Street, adjacent
to the Town Hall Square, Leicester.
PCS View
After attending the Proud Stage 1 training event in April, I resolved
to write to PCS View to badger them in to including more on Proud in
the magazine. I reproduce my email below:
Dear Editor,
Now that the PCS is free from the grip of Barry Reamsbottom and is on
the way to democratisation, is it not time to fully reflect this progressive
process within the pages of PCS View?
I, for one, fervently welcome the changes that we have already seen
with regard to having more radical and Trade Union relevant articles
within the magazine. However, as a member and representative of PCS
Proud, I would wish to see more coverage of lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender issues in general, and of Proud work in particular, than
we have seen of late.
I am of the firm belief that without visible support from the leadership
of the Union towards LGBT issues, and positive exposure in the organs
of PCS, we shall be condemned to suffer that much longer the unfairness
and indignity of homophobic attitudes, which regrettably are still prevalent
in society - even amongst the ranks of Trade Unionists.
The Union is a powerful tool in the fight for equality - let's use it.
Yours Fraternally
Jude Jackson
PCS Proud East Midlands Regional Representative.
The letter hasn’t appeared in the Magazine yet, but I notice that
the last two issues have included articles on the Proud group and LGBT
issues, so there must have been some impact!
That’s all for now!
Jude
