Book your tickets now for the celebration of International Day for the Elimination of Racism. Friday 21 March at the Ocean Music Venue, Hackney. Organised by Unite! Unison and Hackney Trades Union Council. It is also a benefit for the Unison officers.

Update
This is an update on the campaign to defend Brian Debus, Will Leng and John Page, Unison branch officers in Hackney Council who were suspended in December 2002 after the branch produced a draft report into racism in Hackney Council. The report argued that the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) should take further enforcement action against Hackney council for persistent breaches of the Race Relations Act and for blatantly ignoring the the CRE's previous non-discrimination notice. Hackney has continuously refused to investigate the details of Unison's concerns, but has sought to discipline Unison activists for daring to challenge the ingrained racism of the Council.

Background details of the campaign and previous updates are available at the Black Information Link operated by the 1990 Trust www.blink.org.uk (and then search for Hackney or navigate via campaigns)

We need your assistance
We need you to put pressure on the CRE to act. Hundreds of individuals/groups/trade unions have already written to the CRE asking them to take further action against Hackney Council. Most have not received a reply. We are asking everyone to write again. We know that the CRE has recently met with the council, but we want to know why after having been sent the report from Unison regional office in December 2002 action has not yet been taken against the Council. All those who have written to the CRE deserve to have a response to our concerns. The CRE needs to ensure that it enforces the non-discrimination notice for the sake of black workers in Hackney.

Send a urgent letter of protest to the CRE and to Hackney Council, see details below .
Get your union branch, community organisation etc to invite a speaker from the campaign.
If you live in London, book your tickets for the Soulfood party to celebrate anti-racism @ the Ocean on the 21 March.
Please forward this email on to trade unionists, anti-racists and community activists.
To defend the Hackney Two we need to drown Hackney Council in protest letters.

Some good news: suspension of 2 officers were lifted
On Tuesday 25 February the campaign against racism and victimisation in Hackney was given a boost when management lifted the suspensions of two of the three Unison activists. After nearly three months on suspension, management dropped all allegations against Will Leng (Unison joint Branch Secretary). Management have also reduced the severity of the allegation against Brian Debus. He has been informed that he now faces a 'misconduct' allegation, rather than gross misconduct. While Brian is no longer facing the possibility of dismissal, management have yet to re-formulate the new (lesser) allegation against him. Verbally he has been told it is based on the fact that he 'had knowledge' of the draft report.

It is a tribute to the international campaign of support that neither Brian nor Will are now at risk of losing their jobs. However, Brian still faces a, as yet unclear, lesser allegation and John Page, Unison joint branch equality officer is still suspended and faces the very real possibility of dismissal.

Last week John presented a five-day employment tribunal case on behalf of Hackney Unison. The issues arose from management's decision to dismiss workers who refused to accept cuts in terms and conditions, and offer them their jobs back on even lower terms. John was running a test case, on behalf of nearly 400 Unison members who lodged unfair dismissal claims. During the hearing John demonstrated that the evidence of senior management witnesses was 'inaccurate and misleading'. The tribunal will not report its finding until mid-May. However, if successful, the case could cost Hackney Council in the region of one and a half million pounds in compensation. Privately, management are reported as stating that they wish to rid themselves of John at any cost, in the belief that in future their unlawful employment and racist practices will go unchallenged.
Hackney management have now re-focused their attack on Unison. They are determined to sack John, despite the fact that he is protected by the statutory prohibition against victimisation for challenging racism, for undertaking his duties as Branch Equalities Officer, and for blowing the whistle on racism.

Campaign update: we made a 'din against racism'
On Monday 24 February, 70 trade union and community activists descended on Hackney Town hall determined to 'make a din' about racism. Drums, whistles, pots and pans were all used to make a crescendo of sound for over an hour. The council were forced to relocate their 'cabinet' meeting due to the noise outside. The noise could be heard two streets away. Further 'noisy' protests are planned.

Friday 21 March International Day for the Elimination of Racism
The next big event for the campaign is a social at the Ocean Music Centre (opposite Hackney Town Hall). March 21 has been designated 'international day for the elimination of racism' by the United Nations. The cream of Hackney's local musicians, Soulfood, will provide a recipe for live music playing soul, jazz and blues. Award winning performance poet Fenzwan will also perform, and local MP Dianne Abbott will place the evening in context. The event has been sponsored by Unison's General Political Fund, and is a fundraising social for the campaign. Tickets will go on sale this Friday from the Ocean Box Office 020 7314 2800. Tickets are £8 in advance or £10 on the door, so come down, have a nice time, enjoy some cool beats, and demonstrate your support for Unison's campaign against Hackney's institutional racism. (see leaflet attached)

More support from Labour Party activists.
Hackney is a labour council. Within the Labour Group councillors are being instructed not to speak to Unison officers. They have been told that the issue of racism is 'sub-judice and that by even talking about it they may be breaking the law. This is wholly untrue and it is tragic that the response to our campaign has been for the Labour administration to 'batten down the hatches' rather than listen to our concerns.

However, this approach does not reflect the proud tradition of the Labour Party in challenging racism and there are growing protests from Labour Party activists. This week Islington North Constituency Labour Party wrote to Hackney Mayor Jules Pipe:

'The Executive Committee meeting of Islington North Constituency Labour Party on 12/02/03 instructed me to write to you expressing it's concerns regarding the 3 Unison officers suspended from duty for challenging racial discrimination and urges Hackney Council to ensure that they are treated justly and reinstated forthwith.;

It does a Labour administration no credit at all to treat employees in this way, when to our knowledge Hackney Council is subject to an improvement notice from the Commission for Racial Equality regarding racial discrimination.

Following the Stephen Lawrence inquiry and the report that came out of it, Labour should be leading the way on equality and diversity not hindering and victimising those who seek to expose racial discrimination in its workplaces.'

We could not have put it better ourselves!

Campaign addresses for you to write to

Messages of support for the local branch can be sent to
 hackney.unison@unisonfree.net
Or Fax 0208 985 6749

Messages of protest can be sent to
Claer Lloyd-Jones
Hackney's Director of Law and Probity
 claer.lloyd-jones@hackney.gov.uk

copied to Pam Case Head of Human Resources
 pcase@gw.hackney.gov.uk

and Jules Pipe (Hackney's directly elected Mayor)
 mayor@hackney.gov.uk
or fax 0208 356 3657

Messages of concern can also be sent to
Paul Riddell
Commission for Racial Equality
email  info@cre.gov.uk
or fax 020 7939 0001

Thank you

To everyone who has supported this campaign, thank you.

--
Jane Holgate
Acting Secretary, Hackney Trades Union Council
Box 11, 136 Kingsland High Street, London E8 2NS.
07960 798399

 j.holgate@unisonfree.net