Support Karen Reissmann

After several months of suspension, fourteen days of strike action and a six day disciplinary Karen Reissmann, chair of the Manchester Mental Health Unison branch has been sacked for the ‘crime’ of opposing mental health cuts. The 700 strong branch has voted to go on indefinite strike. Urgent financial and other solidarity is needed. Unison’s…

Liam

November 5, 2007

1–2 minutes

The 700 strong branch has voted to go on indefinite strike. Urgent financial and other solidarity is needed.

Unison’s national industrial action committee has sanctioned the community mental health team comprising some 160 workers to go on indefinite official strike action from this Thursday. This is a strike Unison must win. Donations need to flood in, with messages of support, invitations for speakers, national publicity and demands of Unison officials that they respect the demand of the branch and that the official strike is spread to cover the whole branch.

Rush donations and messages of support to the Manchester Community and Mental Health Unison branch, 70 Manchester Road, Manchester, M21 9UN. Phone 07972 120 451 or email unison@ zen.co.uk

Cheques can be made out to “UNISON Manchester Community & Mental Health”

Visit the support website at www.reinstate-karen.org .

The petition can be downloaded here and printed off to use at work or union meetings. http://www.brickman.dircon.co.uk/resismann.pdf

More background here and here

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2 responses to “Support Karen Reissmann”

Jason

November 5, 2007 at 6:11 pm

Thanks Liam. I think we all need to push the boat out on this one to think about how we can get more media publicity, raise money and raise th eprofile of this very important strike.

Jason

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Jason

November 8, 2007 at 4:26 pm

From John McDonnell MP
“For public use:
”
Labour MP John McDonnell is seeking to raise Karen Reissman’s case in Parliament to draw attention to the heavy handed attempt by the Manchester Mental Health Trust to silence Karen from speaking out to expose the implications of cuts in local services for patients.
John said “I believe that many Members of parliament will be shocked at the heavy handed and bullying tactics being used by this health body to silence one of its critics from exposing the effect its cuts in services will mean for patients. That is why I am seeking to raise this issue in Parliament in the hope that the Health Trust will back off from trying to intimidate staff in this way.”

I know people are engrossed in the Respect debate but I think it’s very important to give this strike some attention.

A key weakness at the moment is that Unison industrial action committee have only sanctioned part of the branch coming out – the community side- and that this leaves them vulnerable. The whole branch should be out as the branch has requested and the original ballot would cover.

I think there are four key overlapping tasks in the days ahead-

1. Pressure and demand Unison to sanction whole branch coming out.

2. Raise the profile, riase funds and boost morale by building meetings in every Unison branch and locality, inviting speakers and raising these issues.

3. Begin to rebuild rank and file networks in the unions.

4. Build up the pressure and try to initiate spreading the action in sympathy action- if only symbolic walkouts to start with and buikding up from there.

Obviously 3 and 4 are quite difficult to put it mildly and to actuallsy successfully get 1 to make Unison move very difficult but 2 is easy enough at least in some places and we have to try as hard as possible.

We don’t want another Jerry Hicks situation. Every one on here should prioritise work on this strike I think.

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Liam redux