Statement from Lambeth Unison.

Lambeth Libraries Unison members have been in dispute over redundancies since September 2013 (they have 90%+ unison membership and got a 100% yes vote for strike action on an indicative ballot) and recently finally ‘suspended’ their action passing the following motion:

‘UNISON members recognise that significant progress has been made in management's proposals for the Libraries and Archives Service, during the consultation period. In particular:

• Retention of more capacity in the courier service
• Retention of greater professional staffing, by protecting Librarian posts
• Changes in Job Descriptions
• No compulsory redundancies of UNISON members

We agree this provides a basis for the suspension of the current dispute.

Libraries in Lambeth have been underfunded for many years and we will continue to campaign and fight for a better library service for the borough. As part of this, we will support and campaign for the Lambeth Manifesto for Libraries calling on those standing in the 2014 Council Elections to make four commitments.

• A commitment to increase book stock to at least the average amount of books of other London authorities- Lambeth Libraries have only 50% of the average London borough book stock

• A commitment to increase staffing to at least the average amount of staff of other London authorities - Lambeth Libraries are proposing to reduce the staffing levels to the lowest in London

• A commitment to increase public IT access to at least the average amount of other London authorities -Lambeth Libraries have only 50% of the average London borough public IT provision

• A commitment to keep all nine public libraries open with no cuts to opening hours’

 

They have also launched the ‘Lambeth Manifesto for Libraries’ https://www.facebook.com/lambethmanifestoforlibraries?ref=hl

see also http://www.voicesforthelibrary.org.uk/2013/11/lambeth-campaigners-adopt-the-manifesto-for-libraries/

Library Workers unite (and tweet)!

Saturday Assistants, Library Assistants, Cataloguers, Acquisitions and Finance Staff, Library Attendants and Van Drivers, Admin/Clerical Staff, IT Support Staff, Homework Club Co-ordinators and Librarians (sorry if I’ve missed any out but each Library Authority has its own set up and its own job titles!) We all have one thing in common and that is pulling together to deliver an important public service when faced with round after round of catastrophic cuts!

So why is it then that some feel left out of the conversation on the cuts, the fight back and future of Public Library Services?

Is it because that there is a perception that up until now the conversation has been monopolised by ‘professional’ qualified librarians, is it that Library Assistants etc. feel unable to speak out due to the fear of reprisals and losing their jobs, is it due to the hierarchical nature of library work where some staff still feel undermined and undervalued, is it down to the extremely low levels of morale and motivation in the sector, is it due to life and work pressures eating up people’s time and energy, is it just down to apathy and a feeling of hopelessness or just not knowing where to start? Well I’m sure it’s a mixture of all of these.

Library Assistants etc. must now surely make up 70-80% of the national public library workforce, in some areas Librarians are few and far between, so it is crucial that they have a voice, obviously many do through being union members but from some feedback that I’ve had many feel left out of the general discussion.

What can be done? Well maybe when we say ‘Librarians’ in a general discussion we could use ‘Library staff’ instead, maybe we could have an honest and open discussion about what ‘professional’ means, does it always have to mean having a library qualification, I don’t and I’m a Librarian, whether I’m ‘professional’ or not is open to debate!

It’s crucially important that we try to involve everyone in the debate so I wanted to make sure everyone knows that the forthcoming VFTL ‘twitter takeover’ is for all library workers.

After all we really are all in this together!

The TUC March and Speak up for Libraries

Yesterday i marched with fellow Library Campaigners from VFTL on the TUC March in London, we carried the Speak up for Libraries banner and met along the way campaigners from Brent S.O.S., Preston Library Campaign,  SLAM and Lambeth as well as numerous other Library staff and supporters! The amount of support that we got for our message was amazing, with people clapping, taking photos and generally welcoming us.

Our main aim was to publicise the SUFL campaign and conference on 10/11/12, we handed out loads of leaflets and even got a mention on the march for libraries and library cuts, so a very successful and enjoyable day.
So let's use the Speak up for Libraries Conference on 10/11/12 to build on this, to come together to discuss a positive way forward and a plan of action!

Speak Up For Libraries conference - 10 November

Following on from the success of our Parliamentary lobby day in March, Speak Up For Libraries are pleased to announce that we will be holding a conference in central London on 10 November 2012 to champion public library services and library staff, which is open to all to attend.
The day-long event will pull together library campaigners and supporters from across the UK and give them the opportunity to build on their existing campaigning skills and tactics, share ideas and strategies, and focus on a way forward to make their local campaign as effective as possible, with the goal of ensuring library services are supported and protected, now and in the future.

• Time: 10.00am to 4.30pm
• Venue: CILIP, 7 Ridgmount Street, London WC1E 7AE
• Cost: £20.00 per person
• Booking Essential