Britain Needs a Pay Rise

Getting money back into people’s pockets is essential to securing a strong recovery.

We also need to avoid another debt fuelled spending boom of the sort that caused the recent financial crisis – sustainable economic growth depends on fairer pay for ordinary workers and smaller bonuses for the super rich. That’s why the TUC is campaigning for action that will start to move our economy back in the right direction.

• A properly enforced minimum wage:
  While the national minimum wage safeguards from extreme low pay it’s no use if not properly enforced. We need the Government to publicly name and shame those companies who aren’t paying up. HMRC also need more resources to help them to identify more minimum wage cheats.
• Higher wages from employers who can afford to pay:
  We know that in many low paid sectors employers could afford to pay more without making job losses. That’s why we need new ways for unions and employers to work together to set higher wages, so that workers and businesses both get a fair deal.   
• Increased commitment to the living wage:
  Companies that can well afford to pay the living wage are not doing so and contractors are winning lucrative public sector contracts are continuing to pay poverty wages. We need more local authorities to make sure that their own staff, and those in their supply chains, get at least the living wage.
• A crackdown on excessive executive pay:
  Pay at the top continues to rocket, fuelling inequality and excessive financial risk taking. We need real action to get top pay under control starting with worker representation on pay committees and far more transparency about how much the super rich are being paid.

If you support our aims, join us in London on 18 October to make a noise for fairer pay and a fairer economic recovery.
Further details: http://britainneedsapayrise.org/the-campaign/

Britain Needs a Pay Rise

Local Government Strike 10 July

Our colleagues in Local Government will be taking industrial action on 10th July - please find ways of supporting them, here's why:

"We local government workers empty the bins, clean the schools, educate and care for children, look after the elderly, and vulnerable, conduct marriages and civil partnerships, care for parks, and check the safety of the food on your table. We do it all despite savage cuts to vital services. Almost half a million of our jobs have gone. Those of us left are doing far more for far less. We have worked hard to get employers to negotiate a deal, but the employers won’t even talk to us about a better offer, or join us for independent arbitration Most UNISON members are low-paid, part-time women workers, struggling to pay their household bills. Losing pay for strike action is not something they do lightly. Our members are not asking for the 14% pay increase company bosses and bankers are getting. Or the 11% MPs will see. They are just asking for a rise of at least £1 an hour. That would mean almost half a million council and school support workers currently earning below the Living Wage of £7.65 an hour could come off in-work benefits."

There will be a joint Union Rally in the Civic Centre car park from 1p.m on Thursday - please go along if you are free. Pleae support your colleagues when you hear them being condemned for taking action, remember what they do for our community and think about where money from the 'recovery' should be going. This branch has sent a message of support to our colleagues which will be read at the rally.

Flexible Working to be available for University of Southampton Employees

In line with the recent changes, employees of the University will be able to apply for flexible working. More details of the revised policy will be available in August. Unison will be able to support members who are applying for Flexible Working.

Flexible working change welcome but it’s still too easy to say no, says TUC

From today (Monday) all employees who’ve been in their jobs for more than half a year have the right to ask their employers if they can work flexibly. While welcoming the new right for helping make it easier for all employees to better balance their work and home lives (the right to ask for flexible working has until now only been available to parents and carers), the TUC is concerned that it is still too easy for employers to say no to any requests they receive. TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “It’s not just parents and carers who can benefit from flexible working. This sensible and modern approach to work is something that can improve the lives of everyone. “Now, thanks to this long overdue change in the law, employees of all ages will be able to ask their boss to alter the way they work, regardless of whether they have dependents or caring responsibilities. “If they have an employer who gets why flexible working makes sense, workers who want to take time out to train, volunteer in a local community project, or simply avoid travelling at rush hour will now be able to transform their lives. “But those with old-fashioned bosses who expect all staff to stick to the same rigid hours day in day out and always be in the office won’t be so lucky. Employers will still find it all too easy to block any requests for greater flexibility. “Unfortunately the right to request is only the right to ask nicely. There is nothing to stop employers saying no. Of course not everyone in every company or organisation is able to work flexibly – some requests will always need to be turned down. But without the right to challenge employers, many workers will continue to lose out.” Press Release Issued: 30 June, 2014

One in four defined benefit pension schemes in the private sector discriminate against same-sex couples

Commenting on a report published today (Thursday) by the government – which estimates that more than one in four defined benefit schemes in the private sector discriminate against same-sex couples – TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “It is disgraceful that some widowers, surviving civil partners and same-sex spouses are losing out on thousands of pounds of retirement income, simply because of their gender or sexual orientation. “This discrimination is especially widespread in the private sector, where one in four defined benefit schemes discriminate against same-sex couples. “Thankfully, the report published today shows that it doesn’t cost much to put right the injustice. The £400m cost to their private sector schemes is equivalent to just 0.03 per cent of pension liabilities. While the costs across public sector schemes are greater, the £2.7bn in extra liabilities that would be paid out over several decades is easily affordable. “The government must now do the right thing and change the rules on defined benefit pensions so that everyone is entitled to a full survivor pension when their spouse or civil partner dies.” Under the current law, many widowers, surviving civil partners and same-sex spouses are currently losing out or may miss out on retirement income because of ongoing discrimination in the pensions system. When the Civil Partnership Act was introduced in 2005 it ensured that defined benefit pension schemes had to provide the same survivor benefits to civil partners as they did to married partners. However, this legal right to equality only applied from 2005 onwards. Earlier this year, an employment appeal tribunal ruled against a man who tried to challenge this. Mr Walker had 23 years’ service in his defined benefit pension scheme. If he had been married to a woman she would have been entitled to his full pension (worth £41,000) a year when he died, but currently his civil partner would only get a survivor pension worth around £500 a year because most of Mr Walker’s service is pre-2005. When equal marriage legislation was introduced last year, the government decided to treat married same-sex spouses the same as civil partners, so only service after 2005 counts for them too. Women with long career service may also be unable to accrue full survivor pension rights for their partners as gender equality in pension accruals only goes back to 1990 in the private sector, and to 1988 in the public sector. In 2011, the widower of a GP unsuccessfully challenged the inequality between widows’ and widowers’ pensions in the courts. He receives about £3,200 less per year than a widow would as his wife’s service between 1982 and 1988 does not count. The TUC is urging people to sign a petition calling on the government to stop widowers and same-sex couples losing out by requiring equal rights to survivor pensions to be fully backdated. The petition is available at http://act.goingtowork.org.uk/page/s/end-discrimination-in-survivors-pen... NOTES TO EDITORS: - The government report is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/occupational-pension-schemes-review-o... - The government estimates that 27 per cent of private sector defined benefit schemes have a difference in the way that survivor benefits between surviving opposite sex spouses and surviving civil partners are calculated. Two-thirds of these schemes only took into account accruals after 2005 in those calculations (page 5 of the government’s report). - A TUC guide to survivor pensions is available at www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/Survivor%20pensions.pdf - All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk - Follow the TUC on Twitter: @tucnews - Congress 2014 will be held at the Arena and Convention Centre, Liverpool, from Sunday 7 September to Wednesday 10 September. Free media passes can be obtained by visiting www.tuc.org.uk/media-credentials and completing an online form. Applications must be in by noon on Wednesday 27 August. Any received later than that will be processed in Liverpool and will cost £75. Contacts: Media enquiries: Liz Chinchen T: 020 7467 1248 M: 07778 158175 E: media@tuc.org.uk Rob Holdsworth T: 020 7467 1372 M: 07717 531150 E: rholdsworth@tuc.org.uk Tim Nichols T: 020 7467 1337 E: tnichols@tuc.org.uk Press Release Issued: 26 June, 2014

Unison National Delegate Conference 2014 Brighton

The NDC is the most important event of the year for Unison members. It is the time when we can have our say, take part in debates and change the way the union is run - if we want to! This year the usual disagrement with Standing Orders Committee, was more dramatic than usual as a motion supported at the Women's Conference was deemed potentially harmful to the union. Many female delegates wearing T shirts that read "I'm a woman - believe me when I say..." disagreed. Maureen Le Marinel chaired the conference with her finger on 'the button' which she used whenever a delegate over-stepped the mark. Delegates learned about this button very quickly! Maureen gave an emotional speach about her year in office as the first gay woman president of Unison (Really - we had to wait till 2014?)Mention should also be made of her charity, UKABIF which raises money for people with acquired brain injuries. Dave Prentiss rallied members to take action over the coming year, especially as it is an election year and there is qa great deal of work to be done to change the government and fight low pay and continued cuts and privatisation. Some of the NEC's motions were challenged over the week, notably on Branch Resources. There were discussions on International Issues with a visiting delgate from Columbia.Theresa Griffin MEP spoke on the threat of UKIP and how it had been defeated in her constituency with the help of the local Unison Region. HE was mentioned as an example of how pay disputes could be successful!

Hope Not Hate

Dear Colleagues,

On the 28^th April Nigel Farage will be launching the South East UKIP European Election Campaign at Portsmouth Guildhall at a UKIP public meeting starting 7.30pm.

Stand up to UKIP are organising a protest outside the Guildhall from 7pm- more details here https://www.facebook.com/events/238105376375668/

If UKIP are allowed to gain a foothold we risk the destruction of everything we fight for as trade unionists- employments rights, redundancy pay, maternity pay, job security- not to mention their plans for wholesale NHS privatisation and the reintroduction of elite schools for those who can pay. UKIP has already shifted the debate to the right. Unless we can head them off at the Euro elections and the General Election next year, their influence on mainstream politics will only become more destructive.

If you are able, it would be great to see as many of you there as possible with flags or branch banners- I also have some Hope not Hate leaflets available if you’d like some.

Let’s show Nigel Farage and UKIP that we’re not fooled by their scaremongering and we won’t let them divide our societies.

Thanks for your support

Jenny Mason

Area Organiser- Communications

New UoS Branch Communications Officer wanted

Have you been following the blog and the news bulletins?  Seen the flyers and the leaflets during the strike actions? 

Would you like to be the one producing the newsletters, writing the blog and creating the information media?  Rather than just following the latest stories, how about being the person who spreads the word by creating the Bulletin, the Blog or the leaflets and flyers?  This is a chance to use your creativity to form and shape the UNISON message so that everyone stays up to date and informed.

You don't need experience - there is training available and you will get all the support you need.  

If you are at all interested, please let us know by emailing unison@soton.ac.uk .

Communications Officer - role description: 

The branch communications officer's role includes:

• explaining UNISON's policies and providing the information members need to play an active role in their union;
• helping the branch's recruitment and organising;
• supporting UNISON's national and regional campaigns;
• creating a positive image for the branch and wider union among members, potential members and the public;
• producing news-sheets, bulletins or digital communication for distribution to branch members;
• making sure branch communications are in the accessible formats members need;
• making sure that centrally and regionally produced publicity, communications and campaign materials are distributed, as appropriate, to stewards, members and non-members;
• monitoring and liaising with local media.

Find out more by visiting here .

Cricket offer

HOWZAT FOR A GREAT GIVEAWAY!

APPLY NOW WHILE STOCKS LAST!!

LV= is delighted to be repeating its offer to UNISON members for a chance to catch some of the LV= CC cricketing action during the 2014 season.

The 2014 LV= County Championship will start on the 6 April with the last round to take place on the 23 September 2014. If it ever stops raining the season promises to be a fascinating summer of cricket.

The Promotion:

LV= is offering UNISON members a pair of complimentary tickets to the county of their choice to watch one day of an LV= County Championship match during the 2014 season.

To claim your tickets, just print and fill in the voucher and return it to the FREEPOST address, stating in order of preference the three counties you would most like to visit in 2014, from the list below.

Successful applicants will receive two ticket vouchers for a county of their choice, valid for one day of an LV= County Championship match. The ticket vouchers are valid only for matches played at the First Class County Grounds (see list) – festival and secondary grounds are not included in this promotion.

Please note that tickets are subject to availability and will be despatched to successful applicants within 28 days.

If you are interested then print the coupon, sent to your email in the UNISON Bulletin, fill it in and send it off to the freepost address.

All fixtures can be found at: www.LV.com/cricket

First Class County Grounds included in this promotion:

Bristol, Gloucestershire CCC / Chelmsford, Essex CCC / Emirates Durham ICG, Durham CCC / Canterbury, Kent CCC / Derby, Derbyshire CCC / Edgbaston, Birmingham, Warwickshire CCC / Headingley, Leeds, Yorkshire CCC / Hove, Sussex CCC / Leicester, Leicestershire CCC / Lord’s Cricket Ground, London, Middlesex CCC / Northampton, Northamptonshire CCC / Old Trafford, Manchester, Lancashire CCC / SWALEC Stadium, Cardiff, Glamorgan CCC / Taunton, Somerset CCC / The Kia Oval, London, Surrey CCC / The Ageas Bowl, Southampton, Hampshire CCC / Trent Bridge, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire CCC / Worcester, Worcestershire CCC.

Southampton University announces discretionary living wage

The University of Southampton has become the latest employer since the start of the higher education pay dispute to say that it will raise the salary of its lowest-paid employees.

However, although UNISON has welcomed the news, it is disappointed that the university has not signed up to being an accredited living wage employer and is at present only making the wage rise 'discretionary'.

The issue of the living wage was first brought to the university's attention last October, following an initial freedom of information request by the city's living wage campaign in August.

The university said that it would re-evaluate its position on the living wage - but only after the resolution of the 2013-14 pay claim.

However, even though UNISON and its fellow unions remain in dispute on that, months of campaigning have now seen the university propose its own living wage supplement.

Rather than become a Living Wage-accredited employer though, the university has announced plans to raise the salaries of around 200 employees with a 'discretionary subsidy'.

This payment has certain conditions attached to it that all three local unions, UNISON, UCU and Unite say are not acceptable.

The 'discretionary' nature of the payment means that it could be removed at any point, while casual staff and those on temporary contracts are excluded, leaving the union concerned that this could lead to further casualisation of the workforce.

UNISON branch secretary Anna Lyon said: "While we appreciate the University of Southampton's genuine move to support the lowest-paid staff, what our members really need is a living wage they can depend on. The university can afford it."

And the union's regional head of higher education Mike Wilson added: "We are clearly disappointed that an institution such as the University of Southampton does not see the benefit of signing up become a living wage-accredited employer to ensure that all staff working on campus receive fair pay.

"Other universities have recognised not only the immediate benefits for those staff who receive the living wage, but the added value to communities and to the reputation of those universities that are Living Wage employers.

"We hope that the university will consider moving towards full accreditation, although we welcome this initially as a first step."

UNISON will continue to campaign to ensure that no one is paid below the living wage and seek an agreement to cover all staff who are working on the campus.

From UNISON national website

Don't take us for April fools...

Protest on pay this week

UNISON will be holding two days of pay protest this week as part of Fair Pay Fortnight.
Tuesday 1 April will see local government workers throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland stage their latest day of protest on the day their pay settlement was due.
We are consulting our relevant local government workers, including those in schools, with a recommendation to reject the employers' 1% offer, and preparing for potential industrial action.
Thursday 3 April will see health workers staging protests over the government's refusal to give them even a 1% pay award recommended by the independent pay review body.

UNISON opens negotiations on HE payclaim 2014/2015

UNISON negotiators, alongside representatives of the other joint trade unions, today met with the Universities and College Employers Association, to start discussions on the 2014/15 pay round.

"A constructive exploration has taken place on the core components of the trade unions’ pay claim and the context for the HE employers," commented Donna Rowe-Merriman, UNISON senior national officer for education and children’s services. "Our positive dialogue will continue, and we will meet again formally on 15 April 2014.

HE pay claim (PDF)

Pay in education: key issues

Statement of Clarification

We wish to make clear that the UNISON text below contains an error. The University of Southampton is not a Living Wage Employer. The University has refused to ‘re-evaluate their position’ on the Living Wage before the resolution of the 2013/2014 pay claim. This dispute is not resolved as yet. 

Furthermore, the University of Southampton has clearly stated that they have no plans to strive to be a true Living Wage Employer. 

Although the University of Southampton has agreed to pay a supplement to the poorest employees of the University, this is not a Living Wage. It does not comply with the necessary conditions of a Living Wage which require increases to be included in the pension benefits package, over-time and holiday pay and not be ‘discretionary’, amongst other things. 

For these reasons your UNISON branch at University of Southampton is contacting UNISON head office to clarify the details.

Unions submit 2014-15 HE pay claim

Higher education unions have submitted a joint pay claim for 2014-15 to the national employers organisation, the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA). 

Headquarters of the UCEA

The claim, submitted by UNISON, UCU, Unite, GMB and EiS, covers two main areas: pay and pay related equality matters, which the unions want to negotiate concurrently.

The pay claim deals with the rising costs of living for higher education workers and is asking employers to respond to a growing real-terms pay gap that has widened in the last five years.

The unions also want the employers to look at addressing the gender pay gap and support for disabled workers, equality matters that have a direct impact on different groups of workers and lead to inequality.

UNISON, UCU and Unite have taken part in two exploratory meetings with UCEA, ahead of the 2014/15 pay round. One more meeting is scheduled before the first round of pay talks on 26 March.

Members will have received a pay increase for 2013/14 as the higher education employers advised universities to pay the 1% pay offer to staff in January 2014.

This payment was imposed by the employers and it has not settled our dispute, as 1% was a figure rejected by members, who voted to take strike action against it.

While the employers have not moved on the 1%, there have been some small gains.

Since the start of the dispute a number of employers - some of whom had previously refused - have agreed to introduce the living wage.

Bath University is the latest, alongside King's College and City University in London and Southampton and Cardiff Metropolitan Universities.

UNISON branches are continuing to urge those remaining universities that have not yet agreed to implement a living wage to do so.

To see the joint union pay claim click here

UNISON to consult members over meagre pay offer

UNISON is to consult more than 600,000 of its local government and school members over industrial action, following a meagre 1% pay offer made today.

Around 50,000 of the lowest-paid local government workers will receive a rise that is slightly above inflation, while the remainder of the workforce - around 90% - will receive just 1%.

The 1% offer from Local Government Employers will apply to more than one million workers including teaching assistants, planners, administrators, social workers and engineers.

For these workers, the offer represents a real terms cut in basic pay of almost 20% since the Coalition came to power, following three consecutive years of pay freezes followed by below inflation rises in 2013 and 2014.

Additional pay-related cuts at local level are now widespread across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. 

Volunteers at a food bank. Credit: Trussel Trust

UNISON's Head of Local Government Heather Wakefield said: "It is outrageous that the vast majority of local government workers have effectively been offered another pay cut.

"Although the long overdue modest rise for the lowest paid workers is welcome, this offer is another slap in the face for local government workers.

"Just this week we learned of the scandal of cabinet ministers happily approving pay rises of up to 36% for their own special advisors, while condemning thousands of other public sector workers to poverty pay.

"UNISON has seen a growing number of workers forced to rely on food banks and in-work benefits as a result of continuous pay freezes."

Daily Echo reports on campaigners' response to University 'wage boost'

The Daily Echo reported on campaigners' response to the University of Southampton's 'wage boost':

THE LOWEST paid staff at the University of Southampton are being given a wage boost in a bid to ease tensions during the ongoing industrial dispute.

The university has announced it is giving its lowest earning employees an increase of up to £740 per year to bring them in line with the so-called ‘living wage’ rate.

In total some 286 employees will benefit from the move.

It comes as industrial action by both lecturers and support staff continues.

A series of walkouts have been staged as staff strike in a national row over pay.

 Read the rest of the report here

Fair employment fortnight

In the U.K there are now more working households in poverty than those out of work. Its not just enough to campaign for more jobs, we need to make sure that those working hard are getting a fair deal. Join us on Saturday 22nd of March when we'll be talking to Southampton residents on how to seek fair employment.

Post by Fair Employment Fortnight.

A fortnight in Southampton from 17th-31st March to raise awareness of unfair work practices and providing training/advice on employment rights

Southampton Solidarity - your UoS Union news

The George Osborne Antidote websites.

Here are two websites that we think you might find interesting.  Give them a click...

Pulse of the Nation

What Recovery?

Great British Rip Off

2014 pay: untangling the jargon

The 2014 NHS pay announcement explained
What does the announcement mean?

The government has announced that staff in England will only receive a 1% pay increase if they are at the top of their pay band but this will be a "non-consolidated sum".

This means it will be given as an additional sum, and won't be added on to hourly rates. So it won't count for unsocial hours or overtime payments.

This means that a member at the top of band 5 would get a sum amounting to about £5 per week.

The announcement also included confirmation that – unless staff are prepared to give up incremental progression and enter talks about reducing other contractual terms – the same settlement will be made next year too.

So by 2017, NHS staff will have had six years worth of effective pay cuts.

In Scotland, there will be a 1% rise for all pay points, plus changes to bring bottom points above living wage.

Wales will mirror the overall cost, but will talk to the trade unions about how this will be applied.

We are still awaiting a formal announcement from Northern Ireland.

What did the review body recommend?

The Pay Review Body report has been published today (13 March) and calls for "a 1% increase to all Agenda for Change pay points from 1 April 2014" and "a 1% increase to the High Cost Area Supplement minima and maxima from 1 April 2014".

Is there any relief for the lowest paid?

No. UNISON had argued strongly that the bottom two pay points should be raised to meet the living wage.

The government has chosen to ignore this for NHS staff in England.

This is a sleight of hand which means pushing more people into reliance on in-work benefits.

What is UNISON going to do about this?

UNISON has not ruled any options out, saying that we will be talking to members about how we respond.

Some other unions have already announced that they will ballot.

Although strike action is not ruled out by UNISON, head of health Christina McAnea has emphasised that NHS staff never take strike action lightly - so our membership will be considering this carefully, along with other options.

The pay settlement, and the government contempt it shows towards NHS staff, is bound to be a hot topic at UNISON's health conference in Brighton from 14 to 16 April.

Tony Benn

                                                  Tony Benn. Photo: Steve Forrest

In 2010 Tony Benn spoke to UNISON InFocus, extolling the value of public services and explaining why he felt UNISON’s Million Voices campaign is so important.

"I think confidence is an essential ingredient of success. If you don’t have a clear sense of what you want to achieve you don’t make the right efforts to achieve it. That’s why I think UNISON’s million voices campaign is such a good idea, because it gives people a sense of their own strength and importance," says veteran statesman Tony Benn, who has signed up to the campaign.

Now in his 80s, the firebrand former Labour MP has lost none of his passion for social justice or his clarity about how that can be brought about. He sees public services as an essential component for a fair and equal society.

"A society should be founded on the twin ideas of, from each according to their ability, to each according to their need," he states, quoting Marx. "Public services meet public need, funded by taxation which is paid according to your capacity to pay. Without that you can’t have a fair society."

Mr Benn was elected to parliament in 1950, the youngest MP at the time and a contemporary of Nye Bevan. The NHS had come into being just two years before. Of all the public services, Mr Benn says, the NHS is closest to his heart.

"It’s almost prehistoric now, but I remember when the NHS came in," he remarks wryly. "I still carry around with me the leaflet issued by the Ministry of Health, which told us we had no cause to worry about ill-health any more, because it would all be paid for."

Mr Benn was the longest-serving MP in the history of the Labour Party, and was a minister in the Wilson and Callaghan governments of 1964-79. He lived through the "wilderness years" of the Thatcher government, and witnessed the rise of New Labour, before finally retiring in 2001 in order, he quipped, to "spend more time on politics."

[...]

"I used to be considered the most dangerous man in Britain. Now I seem to be becoming a national treasure," he remarks ruefully. But his uncompromising radicalism is still never far from the surface.

"You saw the whole question of health care being argued out in the US recently, and the hostility and controversy that it has caused," he observes. "It gives an indication of what a struggle lies behind all these gains. Now we take the NHS for granted. But without it you can’t have a civilised society."

Mr Benn hails from an aristocratic political dynasty; he is the grandson of two Liberal MPs, and his father William Wedgwood Benn was a Liberal MP who defected to Labour. But when his father died, Tony Benn challenged the law so that he would be able to renounce his hereditary peerage and continue to sit in the House of Commons. This led to the peerage act.

The dynasty continues - his son Hilary was Environment Secretary, his daughter Melissa is a political journalist and novelist, while his granddaughter Emily became the Labour candidate for East Worthing and Shoreham at the age of only 17. She was not elected in this year’s general election, though her uncle Hilary remains as MP for Leeds Central.

Though never a New Labour man, Mr Benn endorses Brown’s decision to intervene to save the banks, seeing it as a shift to a more Socialist position, and the recognition that the government had a duty to intervene to save the economy.

Sitting in the basement room that has been his study for over 30 years, he is surrounded by the clutter of a political life.

Political tributes and framed family photographs cluster the walls, papers and books proliferate on every surface, the desk is stacked with pots full of rubber bands, pencils, pens and even the surprising presence of a packet of Nicorette.

"Brown’s decision to intervene to save the economy is something the Conservatives don’t like, but it’s given him credibility with the people," he comments. "If the banks had collapsed, the collapse would have become total. And if you make a lot of cuts now you risk losing the advances you made by saving the banks. You risk going into a double dip depression."

Now that we have a new government in power, cuts will inevitably follow - something that Mr Benn deeply regrets.

"When people talk about cuts to public services they forget that people depend on them," he says, exasperated. "They’re just told about the cost, and that it’s more money for the state - as if the state was some great monster that does things to you. When in reality it’s the public services workers who look after you, and who are paid for by the community."

To UNISON members and public service workers facing an uncertain future, his message is clear. "The people who perform these services are of a very high quality and perform an important function. They deserve respect and decency," he says.

He sees interesting parallels in today’s crisis-ridden times with the immediate post-war period. "Then there was a simple realisation that if you could do anything you needed to meet the needs of war, you could do the same to meet the needs of peace. In wartime you don’t have a general saying, ‘I can’t bomb Berlin this month because I’ve exceeded my budget'."

But this is not advice that he expects David Cameron to follow. He has met our new prime minister, as he airily recalls. "I’d heard that he had been inspired to get involved in politics by reading my book Arguments for Democracy. So when we met I mentioned this to him, and asked if he’d also read my book, Arguments for Socialism. He said he had not."

And with one eyebrow raised, Tony Benn reaches for his pipe and lights it with a statesmanlike air, and a mischievous twinkle in his eye.