Readers of this website will recall that the first ever conference held in Manchester took place on 13th July 2022. It was a great success!
Now the CWU North West Health & Safety Forum is holding their second conference tomorrow the 11th April at the Mechanics Institute as per their first conference.
Unionsafety covered the last conference, so we will be in attendance tomorrow to bring you a full report of the day's events and most importantly of the presentations given by the guest speakers:
Anneliese Midgley MP
Anneliese Midgley is the MP for Knowsley, Merseyside. Born and raised on the Cantril Farm council estate, she has had a colourful career in music and politics since the 1990s, being elected as an MP in 2024.
She entered the world of politics when she began working for the Mayor of London helping to deliver numerous groundbreaking reforms and policy changes in the capital, before moving to Unite the Union (where she served as a long-standing Political Director), she served in the LOTO as a senior advisor to Keir Starmer.
Her final role before entering Parliament was as a Political Advisor to the General Secretary of the TUC.
Anneliese still loves art, music, books and movies, and in her spare time is an avid listener of 60s psych, Northern Soul and jazz. She plays the trumpet (sort of), and likes to be on the terraces at Prescot Cables football club on a Saturday.
Janet Newsham
Janet is a coordinator at Greater Manchester Hazards Centre and Chair of the Hazards Campaign. She advises workers on OHS issues, campaigns on OHS issues including fighting for justice for victims of unsafe and unhealthy work, and for safe and healthy working conditions for all.
The Timetable
To the right is the event's timetable. If you click on the image, you will be able to download it for printing or purely in order to read it.
Jamie McGovern FRSPH MIIAI
Jamie was recently appointed as the CWU National Health & Safety Policy Advisor and has been a Trade union H&S Rep for 30 years.
* He is the Co- founder of the Merseyside Dog Safety Partnership and All Wales Dog Safety Partnership
* MHFA instructor, STORM trained on suicide risk management.
* TUC H&S Rep award 2022
* Inside out Mental Health award for 2022
* Mind Your Business NTA award 2018 for Road Safety workplace campaigns
* Campaigner on TYRED and Campaigner for suicide safer workplaces working alongside 5 aside Chess on Response Evaluation and Crisis Harm training (REaCH training).
* Chair of IWMD organising committee Merseyside.
John Flanagan
John Flanagan has been employed by the Merseyside Asbestos Victims Support Group (MAVSG) as Manager since 1997. He formerly worked in the construction industry during which time he was a Shop Steward/Safety Rep in the 1970’s to 80’s. John was an active member of UCATT, the construction union which is now part of Unite the Union, and he continues to play an active role in Unite.
He has represented MAVSG at several international conferences and attends the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health-Sub Group on Asbestos. The subgroup was formed at the instigation of MAVSG in 2020.
The group continue to help and assist victims of asbestos and their families with a free and confidential service providing welfare benefit advise, guidance to compensation rights, monthly meetings for victims and is active both locally, nationally as a member of the Asbestos Victims Support Forum UK and internationally as a supporter of the International Ban on Asbestos campaign.
Tony Dunbar
Tony Dunbar, also known as the painting postman, worked on deliveries at the Speke Sorting Office in Liverpool.
Tony took a break from work in November 2019, feeling crippled by the effects of clinical depression he was not sure he would ever return to work. He was in fact in need of a reasonable adjustment and a level of understanding about his condition, which was in fact a disability and protected characteristic. Tony endured days of darkness, struggling to summon the strength to get back to his job.
But he did return with the support of CWU Greater Mersey Branch ASR/Sub ASR and his local CWU Reps at Speke Delivery office and through Royal Mail’s Guided Conversation which is a stress risk assessment based on the HSE talking toolkit Tony did return with his employment rights maintained.
To help with his mental health Tony began to take his art into the workplace with the total blessing of his colleagues, his manager, and his union. Being able to do this and express his thoughts (In Art format) offered a coping mechanism which acts as a type of self-care.
Now retired from Royal Mail Tony wants to present the CWU with a piece of his art (HOPE) – which is based on the poem by Helen Simms, as a thank you for the support he received from the CWU & and his colleagues.
His legacy as a Mental health lived experience talker for the CWU is secured, as he has enabled many more people reach out for the needed conversation simply by sharing his own lived experience.
Miranda Irwin and Frieda Lurken (Heat Strike)
Miranda Irwin (left) is a coordinator for Heat Strike. Heat Strike will put pressure on politicians and work places to protect the lives of workers and vulnerable people in the face of extreme heat. Our coalition of climate groups and unions have come together to demand a maximum working temperature and a plan for tackle the climate crisis.
Frieda Lurken (right) is a mobilisation and distributed organising specialist.
She has over a seven years’ experience working with local groups to build grassroots power.
