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Summary
Conference rose to its best at key points throughout
the week amongst an otherwise dry agenda.
Major debates on public services, on pensions,
on equalities, fighting homophobia and racism
and setting out proposals to adapt our union's
approach and structures to the needs of devolution,
brought out the best in speeches and debates.
The Branch Delegation was Amanda Kerr, Dot Paterson,
Rose Jackson, Elaine Wishart, Irene Stout, Walter
Weir, Tom McLeod and John Stevenson. The delegation
worked very well together in what seemed at
times quite a long week. My thanks to them for
the work they put in and for freeing me up to
guide a relatively new Scottish communications
team.
Broadly the branch supported the issues that
were passed and where there was contention this
is noted after the issue below.
Only one of our motions was prioritised
(in Comp C on Public Services) but this headlined
the key debate on public services.
This report covers the main issues of the week
and fuller details of all motions passed will
appear on the UK website.
The crucial issue of time-off for trade union
duties captured its first major debate. Yes,
we spent time deciding whether or not to demand
Tony Blair's resignation and although this was
a lively debate, Conference was in no mood for
gestures and clearly had its eye on setting
out our policies to ensure our influence matters,
in our members interests, in the run up to the
next election.
At the forefront of many speeches was the key
phrase 'we need to do this for our members'.
A phrase that needs to be kept foremost because
that is what we are here for.
No-one could forget the dignified and measured,
yet passionate and emotional contribution from
Jocelyn Hurndall in her fight for and end to
meaningless killings and truth and justice for
her 22 year old son, Tom, who was shot in cold
blood by an Israeli soldier in Palestine.
The welcome given to Subhi Almashadny, General
Secretary of the Iraq Federation of Trade Unions
demonstrated crucial role of international trade
union links that are so important to bringing
people together and fighting for peace.
General Secretary Dave Prentis captured the
mood of conference with a fine balance between
humour and hard-hitting demands for a new future
for public services and a fair deal for those
who provide them.
Dave Anderson's pride in his presidential role
shone out through the week as did his passionate
grounding in the trade union movement. All the
best for the future Dave and let's hope you
can deliver that as an MP.
Conference
- Equality and diversity centre stage
(22/6/04) Conference started with delegates
backing a firm commitment to supporting equality
and diversity.
A broad-based motion, asked to put equality
diversity at the heart of the union at all
levels. It applauded the union's anti-racism
work and its initiatives regarding implementation
of the Stephen Lawrence report.
The motion also instructed UNISON that equalities
issues must form a central plank of all bargaining
work and should be mainstreamed throughout
the union's campaigning agenda.
The need for a national strategy for young
lesbians and gay men was reiterated when
a succession of speakers highlighted statistics
that showed high rates of suicide among the
group. Homophobic bullying in schools meant
all schools should have equality policies
that specifically include sexual orientation.
The plight of elderly persons' homes
and their gradual privatisation was also spotlighted.
Delegates backed a motion calling for ballots
of care home tenants before any transfer to
private companies take place.
- Union needs to be 'focused, passionate
and inclusive'
(22/6/04) When we are focused, passionate
and inclusive, this union of ours is the best
in the world, general secretary Dave Prentis
told UNISON conference. In a speech which
brought delegates to a standing ovation, he
laid out the union's political stall.
"I am not New Labour, I am not a Blairite.
I don't do private dinners. I am an ambassador
for our union, for our members. Confident
in our cause, working with others to win our
agenda."
He warned the government that "we will
not keep our heads down and gobs shut for
Labour, if this government continues to put
forward right wing policies. We will not sit
back and watch our pension schemes being dismantled.
We will take action - if necessary, industrial
action."
Dave challenged the government's rhetoric
on 'choice' in the public services.
"What do they mean by choice? Schools
choosing their pupils. Flagship hospitals
choosing their patients. Cream-skimming those
that bring in the most cash - that are the
most profitable.
"But where is the choice for the most
vulnerable? Choice based on right wing principles
is the denial of choice for our poorest communities
and we will oppose it."
He called in the government to make some new
choices: "Humility, not arrogance. Peace,
not war. Public, not private." UNISON
was working with Amicus, the GMB and the T&G
to push for a radical manifesto for a third
term of Labour government.
"A fair deal at work; tackling the gap
between rich and poor; committed to full employment
and job security and to providing a decent
pension for every citizen and a new deal for
women on equal pay."
- Bus travel
Free bus travel, as is available for the over-60s
in Wales, allows marginalised, socially-excluded
groups to become more mobile.
The benefits of increased mobility, particularly
for rural populations, include more opportunities
for employment; greater access to facilities
in towns for teenagers; and more social outings
for pensioners. In short free travel is about
tackling social exclusion as well as reducing
car use and pollution.
UNISON will be lobbying Westminster and devolved
governments for schemes similar to the Welsh
scheme to be introduced.
- Minimum wage
You can pay tax at any age, get married at
16, drive at 17, vote at 18; but if you are
under 18 you don't have a right to the same
minimum wage as another older worker doing
the same job.
UNISON led the original campaign for the introduction
of a minimum wage and welcomes the news that
the government will introduce a minimum wage
for 16/17-year-olds.
However, the union will be pressing the government
to adopt one rate for all and end its discrimination
of younger people, believing you should be
paid according to the job you do, not the
age you are.
Our minimum wage motion was not prioritised
and Elaine Wishart was lined up to join this
debate but it was felt that the points we
were making would not sit easily in this particular
debate.
- Hate crimes
Harassment of lesbian and gay people is not
illegal, but crimes of hate are. There are
many famous music acts that promote such hatred
even inciting listeners to kill gay people,
but in the UK the Crown Prosecution Service
has committed to a policy of zero tolerance
of hate crimes.
UNISON members working in local authority
venues may be subject to homophobic harassment
by artists and their audiences. Employers
may have a duty of care towards these staff
as a result of the new legislation outlawing
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation
- although the law as yet is unclear. The
union will seek clarification on the law and
issue guidance to branches.
In the meantime it strongly advocates that
employers pay heed to the ACAS guidelines
on the regulations, which state that it is
good practice to protect workers from harassment
by third parties.
- Foundation hospitals
Patient choice and high-quality services in
the NHS are to be welcomed, but UNISON does
not believe foundation hospitals are the way
to deliver them.
That's why the union will be supporting branches
in the fight against the introduction of foundation
hospitals. The union will also be gathering
evidence from the experience of the first
of these hospitals before preparing its submission
to the commission for healthcare audit in
the coming year.
The union will seek to ensure that control
of the hospitals is not seized by far-right
organisations such as the BNP.
- UNISON will not call for Blair's resignation
but will challenge hard on government policies
(22/4/06) UNISON will not be calling for the
resignation of Prime Minister Tony Blair but
will challenge the government all the way
on tight-wing policies.
The resignation call had come from Lambeth
who withdrew a far more constructive criticism
of government policies in favour of what Cymru/Wales'
Bill King called "populist posture".
This was not a serious political position,
said Bill and he was echoed by many others.
North West's Nigel Flannigan warned of the
dangers of 'gambling with gesture politics'
and letting the Tories in. "We don't need
a Tory Government -we need UNISON in there
influencing a Labour government'.
But Lambeth's Jackie Lewis warned that it
had been hard for natural Labour supporters
to back the party in the recent elections
because of their distrust of Tony Blair.
NEC member Steve Warwick slammed 'personalised'
policies and warned that a resignation call
would make Dave Prentis' job harder in fighting
for our policies with government, and there
would be "a real danger" of splitting the
Labour Party and letting the Tories back in.
Dave Prentis and a series of other major trade
union leaders are pressurising the government
for a radical new manifesto. Calling for Blair's
resignation would only serve to undermine
that process and isolate UNISON. Conference
agreed and overwhelmingly threw out the motion.
The tragedy of the debate was that the real
issues we have with the government were lost
in the argument with the movers focussing
the debate on the resignation issue.
The Edinburgh delegation had no mandate
on this other than discussion after the end
of the last Branch Committee. We took the
position (on a 7-1 vote) to oppose the resignation
call because it would achieve nothing and
may do more harm than good in exercising influence
for out members along with other major trade
unions.
- Rights for workplace reps still inadequate
(23/6/04) UNISON is to take on the government
and employers in a bid to win adequate facilities
time and paid time off for its workplace representatives.
Conference agreed that the government's new
employment relations bill, though containing
many useful proposals, still left UK workers
with fewer rights than their counterparts
in the rest of Europe.
In particular, it agreed that the level of
trade union rights for workplace representatives,
within the current ACAS guidelines, is inadequate.
Conference agreed a motion that called on
the government to revise the ACAS and LRA
codes of practice so that trade union representatives
have the right to take time off work with
pay for the purpose of carrying out their
duties as an official - and have material
facilities to enable them to carry out their
duties.
The motion also called on regions to tackle
employers who deny adequate time-off and facilities,
and who refuse to acknowledge regional and
national union training, meetings and conferences
as trade union duties that should be afforded
paid time-off and associate rights.
- Filipino nurses still exploited - by
British care homes
(23/6/04) General secretary Dave Prentis interrupted
the conference agenda to introduce eight Filipino
nurses, whose horrific experiences epitomise
the plight of overseas health workers lured
to the UK under false pretenses.
Dave told conference that, despite being fully
qualified and experienced nurses, the eight
were given no more than student visas by the
agency that brought them to this country.
Once here, they were made to work not in the
NHS but in private sector homes - and not
nursing, but washing and cleaning. They often
worked 60 hours or more a week, for just £4.75
an hour. They had no employment rights.
"These nurses are now unemployed and,
because of the recruitment scam that brought
them here, unemployable," said Dave.
"They came here to earn money for their
families. They now find themselves far away
from their homes and families. They have no
money. They are sleeping on the floors of
UNISON branch activists or Filipino nurses
we have helped in the past. They have been
treated shamefully."
Dave asked members and branches to give financial
donations to UNISON's "eight new members",
who received an immediate standing ovation.
Meanwhile the general secretary intends to
take up their cause himself. "These nurses
have no rights and may face deportation. They
are scared out of their minds. I am personally
in touch with the DTI about the base business
practices that allowed this to go on. I'm
also in touch with the home office. I want
to know how the British embassy was able to
issue student visas when they knew these were
fully qualified nurses."
A bucket collection from delegates raised
£6,700 for Filipino nurses - a figure
to be matched by the national executive council.
- Organising and recruitment the key to
success
(23/6/04) UNISON needs to recruit 145,000
new members a year "just to stand still"
- and even more if it is to remain a potent
negotiating force, conference heard.
Conference carried a motion, which welcomed
an NEC strategy and action plan on organising
and recruitment, in particular:
- a commitment to secure, during 2004, a real
increase in membership levels by 4%
- the revitalization of branch development
planning
- the development of a strategic plan to increase
the amount of paid release for union duties
and activities and to improve access to these
arrangements for women, part-time workers,
shift workers and black workers
- a suite of new recruitment materials and
an advice pack on how to obtain and use new
starter lists
- enhanced training of activists, including
the introduction of the strategic campaigning
course.
The motion included a call on branches to
take forward the strategy, by adopting an
active branch plan, this year. Such a plan
should include:
- mapping all employers and workplaces to
identity existing and potential membership
- setting growth targets for members and activists
- improving communication and contact with
current members
- including recruitment and organising as
a standing item on all branch meeting agendas.
- Organising in the community and voluntary
sector
(23/6/04) The problems of organising and
recruiting in the community and voluntary
sectors were highlighted in debate today.
A dispersed membership, spread out over hundreds,
if not thousands, of workplaces made the job
doubly hard.
The problem, delegates heard, was that many
of these employers shared the same values
of UNISON in terms of workers' rights - so
it was often hard to convince their staff
of the benefits of joining a union.
But there have been successes, with a massive
recognition agreement between Barnado's and
UNISON signed just last month - the largest
single recognition agreement in the C&V
sector.
When they were balloted, more than 76% of
Barnado's staff voted in favour of affiliating
to UNISON rather than creating a staff council.
One delegate said the keys to their own successful
organising and recruitment strategy included:
- linking small workplaces with neighbouring
large ones;
- induction days for new stewards;
- setting up an email network to share best
practice and concerns;
- a regional newsletter to keep all members
informed
- Justice for Tom Hurndall
(23/6/04) Conference was hushed today as it
listened to a moving speech from Jocelyn Hurndall,
whose son was murdered by an Israeli army
sniper.
On April 11, 2003, Tom Hurndall - a young
photographer - was fatally wounded by an Israeli
military sniper in Rafah, Gaza, as he tried
to lead Palestinian children to safety.
He lay in a coma for 10 months before passing
away in January of this year.
His family's fight for justice has been met
by a wall of indifference and obfuscation
from both the Israeli and British governments.
A trial has finally begun for the soldier
indicted for the murder - but despite confessing,
the sniper will only face manslaughter charges.
Mrs Hurndall and her family have launched
a campaign to "fight for justice for
the thousands of nameless innocent civilians
killed by the Israeli army".
Two MPs and a Liberal Democrat peer have called
for an inquiry after claiming they were shot
at by Israeli soldiers during a visit to the
Gaza Strip last week.
- Race equality at 'heart of union'
(23/6/04) Conference has committed the union
to tackling racism in society, in the workplace
- and inside UNISON itself.
NEC member Steve Warwick told delegates that
UNISON should be proud of its role in the
British National Party's defeat in the recent
elections, but they, and their racist views,
were "still a major threat".
The overall vote for the BNP had increased
to 808,500 in the European elections.
There were seven BNP candidates on Euro election
ballot papers throughout Scotland but they
only managed a derisory 1.7% of the vote.
"UNISON members and leadership spectacularly
delivered the UNISON objective to keep Scotland
far-right and BNP free", said Hamid Rasheed,
Equality Officer, Perth & Kinross Council
Branch and Scottish Black Members Committee.
UNISON Scotland, along with others, mounted
a major campaign against the BNP and won the
battle, but the war is ongoing and we need
to keep up the fight
Steve Warwick outlined a strategy in which
UNISON would use the law as a key tool in
tackling race discrimination in the workplace
by holding employers to account for failure
to comply with the Race Relations (Amendment)
Act.
The union had to make sure that race equality
was "at the heart of the union", with bargaining
and campaigning priorities, and structures
had to be "representative of the whole membership".
And the union should build on its work locally
and nationally with Unite Against Fascism
and other groups to keep up the momentum against
racist politics.
Conference also committed the union to supporting
activists who had been victimised for speaking
out about racism in the workplace.
Delegates agreed that training, support and
encouragement for lay and full-time representatives
would be put in place to support this strategy.
- Help for key workers 'divisive'
(24/6/04) Schemes to help so-called 'key workers'
with housing costs in London and the South
East are divisive, delegates heard.
Instead, we need to invest in "decent,
affordable, secure and democratically accountable
housing to provide first class homes for all
who need them," conference agreed in
a composite motion.
The motion called for further borrowing options
to be made available to local authorities,
an increase in social housing and an end to
the pressure to privatise council housing
stock.
- Conference backs plan to 'catch up with
devolution'.
(24/6/04) The Report on Bargaining and
Devolution set out a clear agenda for development
within UNISON to allow the devolved parts
of the union to maximise the potential advantages,
whilst maintaining a strong national structure.
Jane Carolan, Scottish NEC member moved the
Report. "Instead of one centre of power,
Westminster there are now four, not simply
four centres of power but four different political
cultures, and different political outcomes,"
she said
Jane explained that the Scottish Parliament
and the political balance of a Labour/Liberal
Democrat coalition has meant that entirely
different priorities have been adopted, and
in certain cases very much to our benefit.
Foundation hospitals, university tuition fees,
universal free care for the elderly, are all
on this week's conference agenda, and Scotland
can sympathise and show solidarity, but thanks
to Scottish Parliament, we don't have the
same problems.
Jane continued, "Before anyone thinks
that we have reached a Utopia, as a privatised
local government worker, I have to say there
are downsides as well as upsides.
"But the crucial point I want to make
which my Welsh and Northern Irish colleagues
would agree with is that the public services
agenda with which this union crucially identifies
is controlled a at national level - but national
is no longer UK but rather diversified into
Westminster, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast."
Mike Kirby, Scottish Regional Representative
highlighted the challenge for the union's
organisation and 'our institutional and individual
capacity and capability to respond'.
"This is a report which I hope will take
the issues of policy, conferences, rule book
and resources, beyond the Celtic fringe and
realise the potential and challenge for the
whole union", he said.
Conference approved that report, and with
it a handful of devolution motions, the main
points of which included:
- the need to safeguard jobs, promote public
services and ensure better governance after
devolution;
- the need for UNISON to ensure that its own
structures, decision-making processes and
financing reflect political devolution and
developments in regional governance;
- the need to combat regional inequalities.
Among the other issues discussed were the
West Lothian question, the urgent need for
the Northern Ireland Assembly to be reconvened,
and the need to ensure that the regions throughout
the UK be given an adequate voice in the devolution
debate.
- UNISON sets out agenda for the future
of public services (Edinburgh part of composite)
(24/6/04) Conference set out UNISON's
stall for the future of public services in
a detailed and positive composite (including
Edinburgh's motion) to contribute to the
'radical manifesto' unions are pushing the
government to adopt.
Public services are the glue that holds society
together and privatisation threatens to tear
it apart, NEC member and UNISON Scotland's
Jane Carolan told conference. "We should be
proud of the work we do on a daily basis where
we work", said Jane. We have also to remember
that we were the people who also used the
services.
"This union can speak with authority on public
services and for a long time we have argued
that that our public services need real investment",
said Jane.
"The government talks a lot about choice.
We've got no problem with choice. If you'd
rather go to the Western than the General
- that's no problem. If you want to choose
when your appointment is - that's no problem.
What we don't want is this government choosing
to put public money into the pockets of private
contractors."
The motion welcomed the increase in spending
on public services but condemns the 'increasing
marketisation' of public services. It declared
that the much-vaunted reform agenda has not
yet delivered the improvements that increased
investment should bring.
The motion committed the union to campaigning
against the Tories' plans for public spending
cuts and to exclude private contractors from
key public services. It called for the workforce
code protecting local government workers from
a two-tier workforce to be extended to cover
the whole of our public services.
It also pledged to promote the union's vision
of high quality services, tax-funded, collectively-provided,
free on the basis of need, by well-rewarded
and trained staff.
City of Edinburgh's John Stevenson rounded
on an amendment that would have changed the
focus of the motion "We wanted a positive
motion that carefully laid out the arguments,
the detail and the over-riding principle that
we are not opposed to change. We are not dinosaurs.
"We are in fact the people crying out for
change because we are the people who know
what needs to be done to make things better.
"Fund us properly, listen to us, give us a
level playing field and we will deliver the
innovation, the flexibility, the commitment,
the training and as a result of all that -
world-class public services."
The amendment, opposed by Edinburgh
because it was in conflict with the agreed
Composite, would have changed that focus and
Conference agreed by throwing it out decisively.
Tony Caffrey, Manchester branch, also slammed
the amendment and pointed out that the government
has pledged £60 billion, of which £40
billion will go straight to the NHS.
"Let's welcome that - it's the biggest increase
in public services spending in history." But
he warned that privatisation was not the way
to deliver efficient services. "The only way
the private sector comes close to matching
the public sector on delivery is by slashing
the terms and conditions of our members."
- All 'out' rule change defeated
The NEC's amendment to Rule A.3 made clear
that our anti-discrimination policy applies
to bisexual and transgender members. The NLGC
submitted an amendment to Rule D.4.1.4 - Self
Organised Groups - that would, for the first
time, show our bisexual and transgender members
that they are integral to our organising in
our union, not just on the periphery. Both
failed to get carried.
Despite the reality that Lesbian & Gay
members consulted very widely on this, Conference
was persuaded that they hadn't, especially
by a transgender delegate who opposed the
change.
- Pensions
(25/6/04) Delegates sent the government a
powerful message on pensions - the union will
consider mass industrial action to prevent
pensioner poverty.
A succession of speakers and motions highlighted
the attacks on public and private-sector pension
schemes, the gender inequalities, the discrimination
against same-sex couples and the urgent need
for a restoration of the value of the basic
state pension.
Delegates were pleased to hear that the RMT
has secured the reinstatement of its members'
final salary pension scheme - after the union
threatened employers with industrial action.
- Boycott Coca Cola
Conference agreed to boycott Coca Cola
products, mainly because of their role in
Colombia.
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