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Scottish Perspective

Mike Kirby and Mary Crichton Scotland Regional Delegates

This brief guide to the main debates will be augmented by a daily bulletin from UNISON Scotland.

Scottish Regional representatives Mary Crichton and Mike Kirby, together with Standing Orders Committee representative Robin Hunter are there to assist and advise.

Their policy is to work hard and play harder! Enjoy the week!

Scotland's Conference Briefings Team

The Scottish Communications and Campaigning Committee, along with the Regional delegates, will issue daily briefings at Conference, and hopefully post most on the website.

It is not a ‘News' service after the event (after all you were there), it is for briefing delegates before the event - however the web version will report some results. We may issue some special reports if necessary.

The service is also there to be used by branches if you are campaigning within Scotland Policy or if you need urgent help for issues back home.

Your contact is SiU editor John Stevenson who leads the team with shy retiring Willie Carolan as the token West-Coaster. Orkney's David Andrews is also helping out at his last Conference before going off to get a life.

Delegates Jane Aitchison and Morag Stevenson (yes, there's no rest if you are on the Communications Committee) will also be working with the team.

Contacts

If you need to contact the team, see Mike Kirby or Mary Crichton at the Regional Delegate's seats (just behind the Scotland delegation) or grab John Stevenson if you see him (carefully though).

Otherwise you can nobble Morag Stevenson with what's left of the City of Edinburgh delegation or Jane Aitchison with the South Lanarkshire lot.

Please try to avoid coming up to the Newsheet Area in the Tregonwell Hall. Health & Safety regulations mean there are strict limits on numbers, even for the briefings team.

Conference overveiw by Mike Kirby Scottish Convenor

Targeting real social inclusion

In the last National Delegate Conference before a probable General Election in the Spring of next year, UNISON will have the opportunity to pass judgement on the first Labour Government for a generation.

The Conference will also set out UNISON's agenda for a second term for Labour, which should target real Social Inclusion through an expansion of the Welfare State and redirection of resources to the Public Services.

The various sessions of Conference will focus on a theme prioritised in consultation with the regions and self-organised groups. Each half-day session will be headed up by a major debate and the other prioritised motions will slot-in in the time remaining in each session.

TAXATION AND PUBLIC SERVICES

The principal debate on Taxation and Public Services and the Welfare State (1, 2, 3 and 31) will follow an address by the Chancellor, Gordon Brown and should include Scotland's demands for a full assault on poverty and the issues facing a range of disadvantaged groups.

HEALTH SERVICE

The government's Comprehensive Spending Review has produced new money, particularly in health and education. However, there has been evidence of double-counting in presentation and arguments that the "smoke and mirrors” explanation has not produced beyond the real value figures of the 80's.

There will be demands to address the real funding crisis in the NHS and long term care of the elderly (35, 66, 67)

FUTURE OF PUBLIC OWNERSHIP

The future of Public Services, fully funded and under democratic control can be secured without recourse to the simplistic sloganising of the calls for "renationalisation”. Some of the options were discussed and adopted by last years Conference and must be pursued with the government (B 28-30).

EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS

Twenty years of attacks on employment rights have been arrested and the process of addressing the balance of rights has begun. The Next Steps in the Campaign for Employment and Trade Union Rights (77) include a programme which UNISON can pursue with other unions through the TUC. It will more productively engage members than the demands for a general strike (81).

NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE

In Rodney Bickerstaffe's last Conference as General Secretary, the union will pay its tribute to his efforts to secure a statutory minimum wage. That tribute will be endorsed by a commitment to pursue greater powers of implementation of a real living wage (Comp E 48, 49, 53, 59, 62) which includes appropriate demonstrative activity, rather than the "all-singing, all-dancing” lobby, demonstration and strike formula (Comp F 47, 51, 54, 55).

EQUALITIES AGENDA

The unions creditable high profile on the equalities agenda will be maintained by debates on the implications of the Stephen Lawrence Enquiry (112, 175) a speaker from the Roger Sylvester Campaign and from Stonewall with a debate on Section 28/Clause 2A Campaign.

INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

Recent developments in Palestine/Occupied Territories will be debated following an address from the President of Public Services International.

INTERNAL DEMOCRACY

Scotland was pivotal in the debate on internal democracy at 1998 Conference. The processes and procedures which were developed in consultation with Branches and Regions are under attack (Comp I) from those external political organisations who would abuse the union's structures and resources.

The Scottish position is reflected in the Glasgow amendment which safeguards the right to campaign, while developing the structures of the union.

The second attempt by the NEC to revise the internal disciplinary procedures must be supported (Rule I). It takes account of problems raised last year and seeks to establish procedures with a solution nearer to the problem.

Best wishes Dave

This Conference would have been a grand opportunity for Dave Prentis to show us why we elected him to be our next General Secretary.

You will know that Dave's health will frustrate his participation.

We send him our Best Wishes for a speedy recovery, which will be accelerated by a sound and progressive Conference, reflecting "pride in the union and pride in the public services”.

Conference Index . Home . Rules

 Instead of the usual Scots Night,
Scotland, Northern Ireland and Cymru/Wales Regions are joining this year for a

Celtic Night
Durley Hall Hotel
Durley Chine Road, Bournemouth
Tuesday June 13 8pm - 1am

Live Band and Disco
PS. It's a Celtic night with a hard ‘C', so let's not have all the Rangers supporters taking a huff.