.

Conference rejects internal squabbling and backs strategy to involve members

Yet again Conference trawled through arguments about the right to campaign - most delegates agreeing with Anne McCormack (St Helens) as she likened it to Groundhog Day.

But this time it decisively called a halt and focussed on a positive campaign to involve members and branches more in the union's democracy.

Moving amendment I1 in the debate, a revamp of the issues moved by Scotland and passed by Conference in 1998, Ann insisted that we don't want perpetual internal squabbling, based on the ‘sectarian' agenda of a few branches.

The 1998 debate had focussed on the right to campaign but also on the need to respect the union's rules and Conference policies.

The motion this year sought to change that, mainly based on some branches complaints about disciplinary action and about an ‘unofficial' lobby of the Labour Party Conference.

The Glasgow/ St Helens's amendment, supported by Scotland, took out opposition to the "Democracy Code” and added an important call for a report into how to build more grass roots involvement.

Conference is the democratic voice of the members, said Ann. "If one London hospital branch can decide to lobby the Labour Party Conference, why are we here?" she asked.

"Our members want the union to be a vibrant democracy, truly representative of them," she continued, "Amendment I1 ensures this".

Frank debate
Gerry Crawley (Glasgow City) backing the amendment, argued that all the Regional Conveners had endorsed the guidelines in the "Democracy in UNISON" document and only 2% of branches had raised any issues.

The debate turned into one of the frankest yet about the role of some political groupings in the union. Responding to Dave Eggmore (Camden), the mover of the main motion (Composite I), Gerry accepted that some Socialist Workers Party members carry out a job of work but others are not interested in representing members. "In our branch we know this as fact".

Witch hunts
Support for Composite I seemed to be based on fears of witch hunts and suspensions. This was certainly the case with the speakers from Manchester Health and Newcastle City Health.

Spurious democracy
In a barnstorming performance, UNISON General Secretary, Rodney Bickerstaffe, speaking for the National Executive, warned Conference against those who only talk loudly about democracy and only want a "spurious democracy".

He warned of the actions of those such as the Campaign for a Free and Democratic UNISON who had ‘manipulated' a small number of branches into funding a splinter conference. He pleaded with Conference to protect the union that had been built over the last eight years.

Summing up, Jon Rogers (Lambeth) claimed that he respected his political opponents, but regretted that this respect was not reciprocated.

He then gave a deliberately quiet and measured review of his position.
He accused the NEC of going back on the motion passed at Conference in 1998 which had begun this process. He finished by asking Conference to decide where democracy in UNISON should rest.

Conference did, passing Composite I as amended by I1 overwhelmingly.

Scotland wins social inclusion agenda

Scotland's motion 31 was carried overwhelmingly, calling for a genuine social inclusion agenda.

Mary Crichton spoke emotively about the vulnerability of our young, old, sick and other disadvantaged groups, highlighting the high level of child poverty in the UK - over two million children living in poverty.

The eight point plan outlined in the motion not only addresses the problem of poverty through support for welfare reform, uprated pensions and anti-poverty campaigns, but also looks at social exclusion faced by disabled people and the discrimination experienced by lesbians and gay men and black and ethnic minorities.

Local resources for local bargaining
UNISON Scotland convenor Mike Kirby moved Scotland's motion 104 on the need for UNISON's resources to be diverted to where they are most needed.

Resources needed to be devolved to utilities for example, as well as to local government, health and colleges with all the changes and resulting bargaining difficulties which branches in these areas are facing.

Mike welcomed an amendment from St Helens Metropolitan branch which added "systematic reporting by branch secretaries and regional officers of agreements or settlements".

As well as a database and other systems being set up so that branches could more easily share bargaining information, the result of this motion would be that greater links between regions and the GPF will supported in terms of the "strategic use of resources in pursuit of our negotiating objectives."

The NEC supported Scotland, as did Conference. The amended motion was carried

Step up fight for £5 minimum wage

Conference backed Dundee's Jim Cochrane in a strategy to build the fight for a £5 an hour minimum wage, with built in uprating, and threw out "a pick and mix bag of wishes and dreams guaranteed to isolate UNISON”.

Jim, moving Composite E on the minimum wage, had a hard job following directly on from the emotional tribute to retiring General Secretary Rodney Bickesrtaffe.

But he caught Conference's attention with a reasoned analysis of the campaign so far and the direction it should now take to achieve results.

"Conference was described yesterday as like living through Groundhog Day and perhaps we're getting to be like that with Minimum Wage. But Conference, in this instance it is entirely justified”, said Jim.

"I was proud to be in Newcastle on 10 April last year and heartened at the massive turnout which proved how deeply people care about this issue. I'm sure all of you who were there felt the same.

Paltry increase

"Conference had demanded an automatic annual uprating for future years and it was disappointing to see that the Government were not prepared to countenance this.

"And, of course, for those on the minimum wage, it was much more than disappointing.”

There had been an increase in the minimum wage but he slammed TUC general secretary John Monks for welcoming the "paltry” 10p and 20p increases.

"Well John Monks may be happy, the low paid certainly are not”, said Jim.

Earlier, another motion, Composite B acknowledged that the policy which had been pursued for many years had been successful in achieving the minimum wage. But it also recognised that much remained to be done and that fresh tactics would have to be adopted.

Strategy

Jim stressed that Dundee's strategy insists that the Government:-

1. Implements UNISON's policy on the minimum wage in full, an

2. Carries out research to determine income levels to achieve good health, social inclusion and satisfactory child development and set benefit, pension and minimum wage levels accordingly, and

3. Invests in and upgrades public services as part of the minimum.

It called on the NEC through regions and branches to seek broad community political and trade union support; to continue to campaign for a £5 minimum with automatic upgrading; to continue to oppose and eliminate age discrimination.

Coherent

This was "a coherent, rational, practical and achievable strategy which will build on our past successes”

The other motions were either wish lists or "backward-looking finger-pointing exercises which will do nothing for the low paid, the low paid deserve better from us” said Jim

Conference agreed, backing Comp E causing Comp F to fall and throwing out Motion 47.

Funding Crisis in the NHS

The first debate on the National Health Service also gave us the first (but definitely not the last) call for a national demonstration in London!

Motion 67 on the Funding Crisis in the NHS as amended by 67.1 called on UNISON to continue to campaign through its existing structures to improve funding for the NHS and to continue in its opposition to PFI.

Margaret Innes (Stirling Council) opposing amendment 67.2 pointed out that "price fixing by the government" was the only way to sort out the pharmaceutical companies. She was backed by Val Little from the NEC who stated that what the motion said was simple - "It is simple out of the mouths of simpletons".

Motion 67 as amended by 67.1 was carried.

Motion 66 on NHS Crisis was easily defeated due to the repeated call for the national demonstration. Mike Folliard from the NEC and Lesley Fisher from the Health Group Executive reiterated to Conference that health workers at their conference had voted against a national demonstration.

Motion 66 was subsequently defeated.

Nigel slams employers record on disability

Scotland's Nigel Pimm (Disabled members Committee) slammed employers for "Throwing disabled members onto the scrapheap).

Nigel told Conference that many disabled workers were being forced to retire in their early forties. He called on employers to stick to anti discrimination legislation.

Sophie Taylor outlined how disabled members were discriminated against on a daily basis.

Conference backed a call for the rights of disabled members (including disability leave) to be included in any workplace or employer wide negotiations

Baldrick makes Rodney weep

By John Stevenson SiU Editor

Blackadder star Tony Robinson sprung up to the mike on Wednesday afternoon on a surprise point of order - a tribute to Rodney "Buddy Holly” Bickerstaffe's 34 years in the trade union movement.

Rodney retires as UNISON General Secretary this year and he was visibly moved as tribute after tribute was paid by members, trade union leaders and senior politicians.

Conference revelled in video footage of Rodney's TUC speech backing the minimum wage and demolishing the GMB's John Edmonds.

In his response, Rodney admitted to being moved.
"I'm a weeper”, said Rodney, "as well as whatever it said on the palantype”.

"When I read poetry I weep; music and I weep; Jon Rogers and I weep”, said Rodney to laughter and applause. (Jon is Regional delegate from Greater London)

He admitted he knew it was going to be one of those days.

"When I was coming out this morning I saw Bob Abberley (head of health) coming towards me and I thought ‘what is it now'...”

"Your flies are undone”, Bob informed him.

Rodney admitted to being a Buddy Holly fan but it came back on him on GMTV with that ‘pratt of all pratts' David Mellor, who told Rodney,

"You look like Buddy Holly would have if they dug him up now”.

Besotted

Referring back to the minimum wage rally, he recalled that, for some reason, his speech was coming over the speakers in the next hall where Canon and Ball were on.

Rodney paid personal tribute to Pat, his wife of 30 years, and confessed he was "still besotted”.

He paid tribute to those who had supported him at work and he recalled how short a time it had all seemed.

All those years ago seemed like yesterday when a predecessor committed suicide and Rodney was told he could have a car now.

"So, that's how this union works”, he thought.

Need for collectivism

But true to style, Rodney summed up with an honest and revealing look at what he had hoped to achieve.

He remembers planning all that he was going to achieve in the trade union and labour movement - yet no matter what your ambition, he said, "you only do a little”.

"You have to do it collectively” was Rodney's final message.

But the collective needs leadership and Rodney's tireless campaign for the minimum wage will be a lasting testament to his work in the trade union movement.

The emotion and warmth in Conference's two standing ovations confirmed that and perhaps the whole event was best summed up by one Scottish delegate's quiet aside,

"It wid bring a tear tae a glass eye, widn't it”.

Bob pours water on taxation

Conference drew breath in the taxation debate as Aberdeenshires's Bob Revie made an unaccustomed foray into allegorical imagery.

Yes, we had all heard the ‘pissing in or pissing out of the tent' story but who could have expected Bob's embellishment on the theme.
"Some people want to piss both ways. I've tried it and I wouldn't advise it. You only get wet”, said Bob with a flourish.

Three Scottish branches win Communications awards

By Willie Carolan, Communications & Campaigns Committee

As UNISON tradition demands, the fringe meeting was held in a small, airless, overcrowded room in the bowels of the Conference Centre.
Just as traditionally, the City of Edinburgh Council branch won a prize - this year for the best web-site.

Spookily enough, one of the sponsors of the competition was Douglas Black (UIA) - no relation, we must assume. Let there be no allegations of a stitch-up.

Roger Bannister, chair of the National Communications Committee, introduced the event by highlighting the fact that there had been more entrants than ever before and even more encouragingly, more newcomers than ever. (He did not say how many branch web-sites were entered.)

A new category of award, merit awards, had been introduced to recognise entrants whose efforts had fallen just short of a main prize.

Two Scottish branches, Renfrewshire and South Glasgow Hospitals, were among the recipients of these awards.

Roger (General Secretary - unelected) handed over to Rodney Bickerstaffe (General Secretary - retiring) for the presentation of the top prizes. The three best newsletters were (in reverse order) Notts County, Blackpool/Fylde Health and the overall winner, Derbyshire County.

After the prize-giving, a short discussion involving John Stevenson (winner of the best web-site), Louise Wass from Derbyshire and a speaker from the Dudley Health branch. Each gave their own perspective on their varied expertise and experience of communications in theory and practice (and designing web-sites).

The meeting closed with a speech from John Flynn, vice-chair of the NEC's Finance Committee, who expressed his wish that every branch should have its own computer (and web-site?) even if this had to be provided from national funds. Watch this space for further details, or should that be web-site.

Incidentally John Stevenson's prize-winning web-site can be found at http://www.unison-edinburgh.org.uk.

McGowan family seeks justice

Clifton McGowan gave a moving address to Conference on his family's plight following the racially motivated murder of his brother, Errol, and cousin, Jason.

Local police initially recorded both deaths as suicides but were forced to re-open the cases after pressure from the family and their supporters.

Both men had been the subject of regular racist abuse from a gang of local youths.

Mr McGowan said that the gang had threatened to shoot and hang Errol, although the police had chosen not to act.

After Jason's death was also deemed to be suicide, the family and their supporters mounted a strong campaign to have the deaths investigated. Without that campaign, "the police would have done nothing,” Mr McGowan asserted.

He went on to say that even then it had taken the police 16 days to interview any of the youths under suspicion.

The deaths of the two men will be featured on BBC Crimewatch next Wednesday. Mr McGowan hoped that this would produce "justice for the death of our two loved ones”. Conference delegates endorsed this wish.

Public service an international issue

On Wednesday, Conference was told that the defence of public services is an international issue.

Guest speaker, Philip Dexter, the executive director of the South African National Economic and Development Council and an ANC MP, recognised similarities between debates at Conference on issues such as public services with those taking place in South Africa.

"The defence of the public sector is not an academic issue,” he said. "It's a practical issue about the quality of life that we want.”

He asked Conference to strike a balance between lobbying activities and taking action at the grassroots.

"Governments have their own interests and we should never mistake those for the interests of working people.”

Mr Dexter also took the opportunity to add his own tribute to the work of Rodney Bickerstaffe who, he noted, had been a union stalwart since his own childhood - a comment which the General Secretary acknowledged with a wry smile.