| Friday
24 June No 3 - Conference Summary
More business-like than barnstorming....
Not a Conference to set the heather on fire. More
business-like than barnstorming.
Still it had its moments.
The Pensions debate couldn't have made it clearer
to the Government that UNISON will not go away on this issue.
UNISON's vision for the future set out a clear agenda
for taking the interests of our members to the heart of government
and brought some of the best speeches of the week.
UNISON can rightly claim to be the guardian of public
services against flawed and outdated policies of privatisation
- and we pledged to continue that fight.
UNISON should be rightly proud of its record on
fighting racism and Conference pledged to keep up that work until
BNP politics 'retrun to the gutter where they belong'.
The International morning was moving and inspirational.
Conference saw the bravery of our Iraqi trade union colleagues,
the mortal danger faced by our Colombian colleagues and the recognition
of Aung San Suu Kyi's fight for democarcy in Burma.
We had a direct telephone link to Mordachai Vanunu,
still restricted after servive 18 years in jail for exposing the
Israeli nuclear weapons capability.
Ensuring the agenda was set by our fellow trade
unionists in struggle, we pledged real and tangible support to
tradeunion colleagues around the world.
Domestic violenece, disability, Women and Work and
structures to widen self organisation to lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgeneder members were just some of the equality issues
where we set out plans.
And we challenged laws that affect our freedom and
civil liberties at home.
We called for a Remembrance Day for Slavery, not
just to remember the past but to remember the ongoing shame of
forced and child labour.
Make Poverty History was a major feature of the
week, summed up by the First Minister - "It should be in
this country, that the G8 leaders make the once in a lifetime
decision that poverty in Africa should no longer be a sore on
this planet".
And we also looked at ourselves with strategies
on how we recruit, how we involve members, encourage stewards
and improve our organisation.
Uninspiring it might have been at times - but serious
decisions on serious issues.
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