UNISONScotland
positions on all the main issues
Delegates' Briefing
This briefing, compiled by Scottish Region delegates
Mike Kirby and Karie Murphy, is based on policies set by Scottish
Council and a briefing approved by Scottish Council earlier in
the year. It is intended as a guide to branch delegates.
It will reflect Scottish Council policy and
will assist the two Scottish delegates in their discussions and
negotiations with other regions, the NEC and the Standing Orders
Committee. The guide cannot mandate Branches who may have different
policies. However, it may assist delegates in taking an overview
of Conference.
The general line is to support motions unless
listed to oppose. Comments have also been made against important
issues for support. If you need any help, advice or assistance
during Conference, do not hesitate to contact the Scottish Council
delegates.
The twelfth National Delegate Conference will
take place one month after a general election. The period leading
up to that election saw the union in good form with the re-election
of Dave Prentis as General Secretary, with 75% support of the
those voting, an overwhelming vote to continue the political fund
and a massive vote to defend public service pensions, with the
threat of multi union action.
A lot of what we expect from a third term New
Labour Government was included in the Warwick Agreement. The challenge
will be to secure delivery and engage to influence the developing
debate on the future of public services, as determined by the
UK government, devolved administrations and Europe.
The National Delegate Conference will develop
these themes and others of internal significance, across organisation
and collective bargaining, terms and conditions, pensions and
health & safety in addition to an unusually well laden section
in international trade union and social solidarity.
With the few exceptions highlighted, the agenda
should provide broad consensus.
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IMPLEMENTATION OF NATIONAL RECRUITMENT STRATEGY MOTIONS 1,
2, 4
The Recruitment and Organising Strategy (1) plans organising
for growth around key campaigns and the key role of shop stewards
in this is developed by Edinburgh City Branch (2).
Amendments from Wales and Edinburgh focus on financial and organisational
support, which branches can access in regions, and recognise particular
issues in the Community and Voluntary Sector which the Scottish
Committee is currently addressing. A further motion from Greater
London (4) in organising migrant workers would build upon the
work pioneered in Scotland with the Overseas Nurses Network.
IMPROVED REPRESENTATION MOTIONS 6-9
The challenge for the union of responding to the changing shape
of the delivery of public services is taken up in motions 6-9
with the North West developing a Woman's Place in the union (9)
and Scottish Water (7) calling for a transportable membership.
Other superficial or spurious motions in this section are unlikely
to be debated.
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING MOTIONS 18-42
Collective Bargaining issues for debate include Pay, Pensions,
Health & Safety and Equalities. Tackling various discriminatory
pay systems, of gender, race and age are addressed with Glasgow
calling for increases in the National Minimum Wage targets (18),
although this was the subject of a full consultation prior to
a submission to the Low Pay Commission, and Edinburgh an increase
in paternity leave pay (20).
But (19) the inclusion of apprentices may be a demand too far
at this stage of opposing wage for age debates.
Pensions provide the largest single raft of policy motions
where 21, 24, 26, 29, 30 and 33 seek to defend current provision,
review the need for a more portable pension in the light of changing
services (29). Scotland's motion (31), which seeks greater worker
participation and control of pension funds if these issues are
to be fully pursued, will be taken up at conference, with a presentation
on the American trade union experience. Amendments from Glasgow
Local Government and others will seek regular up-dates on the
Pensions Review in case further action is required of the membership.
Current policies on Lone Working, Bullying, Sickness Absence
and Equalities are developed in 25 - 42.
REORGANISATION OF PUBLIC SERVICES MOTIONS 44-47
Schemes to protect members subject to externalisation, privatisation
and transfer are in 44-47. The question is whether they add a
great deal which will merit prioritisation and debate.
PUBLIC SERVICES MOTIONS 48-61
The section 48-58 and particularly 48, amended and updated to
take account of recent government announcements on the two-tier
workforce, efficiency reviews (50) and calls for renationalisation
of utilities (58) are more likely to be prioritised for debate.
Also in this category are Privatisation of Education (59) and
Developing a UNISON Vision of the NHS (61).
POLITICAL INFLUENCE MOTIONS 62-64
In criticising the New Labour Government's manifesto, the NEC
(62) sets out a UNISON agenda, which will be augmented in some
areas by Scotland and Yorkshire and Humberside e.g. more on combating
child poverty and teenage social exclusion. However motion 63
(Warwick Agreement) is a thinly veiled attack on the union's approach
to critical engagement with government, which was rehearsed by
the candidates in the General Secretary Election. If not amended
to take account of early delivery of Warwick e.g. two-tier workforce,
it should be opposed.
Motion 64 on Political Fund Review could be amended in the light
of resounding retention results from UNISON and other unions.
RACISM AND ASYLUM MOTIONS 65,69
The NEC calls for a rejection of the BNP (65) and resolves to
continue the union's anti-racist work at its core activities.
As Conference is in Scotland, it is appropriate that Scotland
condemns the practices at Dungavel (69), one of the UK detention
centres located in Lanarkshire.
CAMPAIGNING MOTIONS 70-94
The plethora of issues covered by the campaigning part of the
agenda will obviously be radically affected by the prioritisation
process which should see the following topics float to the surface.
Civil Liberties and the end to detention without trial (70); No
2 ID (75) which may merit Scottish amendment to highlight
the impact of devolution and the Scottish Executive's commitment
(sic) not to require ID to secure access to public services e.g.
health unlike Westminster; extending the demands on employment
rights (82 & 83) which have not progressed in the second New Labour
term of office and raising the profile of work-life balance (88).
The varying perceptions of the impact of a Single Equality Act
(93); and updating advice on domestic violence (94) as a trade
union issue, where Edinburgh City Branch seek recognition of the
position in Scots' Law and to remove the stigma of hopelessness
conveyed by "victims" to "those experiencing domestic abuse",
are also in this section.
EUROPE MOTION 96
Scottish Council's recent resolution, which feared the consequences
of adopting the European Constitution for the future of public
services, is encapsulated in the NEC motion 96, which calls for
this debate and position to be promoted amongst the membership
and more widely.
INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOTIONS 112-132
The variety of topics covered by the 24 motions submitted on
international trade union and social solidarity are all worthy,
but will be affected by prioritisation and the likely few are
around:
112 Iraq which reflects what the Scottish Committee heard
from Iraqi Trade Union visitors to Scotland in October, with the
additional demand of working for the withdrawal of British troops:
120 Palestine, recognising recent political changes and
its centrality to peace and justice in the Middle East and the
world;
Make Poverty History (127-129) is the major trade union
international issue as the G8 meets in Gleneagles; and UNISON
was instrumental in a major conference on Southern Africa in 2004
to work with regions affected by HIV/Aids (132), a theme which
the convenor and secretary brought back from a visit to South
Africa.
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT MOTIONS 137, 138
Many branches employ staff and the provision of a payroll service
is important but can be provided by banks without requiring HQ
intervention (137). The call for an increase in regional lay activity
funding (138 - oppose) is superficially attractive, but should
be viewed against the report being prepared by the NEC as a result
of a Scottish motion to '04 Conference. There will be an interim
report in 2005 and a final in 2006, with results for lay activity
and resourcing the regions and service groups, to take account
of devolution.
CONFERENCE MOTION 139
At the end of another Conference Agenda, with its repetition
of debate and policy, alongside the demand for more regional resources,
we find the call for a review of the efficiency of annual conferences
from Northern Ireland (139). It deserves a hearing and a report
to 2007. Where the Lambeth amendment seeking regular reports of
action on decisions is helpful, the Somerset amendment would rip
out an essential part of the Review.
RULES
Rules, rules, rules are the essential ingredient of an anorak's
agenda. Most are "tidying up" with the exception of (8) - which
was adopted by Scottish Council in February last year. But oppose
(3). Why should a self-organised groups have greater access to
conference agenda than a region? Biannual branch elections (15)
may reduce an accountability, which is a principle not necessarily
translated into practice in a universal review at branch, regional
or NEC level (oppose).
Fixed penalties in disciplinary cases (19 & 20) may seem superficially
attractive and at one with judicial procedures, but we deal with
different standards of proof and circumstance.
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