UNISONScotland positions on all the main issues

Lilian Macer	Mike Kirby

Regional Delegates to National Delegate Conference, Convener Mike Kirby and Depute Convener Lilian Macer, preview the main debates at National Delegate Conference.

Branches, regions, self organized groups, retired and young members and the NEC National Executive Council, submitted 135 motions and associated amendments to the conference agenda. The experience of recent years is that conference will manage to discuss no more than 30 or so of these motions, many of which will find themselves in composites agreed by the bodies submitting the original motions.

If your favourite is not discussed below, it is unlikely to be debated first time around and the only alternative will be in the reprioritisation exercise. This will take place on Wednesday evening/Thursday morning, for Friday afternoon business.

The standing orders committee (SOC) has balloted regions, the NEC, self organised groups, National Young Members’ Forum and the National Retired Members’ Committee on what motions should be prioritised for debate at the national delegate conference. The Scottish Council meeting in April agreed Scotland’s priorities. All but three of Scotland’s priorities are likely to be debated

Recruiting & Organising (1, 2 4, 5)

The first round of spending cuts in May and the June Budget to come, further marketisation and outsourcing of services, will intensify pressures on current and future levels of membership, making recruitment and organising essential. Falkirk’s amendment (1.01) identifies that the levels of service members receive can vary dramatically depending upon which branch they are a member of, and the amendment calls for an investigation into the different levels of administrative support available to branches.

The organising challenge of the third sector, the newly established Community Service Group, is recognised by the Edinburgh amendment (1.02) which seeks practical strategies. The theme of resourcing organising is taken up by West Midlands (2), with needs of branch activists identified by Cymru/Wales (4) and Northamptonshire (5).

Self Organisation (9)

Self organised groups have an important role to play in advising how socio-economic pressures can lead to further attacks on disadvantaged groups. Motion 9 from Edinburgh and amendments calls for a review of self organised groups and how we can reinvigorate them, improve accountability, widen participation, link to the unions objectives and provide value for money.

Bargaining (12 & 13, 37)

The impact of cuts on jobs, terms and conditions, and the increase in various forms of outsourcing has the motion (13) from Northern region define a programme to develop and promote a positive bargaining agenda with which members will identify. The motion from the Young Members’ Forum draws attention to the particular impact upon future generations through attacks on further and higher education. The Future Jobs Fund has taken its first hit in the May cuts. The importance of apprenticeships is highlighted in their motion (13) and by North Yorkshire (37).

Domestic Abuse/Violence (15)

Domestic Abuse and violence are complex issues which do affect our members at work. In recognising some pioneering work by Refuge and Respect, Edinburgh calls for workplace agreements to be made a statutory requirement in the public sector.

Dyslexia in the Workplace (17)

One in ten of the population have dyslexia, probably 100,000 UNISON members, and Derbyshire (17) argue that we need a negotiating guide and awareness raising toolkit.

Pensions (18, 19, 20, 22 & 25, 85)

The NEC should lead a campaign to defend the LGPS pension scheme from the expected attacks, announced in the Coalition Review. This political campaign should include legitimate industrial action say the NEC and Somerset (25).

While much of amendment (18.01) from London and motion (22) from Tower Hamlets is appropriate, they determine that the issue should be taken to the TUC, while UNISON convention avoids such instruction, preferring to select TUC motions from the menu of issues carried at conference.

The majority of public sector pensioners receive a pension of less than £5,000 and that half of the women in the NHS scheme receive less than £3,500. We need to address the public sector pensions myths say the Women’s Committee (19), a theme taken up by North Yorkshire (20).

With the Coalition talking of linking state pensions to earnings, the National Retired Members’ Committee call for a linking of public sector occupational pensions.

Pay (26 & 27)

Pay restraint will be a key part of the Coalition Government’s programme over the coming years and motions 26 and 27 set the union against any pay freeze, while the UNISON Scotland amendment (26.02) promotes the concept of the Living Wage.

Absence Procedures (30)

The growing and extended use of sickness absence procedures discriminates against women and the trade union should produce a suitable negotiating guide.

Learning Agenda (35)

Motion 35 from the NEC recognises the important role which adult education plays, including trade union education, in political and democratic processes. The motion picks up a theme from the review of the political fund and calls for an exploration of how political education can be embedded in existing training courses.

Privatisation (38, 39)

East Midlands (38) call for a continued campaign to promote the value of publicly provided services against outsourcing and the amendment (38.01) from Edinburgh and Cleveland (40) highlight their local experiences and campaigns.

Public Services (41-45, 48 & 50)

The largest number of motions on a single theme can be boiled down to the key messages of a fairer tax system to pay for democratically controlled and accountable, publicly funded, publicly delivered, to address the inequalities in society, which are an affront to human rights. The union Million Voices Campaign, using the General Political Fund provides the means, to counter such daft schemes as Tory ideas of public services being delivered using the “Easyjet” model of basic service and purchased top-up.

Health (58 & 60)

The motions 58 and 60 on health service may relate principally to England with health a devolved matter, but the themes apply elsewhere. The importance of defending an integrated health service in the current economic climate, and the dangers and challenges of the personalisation agenda (61.01) are highlighted.

Social Care (61 & 62)

Conference is asked to welcome the rise of social care up the political agenda, the personal care provisions and the regulatory framework to raise standards, and to take up the challenge of organising personal assistants.

Total Place (64)

In noting the trend towards integrated public services, trade unions should be involved in service improvement initiatives, but the Lambeth amendment (64.01) would hand over the proper bargaining role of joint negotiating bodies to trades union councils.

The Economy (70 -72 & 75)

Conference will condemn a financial system which allowed a privileged and unaccountable few to get richer at a cost to be met by the many, particularly disadvantaged groups (70.01, 75) and set an alternative economic agenda through the Million Voices Campaign. The New Green Deal provides an ideal programme at a time of recession to grow a way out towards a sustainable and just economy.

Fairer Taxation (81 & 82)

The two motions from Scotland and North West set an agenda for fairer taxation, and an end to tax avoidance, as a means of funding public services.

Trade Union rights (86 -88)

Since 1997, the gains in individual employment rights have to be set against the minimal gains in collective rights. That’s why we need a Trade Union Freedom Bill. The debate on the Minimum Wage will see a repeat of the old debate of putting in a figure (87.01) or using the commonly accepted living wage formula.

Political Fund Review (91)

Conference will be asked to approve the report into the effectiveness of the political fund which was called for two years ago and has been the subject of extensive consultation, something which appears to have passed-by the London Borough of Lambeth (91.01). However, the Scottish amendment (91.02) would seek to give enhanced rights to those who pay into the affiliated part of the fund, subject to them meeting Labour Party rules with regard to representation.

International (92,93, 96, 101 &102)

A tax on the movement of money as a means of aiding the poorest across the world is supported in motion 92 from Eastern.

In calling on the UK Government to normalise relations with Cuba, and to reform EU relations, the motion from Yorkshire & Humberside Water and NEC (93) recognises the vanguard role which was played by Cuban health workers in the aid response to the tragedy in Haiti in January this year.

The continued illegal occupation of Palestinian Territory by Israel and the incursion into Gaza in 2008, arguably changed the perspective of the Scottish and UK trade union movements, with the decisions last year to promote a boycott of companies engaged in, or goods and produce from, the illegally occupied territories, and to review relations with Histadrut, the Israeli trade union centre. The campaign should be stepped up.

The motion from Eastern and others (101) would have us explore ways of supporting trade unions and labour groups in the Philippines, where the ITUC says there are growing dangers to activists.

The Lisbon Treaty concentrates a neo-liberal agenda at the heart of EU and is a threat to public services, through further “structural reform” i.e. workforce flexibility and marketisation. We need to alert members through a campaign states Manchester (102).

Racism (104)

The racist BNP were defeated in recent elections. They have been forced off the streets of Edinburgh and Glasgow and their attempts to march elsewhere in Scotland have been resisted, but they persist in many parts south of the border. The trade union campaign must continue.

Equalities (112,113,115 &117)

The EHRC has illustrated that disabled people are at greater risk of targeted violence and hostility and the motions from the Disabled Members’ Committee, (113) seek to raise awareness, identify the particular roles of public services and the justice system in a zero tolerance approach. However, in welcoming the DDA, they also draw to our attention that not all forms of disability are apparent and there is a need to raise awareness of non apparent disability.

Women bear the brunt of the recession as workers and users of services, along with discrimination in the workplace and this needs to be highlighted as part of the organising strategy of the union. The National Women’s Committee also calls for a campaign to Demand Change and legal reform, in recognition that prostitution is a form of violence against women.

Civil Rights (120, 122 & 124)

While the Good Friday Agreement (120) has brought a period of stability under the Northern Ireland Assembly, the final round of implementation talks saw the UK government renege on a Bill of Rights, a crucial part of the deal for many in Northern Ireland.

Some may remember the “sus” laws of the 1970’s which were used to target young people, particularly black youth. They were repealed but police are now using stop and search provisions of the Terrorism Act 2000, hardly social policing.

The Conservatives have stated their intention to repeal the Human Rights Act, which provides for Freedom of Assembly, the right to a fair trial, prohibition of forced labour, all relevant to trade unions.

Devolution (133 &134)

Following a decade of devolution, during which a number of powers devolved to the various administrations have been developed, and UNISON produced its own protocol on devolved matters, this is in need of review together with further consideration to resource issues.

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