UNISONScotland
positions on all the main issues
 |
 |
|
Lilian Macer
|
Mark Ferguson
|
Regional Delegates to National Delegate Conference, Convener
Lilian Macer and Mark Ferguson, preview the main debates at National
Delegate Conference.
Branches, regions, self organised groups, retired and young members
and the National Executive Council have submitted 124 motions,
17 Amendments to Rule and associated amendments to the conference
agenda.
The experience of recent years is that conference will manage
to discuss between 30/35 or so of these motions, many of which
will find themselves in composites agreed by the bodies submitting
the original motions.
Therefore 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.
Priorities
The Scottish Council meeting in April agreed Scotland’s priorities.
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.
Ony these prioritised motions will be on the agenda.
Pensions 21-27 and 85
In March hundreds of thousands of people stood up for public
services at the TUC march in London. Now we must mobilise many
more to defend our pensions.
The government’s strategy on pensions is clear. They want us
to:
- pay more
- work longer
- and get less when we retire.
As you would expect there are a number of motion on pensions:
21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27 with motions 21 Scotland
and 22 Manchester LG being prioritised, the likelihood being we
might see a composite on pensions. This will, as expected, be
a priority for NDC this year given the proposed savage attacks
on our members’ pensions provision.
We face a number of attacks on the Scottish pension schemes including:
a change to the way pension increases are calculated - RPI to
CPI - that has cut average pensions by at least 15%.
An increase in retirement age that doesn’t reflect the demands
on many public service workers.
Abolishing pension protection for workers who are forced to transfer
to another employer outside the public sector and changes to fund
governance and cost sharing provisions with employers.
The motions from Scotland, Oxford City and Lambeth call for a
coordinated campaign which should include legitimate industrial
action in defence of our pensions.
As we know only too well 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. That is why the action
in the motion from Newcastle City (22) calling for a campaign
to address the public sector pension myths is important in raising
awareness within the general public.
State Pension provision is covered in motion 85 by the National
Retired Members’ Committee who raise concerns at the ever-increasing
discrepancy between the basic state pension and the poverty threshold.
Health 57-63
UNISON remains fundamentally opposed to the government’s plans
to bring about a massive top-down structural reorganisation of
the NHS in England that favours markets and competition over integration
and cooperation. Government plans represent a move to wholesale
competition. This will undermine attempts to provide more integrated
care both within the NHS and between health and social care.
The application of competition law means the NHS is likely to
become increasingly mired in wasteful litigation. Motions 57,
58, 59, 60, 61,62 relate to the proposed reforms in NHS England
and 63 also relates to NHS England but focuses on the relaxation
of the 18 week Referral to Treatment target.
The NHS will become increasingly subject to European competition
law, meaning that instead of devolving responsibility to the local
level, government plans will permit the EU a greater say in the
way the NHS is organised.
Recruiting And Organising 1-3
Motions 1, 2 and 3 will focus on the union’s organising strategy
ensuring it is fit to cope with the onslaught of savage cuts will
have on our current and future members. Recognising, despite the
challenges we face with jobs under threat as a consequence of
the savage cuts to public services, we must maintain our commitment
to our organising strategy.
Public Services 30-40, 44 and 47
Within this section there are a number of motions that will find
themselves on our agenda to be debated as a priority: 39,34,33,36,30,40,44
and 47.
Motion 39 focuses on mutual and social enterprises ensuring
that branches have sufficient resources to prepare and support
members with the challenges these provisions might bring.
Motion 34 illustrates the disproportional effects women suffer
as a consequence of the Tory-led attacks on public services. It
highlights the need to produce gender-specific materials raising
the effects on women and support branches in undertaking Equality
Impact Assessments to fight against service and job cuts.
Motion 33 looks to expose David Cameron’s twisted concept of
the ‘Big Society’ and lays bare the hollow truth that there is
nothing in this for the advancement of a fair and equal society
built on inclusion and participation.
Motion 36 stresses that the Coalition Government’s cuts are driven
by a political ideology, not economics - a continuation of the
1980s and the Thatcher years.
Motion 30 is the National Executive Council’s flagship motion
on Public Services which highlights the inequalities that
have materialised as a consequence of the Government’s cuts agenda.
The motion calls on the union to work with local communities and
other trade unions to campaign for a fairer society based on sustainable
quality services.
Motion 40 on the future of local government services facing an
ideological attack from the Tory led government, needs everyone
of us to be prepared and ready to take on the challenges this
will bring to branches and regions. The Institute of Fiscal Studies
describes this attack as “the longest and deepest sustained period
of cuts since the Second World War”.
Motion 44 from the National Women’s Committee again highlights
the disproportionate effect cuts to public services have on women
and in particular the cuts to Sure Start.
Motion 47 from the National Disabled Members Committee highlights
the severe restrictions which have been placed on support offered
to disabled employees through Access to Work as a result of funding
reduction.
Economy 67, 68 and 76
Motion 67: ‘Cuts are not the cure’, says the National Executive
Council. This is likely to be composited with Aberdeenshire’s
motion and a Glasgow amendment. Maintaining vital public services,
sustainable economic growth and investment to get people back
to work, fair taxation and a commitment to rebuilding our manufacturing
base will offer a alternative to the ideologically driven economic
programme by the Condem government.
Motion 76 recognises the issue in relation to individual groups
as a consequence of the financial crises and calls for the NEC
to continue to actively oppose cuts in the Welfare State. Aberdeenshire’s
amendment focusses on child poverty.
International 87, 89
Motion 89 from the National Executive Council highlights the
positive role UNISON played in promoting justice for the Palestinians
within the trade union movement and wider society. The motion
further calls for UNISON to work with other organisations within
existing policy on Palestine to pursue a policy of critical engagement
with the Histadrut union.
Motion 87 on the international campaign against public service
cuts has an amendment from Scotland which strengthens the motion
in terms of UNISON policy on EU economics and raises the profile
of our education activities.
Employment Rights 79, 81
Motion 79 from the South West Region recognises challenges facing
the trade union movement to organise and bargain on behalf of
members. The motion calls for the NEC to promote the value of
collective bargaining to ensure fairness, reduce inequalities
and tackle poverty.
Motion 81 on defending our right to take industrial action submitted
by the Eastern Region is further supported by an amendment from
Scotland.
Privatisation 28
Motion 28 on the abolition of the two tier code which protected
our members who were outsourced is condemned by the NEC motion
which deplores the Tory approach to procurement and further outsourcing
of public services.
Campaigns 65
Motion 65 calls for campaigning with the community and voluntary
sector against the government’s cuts agenda. The motion calls
for all branches to engage with members in the workplace to mount
a community based campaign in support of vital services.
Equalities 101
Motion 101 from the National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender
Committee recognises the progress in equality under the last Labour
government but calls for a number of actions to increase recognition
of the equality agenda.
Health and Safety 17
Motion 17 from the National Executive Council is extremely concerned
by the approach the current government is taking towards health
and safety and calls on the union to ‘mainstream’ health and safety,
linking it closely with the organising and bargaining agendas
within branches and regions.
Civil Rights 106
Motion 106 submitted by the Northern Ireland Region recognises
the strategic challenge to the UK government’s attacks on its
people and highlights that our public services are the main vehicle
for enshrining fundamental human rights in general and in social
and economic terms.
top
|
