Saturday 30 June 2012

UNITE Executive Council June 2012

I haven't yet posted my report on the Executive Council meeting which took place 11-14 June 2012.  In the meantime fellow EC-member Sara Bennett from the Graphical Paper and Media (GPM) sector has posted a report on her new web site.



Decisions of UNITE Policy Conference, Thursday 28 June 2012

These were the decisions on Thursday:

  • Composite 21 (motions 120, 122+amendment, 123, 124, 125, 126 & 127) Free Trade Unions: Carried
  • Emergency Motion 5 London Bus Strike injunctions: Carried
  • Composite 22 (motions 131, 132, 133, 134) Agency Labour: Carried
  • Composite 22a (motions 129, 130) Swedish Derogation: Remitted
  • Motion 128 Casual & Agency Labour: Remitted
  • Motion 135 No to Employment Agencies: Remitted (with the amendment which was accepted)
  • Composite 23 (motions 136, 137 & 138) Employment Rights - Equalities: Carried
  • Composite 24 (motions 139, 140, 141, 142 & 144) Facility Time: Carried
  • Motion 143 Active Support for Full Time Lay Representatives within the Public Sector: Fell due to no mover
  • Motion 145 Trade Union Reform: Carried
  • Composite 25 (motions 149 & 150) Redundancies: Carried
  • Composite 26 (motions 152+amendment, 153+amendments) Blacklisting: Carried
  • Motion 146 Homeworking: Carried
  • Motion 147 The right to collective bargaining: Carried
  • Motion 148 Works Councils: Carried
  • Motion 151 Employment Law: Carried
  • Motion 154 Information & Consultation Regulations - Making the best of an opportunity: Carried
  • Motion 155 Time off for Lifelong Learning Courses: Carried
  • Emergency Motion 14 Failure to Negotiate on NHS Pensions: Carried
  • Motion 156 Protection of Self Employed Workers 2012: Fell due to no mover
  • Motion 157 Working Time: Carried with amendment
  • Motion 158 Protecting UK Standards and Qualifications: Carried
  • Emergency Motion 4 Withdrawal of Tax Credits for Strikers: Carried
  • Composite 7 (motions 46, 47 & 48) The Middle East and North Africa: Carried with Composite Amendment 7a
  • Emergency Motion 6 Egypt: Carried
  • Executive Statement ES4 Severance Payments: Lost
  • Composite 27 (motions 159, 160 & 161) Severance Payments: Carried
  • Reinstated Motion 1 Union Finances - Officers/Staff Pensions: Remitted
  • Executive Council Report and Accounts: one point was referred back for the EC to reconsider, which was the restriction of the published expenses of senior officers under rule 19.5 to taxable expenses
  • Motion 53 Workers in Turkey: Carried
  • Motion 54 Workers Uniting and European & International Federations
  • The rest of the business which had not been dealt with was remitted to the EC



Thursday 28 June 2012

Decisions of UNITE Policy Conference, Wednesday 27 June 2012

These were the decisions:

  • Composite 19 (motions 105+amendment, 106, 107 & 108) Defend the NHS: Carried
  • Composite 20 (motions 109 & 110) Council Housing: Carried
  • Motion 112 + 2 amendments Public Services, Jobs & Pay: The Fightback: Carried
  • Motion 111 Rent Control to Replace Benefit Caps: Carried
  • Motion 113 Shared Services / Contracting Out: Carried
  • Motion 114 Campaign Against the Cuts: Carried
  • Motion 115 Wealth Tax: Carried
  • Motion 116+amendment Benefit Cuts: Carried
  • Emergency Motion 10 A Tax On Young People: Carried
  • Motion 118 Private Finance Initiative (PFI): Carried
  • Motion 117 Campaign for the Reform of National Insurance Contributions: Remitted
  • Motion 119 Yvonne Hossack Campaigner against Care Home Closures: Lost
  • Emergency Motion 3 National Collective Bargaining: Carried
  • Emergency Motion 8 Legal Aid Bill: Carried
  • Emergency Motion 11 Hidden Agenda of the Localism Bill: Carried
  • Composite 11 (motions 69+amendments & 71) Defending Pensions: Carried
  • Composite 12 (motions 70, 72+amendments & 80) Occupational Pensions: Carried
  • Composite 13 (motions 74+amendment, 76, 77 & 78) State Pensions: Carried
  • Composite 14 (motions 75 & 79+amendment) Dignity for Pensioners: Carried
  • Motion 73 Enhanced Retirement Provision: Remitted
  • Motion 26 Diversity in the Union: Lost
  • Motion 35+amendment Equality Monitoring in Appointments: Carried
  • Motion 36 Getting Involved: Carried
  • Motion 40 Job Equality: Carried
  • Motion 27 BAEM Members at the heart of the Unite Community Sectino: Carried
  • Motion 28 BAEM workers voice needs to be heard now: Remitted
  • Composite 6 (motions 30+amendment, 31, 32 & 33) Disabled Workers: Carried
  • Motion 29+2 amendments Disability Hate Crime: Carried
  • Motion 34 Adherence to Article 19: Carried
  • Motion 37 LGBT Education and Zero Tolerance to Discrimination: Carried
  • Motion 38+amendment 2 (amendment 1 was remitted) Organising and Young People: Carried
  • Motion 39 Young Workers - Underpaid or Unpaid: Carried
  • Motion 104 Votes at 16: Carried
  • Motion 41+amendment Asylum Seekers: Carried
  • Motion 42+amendment Gypsy and Traveller Law Reform: Carried
  • Motion 43 Moroccan Workers in Gibraltar: Carried
  • Executive Statement ES1 Balanced Energy Policy: Carried
  • Composite 3 (motions 17 & 18) Nuclear Power: Fell
  • Motion 16 Nuclear Motion 2012: Withdrawn
  • Composite 4 (motions 20, 21+amendment, 23 & 24) Green Jobs and Sustainable Development: Carried
  • Motion 19+amendment Low Carbon Industrial Strategy: Fell
  • Motion 22 Integrated Planning Regulation: Carried
  • Motion 25 Hydraulic Facturing / Fracking: Carried
  • Motion 101 CLASS Action: Carried
  • Motion 102 Unite Code of Conduct for Employers: Remitted
  • Motion 103 National Shop Stewards Network: Remitted
  • Motion 44 Palestinian Child Prisoners in Israeli Detention: Carried
  • Motion 45 Support for Gaza: Carried



Wednesday 27 June 2012

Decisions of UNITE Policy Conference, Tuesday 26 June 2012

These are the decisions from Tuesday at UNITE Policy Conference 2012:

  • Composite 15 European Union (motions 96, 97, 98 & 99): Lost
  • Motion 100 European Union: Carried
  • Executive Statement 3 Political: Carried
  • Composite 16 (motions 81, 82 & 83): Lost
  • Composite 17 (motions 85, 88+amendments & 92) Links with the Labour Party: Lost
  • Composite 18 (motions 86+amendment, 87, 89 & 91) TULO: Carried
  • Motion 84 Constituency Development Plans: Lost
  • Motion 90 Cuts and the Labour Party: Lost
  • Motion 93 Referendum on Scottish Independence + amendment: Carried
  • Motion 94 Scottish parliament: Carried
  • Motion 95 The Possible Separation of Scotland from the UK: Lost
  • Executive Statement 2 Peace & Disarmament: Carried
  • Motion 55 + amendments No to Trident: Fell
  • Motion 49 + 2 amendments Solidarity with Venezuela - Defending the majority not punishing the poorest: Carried
  • Motion 50 Cuba 2012 blockade: Carried
  • Composite 8 (motions 51 & 52) Justice for Columbia: Carried
  • Emergency Motion 2 Coup d'etat in Paraguay: Carried



Tuesday 26 June 2012

Decisions of UNITE Policy Conference Monday 25 June 2012

The policy conference agenda and other key documents are on the UNITE web site here.

The policy decisions were:

  • Motion 1 Democratic Control of the Banks and Financial Institutions: Carried with amendments 1 & 2.  Amendment 3 was lost.
  • Motion 2 Failure by Banking Executives: Carried
  • Motion 3 Feral Capitalism: Carried with amendment 1.  Amendment 2 fell.
  • Composite 1 (motions 5, 6 an 7) Robin Hood Tax: Carried
  • Motion 8 Alternative Economic Strategy: Carried with amendment
  • Motion 15 Public Sector Cuts: Carried with amendment
  • Motion 14 Re-Nationalisation: Carried
  • Motion 4 Campaign to Amend Credit Institutions (Stabilisation) Act 2010: Carried
  • Composite 2 (motions 9, 10+amendment, 11, 12+amendment): Carried
  • Motion 13 Offshore Skilling: Carried
  • Composite 9 (motions 56, 57, 69 & 60) Workplace Health & Safety: Carried
  • Motion 58 Long Hours Culture: Carried with amendment
  • Emergency Motion 1 Carcinogenic Diesel Engine Exhaust: Carried
  • Executive Statement ES5 Transport: Carried
  • Composite 10 (motions 61+amendment, 63, 64, 65 & 66) Manufacturing: Carried
  • Motion 62 British Aerospace: Carried
  • Motion 67 Morning Star: Carried
  • Motion 68 Media: Carried
The text of the EC statements and Emergency motions isn't yet on the union web site, but hopefully will be soon.

Update: I've posted the EC statements here.



Sunday 10 June 2012

UNITE constitutional timetable 2012-15 electoral period

I've posted before about the crucial workplace and branch elections currently taking place across UNITE.  I'm concerned that patchy communication about these is likely to mean we end up with fewer activists than we should, weakening the crucial base of the union.

At this week's Area Activists Committee meeting I got hold of a document sent out to officers in my region, setting out the timetable beyond the current elections.  I've summarised it below.

By June 2012:
Election of branch officers and workplace reps.  Branch officers include Chair, Treasurer, Secretary and Equalities Officer.  Workplace reps include Shop Steward (also known as workplace rep, FoC, MoC etc), Health & Safety reps, Equality Reps, Learning Reps and Environmental Reps.

The newly elected reps and branch officers take office from 1 July 2012.  The default term of office is three years, but can be shorter where appropriate.

September 2012:
Each region should convene:

  • Regional Industrial Sector Conferences
  • Regional Women's Conference
  • A Regional Black Asian and Ethnic Minority (BAEM) Conference
  • Regional Disabled Members' Conference
  • Regional Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Conference
  • Regional Triennial Area Activists Meetings
  • Regional Youth Conference
  • Regional Retired Members' Conference
The Conferences and Meetings elect the new Regional Industrial Sector Committees (RISCs), Area Activist Committees (AACs) and Regional Equalities Committees.  The new committees hold office for three years from September 2012, and normally meet immediately after the conference that elected them.  These initial committee meetings elect chair and vice-chair, delegates and observers (as appropriate to that body) to the Regional Committee, National Industrial Sector Committee (NISC), National Equalities Committee, National Youth Committee or National Retired Members' Committee.

Committees meet quarterly in September, December, March and June.  The June 2015 meetings would be the last for the committees elected in 2012.

October 2012:
The first meetings will be held of the new:
  • Regional Committees
  • NISCs
  • National Equalities Committees
  • National Youth Committee
  • National Retired Members' Committee
These bodies hold office for three years from October 2012.  They should meet quarterly in October/January/April/July.  The July 2015 meetings would be the last for the committees elected in 2012.



Thursday 7 June 2012

Manchester Area Activists Committee

I attended the Manchester Area Activists Committee (AAC) meeting today - here are some of the key points:

  1. There is an urgent need for training (and possibly a handbook) for branch officers to be in place for when the new term of office starts on 1 July.  A remit had been sent to the region some time ago.  Delegates felt branch administration processes should be consistent nationally so training would be best dealt with nationally.  I was asked to bring this up at the EC meeting next week.
  2. The decision of the last North-West Regional Committee to write to all reps to advise of the need for workplace elections has still not yet been implemented, though an email had gone out yesterday to officers in the region.
  3. The AAC decided to organise an open meeting in late July for branch officers about how to perform their roles in the new UNITE set-up.
  4. The AAC agreed that the date of the next open Area Activists Meeting would be brought forward to 7pm on 17th July at the UNITE Salford office.
  5. The AAC agreed to to write to all the "community members" in Greater Manchester to explain that the meeting on 17th July will discuss setting up a community branch in Greater Manchester and to invite those who are interested in helping run it to come along.
  6. There was a discussion about the TUC's national demonstration on 20 October in London and it was agreed to "initiate an open organising meeting in the next few weeks to build the maximum turnout for 20 October from Greater Manchester and to approach other unions, trades councils and campaign groups to take part".
  7. The Manchester Area Activists Conference (which will elect the committee for the next three year term) is open to all UNITE's "accountable representatives of workers" in the area and will take place at 6pm on 27th September at the Salford office.  The new committee will have its first meeting immediately after that.
  8. It was agreed to support and publicise the Unite Against Fascism demonstration against the EDL and BNP in Rochdale on Saturday.
  9. There were reports about ongoing industrial issues at Thomas Cook and in construction.