What is a trade union?

Well done to Jamie-Max Caldwell for another excellent video:

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Organising strategy - mobilise or organise?

On 8th November I attended four fascinating meetings at the Historical Materialism conference with people from the USA and Canada discussing the plight of the labour movement and ideas for turning it round.

I found the debates really useful and there were a lot of ideas the British labour movement should engage with.  I've written up some of the key points as a series of three articles.  The first ("Mobilise or Organise?") is mainly about Jane McAlevey's ideas on organising strategy and has been published here.  The other two should be published over the next few days and will cover "Migration, the labour market and social reproduction" and "Reversing the decline".

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UNITE constitutional timetable 2015

Two important documents have been circulated through UNITE's officers.  The first is the schedule of meetings for 2015, which includes dates which have been fixed for some events, and the windows within which other meetings must take place to minimise clashes.  The second is the timetable of events for the coming three-year cycle - including the election of branch officers and workplace representatives which forms the foundation of the union structure.

SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS 2015

Executive Council (EC) and Finance & General Purposes Committee (F&GP) Meetings:
15 January 2015 F&GP
12 February 2015 F&GP
9-13 March 2015 EC
16 April 2015 F&GP
14 May 2015 F&GP
8-12 June 2015 EC
16 July 2015 F&GP
3 September 2015 F&GP
7-11 September 2015 EC (NB: may change)
15 October 2015 F&GP
12 November 2015 F&GP
7-12 December 2015 EC

Other major events:
18-20 March 2015: UNITE National Equalities Conferences
7 May 2015: UK General Election
6-10 July 2015: UNITE Rules Conference
13-16 September 2015: Trades Union Congress
27-30 September 2015: Labour Party Conference
23-25 November 2015: UNITE National Industrial Sector Conferences

UNITE CONSTITUTIONAL TIMETABLE
I have a page with information about UNITE's structures which may be useful background.

A lot of UNITE's structures operate on a 3-year cycle.

The existence of three sectors which did not exist in their current for at the time of the last cycle (Automotive, GEMS and GPM&IT), there will need to be changes to the format of committees at national and regional level.  This will not only impact on sector committees but potentially also Area Activist Committees (AACs) and Regional Equality Committees.  Any group that wishes to vary its composition will need to join the consultation process, with all proposals for change approved by the EC at its June 2015 meeting at the latest.

By 30 June 2015




The bedrock of the union's structure is the election of branch officers and representatives within the workplace.  These must be all be elected by June 2015 to take office from 1 July 2015.  Branch officers serve for a three-year term.  Representatives within the workplace serve for a three year term unless a shorter term is determined locally.

Branch officers include:

• Chair
• Treasurer
• Secretary
• Equalities Officer

Representatives in the workplace include:

• shop steward (or "workplace representative”/“father/mother-of-the-chapel”, etc., where such phrases are the local colloquial term for such representative as represents members in bargaining and disciplinary and grievance matters)
• health and safety representative
• equalities representative
• learning representative
• environmental representative.

The election of branch officers and reps provides the foundation for attendance and participation in nearly all the union's other structures.


September 2015

Regions to convene:

• Regional Industrial Sector Conferences
• Regional Women’s Conference
• Regional BAEM Conference
• Regional Disabled Members’ Conference
• Regional LGBT Conference
• Regional Triennial Area Activists’ Meetings

• Regional Young Members’  Conference
• Regional Retired Members’ Conference

To ensure full participation, Equalities Conferences must not be scheduled to take place at the same time as the Sector Conferences or Activists’ Meetings; therefore, Regional Equalities Conferences may run into October if required. The timetable for these conferences and meetings for each region will be published on the Unite Website. 

Conferences/Meetings will elect the new RISCs, AACs or Regional Equalities Committees. The term of office of those elected to these Committees is for three years starting from September 2015.

Committees should meet quarterly in September/December/March/June; the last meeting of the period being June 2018.

Regions should liaise with appropriate National Officials regarding the scheduling of Regional Sector and Equalities Conferences.

The first meeting of the new RISCs/AACs/Regional Equalities Committees should take place immediately after the Conference/Meeting to elect:

• Chair and Vice-chair
• Delegates and Observers (as appropriate) to the Regional Committee
• Delegates to the appropriate NISC or National Equalities Committee, inc National Young Members’ Committee and National Retired Members’ Committee

October 2015

First meeting of new:

• Regional Committees
• National Industrial Sector Committees
• National Equalities Committees (inc National Young Members’ Committee and National Retired Members’ Committee)

The term of office of those elected to these Committees is for three years starting from October 2015. Committees should meet quarterly in October/January/April/July; the last meeting of the period being July 2018.

2015 NATIONAL CONFERENCES

National Equalities Conferences

The National Equalities Conference shall take place at the Winter Gardens Eastbourne and the Unite Eastbourne Centre on 18 – 20 March 2015.  A separate paper will be taken with the Equalities Report for consideration.

Rules Conference

The Statutory Rules Conference will be held in the Brighton Centre, Brighton from 6 – 10 July 2015.  The December Executive Council meeting shall determine the scheme of representation at the conference.  The deadline for election of delegates and receipt of proposed amendments to rule will be 3^rd April 2015.

Industrial Sector Conferences

The National Industrial Sector Conferences shall take place from 23 to 25 November 2015 in the Brighton Centre, Brighton.  The deadline for elections of delegates and submission of motions for the conferences shall be end of September 2015.

Unite Constitutional Conferences & Elections – for next 2 electoral periods

Current Constitutional Conferences & Elections

• EC Elections - every 3 years (elected 2014, next elections 2017)
• Workplace & Branch Rep Elections – every 3 years (next elections 2015)
• Policy Conferences - every 2 years (next conference  2016)
• Rules Conference - every 4 years (next conference 2015)
• National Sector Conferences - every 2 years (next conferences 2015)
• National Equalities Conferences - every 2 years (next conferences 2015)
• National Retired Members Conference - every 2 years (next conference 2015)
• Regional Industrial Sector Conferences/Elections - every 3 years (next conferences 2015)
• Regional Equality Conferences/Elections – every 3 years (next conferences 2015)
• Area Activists Meetings/Elections – every 3 years (next conference 2015)
• Regional Retired Conferences/Elections – every 3 years (next conference 2015)
• Regional Political Conferences/Elections - every 3 years (next conferences 2017)

Yearly Conferences/Elections Timetable;

2014     EC Elections (Jan - Inaugural Council Meeting June)

Regional Political Conferences - Political Committee Elections (Feb)

National Equality Conference (May)

Policy Conference (June)

2015     GENERAL ELECTION MAY

            National Equalities Conferences (18 – 20 March, Eastbourne) (See separate paper) (National Young Members Conference w/c 6^th April 2015, Eastbourne)

            Rules Conference (6 – 10 July, Brighton) (Deadline for Receipt of Motions and election of Delegates 3^rd April 2015)

Election off Reps/Branch Officers (by June)

Regional Industrial Sector Conferences - Constitutional Committees Elections/Inaugural RISC Meeting (Sept) 

Regional Equalities Conferences - Constitutional Committees Elections/Inaugural Equality Meeting (Sept) 

Area Activists Meetings - Constitutional Committees Elections/Inaugural AA Committee Meeting (Sept) 

Regional Retired Members Conferences – Constitutional Committee Elections/Inaugural Committee Meeting (Sept)

Regional Committee (Inaugural meeting Oct)

National Industrial Sector Conferences (23 – 25 November, Brighton) (Deadline for receipt of Motions and Election of delegates end September 2015)

2016     Policy Conference – 11 – 15 July, Birmingham

Regional Political Conferences - Political Committee Elections (Feb)

National Retired Members Conference (Aug)

2017     EC Election (Jan Inaugural Council Meeting March)    

            National Equalities Conferences (June/July) (National Young Members Conference)

            National Industrial Sector Conferences (November)

2018     GS Election (April)

Policy Conference June/July

Election off Reps/Branch officers (June)

Regional Industrial Sector Conferences - Constitutional Committees Elections/Inaugural RISC Meeting (Sept) 

Regional Equalities Conferences - Constitutional Committees Elections/Inaugural Equality Meeting (Sept) 

Area Activists Meetings - Constitutional Committees Elections/Inaugural AA Committee Meeting (Sept) 

Regional Retired Members Conferences – Constitutional Committee Elections/Inaugural Committee Meeting (Sept)

Regional Committee (Inaugural meeting Oct)

2019     Rules Conference (June/July)

Regional Political Conferences - Political Committee Elections (Feb)

National Retired Members Conference (Aug)

National Equality Conferences (June)

National Sector Conferences (Nov)

2020     EC Election (Jan Inaugural Council Meeting March)    

Policy Conference (June/July)

2021     Election off Reps/Branch officers (by June)

Regional Industrial Sector Conferences - Constitutional Committees Elections/Inaugural RISC Meeting (Sept) 

Regional Equalities Conferences - Constitutional Committees Elections/Inaugural Equality Meeting (Sept) 

Area Activists Meetings - Constitutional Committees Elections/Inaugural AA Committee Meeting (Sept) 

Regional Retired Members Conferences – Constitutional Committee Elections/Inaugural Committee Meeting (Sept)

Regional Committee (Inaugural meeting Oct)

National Equality Conferences (June) (National Young Members Conference)

National Sector Conferences (Nov)

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