Report from
GPM&IT NISC October 2017
Unite’s National Industrial Sector Committees (NISCs) meet
quarterly, bringing together activists from a particular industrial sector,
delegated from Regional Industrial Sector Committees (RISCs). The NISC for the Graphical,
Paper, Media & IT (GPM&IT) sector met on 5-6 October 2017 and this is
my report. My report does not include much of the discussion about workplace
issues, as most NISC members regard this as too sensitive to publish.
Automation
The Organising & Leverage Department has prepared a
detailed report on the potential impact of automation on jobs and a draft template
New Technology Agreement. Sharon Graham, the head of Organising & Leverage,
introduced the discussion. The estimate is that around 35% of current jobs in
the UK and Ireland will go in the next 18 years. Unite has assessed the risk to
each industry and identified 11 Unite sectors, including GPM&IT, at “high
risk”. The forecast is for around 230,000 of the jobs of the 650,000 members
working in those sectors to go.
Automation is nothing new, but new technologies mean this
will affect a wider range of jobs and in new ways compared to previous phases.
Some low-paid jobs would not be affected soon, because it is cheaper to pay
people badly than use technology. In some cases it would be tasks, not whole
jobs that would go, but this would still lead to a reduction in work.
Automation should be
a huge positive, enabling us to be more productive and have higher standards of
living while reducing working hours, while also creating some new skilled jobs.
But this depends on who has the power to decide how automation is used and what
purposes they use it for. Without effective industrial and political
campaigning, it is likely employers will simply try to gain temporary
competitive advantage by displacing workers, contributing to unemployment and
inequality. Workers are the source of profit, and many businesses rely on
workers to buy their products. This approach could create huge social and
economic problems.
Workers need strong organisation to ensure they benefit
rather than lose out due to automation.
The intention is to have a debate on this topic across Unite
to produce detailed plans for Unite’s response tailored to every sector and
region by June 2018. The NISC will be holding a one-day workshop to discuss
this in more detail. Leading activists in the sector who aren’t on the NISC are
welcome to join in with this.
Proportional
representation
Unite has produced an excellent consultation paper on
proportional representation in Westminster elections, setting out the pros and
cons of the current system and various possible alternatives. The majority of
the NISC felt that though PR wouldn’t be a magic bullet to improve
participation or accountability, change is needed.
Holiday pay based on
average pay
Since Unite’s legal wins more and more employers are
increasing holiday pay to reflect average pay (i.e. reflecting overtime,
bonuses etc.), but a few have been trying to base this on an average across the
whole year, rather than on the days worked, which would still be underpaying
people. Unite will support members taking legal action over holiday pay if
employers do not resolve it promptly.
Mapping the sector
Our 2015
sector conference had decided we should map our sector. All RISCs have been
asked to go through the GPM&IT employers and workplaces in their region
listed on the Work Voice
Pay database. I showed NISC members how to do this, identifying the
sub-sector and organising category, and provided a spreadsheet to make it
easier.
The Work Voice Pay database is gradually being populated
with workplaces, but already covers over 34,000 members in our sector (roughly
80% of the total). I also provided some break-downs of GPM&IT membership by
union recognition, number of sites in employer, number of regions in employer,
and the membership and recognition status in the top 100 employers.
10528 members work for the top 10 employers, six
of which only have partial recognition
21107 members work for employers with 100 or
more members
31501 members work for employers with 20 or more
members
Motions to sector
conference
Each Unite sector is having a conference in November. The
NISC submitted two motions to it, one on branch organisation, the other on
simplifying the processes for branches to affiliate to their local Trades
Councils or Labour Parties.
Future meetings
It was agreed to have a speaker on the Gender Pay Gap at the
next NISC meeting. The meetings will take place at the London Moreland Street
office and the dates for 2018 will be:
4-5 January
April TBC
14-15 June
4-5 October
Unite Community
Tracey Bent from Camden Community branch gave an update on
the work of Unite Community. Her branch works around three areas:
We thanked the branch for their support for the Fujitsu
dispute.
She described some of the work the branch has done to
support various industrial campaigns, where they can often do things that
members in the workplace can’t.
Tracey talked about the work they had done to support people
following the Grenfell Tower fire, which had directly affected dozens of
members including three from the Camden Community branch who died. As well as
material and financial support, Unite had offered counselling and financial
support to all those affected.
The NISC is encouraging people to invite Community branches
to speak at our own meetings and to give them financial support. The Community
branches get 7.5% of subs, like all other branches, but when subs are just 50p
a week that doesn’t go far, especially when some members need financial help
even for a bus fare to a meeting.
NISC members talked about the need to look at rule changes
to allow Community members a bigger voice in the Unite structure.
Brexit
The union has produced a pamphlet “Brexit: Unite demands
protections for you” for the GPM&IT sector. Some of us questioned how this
had been produced without any input from lay members or the NISC. We raised
concern about the position outlined on freedom of movement, where the pamphlet
advocates restrictions on hiring people from “abroad” – a discriminatory policy
which was not agreed by the Unite Policy Conference, as I
have explained elsewhere. Worse still, there is barely a mention in the
booklet of the position of EU citizens living in the UK, many of whom are Unite
members. In terms of “protections for you”, the rights of EU citizens are the
most threatened – the pamphlet comes across as if migrant workers are “them”
whereas actually they are part of “us”. Migrants’ rights are workers’ rights.
Research
The NISC has been pushing for years for an update on the
excellent analysis of the sector produced by the Research Department for the
2013 sector conference, but this has not been produced due to lack of resource.
At the previous NISC meeting Tony Burke had taken an action to follow this up,
but we had received no update. When there were cuts to the Research Department
the General Secretary had promised that this would have no impact on support
for members and activists, and had said people should raise it if there was
such an impact.
RISCs and NISCs for
2018-2021
Adrian Weir had produced a proposal for the composition of GPM&IT RISCs and NISCs
for the 2018/2021 term. The NISC will have to decide its response at its
January meeting. In the meantime RISCs are asked to review the proposals and
come back with their comments.
One important change since the last round of elections is
that the rules were changed to ensure that every RISC had a seat for each of
the equality strands, i.e., Women, BAEM, LGBT and Disabled Members. The EC has
updated its guidance
on Rule 11 too. The practical consequences are that Regional Equality
Conferences will take place before the September 2018 Regional Industrial
Sector Conferences, and that each Regional Equality Conference will elect one
delegate to each RISC.
Fujitsu Dispute
There was strong support from the NISC for the campaign in
Fujitsu and the following motion was agreed unanimously:
Fujitsu
This GPM&IT NISC notes that rather than settling the dispute
after 12 days of strike action in Manchester followed by 15 days nationally,
Fujitsu has chosen to escalate the dispute by:
·
Making an offer, since rejected by 92% of
members, that would have curtailed existing union rights to support members,
communicate and organise
·
Breaking the existing Annex 2 facilities
agreement by unreasonably refusing time to communicate with members
·
Attempting to victimise a number of Unite reps
Having terminated the UK Information & Consultation body earlier
in 2017, Fujitsu has blocked agreement on a replacement by demanding that
reps should be unable to communicate effectively with constituents.
Unite is now ramping up the campaign in Fujitsu towards a ballot for
further industrial action.
This NISC recognises that the outcome of the dispute will not only
affect the job security and remuneration of hundreds of Unite members, but
shape union organisation within the company and the wider sector for years to
come. This NISC recognises the importance of success for the future of our
sector.
This NISC pledges its full support and resolves:
2.
To ask branches and chapels to assist the
campaign, including with leafleting of sites, promoting the petition, and
financial contributions
3.
Updates from the campaign should be circulated
to activists
4.
Material relating to the Fujitsu campaign
(e.g. the current petition against victimisation) should be promoted via
Unite’s social media and prominently displayed on the union web site at key
times
5.
To ask for the victimisation petition and
appeal for support to be circulated to all manufacturing sector activists
6.
To ask the International Department for
assistance with coordination with unions in other countries, particularly
those involved with Fujitsu’s European Works Council
7.
To ask the Political Department for assistance
in the campaign, given that most of Fujitsu’s UK business is public sector
8.
To support the request from the Fujitsu
Combine for assistance from the Organising and Leverage Department
9.
To support higher Dispute Benefit to ensure
members can take sufficient action to secure a speedy and successful
resolution of their dispute
10.
If necessary resources are not available, to
ask for consideration of temporary or stand-down officer / organiser
resources
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Unite Education
A Unite Education Report 2017 has been produced.
Unfortunately there were insufficient copies so I have not seen it yet.