I've been getting a few questions lately, so wanted to post an update.
As I'm not in a workplace at the moment, I stepped down from the various Unite committees I was on. I'm still active in Unite (though the machine doesn't make this easy!) but am contributing more via Unite Rank and File rather than posting here - this site is now largely dormant.
I'm also being asked about the long-anticipated Unite General Secretary election, as few expect McCluskey to manage a full term for the first time. It's noticeable that there are various rule changes up for discussion next week which aim to increase or close down democracy. If there is an election any time soon I won't be standing again. I stood as a rank and file candidate. I hope there will be a strong rank and file voice in any election, but given that I'm not currently active in a workplace I don't think that should be me.
I was also elected President of Manchester TUC earlier this year.
I've made a video about how workplaces can get involved with the climate strikes, an issue which we should all be getting more involved in, and where Unite should be doing much more - fighting for good climate jobs rather than backing destructive and unsustainable projects while jobs continue to be slaughtered. UCU and BFAWU have already adopted policy backing the climate strikes. The silence from McCluskey and our Executive Council urgently needs to end.
I've written a report for rs21 which covers the highlights of Thursday's business. It was a packed day, which included the momentous decision to back mandatory reselection for Labour MPs - something that would not have been supported a few weeks ago.
John McDonnell addressed conference, took questions and was enthusiastically received:
Below are the decisions I managed to note - I had to miss a few to take phone calls about my workplace.
Motion 83: Right to receive: Carried
Composite 20: Equalities Monitoring: Carried
Motion 82: Hidden disability and neurodiversity awareness: Carried
Motion 89: Equality Training: Carried
Motion 90 + Amendment: Assistance with Training and Support for new/existing Reps who have a Disability: Carried
Composite 33: Equipping Unite to Resist the Trade Union Act: Carried
Composite 34: Campaigning Against the Trade Union Act: Carried
Composite 35: E-balloting for Industrial Action and Executive Bodies: Carried
Composite 36: Redundancy Rights: Carried
Motion 170: Agency Workers Directive and 'Swedish Derogation': Carried
Conference watched a short film about blacklisting:
Motion 171: Blacklisting and the next Labour Government: Carried
Motion 173 + Amendments: Casualisation of Employment: Carried
Motion 179: Zero Hours Contracts: [need to check]
Motion 180: Minimum Pay Rates for Working Anti-Social Hours: [need to check]
Motion 177: Corporate Governance: Remitted
Motion 178: Workers' representatives on company boards: Remitted
Composite 32: Regional Devolution: Carried
Motion 153: Regional Devolution: Carried
Motion 156: True Democracy for County Councils, City Councils and Borough Councils: Fell
Motion 159: Anti-fascism: Carried [This motion committed Unite to ensure support is put in place to assist local groups to take direct action in opposing fascist demonstrations. The mover also referred to the need to support those jailed for anti-fascist activity]
Composite 41: Labour Party Leadership: Carried
Motion 161: Reselection of MPs: Carried
Motion 162: Constitutional Reform: Carried (Amendments were Withdrawn)
Motion 181: Defending Communities: Carried
Motion 182: The Need for a Commissioner for the Elderly in the UK: Carried
Motion 183: Cold Weather Deaths: Carried
Composite 37: Unite in Schools: Carried
Motion 187: HIV Support Services: Carried
Motion 188: Mobility Insurance: Carried
Motion 189: Statutory Youth Service: Carried
Emergency Motion 3: Don't cut our Rights - Save the Equality and Human Rights Commission: Carried
Composite 14: Public Transport as Part of Our Greener Cities Agenda: Carried
Composite 15: Balanced Energy Policy: Carried
Composite 16: Public ownership of utilities: Carried
Composite 17: Fracking: Carried
Composite 18: Action on Climate Change: Carried
Motion 190 + Amendment: Branch Secretaries Email Support: Carried
Composite 38: Towards a Sustainable Unite: Remitted
Motion 192: Outsourcing and Procurement: Carried
Motion 197: Executive Council Elections: Remitted
Motion 198: Reintroduction of Skilled Membership Card: Remitted
Motion 199: Disenfranchised Members: Carried
Motion 200: Route for Emergency Motions: Carried
Motion 147: Affiliate to National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN): Remitted
Emergency Motion 7: Solidarity with USW members at National Grid: Carried
During conference elections were held for the 5th policy conference Standing Orders Committee (SOC) and the following were elected:
EM: Steve Froggatt
I: Fraces Hourihane
LE: Marsha de Cordova
NEYH: Dave Allen
NW: Martin McMulkin
S: Linda Delgado
SE: Jan Bastable
SW: Agnes Hilditch
W: Julie Evans
WM: Barry Hartshorn
There were also elections for the Appeals Committee, with the following elected:
Every UNITE workplace and branch should be holding elections for reps and branch officers in the near future. This is the first time there's been a UNITE-wide process, rather than different processes for former Amicus and former TGWU members.
This is our chance to renew the activist base of the union, so everyone should put real effort into making sure the process is well publicised and lots of new reps and branch officers are elected.
The UNITE Rulebook was updated following last year's Rules Conference. The main relevant sections are rules:
Rule 6, which defines who is eligible to hold which lay positions in the union (i.e. positions where you're not employed by the union). There's EC guidance on the application of Rule 6, but this doesn't yet reflect the work done on an updated version. For these elections the key points are pretty obvious - members in a workplace can stand to be representatives, members in a branch can stand to be branch officers. The definition of a "workplace" is necessarily flexible.
NOTE: Rule 6 defines the term of office as three years, but this is a maximum, not a minimum. There's nothing to stop a branch or workplace holding elections more frequently if they wish. If membership is relatively volatile or there are new activists getting involved, I'd personally suggest a more frequent election would be a good idea.
Rule 17 covers Branches. Rule 17.7 says "Each Branch shall have for its management a Chair, a Treasurer, an Equality Officer and a Secretary and such other officers as the Branch may elect. They shall be elected at a Branch meeting by show of hands, or by ballot, if so decided by the meeting. The election shall take place and be completed not later than June 30 in each third year, and the elected candidates shall take office the following July for three years. Casual vacancies may be filled at an ordinary Branch meeting, but notice of the impending election must be given to members of the Branch on the notice convening the meeting. The positions of Secretary and Treasurer may be held by the same member if the Branch so chooses".
Rule 18 covers Workplace Representation. It says that "At each workplace, the members employed at that workplace, shall elect from amongst themselves, at least every 3 years, 1 or more of the following representatives": Shop stewards/workplace representatives; Safety representatives; Learning representatives; Equality representatives; Environment representatives
Rule 18.2 adds a new requirement to try to tackle under-representation of women and Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority (BAEM) members: "The election of workplace representatives shall, where practicable, have a gender and ethnic balance at least reflecting the proportion of black, Asian and ethnic minority and female members which they represent."
Members should be notified in May 2012 that the elections will be taking place in June, and asked for nominations. Note that where a new branch has been set up earlier this year and held its elections, those officers remain in place for the coming term of office rather than having to hold another election right away.
The process is complicated by the fact that the reorganisation of branches is still not yet complete, and many of us are still waiting to find out what branch we'll be in. Where there are new branches, Regional Officers are expected to assist with arrangements and notification of members about the meetings and elections.
If you're in a workplace that hasn't had any reps till now, here are a few tips for organising a meeting:
Find out whether you're allowed to hold a meeting in the workplace, and if so whether it can be in work time or not
Book a suitable venue, date and time to make it as easy as possible for most people to attend
Can you get other issues of interest to members on the agenda, to encourage attendance?
Use several means (e.g. poster on a union noticeboard, leaflet, email, letter, text message, word of mouth) to notify members about the meeting (bearing in mind any rules on what you can do in your workplace). If possible, give people plenty of notice and also a reminder near the time
Make sure candidates have a chance to say why they are standing, either by circulating a short election address or by speaking briefly at the meeting.
Get someone to chair the meeting.
Make sure members vote on whether to elect the reps, even if some positions aren't contested - this gives them more legitimacy and authority, and also gets members in the habit of taking their own decisions collectively
You can elect reps even in a workplace where the employer doesn't yet recognise the union. The elections are a matter for the union and its members, not the employer.
Once you've got your new branch officers and reps elected, it's vitally important to inform the Regional Office ensure all the details are correctly recorded on the union's database. The Regional Industrial Sector Conferences are planned for September, and the organisation of these will rely on the information on the union database.
It's important to be clear with the Regional Office as to whether you want the union to notify the employer who has been elected as reps. The norm should be to do so, as this gives the reps extra protection against discrimination. But there could be exceptional circumstances where the union is only just getting going and the employer is hostile where it could be better not to.
Three important campaigns that deserve everyone's support.
UNITE members building trains at Bombardier in Derby are campaigning to save their jobs. There's a petition on the union web site.
UNITE and UNISON members at Southampton Council have been striking for weeks against brutal cuts which the council is seeking to impose by dismissing the workforce and re-engaging them on new contracts. I've posted the details on how to support them before.
Fujitsu, my employer, has escalated the dispute that led to members in Crewe striking on 30th June and taking ongoing action short of strike. Today they dismissed leading UNITE rep Alan Jenney as "redundant", even though this was readily avoidable and totally in breach of agreements and past practice. It is increasingly apparent that this is part of a wider attack on the union, with the company breaking a wide range of agreements. Manchester members are now being balloted too, with the ballot due to close on 4th August. Updates are posted on www.ourunion.org.uk/news and an appeal for support leaflet is regularly updated on www.ourunion.org.uk where you will also find a collection sheet.
The threat to close the Vestas wind-turbine factory in the Isle of Wight has provoked widespread outrage - how can the government claim a commitment to green jobs while allowing these jobs to go to the wall? Why should we stand by and see these jobs lost when they are essential to countering climate change? Why should the government spend billions of our money bailing out banks and yet do so little to protect manufacturing?
The campaign by Vestas workers and their supporters has been truly inspirational. Whatever the final outcome of this dispute, they have pushed the issues of jobs and the environment far higher up the political agenda than if they had walked away. It looks likely that tomorrow the management will try to evict the occupiers - let's hope that there is enough support to prevent that happening. Either way, this is not an issue that will go away.
In this context, the announcement that Exide intend to close their battery plant in Bolton is even more outrageous. If we are to successfully tackle climate change, the ability to store and move energy will be crucial, so that power can be generated from low-carbon sources and used where it is needed.
Nobody can be left under any illusion that this government has any commitment to protecting manufacturing jobs or the environment. But that doesn't mean they can't be forced to act if the campaigns are strong enough.
The occupation and campaign to save the Vestas wind turbine factory in the Isle of Wight continues. It is vital that the courage of the workers occupying the factory is quickly matched by solidarity from across the trade union and environmental movements.
Given the ease with which the government could use billions of our cash to bail out the city (the very same people who are now baying for public spending cuts to pay for our help), there can be no excuse for government inaction in this case. It's not good enough to privatise the profits and nationalise the debts. We must demand intervention for jobs and the planet, that should be a higher priority than rescuing the financial markets from a self-inflicted disaster.
I was pleased to be able to join the solidarity demonstration outside the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) on Tuesday. More protests and activity is planned all round the country. Make sure you've sent in a message of support, taken a collection etc.
The campaign now has an excellent web site: http://savevestas.wordpress.com/ It is being updated frequently with reports, plans and ways you can help.
I've just heard that workers at the Vestas wind-turbine factory in the Isle of Wight have gone into occupation against the plan to close the plant and make the workers redundant at the end of the month.
The workers are demanding that Gordon Brown steps in (as if it were a troubled bank) to save the jobs so they can keep making wind turbine blades. If Brown doesn't save these 600 existing "green jobs" he won't have any credibility talking about creating 40,000 new ones.
Apparently there is a large solidarity picket starting outside the factory.
Given all the government green-wash about climate change, you'd have thought "Green Jobs" ought to be on the increase, not under threat.
It's an absolute scandal that over 600 jobs at the Vestas wind-turbine factory in the Isle of Wight are under threat. If the government can step in to bale out the bankers, why not to save jobs like these?
When we do see government intervention, it always seems to be to nationalise debts and privatise profits. With the recent decision to take the East Coast Mainline back into public ownership, the government made clear it wants to re-privatise it as soon as possible. The way the retreat over Post Office privatisation was announced makes it clear that this is a retreat under pressure, not a change of heart. If we want government action (or inaction) we have to fight for it, not just stuff New Labour's pockets with members' subs.
You can send a message of support to the campaign to save Vestas at savevestas@gmail.com.
In similar vein, you'd have thought that FE education would be expanding in times of recession, but actually cuts are the order of the day. Near me, the UCU union is fighting job cuts at Manchester College and a few of us from work went down to support them when they were on strike on 1st July.
These job cuts have a particular importance for trade unionists, because the college is targeting the UCU branch secretary for compulsory redundancy. There's history here too - Manchester College was formed by the merger of MANCAT and City College and the college Principal, Peter Tavernor came from MANCAT. Under his "leadership" a few years ago, MANCAT decided to close the trade union education department to get rid of several key UCU officers, including the branch secretary. It is a disgrace that he is still in office and pursuing his anti-union agenda despite losing tribunal cases over the previous victimisations.
In manufacturing the job losses continue relentlessly. It's good to see a campaign starting to get underway over the threat to jobs at Corus. There's a demo on Saturday 18th July, assembling at 12:00 at Majuba Road car park in Redcar, with a march setting off at 2pm.
