UNITE Policy Conference 2014 - report (updated)

A good conference this week.

Impressively, UNITE has already posted the "progress of business" reports showing the decisions taken for Monday - Thursday on the policy conference page.

My own note of today's business was as follows:

• C23 - withdrawn
• K2 - remitted to EC
• ES4 - passed, so C22, K1 and K10 fell
• K9 passed
• M21 passed
• M22 passed
• M24 passed
• Emergency Motion on Esher - remitted to EC
• Emergency Motion on Freedom Riders - passed
• Emergency Motion on Gerry Conlon - passed
• P17 - remitted to EC
• P33 fell
• P35 - remitted to EC
• P40 passed
• P42 passed
• P8 fell

Unfortunately UNITE hasn't posted the final agenda or the texts of the Composites or Executive Statements online, so for anyone who wasn't a delegate it's pretty impossible to make sense of the results.  Hopefully this will be rectified soon.


As usual, there was consensus over much of the business of conference, but real debates on a few key issues.  For the first time many can remember, conference actually dealt with all the business, rather than motions falling off the end of the agenda due to lack of time.

Political

Executive Statement 5 was passed, with about 10-20% of conference voting against because they wanted to support Composite 26 and/or motions L5 or L9 which were more critical of Labour.

ES5 backed Labour, while being critical - basically the same political strategy UNITE has been pursuing for some years.  It approved more funding to the Labour Party "The Executive Council will work with the Labour Party to ensure it is in a position to fight an effective election campaign in 2015, and is not overwhelmed by a tide of bankers' money supporting the Tories".  It included a commitment to "review Unite's political strategy in the light of the result of the General Election, and the prospects for the development of Labour policy in a progressive direction".

Composite 26 called for a debate throughout the union on the crisis of working class representation, something Len McCluskey was keen to avoid this side of a General Election.

Motion L5 (which I moved) called for parts of the political fund to be spent directly campaigning for UNITE's policies while Labour failed to do so, reducing our affiliation each time Labour disciplines UNITE councillors for opposing cuts, and greater transparency in the political fund.

Motion L9 talked about the poor support from Labour MPs over asbestos related diseases and said that until the lack of representation for working people was addressed, our political fund should be directed to fight for those who do represent us.

The EC backed motion L12, which was passed by conference, which marks a significant shift left in union policy.  UNITE publicly supports councillors who vote against cuts and "encourages other councillors who might consider voting against cuts to do so".  UNITE will also establish a dialogue with Councillors Against the Cuts to determine the scope for joint campaigning.

Global Solidarity

Conference heard a moving speech from Aidee Moreno from the Columbian union FENSUAGRO, which has seen over 1000 members murdered.  Aidee herself has lost family members.  There was a video from Huber Ballesteros of the Columbian TUC who has been imprisoned since August last year.

Conference passed very strong policy in support of the Palestinian struggle against the Israeli government's apartheid state in the shape of Composite C11 and motion F11.  Motion F12 which sought engagement with the Israeli Histadrut was not passed.  The action points from the two motions passed were:

• Raise awareness, build support, campaign and lobby for a free and independent Palestine;
• Highlight the suffering, and support the Palestinian population in Gaza living under siege; Palestinians living in the West Bank who are seeing their land illegally seized by Israeli settlements and are forced to navigate checkpoints to go to work, school and hospital; and in Israel, where they are treated as second class citizens and subject to racist laws;
• Work with other NGOs and all other supportive bodies in the UK and around the world and develop a UNITE campaigning and leverage strategy around BDS [Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions] within the next 12 months.  Notably against complicit companies involved in the occupation, the apartheid wall and the illegal settlements (such as Veolia, G4S and Sainsbury's) through workforce pressure, contracts and pension funds; and encourage members to call  on supermarkets and retailers to stop using companies which export goods from illegal settments;
• Continue to support and offer practical help to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and encourage all branches to affiliate to PSC.  Encourage branches and regions to send representatives on delegations to Palestine, to further strengthen the solidarity with Palestinian workers;
• Organise and facilitate with other union bodies and campaigning groups, a national speaking tour to include lawyers and child prisoners/families in the next 12 months;
• Raise the issue and table motions for support of the BDS campaign in the European and Global Federations;
• Organise and facilitate national or regional delegations to be sent to Palestine at least twice a year;
• Establish the issue as a standing item on the agenda of the EC and all other constitutional committees;
• Deliver a full report to the 2016 policy conference on the activities of the union.
• Utilise all Unite the Union campaign resources in conjunction with Palestine Solidarity Campaign to bring the plight of the Yarmouk Refugee Camp to members and the wider Labour movement
• To lobby MPs and government offices to campaign for the protection of humanitarian aid agencies and access to the Yarmouk Refugee Camp.
• To demand the UN enforces its commitment to Resolution 194 which asserts the rights of Palestinians to return to their land.

Motion F3 on solidarity with the Egyptian revolution, currently facing massive repression, was remitted to the EC on the basis of a commitment to discuss each point in it at the next EC meeting and report back.  The motion was calling for various solidarity actions including working with the MENA Solidarity Network.

Conference passed an emergency motion on Latin America, supporting the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign and Friends of Ecuador.  It passed an emergency motion opposing military intervention in Iraq.

Climate Change and Fracking

Conference passed Composite C7 "Climate Emergency - Green Jobs Now!" which backed the Campaign against Climate Change Trade Union Group, the 1 Million Climate Jobs pamphlet, work with the ITUC and promoting the Carbon Cuts not Job Cuts protest on 6th December in London.

Conference passed motion D7 on Global Warming included a number of important policy positions, crucially including campaigning for a move to "sustainable renewable energy and a reduction of fossil fuel use".

One of the biggest debates of the week was on fracking, where the EC sought to overturn UNITE's existing policy against fracking with ES2 - which didn't even mention climate change.  Conference comfortably overturned the EC on this, passing Composite 6 instead, which strengthened UNITE's policy against fracking, and resolving to:

• make all members aware of the dangers of fracking
• actively oppose fracking, to use its influence to prevent fracking operations, advise members not to work on fracking sites nor deliver materials to such operations
• support and lobby for a moratorium on all "fracking" activities across the United Kingdom
• encourage the Labour Party and Labour controlled councils to take actions formally opposing the application of hydraulic fracturing technology within the United Kingdom
• request Unite Regional Committees support local anti-fracking groups' activities, including help with funding
• encourage members at all levels of the union to support campaigns against "fracking" and to link up with local campaigners
• support calls for taking profit out of energy production and distribution and favour the public ownership and democratic control of the energy industry with the direct input of local communities and trade unions in decisions on creating a balanced and sustainable energy policy

Conference made clear that opposition to fracking does not mean UNITE will not seek to organise workers in the industry, just as we organise workers in many other industries where employers behave unethically.

Anti-migrant racism

Conference took a strong stance against anti-migrant racism, being whipped up by UKIP, the media and mainstream politicians.  Motions E1 & E2 were passed and members are encouraged to join the demonstration at the UKIP conference in Doncaster on 27th September.

Grangemouth

Conference showed solidarity with the members at Grangemouth, still facing great difficulties from Ineos and its rogue boss Jim Ratcliffe.  Delegates were particularly appalled at the treatment of Mark Lyon and Stevie Dean, who had lost their jobs after a witch-hunt by Ineos, the Tories, Labour politicans and the media.  Stevie's daughter Ailis addressed the conference and was given a standing ovation.

Subscription Rates - low pay

In response to Composite 43 the EC had put forward statement ES6 describing a working party to consider the practicalities of reduced subscription rates for low paid workers.

Composite 43 was much stronger, calling on the EC to "adopt a subscription policy based on salary levels" and to "bring in variable subscriptions at the same rate as current part-time workers" before 2015.  Conference overturned the EC to back the Composite.

Europe

Conference adopted Executive Statement 3 which was pro-EU but called for Labour to promise a referendum on the basis that "this issue can never be resolved except on the basis of a clear democratic mandate".  Most of the speakers called who opposed ES3 were supporting F4 (pro-EU, anti-referendum) though there was also a Composite 10 that opposed the EU from a left perspective.

Ricky Tomlinson

Ricky gave an extremely powerful speech about the campaign for justice for the Shrewsbury 24. 

Five months after the successful 1972 building strike ended 24 pickets were picked up and charged with over 200 offences, including unlawful assembly, intimidation and affray. Six of the pickets were also charged with conspiracy to intimidate. None of the pickets had been cautioned or arrested during the strike. Approximately 70 police had accompanied the pickets on the Shrewsbury building sites at all times. No complaints were laid against the pickets at the time.

Des Warren, Eric (Ricky) Tomlinson and John McKinsie Jones were sent to jail.  Ricky described the sentence and treatment of Des Warren as a death sentence and claimed that the conspirpacy against these innocent men went right to the top - Ted Heath.

The current government is still refusing to release the papers about the case on grounds of "national security", reinforcing the view that this was a conspiracy to undermine trade unionism. Len McCluskey reported that Labour had pledged to release all the papers if elected to government.

Defend Our NHS

The debates around the NHS were a real highlight of the conference.

Conference adopted Executive Statement ES1 on the Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership (TTIP), a trade treaty that threatens to force governments to privatise and deregulate and even allow companies to sue governments that take decisions not in their financial interests.  The statement concludes "adopt a clear position of outright opposition to TIIP; Unite will now join with other civil society organisations in mobilising to fully oppose TTIP".

This video from 38 degrees explains some of the issue around TTIP:


Conference passed an emergency motion in support of UNITE medical scientists and pathologists in Northampton - NHS workers who have been locked out by their employer!  Three of the workers visited conference and were given a great welcome.

This press release gives some information about their campaign.  Messages of support can be sent via Mike Orpin, Unite the Union, Transport House, 5 Saxon Court, St Peters Gardens, marefair, Northampton, NN1 1SX or emailed to Terry Lodge.

Conference also backed the campaign over NHS pay.  The Secretary of State for Health in England has refused to accept even the miserly recommendation of the NHS Pay Review Body (1%).  Cuts to the pay and conditions of NHS staff are bound to have a knock-on effect on the quality and safety of patient services.  An Emergency Motion called for UNITE to "escalate and intensify campaigning and support for industrial action in our fight for a fair pay award for all NHS workers and in the defence of quality patient services".

UNITE's head of organising and leverage, Sharon Graham, gave a fantastic presentation about the plans for the campaign for the repeal of the Health & Social Care Act, which is seeing our NHS fragmented and sold off at a frightening rate.  UNITE has researched the links between many of the key decision makers in the destruction of the NHS and their corrupt links to private healthcare interests.  Details of the plans are confidential so that they can be used with maximum impact. 

Given the media blackout against those campaigning to defend the NHS (while they promote a steady stream of anti-NHS stories), the intention is to support key local campaigns so that they can break through the wall of silence.  UNITE is supporting the People's NHS web site which is carrying details of some key campaigns against cuts and privatisation.

The campaign will not be politically aligned, though clearly Labour hope to benefit from it now Andy Burnham has promised to repeal the Health & Social Care Act.  Labour figures who have their snouts in the privatisation trough will not be immune from the campaign.  Conference was highly critical of Andy Burnham's comment that the public NHS should be the "preferred bidder".  UNITE doesn't want bidding at all.  The stronger the campaign the more pressure there will be on all parties to shift their position.

It was made very clear that the campaign is not just for members in health.  The NHS belongs to all of us and the campaign to defend it is everyone's responsibility.  The level of commitment to the campaign was made clear when Tony Woodhouse, UNITE's chair, said he was prepared to go to jail if that was what it took to defend the NHS.

July 10th Strikes

During conference the news came through that UNITE's members working for local authorities had voted to strike over pay, and will be joining the coordinated strikes on Thursday (J10) alongside members of UNISON, GMB, NUT, PCS, FBU.  This will be the biggest day of strike action since November 30th 2011.

All members are encouraged to visit picket lines and join marches and rallies to show their support.  If public sector workers see their pay cut further in real terms, private sector employers will be more confident to follow suit.  Cuts to public sector pay make it hard to recruit and retain skilled staff.  Many speakers highlighted the disgrace that some of the most socially important jobs, such as looking after old people, are paid below the Living Wage.

J10 is also an opportunity for activists to make links between workplaces, industries and unions which will help us with every other campaign (including defending the NHS) and will help press to ensure that effective action follows after J10 rather than it being an ineffective one-off.


Esher

The last EC meeting I attended before I stood down decided not to go ahead with a proposal to sell the Esher Place training centre.  It appears this may still be an option.  An Emergency Motion opposing the sale was remitted to the EC on the basis of three commitments from the General Secretary:

1. Educational facilities will not be diminished
2. Before any decision there will be full transparency on costs
3. Before any EC decision, all EC members will discuss it with the constituents

Other points of sectoral interest

Conference passed motion H1 on Social Media Policies in the workplace, which called for education for reps on safe use of social media, campaigning for freedom of speech and restriction of surveillance, and control over employer policies which breach employees human rights.

Conference passed motion P42 from the GPM&IT South East RISC on Industrial Representation and Accountability.  This included "Regions must take into account, as per rule 7.2, industrial servicing to the membership on the basis of sectors and within reason allocate work to regional industrial officers on the basis of industrial sector as well as geographical areas, but in any event, any industrial officer must have a responsibility to give written industrial reports to the appropriate Regional Industrial Sector Committee".  There have been strong feelings from our sector, and others, that this has not been happening in all regions, meaning officers struggling due to lack of sectoral knowledge and RISCs struggling due to lack of reports.

Executive Statement 7, which was passed, committed to put legal training in place for officers and activists, to ensure each branch has an allocated solicitor practice, and to promote the working relationship between the union solicitor; the officer and the representatives.  UNITE legal director Howard Beckett reported to conference that all branches now have a solicitor allocated.  I'm sure mine isn't the only branch this will come as a pleasant surprise to - it has been promised for years.  I presume branches should contact their Regional Legal & Affiliate Services coordinator to find out who their solicitor is.  UNITE recovers over £100m in compensation for members each year - and members get the full compensation, unlike through other sources of legal representation.

Len McCluskey indicated that PCS is unlikely to join UNITE in the near future following the decision at their conference.

SOC Election

Conference elected the Standing Orders Committee for 2016:

• East Midlands: Raffiq Moosa
• Ireland: Frances Hourihane
• London & Eastern: Jeff Hodge
• North East, Yorks & Humber: Stan Sims
• North West: Dave Rochester
• Scotland: Ray Stewart
• South East: Sam Webster-Moore
• South West: Joe Conway
• Wales: Julie Evans
• West Midlands: Barry Hartshorn

Pete Gillard, who has been chair of SOC for the last three conferences, is retiring and was thanked by conference.

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Report from GPM&IT National Industrial Sector Conference, November 2013

The UNITE national sector conferences were spread across a week, with several sectors meeting each day.  Each morning started with a plenary session with Len McCluskey, who gave a speech and answered questions.

Our plenary, like those on other days, was dominated by the disgraceful attacks on members at the Grangemouth petrochemical plant and refinery, on Stevie Deans, and on UNITE, which have been coming from the Labour right, from Ineos and its billionaire owner Ratcliffe, from the Tories and their press.

The deal accepted by UNITE at Grangemouth included a three year no-strike agreement and pay freeze, worse pensions and cuts in union facilities.  This had been accepted under the threat of closure and the loss of many jobs.  While standing united in defence of our union and Stevie Deans, it is vital we learn lessons from this serious setback.  We cannot afford employers to imagine that such blackmail will work again.  Nor can we afford our own members to conclude that there is no alternative to making massive concessions without even a fight.  The debate about what these lessons were continued through the conferences and in the bars, and is still ongoing.

The conference for the Graphical, Paper, Media & IT sector was the first meeting since the old GPM and IT & Comms sectors came together.  There was a degree of suspicion, hostility and misconceptions from a small minority of delegates, but most seemed keen to make the sector work and to learn about the issues across all the industries.  This was helped by two hefty reports - one from the National Officers, the other on Collective Bargaining.  These reports, along with a copy of Len's speech, can be found here if you log on to the UNITE web site.

The 2012 Labour Force Survey reports that 12% of UK employees in the Information and Communication industries are union members, but I assume this includes companies such as BT and Royal Mail, giving slightly too rosy a picture.  Overall the GPM sector had 11% union density.

The conference elected delegates to TUC Congress:

• 2014: Ged D, with Tony M as substitute
• 2015: Pauline B, with Ged D as substitute

All the conferences meeting that day jiontly elected three members of the Standing Orders Committee:

• Bill D, Metals, East Midlands
• Ann M, Automotive, North West
• Paul R, GPM&IT, Scotland

The following motions were agreed:

1. WORKERS UNITING – PAPER AND PACKAGING SECTOR
This Conference welcomes the continuing development of our strategic relationship with the USW in the USA and Canada’s papermaking and packaging sector.

The exchange of FOCs, MOCs and Union Reps in our countries has developed a greater understanding of the globalisation of the papermaking and packaging industry and the development of good working relationships between lay reps within the sectors.

Conference believes that we must now deepen the relationship by extending the USW’s involvement, where appropriate, in EWCs in the paper and packaging sector and that we look to develop joint negotiations with companies where both of our Unions have membership.

2. NEWS INTERNATIONAL & LEVESON ENQUIRY
This Conference welcomes the Leveson Enquiry and subsequent police enquiries uncover alleged untold wrong doings and illegal behaviour by Executives of News International, including the alleged corruption of public officials and the police, leading to the closure of the News of the World and the arrest of senior Executives of News International.

This Conference congratulates Tom Watson MP and other Labour MPs who refused to be bullied and cowed by News International and were prepared to expose the disgraceful acts of NI executives and senior journalists.

This Conference believes that the lack of Union involvement in the News International empire by Unite and the NUJ contributed to the alleged wrong doing and illegal activities and the corrupt power wielded by Rupert Murdoch and his family over political and public life in this country.

3. AUSTERITY, DIVIDE & RULE
This conference notes that the government’s austerity, cuts and deregulation policies are affecting members in our sector by:

1. deflating the economy
2. cutting the public services we and our families and communities rely on
3. cutting in-work benefits and tax credits
4. putting downward pressure on pay and conditions by attacking them in the public sector
5. putting downward pressure on pay and conditions by increasing competition for jobs by cutting benefits, driving sick and disabled people into the job market, and encouraging the expansion of low-paid and unpaid work
6. cutting legal protection for members on everything from health & safety to redundancy consultation
7. feeding racism by scapegoating migrants and Muslims, boosting organisations such as UKIP, the BNP or EDL

This conference believes that strong and effective union organisation cannot be built without tackling political questions such as these within the workplace. This conference rejects attempts to divide members in our sector from colleagues in the public sector, from those reliant on state benefits, or from migrants or Muslims. This conference believes that unity is strength and an injury to one is an injury to all.

This conference resolves:

1. Our sector will work with other sectors, unions and community groups to deliver a strong and united response to the government’s attacks on working people
2. The NISC, working with appropriate officers and staff, will periodically produce template leaflets on such issues for reps to adapt and combine with workplace-specific material
3. Activists in our sector are encouraged to invite speakers from public service sectors, community branches and anti-fascist groups to address workplace and branch meetings.

4. ORGANISING IN THE IT & COMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRIES
This Conference believes:

1. Organisations in the public and private sector are now heavily reliant on IT & Communications in order to function
2. Outsourcing and “cloud” services are concentrating a high proportion of IT & Communications services in a relatively small number of large companies
3. Commoditisation of IT & Communications products and services is leading to commoditisation of jobs and skills and accelerating downward pressure on pay and conditions
4. Hundreds of thousands of workers in IT & Communications would benefit from UNITE organisation
5. Strong UNITE organisation in IT & Communications would strengthen UNITE’s leverage and bargaining power across every sector.

5. CAMPAIGN TO RECRUIT ICT WORKERS AND RAISE UNITE PROFILE
This National Industrial Sector Conference notes that Technology continues to impact traditional industries both developing new opportunities for employment whilst reducing manning levels significantly in older processes.

The overwhelming majority of young people entering the UK labour market today take ICT skills for granted in the same way basic skills of reading and writing were viewed by previous generations.

The union movement has been slow to adapt to this growing workforce and even today in industries well organised in production and distribution areas is poorly organised in ICT sections. Yet the ICT Industry is future proofed has a diverse workforce and controls in many respects the UK economy.

Often these critical workers are not employed by the main company anymore and so are excluded from the major campaigns of the union.

Because of the fragmentation of ICT workers across the membership it is not possible to commence a major campaign at either RISC or Regional Committee level. To really organise these workers there needs to be a campaign supported by the National Union across the sector as a whole.

ICT workers occupy powerful positions in the processes operating within industry, services and the public sector. Their ability to influence employer’s decisions is significant whereas nowadays due to a combination of alternative supply and fragmented workforces many groups struggle to produce such an impact.

This Conference requests the Executive Council to establish an initiative to raise the profile of UNITE amongst ICT workers and the ICT Industry in general. Such a campaign to be launched at the start of 2014 will not only assist organise ICT workers in ICT companies but also ICT workers in existing employers with union agreements.

E1. OPPOSING CHANGES TO THE TUPE REGULATIONS
Conference notes that the Government has published its response to the latest public consultation on reviewing TUPE on 5 September 2103 under the heading of Making the labour market more flexible, efficient and fair

The Government has concluded that there is scope to amend the Regulations by removing provisions which go further than the Acquired Rights Directive requires and generally improve how the Regulations operate.

Due to the structure of ICT industry through the winning and losing of accounts ICT workers are vulnerable to being transferred disproportionately compared to other employees. This means that these proposed changes will impact adversely on IT workers who often work in the contracted out sector so need the protection of TUPE.

This Conference opposes the attack upon collective bargaining rights of UK trade unionists by placing limits upon the protection of collective agreements post a TUPE transfer. This is a significant development that introduces time limits on voluntary agreements governing workers’ terms and conditions of employment for the first time in the UK.

According to Government figures there are between 26500 and 48000 TUPE transfer every year with the number of workers affected ranging between 1.42 million and 2.11 million with the majority of these workers being transferred yearly to other employers being potential members.

Every ICT worker who has transferred in the past now works under a contract between the client and their employer that will come up for renewal or a new service provider will take over the contract. The workers’ terms and conditions of employment will also then be vulnerable to employer attempts to reduce them. The race to the bottom is accelerated by these changes.

Unite must take the lead opposing this attack upon terms and conditions of employment and agreements that is a campaigning issue that affects millions – those already transferred, those being transferred and those that fear outsourcing of their jobs.

The Coalition’s programme of relentless attacks upon the limited defences in favour of workers’ rights includes the withdrawal of many of these workers from TUPE protection by virtue of removing service provision changes.

Conference calls upon the Unite Executive Council to launch a campaign within three months to alert UK workers to the risk to their futures that these changes represent to both private and public sector workers, skilled and unskilled, manufacturing and services.

6. NARROWING THE SKILLS GAP
UK industry is suffering from the lack of investment in training especially the lack of opportunities available to young people entering traditional industries through training programmes especially apprenticeships.

This Conference believes this puts the UK at a disadvantage in comparison to other countries that invest in skills for the future of their industries. Evidence has shown that the age profile in our sector is increasing whilst the number of apprentices entering the industry is decreasing.

This conference calls upon the National Industrial Sector Committee to lobby and meet with all stake holders in our industry to analyse, discuss and plan a strategy which will ensure the industry invests in skills within the sector and to ensure training/apprenticeships are on the bargaining agenda. A written report on the progress of this should be given to the next National Industrial sector conference in 2015.

• In addition we call on the Executive Council to campaign in support of the ‘forgotten generation’ and to lobby for: Government to increase investment in industry based skills and training.
• To ensure that bona-fide Apprentice Programmes are available for young people.

7. SECTOR SURVEY
In light of the demise of the BPIF/Unite National Agreement and the ravages of the recession on terms and conditions of employment, this conference calls on the National Industrial Sector Committee to conduct and publish an annual survey of all workplaces in the sector. The aim of the survey is to gather a database of current trends in the sector which may impact on other sites in the absence of a National Agreement. Conference also calls upon the National Industrial Sector Committee to meet with the BPIF on a regular basis in the interests of our members working in the sector

8. BUILDING CLOSER WORKING LINKS WITH OTHER PUBLISHING AND MEDIA UNIONS
This Conference calls upon the GPM Sector NISC to explore a formal protocol with other publishing and media unions and in particular with the NUJ, to assist us in securing union recognition and extending our collective bargaining coverage across the sector.

Working with our sister unions on joint campaigns and sharing resources can only be in the best interest of the members within the joint workplaces that we strive to represent.

The conference further calls on the NISC to ask the union to revisit our dual membership arrangement with the NUJ as we see this as a further assist.

Publishing and Media workers have historically worked jointly in many of our companies and the union needs to promote and support such activity. We ask that in drafting such a protocol the NISC seeks guidance from the officers and senior reps working in this sector.

9. DEFENDING OUR UNION AGREEMENT IN THE WHOLESALE AND DISTRIBUTION SECTORS
This Conference calls upon the GPM NISC to develop a strategy to address the outsourcing of our member’s jobs from our core employers to agencies within the wholesale & distribution sectors.

We have seen a major increase in temporary labour as employers dismiss their permanent workforce and rely more and more often on agency workers.

In these companies where the permanent staff is constantly reducing in numbers and the agency staff are on the increase, we are now seeing a low level of union density and the undermining of our collective terms and conditions in favour of minimum standards.

The NISC is required to defend our members, potential members and our industry standards by strengthening the links between our workplace reps and Unite officials within this sector and ensuring that the adequate resources are in place for our organising and recruitment initiatives to be sustainable.

10. OUTSOURCING
This Conference calls upon Unite NEC and its Officers at all levels to uphold outsourcing of print, packaging, graphics & media related work for the Union, TUC and the Labour Party from recognised Unite GPMs workplaces.

At a time when print, like rest of manufacturing industry, has suffered due to the recession; and the savage ConDem's austerity and cuts agenda.

That has led to many closures, redundancies and the loss of our members livelihoods.

Outsourcing is penalising and under cutting those employers who abide by agreed union policies, procedures and pay rates.

1. This Unite GPM sector conference therefore re-affirms the policy that our union only sources print from GPM recognised companies.
2. We further call on Unite and our NEC to ensure that the TUC and its affiliates does likewise and upholds this principle.
3. That they put pressure on the Labour Party at all levels to comply to ensure all party units, candidates and agents uphold the policy of only sourcing print from approved Unite GPMs unionised companies.

11. LIVING WAGE
Conference endorses a national bargaining objective for a minimum adult hourly pay rate based on the Living Wage (both provincial and London as appropriate) where no collectively bargained national agreement exists, and calls on the GPM NISC to develop a bargaining, organising and political campaign to achieve it.

The following motion was referred to the NISC for further consideration:
12. PAY BARGAINING STRATEGY
Conference calls on the GPM NISC through our National Officer to call national level meetings annually of all Federated Chapels and Groups where these firms are not covered by a National Agreement for the purpose of setting co-ordinated bargaining objectives including the minimum rate of wage increases; in addition, for the independent company sector not operating under a National Agreement, the GPM NISC develops in consultation with the National Officer and appropriate Regional Officers a coherent and sustainable District by District national pay campaign strategy in preparation for the next wage round.

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Winning is important

At the moment, working people have much to be angry about, but our confidence and organisation is only beginning to regrow.

In these circumstances, it is really important that we have some wins and that we celebrate our successes - to raise confidence and expectations and make it easier to win more.

So it's really good to see a series of wins this year. UNITE members at Ineos Grangemouth fended off attacks on their pensions. Shell tanker drivers in UNITE won a stunning victory over pay. Manchester Airport workers in UNITE won an extra 1.5% backdated on their pay after threatening strike action. CWU activist Pat Carmody who was key to unonising Pell & Bales' call centre has been reinstated after a lively campaign. And now we hear that UNITE members at Argos are considering an increased pay offer after striking.

Can you see the pattern? Where we stand up for ourselves, stick together and refuse to get knocked off course by political or media pressure - we often win.

This should be shouted from the rooftops. If we can keep building up this momentum then unions can really grow and really make a difference for working people.

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Ineos pensions win?

If press reports are to be believed, UNITE members at the Ineos oil refinery at Grangemouth have been successful in defending their final salary pension scheme through industrial action. By protecting the pensions of future employees, they have made their own pensions more secure.

There is something of a pattern developing here. Remember the threatened strike at the British Airport Authority a few months ago?

Union official channels are often cautious about broadcasting successes, for fear of making it harder for employers to climb down. That doesn't mean the rest of us should fail to draw the lessons.

It would be too easy to look at the huge power BAA or Ineos workers have and think they're different to the rest of us. But the reality is that most groups of workers have great power if they act collectively - it's just not always so obvious. Think about some of the lowest paid workers in the country, such as supermarket checkout staff, and think about the impact if they took united action. The problem is not usually that workers don't have power, it's that workers don't realise their power.

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Pensions, Ineos and Oil

When employers want to cut our pension entitlements, make us work longer or pay more, they often claim "there is no alternative" due to rising costs, life expectancy etc.

There can rarely have been a company where such excuses rang more hollow than Ineos, which runs the oil refinery at Grangemouth.

Oil prices have soared in recent years, and oil industry profits have soared with them. Yet their clear "ability to pay" isn't stopping Ineos trotting out the same arguments and proposals as other employers.

In recent days there has been relentless media pressure on the Ineos workforce, and it to the credit of members and of UNITE that they have stood up to this and gone ahead with the action today. Media coverage rarely raises the point that workers wouldn't be considering strike action if employers were treating them fairly, or that employers have the power to settle disputes.

To counter the media barrage, UNITE has published a lot of information about the dispute.

Isn't it remarkable how news coverage can flip between two cliches: "unions are irrelevant dinosaurs with no power any more" to "unions hold the country to ransom". The reality "unions have a lot of power, but not enough and aren't clear enough how to use it" rarely gets a look in.

We should all support our members at Ineos defending their pensions and those of future employees.

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