GPM&IT NISC June 2018

This is my personal report, not an official one. It omits most of the industrial business, as this is often confidential. Other than that, if you are aware of any errors please let me know.

This was the first meeting of the new National Industrial Sector Committee (NISC) elected by the Regional Industrial Sector Committees (RISCs) for the 2018-20 term of office.

1. Steve Garroway was re-elected as chair.
2. It was agreed that as there were a number of new delegates, the election of deputy chair would be postponed until the next meeting, and for now Charlie Shieber would continue as deputy.
3. A number of corrections were agreed to the previous minutes
4. There is now a template for NISC minutes with an action plan as a spreadsheet at the end
5. Louisa Bull, the National Officer, has been working on a charter setting out where we are as a sector, subsectors, key areas of future work etc. The future work will include a full audit / mapping exercise of the sector, identifying membership density, areas of growth, combines, European Works Councils and experts etc. One of the aims will be to use the Work Voice Pay data to identify projects we want to do and extend collective bargaining, enhance subsectors and combines.
6. A draft of a booklet on apprenticeships was circulated for comments by 1 July.
7. The NISC's Organising Strategy Subcommittee was elected: Charlie Shieber, Gareth Lowe, Ronan Turley, Ian Allinson, Steve Garroway, Claire Lees
8. The joiners and leavers data provided to NISC members had gone from too much detail, not showing trends and changes, to not enough detail to be useful. Louisa explained that things like this were in flux following the GDPR data protection legislation. Louisa will produce a new template and email it out.
9. There was discussion about the fact that there are 170 different officers covering workplaces in the sector, most of them with only a small piece of GPM&IT in their allocation, and how this prevents focus or expertise. There are examples of different officers covering sites belonging to competing companies right near each other.
10. The issue of the Labour Party and even parts of Unite using non-unionised printers was discussed yet again. Louisa reported that she had raised it with Jennie Formby, now the Labour Party General Secretary. Louisa will forward to the NISC an email from Jennie confirming the policy on this set by the Labour NEC. Louisa has asked Regional Officers to produce a list of half a dozen small print shops they would happily recommend. It was agreed that this list should include what types of work the printers can do and that it should be circulated to RISC chairs and branch secretaries and Unite Political Officers as well as the NISC.
11. A team to work on content for the sector's web site and social media profile was elected: Helen Kerr, John Stuttle, Ian Allinson and Jamie Messent. Louisa reported that the web site was being revamped and she ws unable to get it updated. The NISC can still consider what it wants in terms of structure, sector and company pages, toolkits etc ready for when the site is usable again. Unite recommends that all RISC and NISC members have unitetheunion.org email addresses, which can be put up on the web site too.
12. The Unite briefing on the Gender Pay Gap (GPG) had been sent to all reps. A 5-day course covering this in Eastbourne is coming up, with the deadline soon. Delegates felt this was an important issue to raise, recruit around, and use as leverage to tackle the issue, even when there is no pay bargaining or transparency. A tool is being developed to show the GPG for every employer in the sector. There was also discussion about a successful equal pay case and the need to publicise such wins. Louisa will circulate a template grievance questionnaire for discrimination cases developed after the government scrapped the statutory questionnaire.
13. One area for potential growth is into the white collar staff and technical workers in workplaces where there is already shopfloor bargaining. In many workplaces the proportion of shopfloor workers is shrinking.
14. All activists should have received the activist briefing on the new GDPR data protection legislation and the document explaining how to report data breaches. The Executive Council have had training and all branch secretaries and chairs will get training via their regions in the next couple of months. Legal have been invited to do this at the November NISC as well. Some amendments had been made by the EC to the Unite Rulebook in response to GDPR. There was discussion about the fact that some officers and staff are refusing to share information with RISC members on grounds of the GDPR, unless specific consent is obtained each time. I pointed out that the Unite GDPR Guidelines make clear that reps and branch officers can have access to membership information for legitimate union activity and that the officers and staff were breaking rule 18.7 which requires RISC members to be given the identity, constituency and contact details of reps covered by their RISC. A situation where committee members can't even communicate with each other is absurd. Update: this still doesn't seem to have been resolved, with Unite legal advising officers and staff to break union rules on the pretext of GDPR. In the meantime, NISC members agreed to share their contact information with each other, and those absent would be asked to consent to this too. There was a discussion about how to ensure our use of data is GDPR compliant at branch and workplace level, and the risks of communicating or keeping information on employers' systems.
    
15. Barckley Sumner from the Unite Campaigns & Communications department gave a presentation about best practice for media content, producing content, use of photos etc.
16. Gareth Lowe was elected as editor of the GPM&IT quarterly newsletter which goes to all activists in the sector. Each RISC is asked to elect someone to liaise with him, to help ensure a good mix of content from round the UK and Ireland.
17. The NISC discussed ideas for content for the next newsletter, for which the deadline is 31 July. The newsletter will be shorter and more industrially focused, with the hope that activists will circulate copies in workplaces.
18. Work on the idea of piloting the "industrial hub" approach to organising in the corrugated subsector continues. Communication is being improved, and coordination around bargaining. The international union federations (IndustriALL and UNI) can help with research, and AGS Steve Turner has resources for the hubs strategy, which may be helpful as the sector isn't getting resources from the organising department.
19. Work to update the Stratum membership system records for GPM&IT workplaces to include subsector, national agreements, and which bits of workplaces are covered by agreements continues. Some Regional Officers are working on it, and some RISCs. Some NISC members volunteered to help too. Where possible, government codes for subsectors are being used. Louisa has a short description for each subsector which she will circulate. If the population isn't finished, the spreadsheets will be sent to RISCs to complete.
20. Louisa had attended 6 of the Regional Industrial Sector Conferences. She hadn't been invited to one (which clashed with another anyway), two were not quorate, and Wales is still not working. Reps from Wales who wanted to be on the RISC and NISC have been invited to the NISC as observers while this is sorted out. Most of the meetings were good in terms of attendance and participation.
21. Information wasn't cascading from the National Officer through the officers who act as secretaries to the RISCs to all the reps, so Louisa is now sending stuff directly to all officers who cover GPM&IT.
22. Louisa wants the NISC to produce a sector plan, then RISCs to work from that and identify how they can pick up those areas of work in their region, what actions they can take.
23. We hope to get NISC minutes finalised quickly so they can get to RISC members in time for the following RISC meetings. Louisa is emailing the RISC officers to ask them to put the NISC minutes onto their agendas.
24. There was discussion about the latest developments in the ongoing Fujitsu dispute.
25. The Print Futures award has been widened to include paper and packaging.
26. Ronan Turley, Steve Garroway and Claire Lees were elected as 2 delegates and a substitute to the Unite Manufacturing Combine.
27. Delegates were reminded that if they can't attend a NISC meeting, they should ask the RISC to send a substitute.
28. There was discussion about the push to "paperless meetings" in some organisations (e.g. UNI World Congress) and the fact that not everyone has the facilities or skills to engage effectively without printed material. Unite's policy is that individuals should be provided with printed copies of documents for meetings if they prefer that. For the NISC, documents will be emailed out, with printed copies posted to delegates who request it. Printed copies of the agenda, minutes and anything being debated rather than provided for background information will be provided on the day.
29. An emergency motion on Gaza for Policy Conference was agreed.
30. Louisa undertook to provide GPM&IT policy conference delegates with a list so they could communicate with each other.
31. Louisa will circulate a report from an IT delegation to a recent conference in Mumbai.
32. The NISC needs more women and BAEM members to join it, and there was a discussion about how to achieve this. Louisa will go back to the regions who have not sent a proportionate delegation.
33. The EC was asking the NISC to remit its motion on allocation of officers to sectors and it was agreed how this would be handled at conference.
34. The experiment with holding the NISC over one long day had caused problems for a number of shift workers. It was agreed to move back to a meeting split over two days.
35. Jonathan Hayward from the Unite International Department gave an update around European Works Councils (EWCs) and UK Information & Consultation (I&C) bodies. He said the main issue for EWCs at the moment was Brexit, which also has implications for the I&C regulations. The recasting of the EWC directive in 2011 has improved EWC functioning, particularly after Unite did a lot of training for reps and officers. There was still a need to push for more consultation and engagement, EWCs represent an opportunity to hold companies to account, e.g. they had delivered safeguards in the GKN/Melrose takeover battle. The European Commission says that from 29 March 2019 UK employee numbers won't count towards the thresholds for EWCs. Unite is advising reps to push for amendments to agreements now to ensure continued representation post Brexit irrespective of what happens - and has a document with suggested clauses. Employer responses are varying, often based on HQ country.
36. Jonathan explained that the UK government faces a dilemma over EWCs. They have promised that no employment legislation will be diluted by Brexit, at least in the short term. On the other hand they don't want the ECJ to have jurisdiction, so EWCs operating under UK law wouldn't be fully enforceable, even for EU citizens. Unite has proposed that the UK repeals most of the legislation that allows EWCs to be covered by UK legislation, but retain the right of UK employees to participate in EWCs based elsewhere. This would require some agreement with the EU, and EWCs currently based in the UK would have to move. German and French are best, while Irish is worst. Some EWC agreements have clauses saying it is under the law of the country with most employees, but companies usually want to choose. Sometimes the agreement allows the employer to choose from the top three countries by employer number. An update on all this will go in the sector newsletter, and Louisa will send something to our EWC chairs and NISC members.
37. Most companies are making contingency plans for various Brexit scenarios, and EWCs should be part of that debate. EWC reps should raise this now - though you don't always get good news. There is a document with questions you can raise.
38. The Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) made a useful recent ruling against Oracle over a failure to consult about a transfer of work. Oracle had held a phone conference with the EWC and then answered some later questions, and claimed that was adequate consultation. The CAC ruled that information and consultation is a process with more than one stage, and that the EWC had been unable to consider the information, discuss it with management and submit an opinion. They also ruled against the blanket confidentiality imposed by Oracle on the grounds that the information might damage the business by upsetting people. Since the wording of the I&C regulations on information and consultation is the same as the EWC regulations, the same arguments can be used there. This is potentially very useful for countering the talking-shop / focus group way of working that some employers favour.
39. NISC members discussed the idea of trying to incorporate the protections in the EU Social Chapter into collective agreements now, to retain them even if the Tories worsen the legislation.
40. The Unite materials were (again) criticised for not addressing the rights of non-UK citizens, many of whom are members and feel the union hasnt' focussed on them. My own branch had submitted Motion 13 to Policy Conference and another GPM&IT branch had submitted a supportive amendment. Jonathan explained that the International Department had picked up much of the work around Brexit, but the Equalities department had said they would deal with the issues raised. NISC members felt Unite needed to be more joined up to avoid such problems. Louisa agreed to write to Simon Dubbins (head of international department) to ask for a European migrant workers to have a focus group or their own committee.
41. There will be an update on European Works Councils and Information & Consultation bodies on Friday 5 June.
42. It was agreed to submit a second Emergency Motion to Policy Conference highlighting the demonstration against Trump on 13 July, the Unity demonstration against the far right on 14 July, and the need to do more to stop the FLA/DFLA using football links to build a racist movement.
43. We agreed to mobilise for the NHS demonstration on 30 June
44. The next meeting will be 4-5 October at Moreland Street, London

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Report: Unite Policy Conference 2018

This isn't an official report, but is accurate to the best of my knowledge. If you spot any errors or omissions, please let me know. I have also uploaded the official "progress of business".

You can refer to the conference agenda (the pack of motions prior to compositing (merging motions), emergency motions and most Executive Statements). EC statements on Brexit and Gender Identity are available on the conference page of the Unite web site. UniteLive carried reports on several debates, though some (including on an Emergency Motion I moved) appear to have been well hidden.

The mood of conference was positive. In particular, the involvement of young members continues to grow. We've had young member observers for several conferences now. It was striking that we appeared to have more young member delegates this time. Certainly they played a more significant part in debates. Many had been involved in or leading campaigns and disputes, and young members significantly influenced debate on several questions, succeeding in getting the top table to respond.

Less positive was the continuing excessive use of Executive Statements. The Executive Council (EC) can issue statements at any time, for insertion into any debate. Votes on EC statements are taken first, and if one is passed all the motions on the same topics fall. They have a legitimate role - effectively enabling the EC to put forward an alternative motion on a topic where they would otherwise have to oppose motions and leave us with big gaps in policy. But they are now prolific, and rarely used for this purpose, instead enabling fudge and preventing clear debate and decisions. They often help create a mood of unity in conference, but this is illusory if it is unity around a fudge which hinders coherent action in workplaces and communities.

Jargon:

• M: Motion
• ES: Executive Statement
• C: Composite (merged motions)
• EM: Emergency Motion
• Carried: Agreed by conference
• Fell: Not voted on by conference, e.g. because it conflicted with an ES or M that had already been passed, or nobody moved it
• Withdrawn: the movers agreed to withdraw the motion, which was not debated. In many cases motions are withdrawn in favour of Composites that include most/all of their points.
• Remitted: not voted on, but sent to the EC for consideration
• Lost: put to a vote and rejected
• Substantive: a motion including one or more amendments
• A: Amendment

See also my Glossary & Jargon Buster.

The Economy

C6, Industrial Strategy (M 26, 27, 28 & 29) - Carried
M30 UK steel and manufacturing post Brexit - Carried
C7 Public ownership (M31, 33, 34, 35) - Carried
M32 nationalisation - Carried
M36 public ownership - Carried
M40 Change in UK law for companies ceasing trading - Carried
M41 Mergers and acquisitions legislation - unwanted & hostile takeovers - Carried
Speaker: Frances O'Grady, TUC General Secretary
C8 Public transport (M37, 38) - Carried
M39 East Cost Rail bailout - Carried

Defence Diversification

ES1 Defence Diversification - Carried
Comment: though this remains a fudge, it represents a step forward for Unite in trying to implement our longstanding commitment to diversification
M21 Defence Diversification Strategy - Remitted
M22 Defence Diversification - Fell
M23 Defence Jobs - Fell
M24 Opposition to Trident Nuclear Missile System - Fell
M25 Nuclear disarmament - Fell

Political & Labour Party

M102: Against the Football Lads' Alliance - Withdrawn in favour of EM2
EM2: Opposing Racism, The Football Lads Alliance and the Democratic Football Lads Alliance
Note: this was actually a (rather mangled) Composite of two Emergency Motions and M102. I moved it on behalf of the GPM&IT NISC. The text was:

Conference notes the Football Lads Alliance (FLA) is attempting to organise football supporters in demonstrations against 'extremism'. It is taking legitimate concerns around terrorism and then using Islamophobia to stir up fear, division and racism. It represents a dangerous development on the right of British politics.

Whilst claming to be against racism, within their ranks they seem happy to harbour known and organised racists and fascists many who have previously or still are active in groups such as EDL, BNP and the likes. On one demonstration Diane Abbott MP was picked out as a target by one of their leaders where they disgracefully said "Diane Abbott we are coming for you".

Some from within the FLA marches have abused and threatened anti-racists from Stand Up To Racism campaign (SUTR) who were leafletting their demonstration. The FLA Facebook group moderators tolerate hate speech from their supporters against women; against Muslims; against Black and ethnic minorities.

It would be wrong to identify all those who are attracted to FLA or who have marched with the FLA as racists and Islamophobes, however there is a danger that if the group goes unchallenged that those elements within it who are pushing a racist agenda are able to mobilise a new far right street movement.

This conference notes that:

1) The racist march of about 15,000 in London on 9 June, was the largest mobilisation of the far right in the UK since the 1930s and the counter-demonstration called by Stand Up To Racism was small.
2) That it followed large racist demonstrations in several cities in previous weeks, which were followed by racist attacks.
3) The rise in mainstream Islamophobia from politicians and the press and the scapegoating of migrants for problems in employment, housing and public services.

Conference resolves to instruct our Executive to:

• Support, publicise and mobilise attendance at the demonstration called by Stand Up To Racism on Saturday 14 July against the next major far-right mobilisation in London, and any future far-right marches in our towns and cities and that trade unions should provide stewarding instead of relying on the police to keep people safe.

• Educate our members about the rise of Islamophobia and the racism of the FLA and DFLA and other similar groups, and by distributing information to all our branches and members.

• Run a campaign to encourage all football clubs, football fans and supporters' clubs to take a stance against groups such as the FLA and the DFLA and encourage and provide resources to Kick Racism Out of Football and Show Racism the Red Card.

• Redouble our work with all appropriate anti-racist organisations to build strong local organisation capable of opposing racist mobilisations in our communities

• Write to the TUC to demand it launch a 'jobs, homes not racism' campaign to unite the wider trade union movement and to campaign effectively against the far right. This should include workers taking all legal steps (up to and including strike action) to disrupt all attempts to organise for hte purposes of extending the rhetoric of the FLA and DFLA or any similar organisation.

Note: the importance of it became even clearer on 14 July when RMT and Unite trade unionists were physically attacked after a demonstration in support of "Tommy Robinson" (Stephen Yaxley-Lennon) and Donald Trump.

M104 Restore clause 4 in the Labour Party - Lost
M105 Extension fo the franchise - Carried

Improving Health & Safety

C15 Mental Health - a union matter (M76, 77, 78, 79) - Carried
Comment: This was a very moving debate with delegates recounting their own experiences
M72+A Workplace health & wellbeing representatives - Carried
M73 Shift working and its impact on our members - Withdrawn
M74 Classifying stress as a reportable occupational disease - Carried
M75 Occupational health in the workplace - Carried

Global Solidarity

M68 Yemen - humanitarian aid and ceasefire - Carried
EM3: Latin America - Carried
M70 Mexico - Carried (Amendment withdrawn)
EM5 Brazil - Carried
EM4 Turkey / Kurds and progressive forces - Carried
M71 Israel / Palestine - Carried
EM6 Gaza - Carried
Note: this was from the GPM&IT NISC

Brexit

ES2: Brexit - Carried
C1: Brexit and working people (M2, 3, 10 & 11) - Fell
C2 Brexit - a vote on the final deal (M4 & 5) - Fell
C3 The Future of Brexit (M6 & 7) - Fell
C4 Brexit and Free Movement (M12 & 14) - Fell
M8 Brexit - Fell
M9 Leaving the EU - Fell
M13 Workers' rights to move freely and be treated equally - Fell
Comment: I moved M13, from my own branch, and was disappointed that the EC knocked out what was primarily an equalities motion using its Brexit statement, which failed to clearly defend the rights of  workers and members who may have travelled or decide to travel. When Unite materials talk about workers' rights under Brexit, the rights of current and future members who aren't UK citizens barely get a mention.
M1 Brexit and Ireland - Carried
EM1 Brexit and Gibraltar - Carried

Pensions & Retirement

M96 the future of state pension - Carried
M97 How do we improve the quality of life for our ageing population - Carried
M100 Challenging the mass media portrayal of older people - Carried
Speaker: Jeremy Corbyn
M98 Fuel Poverty - Carried
M99 Funeral Poverty - Carried
M101 Carers' Allowance - Carried

Industrial

C16 Automation (M80, 81, 82) - Carried
C17 Shorter Working Time (M83, 84) - Carried
M85: 4 day, 28 hour working week - Remitted
C18 Dignity At Work (M88 & 89) - Carried
M86 setting an agenda for excellent apprenticeships - Carried
M87 Future skills - Carried
M90 organising young workers - Carried
M91 worker cooperatives as opposed to workplace closures - Carried
M92 challenging increased workloads - Carried
M93 + A direct labour organisations - Carried
M94 collective bargaining and solidarity action in workplaces, industries and services - Carried
Speaker: Ken Neumann, USW

Equalities

C13 sexual harassment and sexual abuse (M60 & 61) - Carried
C14 women's health (M63 & 64) - Carried
M62 menopause at work - Carried

Speaker: Lauren Townsend, TGI Fridays

Membership at TGI Fridays has rocketed in response to the (highly profitable) company wanting to take a huge chunk of tips off waiting staff to subsidise low pay for kitchen staff. Members at several restaurants were on strike during the conference. Delegates joined a protest at the Brighton restaurant and engaged in a bit of direct action, with Len McCluskey addressing diners to explain the dispute. For more information see #AllEyesOnTGIs.


EM8: Irish repeal the 8th - women's choice - Carried
C10: Brexit and equalities (M66 & 67) - Carried
C11 Rights for people with disabilities (M52 & 53) - Carried
M47 improving the face of our union by increasing employee diversity - Carried
M48 union representation at constitutional committees - Remitted
M49 equality impact assessments - Carried
M50 unconscious bias - Carried
M51 black and asian ethnic minroity activity based budgeting - Remitted
M54 asylum seekers - Carried
M55 migrant workers - Remitted (Amendment fell)

ES3 Gender identification - Carried
C12 gender identification (M56, 57, 58) - Remitted
M59 Gender recognition act - Withdrawn
Comment: this was a significant debate, which unfortunately I missed due to industrial business. I am told that young members made a key contribution, particularly in criticising the decision of leading figures in Unite signing a one-sided letter to the Morning Star with notorious transphobes. Len responded with a clarification. Many others signed responses such as this and this from delegates at the TUC LGBT conference. Thankfully, despite the distraction of the letter, Unite now has policy supporting the rights of trans people.

M65 International Women's Day 2019 - Remitted (with assurances that the EC would act on it)

Campaigning against austerity

C5 Universal Credit (M17, 18, 19, 20) - Carried
Speaker: Sharon Graham - Work Voice Pay

NHS 70th birthday

Conference marked the 70th birthday of the NHS and recognised the importance of defending and improving it.

Social Action

C24 NHS (M127, 128, 130) - Carried
C25 - NHS 70th anniversary (M131, 132, 133, 134) - Carried
M126 NHS pay parity - Carried
M129 NHS car parking costs - carried
M155 Health & social care - Carried
C23 Housing (M124 & 125) - Carried
M122 homelessness and rough sleepers - Carried
M123 Grenfell Tower - Carried
M121 Community Rights - Carried
M135 Public scrutiny over public money - Carried
M136 Justice in crisis - Carried
EC report and 2017 accounts - Received by conference
Speakers: John McDonnell and Ann Pettifor
ES4 local government funding - Carried
M15 local government cuts - a Unite strategy - Fell
Comment: M15 from the London & Eastern Local Authorities RISC was calling on Labour councils to take a firmer stance against cuts and privatisation than the EC statement
M16 tackling the impact of austerity - Carried

Rights for workers and their unions

C19 Trade union freedom (M107, 108, 109) - Carried
M106 Campaign for trade union rights - Carried
M111 banning of subcontracting of work during industrial action - Carried
C20 precarious employment (M112, 113) - Carried
C21 precarious employment (M115, 116) - Carried
M114 Gig economy - Carried
C22 age and the National Living Wage (M119 & 120) - Carried
M110 strengthening TUPE legislation - Carried
M117 Direct Action - Carried
Comment: this is a significant motion to train activists in direct action techniques to support our campaigns
M118 amendment to the Equality Act 2010 - Remitted

Energy and Environment

C9 atmospheric pollution (M42, 43) Carried
M44+A clean energy - Carried
M45 Backing of UK coal industry - Carried
EM10 Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon - Carried
EM7 National Grid dispute - USA - Carried
Comment: the US subsidiary of National Grid has locked out over 1000 USW members

Union Administration and Membership services

C26 Union Learning Fund (M142, 143, 145) - Lost
M144 Sustainable learning opportunities for all Unite members - Carried
M153 Paperless meetings - Remitted
Note: this was from the GPM&IT South East RISC
M154 environment - Carried
M137 Regional Officer Allocations - Remitted
Comment: this important motion from the GPM&IT NISC aimed to address a situation where sectors are scattered across the allocations of dozens (hundreds in many cases) of Regional Officers. It was remitted after assurances that the issue would be addressed.
M140 Servicing our membership - Remitted
M138 Unite branches - access to Unite resources and support - Carried
M139 Helping Unite activists communication with members - Carried
Comment: conference overturned the EC, who were hiding behind bogus GDPR data protection arguments, on this motion, which is vital for effectiveness at workplace and branch level.
M147 bank charges for small branches - Withdrawn
M151 administration - Carried
Comment: again conference overturned the EC. The motion was to stop members being moved between branches and regions without branch officers being kept informed.
M141 strike funds - Carried
Comment: I moved this motion to help more members benefit from their own strike funds
M146 review of Unite carers' policy - Carried
M148 Lack of respect towards the retired members section - Remitted
M149 Protecting Unite's reputation online - Remitted
M150 safeguarding the union's heritage - Carried
M152 lond worker policy - Carried
EM9 Marc Wadsworth - Lost

Elections:

The following were elected as the Standing Orders Committee for the 6th Policy Conference: Stephen Frogatt, Frances Hourihane, Pat Davies, Dave Allen, Martin McMulkin, Siobhan McCready, Sam Webster-Moore, Agnes Hilditch, Lisa Higgins, Barry Hartshorn

The following were elected as the Appeals Committee for 2018-20: Lorraine Mannion, Jeff Robinson, Jim Kelly, Ian King, Lisa Colquhoun, John Gillespie, Gaynor Worrell, Tracey Blythe, Ivan Monckton, Melanie Sutton

Rulebook:

Though it wasn't discussed at conference, delegates were given copies of an updated Unite Rulebook. The changes are a response to the new GDPR Data Protection legislation.

Fracking:

Delegates were provided with copies of a new Unite Anti-Fracking Toolkit. This should be going on the Unite web site soon. For now I've uploaded a copy myself.

Fujitsu:

As ever, much of the value of attending conference is the informal discussions with other attendees, from which you learn as much as the debates, and can get things done. I spent a fair amount of conference discussing the unresolved dispute at Fujitsu, particularly given that the company sent proposals shortly before conference began. I was dismissed in January (see the "reinstate Ian Allinson" statement) but am still actively involved in the dispute and, as a victimised worker under Rule 6, was still able to attend conference. Reps in Fujitsu post updates on their web site from time to time: tiny.cc/fujitsudispute.

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Unite constitutional timetable 2017-2023 (updated)

Note: the timetable was changed after this post, which I have updated in red or crossed out.

The detailed timetable of windows for the various meetings for the coming year is below.

For explanation of jargon and acronyms, see my glossary. For more information on Unite's structures, see my structures page.

• 20 Nov - 1 Dec 2017 and 11-21 Dec 2017: Regional Industrial Sector Committees (RISCs), Area Activist Committees (AACs), Regional Equality Committees (REQCs) and Regional Labour Party Liason Committees (RLPLCs)
• 8-19 Jan 2018: National Industrial Sector Committees (NISCs) & National Labour Party Liaison Committee (NLPLC)
• 22-26 Jan 2018: Regional Committees (RCs)
• 31 Jan - 2 Feb 2018: Equalities Conferences
• 5-9 Feb 2018: National Equalities Committees (NEQCs) including Young & Retired Members
• 12 Feb - 2 Mar 2018: RISCs, AACs, REQCs, RLPLCs (continued)
• 5-9 Mar 2018: Executive Council (EC)
• 12-16 Mar 2018: more RISCs, AACs, REQCs, RLPLCs
• 9-20 Apr 2018: NISCs, NLPLC
• 23-27 Apr 2018: RCs
• 8-11 May 2018: NEQCs
• 14 May - 1 Jun 2018: RISCs, AACs, REQCs, RLPLCs (continued)
• 4-8 Jun 2018: EC
• 11-15 Jun 2018: more RISCs, AACs, REQCs, RLPLCs
• 11-22 Jun 2018: NISCs, NLPLC (note risk of clashing with regional meetings in 11-15 Jun)
• 2-6 Jul 2018: Unite Policy Conference (Brighton)
• 9-13 July 2018: NEQCs (continued, note risk of clash with regional meetings)
• 16-20 Jul 2018: RCs
• 23 Jul - 10 Aug 2018:  RISCs, AACs, REQCs, RLPLCs (note risk of clashes with NEQCs in 28-31 Aug) (continued)
• 3-7 Sep 2018: EC
• 9-12 Sep 2018: TUC Congress
• 10-14 Sep 2018: more RISCs, AACs, REQCs, RLPLCs (note risk of clash with TUC Congress 10-12)
• 17-21 Sep 2018: more NEQCs
• 23-26 Sep 2018: Labour Party Conference
• 8-19 Oct 2018: NISCs, NLPLC
• 22-26 Oct 2018: RCs
• 5-9 Nov 2018: NEQCs
• 19-30 Nov 2018: RISCs, AACs, REQCs, RLPLCs (continued)
• 3-7 Dec 2018: EC
• 10-21 Dec 2018: more RISCs, AACs, REQCs, RLPLCs

The six-year timetable has also been updated in light of the General Secretary election having been brought forward:

Current Year - 2017:    

• Election for General Secretary
• Unite Executive Council elections
• Young Members National Conference
• Retired Members National Conference
• Irish Policy Conference
• Scottish Policy Conference
• Regional Political Conferences – 4th quarter (change due to general election in June)
• Unite National Industrial Sector Conferences – 12-15 Nov (Brighton)

2018:    

• Election of Workplace representatives and branch officials 1st January to 31st March
• Unite National Equalities Conferences 31st January – 2 February (change due to general election in June 2017)
• Unite Policy Conference – 2 – 6 July - Brighton
• Regional Industrial Sector Conferences/Regional Equalities Conferences/Area Activists Meetings
• First meetings of triennial period Regional Committees/National Industrial Sector Committees/National Equalities Committees - Oct/Nov

2019:        

• Unite National Equalities Conferences – 1st quarter
• Rules Conference – June/July
• Young Members National Conference
• Retired Members National Conference
• Unite National Industrial Sector Conferences – 4th quarter
• Irish Policy Conference
• Scottish Policy Conference

2020:

• Regional Political Conferences – 1st quarter
• Unite Executive Council elections
• Policy Conference June/July

2021:    

• Elections for Branch Officers and Work Place Representatives – by end March
• Unite National Equalities Conferences – 1st Quarter
• Young Members National Conference
• Retired Members National Conference
• Regional Industrial Sector Conferences/Regional Equalities Conferences/Area Activists Meetings
• First meetings of triennial period Regional Committees/National Industrial Sector Committees/National Equalities Committees - Oct/Nov
• Unite National Industrial Sector Conferences – 4th quarter
• Irish Policy Conference
• Scottish Policy Conference

2022:    

• Election of General Secretary required
• Unite Policy Conference – June/July

2023:    

• Unite Executive Council elections
• Regional Political Conferences – 1st quarter
• Rules Conference – June/July
• National Equalities Conferences
• Young Members National Conference
• Retired Members National Conference
• Irish Policy Conference
• Scottish Policy Conference
• Unite National Industrial Sector Conferences – 4th quarter

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Unite Executive Council Elections

The union is gearing up for elections to its Executive Council (EC), which is effectively the ruling body of the union between policy and rules conferences.

The Unite web site has a page about the forthcoming elections. This includes a helpful new booklet Your Union is Run By You. The main points from the timeline are:

• Members seeking nomination must submit campaign statements by Friday 25 November
• Nominations from branches and workplaces must be made 16 January - 17 February
• Voting will be 27 March - 19 April, with the result declared on 28 April
• New EC takes office 1 May 2017 for a three-year term

The numbers of seats have been revised ready for the election, to reflect the paying membership. The numbers in brackets indicate designated seats to ensure that representation is at least proportionate to the membership. The first number in brackets is the minimum number of women, the second number in brackets is the minimum number of Black, Asian & Ethnic Minority (BAME) members.

Total 71 (19) (7) broken down as:

Regions 24 (10) (2):

• East Midlands 2 (1)
• Ireland 2 (1)
• London & Eastern 4 (1) (1)
• North East, Yorkshire & Humber 2 (1)
• North West 3 (1)
• Scotland 2 (1)
• South East 2 (1)
• Wales 2 (1)
• West Midlands 3 (1) (1)

National Equality Seats 5 (1) (1)

• Women 1 (1)
• BAEM 1 (-) (1)
• LGBT (1)
• Disabled (1)
• Youth (1) 

 Industrial Sector Seats 42 (7) (3)

• Aerospace & Shipbuilding 2
• Automotive Industries 3 (-) (1)
• Civil Air Transport 3 (1) (1)
• Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Process & Textiles 1
• Community, Youth Workers and Not for Profit 1
• Construction (Unite) *
• Construction (UCATT) *
• Docks, Rail, Ferries and Waterways 1
• Education 1
• Energy and Utilities 1
• Food, Drink and Agriculture 3 (1) (1)
• Finance and Legal 3 (2)
• General Engineering, Manufacturing and Servicing 2
• Government, Defence, Prisons and Contractors 1
• Graphical, Paper, Media and Information Technology 1
• Health 3 (2)
• Local Authorities 2 (1)
• Metals (including Foundry) 1
• Passenger Transport 2 (-) (1)
• Road Transport Commercial, Logistics and Retail Distribution 2
• Service Industries 1

* The construction seats are dependent on the transfer of engagements from UCATT to Unite going ahead and discussions. The 4 UCATT seats would be taken by members of their existing executive.

Observers 2

• Retired Members 1
• Gibraltar 1

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Unite Policy Conference 2016 - Wednesday's business

I've already posted videos of Jeremy Corbyn's speech and Sharon Graham's presentation on the Unite Industrial Strategy - Work, Voice, Pay.

The liveliest debate of the day was around the aftermath of the EU referendum and what UNITE's position on freedom of movement should be. Conference agreed the EC statement which didn't take a clear position on freedom of movement, but called for a debate across the union on it. As a result the emergency motions defending freedom of movement fell. The passing of Composite 19 partially remedies this, but still leaves our policy unclear.

I've shared the conference agenda (the original motions) and a booklet with many of the composites. Further information on conference business can be found at www.uniteconferences.org.

Composite 31 (Motions 148 + Amendment, 150, 151, 184): Pensions and Retirement: Carried
Motion 128: Sports Direct: Carried

#SportsDirectShame:

 Composite 28 (Motions 129, 146): Collective Bargaining and National Agreements: Carried
Motion 130: Campaigning Against the Mythology of Redundancy: Carried
Motion 131: Organising Agency Workers: Carried
Motion 132: Decent Work Campaign: Carried
Motion 135: Management Techniques & Employee Participation: Carried
Composite 29 (Motions 136, 137): Challenge of the Digital Economy: Carried
Motion 141: Income Tax: Carried
Motion 142: Income Tax: Carried
Motion 144: Outsourcing: Remitted
Motion 145 + Amendment: BBC: Carried
Executive Statement 3: European Union: Carried
Emergency Motion 2: No to racism, yes to human rights: Fell
Emergency Motion 4: Brexit and the rise of racism: Remitted
Emergency Motion 6: EU Referendum: Fell
Motion 71: Women at Work: Carried
Motion 73: Ensuring Equal Pay Implementation: Carried
Motion 72: Childcare and Work: Carried
Motion 74: Childcare - Impact on Women's Activism: Carried
Motion 75: Stand up to Racism Campaign: Carried
Composite 19 (Motions 76, 77, 78): Immigration Act 2016: Carried
Motions 79 + Amendment: LGBT Rights: Carried
Motion 80: LGBT Survivor Pensions Equality: Carried
Motion 81: Trans Rights: Carried

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UNITE constitutional timetable 2016

Each year there is a schedule of meetings, intended to ensure key meetings don't clash with each other. For 2016 the schedule is as follows:

Regional Industrial Sector Committees; Area Activists Committees; Regional Equalities & Regional Labour Party Liaison Committees:

• 15 February - 11 March
• 16 May - 10 June
• 15 August - 9 September
• 14 November to 2 December and 12-16 December

National Industrial Sector Committees & National Labour Party Liaison Committee:

• 4-22 January
• 4-22 April
• 27 June - 8 July and 18-22 July
• 2-21 October

Regional Committees:

• 25-29 January
• 25-29 April
• 25-29 July
• 24-28 October

National Equalities Committees including Young Members & Retired Members:

• 1-12 February
• 3-13 May
• 1-12 August
• 31 October - 11 November

Executive Council:

• 14-18 March
• 13-17 June
• 19-23 September
• 5-9 December

The Executive Council's Finance & General Purposes Committee:

• 14 January
• 11 February
• 14 April
• 12 May
• 21 July
• 31 August
• 13 October
• 10 November

Policy Conference:

• 11-15 July

Trades Union Congress:

• 11-14 September

Labour Party Conference:

• 25-28 September

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Checking for discrimination in selection

There are many situations, from recruitment to promotion to redundancies, where employers make selections between people. You often hear people talking about the importance of doing "Equality Impact Assessments" and checking for discrimination, but I've always struggled to get guidance on how to actually do this.

Professional statistician Nancy Carpenter has worked with me to produce a guide to checking for discrimination in selection. It covers everything from how to get hold of data through to how to present it to your employer. I'm aware of several cases where analysis similar to what we describe has worried employers enough that jobs have been saved. I'd be interested to hear experiences from other activists.

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Unite Rules Conference - day three

The main excitement on Wednesday was motion 2/1 from the Executive Council, which removed "so far as may be lawful from rule "2.1 The objects of the Union shall, as far as may be lawful, be:".  Len McCluskey gave a great speech arguing why it was right to break unjust laws, even when passed by an elected government:

This is not the first time Len has made such arguments, but it is nonetheless very important that he does.  Not only do we face further attacks from the Tory government on workers' right to strike, but this forms part of a wider attack on the right to protest, on privacy against surveillance, and on access to justice.  His speech will be welcomed not only by many trade unionists, but by many campaigners engaged in direct action who often face vilification in the press and from politicians.

However, we shouldn't get carried away.  Given the rarity of effective strike action even when it is legal, it would be naive to expect Unite's leadership to readily lead more if it becomes more difficult.  Whether workers respond to new anti-union laws by trying to comply with ludicrous ballot requirements, or with action outside laws designed to make their action ineffective, both require strong workplace organisation.

It's amusing to remember the fierce opposition from Len and the EC when Gill George proposed essentially the same rule amendment at the previous Rules Conference.

Motions 9/1 and 14/1 strengthened the Young Members structures and put the qualifying age back to "up to and including the age of 27" rather than 30 from the 2018/21 electoral cycle.

Motion 6/1 clarified that members who lose eligibility for lay office may continue to serve their term of office and required the EC to establish a right to recall over members holding lay office.

A supplementary amendment to rule 6 added new clauses to bar from lay office members recruiting to other unions or who hadn't paid 13 weeks' subs. The EC assured conference that this would not affect members directing workers to join other unions in multi-union environment or joint campaigns, or members in newly organised workplaces.

17/1 clarified the operation of (the very few) national industrial branches and requires branches to hold at least four meetings a year.

17/8 changes the timescale for branch elections to January to March.

Motions 11/8 and 11/9 both sought to stop the union running its equality conferences in parallel on the same days, which limits activists who might have more than one oppression contributing to more than one conference.  Both were remitted to the EC on the basis of assurances that the issue would be looked at.  Conference was told that the decision on timing currently rests with the equality committees, who saw benefit of meeting on the same days as this enabled people to meet and discuss across the equality strands.

I was surprised by some of the gaps in the debate.  In recent years there has been a new wave of interest among young people, and especially on campuses, in fighting oppression.  The concept of "intersectionality" has been central to this revival.  Intersectionality is a recognition that multiple oppressions don't simply "add up" but that they interact - for example the stereotypes and prejudices affecting Muslim women are not the same as those affecting white Christian women - and this is not simply "sexism plus racism".  So in order to build the strongest and most united movement, it is particularly important to include people whose experience of one oppression is shaped by their experience of others.  The concept of intersectionality did not feature in the debate at all - it was framed much more in the older (and less unifying) concept of "identity".  Unless Unite finds a way to respond to the dominant ideas amongst young feminists in particular, it will struggle to engage with the vibrancy and radicalism that has been so encouraging in recent years.

Motion 11/7 sought to explicitly include Eastern Europeans in Unite's BAEM structures. This was remitted to the EC with a clear recognition of the racism faced by East Europeans. Latin Americans are already included in the BAEM structures.

Conference rejected a dreadful motion 12/6 from a Rolls Royce nuclear branch which sought to give every sector a veto on union policies that detrimentally impact their members. As one delegate put it, such a rule would have meant we couldn't have opposed hanging if we had members working as hangmen.

DECISIONS
9/1 carried
9/2 withdrawn
14/1 carried
14/3 withdrawn
14/7 fell
14/8 withdrawn
14/9 withdrawn
14/10 withdrawn
6/1 carried
6/3 withdrawn
6/5 withdrawn
6/2 lost
6/6 withdrawn
6/7 withdrawn
6/8 lost
6/10 lost
6/11 carried
6/12 lost
6S carried
14/9 fell
16/9 withdrawn
17/1 carried
17/3 lost
17/5 withdrawn
17/6 withdrawn
17/2 lost
17/4 lost
17/7 lost
17/8 carried
17/9 lost
17/10 lost
17/11 carried
2/1 carried
NR/5 remitted
NR/6 remitted
11/1 carried
11/2 withdrawn
11/3 remitted
11/4 lost
11/5 lost
11/6 remitted
Additional amendment to 11.2 lost
11/8 remitted
11/9 remitted
11/7 remitted
11/10 withdrawn
12/9 remitted
12/10 remitted
13/6 remitted
7/1 carried
7/2 carried
7/3 withdrawn
7/8 lost
7/4 carried
7/5 remitted
7/7 lost
12/1 carried
12/4 lost
12/11 fell
12/6 lost
12/7 lost
12/12 lost
12/15 withdrawn
13/1 carried

After conference closed we were encouraged to join a local protest outside Brighton town hall against the Tory budget.  Though Unite's presence added a lot to the demonstration, I was disappointed at how few delegates (and even fewer EC members) took part.  We missed a real opportunity to showcase Unite's opposition to austerity to people in Brighton.  It was left to a lay activist to provide the posters to ensure we made a visible impact:

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UNITE Executive Council election results 2014

The report from the Independent Scrutineer is out, so unless the Returning Officer, who is investigating a number of issues, overturns any of the results, this is the outcome of the election.

The new EC takes office from 1 May for a three year term.

East Midlands

• Steve Hibbert Elected Unopposed
• June Shepherd Elected Unopposed

Ireland (turnout 5.1%)

• Jimmy Neil 1706 Elected
• Terese Moloney 1493 Elected
• Trevor McDowell 1260
• Tracey Osment 1235

London & Eastern (turnout 6.0%)

• Brian Holmes 7152 Elected
• Richard Allday 6562 Elected
• Liam O'Gara 6125
• Kwasi Agyemang-Prempeh 5024 Elected (BAEM)
• Joe Welch 4909
• Lizanne Malone Elected Unopposed

North East, Yorkshire & Humberside (turnout 5.6%)

• Steve Miller 3129 Elected
• Nigel Atkinson 2174
• Glyn Williams 1750
• Kate Osborne Elected Unopposed

North West

• Barry Knowles Elected Unopposed
• Fran Sullivan Elected Unopposed
• Tony Woodhouse Elected Unopposed

Scotland (turnout 5.5%)

• Davy Brockett 3947 Elected
• Eddie Cassidy 2126
• Dawn McAllister Elected Unopposed

South East (turnout 5.9%)

•  Joyce Still 2525 Elected
• Mark Wood 2468 Elected
• Jan Bastable 1910
• Gordon Lean 1875

South West

• Jayne Taylor Elected Unopposed
• Mark Thomas Elected Unopposed

Wales (turnout 6.0%)

• Danny Coleman 1464 Elected
• John James 1351
• Ian Smith 1001
• Wendy Gilligan Elected Unopposed

West Midlands (turnout 5.0%)

•  Maggie Ryan 3513 Elected
• Mick Forbes 2615 Elected
• Katie Whittam 1970
• Julian Allam 1960 Elected (BAEM)
• Mark Thompson 1565
• Martin Hartnett 1560

Aerospace and Shipbuilding

• Phil Entwistle Elected Unopposed
• Tam Mitchell Elected Unopposed

Automotive Industries (turnout 5.7%)

•  Kenneth Smith 2167 Elected
• John Cooper 1927 Elected
• Chris Bond 1569
• Martin Lydon 984
• Pete Russell 894

Building, Construction and Allied Trades (turnout 6.0%)

• John Sheridan 1449 Elected
• Meurig Thomas 1069

Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Process and Textiles

• Mark Lyon Elected Unopposed
• John Storey Elected Unopposed

Civil Air Transport

• Jas Gill Elected Unopposed
• Sharon Owens Elected Unopposed
• Nigel Stott Elected Unopposed

Community, Youth Workers and Not For Profit (turnout 8.1%)

• Jackie McLeod 2049 Elected
• Kingsley Abrams 1250

Docks, Rail, Ferries and Waterways (turnout 7.7%)

• Andy Green 724 Elected
• Steve Biggs 551

Education (turnout 7.5%)

• Paula Burr 470 Elected
• Chris Goodwin 353
• Chris Marlow 217
• John Wiseman 216

Energy and Utilities (turnout 6.6%)

• Dave Whitnall 1056 Elected
• Tim Davison 1030

Finance and Legal (turnout 3.2%)

• Lindsey Adams 1739 Elected
• Agnes Tolmie 1680 Elected
• Jane Lewis 1345

Food, Drink and Tobacco (turnout 4.3%)

• Tracey Ashworth 2436 Elected
• Dennis Wilson 1995 Elected
• Ansaar Khaliq 1323 Elected
• Neelam Verma 1304

General Engineering, Manufacturing and Servicing (turnout 5.8%)

• Brenda Pleasants 2481 Elected
• Paul Welsh 2412 Elected
• Ross Quonn 1895
• John Clarke 1726
• Howard Percival 848

Graphical Paper Media and Information Technology (turnout 5.4%)

• Ged Dempsey 1558 Elected
• Tom Murphy 1311 Elected
• Dave Lovelidge 1006
• Raffiq Moosa 798

Health (turnout 5.3%)

• Ruth Greene 3607 Elected
• Frank Wood 2376 Elected
• Debbie Wilkinson 1981

Local Authorities (turnout 6.1%)

• Jennifer Elliot 2410 Elected
• Dick Banks 1853 Elected
• Bridie McCreesh 1443
• David Mathieson 1384

Metals (turnout 6.5%)

• David Bowyer 898 Elected
• Dave Rochester 414

MOD and Government Departments (turnout 8.4%)

• Chris Cadman 629 Elected
• David James Trigger MBE 242
• Timmy (Tim) Elford 173

Passenger Transport (turnout 6.1%)

• James Mitchell 3066 Elected
• Simon Rosenthal 2552 Elected
• Salam Taj 1979
• Mo Aslam Malik 1204

Road Transport Commercial Logistics and Retail Distribution

• Gary Hillier Elected Unopposed
• Dave Williams Elected Unopposed

Rural and Agriculture

• Ivan Monckton Elected Unopposed

Women's National Seat (turnout 4.2%)

• Jane Stewart 8304 Elected
• Lucy Thomson 3799

Black, Asian and ethnic minority National Seat (turnout 5.1%)

• Mohammad Taj 1637 Elected
• Patrick D'Cruz 1222
• Golam Bhuiyan 803

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Trangender National Seat (turnout 5.5%)

• Jenny Douglas 20603 Elected
• Lesley Mansell 16751
• Mark "Pasty" Turner 14101

Disabled Members National Seat

• Seán McGovern Elected Unopposed

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Voting nears end in UNITE Executive Council elections

The ballot closes at noon on 23rd April so make sure members have sent off their ballot papers.

There are elections for seats for industrial sectors, regions and equalities.  I've posted more about the election here.  In my own GPM&IT sector I'm encouraging members to vote for Ged Dempsey.

Today (Monday 14 April) is the day from which any members who haven't received their ballot papers should contact the ballot enquiry service.

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UNITE Executive elections open 26th March

UNITE's Executive Council (EC) is responsible for the "government, management and control" of the union, which includes everything from taking policy decisions between conferences, setting subs rates, appointing officers to interpreting the union rulebook.

Thought EC can seem pretty remote to most members, its composition matters.  Alongside the election of the General Secretary, EC elections shape the direction and effectiveness of our union.

The whole EC is up for election now.  Nominations have now closed.  Voting will take place from 26 March to 23 April.  The new EC will take office from 1 May 2014 for a three year term.  Given the importance of the election, all of us should encourage members to read the election materials and take part in the ballot.

Already the Returning Officer has reported that 22 candidates have been elected unopposed:

1. Sean McGovern, Disabled Members
2. Phil Entwistle, Aerospace & Shipbuilding
3. Tam Mitchell, Aerospace & Shipbuilding
4. Sharon Owens, Civil Air Transport
5. Nigel Stott, Civil Air Transport
6. Jas Gill, Civil Air Transport
7. Mark Lyon, Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Process and Textiles
8. John Storey, Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Process and Textiles
9. Dave Williams, Road Transport Commercial, Logistics and Retail Distribution
10. Garry Hillier, Road Transport Commercial, Logistics and Retail Distribution
11. Ivan Monckton, Rural and Agriculture
12. Barry Knowles, North West
13. Francesca Sullivan, North West
14. Tony Woodhouse, North West
15. Steve Hibbert, East Midlands
16. June Shepherd, East Midlands
17. Jayne Taylor, South West
18. Mark Thomas, South West
19. Lizanne Malone, London & Eastern
20. Kate Osborne, North East, Yorkshire and Humberside
21. Dawn McAllister, Scotland
22. Wendy Gilligan, Wales

The following seats remain up for election:

• Ireland: 2 seats (including at least 1 woman)
• London & Eastern: 3 seats (including at least 1 BAEM)
• North East, Yorkshire & Humberside: 1 seat
• South East: 2 seats (including at least 1 woman)
• Scotland: 1 seat
• Wales: 1 seat
• West Midlands: 3 seats (including at least 1 woman and at least 1 BAEM)
• National seat for women
• National seat for BAEM
• National seat for LGBT
• Automotive Industries: 2 seats
• Community, Youth and Not For Profit: 1 seat
• Construction: 1 seat
• Docks & Rail: 1 seat
• Education: 1 seat
• Energy & Utilities: 1 seat
• Finance & Legal: 2 seats (including at least 1 woman)
• Food, Drink & Tobacco (3 seats, including at least 1 woman and at least 1 BAEM)
• General Engineering, Manufacturing & Services (GEMS): 2 seats
• Graphical, Print, Media & Information Technology: 2 seats
• Health: 2 seats (including at least 1 woman)
• Metals (including Foundry): 1 seat
• MoD & Government Departments: 1 seat
• Passenger Services: 2 seats (including at least 1 BAEM)

Members in the GPM&IT sector will get to vote for our 2 sectoral seats, BAEM and LGBT seats, the women's seat (if you are female) and (if you are in a region with a contested election) one or more regional seats.

I'd like to thank members in my sector for giving me the priviledge of representing them on the EC since I was elected back in 2003.  It's been useful and I'd like to think I've made a difference, but I haven't stood again as I think three terms has been long enough.  To paraphrase Tony Benn, I'd like to spend more time on trade unionism.

There are four candidates standing for the two GPM&IT seats:

• Ged Dempsey (32 branch nominations)
• Tommy Murphy (30 branch nominations)
• Raffiq Moosa (20 branch nominations)
• Dave Lovelidge (10 branch nominations)

I don't know all of them well, as the GPM&IT sector is new, but I have served alongside both Ged and Dave on previous executives.

I'm encouraging members in GPM&IT to support Ged Dempsey.  When we were both on the executive together some years ago, he was one of the few other people prepared to stand up to Derek Simpson.  There's no point electing people who aren't going to read the paperwork, aren't going to think for themselves, aren't going to fight their corner, or aren't going to report back properly and make themselves accountable.  In my experience Ged passed all these tests.  He's a hard working and committed workplace activist.  He's genuinely on the left, interested in making things better for members, not just a position for himself.  If Ged is prepared to stand for another spell on the EC, he deserves our support.

There's a leaflet for Ged here.  In campaigning, it's important you stick strictly to the election rules (see section 2.17).  Don't send unsolicited mail, email or text messages to members at home.  You can distribute leaflets in or at workplaces, put up posters etc, as long as you don't use the union logo or identity inappropriately.  Branches who made nominations can write to their members to tell them who they nominated.

The rules do now allow branches to make donations to individual candidates to support their election campaigns.  Personally I am opposed to this - I don't think it's what members pay their subs for.  I've found donations from individuals and collections at meetings are adequate to fund campaigns, and this method of fundraising has the advantage of forcing candidates to talk to members, rather than relying on the "union machine".  But this was one of many votes I lost on the EC!

Official details of the EC election are on the UNITE web site here.  This includes details of all branches and workplaces that made nominations.

Ged Dempsey and Tommy Murphy are both backed by the United Left grouping in the union.  Raffiq Moosa and Dave Lovelidge are both backed by the UniteNow grouping.

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UNITE Executive Council elections 2014

This week's UNITE Executive Council (EC) meeting decided the timetable and constituencies for the next EC elections, which are due in 2014, with the new EC taking office on 1 May 2014.

The timetable is:

• Despatch of nomination forms: w/c 6 Jan 2014
• Nomination meetings: Mon 13 Jan - Tue 11 Feb 2014
• Last date for receipt of nominations: Tue 18 Feb 2014
• Last date for acceptance and receipt of election address: Tue 25 Feb 2014
• Voting papers despatched: 26-28 Mar 2014
• Last date for receipt of votes: Wed 23 Apr 2014 (NB: this is just after the Easter bank holiday weeked)
• Count: Thu 24 and Fri 25 Apr 2014

Nominations for industrial sector seats are by branches including members in the sector.  Where there is no workplace branch, workplaces including members in the sector can also make nominations.

The seats are allocated based on the number of paying members, making a total of 59.

23 regional seats:

• East Midlands: 2 seats (including at least 1 woman)
• London & Eastern: 4 seats (including at least 1 woman)
• NEYH: 2 seats (including at least 1 woman)
• Ireland: 2 seats (including at least 1 woman)
• North-West: 3 seats (including at least 1 woman)
• Scotland: 2 seats (including at least 1 woman)
• South-West: 2 seats (including at least 1 woman)
• Wales: 2 seats (including at least 1 woman)
• West Midlands: 2 seats (including at least 1 woman)

4 national equalities seats, one each for women, BAEM, LGBT and Disabled members.

32 industrial sector seats:

• Food, Drink & Tobacco: 2 (including at least 1 woman)
• Rural, Agricultural and Allied Workers: 1 seat
• Motors: 2 seats
• Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Process and Textiles: 2 seats
• General Engineering, Manufacturing & Services (GEMS): 2 seats
• Energy/Utilities: 1 seat
• Metals: 1 seat
• Aerospace & Shipbuilding: 2 seats
• Road Transport Commercial, Logistics & Retail Distribution: 2 seats
• Docks / Rail: 1 seat
• Passenger: 2 seats
• Civil Air Transport: 2 seats (including at least 1 woman)
• Finance / Legal: 2 seats (including at least 1 woman)
• Community Youth and Not For Profit: 1 seat
• Construction: 1 seat
• Graphical Print & Media and IT: 2 seats
• Local Authorities: 2 seats (including at least 1 woman)
• Health: 2 seats (including at least 1 woman)
• MoD / government departments: 1 seat
• Education: 1 seat

The December EC will address the question of how the election will ensure at least minimum proportionality for BAEM members in this election (which means ensuring at least 6 seats are filled by BAEM members).

Community and Retired Member Plus members cannot currently vote in EC elections, something that the EC expects to be debated at the next Rules Conference, but this would not be until after this round of EC elections.

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How to shape UNITE policy

The various UNITE conferences going on at the moment are leading many activists who have previously concerned themselves only with issues within their own workplace to try to get their heads round UNITE's structure.

One of the questions I am being asked is where an activist would send a remit (the term now used for a motion or resolution) if they wanted it to become UNITE policy and I'll try to answer this question below.

Don't forget that you don't always need to send a remit "all the way" to the Executive Council (EC) - send it as far as is needed to get the action you want.  For example sectors have autonomy over sectoral matters so a National Industrial Sector Committee (NISC) should be able to deal with most things without needing to wait for approval from the EC.

Policy Conference
Under Rule 12, UNITE holds a Policy Conference every two years, most recently in June 2012.  Each branch and constitutional committee (which means things like Regional Industrial Sector Committees [RISCs], Area Activist Committees [AACs], Regional Committees, Equality Committees but not workplace committees, combines or industrial committees which aren't defined in rule) can submit a motion to Policy Conference, but delegates overwhelmingly come via the industrial sector committees.

Between Policy Conferences
A branch or an individual rep can send remits up through the structure via several routes:

1) To your Area Activists Committee, who can send it on to the Regional Committee, who can send it on to the Executive Council.  This route is best for general issues.

2) To your Regional Industrial Sector Committee, who can send it to the Regional Committee, who can send it on to the Executive Council.

3) To your Regional Industrial Sector Committee, who can send it to your National Industrial Sector Committee (NISC) who can send it on to the Executive Council.  This is best for issues which are of significant concern to your industrial sector.

4) To one of the Regional Equality Committees, who can send it to the National Equality Committee, who can send it on to the Executive Council.  This is best for issues which mainly relate to one strand of equality (i.e. women, disability, LGBT, BAEM, young members, retired members).

5) To one of the Regional Equality Committees, who can send it to the Regional Committee, who can send it to the Executive Council.

More Information
I've gathered a lot of information about UNITE's structures on a separate page.

One effect of the many layers remits have to navigate is that it takes a long time, so it's worth checking the schedule of meetings.  The current system makes remits very vulnerable to a cancelled or inquorate meeting anywhere on its route, which can add significant delays too.  Personally I preferred the system in Amicus where any branch could send a motion directly to the EC.  This, along with the greater frequency of EC meetings meant that there was the potential for the union to be much more responsive.  Of course we didn't get a lot of benefit from this as the Amicus EC often voted down potentially useful motions.

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