UNISON National Delegate Conference 2024 - Greater London regional meeting

 

This evening I attended the London Regional meeting in advance of the start of our UNISON National Delegate Conference (NDC) in Brighton. Our Regional delegate Yvonne Green, aided by our Regional Secretary,  Jo Galloway, briefed around 100 of our delegates on conference arrangements and events. 

UNISON NDC is one of the largest independent trade union conferences in the world. There are thousands of delegates and visitors from hundreds of branches, regions and nations, service groups and self organised groups, representing 1.3 million members. It is a huge and immensely complicated event, 

Jim Mansfield, who is our elected London representative on the conference Standing Orders Committee (SOC) gave us a briefing on their report. The SOC runs the conference business and timetable in line with our rule book and legal obligations. 

Some delegates, no doubt genuinely, find it difficult to understand these processes. So do I at times, despite being a conference veteran. But it needs to be run in line with our rules and the law. It is not a "free for all". 

At the end I gave a plug for delegates to attend the UNISON Labour Link meeting on Wednesday evening where Labour Parliamentary Candidate, Tom Gray (a well known musician and no known relative!) will talk to us then lead canvass sessions in Brighton Pavilion. Also, we passed around an information sheet on how London delegates can register to find out further information on how to campaign for Labour in London.

I am at conference as an elected member representing the Community Service Group (Housing Associations and voluntary sector) of UNISON National Executive Council and will look forward to listening to the debates, fringes and guest speakers and of course, meeting and listening to my members.

NEC pre meeting 8.30am tomorrow morning.