After hearing the speeches of both candidates, I voted in favour of nominating Christina McAnea. The NEC voted overwhelming for Christina to be our nominee.
In the next few weeks UNISON branches, regional councils and service groups will be voting on who to nominate to this absolutely key position in the union. Please attend these nomination meetings and please support Christina. I will post further on why.
I had been re-elected as a NEC Community member with my colleague Denise Thomas and we voted in this important election.
These are not just honorary or ceremonial positions, the new Presidential team are the most senior lay activists in the largest union in the UK, providing leadership for over 1.3 million members.
I was more than pleased that the following were elected with clear majorities.
Catherine McKenna – UNISON President James Anthony – Senior Vice President Debbie Rowden – Junior Vice President
The NEC pre meeting went well and I was in the conference hall for the 9.30am start (Tuesday start is 10am). I am sitting on the front row on the far left (in joke) on the NEC platform (facing) next to my UNISON Community colleague, Denise Thomas.
Thankfully, Conference was today also chaired by the super competent, former President Maureen le Marinel.
The Standing Orders report went through quickly and there was only a little of the time wasting we experienced yesterday.
Unfortunately, the miserabilists continued to promote, in my view, anti-Labour, pro Tory and pro Reform propaganda at every opportunity in debates but such is life. I genuinely don't think it did them any favours.
Our General Secretary, Christina McAnea, gave a great and well received GS speech to conference which resulted in a standing ovation. Under Christina, for example, we have seen an increase in our membership, successful strikes, £162 million in back pay for members being upgraded and also (in my world) a fantastic victory for LIVV Housing Association strikers. They won a 8% pay rise, an improvement in terms and conditions and a wider commitment to look into banning the absolutely disgraceful anti- trade union human rights abuses that LIVV carried out.
During lunch I attended a fringe on organising and supporting workers in social care. Two Cymru/Wales Region care workers described the dreadful problems that migrant workers experience from employers and unfair visa rules.
Before conference restarted after lunch, I handed out leaflets for the UNISON Labour Link Rally that evening. I had a really good response and it was so nice to get so much positive feedback from delegates,
Our keynote international conference speaker was Lee Saunders, the President of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Our sister union across the pond. He gave a lively, passionate and barn storming speech which got everyone also on their feet.
Motion 12 was the last to be debated today "All we ask is to be treated with Dignity and Respect". I have lost count of number of UNISON Conferences I have attended and while I have sometime thought that some of the speeches I have heard are "inappropriate" I never thought I would hear delegates at our conference (last year) being allowed to suggest that up to 40,000 UNISON members in our Police Civilian staff are all violent racists and bigots, as well as being useless and should be sacked!
Wow. Union members being allowed to openly call for other union members to be sacked?
The debate will continue tomorrow morning.
This evening I went to the Labour Link Rally and listened to Christina, Maggi, and Employment Rights Minister, Justin Madders, explain exactly what is really happening with the Employment Rights Bill.
Please ignore the Tory/Reform miserabilists untruths.
If you are a UNISON member and work for a Housing Association or Charity then please consider voting for Denise Thomas and John Gray as your NEC candidates.
Also think about supporting other Members Together candidates and those who genuinely want to put the real interests of members first, work with our General Secretary, Christina McAnea and genuinely want to build and grow our union to deliver for members.
For other recommendations in other services groups, regions and self organised groups :-
All members will have a vote for their region, service group, black and disabled candidates. Young members will also have a vote for their forum candidates.
REGIONAL SEATS
Eastern General, Female, Low Pay Reserved
Glenn Carrington, Debbie Rowden, Sam Hemraj
East Midlands General, Female, Low Pay Reserved
James Minto, Debby Taylor, Leanne Weatherley
Greater London General, Female, Female Low Pay Reserved
Eddie Brand, Sonya Howard, Clara Mason, Ablola Kusoro
Northern General, Female, Low Pay Reserved
Linda Hobson, Janet Green, Helen Firman
Northern Ireland General, Female, Low Pay Reserved
Alastair-Long Margaret McKee Catherine McKenna
Scotland General
Willie Docherty
SERVICE GROUP SEATS
South East General, Female, Female, Low Pay Reserved
Theo Michael, Kerry Stothart, Fatima Kamara, Sarah Barwick
South West General, Female, Low Pay Reserved
Nell Guild, Alison Evans, Wendy Walker
Cymru/Wales General, Female, Low Paid Reserved
Glerin Pappas, Tess Morris, Michelle Edwards
West Midlands General, Female, Female, Low Pay Reserved
Rob Birch, Julie Lawton, Nicola Moran, Deanne Wheeler
Yorkshire & Humberside General, female, Female, Low Pay Reserved
Rhlan Hawthorn, Kerri Tierney, Julie Marsland, Emma-Lee Baylls
Community General, Female
John Gray, Denise Thomas
Energy General
Tracey Wainwright
Health General, General, Female, Female
James Anthony, Bryn Webster, Michelle England, Hetty Okonjl,
Higher Education General, Female
Dan Beard Amelia Rout
Local Government General, General, Female, Female
Justin Ashton, Andrew Coughlin, Maxine Young, Jenny Whittaker
Police, Probation and Cafcass General, Female
Phil Williams Karen Poole
Water, Environment & Transport General
Natalie Mladenovlc-Halgh
BLACK MEMBERS SEATS
Black Members Female, Female, Male, Low Pay Reserved
Manjula Kumari, Tansalm Hussain Gill, Ash Silverstone, Marla Alberts
DISABLED MEMBERS SEATS
Disabled Members Female
Lady Lola Oyewusi
10am the seminar started with Sector meetings. I attended the Housing Associations one and we had a speaker from LIVV Housing Association UNISON who are taking extensive strike action against their employer to reverse real term cuts in pay. LIVV have behaved appallingly and not only are they refusing to meet and try to conciliate but are actively attacking strikers and the union.
While no-one expects an employer to simply agree to all union demands, what LIVV senior management and board are doing is deliberate union busting, by offering a pay rise ONLY to people who don't join or leave the union. Not being discriminated for joining a union is a fundamental human right (United Nations ILO declarations). If you don't respect the human rights of your workers then you are not fit to run in any way any organisation in my view, never mind one supposedly with a social purpose.
No wonder "Housing Associations" (when there are actually many very good ones who would never act it this way) are hated by so many, across the entire political spectrum. Who on earth is advising them to do this? How can human rights abusers be allowed to run services for vulnerable residents?
There were "new delegate" and then equalities caucus meetings over lunch then the Seminar itself started afterwards. Our General Secretary, Christina MacAnea, gave a simply brilliant and inspiring speech followed by a wide ranging Q&A. The way she has been treated following her personal bereavement by some extremists has been truly shameful but I am so glad she is back and standing up for the union and our real members.
Joseph Evans from the IPPR spoke about sectorial bargaining in other parts of the economy. This issue is so important to our sector and I spoke on this debate the next day at the actual conference.
After the seminar there was a regional meeting of Greater London Community delegates then a social in a nearby pub.
Highlights was the well received speeches by our Labour Prime Minister, Keir Starmer and our General Secretary, Christina McAnea, as well as a number of other UNISON and other speakers.
I went to a lunch time fringe on "The digital trade union" organised by @digitcentre . I was late due to on online @unisonclarion meet on T&Cs. In that meeting with members we discussed setting up a WhatsApp group. When I arrived at fringe they were discussing merits of TU WhatsApp!
Brilliant picket line this morning at Greenwich and Lewisham hospitals. Applauding the courage and commitment of these workers. Time for @LG_NHS to do the right thing and pay them fairly
This meant that some elected NEC members felt felt they had to leave the platform to try and support and comfort delegates who had been told in these "speeches" by a tiny number of far left extremists, that effectively they were useless at work and should be sacked.
The NEC Presidential team did nothing to protect these Members and stop such comments.
I have been going to UNISON conferences for 20 years or so and have never seen any thing so disgusting and shameful.
Soon we should get major change in the way we run union elections since the Labour Government has committed to allowing us to bring our elections process up-to-date with modern electronic and workplace voting. This should increase participation and turnout.
Hat tip UNISON votes to renew political fund | Article, News | News | UNISON National
JG This is great news for all trade unionists and civil liberties. This morning I was at a meeting of the UNISON NEC in our head office in London. Our General Secretary, Christina McAnea had just started her report to us when she announced she had just been handed a note about this mornings Supreme Court Judgement. Well done to Community member, Fiona Mercer (centre) as well as the UNISON members, staff and legal officers who had spent the last 5 years fighting this injustice.
"Judges have told employers they’ll no longer be able to discipline their staff for taking part in legal strike action in a UK Supreme Court ruling today (Wednesday), says UNISON.
The union, which took the case on behalf of care worker Fiona Mercer, says the government must now act quickly to change the law and ensure no other employees are treated unfairly.
Today’s judgment follows a two-day hearing in December. UNISON took the case to the Supreme Court to overturn an earlier Court of Appeal decision. The union had argued this had left the UK in breach of international law and striking employees without proper protection.
The Supreme Court judges were scathing of the government’s failure to provide the minimum protection UK workers should have been granted, says UNISON.
UK law prevents employers from sacking employees who take legal strike action, but until today, it offered no protection to anyone subsequently picked upon for walking out in a dispute.
Fiona had originally taken a case against her then employer, Alternative Futures Group (AFG), a charity based in the north west of England, to an employment tribunal in 2020.
She had been involved in a dispute over AFG’s plans to cut payments to care staff who did sleep-in shifts. Fiona’s employer wasn’t happy, singled her out, suspended her and barred her from going into work or contacting colleagues during the action.
Fiona’s case wound up at an employment appeal tribunal (EAT) in 2021, which found in her favour. It said UK law must protect her from being victimised for going on strike.
That should have been it, says UNISON, as the charity had then decided it wasn’t prepared to proceed any further.
But the then business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng intervened and took the case to the Court of Appeal, which subsequently decided to reverse the EAT decision in March 2022.
Back to where it started, UNISON sought permission on behalf of Fiona to take the case to the highest court in the land, and this led to the judgment handed down today.
UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “This is the most important industrial action case for decades. It’s a victory for every employee who might one day want to challenge something bad or unfair their employer has done.
“Rogue bosses won’t like it one bit. They’ll no longer be able to punish or ill-treat anyone who dares to take strike action to try to solve any problems at work.
“No one strikes on a whim. There are many legal hoops to be jumped through first. But when a worker decides to walk out, they should be able to do so, safe in the knowledge they won’t be victimised by a spiteful boss.
“The government must now close this loophole promptly. It won’t cost any money and isn’t difficult to do. Today is a day to celebrate.”
Fiona Mercer said: “I’m delighted at today’s outcome. Although it won’t change the way I was treated, it means irresponsible employers will now think twice before behaving badly towards their unhappy staff. If they single strikers out for ill-treatment, they’ll now be breaking the law.”
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I have high hopes for 2024 – 12 months of campaigning for UNISON’s Year of LGBT+ workers and for a national care service, securing pay deals across all public services and a general election that will push the chaotic Tories out of Westminster and bring in a new government.
A new government is a must for our members and for our public services. Our NHS, schools, local councils and emergency services are on their knees and stuck in a state of crisis. The current government’s legacy is one of slashing jobs, squeezing budgets, and falling living standards for millions of working people. We need a Labour government that will rebuild our public services, put workers first with a new deal for working people and create a national care service.
Campaigning for that change in government will be a big part of our mission this year, but we won’t let election fever take over our daily task of fighting for our members’ pay and conditions. Day in, day out, our activists and organisers are supporting members in workplaces across the UK, and our teams in head office are mounting legal challenges, influencing politicians, preparing campaigns and helping members when they need us most.
We’ll also be celebrating our Year of LGBT+ workers in UNISON style – continuing to be loud and proud against homophobia and transphobia, and ensuring that UNISON always remains the best trade union for LGBT+ public service workers.
And later this year, there’s something that every working member can get involved with. From 22 April to 17 May, voting will be open for your representatives on UNISON’s service group executives (SGEs) – the lay leaders who decide on campaigns, pay claims, strike ballots and industrial action. Ahead of that member ballot, from next Monday (8 January) until 9 February, branches can nominate their preferred candidates.
Our SGEs are so important in UNISON. They’re powerful groups of activists that keep UNISON with you throughout your working life, campaigning for fair pay and conditions, safe and healthy working conditions, job security, work-life balance, equal pay and against discrimination.
So if you want some more new year’s resolutions, here’s two for you – have your say in UNISON’s SGE elections and get involved in our Year of LGBT+ workers activities that will be taking place throughout 2024.
From everyone in UNISON, we hope you have a happy, healthy and successful 2024".
