My NEC Report to UNISON Community Service Group Executive (SGE) 28 November 2018

Dear SGE Members

Further to my last NEC report to SGE on 3 October 2018. Apologies for the lateness of this report and that I will only be able to stay for a short while at this meeting since I will have to travel to Birmingham to attend another UNISON meeting (in order to ensure that quorum is met).

In this report I hope to outline my attendance and activities as an NEC member on National sub-committees and other bodies that I am a member of due to my position as a lay elected NEC member.

TUC Congress in Manchester 9-12 September

This year I was a UNISON delegate to TUC congress. The annual “Parliament” of the Trade Union movement which took place in Manchester to honour the 150th anniversary of the first ever Congress. I have made various reports on my personal blog for example https://www.johnslabourblog.org/2018/09/tuc-congress-2018-celebrating-150-years.html

Policy Development and Campaigns Committee (PDCC)

This is one of the most important strategic UNISON NEC committees. As is suggested by its name it researches, debates and recommends to the NEC on our key policies and campaigns. We met last week and discussed over 40 reports and recommendations including Brexit, Housing policy, privatisation, anti-racism etc.

UNISON Industrial Action Committee (IAC)

I was elected as Vice Chair by NEC colleagues of this important committee. The Chair and Vice Chair (both of us are lay members) approve all requests by Branches and Service Groups for industrial action (including Strikes). I am pleased that we have never rejected any request, however that doesn’t mean that we don’t have some comradely exchanges from time to time with branches and officials on the detail of some requests.

UNISON Staff Pension Scheme Trustee

I am a trustee of this scheme as an employer (NEC) representative and Chair of its Investment & Accounts sub committee. The scheme is in my view a model of pension good governance with 50% of the trustees appointed by the employer (UNISON) and 50% by its staff (the recognised trade unions). I think that all pension trustee boards (including the Local Government Pension Scheme) should have similar governance arrangements.

National Labour Link Committee

I am elected as a NEC representative on this committee by those who are Labour Link political fund levy payers which also met recently and discussed regional reports, impact of trade union bill, Labour Party business and Parliamentary work.

UNISON Welfare Board of Trustees

UNISON has its own self-help charity for its members called “There for You”. I am one of the NEC Trustees for the Board (and new link Trustee for Wales). “There for you” gives fantastic support for our members who are going through health, personal or financial crisis’s and its work makes me so proud of our union.

Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) Service Group Liaison Forum

I am currently Vice Chair of this forum via the PDCC which is dedicated to protecting and promoting the LGPS and Capital Stewardship issues.

NEC meeting

Due to another calendar clash I was not able to attend the UNISON EC meeting on 17 October 2018 but there is a very good report on the UNISON Website here

https://www.unison.org.uk/news/article/2018/10/nec-october-2/

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you wish to discuss any aspect of my report or any other NEC related issue.

John Gray
NEC Member Community (General Seat)

TUC Congress 2018: Tuesday Day 3

Still catching up on posts about last week's TUC Congress. After a "late night" on the Monday following the UNISON TUC delegation social (and aftermath) I was in Congress for the 9.30am start on the Tuesday but a little slow on "twitter" for some reason.  

I was really pleased at Congress for the support for "Show Racism the Red Card’s Wear Red Day, which this year will be on 19 October.

Lunchtime, I went to the "digital transformation for unions" fringe where Chair, Jenny Andrews, of Unions21 made it clear that we have to learn from Darwin survival of the fittest theory and as a movement either "adapt or die" to digital change (I sort of agree but not totally). 

Alison Charlton from UNISON digital team spoke about the quote that when digital transformation is done right, it is like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly but when it is done wrong, all you get is a really fast caterpillar.  She also made a really important practical point that don't just ask what people want from digital - but instead ask what is the problem & what do they want to achieve?  Her role as a professional is to provide the digital solution.

Ali Melanie from the NUS said the next big human rights issue will be on our data rights. People are still trying to grapple with the concept of "Ethical digital". He answered my question to the panel on how to deal with all the digital "babble" out there by saying we need to try and compartmentalise the information that unions send out to make it relevant. 

When an assistant general secretary from a more "traditional" union (who many years ago I was on an WEA Employment rights course with him) asked how he can digitalise union circulars sent out to members? Ali asked in apparent all seriousness "what is a circular?". 

I was interviewed by Dr Jeong-Hee Lee, a researcher from the Korean Labor Institute about collective bargaining in Local Government! We also discussed the UK Labour manifesto on this topic. She interviewed me a few years ago when she was researching her PHD. I was given a lovely gift for taking part in the survey. A traditional Korean image on a USB stick (see bottom right on college).

Shadow Chancellor, John McDonnell MP, received a standing ovation after announcing to Congress on how he will be able to pay for nationalisation & public services. He has found the Tory Government Magic Money Tree in the Cayman Islands. He will dig it up and bring it back to UK to be planted!

In the evening I went to the "People's Museum" for the Daily Mirror fringe on the fantastic "Wigan Pier Project". It tracks where the author George Orwell went in the 1930s when he was researching his famous book "The Road to Wigan Pier". George wrote about the hunger and poverty he found at this time, while the project has followed in his exact footsteps and compare his findings with the dreadful child poverty, homelessness and unemployment in modern day Tory Britain. 

TUC Congress 2018: Day 2

A somewhat random selection based on my tweets from Monday.

Frances O'Grady TUC leader in her speech to Congress calls for a 4 day working week for 21st Century. Just as in 19th century the TUC successfully campaigned 8 hour day & in 20th-century for weekend off & annual leave.

Also, she told Mrs May. "If you won't give us the New Deal that working people demand, then stand down. And take your ‘do nothing’ government with you. Give us a General Election. And we’ll do every thing in our power to elect a Prime Minister who will".

UNISON leader, Dave Prentis, while moving composite 7 "Public Services Outsourcing - Lessons from Carillon calls for an end to privatisation and making demands of Labour too. A day one commitment to abolish the divisive, destructive, disastrous policy of privatisation. No reviews, no reports but an immediate end!

Lunch time I went to "Show Racism the Red Card" fringe. Chaired by UNISON Liz Snape & 1st speaker UNISON Roger McKenzie. Last speaker UNISON Liz Cameron. The meeting was packed. Sign of times with growth of racist football lads alliance?

Finished off with evening fringe at Midland hotel on pensions chaired by Henry Tapper. First a short history of pensions then some home truths about the appalling miss-selling of unsuitable investments to British Steel pension holders. Surely this fraud this must be a criminal offence?

While fascinating presentation on new pension scheme for Royal mail workers based on dutch and Canadian models.

UNISON delegates had their delegation social later.  A good time was had by all.

TUC Congress 2018: Celebrating 150 years

I am at the TUC Congress in Manchester as part of the UNISON delegation which started at 4pm
today. This is the 150th anniversary of the 1st ever Congress which was also held in Manchester which is why we are back to celebrate.  Then only 34 delegates gathered nearby to discuss

The Congress guide reports this year that there are 519 delegates from affiliated trade unions. 268 Male and (only) 251 Female.  UNISON has has 57 delegates. 21 Male and 36 Female.

You can check out the business programme of Congress here and final agenda here.  As usual there are a number of fringes during lunchtimes and evening which I will try and attend as many as possible.  There is also a large exhibition hall full of stalls.

Despite falls in membership in recent decades, the TUC still represents a massive 6.23 million UK workers. Last year there was a welcome small increase.

Unions are as needed now as much as they were needed in the past. UNISON published today research on Housing and how it is now practically impossible for most public service workers to afford to buy a home. The Bank of England restricts mortgages to a maximum of 4.5 times their income. This means that for example NHS cleaners or teaching assistants cannot afford to buy anywhere in any English region. All unions have unfinished business to complete on behalf of their members.

Picture above of TUC President Sally Hunt from the UCU who gave her address and received a well deserved standing ovation.  Afterwards she mentioned the campaign by a TUC delegate who is also the Granddaughter of one of the Match Girl 1888 strikers (Sarah Chapman) who is buried in Manor Park, Newham without a headstone. Sign the petition here to provide one.