This morning I went to our regional committee meeting in Hugh Parry Hall, which is just around the corner from the UNISON HQ in Mabledon Place (and Camden Town Hall).This is a business meeting of the regions elected lay representatives and the full time senior management team. My role there is as the lay regional Finance Convenor and I have to present the Finance report. Some of the stuff we discussed is confidential, other stuff I can report back on.
Good news about recruitment. It appears that the introduction of full time local area organisers is already making a difference. Early days yet, but most (not all branches) find it very difficult to run effective ongoing recruitment campaigns because they are simply overloaded with responsibilities and fire fighting emergencies. Dedicated and focused organisers are, I think, a God send to hard pressed branches.
The well received regional initiative on computer memory sticks will be extended by making sure that all new stewards who attend training will get one. Data on the stick includes links to key website addresses and templates, flyers, PowerPoint presentations for inductions, guides to producing newsletters etc. I think this is a really good initiative which is being looked at by other UNISON regions. The cost of the memory sticks is also being brought down.
On Pay – Local government NJC is with ACAS, 2.45% paid on account pending arbitration. In Scotland they have just accepted a 2 year deal of 3% and 2.5%. In Further Education members have accepted a 3.3% offer. Probation has just accepted a 2 years deal (I didn’t note details). OFSTED are undertaking a 3rd wave of industrial action short of strike action. The Meat Hygiene Service is balloting on a 3 day strike and in Health we have submitted evidence to the Pay Review body to trigger a review in cost of living.
NHS Restructuring – NHS London has started consultation on future provision of trauma centres and reconfiguration of PCTs.
Pension Governance – there will be a regional briefing in January 2009.
Service Group Liaison – A private sector seminar planned for Saturday 14 March 2009 (I must try and attend).
Race Action Plan Working Group – The Challenging Racism Project Plan will be re-launched starting with 5 branches across all service groups.
Equalities Seminar – was held on 22 October and was well received, the only criticism being that the say should be longer to enable delegates to attend more workshops.
Campaign against the Far Right – The region continues to work with both Unite against Fascism and Searchlight. It supports members in the GLA following the election of Barnbrook. Now focusing on European elections where the fascists think they can win in London and the North West.
Labour Link – working with TULO (Trade Unions Labour Liaison Organisation) also focusing on European elections, and the borough elections in 2010.
Regional Policy Day – A very good day (check this post).
Branch and Regional Structures Review – a new branch assessment process will come into effect in January 2009.
O&A Sessions in Regional Council – decisions by elected Regional Council Officers (including yours truly!) announced at start.
Next was my Finance report which today was for “noting” only. It was as usual pretty boring. When I attempted to explain the decision by the Regional Finance Team to spend £3,300 on purchasing materials for use in future strike activity, I itemised the materials bought as barricade building kits; Molotov cocktails; gas masks; hand guns, AK-47’s, portable guillotine etc – but no one was listening.
We had reports from the NEC and a discussion about the next regional Council meeting on 9 December. We then discussed the only motion received for debate at the council meeting, called “Global Financial Crisis”. There had been one other similar LOB motion CALLING, SUPPORTING and DEMANDING which had been thankfully ruled out of order for being clearly outside rule.
Our job at the regional committee was to discuss whether or not this motion should be supported and if we should recommend amendments. I was really pleased that we had a fair exchange of views and debate on this issue and in the end the right decision was made (i.e. the forces of light and reason won).
The main controversial issue (not the only one) was a call in the motion for the permanent Nationalisation of the Banks. While in the past such motions would have just been supported without comment since the silent majority of UNISON members were not represented on such committees or the few reps that did attend often felt it was pointless to argue against such nonsense since the motion would just be ignored in any case.
Today, I was pleased to see committee members argue that nationalising the banks is just meaningless words and gestures which means nothing to our members who are actually facing the consequences of the financial crisis.
I argued that nationalising the Banks is not the answer; I didn’t think that civil servants would make a better job of running Banks than the whiz-kids who have just mucked them up. Instead the major reason for the crisis was a failure of ownership and regulation. Nationalising the Banks (who the state arguably now own big chunks already) means nationalising our members pensions and insurance policies. What went wrong was that owners of capital (me and you) were not allowed to exercise our rights and responsibility of this ownership. Our money was misused and abused in the interests of short term personal bonuses by the people we employed supposedly to look after it.
One member of the committee spoke movingly about his own personal experience in the last financial crisis when he lost his home due to repossession and that this motion is just empty words which would have meant nothing to him during that painful time.
After this, we had a series of good reports from, self-organised groups, young members, sub-committees and Labour Link, but I’m all “blogged” out and can’t face any more typing.
Still, a very good meeting and many thanks to Gloria (and Conroy) for chairing it.
