Third day (Thursday) of UNISON National Delegate Conference. In the morning there was a row over the Standing Orders Committee report which led to a temporary suspension of business.
Then there was a briefing session on “Equal Pay” led by General Secretary Dave Prentis. Obviously equal pay is a key issue not least because trade unions, full time officers and even their branch activists have had legal action taken against them for allegedly failing to represent their members properly over equal pay agreements. I have heard that bailiffs have been knocking on the doors of branch secretaries at 6AM in order to serve summons on them personally. It was made clear that UNISON would back any branch officers under such an attack. We heard that “no win no fee” solicitors are evening encouraging people to join unions so they can sue them! I didn’t hear any mention of this wheeze the earlier debates on encouraging recruitment. Must remember to give that one a miss.
Baroness Howells gave a sobering and very dignified speech on the Bicentenary of the transatlantic slave trade.
Good debate on fighting the BNP. GLA delegate Alan Freeman made an excellent contribution, ending with something on the lines of “some people may not vote Labour because they can’t forgive Blair, but if they don’t vote Labour and let in the BNP they will never be able to forgive themselves”. This went down very well.
Ironically this debate was followed later that day by a UNISON rule change amendment during which a delegate referred to black people as “coloured” which quite rightly upset many people.
In another rule Change debate a proposal to “bash the NEC” and restrict their right to propose motions was knocked back.
After conference there was an official fringe event “Are we the “New Capitalists?” which I chaired with speakers David Pitt-Watson (see photo right - joint author of “The New Capitalists”, Chief Executive on Hermes, the in-house fund managers for BT and Post office, former assistant director of the Labour Party). Mo Baines, UNISON rep on the Greater Manchester LGPS scheme had to pull out, so National Officer Colin Meech stepped in. There were about 30 people present, mostly UNISON pension trustees or member reps on the Local Government Pension Scheme. I’ll try and write something up properly later about the fringe, but David’s precise and analytical arguments about workers capital and citizen investment were I think pretty convincing.
This is the
Synopsis from Amazon about the book (£18.04 including postage.
“Thanks to the rise of mutual funds and retirement plans, the actual owners of the world's corporate giants are no longer a few wealthy families. Rather, they're the huge majority of working people who have their pensions and life savings invested in shares of today's largest companies. These grassroots owners have ideas about value that differ from those of tycoons or Wall Street traders. And corporate directors and executives are coming under increasing pressure to respond. The New Capitalists provides examples - from GE to Disney to British Petroleum - of enterprises whose shareholders have recently wielded their control in ways unimaginable just several years ago. Authors Stephen Davis, Jon Lukomnik and David Pitt-Watson describe how civil ownership will profoundly alter our world - including forcing the rise of a new species of corporation. It has already begun demolishing old rules and habits, laying the groundwork for a new "constitution of commerce." The authors spell out conventional thinking destined for extinction - and fresh strategies companies must implement to survive in the emerging "civil economy." They also outline how investors, advisors, activists, and policy makers can make their voices heard”.
A delegate remarked afterwards that usually fringe events are “for the converted” yet this event was a genuine attempt to discuss and debate new and radically different arguments.
Went for meal afterwards at the
Regency Restaurant on the seafront near the Holiday Inn Hotel. A fantastic good value traditional fish restaurant. Recommend it, most of the restaurants around the conference centre are pretty poor (loads of visitors - no repeat business?).
Ended up at the traditional end of conference bash laid on by the Scottish region in the Metropole Hotel (also the joint Southern regions were having a function). The hotel was packed. See picture of me drinking with some members of the “1st Health Brigade” (led by Che Guevara look alike, Commander Mickey Crouch) and London Region Young members Convener, Sarah Lewis (sitting).
This is a little unusual but an interesting tale - I think anyway. Last week I was on holiday in the Cotswolds and went for this 7 mile Pathfinder country walk round Ilmington and Ebrington. It was a lovely bright, blue skies and sunshine day. Half way into the walk I stopped off to have a look around the 13th Century St. Eadburgha Church.
Visitors Comments book by Keith Cardwell. Who had come to the Church on the 25 May this year to say a prayer for his old friend, Alberto Korda, who had died 10 years ago on this day. 
Visitors Comments book by Keith Cardwell. Who had come to the Church on the 25 May this year to say a prayer for his old friend, Alberto Korda, who had died 10 years ago on this day. 
