National Executive Reports
NEC NEWS SUMMER 2006, Jane Carolan
Middle East Crisis
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NEC member Jane Carolan
Reports August 2006
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UNISON has lobbied the British Government extensively
on the need for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East. The union
has expressed the view that what is happening is a humanitarian
catastrophe leading to the massacre of innocent women, children
and men. As the crisis started, the union lobbied the Foreign Secretary
Margaret Becket to call on the British Government to add their voice
to the international call for an immediate ceasefire. In addition
the union has worked through the TUC to ensure that the trade union
movement has a unified response, culminating in a statement agreed
at the TUC General Council on July 26th.
The lack of a response from the Government has led
UNISON to step up its efforts with the General Secretary Dave Prentis
writing to all Labour MPS (2nd august) to put pressure on the government
as the crisis intensifies. To quote Dave "We in UNISON cannot
understand our government’s lack of action. What is our government
waiting for?"
Pensions –
Judicial review
The union now has a date for the judicial review of
the changes that have proposed to the LGPS by the employer’s side,
particularly in relation to the claims that the scheme breaks the
new age Discrimination Regulations. Negotiations in the meantime
on the new look scheme are continuing, all be it very slowly. Keith
Sonnet and Heather Wakefield are continuing to lead the negotiations
on the unions behalf, with a team of lay members from the Service
Groups involved.
State Pensions
While the union has been deeply concerned with the
LGPS, the State pension scheme has been the subject of government
consultation, and the results will affect all of our membership.
UNISON’s main points to Government have been support for:-
- Reintroducing the link between the state retirement pension
and earnings.
- Retention of the state second pension, based on a publicly
administered scheme where savers have strong representation
- Action to assist women and carers by reducing the qualifying
years and improved carers credits.
- Compulsion in Employers contributions
However we remain opposed to the increase in the state
pension age beyond the current level of 65, and will campaign against
these proposals.
NHS Pensions
After a lengthy period of intense negotiations, conducted
under the PSF Agreement a new scheme has been proposed and is the
subject of consultation among Heath group members. A series of regional
briefings will take place between September and November.
Equal pay
All branches will have received the union’s advice
on the Allan judgement against the GMB. It has been reported that
the case will go to appeal early in 2007; in the meantime some of
the cases that have been brought against UNISON are likely to be
heard in the autumn.
Following the judgement the union has decided to review
the Equal Pay Strategy and the Protocol advising branches on how
to proceed. The review will be conducted under the auspices of the
Service Group liaison committee that has the remit from the NEC
for dealing with such matters, reporting regularly to the PDCC and
the NEC.
NHS Crisis
Our colleagues in the South are facing an unprecedented
level of upheaval within the NHS with the latest round of "reforms"
paving the way for further privatisation, budget crises and job
cuts. While UNISON continues to support reforms designed to improve
patient services the government has stuck to an ideological blueprint
that seeks only the increase in private sector involvement within
the service, without any consideration of whether such reforms are
of benefit to anyone but those who make a profit out of them. For
more detailed information on the problems, www.UNISON.org.uk/healthcare
UNISON is at the forefront of the fight to save the
Health Service under the slogan "Keep our NHS working".
Leading a coalition of all the unions in the Health Service, including
those not affiliated to the TUC such as the BMA , our union is preparing
a rolling programme of action and it is hoped that the programme
will be one that is rolled out jointly. Urgent lobbying of the government
at the highest levels is continuing on a regular basis.
While health branches will obviously have a lead role
to play in providing the focus for local campaigns, it is being
emphasised that the NHS is a UNISON issue, as we are all service
users. The national union is providing detailed campaigns assistance
and materials to local branches, and to date a number of successful
local rallies have been held, most recently in the socialist (?)
citadel of Cheltenham where over 10000 took to the streets.
In addition the coalition is planning a series of
major national events. These include
- Parliamentary Lobby Oct 2006-
- National Demonstration Early 2007.
- TUC fringe event
- Labour Party fringe event
For Scottish branches, there may be a tendency to
wish them "Good Luck" and let them get on with it. However,
it was MPS from the Scottish back benches who proved to be the trump
card when the government had a problem getting a majority on the
issue of foundation hospitals. If Scottish branches don’t take the
trouble of lobbying Westminster on the issue, it will be MPS representing
Scottish constituencies, who may well support the Westminster Government
again, much to the detriment of the NHS and our colleagues who work
in it. WE DEFINITELY HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY.
National minimum wage Target
In accordance with the agreed procedures, the Policy
Committee and the Service group liaison committee have begun the
consultation for setting the union’s minimum wage target in preparation
for our next presentation to the Low Pay Commission. This will consider
its recommendations for the minimum wages rates to be set in OCT
2007 and 2008.UNISON takes strategic approach that encompasses examining
all the indicators including half male median earnings, the Living
wage figure, rates across the key UNISON bargaining agreements,
rates in comparator groups, (such as the Civil Service) and the
negotiating policies of our service groups.
Our target as a union is set as both the basic negotiating
target and our target for the minimum wage. This provides a realistic
target around which to campaign and negotiate and which highlights
the inadequacy of current pay and minimum wage rates.
All regions and service groups will have the opportunity
to comment.
REDWATCH
Redwatch is a fascist website that encourages violence
against anti fascists in the UK, often using photos and the names
and addresses of individuals. UNISON activists have been named on
the site and been subject to harassment. Other cases, for example,
have seen trade unionists featured on the site subject to violent
physical attacks, including one Liverpool anti fascist who was subject
to razor slashing.
UNISON and the TUC have called on the government to
ensure that internet service providers block the site by denying
access to the site in the UK. (It is hosted in the USA). Due to
a loophole in the law sites such as Redwatch are not covered by
the governments E-crime strategy which focuses on child pornography.
However laws such as the Public Order Act and the Protection from
Harassment Act could be brought into play. We have been pressing
the government to take action and to plug the gap in the law. The
Home Office have agreed to futher consider the matter and have agreed
to consider asking for FBI cooperation . Further meetings are due
in October.
(Further information is available on www.stopthebnp.com)
TUC CONGRESS 2006-
Following two meetings of the delegation, it has been
agreed that the UNISON motions to the TUC will be on:-
The motions are chosen to represent the union’s major
priorities as we move into the autumn campaigning season. In addition
we are allowed two amendments and I would hope that it would come
as no surprise to anyone that one amendment is on Pensions particularly
the unfinished business with regard to the LGPS, and the other on
the Marketisation of Education.
Congress itself takes place 9th till 14th
September
RESTRUTURING OUR UNION
Following a motion passed at conference 2005, a lay
project team has been looking at the measures to make the union
"Fit for purpose" in 2006 as opposed to the structures
that were invented in 1993, given that the world and the services
that we work in have changed meantime. The group held a seminar
at the beginning of July and have come up with a set of proposals
that will be circulated to regions for consultation. The consultation
will form the basis of a report to conference 2007.
Should any branch or member have comments or questions
based on this report, or just have general questions about what
the NEC is doing I can be contacted at
j.carolan@UNISON.co.uk
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