UNISONScotland
positions on all the main issues
Delegates' Briefing
This briefing, compiled by Scottish Region delegates
Mike Kirby and Karie Murphy, is based on policies set by Scottish
Council and a briefing approved by Scottish Council earlier in the
year. It is intended as a guide to branch delegates.
It will reflect Scottish Council policy and will
assist the two Scottish delegates in their discussions and negotiations
with other regions, the NEC and the Standing Orders Committee. The
guide cannot mandate Branches who may have different policies. However,
it may assist delegates in taking an overview of Conference.
The general line is to support motions unless listed
to oppose. Comments have also been made against important issues
for support. If you need any help, advice or assistance during Conference,
do not hesitate to contact the Scottish Council delegates.
The twelfth National Delegate Conference will take
place one month after a general election. The period leading up
to that election saw the union in good form with the re-election
of Dave Prentis as General Secretary, with 75% support of the those
voting, an overwhelming vote to continue the political fund and
a massive vote to defend public service pensions, with the threat
of multi union action.
A lot of what we expect from a third term New Labour
Government was included in the Warwick Agreement. The challenge
will be to secure delivery and engage to influence the developing
debate on the future of public services, as determined by the UK
government, devolved administrations and Europe.
The National Delegate Conference will develop these
themes and others of internal significance, across organisation
and collective bargaining, terms and conditions, pensions and health
& safety in addition to an unusually well laden section in international
trade union and social solidarity.
With the few exceptions highlighted, the agenda
should provide broad consensus.
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IMPLEMENTATION OF NATIONAL RECRUITMENT STRATEGY MOTIONS 1, 2,
4
The Recruitment and Organising Strategy (1) plans organising for
growth around key campaigns and the key role of shop stewards in
this is developed by Edinburgh City Branch (2).
Amendments from Wales and Edinburgh focus on financial and organisational
support, which branches can access in regions, and recognise particular
issues in the Community and Voluntary Sector which the Scottish
Committee is currently addressing. A further motion from Greater
London (4) in organising migrant workers would build upon the work
pioneered in Scotland with the Overseas Nurses Network.
IMPROVED REPRESENTATION MOTIONS 6-9
The challenge for the union of responding to the changing shape
of the delivery of public services is taken up in motions 6-9 with
the North West developing a Woman's Place in the union (9) and Scottish
Water (7) calling for a transportable membership. Other superficial
or spurious motions in this section are unlikely to be debated.
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING MOTIONS 18-42
Collective Bargaining issues for debate include Pay, Pensions,
Health & Safety and Equalities. Tackling various discriminatory
pay systems, of gender, race and age are addressed with Glasgow
calling for increases in the National Minimum Wage targets (18),
although this was the subject of a full consultation prior to a
submission to the Low Pay Commission, and Edinburgh an increase
in paternity leave pay (20).
But (19) the inclusion of apprentices may be a demand too far at
this stage of opposing wage for age debates.
Pensions provide the largest single raft of policy motions
where 21, 24, 26, 29, 30 and 33 seek to defend current provision,
review the need for a more portable pension in the light of changing
services (29). Scotland's motion (31), which seeks greater worker
participation and control of pension funds if these issues are to
be fully pursued, will be taken up at conference, with a presentation
on the American trade union experience. Amendments from Glasgow
Local Government and others will seek regular up-dates on the Pensions
Review in case further action is required of the membership.
Current policies on Lone Working, Bullying, Sickness Absence
and Equalities are developed in 25 - 42.
REORGANISATION OF PUBLIC SERVICES MOTIONS 44-47
Schemes to protect members subject to externalisation, privatisation
and transfer are in 44-47. The question is whether they add a great
deal which will merit prioritisation and debate.
PUBLIC SERVICES MOTIONS 48-61
The section 48-58 and particularly 48, amended and updated to take
account of recent government announcements on the two-tier workforce,
efficiency reviews (50) and calls for renationalisation of utilities
(58) are more likely to be prioritised for debate. Also in this
category are Privatisation of Education (59) and Developing a UNISON
Vision of the NHS (61).
POLITICAL INFLUENCE MOTIONS 62-64
In criticising the New Labour Government's manifesto, the NEC (62)
sets out a UNISON agenda, which will be augmented in some areas
by Scotland and Yorkshire and Humberside e.g. more on combating
child poverty and teenage social exclusion. However motion 63 (Warwick
Agreement) is a thinly veiled attack on the union's approach to
critical engagement with government, which was rehearsed by the
candidates in the General Secretary Election. If not amended to
take account of early delivery of Warwick e.g. two-tier workforce,
it should be opposed.
Motion 64 on Political Fund Review could be amended in the light
of resounding retention results from UNISON and other unions.
RACISM AND ASYLUM MOTIONS 65,69
The NEC calls for a rejection of the BNP (65) and resolves to continue
the union's anti-racist work at its core activities. As Conference
is in Scotland, it is appropriate that Scotland condemns the practices
at Dungavel (69), one of the UK detention centres located in Lanarkshire.
CAMPAIGNING MOTIONS 70-94
The plethora of issues covered by the campaigning part of the agenda
will obviously be radically affected by the prioritisation process
which should see the following topics float to the surface. Civil
Liberties and the end to detention without trial (70); No 2 ID
(75) which may merit Scottish amendment to highlight the impact
of devolution and the Scottish Executive's commitment (sic) not
to require ID to secure access to public services e.g. health unlike
Westminster; extending the demands on employment rights (82 & 83)
which have not progressed in the second New Labour term of office
and raising the profile of work-life balance (88).
The varying perceptions of the impact of a Single Equality Act
(93); and updating advice on domestic violence (94) as a trade union
issue, where Edinburgh City Branch seek recognition of the position
in Scots' Law and to remove the stigma of hopelessness conveyed
by "victims" to "those experiencing domestic abuse", are also in
this section.
EUROPE MOTION 96
Scottish Council's recent resolution, which feared the consequences
of adopting the European Constitution for the future of public services,
is encapsulated in the NEC motion 96, which calls for this debate
and position to be promoted amongst the membership and more widely.
INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MOTIONS 112-132
The variety of topics covered by the 24 motions submitted on international
trade union and social solidarity are all worthy, but will be affected
by prioritisation and the likely few are around:
112 Iraq which reflects what the Scottish Committee heard
from Iraqi Trade Union visitors to Scotland in October, with the
additional demand of working for the withdrawal of British troops:
120 Palestine, recognising recent political changes and
its centrality to peace and justice in the Middle East and the world;
Make Poverty History (127-129) is the major trade union
international issue as the G8 meets in Gleneagles; and UNISON was
instrumental in a major conference on Southern Africa in 2004 to
work with regions affected by HIV/Aids (132), a theme which the
convenor and secretary brought back from a visit to South Africa.
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT MOTIONS 137, 138
Many branches employ staff and the provision of a payroll service
is important but can be provided by banks without requiring HQ intervention
(137). The call for an increase in regional lay activity funding
(138 - oppose) is superficially attractive, but should be viewed
against the report being prepared by the NEC as a result of a Scottish
motion to '04 Conference. There will be an interim report in 2005
and a final in 2006, with results for lay activity and resourcing
the regions and service groups, to take account of devolution.
CONFERENCE MOTION 139
At the end of another Conference Agenda, with its repetition of
debate and policy, alongside the demand for more regional resources,
we find the call for a review of the efficiency of annual conferences
from Northern Ireland (139). It deserves a hearing and a report
to 2007. Where the Lambeth amendment seeking regular reports of
action on decisions is helpful, the Somerset amendment would rip
out an essential part of the Review.
RULES
Rules, rules, rules are the essential ingredient of an anorak's
agenda. Most are "tidying up" with the exception of (8) - which
was adopted by Scottish Council in February last year. But oppose
(3). Why should a self-organised groups have greater access to conference
agenda than a region? Biannual branch elections (15) may reduce
an accountability, which is a principle not necessarily translated
into practice in a universal review at branch, regional or NEC level
(oppose).
Fixed penalties in disciplinary cases (19 & 20) may seem superficially
attractive and at one with judicial procedures, but we deal with
different standards of proof and circumstance.
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