Consensus Conference - well, most of
the time
 Consensus
and a common purpose was the theme of this year's Conference.
A good thing when we have huge fights ahead of us on pensions
and defending public services.
However it does make for a bit of a dull Conference.
Lively debate broke out on the public services, pensions and
international debates but the defining point in the week was the
moving and inspirational speech by Thabitha Khumalo of the Zimbabwe
Congress of Trade Unions.
Contributions like that put so many things into perspective.
We often struggle to organise in the workplace. We can face victimisation
and we do support and represent members who have experienced gross
injustice at the hands of their employers.
But we face nothing like Thabitha. We don't usually face arrest,
beatings or torture for being a trade unionist. If we did, would
we be able to manage it with Thabitha's strength of purpose and
humbling dignity? How would we stand up to the murder and torture
faced by our other trade union comrades in Colombia?
We may not face the same adversity but this week demonstrated
we do have a role in supporting colleagues who do face that adversity.
Financial and practical support for Zimbabwean trade unionists.
Working with a range of organisations to support and defend the
democracy in Venezuela that has brought so many benefits to its
people.
And most significantly, we have a huge role in facilitating dialogue
between Palestinian and Israeli trade unionists. We saw that at
the STUC and we saw it again this Conference. Perhaps the context
was not as fraternal but that only served to show how important
it was to bring people together.
As Mike Kirby said, "We deplore violence against people, violence
from any quarter section or state against any people. We can seek
to influence Governments but we cannot determine what happens.
However, we have seen in parts of the islands where we organise,
that trade unions can bring people together."
Conference started with a key debate on the underfunding of social
care and a demand for the investment to ensure high quality and
free personal care in the 21st century, provided by well trained
and well rewarded staff.
The union then set out its wide-ranging agenda for defending
and building world class public services.
The government has missed opportunities to implement truly radical
reforms and is reverting to the failed outsourcing and privatisation
of the past. General Secretary Dave Prentis warned Labour that
it could not take union support for granted and would lose the
next election if kept to that agenda.
The failed policies of the 'market' are destroying the principles
of our NHS. Marketisation was roundly condemned. Scotland pointed
to the successes of bringing staff back 'in-house'.
But none of this can be achieved acting just on our own. The
pensions debate highlighted the need for unions to work together
and the union also set out a strategy for more co-operation between
public service unions in the future.
Protecting migrant workers and the continuing fight against racism
was also high on the agenda. The hard work of UNISON activists
on the ground in combating the poison of the BNP was recognised
by Conference.
The energy debate reminded us of the range of services our members
work in but also the key issues for safe and sustainable energy
for all of us.
Conference also called for a higher profile for Health and Safety
and recognised and valued the work of our 20,000 Health and Safety
reps.
The continued fight to defend council housing was the last debate
of Conferebce with a special mention for Edinburgh where tenants
voted to reject stock transfer.
There were few fundamental differences in debate and the enormity
of the challenges we faced perhaps drove forward the consensus.
Where there was debate, a recurrent theme was the need to leave
the past behind and concentrate on new strategies for the future.
We have set out a host of those strategies this week.
John Stevenson
Chair Communications & Campaigns Committee
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Lillie backs young members as first-time speaker
 Retired
member Lillie McNaughton roused Conference with her first-time
speech in support of full rights at age sixteen, along with the
right to vote.
"Conference, I am definitely not sweet sixteen but I am
hopefully still sweet - and young at heart”, said Lillie.
"At sixteen people can be in employment and paying taxes.
It is only fair therefore that they have an opportunity top vote
for the politicians who make the vital decisions about how those
taxes are spent”.
Lillie had Conference laughing and applauding when she asked,
"Why should all our young people have to move to the Isle
of Man if they want to vote at 16? The Isle of Man is very pleasant
but would get terribly overcrowded if this happened”.
"Lillie McNaughton was the Convenor for police staff on
Strathclyde Region but was never a Conference delegate before
becoming a retired member activist”, Strahclyde Police and Fire
Branch Secretary Raymond Brown told us.
So this was Lillie's first Conference speech and she didn't
use the tactic of telling Conference that!
In a lifetime of union activity, Lillie has faced adversity and
overcome illness. She is an inspiration to younger activists and
showed that in her passionate delivery to Conference.
Raymond Brown also told us her age but we're not telling!
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Conference calls for solidarity with Venezuela
 Conference
expressed overwhelming support for the National Union of Workers
(UNT) of Venezuela as the legitimate voice of the working class
and committed itself to promoting solidarity with the trade unions
of Venezuela.
"UNISON has a proud record of standing shoulder to shoulder
with trade unionists in Latin America," Angela Lynes, Scottish
NEC member told conference.
She described the progress which has been made in Venezuela under
the leadership of Hugo Chavez and his government. The constitution
introduced in 1999 has led to huge increases in education for
adults and children, free healthcare initiatives and a drop of
nearly 40% in postnatal mortality rates. 150,000 people in extreme
poverty are now able to eat daily for free.
Angela called on conference to show support and solidarity for
Venezuela and its programme of social reform. "We must continue
our work in support of the important social change taking place
in Venezuela by supporting broad based organisations working with
Venezuelan trade unions."
 Elaine
Wishart of Edinburgh City also called on UNISON to work with a
broad range of organisations to support the people of Venezuela.
She reminded conference that UNISON's links with friends and colleagues
in Palestine and South Africa are well known.
"In the past we in UNISON gave support to Chileans and continue
to give support to Cubans, and for the past few years we have
given support to increasing the profile of the affronts to democracy
currently taking place in Burma," she added.
She appealed to conference to give the same commitment to supporting
Venezuela.
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