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Manchester 2011

 

 

National Delegate Conference 21-24 June 2011

 
 

UNISONScotland positions on all the main issues

Lilian Macer Mark Ferguson
Lilian Macer
Mark Ferguson

Regional Delegates to National Delegate Conference, Convener Lilian Macer and Mark Ferguson, preview the main debates at National Delegate Conference.

Branches, regions, self organised groups, retired and young members and the National Executive Council have submitted 124 motions, 17 Amendments to Rule and associated amendments to the conference agenda.

The experience of recent years is that conference will manage to discuss between 30/35 or so of these motions, many of which will find themselves in composites agreed by the bodies submitting the original motions.

Therefore if your favourite is not discussed below, it is unlikely to be debated first time around and the only alternative will be in the reprioritisation exercise. This will take place on Wednesday evening/Thursday morning, for Friday afternoon business.

Priorities

The Scottish Council meeting in April agreed Scotland’s priorities. The Standing Orders Committee (SOC) has balloted regions, the NEC, self organised groups, National Young Members’ Forum and the National Retired Members’ Committee on what motions should be prioritised for debate at the National Delegate Conference. Ony these prioritised motions will be on the agenda.

Pensions 21-27 and 85

In March hundreds of thousands of people stood up for public services at the TUC march in London. Now we must mobilise many more to defend our pensions.

The government’s strategy on pensions is clear. They want us to:

  • pay more
  • work longer
  • and get less when we retire.

As you would expect there are a number of motion on pensions: 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27 with motions 21 Scotland and 22 Manchester LG being prioritised, the likelihood being we might see a composite on pensions. This will, as expected, be a priority for NDC this year given the proposed savage attacks on our members’ pensions provision.

We face a number of attacks on the Scottish pension schemes including: a change to the way pension increases are calculated - RPI to CPI - that has cut average pensions by at least 15%.

An increase in retirement age that doesn’t reflect the demands on many public service workers.

Abolishing pension protection for workers who are forced to transfer to another employer outside the public sector and changes to fund governance and cost sharing provisions with employers.

The motions from Scotland, Oxford City and Lambeth call for a coordinated campaign which should include legitimate industrial action in defence of our pensions.

As we know only too well the majority of public sector pensioners receive a pension of less than £5,000 and that half of the women in the NHS scheme receive less than £3,500. That is why the action in the motion from Newcastle City (22) calling for a campaign to address the public sector pension myths is important in raising awareness within the general public.

State Pension provision is covered in motion 85 by the National Retired Members’ Committee who raise concerns at the ever-increasing discrepancy between the basic state pension and the poverty threshold.

Health 57-63

UNISON remains fundamentally opposed to the government’s plans to bring about a massive top-down structural reorganisation of the NHS in England that favours markets and competition over integration and cooperation. Government plans represent a move to wholesale competition. This will undermine attempts to provide more integrated care both within the NHS and between health and social care.

The application of competition law means the NHS is likely to become increasingly mired in wasteful litigation. Motions 57, 58, 59, 60, 61,62 relate to the proposed reforms in NHS England and 63 also relates to NHS England but focuses on the relaxation of the 18 week Referral to Treatment target.

The NHS will become increasingly subject to European competition law, meaning that instead of devolving responsibility to the local level, government plans will permit the EU a greater say in the way the NHS is organised.

Recruiting And Organising 1-3

Motions 1, 2 and 3 will focus on the union’s organising strategy ensuring it is fit to cope with the onslaught of savage cuts will have on our current and future members. Recognising, despite the challenges we face with jobs under threat as a consequence of the savage cuts to public services, we must maintain our commitment to our organising strategy.

Public Services 30-40, 44 and 47

Within this section there are a number of motions that will find themselves on our agenda to be debated as a priority: 39,34,33,36,30,40,44 and 47.

Motion 39 focuses on mutual and social enterprises ensuring that branches have sufficient resources to prepare and support members with the challenges these provisions might bring.

Motion 34 illustrates the disproportional effects women suffer as a consequence of the Tory-led attacks on public services. It highlights the need to produce gender-specific materials raising the effects on women and support branches in undertaking Equality Impact Assessments to fight against service and job cuts.

Motion 33 looks to expose David Cameron’s twisted concept of the ‘Big Society’ and lays bare the hollow truth that there is nothing in this for the advancement of a fair and equal society built on inclusion and participation.

Motion 36 stresses that the Coalition Government’s cuts are driven by a political ideology, not economics - a continuation of the 1980s and the Thatcher years.

Motion 30 is the National Executive Council’s flagship motion on Public Services which highlights the inequalities that have materialised as a consequence of the Government’s cuts agenda. The motion calls on the union to work with local communities and other trade unions to campaign for a fairer society based on sustainable quality services.

Motion 40 on the future of local government services facing an ideological attack from the Tory led government, needs everyone of us to be prepared and ready to take on the challenges this will bring to branches and regions. The Institute of Fiscal Studies describes this attack as “the longest and deepest sustained period of cuts since the Second World War”.

Motion 44 from the National Women’s Committee again highlights the disproportionate effect cuts to public services have on women and in particular the cuts to Sure Start.

Motion 47 from the National Disabled Members Committee highlights the severe restrictions which have been placed on support offered to disabled employees through Access to Work as a result of funding reduction.

Economy 67, 68 and 76

Motion 67: ‘Cuts are not the cure’, says the National Executive Council. This is likely to be composited with Aberdeenshire’s motion and a Glasgow amendment. Maintaining vital public services, sustainable economic growth and investment to get people back to work, fair taxation and a commitment to rebuilding our manufacturing base will offer a alternative to the ideologically driven economic programme by the Condem government.

Motion 76 recognises the issue in relation to individual groups as a consequence of the financial crises and calls for the NEC to continue to actively oppose cuts in the Welfare State. Aberdeenshire’s amendment focusses on child poverty.

International 87, 89

Motion 89 from the National Executive Council highlights the positive role UNISON played in promoting justice for the Palestinians within the trade union movement and wider society. The motion further calls for UNISON to work with other organisations within existing policy on Palestine to pursue a policy of critical engagement with the Histadrut union.

Motion 87 on the international campaign against public service cuts has an amendment from Scotland which strengthens the motion in terms of UNISON policy on EU economics and raises the profile of our education activities.

Employment Rights 79, 81

Motion 79 from the South West Region recognises challenges facing the trade union movement to organise and bargain on behalf of members. The motion calls for the NEC to promote the value of collective bargaining to ensure fairness, reduce inequalities and tackle poverty.

Motion 81 on defending our right to take industrial action submitted by the Eastern Region is further supported by an amendment from Scotland.

Privatisation 28

Motion 28 on the abolition of the two tier code which protected our members who were outsourced is condemned by the NEC motion which deplores the Tory approach to procurement and further outsourcing of public services.

Campaigns 65

Motion 65 calls for campaigning with the community and voluntary sector against the government’s cuts agenda. The motion calls for all branches to engage with members in the workplace to mount a community based campaign in support of vital services.

Equalities 101

Motion 101 from the National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Committee recognises the progress in equality under the last Labour government but calls for a number of actions to increase recognition of the equality agenda.

Health and Safety 17

Motion 17 from the National Executive Council is extremely concerned by the approach the current government is taking towards health and safety and calls on the union to ‘mainstream’ health and safety, linking it closely with the organising and bargaining agendas within branches and regions.

Civil Rights 106

Motion 106 submitted by the Northern Ireland Region recognises the strategic challenge to the UK government’s attacks on its people and highlights that our public services are the main vehicle for enshrining fundamental human rights in general and in social and economic terms.

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