UNISON's Kate Ramsden reflects on her first
year on the Congress Standing Orders Committee
So, the close of the 113th Scottish Trades Union
Congress brings to an end my first year on the
Standing Orders Committee (SOC).
It began on a cold day in Glasgow, way back in
January, followed by a series of meetings to prepare
the business of Congress. Motions, amendments,
composites now feature in my dreams!
Congress itself has been a hectic few days -
short spells of sitting around wondering what
on earth is going on, punctuated by frequent bursts
of frenzied and purposeful activity: last minute
compositing; amending unagreed composites; rescheduling
the order of business; dealing with delegates'
queries and considering a vast array of emergency
motions.
The best bit? - bringing delegates together to
thrash out differences and to try and find a consensus
that Congress can throw its weight behind. Mostly
it works - affiliate unions and organisations
can generally find a constructive way forward
and are keen to do so - but not always! Everyone
has been great at making me feel welcome and giving
support.
Dave Moxham, Depute General Secretary and the
secretary to the SOC, is a well oiled machine
for the full three days of Congress - efficient,
hard-working and almost always on top of things!
But always with time to answer a range of questions
from the rookie on the team.
Brian Boyd, who chairs the SOC has also been
generous of his time and his experience and it
has been a pleasure working with him too. He was
also generous enough to be absent for the seventh
Standing Orders report, leaving me to move. Yeah,
thanks Brian. "Seventh Standing Orders Report,
" - do you know how hard that is to say?
My thanks also go to Helen and Emma of the STUC,
who both work tirelessly throughout Congress and
in the weeks and months before, and who have kept
me right on a whole range of things.
And finally I have been privileged to serve on
my first SOC under the presidency of Martin Keenan.
He has made me feel involved and welcome right
from the start and has chaired Congress with a
lightness of touch, humour and humanity throughout.
Thanks Martin.
I have been re-elected to the SOC for next year's
Congress and by then I won't be the "new girl
on the block!" There will also be three of us
on the Committee then - a full house! I can't
wait!
This has been a great experience and, whatever
it says about me, one I've thoroughly enjoyed.
I've learned heaps and I hope I've pulled my weight.
Roll on next year!
