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STUC 2010

 

 

Keeping Congress on track

Kate Ramsden
Kate Ramsden

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!

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