A great week at UNISON’s National Delegate Conference

Well I’m just on the train back from Bournemouth after a really good week at Conference. It was great to see lots of young delegates and I had a really good time at bowling (especially when I got a strike!). I was disappointed that I couldn’t spend more time with the young members there or in fact my own branch who I really neglected.


Speeches

I had two speeches to do on behalf of the NEC. I moved the NEC’s motion on the NHS at 60, I really enjoyed this speech and it seemed to go down well. The debate was generally excellent but I did need to use my right of reply when a delegate criticised the campaign for celebrating the Government’s agenda (which it doesn’t), criticised the NEC for welcoming all Government proposals (which we don’t) and attacked our members in health for their decision to reluctantly accept the NHS pay offer.

I also spoke on Friday morning on Composite G, Gun & Knife Crime. This was a moving and passionate debate with real experiences being told from the rostrum and I was glad to be able to give the NEC’s clear support to this agenda.

On the fringe

I was also asked to Chair the Equality Matters fringe. This was used to Launch UNISON’s draft Equalities Scheme with action plans for every head office department and every region. These are now out for consultation so get involved! We had Kim Silver NEC member who sits on NDMC, Bob Aberley Assistant General Secretary (who sponsors the Scheme) and Gloria Mills National Secretary for Equalities. The Fringe was packed to the rafters with people, which while being great also meant problems from overcrowding and not being able to get everyone in even though we over ran.

I also contributed to the Latin America fringe with my experiences of Cuba and encouraging those there to send members on the brigades.

Young Members Forum business

The National Young Members Forum did really well this year in getting business on the agenda, heard and passed. Our Motion, Celebrating, defending and improving the National Minimum Wage as it reaches it’s 10th year, was the second motion to be heard at conference. In a really excellent debate speakers young and old talked about the minimum wage and the effects of the discriminatory exemptions for apprentices and the youth rates. A particularly powerful speech came from a delegate from the Retired Members Organisation, who are always keen to support the Young Members’ agenda.

The Forum’s amendments on Organising Young Workers and Education & Skills both had great contributions again highlighting issues for apprentices as well as our relationship with the student movement and the HE funding issues around the 2009 review.

Our rule amendment to add environmental sustainability also passed easily and was marked by the planting of a shrub in the nearby gardens by the Forum’s chair Stuart Reeves and General Secretary Dave Prentis.

Rules Debate

One of the most exciting sessions of conference was the Rules Debate on Thursday afternoon. There were a few contentious issues including adding in Disability Officers into the rule book (mostly controversial on the way it would be done rather than the principle) and this failed to get even a simple majority. But the highlight was the amendment on the rules for qualifications for legal assistance which was to change it from 13 weeks membership to 4 weeks. Backed by the NEC and National Young Members Forum this has been attempted for a number of years as it’s a real disincentive to recruitment and a bigger problem for young members. I’m glad to say this achieved a clear two-thirds majority so we finally did it!

Political Funds Debate

The last session of conference on Friday afternoon is used for re-prioritised motions, so motions that the NEC, Regions, NYMF and SOGs prioritise at the conference on things that haven’t been prioritised high enough in the initial stage to get timetabled. Probably looking for a bit of controversy at what was otherwise a very consensual week, a motion on our political funds and the Labour Party was prioritised. A debate pushed by those with no real support for our movement or our members and rather an agenda of supporting their own fringe party the Socialist Party.

The NEC had submitted an amendment to make a review of political funds not about whether we should have them, but about how effective we can make them for our members. Many speeches against this were full of misinformation trying to mislead delegates about our affiliated fund. This included talk our members money lining the pockets of our sponsored MP’S, when UNISON HAS NO SPONSORED MP’S and NO MONEY GOES TO INDIVIDUAL MP’S. Another delegate talked of not million, but millions of millions going to Labour, which while that money would be lovely, is nowhere near the truth (though we all enjoyed asking the chair of Labour Link what he’d done with all these millions). We had great speeches supporting the platform, all telling of their anger with Labour, but of the need to change from within and not be locked out.

Though when the hands went up I had some doubt, our Gen Sec was confident that we had won, which was confirmed when the card vote came back with a clear majority in favour. I’d like to hope then that we can put this issue to bed for a while, however I wouldn’t be surprised if the Socialist Party attempt the very same motion next year!