It was Facebook what won it

Ever at the forefront of Technology the latest phase of UNISON’s Million Voices campaign has used a range of social media, from YouTube to Twitter. Initial results presented to UNISON’s Campaigns & Recruitment Working Group today suggests Facebook being the most successful having been the biggest single source of referrals to the Million Voices website. Being a bit of a Facebook addict I was surprised because I hadn’t seen one of the adverts, but apparently most referrals came through a farm application which is the sort of thing I block on sight!

I have long argued that UNISON needs to access these media more effectively, and I hope this foray into the modern internet will lead on to more activity.

It seems that there has been a lot of response to this campaign with if I remember rightly over 50 000 extra visits to the Million Voices site in the month after the launch of this phase, which has also led to a significant increase in online joining.

Now I’m not one to think that social media can replace traditional campaigning, the most important part of our Million Voices campaign is going on out in workplaces and communities defending our services from the onslaught to come, but it is an important tool that engages different people in a different way.

How else can be use technology to use political change?

Who will cuts hurt? Million Voices steps up a gear

UNISON is launching the next exciting phase of our Million Voices campaign. The campaign will hit TV's, Newspapers, Facebook and even be projected onto buildings.



There's also a newly revamped website and there'll be facebook adds (make sure you like them)

This next stage is key, as we take a high profile message to the public. The key message being 'Don't Wait to Defend Them' and with the General Election round the corner we need to ensure the public know what's at stack and raises the importance of public spending with their local candidates.

So find out more and add your voice to the million

Who will put members first?

With every candidate seemingly claiming that they are about putting the members first it's worth looking at who can really claim that?


Paul Homes?

The bloggers supporting Paul seem thrilled by the support he's getting. But not from ordinary UNISON activists through their Branches, Regions, Service Groups, etc, but from one Labour MP? That doesn't sound like putting the members first. Or how about Paul's track record on the NEC? Paul failed to even complete his first term on the NEC, choosing to resign rather than sitting with the NEC at Conference were delegates elected by members in their Branches hold us to account as their NEC. Sound more like putting your own interests first rather than the member.


Roger Bannister?

This one is even more cut and dry. Roger is the candidate of the Socialist Party, a revolutionary party who operate 'Democratic' Centralism. For those not in the know this means that he is at the behest of the Central Committee of the Socialist Party. His candidacy itself is all about promoting the Socialist Party and their agenda rather than about winning. That is clearly why the Socialist Party have even refused to work with other extreme-left groups in the election, it's all about them and their sectarian interests. UNISON members and our interests don't seem to come into it at all!


Dave Prentis?

Dave's support does not come from outside parties or cults, but from UNISON members. Dave's website details the members the ones working in our public services, the stewards working on the ground, the Branch Secretaries leading local organising, and UNISON's lay leaders at Regional and National level.

Dave's nominations and endorsements are coming in from across the union; Branches, Regions, Service Groups, the Retired Members, Young Members, Self Organised Groups and of course the National Executive. At all of which he's been supported by UNISON activists and shop floor public service workers that know Dave's record of working hard for our members and always fighting for our interests first and foremost.


That's why I'm backing the candidate that puts members first: I'm backing Dave Prentis

The only real choice - Dave Prentis for General Secretary

So nominations are now open for UNISON's General Secretary.


Now I'm sure it won't come as a surprise that I'm supporting the re-election of our current General Secretary, Dave Prentis.

Over the past 9 years I think Dave has done us proud as General Secretary. Not only because he's well respected, passionate, and dedicated to our members, but he's got the instincts and experience to steer a massive organisation like UNISON to continued success.


You only have to look at Dave's record, membership increasing year on year (particularly healthy Young Member recruitment which I know Dave is very committed to), the unions resources increasingly been shifted towards directly organising our members, high profile campaigns which have successfully got the public on board from Keep the NHS Working to our current Million Voices campaign, in Health our historic Agenda for Change agreement putting all our members in the NHS on an equal footing, developing our commitment to the international agenda supporting sisters unions across the world, and the list goes on.

And Dave is a strong and effective voice for our members to Government. You just need to look at what happened in the summer when the NHS Co0operation and Competition Panel produced their guidance that only a quarter of local health services could be retained by the NHS otherwise it would 'damage the markets', Dave's personal intervention (including leading a delegation of NHS Together unions to meet the Health ministerial team) meant that position was more than reversed with the Health Secretary announcing the NHS was the 'preferred provider' of services.

When you look at the ragtag bunch also seeking nomination, it'd be easy to think there's no contest. As my Branch Secretary put it, 'There is no other choice, it has to be Dave.' But there's no room for complacency.

Our union is about to enter the most important and most difficult period since we came together as UNISON. Public spending is set to be squeezed whoever wins the next election, with our members in the public, private and community sector set to bear the brunt of the pain if we let it. But with a Tory Government (heaven forbid) those cuts will come quicker, be deeper and they've already indicated would come hand in hand with attacking our ability to resist from cutting facility time to further restricting our right to take industrial action.

And in this tough time ahead, UNISON doesn't just need a steady hand at the tiller. We also need and strong determined fighter who can truly serve the interests of our members and not their own factional interests.

That's why I'll be supporting a nomination for Dave at the NEC, my Regional Council and my Branch AGM.


Join us and give your support:

1. Find our more about the campaign and sign up
   
2. Get in touch with your Branch and ask them how and when they're making their nomination (Dave's letter seeking nominations)


3. Support Dave at the nominating meeting (either Branch Committee were your' represented by you steward who you should ask to vote for Dave or Branch Meeting where you can go along and vote)

You can also follow the campaign on Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr

The race is on for UNISON’s General Secretary

The NEC today decided to instigate an election for General Secretary. Not because we’ve lost faith in Dave Prentis. But because rather than press his right to stay on as GS until he reaches 65 (as he’s within 5 years of 65 that is his right under law and UNISON’s rule book) Dave has decided to ensure the union has maximum strength by seeking to renew his mandate for another 5 years.

Now first of all I want to put to bed these roomers flying around that I will be the candidate. I’d like to thank all those why have said they would support me but I’m just loving being a Nurse in the NHS too much to leave it!

No, on a serious note. This is the start of a 5 month process for electing our General Secretary which starts with Branches, Regional Councils and the NEC deciding who to nominate. Nominations open on the 4th February and close on 1st April. Please ensure that your Branch has a meeting between those dates and that nominations are on the agenda. Nominations are a really vital part of the democracy of UNISON’s elections especially for General Secretary so I encourage ALL Branches to get involve and nominate.

Full details including the nomination forms will be coming out very soon.

The NEC approves UNISON's budget but not the Chancellor's

Yesterday's NEC meeting (of which there is and excellent report elsewhere) coincided with the Pre-Budget Report. This meant that as me met and discussed the service and pay and conditions cuts that our members are facing and how we are responding through our Million Voices Campaign, the Chancellor was telling MP's what would be in the budget, and sadly not what was in UNISON's excellent alternative budget.

For me this meant the rare experience of being asked to right an article for progress, the shall we say 'loyalist' Labour website. Now with promises of caps on our members pay and pensions, my reaction to the PBR was never going to be a glowing endorsement of the Chancellor (though of course on the important issue of spending he gets it absolutely right that spending cuts now not only would damage those services but also the economy). As what one of our officers said to me, it's the difficult audiences not the easy ones that are the most important to get to.

Which is fitting given some of the debate around the Million Voices Campaign at the NEC meeting. I had to intervene after another member of the NEC criticised us for allowing Labour MP's to sign up to the campaign, when surely they are a key audience we need to influence? I posed the question of who they think will make the decisions, and will any other political party come to our defence? And I also pointed out that getting the MP's to sign up couldn't be the end point, but that now they (and particularly the Cabinet members) have signed up to a clear statement against cuts and privatisation it is our job to hold them to that.

Ultimately, that's the difference between those of us who want to campaign and win with our members, and those that want to posture and grandstand.

World Aids Day: Remembrance and Action

World Aids Day is an important time to stop and think, and an important moment to be open and honest, raise awareness and dispel the stigma of HIV/AIDS.

I will always remember the first time I wore a red ribbon on the 1st December. I was at secondary school, and I didn't think twice about proudly wearing it in support of people with HIV/AIDS. However it became a struggle to keep it on through the day as kids taunted me for wearing it, saying it meant I had AIDS.

I'd love to think this wouldn't happen today (this was well over a decade ago), but the fact is stigma and prejudice against people with HIV is still rife. That is why World Aids Day and the wearing of red ribbons are still so important, and why HIV/AIDS is still an important Trade Union issue. Like all discrimination, Trade Unions take a hard line. Unions and campaigners were successful in getting protection of people with HIV as part of disability discrimination legislation, but as with all such issues the law is only as good as how it is implemented on the ground. All Trade Unionists need to be continually vigilant against discrimination.

More than this, HIV has become a massive issue for workers across the word. HIV has devastated working people in many developing countries, damaging their ability to live and work and their ability to organise together to make things better. UNISON can be rightly proud of our response and our work with our sister unions internationally. This focuses on supporting Southern African unions in developing their response to HIV through the organisation
Public Sector Unions fighting AIDS in southern Africa (PSUFASA).

So today, lets remember all those who have suffered, think about those who are still dealing with HIV and re-double our support for all the work going on across the world.

End of an exhausting week - The general election starts here

Trains and hotel rooms have been a feature of this week, and I'm now on the train for the West & East Midlands Branch Officer Training Weekend. It's been a good weekend with great comrades all developing their skills in leading our Branches forward.

The exhaustion however come from earlier in the week at Labour Party Conference (as well as the hell of a shift I did at work on Friday when we were so short staffed I had the Matron working on the ward).

As I posted earlier this was a key conference it being the last one ahead of a General Election, and with public spending at the heart of the political debate UNISON needed to ensure our members' voices were taken right in there.

That's what UNISON's Million Voices For Change is about.

Speaker after speaker in the Conference, in policy seminars and fringe events spoke saying the were 'One of UNISON's Million Voices' with the clear message that a million voices is a million votes. Not just the UNISON delegation, but UNISON members from CLP delegations taking that agenda forward, challenging the spending cuts consensus and the privatisation dogma.

That message seems to be getting through, at least to the Health Secretary who reiterated his recent important announcement that the NHS would be the preferred provider, with other providers only being used when the in-house provision had failed to meet the requirements over a lengthy process of improvements.

But we've still got plenty to do especially on the cuts agenda. Labour's welcome commitment to protect 'front line' services is welcome - but the message needs to get through that our 'back office' staff are essential to allow those on the front line to do our jobs.

I pressed the Andy Burnham on who was a front line service in the health policy seminar, with loads of our delegates speaking up for the backbone of our NHS.

But a key message I got from the week was how important it is to keep a Labour Government after the next election. The Sun front page brought home to me how real the possibility of a Tory Government is, making me worried for my job, the services we provide, and the future of my family. We need to look at how we mobilise support for our public services and the Don't Wait part of the Million Voices Campaign is a brilliant start.

We need to make sure our activists know why this political work is important. Speaking to a fellow Branch Chair this weekend, who chairs a police staff branch, she told me how she's turned off by politics. So I spoke about the massive threats there are to Police Staff after the next election. The Tories won't want to be seen to cut police officers for fear of the public reaction so police staff will bear the brunt. We've already heard what the Tories think of PCSO's (Cameron singled them out for criticism in a previous Conference speech)will they survive a Tory Government?

It's these honest and frank conversations we need to be having with all our members, especially our activists. Not singing Labour's praises from the roof tops like they've done nothing wrong, we all know the deep disappointment and anger we feel at many Labour policies. But we need to make the choice clear - Do you trust the Tories with you job and your services?

A key week ahead in Brighton

Having been elected onto UNISON's delegation by the National Labour Link Committee I'm currently speeding on the train towards Brighton for this year's Labour Party Conference.

This is a really important conference given the economic circumstances on top of it being the last before a General Election.

For UNISON we will will be taking UNISON's Million Voices into the heart of the party and making sure we are heard. Our primary issue, and the contemporary issue UNISON has submitted to the Conference, is the public finances and how we can protect public spending and head off damaging and wasteful privatisation.

The mission for the delegation, as highlighted in Dave Prentis's speech to our National Delegate Conference in the same hall at the beginning of the summer, is to make sure that the Labour Party goes into the next election with policies our members can support.

TUC Congress so far

Well we've done a couple of days of TUC now. TUC's not known for controversy and there's only been two speeches against so far (one being a UCU speaker who spoke against the motion on high heals on the basis of what she's read in the Daily Mail rather than the motion!).

We seem to be saving the controversy for the end of the week, the likely flash points being Palestine (where the General Council didn't agree to a suggested more moderate statement), and political representation (which I'm sure will be the most reported).

Today we heard from PM Gordon Brown. Lots of the speech was good stuff, very much ticked the boxes. However as expected the word cuts appeared, and we need to make clear that 'back office' is vital for supporting the 'front line' to do our jobs. The PCS are also concerned about announcements which seemed to be targeted at the highest earning civil servants but would have a damaging effect on their lower paid members.

I have to say I'm not enjoying Congress as much as I have previously, though that's mainly because of the social scene being poorer than usual because of a combination of being in a different city and the recession (unions are a lot less inclined to splash out on free food and drink).

UNISON West Midlands are winners!

This great vid has been made by UNISON West Midlands and has won the TUC's competition. Congrats to the team involved!

Check it out

Sometimes it's nice to be reminded

Now my belief in the the NHS model of free at the point of delivery and delivered by the public sector is fairly unwavering, as is my absolute desired never to work in private healthcare. However it's always nice to have your beliefs re-enforced.


I was out for the leaving meal for one of my colleagues and another had come back for it, having left a few months ago to move to Manchester. She's moved up there to be close to her partner and got a job in a private hospital.

Her stories from just a few months make your toes curl, as a member of staff or a patient:

• The time taken working out how much nursing time you could justify for each patient, sat for hours with a calculator instead of caring for patients.
• The lack of any sick pay, leading to staff coming in when unwell, not just threatening their own health but putting patients at risk.
• The patient who came in the night before surgery only to be told that due to an error he'd been under charged, and would have to make up the difference for his surgery to go ahead. That was £3000 underpayment, having to be paid there and then otherwise surgery cancelled.
• The elderly man who because of complications had a long stay in ITU after his surgery, leading to a call from the insurance company saying that from midnight they'd stop paying.

Well as I told my friend, 'that'll make it into a speech' and they probably will.

NEC's first day - New Presidential Team elected

I'm sure it will reassure members that we once again have a Presidential Team holding the rudder at the centre of the union.

Gerry Gallagher who represents Police and Justice staff on the NEC and has been Vice President for two years has been elected President.

Angela Lynes who represents members in Scotland was re-elected as Vice President and now becomes the senior Vice President.

Eleanor Smith who represent the West Midlands along with myself was elected as Vice President and becomes the first black Vice President of UNISON. I'm very proud of Eleanor as one of our own from the West Midlands and a health member who's Branch Secretary of Birmingham Women's Hospital which is across the road from my hospital.

I'm glad that I will continue on the Policy Development and Campaigns Committee which I have really enjoyed over the last two years.

The meeting continues tomorrow and then the TUC delegation meeting

UNISON's Million Voices for Change

At National Delegate Conference, UNISON launched our Million Voices Campaign, our campaign for a fairer society.





It's a wide ranging campaign, covering supporting people through the recession and building a fairer economy rather than back to 'business as usual'



This is going to be a long term campaign, and the first this we need is for members to add their voices.



Go to www.unison.org.uk/million

Challenge accepted and what looks like an early win from Labour Link Forum

Just on the way back from Labour Link Forum in Manchester.

After Dave Prentis' speech at National Delegate Conference it was clear that Labour Link had a strong challenge ahead to shape Government policy.

The Forum looked in detailed workshops about how to take that agenda forward, particularly at a local level and the our future relationship with local Labour constituency parties.

And it would seem that we may be on to a winner, both Ministers present (Harriet Harman and Ed Milliband) got a grilling on about Transforming Community Services and in particular the 75% figure set for private sector provision. Both Ministers said that they were committed to public provision and it would seem that Andy Burnham wasn't aware of the guidance. Fingers crossed this can get sorted. Real evidence of the effectiveness our our Labour Link, which is only going to get better.

Change of name

So this blog is now 'James's NEC update' and the address is james-unison.blogspot.com

As of 5pm yesterday I stopped being the Young Members rep and took up my new seat representing the West Midlands, which meant I felt it needed an update.

But the blog will continue to keep members up to date on what I do for them in the West Midlands

What a week! Conference done for another year

National Delegate Conference will never be quite what you expect as you head in, and this year was completely different.

On the first day the General Secretary called for a major change of tack in our political work, which the Labour Link structures will be addressing over the coming weeks, particularly at the Labour Link Forum (the conference within the affiliated structures) in two weeks time.

Some real progress has been made on the unions structures, with the creation of the Police and Justice Service Group, the Community Service Group and the merger of Water and Environment and Transport Service Groups, now WET. Conference also redefined Sectors to be our bargaining units, and create Occupational Groups which will cover specific staff groups such as Nursing & Midwifery. It was disappointing that the rule changes that would have given members in sectors proper autonomy over their own pay and conditions fell but I’m sure this will be addressed in future years.

Another big disappointment was loosing the rule amendment which would have allowed the union to expel BNP members within the context of the new employment legislation. This was strangely mobilised against by the left with who seemed paranoid that it was about them and that their own parties could fall foul of UNISON’s most basic objectives of equality. A damming indictment of their own organisations!

After the conclusion of the Conference the old NEC change to the new (so I no longer represent Young Members specifically and now represent the West Midlands), and with all up for grabs the NEC meet briefly at the end of conference to elect the Presidential Team. Unfortunately this meeting could not go ahead because someone who is not a member of the NEC was present, with the support of our far left colleagues. I hope it was a coincidence that in all likelihood we would have been celebrating our first black Vice President tonight and that this had nothing to do with their wrecking actions!

Looking ahead to Brighton - National Delegate Conference 2009

I know from the many Facebook status updates I've seen today that a lot of people are getting ready to head to Brighton, especially those heading to Local Government Conference and going down tomorrow. I thought I'd set out some of the highlights and the things to look out for.

Young Members meeting and social

Young Members get the opportunity to meet other young members at the Conference, hear from the delegates of the National Young Members Forum about things the forum are interested in on the agenda, and get raise any issues.

Young Members meeting 8pm Tuesday in the Buckingham Room at the Hilton Metropole

Followed by the 'Secret Gig' Young Members Social at 9pm with The Perils (but you have to come to the meeting to find out where)

Having decided to shelve our newsheet last year we instead have a social, and this year promises to be amazing! A 'secret gig' with the band The Perils as well as a DJ. But to find out about the venue you have to come to the meeting!

Structures review

Young Members business

The NYMF have submitted 2 motions and 2 amendments all of which will hopefully get heard. First up will be 'Developing our commitment to apprentices' which highlights the work that has been done and what needs to be done in the future. The other motions (which is quite high up what's known as the 'snake' or remaining order of business) is 'Young and Active: in our workplaces, in our union, in our society' which looks at the importance of involving young people in those different aspects including Votes at 16.

The two amendments have been brought within composites (where similar motions and amendments are mixed together into a new 'composite motion') on the Economy and Housing, which takes the specific needs of young members forward on those issues.

Key debates

As I see it here are some of the key issues for debate:

• The Economy - How should UNISON respond and what does it mean for us and our members?
• Tackling the far right - particularly in the light of the recent Euro elections, there is also a rule change to ensure we have the provisions to lawfully exclude and expel members of far right political parties from UNISON
  
• UNISON's Structures - with important changes to make sure our union is relevant to all our members, especially in relation to bargaining.
  

So there's my two penny's worth, back to the speech writing (both on the NHS) and hope to see you in Brighton!

Back from Brussels

Well I'm back in the UK having been at EPSU (European Public Services Unions) Congress in Brussels.

It was hard not to have an eye on what was happening in the UK - what with Gordon Brown fighting off attacks from the right in the Labour Party, our own NEC election results, and of course the Euro election results and the shame of electing fascists in Yorkshire and the North West.

But it was an interesting conference to hear the experiences of other union in Europe. I spoke in the health debate for UNISON, outlining the good things about our NHS, how it has been attacked and the threats to our NHS from EU free-marketeers. The currently proposed cross boarder health directive would seriously damage the NHS's core principles. What was interesting was that in moving the debate our own Karen Jennings (Chair of EPSU's Health & Social Care Committee) was joined by a representative of the European Hospital and Healthcare Employers Association (HOSPEEM) who expressed the employers support for the unions position and their opposition to the marketisation on healthcare.

Just a few days at home now before off to Brighton for National Delegate Conference!

Another 2 years on the NEC

I've had the results of the NEC elections today, and I'm glad to say I've been elected to represent the West Midlands for the next two years. It was a close one, just 19 votes in out of nearly 7000 cast.

And it's going to be an important and difficult time with the continued impact of the recession and tighter public spending, and the very real threat of a Tory Government which would be disastrous for our services and our members.


So the hard work continues. I'd like to thank all those who supported my election and particularly Graeme Horne who stands down in this seat. He's been a great NEC member to work with and I hope I can keep up his good work here in the West Midlands.

It's been a mixed bag of results but overall sensible seem to have made gains, particularly in the Health Seats where the 'trots' have been wiped out. Though some really brilliant NEC members won't be joining us next year and I'm really gutted to have lost some amazing colleagues.

Congratulations must go to Lisa Waldock who's been elected with a much clearer margin for the Young Members Seat.