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.

Fighting the BNP with every vote cast tomorrow

Since I became active politically, anti-BNP work has been a continuous part. From getting most of the windows in the big student area at Birmingham Uni displaying posters saying that fascist are not welcome – to this year spending hours at the computer calling members about the BNP.

UNISON has again produced our own materials aimed primarily at our members and their families, with a focus on the BNP and their affect on public services as well as their general nastiness. These have gone around the two hospitals I work in and seem to have gone down well. And as with last year we are the major supporter of the Hope not Hate campaign with Searchlight and the Daily Mirror. This activity gets out beyond our own membership and into the community and is really excellent campaign with brilliant materials and an excellent and intelligence lead anti-BNP strategy.

The fight this year was always going to be a tough one, which UNISON has been planning for a long time, but the events in politics over the last weeks and months have made our fight all the more difficult.

I’ve spent some time this week on the phone to UNISON members in the West Midlands. My region is a high target for the BNP and they came closest here in the last Euro’s. I’ve been asking members whether they’re likely to vote tomorrow and I’ve often heard that people aren’t planning to vote this year because they feel they’re all as bad as each other. Now hopefully these members have been talked round and will get to the ballot box tomorrow (I gave up on the one women that was about to leave the country to go on holiday, bit late to arrange a postal vote). But there will be many others feeling just like that.

I have been motivated this year by the real fear that I will wake up to a BNP MEP (not literally wake up to one you understand), representing me in Europe with their vial racist, homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic, disablist hate.

But that won’t happen if anti-racists turn out in numbers at the ballot box and defeat the fascists.

If you’re not going to vote BNP then you need to vote for someone. Obviously that you’ve voted is great, but who? I make no secret about my Labour Party membership, but I genuinely believe that a vote for Labour in Europe is a vote for people who genuinely represent the interests of our members. From equalities legislation to protection for agency workers, from help to reduced maternal mortality to fighting for the right of LGBT people to celebrate their identity in Pride events, Labour MEPs have shown they are on our side.

Don’t let racists speak for you – Vote in the Euro (and county elections if you live in one) and reject the racist BNP

Politics needs to change – it needs to put YOU first!

I’m on my way home from London at the moment having had three really good and important meetings, the Policy Development and Campaigns Committee, the Campaigns and Recruitment Working Group and National Labour Link Committee.

And the key message from all of these meeting is that in the light of all of the different thing going on in the world, things need to change. At PDCC we agreed the next steps for our response to the global economic crisis, being building a significant campaign around the ‘Putting YOU First: a million voices for change campaign’, the leaflet that has been produced already puts across the message that the PDCC has developed around building a fairer society and the importance of public services in a recession and the recovery. PDCC decided that this would be UNISON’s key campaign priority for at least the next year, if not three.

The Campaigns & Recruitment meeting then had the job of looking at the campaign in more detail. Key issues were raised about how we make this campaign real and meaningful for our members and how we support branches to deliver the campaign locally. It was agreed that materials wherever possible would be adaptable to local circumstances and issues. We also wanted to make sure that the campaign would go along side existing activities branches are being asked to do, so that we don’t increase the burden on branches – activities such as recruitment, talking to members, e-mail and other online communications. We also want it to be a campaign that all the different parts of the union can support, so well be looking for this to be discussed in each region, service group, self-organised group, retired members and of course young members.

Today was the Labour Link Committee and as well as the important topics of European/Local Election and Anti-BNP work, our parliamentary campaigns such as the Equality Bill and the Health Bill, arrangements for Labour Link Forum (where we are supporting every motion!), and Labour Party Conference, there was of course a big issue of expenses (MP’s not mine – I don’t have a moat to clean even if I could claim for it). The anger in the room reflected that in the public, but was also accompanied by disappointment and betrayal. There was a feeling that lessons should be learned from the European Parliamentary Labour Party, who in the light of problems with that expenses system agreed to their own extra provisions for transparency and decency. I put forward that the structures of the Labour Party should take control of this, and our members of the Labour NEC should take that strongly to their next meeting, including provisions for de-selecting MPs where necessary. Only bold action can help Labour recover from this, and I think that we in the party ourselves need to take that action to try and regain some credibility with the public, and recognise that our party and its membership are fundamentally decent despite what our representatives sometimes portray.

For me both these issues are united by the increasing disconnection between a ‘political elite’ and those of us they are supposed to represent. But I don’t think that should put us off from politics, but it should make us get more involved and claim back our political power.

Minimum Wage - some increase better than none and apprentice recommendation some cause for celebration

Today the Low Pay Commission have published their recommendations for the national minimum wage - and the Government have responded.

Against powerful and sustained business lobbying the LPC have recommended increases, though incredibly 'modest'. The increases are a disappointment but the increase at all can be regarded as a moderate success.

So the rates will be: (health warning on percentages - I've worked them out myself so my maths might be wrong)

• 22 and over can look forward to an increase from £5.73 to £5.80 an hour (7p! - 1.22%)
  
• The rate for 18 to 21-year-olds will also rise from £4.77 to £4.83 (6p! - 1.26%)
  
• For 16 and 17-year-olds, the rate will rise from £3.53 an hour to £3.57 (4p! - 1.13%)

Disappointingly there has been no movement on the age differentials, other than with the Government finally accepting the LPC's recommendation that the adult rate starts at 21, though this wont be implemented until 2010.

The real good news is the recommendation to include apprentices within the National Minimum Wage. UNISON, together with our campaign partners, have made strong arguments about the protection of these workers and the low pay commission has taken on board many of our arguments. The Low Pay Commission has asked the Government to ask them to look in detail at the arrangements for a rate to cover apprentices and its implementation in its next round. The Government has not yet accepted that recommendation and says it will respond in the summer when it sets the LPC's remit.

This means that there is now an important piece of work UNISON needs to do with our partners to make sure that the Government accepts the recommendation. Then it will be key to make sure that the provisions really support apprentices.

Last young members weekend

This weekend was my last young members weekend, as old age comes ever closer.

It was as always a brilliant weekend, and with record numbers of young members in attendance. One of the brilliant things about the Young Members Weekend is that the delegates range from the experienced old timers like myself to young members for whom the weekend has been their first activity within UNISON.

I helped to organise a fringe with the Cuba Solidarity Campaign were we showed the film which was made about our trip to Cuba last year.

For the first time this year we had a speaker from the Government, with Hazel Blears popping across from Salford. Government speakers at UNISON events are always controversial, and with all that's gone on Hazel was no exception. But she did really well, and it was really interesting to hear about what had brought her into the trade unions (NALGO at the time) and what had got her involved in politics.

A key part of the weekend is for regional groups to come up with action plans we're going to deliver back in our regions. This year these plans were presented back as 'Young Members Got Talent', with the best (though not the winner) was the West Mids with our song about our planned Hope not Hate activity.

As part of the close of the weekend I was asked to say a few words. I was surprised how emotional I got, particularly as I thanked those who have supported me to get more involved with Young Members and helped me get to where I am today. I particularly thanked Fiona Smith (Chair of the National Young Members Forum when I started on it and now NEC member for Scotland), Anne True (the NYMF Chair when I was Vice Chair and going on to be Asst. Regional Convener and then UNISON staff), and Angela Bowen (a fellow NYMF member when I started and now NEC member for the North West) and used them as an example of how getting involved with Young Members can then lead on to getting involved in the mainstream union.

I talked about three important elections and what we needed to do. The first being the NEC elections which close on Friday, emphasising how important participation in our elections are, making sure everyone returns their ballot. Secondly the European and local elections on June the 4th and the importance of voting against the BNP and helping to mobilise the anti-fascist vote. Thirdly, and most importantly, the General Election which is ahead in the next year. I emphasised the danger that the conservatives pose to our members and our services and the need to do whatever we can to keep them out of power; ultimately that means making sure we return the Labour Party to Government.