UNISON Active has reported before about the Notts County branch's excellent campaign against the proposed £33m of budget cuts. There will be a full council meeting on 25 February where the budget will finally be decided, and the branch are determined to campaign all the way up to this date.
In the early stages of this campaign the branch made good use of the union's General Political Fund (GPF) to highlight the £19m the council was spending on agency workers. Now they are using the GPF to fund adverts on bus shelters, local newspapers and to produce leaflets to distribute to the public. You can find out more about what they've done and see their bus shelter ad on the East Midlands region's Local Government Matters blog here. The branch have used the photo of Bert, a real service user, who will have to pay over £28 a week more in service user charges. The ads have been produced under the union's "Million Voices" banner
It is important to remember that ads like these are a compliment to, not a substitute for, workplace and community based face to face campaigning. The Notts County have not forgotten this as over teh past few weeks they've been to dozens of workplaces, attended countless public meetings, worked with local MPs and they are planning a rally in Mansfield and a lobby of the full council meeting.
We've posted before about the use of the union's political funds and this is an excellent example of a branch that has worked closely with the regional and national office using GPF money to deliver an effective and high profile campaign on public service issues that are at the heart of our communities.
Incredibly, when the Political Fund ballot was held a few years ago, Roger Bannister, one of the current candidates in the General Secretary election, actually campaigned to get rid of the union's political funds! If he had have been successful, as well as meaning the current campaign at Notts County would have been starved of funds, it would also have meant we would have no money to fight the BNP.
UNISON activists can be learn two things from the campaign at Notts County. Firstly, the GPF can be used as an effective tool in our campaigns. Secondly it reminds you of the lunacy of the ultra left on yet another issue
