“We must organise our union to have one mindset about what is happening in this country and to challenge it in everything we are doing” was the powerful message delivered by Dave Prentis when introducing the report on Defending Public Services at UNISON’s National Executive meeting today.
“This is why our union was created” he said, but reminded the NEC that challenging the current onslaught will be a process and not an event and that we need to be ready for the long haul, as he outlined all the challenges we now face. “Millions of public service workers helped put this government in and a majority believe that the cuts are inevitable and that there is no alternative.But UNISON knows there is and we have outlined that alternative and through our leadership we need to now bring all this together”
Building our strength and taking forward our agenda, not only against all the cuts in public services “but on the attack on trade unionism in this country” is now our priority Dave said.
Highlighting the hypocrisy of Boris Johnson who would not be London mayor today if his plans for trade union ballots were applied to him, he also detailed the lies made before the election by the Tories and Liberals. “These need exposing as we now witness them introducing some of the most draconian attacks ever on the NHS and all our essential services. They have made a political decision to cut spending, it is simply not about the deficit. This government is for ideological reasons cutting public services, no others” Dave argued.
“The ‘haves’ are swinging the pendulum back to themselves against the ‘have not’s’ and our job as a union is not only to deal with all the specific attacks, but to unite and campaign for the alternatives that exist” he said.
During a lengthy debate many members of the NEC recognised that whether we like it or not the coalition won a majority of votes in the last election and the object of any campaign must be to win another majority to oppose and defeat its policies. Appeals for immediate national marches will be meaningless stunts. For ordinary members such demands are off putting not mobilising and the real priority, as Dave Prentis stressed, must be for the union to convince people of the injustice of the cuts and to campaign with communities against them.
On the joint statement with PCS Dave stressed this is not a call for more committees but a real opportunity to work together and build the campaign against the cuts on the ground and in communities
The detailed report was then agreed. In doing so, the NEC also agreed to put a substantial sum of money into a fighting fund to be used for campaigning and organising against the cuts following recommendations from the Finance Committee.
“The NHS is not being ring fenced, it is being choked” said Health member Eric Roberts when talking about the wholesale privatisation of the NHS which is being proposed in the NHS White Paper. Clare Williams said “ If this is a service that is safe then God knows what will happen to services like local government that are being cut” as she laid out the need for the widest possible campaign against these proposals. Karen Jennings explained the progress of our Judicial review of the White Paper and the support we could get from submissions by other health organisations to the proposals. Quoting the Chief Executive of private company Humana who welcomed the ‘de-nationalisation of the NHS’, Karen warned that these proposals will have a profound effect, creating a full market in the NHS. “The architecture of the NHS will be changed forever, it will be a complete free market open to all European and global competion laws. “Once outsourced we cannot go back” she warned and urged every member and all branches to get in involved in the campaign to save the NHS.
The Executive also received a report which showed the best recruitment figures in August for seven years, Membership is up in eleven of our twelve regions. Online recruitment continues to have a major impact on our performance with a rise of nearly 40% on the same period in the previous year.
Dave Prentis talked about the current pay freezes and the historic tendency for more anger and action in the second and third years. He re-iterated the need to educate now our members on the effects of the freeze and the reduction in real pay associated with this tactic on the most vulnerable in society. Dave highlighted the threats to national bargaining that this posed and the importance of retaining the national system in the longer term.
It was reported that Francis Maude has threatened to get rid of the two tier workforce agreement in a further provocation to Local
Christina McAnea reported on the embryonic Schools Support Staff Negotiating Body which is earmarked for scrapping according to leaked Con Dem plans for a so called ‘bonfire of the quangos’.
Heather Wakefield talked about the document Reducing the Workforce costs issued unilaterally by the Employers which seeks to undermine local agreements and drive through cuts. A formal dispute has been registered and many local authorities have now issued 118 notices to cut some of the already poor terms and conditions – the lowest wage in Local government is only 37p above the minimum wage. Many of the cuts proposals may generate further equal pay issues and will need to be closely monitored in the future. The NJC pay claim is for an increase of at least £250 and is out for consultation.
Dave highlighted the situation in all the bargaining groups and ridiculed the idea we should follow the ‘Canadian and Ireland ‘ models. At least in those economies, prices were going down as wages did – “in this country RPI is 4.8% so a pay freeze is tantamount to a 5% pay cut for some of the most vulnerable and poorly paid in society” he said.
Bronwyn McKenna gave a detailed report on equal pay developments. Dave described the recent Dispatches programme “as one of the worst put together programmes ever”. Made by a private company for channel four this biased and distorted programme will now be subject of a complaint by the union to OFCOM
Financial reports and proposals for the future development of Mabledon Place were also discussed and agreed.
Bob Oram reported on Staffing matters including the current recruitment process of 5 Assistant General Secretaries.
It was also reported that Unison magazine was highly commended in TUC communications awards.
Angela Lynes the President brought greetings from South Africa where she was a guest, recently at the NEHAWU congress.
The President also told the NEC about her charity for her office year - ‘Make a Child Smile’ which helps disadvantaged children have holidays and trips
The NEC remembered with a minutes silence for those comrades like ex Nalgo/UNISON communist activist Richard Maybin who recently passed away.
Bob Oram
