Now is the time to stand up for workers
(03/12/08) The financial and economic crisis hitting the world means that, now more than ever, "the time is right to stand up for workers," general secretary Dave Prentis told UNISON's national executive council in London today."It's the workers, vulnerable people, pensioners and people living on benefits who pay the price of the crisis," he noted. "It's our people who are suffering."I believe this recession is so bad we need a voice speaking up for working people."The NEC agreed to work through the TUC to organise events around the scheduled summit meeting of the G20 leading economies in the spring to highlight workers' rights and a social agenda.The union is also working within the union movement, including the TUC, to push for domestic policies in response to the crisis, including a moratorium on house repossessions, maintenance of public spending and a domestic social agenda including workers' rights, equal pay and pensions, including state pensions."Pensioners need to be protected from the ravages of recession," noted Mr Prentis.The union will also launch a public campaign to defend public services and explain their importance in a time of crisis."We have an anti-privatisation agenda, but we do need to set out the case for the public service tradition and the maintenance of public expenditure," said Mr Prentis."We know markets and competition have failed in the financial sector – why import them into public services?"The NEC also heard that UNISON will continue working with fellow public service unions and the TUC on public sector pay, as well as the broader agenda.The meeting also endorsed plans to step up the union's anti-fascist work in the run-up to next year’s European Parliament and local elections, targeting areas where the BNP is focusing its election bids.In particular, the NEC thanked nursing sector committee member Mick McKeown for getting an item published in Nursing Times pointing out that being a member of an avowedly discriminatory organisation like the BNP is "incompatible with belonging to the community of nurses".The NEC also
agreed the union’s objectives and priorities for 2009;
agreed the budget for 2009 and received a financial report on the first nine months of 2008;
endorsed arrangements for next year’s NEC elections
received a report on recruitment in the first nine months, showing a slight improvement in figures;
received reports on equal pay, including litigation;
received an update on pay negotiations in all bargaining groups, including the recent successful strike by members at Scottish Water and agreement at the Meat Hygiene Service;
ruled that NEC members will in future attend conference as NEC representatives only and not as branch delegates;
congratulated the Westminster City branch on defeating proposals to introduce fingerprint scanning equipment ( news story) and agreed to investigate similar moves elsewhere in the public services;
agreed to send a message of support to members in the Northern Ireland community and voluntary sector under threat from 'dissidents' over their work in community projects;
agreed to send a message of condolences to Birmingham branch secretary Carole Hagans, who lost family members in the recent M6 tragedy, make a donation to the family's charity of choice Feed My Lambs and circulate a request for donations to branches and regions.
