December 1999

WB&DTUC Secetary’s Report December 1999
Banner Theatre’s NHS Free For All cabaret was an excellent performance but enjoyed by only 19 people, with myself and the treasurer being the only delegates there and there was no-one with any connection to the NHS. This was without a doubt the biggest failure since I became secretary. A loss of around £300 means that we are most unlikely ever to book Banner again for such an event and our attempts to promote political culture are over. Banner had been very keen for us to book them since no other union or group in Wolverhampton was booking them.

It has not only thrown into question the type of events that we are involved in the future but also my role as secretary. Too much organisation is falling onto myself to do and things don’t seem to be working. Even when work outside the delegate meetings seems to work it is often due to the involvement of non-delegate trade unionists. Although widened involvement is of course one of the aims of our work, it is usually only due to the work of one or two delegates and not due to collective work. Our last meeting of the millennium is perhaps then an opportune time for us to review our work and plan how we are to remain active and relevant. I would urge delegates to think a little about our work, how the meetings are held and what we could do in the future. As has become the norm in recent years, food and drink will be provided at this meeting. A raffle may also be held to raise money for the Skychefs strikers.

Lufthansa Skychefs – DON’T FLY LUFTHANSA!

Two women strikers have accepted an invitation on the weekend of 18-19 December to come to Wolverhampton and will be visiting the local temples to gain support. If you know of a meeting that weekend at which it might be possible to invite them to speak then please contact Kamaljit (710801(work).

We hired a minibus to the TGWU organised solidarity conference in Hammersmith and took nine people, including just two delegates to the 600-strong rally. We then went onto Heathrow to a mass picket of several hundred and were well received.

NB. 2000 branch affiliations and officer and EC nominations have been sent to branch secretaries, so please raise the issue at your next branch meeting so that nominations are in time and so that I don’t have to waste a lot of time chasing up branches. AGM will be Thursday 20th Jan.
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Affiliated membership: 16,150

1999 affiliations: AEEU(Bilston 0095), ASLEF, CWU(W.Midlands), CYWU, FBU, GMB, GPMU(W.Midlands), ISTC(Monmore Tubes), MSF Craft 13/D, MSF 0558, NASUWT, NATFHE(Bilston), NATFHE(Wulfrun), NLBD, NULMW, NUT, POA, RMT, TGWU 5/748, TGWU 5/836, UNISON General, UNISON Health, UNISON Healthcare, USDAW

Affiliations for 2000: CWU(W.Mids&Worcs), FBU, MSF 558, UNISON Health – thanks for prompt response