February 2000

W’ton, Bilston & District TUC
Secretary’s Report February’00

2000 affiliations: ASLEF, CWU(W.Midlands), FBU, GMB(W70/Willenhall)*, MSF Craft 13/D, MSF 0558, NASUWT, NATFHE(Bilston), NUT, POA, TGWU 5/748*, TGWU 5/836, UNISON General, UNISON Health.
Affiliated membership: 10,577 *affiliated but yet to pay
Re-affiliations are now overdue, requests were sent out in November, could delegates please chase up their own branches.
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Lufthansa Skychefs – DON’T FLY LUFTHANSA!

The strikers who were due to visit Wolvrhampton last weekend pulled out at the last minute due to illness which was very unfortuneate since arrangements were fully in place for their visits to three temples. Press releases were sent out and we were contacted for interviews by Radio Asian Network and the Morning Star; others may well have printed directly from the press release. No arrangements have so far been made for future visits.

Our Questionairre Survey – as has been previously informed, resulting from discussions around the future role of our trades council, a questionairre was produced and circulated last month. A number of responses have been received with some extremely useful comments, however unless more are sent in a meaningful analysis will be difficult. We are particularly keen to receive forms from delegates who do not usually attend. Duplicate blank copies are available.

March delegate meeting – partly as a reult of initial survey findings, we have booked the March speaker in advance and have circulated details in this mailing. Arun Arora from Thmpson’s employment solicitors will give an expert opinion on the Employment Relations Act(1999), the Fairness at Work legislation which will be coming into force in the coming months. It is intended that the meeting be open to all trade unionists so we would hope that branches might circulate the poster to activists and members.

School visit – I have been invited to speak to young adults at Penn Hall school on trade unions. School talks were