Secretary's Reports

TUCJCC report

Report of Trades Union Council Joint Consultative Committee 30 March 2021

 

(meeting of Trades Union Council regional reps and TUC General Council members)

 

General Council report (attached)

HSE leadership not enforcing Covid safety, TUC has pressured them to review the enforcement model.

GMB's victory in courts for Uber workers and Equal pay claim for Asda

Unite Amazon hotline established

Shrewsbury24 long awaited victory in court

Union Learning Fund campaign lost as the government made a vicious decision to cut. Unions will continue via their own union learning funds.

 

General lack of NHS unions involvement in Trades Union Councils around Britain, as their efforts areput into staff-side groups .

 

TUC Race Task Force

Lester Holloway reported:

A third of trade unions do not monitor the race of their members. Equality bargaining is low on the agenda.

High numbers of BAME youth in non-unionised and gig economy jobs.

Need to spread best practice.

Need to replicate the Race Task Force in each TUC Region.

Cecile Wright TUCJCC Midlands(East) rep proposed for co-option onto the national Task Force from trades union councils.

POA recently expelled branch official after spreading racist info.

Union as employers and union structures will need to be examined.

Structures of trades councils should be looked at too. I made some immediate proposals but decisions of trades council input is to be discussed at the June national conference.

 

Trades Union Council conference online 12 or 13 June open to all trades council delegates. Existing TUCJCC reps have been renominated, none standing against, except Wales where no nomination received.

Panel discussion at conference - Expected rise in unemployment. No response from unions to request for details on how they are assisting unemployed members. New 1980s style Unemployed Workers Centres will be very hard to establish. Work being done by Unite Community branches.

See attached Info for Conference document and preliminary agenda.

 

DVLA worst covid-hit workplace PCS strike donations to https://www.pcs.org.uk/department-for-transport/news/donate-to-help-striking-members-in-dvla-win-on-covid-safety

 

TUC Development grants – few applications made so far this year.

Registrations – all Midlands (West) TUCs have re-registered for 2021.

 

Nick Kelleher TUCJCC rep Midlands (West)

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TUCJCC 3rd meeting REPORT of 19-1-21

Registration deadline for trades union councils is Fri 22 Jan 2021

#heartunions Carl Roper TUC, defended criticism from TUCJCC reps that the campaign and trades councils particularly receive materials late each year for week. My suggestion that materials produced should be more generic around the UNIONS brand and less time specific, so to use throughout year, was not pursued. Assistance for any activity can be sought from Midlands TUC or Carl Roper.

General Council report to TUCJCC(circulated) 2nd full lockdown not as comprehensive as first with employers keeping half in workplaces now, whilst a third before. POA – Courts open this time and inter-prison transfers at pre-covid levels.

Government pay freezes; hire and fire tactics increasingly being used by employers, even on keyworkers who were being clapped for risking lives.

Campaign to keep £20 on Universal Credit being taken up by many TUCs.

NEU has asked all branches to affiliate to their TUCs.

More details of industrial action requested to be sent to trades councils by TUC.

Strike Map UK https://strikemap.wordpress.com/ is a new website listing industrial action on a map.

TUC Race Task Group – report attached – expectation that task group is replicated at regional TUC level.

Roger McKenzie reported he had been subjected to some unacceptable treatment by some trade unionists during his six-month General Secretary campaign in UNISON, highlighting that big problems still exist.

Last year's trades council conference motion asked the TUCJCC to find alternatives to the Unity Trust account that charges £6 a month. These are alternative free accounts:

2021 Trades Councils conference will be in Leicester if not virtual. Patrick Roache to be invited as keynote speaker.

New Lucas Plan website https://thelucasaerocombineshopstewardscommittee.org/

by Nick Kelleher Midlands (West) TUCJCC Rep

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Trades Union Councils' Joint Consultative Committee report of meeting (24-11-20)

Reps from eight English regions met with TUC General Council reps Steve Gillian (POA), Dave Allen (UNITE), Roger McKenzie(UNISON) Simon Weller (ASLEF) plus reps from the TUC HQ.

Since last meeting the TUC registrations for Dudley, Walsall and Worcester have all been sorted out and we again have eleven TUCs in the West part of the Midlands.

£300 TUC Development grants - loads of money left in this year's pot held by the TUC, until 31st Dec, then a new round starts again (email me if you need a copy of form)

  • send applications to Lee Barron at Midlands TUC, who'll then pass them straight to London and Kevin Rowan makes the decision (probably best to copy This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. in).
  • Grants will be agreed for CAMPAIGNING (find something in the Programme of Work that links to your activities) NOT for administration costs (eg insurance, computers etc)

2021 Programme of Work has been agreed by TUCJCC reps and should be sent out shortly by TUC ( I have a copy if you cant wait!!). We will try and action those motions passed at conference that refer to the TUCJCC eg alternatives to Unity Trust. Registration forms will be copied to TUCJCC reps by national so we should be able to follow up any missing more quickly than before.

2021 Registration with the TUC – please send in forms or even just the details by 22 January 2021 to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. even if you haven't had an AGM or cant send the £10 registration at the same time. (email me if you need a copy of form)

TUC Race Task Group – agreed at Congress first meeting in December, chair Patrick Roache NASUWT, structure is still being looked at but hoped it will have work streams to increase participation throughout movement. Lester Holloway new TUC support officer. Organising, bargainging, structures as well as TU as employers. Is our own structure within the trades councils movement encouraging diverse participation? Will be on our agenda so we can get direct reports.

TUC General Council report, Peoples Assembly and Unemployed Workers Centre reports (attached)

Trades Council conference 2021 will be in Leicester if it goes ahead physically.

Next year the TUC should send out a survey for trades councils to see if they have had any problems or need help due to Covid lockdowns etc, If you have any specifics needs now, let me know.

Next TUCJCC is on 19 January 2021

by Nick Kelleher Midlands (West) TUCJCC Rep

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TUCJCC report of meeting (29-9-20)
I'm the new Trades Union Councils' Joint Consultative Committee (TUCJCC) member for Midlands (West); covering Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands conurbation and Worcestershire with eleven Trade Union Councils (TUCs). 
The TUCJCC meets 5 times a year. As well as reps from each region, TUC national officers and members of the TUC General Council (Roger McKenzie UNISON AGS and Steve Gillan POA GS took part, apologies from Dave Ward CWU GS). The reps also hold a pre-meeting.
I wasn't expecting much of the first meeting given that the TUCJCC's role seems to be generally understood as arranging the national conference and producing the lengthy Programme of Work.
But I was pleasantly surprised that the Committee seemed to accept the need for change.
Last year's Programme of Work was just the TUC Campaign Plan followed by the list of conference motions. I argued that it needed to change as it does not really guide our activities;  the local branches and delegates frame the work of TUCs in line with policies passed by affiliated unions locally and nationally.  It will now be written by the regional reps in the form of a much shorter document concentrating on unemployment, Covid and campaign priorities with the motions remitted from the online trades councils conference as appendix. 
Motions that go to the trades councils conference do not go any further and do not change TUC policy. One per year is taken to the TU Congress – this year's was on TU rights, calling for cross-union solidarity plus a demo and conference that will be put on hold.
I put registration of TUCs on the agenda since Dudley, Walsall and Worcester TUCs are not registered this year, while operating unaware of the fact. I had already been in contact with them and they are in the process of sorting out registrations. It seems that some TUCs are not operating, even on Zoom (as well as many union branches around the country). Some delegates don't use zoom etc and new officers are not coming through to run TUCs. The worry is that Covid might kill off some trades councils; yet if trades councils didn't exist, they would need to be invented.
So it was agreed that it will be easier to register TUCs next year, without the need for a formal AGM and carry-over of officers if needed, plus secretaries will be asked if help needed (esp. re technology).
Other reps suggested that a good relationship with regional officers helps encourage branch registrations.
TUC Task Force Against Racism has been set up after a Congress motion. To tackle issues at a more local level, trades councils could put pressure onto Midlands TUC to set up their own.
Finances – the TUCJCC has £6,000, raised by the annual trades council £10 registration fees.
TUC Development Fund – applications should be sent to Kevin Rowan at Congress House. Grants are up to £300; two can be made each year. So far this year £20k of the £25k allocated has not been spent; it does not carry over. Trades Councils still have until the end of this year to claim for 2020.
Peoples Assembly report – 17 October day of action on jobs, universal credit, end evictions.
Unemployed Workers Centres – no report, a regular report to be sought.
Some new Stay safe, join a union artwork has been produced and is available from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Next TUCJCC is on 24 November.
by Nick Kelleher Midlands (West) TUCJCC Rep