July 2012

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Present: Bro. Rahimi(UNITE 0758M) Kelleher, Everall, Turner & Deacon (UNISON Gen), McMillan & Childs (CWU) Marris (UNITE 5/836), J.Grant (UCU), Renasangham (Prospect), Hill (Musicians Union).     Sis Coleman & Cox from Libraries Campaign

Apologies:  Bros. S.Grant (NUT), Baynham (UNITE 0758M), Cole (NUT), Thomas (Community) Sis  Taylor (CYWU/Unite), Harrison (UNISON Police), (TUC), Halfpenny (NUT), Elson (PCS), Brealey, (UNISON Gen), Kelsey (CWU), Petford (UNITE0758M), Crawford & Parish (TUC)

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Minutes of June 2012 delegate meeting.  Agreed a true record

Matters Arising: still to invite Roger Lawrence to discuss outsourcing & procurement; letters to BMA re their pensions action and to UNISON & UNITE Police Staff branches still to write

Local Facebook event set up for Oct 7^th – no response from Midlands TUC about lack of online advertising of Oct 7^th demo against Tories in Birmingham

Successful UNITE & UNISON campaigns delayed Police Privatisation in West Midlands until at least after Commissioner elections 15 November

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No Executive Committee as secretary was organising bar team for us in Suffolk.

Correspondence of note:

a)         TUC Regional pay leaflets and 1,000 flyers for Oct 20th

b)         W’ton University Politics Course – seeking a final-year placement with us, probably not appropriate but make contact.

c)         Trades Union Councils public liability insurance quote £184. EC members confirmed competitive price for such insurance but need to check if dog bite during leafleting would have been covered.

d)         £250 donation from UNISON West Midlands, 1^st May costs now covered.

e)         WBCo. 12 places offered to us for Leeds festival; £182 donated wages earned at Latitude festival, Suffolk

f)          Love Music Hate racism benefit Sat 22 Sept Stourbridge with Grace Petrie £10/£5 details on website

g)         Shrewsbury 24 campaign re EDM and e-petition- details circulated and on our website

h)         Social Europe is a Con – RMT sponsored pamphlet 5 further copies £8

i)          Burston School Strike rally Sun 2 Sept – £25.50 donation agreed to cover 3 places

j)          Midlands TUC inaugural awards dinner Fri 23 Nov £29/head nomination papers for H&S rep, Union Learning Rep, Campaigning rep, Organising rep. Nominations must be signed by Regional Secretary as a nominee of their own union – noted

k)         Midlands TUC Young Members Network established nominations by Fri 17 Aug

l)          Penn Cnllr Martin Waite offering support for Save Penn Library campaign

m)       Remploy strikes – send message of support

n)         Sent:Stop the War financial appeal £25, Searchlight re-affiliation £30, Anti-Academies Alliance affiliation £40, £25 to UNISON for WMDay wreath.

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 Reports:

UNISON – 1^st October threat of mass dismissal of 9,140 council workforce to then re-engage on inferior conditions.  This would be likely to trigger an industrial action ballot. Local Government pension ballot ongoing.

UNISON NHS petition is online

Palestine – delegates urged to sign online petition to end Wolverhampton Council’s Veolia contract. UNISON’s Bro Auger sponsored walk – more sponsors signed up. G4S have bought an Israeli company  offering security for the wall and prisons.

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Speakers:

Pru Coleman & Linda Cox from Finchfield spoke from the Save Wolverhampton’s Libraries Campaign.  Consultation 1 Aug-23 Oct. No Option 3 of maintaining libraries.  Community Hubs are the threat to 9 libraries. Only due to save £1.1million (£600k staff, buildings savings would not include ongoing maintenance costs). Hubs = 3,000 books plus one staff member not necessarily a librarian.

Their campaign has had focus groups, reports, petitions. At scrutiny meetings they felt the public was treated with distain and half of councillors had backs to public and were inaudible.

Jason Hill (MU & NUT) from North Staffs TUC & NORSCARF spoke in his capacity as West Midlands rep of the Trades Union Councils Joint Consultative Committee (TUCJCC).  He gave details of a £500 grant towards transport for Oct 20^th demo – we will apply.  He explained the role of the TUCJCC e.g. adjudicating in complaints against individual TUCs. Also producing the TUCJCC Programme of Work for TUCs each year. Also organizing of Trades Union Councils conference.  Next year’s will be held at Congress House May/June 2013.

Bro.Deacon stated only one motion annually goes to TUC conference in September. He pointed out that the responses to Trades Union Councils conference motions is that if they are TUC policy then that is quoted, if they are not then they are ignored. Bro.Hill said that the motions do influence the Programme of Work.

Bro.Hill was asked to enquire why some TUC Regions allow motions directly to their regional meeting whilst for W.Midlands TUCs it must be via the CATUC.