March 2010

WB&DTUC Minutes 18^th March 2010

1) Introductions to delegates & visitors, new & old;
 present : Bro. Sourani & Hashim (UNITE), Marriot, Fraser, Kelleher & Deacon (UNISON Gen), Clarke (POA), Childs, Grant (UCU), Grant & Cole (NUT), Smiles (speaker) Sis Petford(UNITE), Kelsey(CWU), Dugmore & Sharkey (UNISON)
apologies: Bro. Juss(GMB), Bostock(POA), Bell (FBU), Turner(UNISON) Marris (UNITE 5/836), Sis Taylor (CYWU-Unite), Reynolds(GMB), Halfpenny(NUT), Ceresa & Burth(UNISON)
2. Minutes of February delegate meeting – corrections: attendance list for December was found and added to those minutes – available on www.wolvestuc.org.uk matters arising: TUC LGBT Network £25 donation will be sent.

3) there was no Executive Committee since members attended Arthur Scargill public meeting – 100 present. Correspondence auctioned or of note:
3.1. TUCJCC ballot, Bro.Hill nominated
3.2. Rob Marris MP ministerial response re labelling of illegal Israeli settlement goods sold in Britain
3.3. HnH coach to Stoke 17th April pick up Wolverhampton
3.4. Wolverhampton Together meeting held – venue at Methodist church for our leafleting arranged subsequently
3.5. Labour Research renewal £39.95 agreed
3.6. Cuba Solidarity, details of medical and educational support in Haiti – copied for delegates, donations for the Cuban work can be done via CSC 0208 8000155
3.7. Keele Uni TU course taster sessions will run on Friday 23rd & Saturday 24th April 2010
3.8. CND Sat 24 April, Carrs Lane Centre B’ham 2pm Bruce Kent on Trident
sent:
3.9. un-affiliated branches for 2010 chased up outstanding; FBU & ASPECT(positive responses) & PCS (no response)
3.10. UNITE 0758 delegate Ali Rahimi – details sent out to delegates re his recent arrest and (uncharged) release
3.11. Local Fire stations to try and get FBU more involved.
3.12. Workers Beer Co. festival applications – Glastonbury 21 volunteers, Leeds 20 volunteers
3.13. Midlands TUC – nomination for observer to TUC Disability conference &
Our observer nomination to TUC Disability conference
4) Reports:
a) Secretary – written report + discussion of anti-Bnp campaign; 27/28 March Wednesfield agreed to pay for food for volunteers’ lunch. Local leaflets to be produced for council elections if possible. Bro.Cole to seek comment from Wolves player for leaflet. April 17th HnH providing coach from Wolves to Stoke to help with their campaign.
May Day – meet 7pm night before at Pegasus to help set up venue. Raffle prizes sought. Sis Petford to arrange main article for programme from Morning Star reporter. Invite Emma Reynolds to speak.
Workers’ Memorial Day we’ve now got stickers & ribbons (150 of each) distribution of flyers and publicity

b) Treasurer – balance at all time high.
c) UNISON – council cuts report given
d) other delegates' workplace reports – Asylum Seeker team, Heath Town which runs 123 homes for 300 asylum seekers, generating £250k p.a. profit for the council is threatened. Implications discussed.
PCS strike 24 March
e) Pensioners’ report – April 10th defend Welfare state demo – unison offering free places on coach

5) Resolution – Proposed by UNISON General was passed unanimously, delegates were urged to attend
“No to Racist Marches. We note with concern:
1. The EDL (English Defence League), a mixture of football hooligans and BNP supporters, is planning to march through Dudley on Saturday 3rd April.
2. That the EDL march in Stoke earlier this year saw 1,500 supporters singing racist chants. Once the counter protest ended the Police dropped their containment and the EDL went on a rampage through estates damaging cars and smashing shop windows. A Mosque was also daubed with racist graffiti.
3. That whilst the EDL claim not to be racist their actions of singing racist chants, holding racist placards and some making Nazi salutes show otherwise.
This meeting believes that the Black Country is a peaceful multi-cultural area and the EDL march is designed to intimidate or spark ‘race riots’. Therefore it is important that all those that oppose racism and fascism, Black, Asian and White, show unity in opposing the EDL.
We therefore agree to:
i. support and publicise a counter protest being organised by Unite Against Fascism (UAF) and Dudley TUC.
ii. urge our contacts to attend the UAF Unity protest in Dudley on 3 April.
iii. take our banner on the counter protest. “

Local transport for demo against EDL Bolton this weekend. Report on Stoke demo – 1500 fascists bussed in outnumbered anti-fascists. Fascist attacks on police, shops, cars; not protesters.
6) speaker Chris Smiles, (Enterprise) on 'Delivering the green agenda – local recycling in the workplace & at home' provoked a lively and interesting discussion but who said trade unionists weren’t good at talking rubbish!
Local schemes:
1- home composting rather than use green bin
2- Love Food Hate Waste, publicity campaigns to reduce consumption and pressure on supermarkets
3- Real Cloth Nappies – local incentive scheme www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/recycling they also have nappy adviser who visits new mothers
4- Info on how to deregister from junk mail
Kerbside recycling up from 22 to 33% in last year. Waste reduced from 125,000 tonnes to 118,000 tonnes per year. Neither bin chipping nor 2-weekly collections planned in Wolverhampton. NO recyclables have been land-filled in Wolverhampton – new sources have been sought since collapse in Chinese export market. Free can crushers available.
Lack of non-domestic recycling discussed especially at schools and council buildings. Performance indicators are for domestic recycling and commercial recycling has to be done by different lorries etc. Pilots in some schools being undertaken and plans are afoot for more trade recycling.

7) Any Other Business – Bro.Sourani received support in his efforts to campaign for a Judicial Review of Britain’s role in the attack of Iraq, chemical and depleted uranium use. There have been five enquiries but none of them judicial so far. Help promised from Bob Marshall when he retires as MP shortly. He will keep us informed of progress or any assistance required.