May 2017

Secretary’s Report MAY 2017 Wolverhampton, Bilston & District TUC

2017 has been one of our most active starts to a year with public activity on Action For Rail, street stalls in Wednesfield and Bilston for Heart Unions Week, sent delegates to 4 or 5 conferences, all were women delegates, Save our Guards public campaign, 4 open meetings with speakers, organised travel for demonstrators to London for the NHS demo, advertised all local labour movement events; reached over 30,000 this year through facebook and 11,000 page views on our website. Then we’ve just had Workers’ Memorial Day with our help in the success of intoducing the Dying to Work campaign and May Day, the biggest local labour movement event of the year when our volunteers leafleted 4,000 homes in Whitmore Reans. 20 people are signed up to work for us for free at Glastonbury & Latitude festivals next month, each giving up a week’s leave, to fund our activites. Several local union branches and campaigning groups have already sought our help this year and been given it.

Yet and despite writing each month since last October plus emails, 10 branches have failed to re-affiliate from last year. We have made a deliberate attempt to involve non-affiliated branches. This is the worst response since I became Secretary 22 years ago. Every trade union has policy for their branches to affiliate to their trades union council, all Midlands regional secretaries encourage their branches to affiliate. Most regions will even pay the fee, but only when requested by the branch.

It is only when we are united will we have success, as divided we fall.

Wolverhampton Workers’ Memorial Day – from the look of pictures around Britain, it’s hard to find one better attended than the 70 people who heard Roger Lawrence Wolverhampton Council Leader praised joint work between UNISON the Trades Union Council and Labour Council to bring about the introduction of the Dying to Work Charter and employment protection for terminally ill employees of the council. Although the Express and Star were present no report appeared but the following day the headline was on the POA’s report on prison violence that Jackie Marshall Prison Officers Association NEC had spoken about.

Funds are being sought payable to “Wolverhampton May Day Committee” c/o WB&DTUC

£500 still needed to pay for 2017 event. Donations so far of £960 from ASLEF, UNISON Wolverhampton General, UNISON W Mids, UNITE West Midlands, WB&DTUC and £75 collection on night – costs of £1,454 see www.1stmaywolverhampton.org.uk

Defend Women’s Right To Choose – Sat 20 May Victoria Square Birmingham organised by Abortion Rights to which WB&DTUC is affiliated

Out of the Darkness – new exhibition at Wolverhampton Art Gallery untilSunday 4th June showcases the talents of the Wolverhampton’s homeless community who have been documenting their lives through street photography and oral history.

TUC Women Chainmakers’ Festival of Cradley Heath Saturday 1st July 2017 Cradley Heath High Street from 11am We have a stall booked.