October 2013

Delegate meeting minutes of Thursday 17th OCTOBER 2013

Wolverhampton, Bilston & District Trades Union Council

 

1)                  welcome & introductions

Present:  Sis. Taylor (UNITE-CYW), Jassal & Sharkey (UNISON Gen), Battell (NASUWT)  

Bros.   Rahimi  & Marris (UNITE), Kelleher, Deacon (UNISON Gen), Grant (UCU), MacMillan & Childs (CWU) Apiania, Brown (MU)

Apologies: Bros. Turner, Everall, Grant (NUT), Retnasingham (UNITE), Juss (GMB)  

Sis Elson (PCS) Halfpenny (NUT) Ceresa (UNISON Gen)

 

2)        Minutes of last delegate meeting –agreed no corrections; matters arising: new mesh banner be purchased @about £90; contact Mike Edwards to see if they have a library to use books donated to us. UNISON Mary Seacole event very successful over £400 raised, excellent performance by Sis Dixon, UNISON steward as Mary Seacole

 

3)        Executive Committee report October;  correspondence:

a.   Update from Sis Ashcroft re WW1 play no funding as yet; possible joint work still but not currently

b.   FBU invite to attend picket lines – attended. Further strike due Sat 19 Oct 6.30-11.30pm

c.    Bridgwater TUC Centenary celebration Saturday 19th October, request for our trades council to be represented Sis Taylor, Bro Kelleher & Rahimi have volunteered

d.   TUC Women’s conference Wed 12th March-14th 2014

e.    Workers Beer Co £1140.75 paid for work @Glastonbury

f.     PCS(Valuation) affiliation to WB&DTUC £15.20

g.   £460 Coach Choice Ltd NHS demo; Midlands TUC £250 grant for NHS demo transport; £60 seat sales (rest free) cost to us was £150. Information about coach parking was not sent out and only given to march stewards which made it hard to locate coaches after rally.

h.    People Assembly 20,000 NHS demo leaflets £174.31 (£21.61 back from Dudley TUC) meeting costs room hire £10, food £20

i.     Bought laser cartridge £13.80; paper £23.46; stamps £50;labels £24.85; Condition of Working Class DVD £8

Sent:

j.     Sis Taylor is still chasing UNITE for details of Frank Clapham.

k.    £455 invoice to Workers Beer Co for work @Latitude; £1430 invoice for work @Leeds

l.     £570-37 half of Glastonbury funds to Morning Star Fighting Fund – receipt received

m.  Orgreave festival £25 donation; Shrewsbury 24 £25 re-affiliation

n.    Last month’s Resolution to Council leader and Chief Exec

To send

o.   Agreed invite to local public sector union branch secretaries to see if there was a demand for a joint meeting to discuss co-ordinated public sector campaigning against government cuts (as sub-committee of WB&DTUC)

p.   future meetings agreed:

 

Thurs 21st November: @ Civic centre Ronnie Draper, General Secretary Bakers Food Allied Workers Union on the recent Hovis strike victory – delegates need to build meeting. Contact regional officials and all local Greggs stores.

 

Thurs 19th December:  delegate meeting will include a screening of The Condition of the Working Class  http://www.conditionoftheworkingclass.info/ new venue (not at Civic) confirmed by Bro Bassett CYW-UNITE as upstairs room Newhampton pub, Sis Taylor has arranged projector.

 

 

4)        Reports/discussion:

 

a)   Fire Brigades Union 2nd industrial action over pensions expected Sat 19 Oct

b)   UNISON – re threat to council jobs. Over 160 cuts proposed. Central government 40% cut to Wolverhampton council; £96m by 2019. Unions meeting 21 Oct, Cabinet meeting Oct 23

c)   UNITE-CYW youth services and Sis Taylor’s job to be cut by June 2014

d)   NASUWT/NUT teachers’ industrial action good turnout at 1st Oct Birmingham strike rally and media coverage. Unclear where job losses will be, plundering of pensions; move to a traditional curriculum. Industrial action in South East today.

e)   CWU Save Royal Mail campaign – Tories privatisation sale at £3b yet financial institutions valued higher and stock market doubled price of shares straight away, losing taxpayers billions. Terms and conditions attack expected strike action due 4 November

f)     UCU, UNISON & UNITE taking industrial action together for first time at universities on 31st October

g)   Black Country People’s Assembly minutes of 24 Sept meeting distributed Next meeting 4 November @ The Pegasus WV6 0QQ, prior to activity on Nov 5th         – other Assemblies formed in Birmingham (24 Oct launch), Leicester, Nottingham & Derby

h)   Midlands TUC report – our Chainmakers motion was passed with almost full support, which should confirm event to be held next year (Sat 7 June) though Midlands TUC EC will discuss finances in November. Tues 3rd Dec 3pm Friends of Chainmakers meeting Cradley Heath Library – to assist in fundraising, organisation and increasing local involvement.

i)     Secretary’s report – 2 in 5 Wolverhampton tenants affected by Bedroom Tax pushed into arrears since 1 April 2013 (1,153: Sept figures; Bro Marris reported this had since risen)

j)     Wolves Palestine Solidarity Campaign national lobby of parliament Wed 27 November most ever going locally all MPs to be lobbied excellent PSC briefings available. Film season November 1st, 15th & 29th

k)    NHS – Support Stafford Hospital; Bro Deacon reported over 5,000 attending demo on 28th September

 

5) speakers: 

Anton Apiania (housemate of Bro Kelleher) – changes to UK immigration law (Para 276ADE) which requires 20years stay before amnesty instead of 14. He faces possible deportation to Suriname due to technical difficulties in his own application and a new application would be affected as he has lived and worked in Britain for nearly 19years after leaving the Soviet Union which had sponsored his study.

Suggestions for assistance: Dave Stamp ASIRT; Refugee Migrant Centre, Pat McFadden, media campaign? produce leaflet about how immigration system works use Anton as example?

 

Stephen Brown – Musician’s Union regional organiser explained most their members were self-employed or involved in creative education. Wants more Musician’s Union involvement in creative union campaigns. They have a directory of musicians and can put unions in contact with local union member musicians.