October 2017

Wolverhampton, Bilston & District Trades Union Council

delegate minutes Thursday 19^th October 2017

held at Unite Office, 6 Victoria Square, Wolverhampton WV1 1LD

1. Welcome & introductions to delegates & visitors. Present Sis Taylor (UNITE) Simm (PCS) Bro Kelleher, Cooper, Deacon, Pugh (UNISON Gen), Simm (PCS), Grant (UCU), Hanspal, Rahimi (UNITE), Childs (CWU), Martin (MU), Molloy (speaker) Apologies: Sis Weaver, Dixon (UNISON Gen) Bro Brackenridge (LP/FBU) Baker, Foxall (UNITE), Grant (NUT), Juss (GMB)

2. Minutes of September Delegate Meeting agreed; no matters arising.

1. EC Report discussed; correspondence of note:

1. union branches 2018 affiliation forms to be sent – available at delegate meeting
2. TUCJCC West Midlands rep elected Jane Nellist Coventry TUC unopposed although George Hickman Sandwell TUC now complained his nomination was sent.
3. Reply via council leader from Police Crime Commissioner also from Pat McFadden MP; no reply Chief Superintendant, Eleanor Smith, Emma Reynolds MPs re treatment of protestors of Britain First rally. Draft response by MT – request meeting with Roger Lawrence. Responded to Pat McFadden. To send out to email list
4. Palestine Soldarity national demo 4 Nov, £100 coach sponsorship to be paid locally– no bank account so awaiting invoice via Bro Deacon
5. Working Class Movement Library appeal agreed £30
6. Nicaragua Solidarity £50 or less to afffiliate agreed £30 plus £30 appeal for health union FETSALUD and public sector union UNE following Storm Nate. Bro Cooper now UNISON International officer, doing work around Nicaragua.
7. contacted Cnllr Hodgkiss re tinplate worker plaque overdue re-fitting at Civic centre – she has chased up
8. Belonging, the Truth Behind the Headlines documentary film trailer: www.belonging4us.com, The film focuses on three disputes: News International (1986), Wapping, Royal Mail (2007) and Ineos, Grangemouth (2013) £9 dvd or £108 for public showing, length unknown. Bro Simm to make recommendation
9. sent to Morning Star £800 PPFF, £241.25 to PPPS (for adverts) half of payment for festivals £2,082.50 raised; Cuba Solidarity Hurricaine Irma appeal £100; Shrewsbury 24 campaign £200 donation; N.Kelleher £29.48 stamps +£3.50 ream paper; £10 cuba solidarity raffle tickets
10. 6,000 UK page views on our website this month www.wolvestuc.org.uk; reach of 500 on our facebook page in last month
11. to send: Workers Beer Company letter re Payment £7/hour – issue was raised verbally with Battersea & Wandsworth TUC and WBC at Glastonbury
12. sent to Midllands TUC details of affiliation, officers, rules etc as requested
13. Wolverhampton Amnesty Write for Rights event 7-30pm Sunday December 10th, United Reform Church, Lea Road WV3 0LW

1. Reports:

1. a) delegate report: PCS – national pay campaign ballots begun results by 9 Nov.
2. b) WBDTUC Secretary’s report – Bro Kelleher’s written report discussed; several delegates attended the lecture on resistance to Enoch Powell earlier; all examples were organised by trade unions and IWA; the anti-fascist campaigning of WB&DTUC had been pointed out by Bro Grant. Sis Taylor reported on Peoples Assembly anti-Tory demo in Manchester – 50,000 crowd held 2 hours prior to marching and then speaker area full so not heard speeches; 20 from Wolverhampton. Little coverage except by Morning Star.
3. c) TUC Pensioners’ Network – Bro Deacon – info on www.wolvestuc.org.uk
4. d) Palestine Solidarity – Bro. Deacon November 4^th coach London demo; 22 Nov lobby of Eleanor Smith in Parliament; 9 Dec Zahtoon evening report on olive picking Friends Meeting House agreed to donate £40 for 10 olive saplings.
5. any other business – none
6. Public Meeting@8pm with Anthony Molloy, Chair of the Labour Land Campaign, who spoke on Land Value Taxation.

Tax on unimproved land value; efficient easy to collect, would stop developers sitting on derelict land or speculating on massive land price increases due to major public sector infrastucture improvements. Could replace other unfair taxes. Existing tax systems have been drawn up by large landowners. Land Value Tax is in Labour’s manifesto – the press’s misnamed Garden Tax. The Labour Land Campaign advocates a more equitable distribution of the Land Values that are created by the whole community. They are a voluntary group working for land reform within the Labour Movement. http://www.labourland.org £100 donation agreed, our History book presented to speaker; secretary put up for night and showed him around the area.