MINUTES of Wolverhampton, Bilston & District Trades Union Council Delegate Meeting of Thursday 17th OCTOBER 2024
- Zoom Meeting – Present: (2024 delegates in bold): Paulette Whyte, Adrian Turner UNISON City of Wolverhampton; Michael Vaughan UNISON Staffordshire; Nick Kelleher, John Oakley, John Clark, Tom Mahon, Rob Marris UNITE WM/6150; Di Weaver UNITE WM/5203; Marie Taylor UNITE LE/372; Ali Rahimi Unite Community WM/5115; Penny Welch UCU University, Sonia Wilkins UNISON Acute, Graham Childs W’ton CWU, Gary Clark CWU (STAMMA), Chaz Stoll UNISON Dudley
Apologies: Warinder Juss MP, Si Goode, Tim Martin, Kieren Bott, Metka Potocnik, Sharon Dixon, Carol Hyatt - Minutes of last Delegate Meeting (September) agreed with no Matters Arising
- correspondence:
a) Thurs 21 Nov delegate meeting – Nicaraguan trade unionist Flavio Ocampa of Fetsalud health union on a UNISON tour – in person @ Unite office – ask to use their hybrid facilities too.
b) Stop Telford’s Arms Fair Day of Resistance Wed 20 November – against the SDSC-UK arms fair see updates on https://sites.google.com/view/stop-sdsc-uk/home
c) contract signed and first payment made to Angelina Osbourne for new research on local manufacturing links to trans Atlantic enslavement (£5,000 over 6 months)
d) Workers’ Memorial Day Stone – RM now made request for response from Urban Design & Conservation Officer so contacted Asset Management Group via Labour Group – still no response
e) sent out new e-pamphlet about trades union councils which was distributed at TUC Congress 2024
f) Walter Crane The Cause of Labour is the Hope of the World XMAS/New Year cards £4.80/packs of ten cards, min order 6 packs inc free p&p by Past Pixels run by Worcester TUC members TU organised. Contact pastpixels@proton.me Quote no.GC288. Order for November meeting
g) TUC Midlands Equalities Conference @47 Summer Lane, Birmingham, B19 3TH – Saturday 9 November 10-2pm with Jess Phillips MP plus Hope not Hate will provide a briefing on the latest intelligence about the far right in the Midlands. SW agreed to attend and report back.
h) improvements for next May Day – applied for May Day TUC Development grant. Samba band to be contacted also a band recommended by Ali.
i) Next steps re working with Adele Williams(Hope for Future) – she has asked to meet EC, NK still to arrange
j) NK still to arrange meeting with Midlands TUC Skills trainers with EC at 4pm about how best to work with you to engage employers locally; maybe of use for Bus drivers/engineers, ArcelorMittal or Council
k) letter of thanks sent to Industrial chaplain John Welsby and invite to WMDay 2025 to new chaplain.
l) Cancelled zoom contract due to cost. Use Microsoft Teams free with EC and if it works then but it for delegate meetings.
m) Spent £14.09 to send books/badges to Fran Heathcote and John Mullen(France); £4.50 ream paper
n) Labour Research, Gatelodge(POA) and Liberation magazines received - delegate reports:
ASLEF- written report circulated confirming pay dispute ended
RMT – no further further info about any Cleaners’ action on 7 and 14 Oct was received.
UCU – voluntary redundancies at university- future under threat due to marketisation of education. Agreed to have a speaker or hold a joint meeting with UCU on issue in new year.
UNISON – result of pay ballot imminent. AT reported notice from Wolverhampton Council of 150 jobs axed with £30million of cuts. No details until a council budget. Unless a government budget restores funds to local government, even more services which the council has always provided will be cut. Labour losing support with a continuation of Tory cuts; upcoming Bilston North by-election, Reform posing as a gap filler. Stress is number one sickness, often due to overwhelming expectations of same work without staff. SW reported from New Cross that they appeared to be recruitment block. - TUCJCC – NK reported from meeting this afternoon. Programme of Work, New Model Rules, conference questionnaire, 2025 registration all still to be sent out. Conference t be in London again next year despite motion to conference.
- Secretary report – no written report
- Palestine Solidarity Campaign – no update of recent local activity. Coach went from mosque to latest national demo 300,000 there.
- any other business – PW to forward local coach details for circulation of London demo against far right.
- speaker Gary Clark, Trade Union Liaison Officer of STAMMA – British Stammering Association lifelong trade unionists SOGAT/T+G/CWU. Stamma has backing from CWU, BFAWU and RMT amongst others. An estimated 80,000 trade unionists have a stammer and as many as 640,000 could have a child with one. Showed power point. Stammers are not always consistent; not related to intelligence; children often pushed towards non-verbal jobs; some try to mask a stammer; in judicial system stammering linked to lying; still ridicule in society/media, school and work despite it constitutes a disability covered by Equality Act. 22 October is International Stammering Awareness Day. MV will raise issues with Staffordshire council. EC to look at inclusivity of meeting; calling out own name can be problematic. Delegates agreed affiliation of £75.
more info about reasonable adjustments @ https://stamma.org/get-help/our-support-services/employment-service