Trades Union Councils’ Programme of Work 2011-2012

the priorities for our trades union council in the coming year

 – click here for the full Trades Union Councils’ Programme of Work 2011-2012

[click here for 2012-13‘s Programme]

Summary of actions to be taken by trades union councils;

 

 

Cuts, Jobs and the Economy

Trades union councils to build on the work of the last year – opposing cuts and fighting for the retention of services, dealing with the consequences of services being cut or delivered by another, non-public sector, provider and build relationships not only with anti-cuts campaigns but with local groups and organisations and the wider community to ensure community engagement with and influence on the provision of services in their area.

Promote the Peoples’ Charter principles and the development of a  democratic civil society as opposed to the ‘Big Society’.

Support Remploy workers and unions and workers and staff in similar organisations now under threat because of government cuts

Support the Hardest Hit campaign

·Ensure that women’s voices are heard in the trades union council’s campaign work.

Encourage membership of OFFA by affiliated branches

Assess the possibilities of establishing trade union unemployed workers’ centres  or broad community based organisations supporting workers and their families

 

All together for the NHS

Trades union councils are asked to sign up to the All together for the NHS campaign

 

Green Workplaces; Green Community

·Identify member(s) of their trades union council to act as ‘Champion’ for green issues

Using the LGS/DECC MoU, create the opportunity to inform debate on target setting and resourcing at local level, engaging in dialogue with local authority representatives and holding them to public account

Build alliances and resources with local Green Party members, and representatives of environment campaign groups in their area, in order to build awareness of the issues around jobs and climate change in the local community in order to develop a nationwide mobilisation around these issues

County trade union councils should establish a network of green reps

Encourage affiliated union branches to develop their greening the workplace activities and to encourage the appointment and training of Workplace Green Reps

 

Community Organising changing, developing and building the trades union council and the union movement

Assess local perceptions of trade unions in the local community – is there scope for broadening people’s understanding and awareness of the work of trade unions and providing advice and support?

Trades union councils explore options for connecting people with the union movement – working with other organisations, such as local faith groups or other organisations where people meet for support and advice as well as friendship, in order to provide information such as welfare and employment rights

 

Fighting Fascism and the Far Right.

Address the information gap so that all workers, especially black workers, are fully informed about unions and about their legal and employment rights

Translate information about the trades union council, its work and campaigns, for ethnic minority workers whose first language is not English

Disseminate information about good practice by trade unions – including case precedents, cases won and involvement in anti racist campaigns as widely as possible.

Develop an on-going strategy for counteracting fascist and far right propaganda so that the local trade union movement is seen as a constant presence in the community and not simply responding to individual threats such as at election time, marches by the far right or similar events

Develop mechanisms that can respond to events when the far right threatens to disrupt the local community