12 February 2025 NEC Report

The focus of the NEC, with Time For Real Change (TFRC) in a role offering direction and leadership, continues to be on the work of the Committees, and away from the grandstanding of the General Secretary report and the Presidential report, which have previously dominated the time and resources of the NEC meeting.

The General Secretary was not present nor sent a report.

The meeting opened with the Presidential Team Report. They highlighted their work since the last NEC meeting, with a focus on the role trade unions can play in challenging the Far Right and anti-workers movements in general. The Organising To Win strategy, promoted by TFRC, has led over the last year to record growth in the membership and activists. They discussed the ceasefire in Gaza, and reiterated their commitment to attend and promote events that support the people of Palestine.

There were two main battle grounds at this NEC meeting.

Firstly, the NEC discussed National Delegates Conference (NDC) business, which centred around the prioritisation of Motions to NDC and also to agree the NEC`s amendments to rule submissions to NDC. The TFRC prioritisation and rule amendments were aimed at increasing focus on the Labour Governments attacks on living standards and the weaknesses of the Employment Rights Bill.

The Right wing and bureaucracy, under the Members Together in Unison slate, mustered their forces for this meeting. There must have been a three line whip or more likely greater access to posh hotels in London for them.

They tried to cut across the TFRC and other Lefts` prioritisation for motions to NDC. The discussion was fractious and heated at times, but was assertively chaired by the President, who was able to involve all of the NEC, but stopped timewasting tactics aimed at frustrating the process.

The TFRC & Lefts were able to defend their prioritisation of motions and Rule amendments for submission to conference, winning the key votes by two. This was a testament to the commitment, teamwork and discipline of the TFRC comrades.

The second area of contention, where there was an open clash with the RW and bureaucracy was over the issue of dealing with a vacancy in the Staffing Committee. This committee is vital in TFRC work to change our union into a member led and organising union, fighting for our members and communities. There were two candidates standing, one from the Left and one from the Right, with the Senior Vice-President, Julia Mwaluke winning the election by a narrow margin of 2 votes for the Left.

With the NEC elections in a few months and the election for the General Secretary in the autumn, the battles fought and won at this meeting will prepare the ground for the clashes ahead of us at NDC. We have simply prepared the ground for these battles.

The RW and bureaucracy, are hellbent on frustrating the demands of our members to have an organising and fighting union, leading the campaigns on funding for pay, the NHS and public services, on international campaigns in Gaza and Nigeria, and having a union that is based on rank & file activists in the workplace. We need a union that can challenge a Labour Government and hold it to account, not a union that lives off the scraps thrown to it from the Labour Party.

This will be a pivotal year for UNISON, with TFRC having an opportunity to challenge for leadership of the largest public sector trade union in the country.

All activists in the union must get involved in these vital elections, as they may push open the door for the rank & file activists and members to take control of their union.

With the NEC elections fast approaching there is an urgency to get activists and members involved in the campaign. The TFRC campaign will highlight what they have achieved in the last 18 months, including their success in embedding the Organising to Win Strategy, which not only has been a great success but the Right Wing want to claim responsibility for it. Voted for overwhelmingly by conference the NEC has driven this forward, despite reticence in some areas.

Organising To Win strategy has led to the highest growth in membership since UNISON was formed, a net increase of 40,000 members in 2024 alone.

Their Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Chair of International Committee have ensured we have a visible presence on the platforms of demonstrations opposing the ongoing genocidal attacks in Palestine.

They increased strike pay to £50 a day, and now payable from day 1 of action.

Just some of the changes pushed for by a Left NEC.