25th October 2023 NEC report

This was the first proper meeting of the new National Executive Committee, which was elected in June 2023. At the National Delegate Conference in June, the inaugural meeting of the NEC met to elect a new Presidential Team, and in a very close vote, TFRC supporters got the team we proposed. Libby Nolan as President, Julia Mwaluke and Steve North as Vice-Presidents.

The following NEC meeting in July focused on electing the members of the committees that run the union between the NDC. Again, TFRC supporters were elected to most of the positions we felt would be most beneficial to the fight to transform the union. So, this NEC meeting was an opportunity to get down to business.

1. General Secretary’s Report;

Christina McAnea’s report on her activity since the last NEC covered a number of areas, (i) Health members in Northern Ireland are still in dispute since December 2022 to secure pay parity.  (ii) Local Government in Scotland, schools and early years members leading the fight for better pay. (iii) Local Government E&W. UNISON accepting the pay offer, with Unite taking action, and the GMB ballot results not released yet (since this report the GMB have announced they won't be taking action, and the offer has been accepted by the joint unions) (iv) Labour Party Conference. UNISON got a commitment to fund a National Care Service, but no details to be published. Also, a commitment to school support staff negotiating rights.  (v) 2023 Year of Black Workers. Black History Month, this October, produced some “fantastic” events. (vi) Covid 19 Inquiry. Work continues, but UNISON focused on 2 of the 5 modules, ie Health and “Every Story Matters”.

Discussion and questions:

During the discussion, and as part of the TFRC strategy to focus on workers in struggle, it was agreed to have a photo opportunity at the end of the meeting in support of the Ash Field Academy strikers in Leicester.

We also had a very good discussion on the Equal Pay Claim struggle in Birmingham. The council does not seem to be learning lessons, so a third generation of claims may develop. The Council declaring itself bankrupt has caused a lot of worry to members. The general secretary confirmed that UNISON will be lodging claims for members. The Council has really mishandled this issue for years. In Birmingham Council some staff are afraid of losing their jobs and we put forward the demand that UNISON should write to them and support any associated industrial action. As part of this discussion, we raised the issue of the role of the Labour Party, which should be put under pressure to fund local government properly. In terms of practical lessons to be learned, it was suggested that branches should be encouraged to share experiences and knowledge on Equal Pay Claim work, to help improve their effectiveness and help less experienced branches.

We discussed the Tory attacks on trans people and their rights, in their so-called “war on woke”. There is an increase in the oppression of trans people, particularly in schools, and the Labour Party should be pushed much further on its position. We discussed how we can best pressurise the Labour Party to oppose these attacks.

The upsurge in industrial action in Scotland was discussed. It was mentioned that the Further Education strikes in Scotland are not getting enough media coverage by UNISON communications nationally. What further support can the union offer these workers? TFRC supporters are playing a key role in helping to support action in Scotland.

We need to push the Labour Party on its “commitment” on the National Care Service, and we have to avoid any watering down of our policy to appease the Labour Party. How can we practically pressurise the Labour Party publicly? The Communications of the union need to be more focused on putting pressure on Labour to honour commitments made to UNISON, and supporting members in struggle.

As part of the policy of supporting workers on strike, we asked for the General Secretary to visit the Ash Field Academy strikers to help boost their morale during a critical period in their campaign. The leadership of the union must prioritise members on strike, this is a key demand from the TFRC group. Industrial action is the best way to organise, recruit and to win for members.

1. Presidential report.  The Presidential Team made some key points.

The union needs to do more to oppose attacks on the refugee hotels by the far right.

Our Presidential Charity this year will be Swansea Asylum Seekers Support, a very worthy cause for support. Please ask your branch to make a donation.

As part of our commitment to supporting workers in struggle, we attended numerous picket lines to support our members in struggle. It was an honour and a privilege to attend these disputes, and the Camden picket line was particularly lively. The Ash Field Academy dispute was visited, and they are now completing 40 days of action over pay.

There is an ongoing discussion on communications with the General Secretary, regarding getting an agreement on how the views of the NEC is communicated to members.

Discussion; We highlighted the importance of the NEC having oversight of how their views are communicated. The communications that come from the union over the last number of years have often been seen as irrelevant to most members. This has to change. We need information going to members that can inspire them and give them the confidence and courage to not only get involved in their union, but to push for the things that matter to them, pay being the most important.

We discussed the issue of the Minimum Service Bill, and the union’s response. The devolved administrations in Cymru/Wales and Scotland have indicated they will not use the notices. We discussed how we can get Labour councils to oppose the Minimum Service Bill, and commit to not using work notices. We need a union that can organise resistance to attacks by the Tory government and hold Labour councils to account.

The industrial dispute at Ash Field Academy is moving into a critical period with indefinite action in November. We called for the General Secretary and the Presidential Team to commit to a visit to their demo in November, with the date to fit in with the union leadership’s availability.

Presidential Team Reply; The NEC need to have oversight of communications that publish their views, and the discussion has been positive. The communication team has been working under “difficult circumstances”. If we are serious about changing the union into an organising and democratic organisation, then we need to have communications to the membership that are effective. They are looking at a dedicated section on the national website for industrial action, which will help promote these disputes and help focus the attention of members and the union on workers in struggle.

1. Statement on Palestine and Israel.

We discussed the ongoing attacks on Gaza by Israeli forces. UNISON has issued a statement, in line with its policy, which calls for a Two State Solution. The union has made donations to MAP and the Red Cross. We need UNISON to be bold and militant in its support for the Palestinian masses, and to show courage in the face of Tory support for Israeli action and a Labour Party that that has been, at best, ambivalent.

Some TFRC supporters raised an additional 5 points to be included in a new statement. (i) We need a leading member from the union speaking on the PSC platform on Saturday 28th October in London [UNISON president Libby Nolan did this] (ii) We need the new statement to include a call for a ceasefire. (iii) The UNISON banner should be on all marches and protests. (iv) The BDS Campaign should be highlighted to branches and the links to the campaign sent out, underlining the complicity of the government. (v) There should be a £20,000 donation to MAP (agreed £10,000 to MAP, £10,000 to Red Cross)

The attacks on Gaza are horrific. We should identify Hamas as a reactionary force. We noted the rise of Antisemitic attacks and Islamophobia in the country and called for the union to support organisations that focus on joint workers’ action. Our members are very keen to get involved in protests, and we need to encourage and support members to get involved in the massive demonstrations that are developing across the country. Local branches need to be encouraged to get their members more involved in this developing situation.

We are playing catch up as we are three weeks behind in our response. UNISON communications at a national level have been inadequate and too slow to react. We need to learn the lessons, and organise quickly when international events develop.

We discussed the need to call for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the occupation. The Israeli government is also oppressing joint Arab-Israeli workers action and demos against the war in Israel. Our union needs to build links with the genuine progressive and left forces that exist in Israel, so Palestinian and Israeli workers have an opportunity to challenge the reactionary forces they face.

Read more about Socialist Alterantive’s view on some of the issues addressed at this NEC meeting: 

• Latest statement on the onslaught in Gaza

• Interview with striking education workers at Ash Field Academy 

• Build a mass, fighting movement for LGBTQ+ liberation

• Unison local government and schools ballot: what next?