Union conferences

By a conference delegate Unison conference, meeting in Bournemouth between 17 and 23 June, posed both problems and possibilities for serious class-struggle activists in the union. At the Local Government sector conference, there was a defeat for the left when the conference voted not to restart industrial action over pensions. By just over 350,000 to just over 330,000, delegates voted against a motion rejecting the leadership’s strategy of relying on a judicial review of the government’s pension plans. Speaking on the Tuesday of conference, general secretary Dave Prentice promised that if...

By a rail worker The RMT’s Annual General Meeting, meeting in Dublin on 2-7 July, will discuss what the union has described as the “pensions crisis” facing rail workers. Despite a 76% vote for strike action, the executive has decided not to set strike dates and instead accept the employers’ proposal for a “tripartite commission” — one union representative, one employer and an “independent chair” — to find a solution. The union had previously rejected this proposal, and with good reason. ‘Independent’ chairs are typically just bosses’ representatives in disguise, and are unlikely to take the...

The GMB’s congress has voted overwhelmingly against merger with the TGWU and Amicus to form a new “super union”. Public arguments focused on the loss of the GMB’s independence and political and industrial tradition, as well as the fact that there is no pressing financial need for merger. But there are reports from the conference that the private arguments among delegations, in the bars etc focused more on job losses and changes in conditions for union officials and reps. See next issue of Solidarity for more..

By a PCS Socialist Caucus member The big industrial issues at the PCS civil service union conference were national pay bargaining, pensions and job cuts. Sadly delegates backed an NEC line that has achieved nothing on pay; has seen the introduction of a compulsory pension age of 65 for all new civil servants (leaving current workers open to a future divide-and-rule attack), and has allowed the continuation of a jobs cull. Years of talks with the Cabinet Office have not dented the huge variations in pay rates between civil servants or produced one material gain for PCS members. Yet a motion...