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Biennial Delegate Conference | 2012 City Hotel, Derry 17th‐18th April 2012 Membership of the Northern Ireland Committee 2010‐12 Membership Chairperson Ms A Hall‐Callaghan UTU Vice‐Chairperson Ms P Dooley UNISON Members K Smyth INTO* E McCann Derry Trades Council** Ms P Dooley UNISON J Pollock UNITE L Huston CWU M Langhammer ATL B Lawn PCS E Coy GMB E McGlone UNITE Ms P McKeown UNISON K McKinney SIPTU Ms M Morgan NIPSA S Searson NASUWT K Smyth USDAW T Trainor UNITE G Hanna IBOA B Campfield NIPSA Ex‐Officio J O’Connor President ICTU (July 09 to 2011) E McGlone President ICTU (July 11 to 2013) D Begg General Secretary ICTU P Bunting Asst. General Secretary *From February 2012, K Smyth was substituted by G Murphy **From March 2011 Mr McCann was substituted, by Mr L Gallagher. Attendance At Meetings At the time of preparing this report 20 meetings were held during the 2010‐12 period. The following is the attendance record of the NIC members: L Huston 14 K McKinney 13 B Campfield 18 M Langhammer 14 M Morgan 17 E McCann 7 L Gallagher 6 S Searson 18 P Dooley 17 B Lawn 16 Kieran Smyth 19 J Pollock 14 E McGlone 17 T Trainor 17 A Hall‐Callaghan 17 P McKeown 16 Kevin Smyth 15 G Murphy 2 G Hanna 13 E Coy 13 3 Thompsons are proud to work with trade unions and have worked to promote social justice since 1921. For more information about Thompsons please call 028 9089 0400 or visit www.thompsonsmcclure.com Regulated by the Law Society of Northern Ireland March for the Alternative image © Rod Leon Contents Contents SECTION TITLE PAGE A INTRODUCTION 7 B CONFERENCE RESOLUTIONS 11 C TRADE UNION ORGANISATION 15 D TRADE UNION EDUCATION, TRAINING 29 AND LIFELONG LEARNING E POLITICAL & ECONOMIC REPORT 35 F MIGRANT WORKERS 91 G EQUALITY & HUMAN RIGHTS 101 H INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS & EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS 125 I HEALTH AND SAFETY 139 APPENDIX TITLE PAGE 1 List of Submissions 143 5 Who we Are • OCN NI is the leading credit based Awarding Organisation in Northern Ireland, providing learning accreditation in Northern Ireland since 1995. • OCN NI is the only Northern Ireland based independent national awarding organisation providing qualifications across different learning sectors. • OCN NI operates within a Social Enterprise Model and receives no grant aid income. What we do 'We're an education charity working with the community, with people and with business. We're an awarding body creating qualifications that enable communities, business and people to grow and develop. We make a difference- we are the change we want to be - the diversity of learning' • OCN NI works with and supports learners across Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland. We provide a range of learning and development support strategies and services across the business, community, education and government sectors. • We support the development of in house, business & community learning and development programmes and provide a framework of customised qualifications as well as national qualifications. • OCN NI delivers a range of nationally recognised QCF qualifications focused on learning needs in Northern Ireland. In 2010/11 OCN NI registered over 29,000 learners. OCN Northern Ireland 1st Floor, Unit 17 • OCN NI is the only Northern Ireland based, independent national awarding Pilots View organisation providing qualifications across different learning sectors. 18 Heron Road An awarding body in Northern Ireland focused on learners in Northern Sydenham Business Park Ireland & the Republic of Ireland. Belfast BT3 9LE Tel: 028 9046 3990 Fax: 028 9046 0573 ocnni.org.uk The Diversity of Learning Introduction Peter Bunting Section A: Introduction Section A Introduction A1 Introduction necessary balance to a ‘debate’ which was tilted Peter Bunting from the start by media organisations and Assistant General Secretary, ICTU accountancy firms with substantial vested interests in cutting Corporation Tax. This report to the 2012 Biennial Delegate Conference outlines the main activities of the We have engaged with the public across the Northern Ireland Committee since 2010. These airways and the internet and on the streets as have been dominated by a campaign of well. Tens of thousands of leaflets, pamphlets, resistance to the austerity cuts imposed by the newsletters, posters and articles have been UK’s coalition government of Conservatives and produced and distributed. Websites and social Liberal Democrats. media have been utilised and dozens of public meetings and seminars have been organised, the The NIC has been well served by the committed largest of which was the Peoples’ Congress, held and efficient leadership of the Chair, Avril Hall‐ in Belfast in February 2011. Pickets, protests, Callaghan of the UTU, and she has been well marches and rallies have featured in every major served by the dedicated commitment of her vice‐ town and city. Trades Councils have been chair Pamela Dooley and all the Committee revitalised and reinvigorated and the Congress members who have their own constituents to Youth Committee have been models of diligence serve in their daily duties. and commitment. Cooperation between unions is at an all‐time high, as the scale of the threat we We, as the largest civil society organisation in face can only be faced down by collective Northern Ireland represent more humanity and action. greater interests than the loud voices speaking for business and minority interest groups seeking The political realities we confront have led to to maintain a flawed economic system. stronger alliances with our colleagues across these islands, with constant cooperation with the The trade unions of Northern Ireland have taken TUC’s of England, Scotland and Wales, utilising on this responsibility at all levels. We have the structure of the Trade Union Council of the engaged with elected representatives at all Isles to pressurise the devolved governments and levels, from local councils to the NI Assembly and the Westminster regime. Executive and Westminster, in many forums set up to address the economic crisis, the most The fruits of this reinvigorated relationship substantial of which is the Cross Sector Advisory included the huge rally in London on March 26, Forum, as well as at the restored Bi‐Lateral 2011 and October 2010’s unprecedented joint Forum with the First Minister and Deputy First statement on the UK economy by the First Minister. Ministers and Finance Ministers of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, which sent a We are engaging in a process of education for our blunt message to downing Street: “These cuts members and ‘opinion formers’ on the causes of are too fast and too deep” and will do “lasting the recession and the likely consequences to the damage to the economy and the fabric of our greater number of people of the flawed designs public services.” of the consistent Conservatives and the (neo) Liberal Democrats. Major publications on the On October 23, 2010, on a freezing and wet mythologies of the pro‐cuts propaganda and on Saturday, at least 15,000 people thronged the the case against cutting the rate of Corporation centre of Belfast in its largest political Tax have been widely distributed and discussed. demonstration since before the Iraq war. Nine towns and cities held simultaneous rallies, one Richard Murphy of Tax Research UK and author month after Derry and Belfast rallied alongside of Pot of Gold or Fool’s Gold has been their ETUC brothers and sisters across Europe on th interviewed many times and has provided September 29. Another large rally was held on 26 March 2011 to support the TUC’s rally in London. 8 Eugene McGlone & John Corey Section A: Introduction What was notable was the level of support from Making arguments for a more prosperous future workers in the public and private sectors, but also are meaningless without also arguing for a workers who are not in unions. Every political party peaceful future. Thousands gathered at the trade had representatives at the rally and these cross‐ union rally for peace on 6th April 2011, held at the political expressions of support have become the precise time of the funeral of Ronan Kerr. It was norm at subsequent trade union events. attended by thousands whose quiet dignity said more than all the loud condemnations or obscene The Northern Ireland Committee also supported ‘justifications’ about the intense human tragedy a number of significant industrial actions across suffered by the family of a brave 25‐year old public the public sector in the summer and autumn of servant. 2011. The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Later the same day, the same stage hosted a rally union led strike action on 30 June over pensions jointly organised by education workers and and services. On 5 October, we witnessed the students’ unions to denounce the government’s first whole service strike across the Health and vandalism of our colleges and universities, and Education sectors in 30 years when UNISON the opportunities of every able child to attend members came out against austerity policies. them. That is the politics which matters to the vast majority of people. This mass support from all ranks in all sectors of the Trade Union Movement was emphatically The campaign against cuts will succeed if the shown on 30th November 2011, when almost public believe that there is a more compelling every public servant (apart from those in the alternative to the drumbeat of austerity from the emergency services) went on strike over threats Tories, their Liberal enablers and their sponsors to their terms and conditions, and in particular in the corporate press. Part of that alternative their pensions. narrative must include a healthier society as well as safe workplaces with secure jobs. The highlight of this day of the most widespread strike action ever seen in Northern Ireland was a That is why Congress and its affiliates mass rally which filled the streets around Belfast campaigned assiduously for an inclusive and City Hall.