GMB – BRITAIN’S GENERAL UNION PROCEEDINGS at the ANNUAL CONGRESS The Brighton Centre, Brighton on Sunday, 3rd June 2007 – Thursday, 7th June 2007 SECOND DAY Monday, 4th June 2007. SECOND DAY’S PROCEEDINGS MONDAY, 12TH JUNE 2007 MORNING SESSION Congress assembled at 9.30 a.m. THE PRESIDENT: Will Congress please come to order, that includes Regional Secretaries at the back talking. Colleagues, I remind you that the fire and safety precautions and evacuation procedures are in your wallet and when you see me running we will all go together. I remind delegates that today’s session, and tomorrow and Wednesday morning, is being transmitted on TV. That means your speech will be transmitted live over the internet so all those swear words you have put in, please take them out. Remember to state your name and region quite clearly. Please make sure your mobile phones are off. Where is Charlie from GMB Scotland? I heard yours going yesterday even though it was supposed to be silent. Is he in? THE PRESIDENT: Colleagues, we have a Standing Order Committee Report No. 2 and I call on Gerry Ferguson to present it. Gerry. STANDING ORDERS COMMITTEE REPORT NO. 2 BRO. G. FERGUSON (Chair, Standing Orders Committee): Withdrawn Motions – the SOC has been informed that the following motions have been withdrawn. Motion 139: Single Status – Attack on National Terms and Conditions, standing in the name of South Western Region withdrawn in favour of Motion 141. Motion 170: The Replacement of Trident, standing in the name of Yorkshire & North Derbyshire Region. Motion 207: Criminal Offence, standing in the name of the Midland & East Coast Region has been withdrawn. I will repeat, the following Motions have been withdrawn – Motion 139, 170 and 207. Emergency Motions: The SOC has ruled that the following three additional Emergency Motions are in order for debate. Emergency Motion 2 – Remploy, standing in the name of GMB Scotland. Emergency Motion 3 – Hilton Hotels, Barclays Bank – Extra-Territorial Legislation Discrimination Against Cuban Customers, standing in the name of London Region, and I am not repeating that one. Emergency Motion 4 – NHS, standing in the name of North Western Region. Copies of the Emergency Motions will be distributed to delegates following the SOC Report No. 2. Bucket collections: the SOC has agreed to authorise a request from London Region for a bucket collection for the Jimmy Knapp Cancer Fund. I recommend that this takes place at the close of the Monday morning session of Congress today. The Grunwick Dispute. The SOC Committee has agreed to a request from the London Region to allow Chris Thomas access to Congress on Tuesday morning in order to film the presentation of the award to Mrs. Desai. Chris is working for Brent District Council in making a film to commemorate the Grunwick Dispute. President, Congress, I move adoption of SOC Report No. 2. THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Gerry. Any delegates wish to come and speak on the Standing Orders? (No response) No. Do you all accept? (Agreed) Thank you. Thank you, Gerry, very much indeed. Congress, I just have a couple of announcements to make. One is to thank the regions for their social last night, which was absolutely fantastic. I am going to say thanks, first of all, to the North West & Irish Region, our first and last, last night; to London Region, my region; to Yorkshire; and Midland & East Coast; and of course the host was South Western Region, it was a brilliant night; and to Northern Region, where we went last night. You will be pleased your General Secretary became the cabaret; he was extremely good. (Laughter) He does remember, do not worry about that. This morning, colleagues, as you know, we are going to deal with Colombia. We will have a short movie and the platform will go down so that we can watch it. Could I say that, and this is a note from the Colombian stall, if there is one thing you can do to support the brothers and sisters in Colombia it is to visit the Justice for Colombia stall. You can join as an individual member and make sure your branch is affiliated too. The GMB is 100% behind the campaign. They are selling some lovely little badges as a reminder. Please visit the stalls out there. Thank you. I drew a raffle yesterday afternoon for the Thorne Credit Union. It was a whisky draw and if I had known that he would not be getting it. The winner was Kevin Flanagan. Kevin, well done. I hope you have picked up your prize. A SPEAKER FROM THE FLOOR: Point of order: Recount! THE PRESIDENT: You might have won it but it does not mean to say you are going to get the bottle! Now, colleagues, we will watch the DVD and we are going to leave the platform. DVD played to Congress. THE PRESIDENT: Colleagues, that is the high price our brothers and sisters pay in other parts of the world, in particular in Colombia, for wanting just the right to belong to a trade union. I think it is an extremely sad reflection of our society today and it is time that countries like ours stopped funding the paramilitary; guns are bought with aid that we send. We have raised this with the Government on several occasions so please, please, go and support Justice for Colombia. Our guest is here. We say we stand with you, we stand shoulder to shoulder with you in your fight for justice for the Colombian brothers and sisters. Thank you, Congress. (Applause) REGIONAL SECRETARY’S REPORT: LONDON REGION (pages 109-117) LONDON REGION 1 MEMBERSHIP & RECRUITMENT Financial Membership 87,767 Section Financial Membership (by each Section): COMMERCIAL SERVICES SECTION 32,734 MANUFACTURING SECTION 9,534 PUBLIC SERVICES SECTION 45,497 Grade 1 members 57,236 Grade 2 members 22,348 Retired, Reduced Rate and others 8,183 Male Membership 43,532 Female Membership 44,235 Total number recruited 1.1.2006 - 31.12.2006 16,321 Increase/Decrease 1.1.2006 - 31.12.2006 +4,139 Membership on Check-off 54,526 Membership on Direct Debit 26,497 Over the last year the GMB London Region has striven to ensure that our levels of recruitment and organization activity has been strong. Our membership has risen by 4,138 members since January 2006. This we have achieved by focusing on four specific sectors Public Services (in particular schools), Aviation (with a particularly strong emphasis on both Airlines, Aircraft Handling Agents, and Aircraft Cleaning Companies), Security Companies (particularly G4S), and a new target of the NHS, where we have made particular strides in recruiting Medical Secretaries. In each of these sectors the region has achieved substantial membership growth. Whilst the London Region has achieved substantial membership growth through organisation and recruitment during 2006 we have also continued to see a series of major closures. Manufacturing plants linked to the motor industry and shipbuilding have continued to close with a disastrous month in August seeing over 1000 GMB London Region members’ jobs lost. It is only because of our Officers, Staff and Lay Activists magnificent recruitment efforts that we have been able to grow our region. This has been achieved by moving into the service sector and the public sector to compensate for losses in manufacturing employment which continues to collapse at an ever more rapid rate. 2 GENERAL ORGANISATION Regional Senior Organisers 3 Membership Development Officers 3 Regional Organisers 17 Organising Officers 8 No. of Branches 129 New Branches 2 Branch Equality Officers 28 Branch Youth Officers 8 3 BENEFITS Dispute 13,230.00 Total Disablement NIL Working Accident 3,796.30 Occupational Fatal Accident 1,066.00 Non-occupational Fatal Accident Funeral 12,572.00 4 JOURNALS & PUBLICITY Press The GMB London Region’s Press Officer continues to spend part of her time on secondment to GMB National Office Communications Department. Within the London Region the Press Office has assisted the GMB London Region in a large number of disputes and campaigns. The Press Office has been heavily involved in the Local Government Pensions Dispute. They have also assisted in the campaign to link state pensions to earnings; the campaign for recognition in ASDA; efforts made by the region to bring to the publics’ attention the behaviour of Ryanair. The Press Department has also played a major role in publicising the evil activities of the BNP in East London. They have also played a major part in highlighting the industrial relations problems at Wembley Stadium, Terminal 5, in British Gas, at CT Plus in Waltham Forest and in British Airways. The department have also publicised the union’s successes in employment tribunals and in our vigorous campaign to cut the number of assaults on Security and Airline workers and the ever growing number of successful employment tribunals that we have won for our members. Campaigns to support our members at Stansted Airport, in Cleanaway at Kings Lynn, in the Remploy Factories and in our ongoing demand for the renationalisation of the water and gas industry have also been supported by the Press Department. Campaigns The Press Department has assisted officers with the recognition campaign at The American Dry Cleaning Company and the health and safety, and recognition campaign at long time target Bakkavor (Katsouris) in Colindale. Two, long running, GMB London Region campaigns achieved success in 2006. Parliament decided on a total smoking ban for all indoor workplaces. The GMB has been campaigning for this since the GMB London Region Casinos Branch motion calling for a total ban became GMB policy at GMB Congress 2001.