Motion 28 defended the rights of 12,000 UNISON workers in the meat hygeine industry. New proposals would see food factories employ their own inspectors, which could be a disaster for food hygiene. UNISON feel that we need high quality state inspection of all meat plants where the inspectors are trained, qualified and independent professionals.
There was a group debate on Composite C, which is about attacks on terms and conditions. Across the country, terms are being cut and disciplinary and sickness policies are being used to dismiss staff. Workers need to use Equality Impact Assessments (EqIAs) to save our terms and conditions. This is not about the deficit, it's about creating a conveniently-flexible workforce with only very basic terms and conditions. These cuts will hit women worse than men and despite government claims to the contrary, there is no evidence that agreeing cuts to terms and conditions saves jobs.
Motion 27 dealt with the notion of the living wage. The London living wage is £8.30 per hour, but outsourced workers are being warned that they might not be able to have a living wage despite companies making huge profits. A living wage is designed for a minimum acceptable standard of living and is the minimum required level to raise people out of poverty. It is shameful that in 2011 we are having to force employers to pay a decent living wage and this should be a key part of trade union agendas.
Composite D regarded Car Allowances and rising fuel costs. Our members who use their vehicle for business should not have to subsidise the employers. We need a travel scheme which fairly remunerates workers for their travel costs, especially as fuel costs take up a large part of the wage of the low paid. It was felt that Britain needed a fair fuel regulator. A speaker against the motion said leading by example doesn't help and we need more progressive action and better green policies. It was pointed out that the employers often try and use the climate change agenda as a reason for cutting travel costs.
Motion 29 concerned the Green Book and sickness arrangements that offer some form of protection to those with a disability. In addition, the annual leave entitlement provides respite from illness. However, the government wishes to move away from Green Book conditions and is seeking to erode nationally agreed terms and conditions, by taking such measures as forcing workers to visit their doctor in their own time.
Motion 19 was about the Localism bill and the community right to challenge, which is meant to allow the involvement of charities and social enterprises but also opens the door for free-market tendering of public services which will lead to privatisation.
Guest Speaker Clifford Singer talked about campaigns and social media. Spoof posters such as the famous "Vote Conservative or I'll kill this kitten" were popular prior to the last general election and were circulated widely on Facebook and Twitter. The 'False Economy' website saw the coming together of various campaigns and was valued by people looking for arguments to support the stance that there are alternatives and cuts are not the cure.
Humour and satire is a good way to respond to ridiculous pieces of information. Crowd sourcing is a new idea whereby the public are able to send in info to generate news pieces for websites, and organisations such as UK UnCut and 38 Degrees have taken protests off the internet and onto the streets through actions such as candlelit vigils and lobbying MPs. Social media has the ability to neutralise the dominant ideology put out by the right-wing press. YouTube footage also has the power to shift false messages put out by mainstream media.
Motion 42 campaigned against college cuts. Colleges have a key role in economic recovery, directly increasing the knowledge of our members and helping them progress their careers and increase their earning potential. Cuts will see our members miss out on adult and further education, as well as denying our members in colleges proper terms and conditions.
Motion 43 related to colleges and the green agenda. It was felt that the green agenda could be one of the first to be dropped in the race to make cuts. Home working was raised as an area of concern, one which our delegation agreed needed to be kept under observation because we know that many of our members subsidise the council with their work at home.
Composite F referred to School Support Staff. The government wants to have greater deregulation of pay and T&Cs. An increase in need requires an increase in funding, but instead staff are being slashed. Learning support staff are stretched and subject to the expectation that they will take on extra duties for no extra pay. Local Authorities act as a safety net for schools, but allowing Academy Status would remove this safety net. This government sees the role of support staff as being better suited to voluntary workers as per their Big Society ideals.
Motion 15 was named 'No more Free schools or Gove-style academies'. This refers to the marketisation and privatisation of education. Schools can go over to academy status very quickly and communities should be involved in consultation, but it very rarely happens in the way it should. Winners and losers are present when you introduce competition to education and our children shouldn't be the victim of an ideology that wants to see profit at the heart of everything. As these academies are essentially private schools funded by the state, it allows companies to come in and make profit from the state when that money would be better spent on improving standards.
Motion 45 related to social care integration with health services. A single point of access for elderly people sounds like a good idea but would not put an end to the postcode lottery nor negate the need for efficiency savings. The merging of social care and NHS could see the blurring of roles without any integrated organisation. It was recognised that the goals of integrating services were generally positive ones but the main driver was not care standards, but instead saving money.
The pressures in social work are growing and our members are being placed under greater force to list children as being in need rather than at risk. Cuts might see a reduction in admin support, a typical cut claiming that back office staff are not front line and therefore not a necessary part of the service. However, social workers now have to perform roles that should be undertaken by paid admin staff and can't concentrate their time and attention to the protection work.
Motion 22 identified that cuts in housing are across the board. Benefits, numbers working in the sector, resources for supporting homeless people, legislation and security of tenure have all reduced in the last two years. Guaranteed housing contributes towards social cohesion and feelings of security. There is some history of services being brought back in house where private companies have failed.
No comments:
Post a Comment