The sun finally shone brightly on last day of the ADC which seemed unfair as the delegates would be leaving after the close of the conference at about 12:30 to return to offices and branches to fight the cuts that everyone knew were about to be announced by the new ConDem coalition.
There would be little time to catch the rays just enough to catch the train and head to all points of the compass. Appropriately given the cuts we knew were heading our way the first session of the day was that on Pay; Motion A109 which rejected the 2010 pay remit of limiting pay rises to between 0% and 1%. The motion called on the NEC to co-ordinate action to see that a reasonable pay rise for all areas across the public sector including working with other unions to achieve out goal of fair pay ina national bargaining environment.
Motion A110 discussed the absurd practice of pay leapfrogging whereby new recruits were being employed on maximum pay rates which long serving staff have little or no hope of ever achieving. Why does this happen you might ask and the answer, not unsurprisingly, is that it is impossible to recruit staff on the wages the Civil Service pay the rest of us. Conference agreed that this practice should be opposed by a policy of rejecting these flexible starting pay rates.
Our Branch's motion on annual leave "35 days for all on recruitment" was remitted to the NEC as it was felt that such a objective could be difficult to achieve with all other elements of the pay campaign. If nothing is done to move towards this in a few years time we will be back with the motion again.
A similar motion A122 on negotiating an increase from 30 days to 35 days for those with service of 25 years was lost as some felt it discriminated on age.
Finally and before the guillotine fell Motion A114 was carried instructing the NEC to campaign for a maximum 35 hour week without loss of pay, no extra holidays (yet) but fewer working hours in every week is now policy.
Before Caroline Lucas MP was to speak and address the conference, environmental issues were debated. Caroline is Britain's first Green MP and represents Brighton and so it was appropriate that she be there to hear the debates. She congratulated the Union for its passion on Green issues and pointed out that being Green does not mean supporting public sector cuts or cuts in industry. She recognised the value and benefit of public sector jobs being carried out by our members and that creation of employment in the new renewable (Green industries) was a way to work our way out of deficit and recession.
She heard the conference pass motions on union involvement in the Climate Campaign and the "Million green jobs initiative (Motion A115). Motion A116 condemning the closure of Vesta's onshore wind turbine plant on the Isle of Wight was carried as was A117 supporting the Climate Solidarity Project.
In the Social and Economic session Motion A629 was carried and called for continued support for anti-fascist organisations to oppose the BNP and similar organisations. Similarly Motion A121 instructing the NEC to gather information about properly organising against the far right and to issue guidelines on personal safety at rallies and how to respond to the behaviour and tactics of the far right at those rallies was also carried.
Motion A122 debated the issue of the financial crisis and was carried calling on the NEC to organise forums of trade unions to popularise the alternatives to making workers pay for a crisis we did not create. ON a similar vein Motion A123 was passed and requires the NEC to actively campaign for the "Tobin Tax" on every banking transaction to raise billions in revenue and reverse public spending cuts.
A144, which had been moved forward in the agenda then called on the NEC to continue the campaign to repeal the anti-trade union laws (watch out for more of these to come from the new coalition government. Back on track in the agenda A124 was passed calling on support for the immediate restoration of the link between pensions and earnings and to oppose any raise in the state retirement age. The branch intervened on the next motion A125 which was calling for engagement with the "commission on ownership" set up to consider "Mutualisation" a form of worker democracy and to draw up a plan for workers democracy in the civil and public sector. The NEC were calling for remission on this matter and the branch's intervention which opposed remission and supported the motion may have swung matters when it was stated that unlike management who could not organise a booze up in a brewery we could all do a better job.
Remission was lost and the motion was carried. Chris however was told off by Grant for using profane language in his intervention as the phrase was slightly different when not in print.
Two more motions were passed in this section A126 calling for the opening of negotiations to raise the current redundancy threshold and A127 calling for an increase in the level of carers allowance and a removal of the restrictions which prevent pensioners from claiming the benefit. As the conference drew towards its conclusion those motions that had been lost to the guillotine in their various sections were given the opportunity to be heard, those motions put by the branch that had been lost were however not included in the chosen list which was A614 (noting the victimisation of reps in CSA Hastings), A78 (equality assessment of PCS subs), A68 (campaign against law changes which would prevent extradition of war-criminals from UK), A46 (Trade Union education in schools), A96 (access to Thompsons legal advice) and A137 (Free telephone numbers for benefit claimants to replace 0845 numbers). All the motions were carried despite resistance from the NEC to A96.
The vote of thanks to all those involved in the conference was given with the usual sprinkling of conference in-jokes, it got a laugh on the day but would mean little here so the humour isn't repeated....except...When the conference was asked to send its best wishes to Mark Serwotka in his hospital bed by wishing his beloved Cardiff City a win in the Championship playoffs certain voices were raised (loudly) to cry "Come on you Pool!".
Having already sent our apologies to Mark in his get well card saying "get well soon – sorry about Saturday" all we had to hope for was that Success at Wembley for the right team would ensue.
Now off to the train station for the trip home...or for some...to London for tomorrow's excitement.
Written by Chris Wade
