Congress Preliminary Agenda Published

The removal of statutory limits for calculating redundancy pay, and effective and transparent machinery of government for post 16 education and training are the two issues ACM will be taking to the 140th annual Trades Union Congress.

Asylum seekers and employment, improvements in maternity pay, a fair tax system, better pay for public sector workers and increased funding for the nation’s film archives are some of the other issues contained in the preliminary agenda for this year’s Congress published this week.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling MP, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, John Denham MP and Minister for Women and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Harriet Harman MP are among the speakers addressing delegates at Congress (which takes place between Monday 8 and Thursday 11 September 2008). Congress starts at 10am on the Monday with an address from TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber.

Boost For Equality Rep Training

A TUC co-ordinated training programme, announced at the recent equalities reps conference, has been set up to further boost the growing network of union equality reps in workplaces across the UK.

The new training programme, which takes place between September and December at venues across the UK, will train new and potential equality reps on how to handle key workplace issues, such as flexible working, equal pay, bullying, harassment and discrimination. The TUC is aiming to train up to 400 equality reps in the first three months of the project.

The expansion of equality reps was a key recommendation of the Women and Work Commission, which recognised the importance the importance of equality reps in delivering equality in workplaces. The TUC training programme has been funded by the Government Equalities Office.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: ‘Workforces dominated by white able-bodied males are increasingly becoming a relic of the past so diversity today is as much a business need as a social goal. But many employers could do with the help of more equality reps to help change workplace culture.

‘From help with flexible working requests, to tackling discrimination and harassment, equality reps are playing a vital role in delivering equality where it matters most – on the shop floor.

‘We want as many reps as possible to sign up for our equality rep training courses and together we will help to create a better workplace environment for all workers.’

Castle College To Close Nurseries

In a shock announcement at the end of term, Castle College has told its Nursery Staff and parents at all three of its Nurseries that they will not re-open in September. The three Nurseries – at Maid Marion Way, Carlton Road and Stapleford – provide care for over 75 children and employ 15 staff, who will all face redundancy and have turned to their Trade Union, UNISON, for help.

ACM and the other college trade union, UCU, are backing Unison in their campaign to save their members’ jobs.

Mike Scott (Notts UNISON Branch Organiser) said, “This was totally unexpected and everyone is gobsmacked. The College is seeking to make £1.5 million cuts to balance the books in the lead up to merging with New College and South Nottingham College, but closing the Nurseries will only save £80,000 at most.

“This will hit black people and single-parent families most and these are the very people the Government wants to encourage back into education.

“Our view is that no decisions on Nursery provision should be made until after the merger – the other Colleges have no plans of their own to close Nurseries.”

Severe Blow In Allen Case

The Court of Appeal has overturned the previous EAT ruling in the case of Allen v GMB. This is likely to have serious consequences for the GMB and Unison, and will no doubt have implications for other trade unions including ACM.

The case centres around the GMB’s decision to recommend members accept an equal pay deal to settle claims on behalf of its members, even though it undervalued the women’s claims. The union was subsequently taken to a tribunal by some of its affected members alleging direct and indirect sex discrimination. The claim of direct discrimination was rejected because the tribunal was convinced that the union had made “an attempt to keep the peace and to appear to as many people as possible to have done a good job as a union in representing the interests of all members.” However, the tribunal upheld the complaint of indirect sex discrimination.

The union appealed and the EAT found for the GMB, saying that settling the claims was a legitimate aim and the means adopted were proportionate.

But now the Court of Appeal has said that the means of securing the deal were not proportionate, restoring the original tribunal finding of indirect sex discrimination.

Public Sector Workers Strike Action

With local government workers and civil servants on strike today (Wednesday), TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:

“Hundreds of thousands of low paid people working in local government and the civil service are reluctantly on strike this week because they are refusing to accept pay offers way below the cost of living. With the cost of essentials like bread, milk and petrol more expensive than ever before, it’s unsurprising that public sector employees are worried about how their pay is going to stretch.

‘Paying public sector workers a fair and decent wage that takes account of the recent hike in the cost of living would not be inflationary and would help the many local government workers and civil servants struggling to make ends meet.”

Tackle Homophobia in Schools and Colleges

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber has called on the Government to include lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) equality education in the school curriculum, as the only way to address homophobic bullying in schools.

Speaking at the TUC’s annual LGBT conference held in London last week, Brendan Barber said that schools need to protect their pupils from homophobic bullying, and that promoting LGBT equality in the classroom is the best solution:

“While the UK’s education system ought to be in the vanguard of the fight against homophobic discrimination, all too often it is in fact part of the problem.

‘Whereas our schools and colleges have done much to counter racism and sexism, the same cannot be said when it comes to tackling homophobia. Despite some notable exceptions, too many educational establishments are breeding grounds for the worst kind of casual prejudice.

‘A survey by Stonewall last year laid bare the huge scale of the problem. Indeed its shocking findings ought to act as a wake-up call to us all. Almost all LGBT pupils reported hearing homophobic abuse. No less than two thirds reported being the victims of bullying. And perhaps most alarming of all, one in six said they had been subjected to death threats.

‘The consequences of all of this don’t just impact on academic attainment, which takes a pretty big hit. Don’t just impact on mental health, which is suffering as incidences of self-harm rise. But also on the self-esteem of young LGBT people, which is being shattered.

‘Schools and colleges doing are not doing enough. Fewer than a quarter have categorically said that homophobic bullying is wrong. And while 99 per cent of schools told the Stonewall survey they had general anti-bullying policies, just six per cent had anti-bullying policies that dealt with LGBT issues.

‘That’s why the TUC has joined forces with the teaching unions, Stonewall and other LGBT groups to make LGBT equality education becomes a priority for Government.”

Unison: “Offer Best Achievable by Negotiation”

Unison members in English FE colleges are to be balloted on the employers’ pay offer of a 3.2% increase or £550, whichever is greater. Their FE national committee have taken the view that the offer is “the best that can be achieved by negotiation and that if members vote to reject, they must be prepared to take part in sustained and escalating industrial action beginning with a two day all out strike.”

A consultation of ACM members is already underway through the branch network.