BGCM Motions 2019

BGCM MOTION’S

2019

GFTU BGCM 2019 MOTION 1

AEP - Association of Educational Psychologists

Corporal Punishment of Children in England.

This conference notes the actions currently being taken by both the Scottish and Welsh governments towards introducing legislation which will provide greater protection for children in Wales and a statement from the Children’s Minister in Wales (Huw Irranca- Davies) when he said: "Physically punishing a child is outdated, and is no longer acceptable in a modern, progressive Wales. This is why we are committed to removing the defence of reasonable punishment, which reinforces our long standing commitment to children’s rights, based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.” This conference further notes that the current UK government has not expressed any intention to take similar steps so as to give children in England the same protection as those planned in Wales.

This conference calls upon the UK government to:

• affirm its support for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (of which it is a signatory)

• acknowledge that physical punishment can have negative long term effects on a child’s development (and is ineffective as a punishment)

 express its intention to draft proposals for the removal of the defence of “reasonable punishment” in criminal law regarding the use of corporal punishment of children

GFTU BGCM 2019 MOTION 2

AUE - Artists Union England

The movement for cultural democracy.

Conference welcomes and supports The Movement for Cultural Democracy creating a new radical and transformative agenda for democratic cultural transformation. Its new manifesto has been collectively created and sets out three interconnected projects: a) democratising the means of cultural production; b) decolonising and realising radical inclusivity in all spheres of arts, culture, everyday life and our public institutions; c) realising participatory democracy. This movement is necessary because at present the power and the resources needed to create culture at the grassroots are so unevenly distributed. For example, many of our UK cultural policies are currently funded from monies from general taxation and the National Lottery and distributed at national level by Creative Scotland, Arts Council of Wales, Arts However, public funding decisions are remain highly centralised and top-down, to the detriment of local communities, grassroots cultural organisations and artists. Conference notes, at present, that while it is the poorest communities in our society that contribute the most to the National Lottery, it is those who are wealthiest who see the most return – our cultural funding regime is fundamentally unbalanced, unjust and undemocratic. Council of Northern Ireland and Arts Council England.

Conference calls on the GFTU to:

I) support a fundamental rebalancing of the way our arts and cultural activities are funded in order to put control of cultural funding into the hands of local communities and people and make the funding of cultural activities more responsive to all of the people they should serve. II) work with The Movement for Cultural Democracy and its affiliates to create cultural policy and a cultural landscape which is radically inclusive, democratic and responsive to the participation of all members of society, not just the few.

GFTU BGCM 2019 MOTION 3

BFAWU - Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union

Climate Change.

This conference notes the irrefutable evidence that dangerous climate change is driving unprecedented changes to our environment such as the devastating flooding witnessed in the UK in 2004. The GFTU further notes the risk to meeting the challenge of climate change with the likes of Donald Trump withdrawing the US from the Paris Climate Agreement. Similarly, Brexit negotiations and incoherent UK government policy risk undermining measures to achieve the UK carbon reduction targets. The GFTU welcomes the report by the Transnational Institute Reclaiming Public Services: how cities and citizens are turning back privatization, which details the global trend to re-municipalise public services including energy. The GFTU believes that to combat climate change effectively and move towards a low-carbon economy we cannot leave this to the markets and therefore need a strong role for the public sector in driving the measures needed to undertake this transition. 1. work with the Labour Party and others that advocate for an end to the UK’s rigged energy system to bring it back into public ownership and democratic control 2. advocate for a mass programme of retrofit and insulation of Britain’s homes and public buildings 3. lobby to demand rights for workplace environmental reps 4. establish and provide a training programme for environmental reps 5. Lobby for the establishment of a Just Transition strategy and practical steps needed to achieve this as integral to industrial strategy. To this end, this BGCM calls on the GFTU to:

GFTU BGCM 2019 MOTION 4

Community union

Mental health at work.

Conference notes that ill mental health is one of the biggest issues in the work place, causing over 70 million working days to be lost each year and costing employers approximately £2.4 billion per year. Conference further notes that 300,000 people with a long term mental health problem lose their jobs each year in the UK. Conference believes good mental health should be a priority for every workplace and all workers who deal with mental health in their day to day should be trained to spot signs of mental health issues and understand how to respond appropriately. Conference also believes employers have a crucial role to play in tackling poor mental health at work, and that the Government should encourage and support employers more effectively. • Encourage the GFTU to support union campaigns to improve mental health provision, training, and attitudes in workplaces. • Call on the Health and Safety Executive to conduct mental health risk assessments in workplaces across the country to raise employer awareness of their duty to assess and manage mental health at work. • Call on employers to ensure their workplaces are supportive environments by training their employees in Mental Health First Aid, offering flexible working and time off, and by implementing inclusive employment and recruitment policies. • Lead a national campaign calling for significant new funding for mental health services and in particular, crisis care services whether in the community or in our health and prison system. Conference calls on the GFTU to:

GFTU BGCM 2019 MOTION 5

GFTU Rule Change.

General Secretary and Treasurer’s selection.

1

Rule 15 (h) Amend second sentence to read after first sentence:

The Executive Committee shall have power to fix the salary and working conditions of the General Secretary and staff. Should illness, incapacity or other reason cause the General Secretary to be unable to undertake his duties, or should the office of General Secretary fall vacant, the Executive Committee shall have the power to appoint an Acting General Secretary for the duration of any temporary vacancy.

2 Rule 18 (a) Delete existing clause (a) and replace with the following:

Appointment – The General Secretary and Treasurer of the GFTU (called the General Secretary) shall be appointed by the Executive Committee in ways as it may deem appropriate following an open recruitment and selection process. The salary of the General Secretary shall be determined by the Executive Committee; and the General Secretary shall remain in office so long as his/her work and conduct give satisfaction to the Executive Committee. Under Rule 15 (h) the Executive Committee shall have power to appoint an Acting General Secretary immediately that a temporary vacancy occurs. In the event of a permanent vacancy occurring, the Executive Committee shall conduct an open recruitment and selection process, including the establishment of essential and desirable criteria, job description review and fair and rigorous selection processes to secure an appointment from a committed and experienced trade unionist.

3

Appendix 1

Delete all.

GFTU BGCM 2019 MOTION 6

NAPO (1)

The Trade Union, Professional Association and campaigning organisation for Probation and Family Court staff

Let’s fix the broken Probation service.

This BGCM notes with concern the current operational state of the Probation service following it’s part privatisation in 2015 and the introduction of 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies and the creation of the National Probation Service. Since then, a series of parliamentary reports and highly critical assessments by HMI Probation have laid bare this most disastrous policy, which has failed in a number of areas including: support for Prisoners re-entering the community, the monitoring of Domestic Violence perpetrators, and the introduction of operating models and substandard supervision regimes which expert practitioners have assessed as representing a direct threat to public safety. Despite this catalogue of failure, and £250 million in further bailouts by the taxpayer, the 21 CRC Contracts are being terminated early. nevertheless, the Government has announced its intention to remarketise the service into 10 new Contract Package Areas by 2020 and will be inviting current CRC owners to tender for new delivery contracts. This BGCM instructs the Executive Committee to do all that it can to support the campaign of total opposition to this plan by the probation unions, who are also committed to seeing the return of the service into public ownership.

GFTU BGCM 2019 MOTION 7

NAPO (2)

The Trade Union, Professional Association and campaigning organisation for Probation and Family Court staff

We demand Pay unity in Probation.

This BGCM applauds the work of Napo and its sister unions in Probation for securing a ground breaking pay modernisation award for its members employed by the National Probation Service (NPS). Unfortunately, the Government is refusing to adjust the current 21 Community Rehabilitation Contracts meaning that the remuneration of their employees, who are undertaking work of equal value, is inferior to that of their NPS counterparts. This is a scandalous situation compounded by the fact that the taxpayer has funded hundreds of millions of pounds in bail outs to failing CRC contractors who refuse to implement harmonisation of pay for their workforce. The Executive Committee is instructed to offer all support possible for the #Pay Unity campaign established by Napo, and to use its contacts within Parliament to ensure that this issue is kept firmly on the political agenda.

GFTU BGCM 2019 MOTION 8

NAPO (3)

The Trade Union, Professional Association and campaigning organisation for Probation and Family Court staff

Initiatives against Domestic Violence.

This BGCM welcomes the publication of the Government Bill on initiatives against Domestic Violence including the possibility of legislation to make ‘Stalking’ a criminal offence. Conference notes the worrying increase in crimes reported as being related to domestic violence, and the failure of this Government to ensure adequate funding to Local Authorities and the voluntary sector to provide facilities to assist victims of such incidents such as refuges, access to counselling and an effective interface with other agencies including those involved with child safeguarding.

The Executive Committee are instructed to support unions and campaigners in their efforts to see the Bill enacted into legislation.

GFTU BGCM 2019 MOTION 9

NAPO (4)

The Trade Union, Professional Association and campaigning organisation for Probation and Family Court Staff.

Rehabilitation needed in our communities

This BGCM notes with concern the impact that the Government’s “Offender Management in Custody Review” (OMIC) will have on Probation staff and the clients they manage. While we welcome the Keyworker initiative which gives prisoners more access to positive staff interaction, OMiC also means that some prisoners will have an Offender Manager in name only and have little contact with them except when reports are required. Some prisoners will have more contact with their Offender Manager but will face disruption to that crucial working relationship at their most vulnerable time when they approach release or re-categorisation. This BGCM notes the position of Napo which is that instead of moving Offender Management into Prisons, which builds in disruption and inconsistency of working relationships throughout the sentence, it would be far better to properly resource Offender Management in the community to enable them to properly prioritise the management of their clients in custody and provide the consistency of relationship required.

The Executive is instructed to support Napo’s efforts to ensure that the deficiencies in the OMiC plans are highlighted at every level.

GFTU BGCM 2019 MOTION 10

SUE – Society of Union Employees

Expanding Access to Education.

Notwithstanding the excellent high standard and comprehensive expansive learning and education courses that the GFTU delivers to ensure that the current generation of affiliates is equipped to deliver trade union values in very uncertain times. SUE notes that the current GFTU education access to its courses is somewhat limiting especially to minority groups. The current education programme delivered at the Quorn Grange Hotel in Leicestershire, with its excellent facilities has the limitation of being the sole location for a national course. SUE believes there is a need to have a centralised HQ for the GFTU to meet the demands of affiliates The education programme is delivered predominately in block courses. This can be extremely restrictive to a candidate wishing to apply to the courses ie women/men who have family commitments, single parents/candidates with parent caring responsibilities. For a candidate who has family responsibilities to make arrangements for caring responsibilities to be covered for nearly a week or an event which is three days, is nearly or in some cases completely impossible. Opening up the scope of access to education in GFTU will encourage new individuals the opportunity to gain access to trade union education and engage with a whole new generation of activists to be qualified and empowered in dealing with employers, industry and politics in a post brexit world. To open up the education access to all countrywide will equip the GFTU for the future in addressing the increasing and progressive power of the trade union movement.

Therefore SUE requests that:

 A feasibility Working Group is created to work towards opening access and removing barriers to education at the GFTU and especially those who are unable to travel to Leicestershire for block courses

 Regional areas to be selected as pilots to deliver a new way to access trade union education with the GFTU

 Expanding the online learning pool modules, to look at the feasibility of a designated regional mentor for support when completing online courses.

GFTU BGCM 2019 MOTION 11

SWU - Social Workers Union

Working Conditions of Social Workers.

This AGM calls on the BGCM meeting to support the recent research report by Bath Spa University’s Dr Jermaine Ravalier. The research showed that as many as 92% of the 100,000 registered social workers in England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland are working an average of 10 hours of unpaid overtime every week. This equates to approximately 480 hours every year, or 64 days, per person. 3421 social workers contributed to the Bath Spa University and SWU survey in Sept 2018 Overall, the findings from Dr. Jermaine Ravalier’s research in 2018 shows that working conditions for social workers are at a worrying poor level thus creating stress for UK social workers. Specifically, six of the working conditions out of seven – demands, control, managerial support, peer support, colleague and service user behaviour, role and change – have deteriorated further a year on for virtually social worker job roles

Social workers are dedicated to their service users and but need greater resources available for them.

Key findings

Working conditions of social workers are still operating at poor levels and adding to high levels of stress, presenteeism, job dissatisfaction, and intentions both to leave the current job and the social work profession entirely.

46% of social workers are dissatisfied in 2018 compared to 41% in 2017

Nearly 7/10 social workers attended work while so ill they should have taken time off 60% looking to leave their current job within the next 15 months compared to 52% last year

Nearly 40% social workers exposed to aggressive or physically abusive behaviours at least once a month from service users

Social workers remain dedicated to their service users and clearly want greater resources available for them

Therefore this BGCM, requests the Executive supports the following:

1. Strong leadership and wellbeing support for social workers – improve the level of demand on social workers to reduce stress and attrition rates by employing more social workers; ensuring a consistent approach to caseload allocation and enabling flexible and remote working through improved technology.

2. Ensure time for reflective supervision to work through complex cases.

3. Manageable caseloads – provide administrative support to enable social workers to focus on caseload.

4. Professional development – ensure social workers’ managers have completed management training.

5. Revers the blame culture and give social workers respect and positive support.

GFTU BGCM 2019 MOTION 12

TSSA (1) – Transport Salaried Staff’s Association

Public Transport.

Conference notes that with the exception of Network Rail and failing train operating franchises, Britain's railways have largely been privately owned since the mid-1990s. The Conservative government claims that the huge growth in passenger rail travel is due to private ownership and innovation but fails to acknowledge record tax payer investment and support, many times that received by British Rail, which, together with a 20% real terms increase in fares, has underpinned profit extraction. A new report from the Independent Transport Commission has highlighted additional factors undermining the private sector claims, pointing to a 41% rise in rail commuters, particularly in London and the South East, arising from a 27% growth in employment among those with a propensity to commute. The most used element of public transport is the bus. Outside London, bus deregulation and privatisation in 1985 meant companies prioritised profitable routes and increased fares by 45% whilst local government subsidy for socially inclusive bus services has been reduced by 46% because of Tory austerity cuts. Conference believes that public transport should be for the public, not for the private sector to make money out of and calls on the GFTU to campaign for public ownership of Britain’s public transport, including the re-regulation of bus services across the country.

GFTU BGCM 2019 MOTION 13

TSSA (2) - Transport Salaries Staff’ Association

Menopause.

That this Conference believes the trade union movement can and should do more to help our sisters who are going through the menopause. In Sept 2017, over 70% of all UK workers were women, all of whom will experience the menopause. Some of the symptoms associated with the menopause include hot flushes, palpitations, night sweats and sleep disturbance, fatigue, poor concentration, irritability, mood disturbance, skin irritation and dryness. For most women this happens between the ages of 45 and 55 although a minority experience these symptoms in their early thirties. These hormonal changes and symptoms can last from four to eight years. Conference recognises that many of our sisters work in safety critical roles yet rarely do employers take this into consideration, nor do they have a menopause policy. Conference therefore agrees to drive a programme through our affiliates to deliver menopause policies that will benefit all women workers whilst engaging employers in facing up to their responsibilities.

GFTU BGCM 2019 MOTION 14

Voice the Union for Education Professionals (1)

Disability hate crime.

That this Biennial General Council Meeting notes with concern the prevalence and growth of disability hate crime. Council acknowledges the good work which has already been undertaken by GFTU affiliates, and others, in this area, but affirms that more can be done; not least in terms of education, rooting-out those ideas and attitudes that have led to irrational prejudice or hatred because of how someone looks, the beliefs you have, or the way you live. Instead this Council seeks to celebrate our unique and equal value in diversity.

Therefore, this BGCM requests that the Executive Committee:

a) prepares an activist tool-kit, to help union representatives to challenge this particular expression of prejudice b) prepare resources for circulation among affiliates working especially in the education sector

c) share good practice among affiliates with a history of campaigning in this area

d) lobby politicians with the need for effective and wide-ranging legislation

GFTU BGCM 2019 MOTION 15

Voice the Union for Education Professionals (2)

Mental Health in Education.

That this Biennial General Council Meeting notes with deep concern the growing crisis in mental health among children and students. Council recalls the GFTU's commitment to education as liberation, and we remember the vital importance of effective and targeted support for all children and students - including but not limited to those with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) - if all are to reach their full potential. Council further notes with growing alarm the on-going impact of funding cuts in this area, not least upon ordinary working people and their families.

Therefore, this BGCM calls upon the Executive Committee to:

a) campaign against any reduction in education funding

b) challenge the replacement of specialist professionals with 'generalists'

c) press for bespoke support for all children and students with mental health issues

d) highlight the use of 'internal exclusion' as a cover for funding cuts