GFTU BGCM 2019 Minutes

organisation in the future. This rule change is not a knee jerk reaction. This is

a sensible change, it is a needed change. It is something that we should be

looking at not just within this organisation but probably within our own

organisations when we go back. I have the pleasure in seconding it, even

though it was quite short notice, and I do continue to support Doug, despite the

stick that he gives me at times, and I would ask you all to support the rule

changes. Thank you. (Applause)

THE GENERAL SECRETARY: Thank you very much, Ronnie.

THE PRESIDENT: If I could just echo what Ronnie said, that time in that interim

period when we were looking for a General Secretary was quite difficult for the

affiliates and it did cause splits among the GFTU and it did end in a court case

and it was pretty awful. There were not many of us involved. Ronnie, you

came into it, Oshor was there, I was there, John Fray at the back had a lot to

do with it then at that time and it was terrible. I know Ben Marshall, the former

President, felt very strongly that we needed to look at this federation as a

federation and do the best that we could. As Ronnie said, things have changed

so much and the hotel is now so important to us, so we need these skills on top

of the others. Would anybody else like to comment on these two proposed rule

changes? The appendix at the end is just the process for election that we will

not need any more because the Executive Committee will take a steering role.

Motion 5 was CARRIED unanimously

THE PRESIDENT: It is not on my running list, but it is a good place to put Motion 9,

the one that we got on the separate sheet. This, colleagues, is the one that

was sent round yesterday. I hope you had time to look at it.

MOTION 9 – REHABILITATION NEEDED IN OUR COMMUNITIES

SIS KATIE LOMAS (NAPO) moved the following motion:

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

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