GFTU BGCM 2019 Minutes

The other thing that I have got a big criticism of the TUC is when we all come together

to campaign we see the General Secretaries at the top talking about it. How

about getting some of our workers talking about it and making it real from them,

because we see our leaders all the time, but what we do not see is the workers

actually coming out from the workplace and saying, “This is what we have done

and this is how it has worked for us” and I think we need to see that and other

workers need to see that. From the POA, yes, we are all for it. Let’s get together,

let’s do it, but if we are going to do it, let’s do it. Let’s not talk about it and then it

does not come to fruition further down the road. Thanks very much. (Applause)

DAVE WARD: Joe, again the POA have been a great trade union in recent years, for

a long time now, and I agree with everything you are saying. I think the trick

here is how you connect the union movement, how you connect workers. I am

a big fan of your point about letting workers be the voice of that. I do think, to

be fair, the TUC do do that occasionally. I do think there is a little bit of a soft

image that needs to be broken, because everything that I see that is needed

today, I come back to this point. If you recognise the scale of the problems we

face, the challenges that workers face, then to change that our ambition needs

to match the scale of those problems. This is a time for big and bold, not to play

safe. I think that image of trying to be too soft because we might frighten

people away if they think that ultimately we are going to do something, I

actually think that is wrong. I think that people will join trade unions if trade

unions are doing something.

The trick is this. How do you connect? You pointed out the public sector stuff.

I do not think we are going to change that overnight. What we can do though is

put up ten points that have been worked collectively by unions, and this is my

big play to the union movement. There is no reason why those ten points,

when it comes to the workers’ day of action, you can choose what is your

biggest issue in your union to play into those ten points. Those ten points will

be broad enough to allow you to put your issue forward. I do not expect us all

to say we are all standing up for workers and we cannot articulate what that

means to our own members. You have to have the flexibility within that plan for

you to articulate what your no.1 issue is. The trick is building ten points that

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