GFTU BGCM Minutes 2017

words just to support the activities of the GFTU. The first thing I would like to

say is how the GFTU has a vital role to play in the trade union movement.

Most of us here also affiliate to other organisations, particularly the TUC, and

when I go to the TUC, which I am forced to under sufferance, it is dominated by

larger unions and sometimes as a smaller union it is difficult to get your voice

heard and I know there are a few people in the room who probably feel the

same, but I have always felt coming to the GFTU is different, it feels different, it

feels more like a family, it feels like you are amongst friends and I think there is

a significant role that the GFTU can play. We have heard already this week

some of the comments from new affiliates and it is absolutely brilliant to see

new people coming and joining us at the GFTU, because that is what we want

to do if we want the GFTU to grow and succeed.

So I really think there is a role for the GFTU. I think the GFTU under Doug’s

leadership has positioned itself so that we are in a far better place now. We

want to be, and I know Doug and the Executive want to be, more of a

campaigning organisation. We want to be educated, which is probably the one

thing the GFTU does better than most and we want to be bringing new affiliates

and young people to come along and join us.

I know on the agenda coming up there is an item about the finances and I just

wanted to say that we cannot do any of that if we have not got a sound

financial position and it has been difficult, because for all unions, and the GFTU

is no different in this regard, it is tough at times to weigh up the best way to

use the precious money that we get, whether that is from affiliates or our

investments, and investment income is difficult at the moment. We have not

seen up until recent times very good returns on our investment. I know also

that on the Executive there has been a debate about how we use those

investments in an ethical way and we actually put our money where we think it

should be in terms of bringing in an income for the GFTU so that we can

continue doing all of these things that we want to do around education, training

and growing the organisation. I do not want to steal Doug’s thunder, because I

think Doug is going to introduce that item and I know you will listen carefully to

the debate and participate, because it is something the Executive has struggled

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