GFTU BGCM Minutes 2017

fantastic collection of pictures from the 1984 Miners Strike to Quorn, so that is

going to be a good addition. (Applause)

There we are. That is the proposal. In content it is straight forward – invest in

Quorn, build our assets at Quorn, do good things in the process, have it well

managed so it makes those kind of business plan targets that we have got and

continue to make it the best place for the best people in Britain to go to, trade

unionists.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Doug.

BRO RONNIE DRAPER (Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union): I am supporting

the General Secretary’s statement on the new build at Quorn. I just want to

say something about last night. I think it was good, I recognise the artists were

absolutely amazing, the music was sublime and their timing when they came

in, because for great periods of time they were not playing at all and then all of

a sudden it was really tight the way the music came in. I did not realise the

Pink Panther was part of Shakespeare! (Laughter) I did hear that during the

performance.

Can I just maybe go back a little bit to historical stuff, because it is not about

bigging Doug Nicholls up, but I think it is about some truthful statements that

need saying. I have been on the Executive of the GFTU for six years and prior

to that kept a close eye. We have an item on our agenda all the time at our

Executive which is the GFTU, so closely I have been in a position where I could

follow what was happening. When I came in it seemed there were these

constant battles going on. We had a battle about who was going to be General

Secretary and I have got to say for my own union, to our credit, we backed, I

believe, the right horse. I think history will prove that we did the right thing. We

have always constantly been aware of all the difficult conversations. You are

not going to have an organisation that is providing what we provide to members

and to workers and to society, because it goes further than just the unions,

without having some of those difficult conversations. Doug is right, you know.

One of the things that was a difficult conversation, and he had a lot of trauma in

signing the cheque, but if you listened to the debate and for the new affiliates

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