General Council Meetings - The STUC

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2 Contents Chapter Title Page Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 3 One Trade Union Organisation ................................................................................................... 5 Two Economy and Employment ................................................................................................. 10 Three Public Services .................................................................................................................... 17 Four Education and Lifelong Learning ......................................................................................... 21 Five Fairness at Work ................................................................................................................. 34 Six Government and Parliamentary Liaison ............................................................................... 41 Seven Equality and Social Justice .................................................................................................. 46 Eight Health and Safety ................................................................................................................ 60 Nine International ....................................................................................................................... 64 Appendices General Council Meetings ................................................................................................... 67 Contact the STUC ................................................................................................................ 68 STUC Affiliation 2007/2008 ................................................................................................. 69 Obituary .............................................................................................................................. 71 STUC Past Presidents .......................................................................................................... 72 SCOTTISH TRADES UNION CONGRESS
General Council Report 2008 Introduction The past year has been yet another of considerable change and progress at the STUC. The General Council’s work to ensure the long-term stability of the STUC’s finances has continued to bear fruit, with positive financial results to be reported to this year’s Congress. The General Council continues to review the STUC’s internal staffing structure and to consider our future property requirements. When the STUC met in Glasgow last April, we were, of course, in the midst of the Scottish election campaign. If few predicted the outcome, fewer still would have predicted the state of Scottish politics a year on. At this year’s Congress, Alex Salmond will become the first non- Labour First Minister to address Congress. This will provide the clearest signal, if one was needed, that the STUC remains committed to engaging with Government at whatever level and of whatever political colour, if we believe this to be in the interest of Scotland’s workers and their families. As it did with the previous Administration, the General Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the new Government. This commits us to work together where our interests converge, but it also recognises that we won’t agree on everything and indeed may fundamentally disagree on some key areas of policy. At its first meeting with the First Minister, the General Council agreed communiqués on Skills Utilisation and on Poverty and Health Inequality, two areas on which we will be working with the Government in the period ahead. However, we remain opposed to the Government’s council tax freeze, its local income tax ambitions and its business tax cutting agenda. We will, of course, engage in the Government’s National Conversation and with the Constitutional Commission established by the Scottish Parliament and the Westminster Government, but on our terms. Indeed, our last Congress, and well in advance of the National Conversation and Constitutional Commission, we agreed to undertake a process of consultation and debate on the Powers of the Parliament and to make recommendations if and when we decided they should be extended. This process continues with an interim report presented for Congress’s consideration as part of the General Council Report. GENERAL COUNCIL REPORT 2008 During the process of establishing effective relations with the new Scottish Government, the General Council has continued to promote effective relations with Labour at a UK and Scottish level and with the Scottish Parliament’s opposition parties. The second Scottish Parliament Trade Union Week held in January 2008 was a highly successful event. The General Council continued the development of the new relationship being built with EU politicians and institutions through further engagement with Scotland Europa, as well as organising and hosting a conference on the EU Treaty in February 2008. The General Council has continued to work to establish the STUC as a major commentator on the Scottish economy. In January 2008, it held a session The Scottish Workplace and the Productivity Challenge jointly with the Scottish Parliament’s Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee and Education, Lifelong Learning and Culture Committee, to explore why productivity in Scotland lags behind other economies. In February 2008, the General Council organised a major conference to promote a better understanding of how climate change will impact on the working lives of the people of Scotland. The General Council also prioritised policy on the global economy and, in October 2007, the STUC Women’s Committee organised a major Conference on “Tackling Trafficking of Women and Exploitation of Children” securing funding for the event from the Big Lottery Fund Awards for All. The General Council fulfilled its commitment to reach out to vulnerable workers by campaigning and lobbying for fair treatment for agency workers and through the organisation of joint roundtable events with the Migrant Rights Network. The foundations have been laid for enhanced campaigning on poverty and low pay in Scotland through the formation of the Scottish Living Wage Campaign. Our Unions Work initiative continued to provide support and assistance to unions in their recruitment and organising activity. This year, the focus was on our schools visits project, bringing the union message to our future workforce, and in promoting the achievements of the Support@Work project, run in partnership with the Edinburgh TUC. Joint work between the Disabled Workers’ Committee and community partners led to the Advocating and Acting for Change initiative to promote mental well-being in the workplace. 3
Page 1: Scottish Trades Union Congress Repo
Page 5 and 6: Chapter One Trade Union Organisatio
Page 7 and 8: assessment process. These proposals
Page 9 and 10: epresented at the march against the
Page 11 and 12: usiness people on the body. The Gen
Page 13 and 14: participation in PACE for the initi
Page 15 and 16: General Council’s interventions h
Page 17 and 18: Chapter Three Public Services The G
Page 19 and 20: difficulties experienced by both pu
Page 21 and 22: Chapter Four Education and Lifelong
Page 23 and 24: Central to sustaining and developin
Page 25 and 26: excellent example of partnership wo
Page 27 and 28: met and the funding of £1.6m will
Page 29 and 30: Scotland. The conference was opened
Page 31 and 32: opportunities to union members. How
Page 33 and 34: in five local authority areas. The
Page 35 and 36: The General Council wishes to place
Page 37 and 38: national insurance contribution arr
Page 39 and 40: Bargaining for Equal Pay The Bargai
Page 41 and 42: Chapter Six Government and Parliame
Page 43 and 44: An invitation to the Trade Union We
Page 45 and 46: and interim recommendations will be
Page 47 and 48: challenging exploitation of women a
Page 49 and 50: and Wellbeing, Nicola Sturgeon MSP,
Page 51 and 52: attended Network meeting took place
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Emergency Committee Bangladesh Cycl
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Workers’ Conference 2007, and thr
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network with members from community
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LIAISON WITH FAITH COMMUNITIES The
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The position of the STUC is that th
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newspaper to coincide with a confer
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matter within their own networks, a
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Appendix General Council Meetings G
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Appendix STUC Affiliations 2007/200
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Appendix Obituary Graham Arbuckle R
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1989 Ronnie Webster (Aberdeen Trade
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General Council Meetings - The STUC

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