the CWU's Annual Report for 2006-2007

post offices. This strand has concentrated on high level issues
and statements for the government consultation on the
network future. Each body is free to campaign separately
on un-agreed issues or on matters pertinent to themselves.
6. CWU WEBSITE
A full re-design of the CWU website has been agreed and is in
progress. This re-design will have a much improved corporate
feel and image. It will also provide for much more in-depth and
easily accessible news for each of our related employers. It is also
intended that there will be a much improved on-line recruitment
tool and should provide for better multi-media communications.
Members should find the site much more user friendly and be
able to access their own business area easily. An additional
feature of the re-designed site will be far better and far more
flexible branch micro sites. There is no doubt that having
branches using the same corporate image sites rather than the
current varied sites is a huge bonus for improving the union’s
communications. When the site is finalised we will engage
branches with a view to switching to the micro-sites. These will
still provide full independence and freedom for Branches
within a framework that maintains the Unions corporate and
professional image.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
1. EQUALITY OFFICER POSTER
In the January meeting the EOC endorsed the creation of a
poster to be used by Branches to advertise who their Equality
Officer was. A competition was set up and branches were invited
to submit their designs. LTB No. 43/06, dated 26th January 2006,
was subsequently sent out to the Branches. The January meeting
also saw the EOC adopt the following priority: that all of the minority
equality strands are encouraged to participate in public life.
2. RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS AND HOLIDAYS 2006
LTB No. 217/06, dated 31st March 2006, was issued and this
provided confirmation of the main religious festivals and
holidays covering Islam, Jewish, Sikh and the Hindu faiths.
3. TUC
In April the CWU attended the TUC Black Workers Conference
2006, which this year was held in Eastbourne at the Floral Halls,
Winter Gardens. The CWU submitted the following motion:
“The Importance of Equality – Conference records the important
role that equality issues play in building up trade union
organisation and membership.
We believe the General Council must listen to the voices of
the equality conferences as the collective opinion of workers
affected by discrimination and prejudice. Therefore we ask for
the General Council to consider:
1. The right of the equality conferences to submit two motions
to conference.
2. The right of direct representation from the equality
conferences to the General Council.”
We are pleased to confirm that the motion was overwhelmingly
carried though there was opposition from Amicus.
We are also pleased to confirm that the CWU were able to
stand 2 candidates for the TUC Race Committee election – the
candidates were Ian Taylor and Susie Mwasambili. It gives us
great pleasure to confirm that both our candidates have been
successfully elected on to the TUC Race Committee for the
2006/2007 term.
4. ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2006
In April as part of the committee’s commitment to deal with the
issue of proportionality within the CWU LTB No. 268/06, dated
26th April 2006, was issued, which gave guidance to Branches
on this issue and highlighted the importance of branch
delegations reflecting the membership in terms of gender etc.
The department had what was widely regarded as a very
successful Annual Conference. Every single motion selected
from the Equality Conferences was carried overwhelmingly –
there were 8 in all (2 from each Equality Conference). In addition
to this the two fringe meetings were extremely well received.
The RAC fringe meeting actually attracted a record attendance
for a fringe meeting as there was in the region of 200 people
who had come to attend this event.
To top a very good week the department also won the best
CWU stall and many thanks go to Duncan Strivens and Al Crisp
for all their hard work.
5. HCD1 FORMS AND THE NATIONAL BULLYING
& HARASSMENT HELPLINE
In late May another circular was issued to Branches asking them
to make more use of the HCD1 forms and to advertise the
helpline through branch circulars, as there was a noticeable
drop in reports coming through. LTB No. 343/06, (17th May
2006), was issued.
6. EOC/CWU JOINT FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT
The latest Harassment Poster was sent out to Branches in mid-
July in LTB No. 463/06, (14th July 2006), in further compliance
with the EOC/CWU joint framework agreement. A reminder
was sent in the same LTB for branches to send out the ‘Dignity
and Respect’ booklets to their members and to re-stock if they
needed to.
In September the department took a delegation for a review
meeting with the EOC in relation to the framework agreement.
The meeting was very positive and the EOC confirmed it was
very satisfied with the progress that the CWU has been making
in terms of challenging behaviours in the workplace that
amounted to bullying and harassment.
7. EQUALITY OFFICER’S SEMINAR
In the early weeks of June the details for the Equality Seminar
were reconfirmed and this saw the event being moved back by
a month or so to allow for all logistical matters to be sorted out
(guest speaker etc). LTB No. 392/06, (13th June 2006), was issued
to confirm the details encouraging all equality officers to attend.
The 25th July 2006 the Seminar was held at HQ and it was
generally regarded a massive success and a significant majority
of CWU Branches were represented at the seminar.
The Officer went through the role of a Branch Equality Officer and
there were also excellent supporting acts including Lucy Anderson,
Chief Policy Advisor from the TUC, who gave an excellent insight
into the impending new age regulations that are about to be
introduced.
l National Executive Council Annual Report 2006-2007 17