Detailed and practical strategies to defend public services and invest in them to lift us out of the recession took centre stage.
An inspiring call to take the movement forward from American trade unionist Tom Woodruff enthused Conference as we went on to launch a programme for action around ‘a million voices for change’.
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| National Mining Museum Newtongrange |
So rowdy that the Government stopped celebrations in 1708 after writer Ned Ward wrote that he was shocked to find comedy booths and prostitutes doing ‘good business’.
Perhaps then, it was no coincidence that the 2002 London Mayday rally fell apart in disarray after a surprise demo by 300 sex workers.
That glowing beacon of legislation makes the interests of all children paramount. It doesn’t differentiate between those with a passport and those without one. It was meant to protect all children.
But, as the Glasgow Girls showed us, the reality was that displaced children were second class children and their welfare was regularly undermined.
As SiU went to print, last minute talks were being held to avert further action, with the branch demanding assurances that there would be no compulsory redundancies and no extra pressures on staff due to budget cuts of over £10 million.
How could a Conference that made fundamental decisions about a co-ordinated fight for pay, a trade union wide fight against privatisation and decisded key policies on pensions seem so dull?
That is our position in UNISON.
Longer ago in 1976, the Vatican told the UN – “The arms race can kill – though the weapons themselves may never be used – by their cost alone armaments kill the poor by causing them to starve.
UNISON and the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) have launched a guidance booklet for social workers in Scotland. It advises on ethical practice for social work staff dealing with asylum-seeker children. http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/siu/oct06/22.html
A commitment was made by the UK Immigration Minister back in March to ensure that asylum-seekers' children would be assessed and each would have a lead professional appointed. In addition immigration staff dealing with children would have to have enhanced disclosure checks. These commitments have not yet been implemented, but UNISON is exerting more pressure following a spate of recent 'dawn raids' by immigration officials outwith the agreed protocol.
More than two thousand children a year are locked up by the UK Government for immigration purposes. Save the Children and others are calling on the Home Secretary Charles Clarke to end this inhumane and unnecessary practice and use viable alternatives that take into account children's welfare. http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/siu/mayjune06/13.html
These children have not committed any crime but are held behind locked doors and high barbed wire fences. Five years ago it was rare for families and children to be detained for immigration purposes.
Now, members of the No Place for a Child coalition have documented detentions lasting anything from 7 to 268 days. Children feel that they are being punished and do not understand why.
Ex UNISON General Secretary Rodney Bickerstaffe unveiled a statue to mark the 10th Anniversary of Mick McGahey's address to the Midlothian TUC Worker's Memorial Day event. http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/siu/mayjune06/12.html
The Annual Memorial Day Commemoration was held at George V Park, Bonnyrigg followed by the unveiling. UNISON made a substantial donation to the memorial and, among others, was represented by Mick McGahey jnr, Matt Smith (UNISON Scottish Secretary), Agnes Petkevicius, Tom Waterson, John Stevenson and Lui Giacomello. Edinburgh, Midlothian and Lothian Health UNISON Branches laid wreaths at the Workers Memorial Day garden.
UNISON Conference 2006: Consensus and a common purpose was the theme of this year's Conference. A good thing when we have huge fights ahead of us on pensions and defending public services. 
Thabitha
Khumalo
However it does make for a bit of a dull Conference.
Lively debate broke out on the public services, pensions and international debates but the defining point in the week was the moving and inspirational speech by Thabitha Khumalo of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions.
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| Mike Kirby |
"It is a momentous occasion to have representatives of the Histradut and the PGFTU together at the STUC", Mike told the congress in Perth.
UNISON Scotland had given financial support to make the dialogue possible and hosted a fringe meeting on workers' rights in Palestine, the Occupied Territories and Israel.
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| With Thabitha at STUC 2006 |
Being a woman in Zimbabwe is like going to war with a gun minus bullets. Sanitary towels are now threatening the Zimbabwean woman's livelihood.http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/siu/aprmay06/9.html
Zimbabwean trade unionist Thabitha Khumalo told the STUC, "On a wage of £3, with sanitary towels costing £3, women have to choose between sanitary towels or food for their children. You know what they choose".
Our letter told him that the arbitrary decision he made about pensions undermined everything the Executive had said before about valuing the work of local government staff, delivering first class public services - very often in very difficult circumstances.
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| Click here for campaign broadsheet |
Edinburgh's council tenants have vote NO to housing transfer by 53% to 47% on a 60% turnout, despite a huge and costly campaign by the council. UNISON is now calling on the council to explore the other options that already exist to finance public housing and bring the improvements and new builds that are needed. http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/siu/dec05/10.html
"The Government can start by respecting tenants' views and writing off the debt. It was ridiculous that the Government would only write off the debt if tenants voted the way they wanted. Clearly Edinburgh tenants were angry at that blackmail", said Edinburgh UNISON Branch Secretary John Stevenson.
"Tenants have clearly said they want their public housing to remain public. They want their housing to be democratically accountable. They want everyone to learn the lessons of the stock transfers elsewhere, not least in Glasgow.
Organisers and police said there were 225,000 there. Old demonstration hands put it at nearer 300,000. There were certainly lots of us with the trade union contingent marching off five hours after the first of the continuous line set off to circle the city centre. http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/siu/septoct05/6.html
UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis was even called away to make his speech before the march set off.
UNISON banners were there from Aberdeen to Hounslow via Edinburgh, Nottinghamshire and Bristol. UNISON members from across the country were dotted around the march.
'Greetings from the Holy City of Jerusalem', read the Christmas card to us from Mohammad Aruri of the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU). http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/siu/dec04/2.html
A message of peace from a far from peaceful part of the world. A message of hope at a time of despair for Palestinians. And a message of respect for other's traditions, religions and cultures that is tragically missing at home and abroad.
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The council has responded positively by accepting all the recommendations and immediately pumping new money into buildings and IT support.
John Stevenson, Edinburgh UNISON branch secretary, said, "We welcome this action but it has been a long haul. We took a grievance to councillors as long ago as 2001 about this, and we argued that the O'Brien report into the death of Caleb Ness was flawed and had missed this point.
Nursery nurses have been an example to every other trade unionist throughout this dispute with their good nature, solid organisation and real commitment to the future of early years care and education.
They have achieved a 10 point pay rise, a substantial lump sum and one in three can go on to higher grades. That is the best I have seen achieved by any group in the last 20 years.
UNISON Scotland has called for the Scottish Executive to set up a standing system for inquiries into child protection crises as part of a plan to address the problems of social work across Scotland. http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/siu/siumay04.html#3
The call was made by Edinburgh's John Stevenson at a UNISON Social Work Conference and in evidence to the Scottish Parliament Education Committee.
