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Resolution 13
Data Collection T&C’s
(1)
Conference notes at present employees working for Trade Unions are often
represented by other trade Unions who in the outside world are competitors to
the employer, or are offered in house ‘federations to ‘represent’ their interests’.
Trade Unions as employers are notoriously shy in publishing details of terms and
Conditions offered to their staffs.
(2)
For the reasons above Conference agrees to instruct the incoming GFTU Executive
to set up a database of terms and conditions of workers who are employed by Trade
Unions, and publish the first directory of such by the next bi-annual conference.
Conference further believes this is a first but necessary step in bringing some
transparency and collective values to the annual cycle of bargaining within the trade
union movement.
Resolution 14
Public Ownership of the Railways
(1)
That this Conference recognises that the privatised railway has failed on all of the
measures claimed as the reasons for its existence:
•
Competition between train operators is virtually non-existent after
franchises have been let;
•
Instead of cheaper services, passengers now have to pay the highest fares
in Europe with a real terms increase of at least 23% since 1995;
•
Far from reducing, annual subsidy to the industry now stands at £5.3
billion, over double that received by British Rail
•
Genuine private sector capital only amounts to 1% of all rail investment,
the rest being underwritten by tax payers
•
Train operating companies together continue to extract significant profits
amounting to over £200 million a year, even when half of them receive
subsidies for socially necessary services.
(2)
Instead of reforming the current system, however, successive governments have
sought to maintain it for politically dogmatic reasons whilst refusing to countenance
public ownership despite the success of East Coast Trains, taken into state
ownership in 2009 upon the failure of the previous franchise. East Coast Trains was
commended by the Office of Rail Regulation as the most cost effective train operator
as it received virtually no subsidy and has returned over £800 million in premium
payments to the Treasury to date, more than any other operator. Despite the political
dogma, most passengers and workers want a rail network that works in the social,
economic and environmental interests of all citizens, not just those who want to turn
a profit to line the pockets of shareholders.
(3)
As such, Conference calls on the GFTU to support the work of affiliates, community
groups and passengers in campaigning for an alternative rail system that is both
publicly owned and publicly accountable in line with the vision created by the
Transport for Quality of Life’s “Rebuilding Rail” report
.
Resolution 15
Supporting Affiliates
(1)
This BGCM recognises that both the British and Irish trade union movements are
distinctive in their organisation. Both have a combination of specialist trade unions
organised around particular trades and occupations and industrial groups within
larger general unions.
(2)
The BGCM reaffirms the important role that the GFTU plays in complimenting the
work of the TUC by offering practical, educational, campaigning and other support
for specialist unions and groups within general unions. This BGCM further notes
the great number of workers organisations and associations not yet consolidated
into trade unions and the tremendous potential that exists for supporting the
development of trade unionism amongst the two thirds of workers not currently
Implementation
At this stage there is no appetite
amongst affiliated unions to develop
this work.
A new HR officers CPD group was
created by the GFTU.
Employment and management of
union employees figured on the Trade
Union Management programme
training and the Union Building
Conference.
Thanks to the work of the main rail
unions there is now significant and
widespread public support for this
policy and it features highly in Labour
Party policy.
In many ways the implementation of
this resolution has formed the basis of
the EC’s work over the last two years
with many new initiatives and two
highly successful events for affiliates
held and a new suit of services
offered.
All elements of the resolution were
implemented