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General Secretary’s Report
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country at that time. 60 years after the creation of the
NHS it faces its toughest time.
This spirit of resilience and rebuilding is with us
today and we can celebrate that there is a renewed
confidence that the GFTU will support all of our affiliates
in prospering and growing and doing things better.
Practical support for members and affiliated unions is
grounded in our sense of history, now advanced in our
education programme. It is bolstered by our recognition
that in campaigning, organising and educating trade
unionists need to get more than bread on the table,
our imaginations must be stirred too and the roses
of art and culture must be nurtured throughout the
movement to inspire us again.
There is no avoiding the GFTU’s long held belief that
science, technology and manufacturing renewal remain
the central priorities if the economy is to benefit us
all. I for one believe that the coincidence between
our membership of the EU and the destruction of our
manufacturing base was not in fact a coincidence. I see
new opportunities now.
In the coming period I believe that we must do much
more work to assist the complex processes taking
place to rebuild manufacturing and high tech industrial
production. We should become prominent in this as an
organisation again.
Our generation must leave the GFTU stronger for
future generations and I am confident that through the
important discussions of this BGCM we will do so. The
historic strength of the GFTU lies in the determination
of small groups of unions achieving great things. We
have determination and ambition. It has been a great
privilege to work with you all.
Doug Nicholls,
March 2017.