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© ReportDigital

General Secretary’s Report

| Page 9

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.