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Above: Rebuilding Britain’s
manufacturing key is key
priority for the future
GFTU Activities
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16. We strongly believe in national collective bargaining
and in the professionally organised workplace
with sound relationships between employers and
organised unions. We have welcomed working
with ACAS more closely this year to assist the
development of the modern workplace.
17. We believe that unions deserve the best
professional advice on everything from investments
to ICT and have spent time making arrangements
with companies keen to bring high level
professional expertise to bear economically on the
development of our Movement.
18. The world of work for too many is a terrible place.
The hard end of victimisation at work, zero hours
contracts, redundancy, factory and service closures
are nothing new to us and we have intervened and
lent a hand where requested in some very difficult
circumstances. We put the difficulties we see in a
context and campaign for policy changes also. We
consistently lend our support to trade unionists
overseas and worthy causes.
19. We have established some new and important
traditions. Our TUC social is now the biggest and
best at Congress and we find a great way there of
mixing some business with a lot of camaraderie
and pleasure. Our Next Generation Festival is an
established an essential source of inspiration for
the next generation of trade union leaders. Our
annual union building conference or summit really
does get people thinking and working in new ways
together. Our new group of academic supporters,
so keen to support our unions, can undertake
research, education and support in an important
way.
20. The EC agreed a set or priorities for its term of
office and genuinely believes that it has been able
to make real progress under each priority area as
follows, a summary note on progress under each
priority is given in italics:
Provide full support where required by affiliates
in campaigning and organising and recruitment.
Individual requests fromaffiliates responded to extensive
discussions on these items with new trainingmaterials
at the summit and union building conference.
Organise a successful visit to Greece for younger
EC members.
Undertaken, report of visit under International Section.
On achievement of planning permission
proceed with a successful new build at Quorn.
Planning permission agreed later than anticipated
through no fault of GFTU.
Identify new investment opportunities,
maintain value of existing investments.
Value of investments increased, new
investments organised.
Hold discussions with all affiliates and potential
affiliates concerning the shared and new
services proposals from the EC.
Extensive discussions held at summit and subsequently.
Recruit four new affiliates.
Five new affiliates recruited!
Establish new Service Level Agreements for
Customised Training.
This was achieved.
Organise a successful Youth Festival.
Both Youth festivals were highly regarded.
Organise a successful Arts and Culture Event.
This was considered a very successful event.
Keep Quorn Grange Hotel on budget.
There was some slippage and a difficult year was
experienced in 2016. Marketing sales, business
planning, organisational management and other
issues were subsequently attended to.
Organise a successful trade union
organising event.
This was considered to be an extremely successful event.
Produce a new song CD and fundraising event.
This was not achieved.
Fund an arts and cultural worker.
A producer for our arts and cultural festival has
been appointed.
Assist successful publication of New
Internationalist on trade unions.
A very successful edition was produced on
trade unions.