EC Papers September 2018

potential there, but we are going to need a lot of work to navigate the changing provision and make best use of it. I do not think we will be able to expect a new education officer to manage and develop our programme and do this work also. I am prepared to take on this developmental and exploratory work. This means that we should appoint a new education officer asap, but should only appoint if we are certain that we have the right person for the job. Just as I believe that the GFTU has pioneered recently on some international issues like Vietnam, the Kurds and so on, and pioneered on cultural work and shared services and new ways of inter union collaboration, so I believe we have hit a chord on the importance of popular education. Our sponsorship of Shout Out is important and they have commenced their first delivery in schools. We will get a report back later. Our book on Trade Union Education has had an impact and we have had several contacts about it and the interest it has generated has led to new unions like NEU and FBU wanting to use Quorn. People at the World Transformed organisation which has a festival alongside Labour Party Conference have been keen on our book and requested a paper for their forthcoming meetings on political and popular education. This is attached. The President and Vice President support the paper as being recognised a contribution to this festival and perhaps embryonically a paper for the Labour Party’s construction of a new education service. Over this period I have had a lot of work to do as Chair of Ruskin College, one of our oldest partners and also celebrating its 120 th year next year. In essence Ruskin as recovered from a difficult period but a legacy of this was some internal division, and a deficit budget. The deficits in FE automatically trigger a Further Education Commissioners’ review compelling colleges to consider merger. I will report on the outcome of this review and its significance and the importance of this for the GFTU at the EC.

Our work with Ruskin and 11 unions to establish a trade union officials’ apprenticeship proceeds.

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FINANCES

8.1

Pension Scheme.

Our first newsletter to members has been issued. It was extraordinary really that no regular communications had been undertaken.

Our Triennial Valuation is due next year. We have funded an interim factor assessment.

The investment remains at £10,500,000.

The GFTU contribution to the recovery plan remains at £70,000 per annum. Any increase in the recovery plan as a result of the next Triennial review would be very difficult indeed.

8.2

Hotel.

Great performance over the new build period.

I produced a paper just summarising the union usage. It is good. Could I just urge some more regular usage from some affiliates.

Regular: CSP,POA,BFAWU,TSSA,

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