Congress 2013 GPC REPORT AND COMPOSITE MOTIONS AND GENERAL COUNCIL STATEMENTS The 145th Annual Trades Unon Congress 8 11 September 2013, Bournemouth
Contents Secton one GPC report to Congress 04 Secton two Congress tellers and scrutneers 09 Secton three Composte motons 01 18 10 Secton four General Councl Statements 27
1Secton one GPC report to Congress
Part 1 Agenda All motons and amendments stand as n the Agenda unless ndcated otherwse below. Where composte motons have been agreed and approved by the GPC by 4 September, they are shown n the lst below and the text of the composte moton s gven n Secton Three of ths report. Composte motons agreed and approved by the GPC after 4 September wll be reported to Congress by the GPC and copes crculated to delegates as quckly as possble. Where movers of motons have agreed to accept publshed amendments by 4 September, ths s also stated n the lst below. The GPC wll report to Congress all nstances where publshed amendments are accepted by the movers of motons after 4 September. The followng s the poston at 4 September n respect of motons, amendments and composte motons. Moton numbers are those prnted n the Agenda. 1. Jobs, growth and a new economy 2. Far pay and a lvng wage 01 Unte 02 UNISON amend USDAW 03 PCS 04 CWU amend Unte 05 TSSA amend FBU 06 CSP amend UCATT amend FDA 07 Unte amend Accord 08 Accord 09 Communty 10 BACM-TEAM 11 NUM 12 Equty 13 BECTU 14 UCATT amend UNISON 15 Nautlus Internatonal Composte 01 Ant-austerty campagnng, cuts and growth Composte 02 Economc polcy Composte 03 Bankng polcy Composte 04 Securty of energy supply and energy ntensve ndustres Composte 05 Arts fundng Composte 06 Housng 17 UNISON amend PCS amend UCU amend CSP amend TSSA 18 NUT 19 NASUWT amend EIS 20 FDA amend Prospect amend SCP 21 EIS 22 BALPA 23 BECTU 24 TUC Young Workers Conference Composte 07 Far pay and standards n the publc sector Composte 08 Pensons 25 Muscans Unon 16 RMT 05
Secton one GPC report to Congress 3. Good servces and decent welfare 26 UNISON amend FBU 27 NUT 28 ATL amend Unte amend NUT 29 EIS amend ATL 30 GMB amend NASUWT accepted Composte 09 Defence of comprehensve educaton and natonal currculum accepted 31 ATL 32 UCU 33 AEP 34 CSP 35 HCSA amend UNISON amend SoR Composte 10 The future of the NHS 36 SoR 37 SCP 38 BOS amend SoR 39 FBU amend TSSA 40 POA amend UNISON 41 Napo 42 Napo amend CWU accepted accepted Composte 11 Contractng out n the crmnal justce system accepted 43 FDA 47 PCS 48 Equty amend ASLEF 49 TUC Dsabled Workers Conference 50 Communty amend ATL Composte 13 Campagnng for socal securty accepted 4. Respect and a voce at work 51 Unte amend USDAW amend NUT amend CWU 52 Prospect amend GMB 53 UCU 55 POA amend RMT amend NUJ 56 URTU 54 RMT 57 GMB amend Unte amend UCATT 58 Nautlus Internatonal amend FDA 59 BALPA 60 Prospect amend ASLEF Composte 14 Trade unons and employment rghts: new rghts, new freedoms Composte 15 Employment dscrmnaton Composte 16 Electronc ballotng accepted 61 Accord 62 TUC Women s Conference 63 TUC Black Workers Conference 44 CWU 45 TSSA 46 ASLEF amend RMT Composte 12 Ral prvatsaton 64 USDAW amend Prospect amend Communty Contnues overleaf Composte 17 Mental health 06
65 PFA 66 UCATT amend NASUWT 67 SoR amend CSP 68 NUJ amend UCU accepted accepted accepted 69 HCSA 70 NUJ 71 ASLEF 72 NUM amend GMB 5. Strong unons 73 AEP amend PCS Composte 18 Defendng democratc rghts and cvl lbertes accepted accepted 74 SCP Part 2 Introductons and presentatons The GPC has approved the followng speeches and presentatons by members of the General Councl, sororal delegates and specal guests: Sunday afternoon ȓȓ Presdent s address and vote of thanks ȓȓ Address by Amrul Haque Amr, Presdent of the Bangladesh Federaton of Garment Workers Monday mornng ȓȓ General Secretary s address Monday afternoon ȓȓ Address by Harret Yeo, Labour Party sororal delegate Tuesday mornng ȓȓ Address by Rt. Hon Ed Mlband MP, Leader of the Labour Party, followed by a queston and answer sesson Tuesday afternoon ȓȓ Address by Ton Pearce, Presdent, Natonal Unon of Students 75 TUC Trades Unon Councls Conference 76 USDAW amend Communty accepted Wednesday afternoon ȓȓ Address by Baroness Lawrence OBE On Monday mornng there wll a vdeo presentaton about the Austerty Uncovered bus tour. 77 NASUWT 78 FBU 79 Muscans Unon On Tuesday afternoon the Congress Awards wll be presented. On Wednesday mornng there s tme allocated for a Colomban speaker. 80 TUC LGBT Conference 07
Secton one Jobs, growth and a new economy Part 3 Ballots The ballot for General Councl Sectons C and D wll take place on Tuesday. The canddates n sectons A, B, E, F, G, H, I and J and the General Purposes Commttee are elected unopposed. Ballot papers wll only be avalable to delegates from unons elgble for Secton C (those wth fewer than 30,000 members) and Secton D (unons wth fewer than 200,000 members). Ballot papers for Sectons C and D may be collected from 9.00 am on Tuesday from the scrutneers by the TUC Informaton Stand. Ballot papers wll only be provded n exchange for the offcal delegate form. The ballot closes at noon on Tuesday. Delegates are remnded that n castng ther unon s votes, the total number of votes allocated to your unon should be wrtten n aganst the name(s) of the canddate(s) you wsh to support. The number of votes allocated to each unon s prnted on the ballot paper. The result of the ballot wll be announced towards the end of the Tuesday afternoon sesson. Delegates are asked to co-operate fully wth the rules on speakng tmes and to gve ther names and the names of ther unons before they begn ther speeches. ȓȓ Sunday: 4.00pm to 7.00pm ȓȓ Monday: 9.30am to 12.45pm and 2.15pm to 5.30pm ȓȓ Tuesday: 9.30am to 12.45pm and 2.15pm to 5.30pm ȓȓ Wednesday: 9.30am to the close of busness Under rule, Congress must conclude no later than 4.00pm on Wednesday. Part 5 Membershp of the General Purposes Commttee Peter Hall (Char) Lnda McCulloch (Secretary) Chrs Tansley Paddy Llls Sharon Holder Part 4 Standng orders Delegates are remnded of Rule 26 governng speakng tmes durng Congress whch permts the followng speakng tmes: ȓȓ movers of motons up to fve mnutes; ȓȓ seconders of motons and all subsequent speakers up to three mnutes. A system of warnng lghts wll be used wth a green lght showng at the begnnng of a speaker s allowed tme. Ths wll change to amber one mnute from the end of the allowed tme and to red at the end of the allowed tme. If the speaker contnues when the red lght s showng, a bell wll rng. 08
2Secton two Congress tellers and scrutneers Tellers Edth Swnley Educatonal Insttute of Scotland Dana Bruno GMB Tom Daves Natonal Unon of Journalsts Steve Leggett Transport Salared Staffs Assocaton Pete Gllard Unte Scrutneers Shelagh Hrst Assocaton of Teachers and Lecturers Kate Hudson Communcaton Workers Unon Kathy Walls NASUWT Rav Kurup Publc and Commercal Servces Unon Naz Iqbal Unon of Shop, Dstrbutve and Alled Workers
3Secton three Composte motons
C01 Ant-austerty campagnng, cuts and growth Motons 1, 2 and amendment, and 3 Congress welcomes the ntatves taken by the General Councl over the last year to stmulate campagnng aganst austerty and the poverty that t has caused across the country, n partcular the bus tour n summer 2013. Congress further recognses the depth of socal msery beng caused by government polces, often to the most vulnerable, and therefore resolves to place the organsed labour movement at the heart of a natonal campagn of opposton to austerty and ts consequences and for the promoton of alternatve polces. Congress calls for the end of the austerty programme and poltcally motvated publc spendng cuts and the ntroducton of a programme of economc stmulus that wll create the necessary jobs and growth to boost the economy. The austerty programme has caused the slowest perod of UK economc recovery n 100 years; 2.5 mllon people unemployed; and borrowng ncreased to pay for the falure of the government s polces. Congress further notes that far from tacklng the defct, Chancellor Osborne s strategy wll mean an extra 245bn n borrowng not for growth-creatng nvestment, but for fllng the gap left by hs growthchokng polces. The programme of cuts and prvatsatons affectng our NHS, schools, socal securty system, and publc servces s a co-ordnated and systematc attack that s dsproportonately httng workng class communtes, and n partcular women, dsabled people and ethnc mnortes. Congress beleves that the crss facng people and ther local servces s so severe that we cannot wat for a general electon n 2015, we must act now. Congress calls for: v a moratorum on cuts n the publc servces the reversal of the swngeng cuts to socal securty far and progressve taxaton, tacklng tax evason and avodance a massve publc nfrastructure programme to buld ralways, schools, homes and utlty networks that boosts busnesses, publc servces and ncomes. Congress resolves to: a nstruct the General Councl to organse n the course of 2014 a natonwde march aganst poverty, focusng on the bedroom tax, food banks and other effects of government polcy; desgned to draw n workng people and ther communtes n all parts of the country and to unte people around the trade unon movement Over 700,000 publc servce workers have lost ther jobs snce 2010 and real wages across the economy wll be on average 1,700 lower n 2015. The austerty polces have also had a negatve mpact on the prvate sector wth consumer demand beng squeezed as publc spendng has been cut. The real pay of workers, n both the publc and prvate sectors, s under pressure as a result of below-nflaton pay rses and pay freezes. Congress notes that people are facng the bggest fall n lvng standards on record, wth the average famly 1,800 worse off ths year wth UK dsposable ncome fallng from ffth n the world to twelfth. The recent Spendng Revew has attacked jobs, pay and local government servces n partcular. Congress beleves that wth all major UK partes sgnng up to the same spendng plans and promsng further austerty after the 2015 general electon, t s up to trade unons and communtes to resst these faled polces that are only succeedng n mpovershng ncreasng numbers of people. b c d e f g contnue the local, regonal and natonal campagn actons hghlghtng the damage of the cuts hghlght the squeeze on low and mddle earners and promote collectve barganng as the best way to tackle fallng lvng standards and nequalty hghlght the devastatng mpact of austerty on women, dsabled, black, young and LGBT workers and ther famles work wth the ETUC aganst European austerty step up the campagn aganst austerty and for an economc alternatve based on tax justce, nvestment, job creaton, publc ownershp, and the redstrbuton of wealth promote poltcal educaton and campagnng on the economc choces at the 2015 general electon 11
Secton three Composte motons h j k welcome and support the People s Assembly Aganst Austerty and encourage afflated organsatons and trades councls to nvolve themselves n ths and smlar local ntatves amng at opposng the bedroom tax and welfare cuts, defendng the poorest, and demandng acton to end unemployment promote and support the day of acton called by the People s Assembly for 5 November 2013 reaffrm that mass ndustral acton to oppose the cuts and the wreckng of the welfare state s a legtmate opton n Brtan as t has been n Greece, France, Span and other countres n Europe, and that t wll contnue to work to create the condtons, ncludng membershp support and publc sympathy, whch makes dscusson of ths opton a realstc possblty nstruct the General Councl to facltate a co-ordnated programme of cvl and ndustral acton nvolvng trade unons and other campagns. Mover: Unte Seconder: UNISON Supporters: Publc and Commercal Servces Unon; Unon of Shop, Dstrbutve and Alled Workers C02 Economc polcy Motons 4 and amendment, 5 and amendment, and 6 and amendments Congress notes that the austerty polces carred out by the coalton government have faled, even by ther own measures. The government sad that austerty would restore growth n the economy; promote manufacturng; stmulate prvate nvestment; and cut the publc sector defct. Yet the economy has stagnated; manufacturng has fallen faster than servces; prvate nvestment has been on strke; and the publc sector defct has grown. Congress beleves these are the nevtable results of mplementng austerty durng a recesson. Comparable results occurred durng the 1930s, and the coalton government s gnorng the contemporary and hstorc evdence. The alternatve must be to expand the economy through government-led nvestment programmes. Utlsng the government s ownershp of banks, growth can be restarted by rebuldng nfrastructure and publc servces; a major programme of socal and councl house buldng; and stmulatng consumpton by endng wage cuts, freezes, low pay and beneft reductons. Publc fnances can also be mproved by addressng tax avodance and scrappng the replacement of Trdent. Money saved by endng our nuclear weapons system could be used to sustan the process of defence dversfcaton, vtal to our manufacturng future. Such a polcy would need to ensure that the jobs and sklls of tens of thousands of workers n the sector were preserved. Congress agrees to support nvestment, not cuts as a theme for work aganst austerty. The General Councl s drected to promote ths on all approprate occasons. Congress congratulates the General Councl n ts contnung work that hghlghts the unfarness of the coalton government s cuts and austerty polcy and offers an alternatve approach based on farness, full employment, ncluson, socal justce wth hgh labour standards and workers rghts. Congress contnues to reject the economc polces of the coalton government, ncludng the further measures announced n June s comprehensve spendng revew that wll further damage the economy and people s standards of lvng. Congress s alarmed that the Labour leadershp has stated that a future government would apply the spendng lmts set for 2015/16. The prospect of further cuts n publc servces and fallng lvng standards wll not nspre workng people. Congress pledges to challenge the austerty consensus, no matter who mplements t. Congress s partcularly crtcal of measures such as the bedroom tax, cuts n legal ad and work capablty assessments for dsabled people that are targeted at the poorest and most vulnerable n socety. By contrast, at the same tme, the wealthest n socety contnue to prosper and get rcher and more powerful wth hghest earners beneftng from a cut n ncome tax, company executves beng excessvely remunerated and transnatonal companes lke Google and Starbucks who are allowed by current laws to avod UK corporaton tax altogether, or pay very lttle. 12
Congress consders that the coalton government s economc polcy wll contnue to fal at all levels and result n hgher natonal debt, dwndlng captal nvestment, fallng lvng standards and ncreased levels of poverty. Congress calls on the General Councl to contnue to challenge the coalton government s economc polcy and work wth afflates and other progressve, lke-mnded organsatons n moblsng opposton to ths faled approach and put forward a real alternatve that wll delver sustanable economc growth, ncreased standards of lvng and a farer and more equal socety. Austerty cuts are mpactng on the poorest n a dsproportonate way. In the meantme bg corporatons and well-known wealthy ndvduals are practsng tax avodance on a seemngly grand scale. Companes are ncreasngly falsely self-employng workers to avod payng employers natonal nsurance contrbutons. Ths strps workers of basc employment rghts and acts as a huge hdden subsdy to ndustry. Tax dodgng and the use of tax havens deprve governments of money that could be spent on essental publc servces n Brtan and on allevatng poverty world-wde. They also put domestc companes who operate n a more ethcal way at a dsadvantage. Congress therefore welcomes the focus on taxaton polcy n the A Future that Works campagn and also endorses the proposals made by FDA members n HMRC n ther 2013 Budget Submsson to help reduce the tax shortfall that s currently equvalent to an extra 1,000 of tax for every adult n the country. Congress calls on the TUC General Councl to ensure that future campagnng ncludes: a demand for multnatonal frms to report ther earnngs on a country-by-country bass, as well as ther use of tax havens for HMRC to have suffcent resources and sustaned addtonal nvestment to address current tax loopholes, tackle tax evason and avodance and reduce the tax gap contnued support for the ntroducton of a fnancal transactons or Robn Hood tax, n the face of sustaned fnance sector lobbyng aganst ths v v consderaton of the role that more progressve rates of ncome tax and/or natonal nsurance could play n rebalancng our economy. the end of the Constructon Industry Scheme (CIS) and all forms of false self-employment. Mover: Communcaton Workers Unon Seconder: Chartered Socety of Physotherapy Supporters: Transport Salared Staffs Assocaton; Unte; Unon of Constructon, Alled Trades and Techncans; Fre Brgades Unon; FDA C03 Bankng polcy Motons 7 and amendment, and 8 Congress s appalled that despte causng the most severe fnancal crss n the UK n lvng memory, much of the bankng sector has reverted to busness as usual. Unjustfable bonuses are beng awarded to executves and ordnary bank workers are havng ther jobs and terms and condtons slashed. Congress condemns the government s falure to tackle excessve bonuses to bank executves, ncludng ts opposton to the proposed EU bonus cap. Congress notes the publcaton of the Parlamentary Commsson on Bankng Standard s (PCBS) report, Changng Bankng for Good and the government s response publshed on 8 July 2013. Congress shares the aspraton to move the UK bankng sector from rescue to recovery and to buld a bankng sector that upholds the hgh standard of ethcs and professonalsm that socety expects and underpns a strong, safe and successful bankng system that supports the economy. Congress welcomes the creaton of new powers to jal bankers who are reckless wth other people s money and the commtment to ntroduce more competton nto bankng. However, Congress notes wth dsmay that job losses n the ndustry contnue unabated and that many consumers stll feel that they are not gettng treated farly by ther banks. 13
Secton three Composte motons Banks are also falng to lend to support small busnesses and ntatves such as Project Merln and the Fundng for Lendng Scheme has faled to adequately address the ssue of provdng access to fnance. Rather than exercse ts nfluence n the natonalsed banks for the long-term good, the government s n a rush to prvatse RBS and Lloyds before the electon for short-term expedency. Congress supports urgent reform of the bankng sector so that t meets the needs of socety and the real economy. Ths ncludes the creaton of a properly resourced Brtsh Investment Bank to provde fnance for nfrastructure nvestment and to small busnesses. More mmedately, government stakes n RBS and Lloyds should be used to support the real economy. Congress calls on the General Councl to: oppose any attempts to sell off the state s stakes n RBS and Lloyds campagn for the government stakes n the natonalsed banks to be used to support nvestment n the real economy ncludng consderaton of how the RBS branch network can be used to promote regonal bankng and local economc growth. If the government starts to sell ts stake n the Lloyds Bankng Group, Congress nssts that the funds rased are used to boost jobs and growth to repar some of the damage caused by the fnancal crss. The funds must not be used for tax cuts or preelecton brbes. Congress also notes the growth n pay day loans and smlar operatons whch charge exorbtant nterest rates to some of the poorest people n socety who do not have access to normal bankng facltes. Congress asks government to wden the scope of recommendatons on the future of bankng and nsst that banks provde socal bankng facltes and use ther networks and resources to provde bankng facltes to customers who may otherwse be subjected to the extortonate nterest rates and other charges mposed by pay day lenders. Mover: Unte Seconder: Accord C04 Securty of energy supply and energy ntensve ndustres Motons 9, 10 and 11 Congress welcomes progress n creatng an actve ndustral strategy for the UK but recognses that the level and coherence of government support for UK ndustry stll falls far behnd compettor countres such as Germany. Congress s concerned that publshed government sector strateges consstently fal to consder how energy ntensve ndustres or enablng sectors, such as steel, chemcals, cement, ceramcs, glass and brck, could be supported to develop local supply chans for key sectors. Congress notes that these energy ntensve ndustres make up a ffth of manufacturng output and consume half of ts energy needs and, therefore, recognses that how these ndustres are supported and regulated s fundamentally mportant to any overarchng ndustral strategy amed at ncreasng manufacturng output. Therefore Congress calls on the TUC to support, develop or promote: ) procurement polces that maxmse opportuntes for UK ndustral supply chans and the ncluson of local content ) polces that delver energy securty for ndustry partcularly energy ntensve ndustry ncludng the development and use of carbon capture and storage for ndustry ) the producton of a government sectoral strategy for energy ntensve ndustres and recognton of the role of energy ntensve ndustres n exstng government sectoral ndustral strateges. Congress states the need for a secure, balanced energy mx together wth the use of carbon capture and storage technology whch wll nclude coal f the lghts are to be kept on. The mportance of the coal ndustry n power generaton, especally n wnter, s evdenced when more than 50 per cent of the UK s electrcty s comng from coal-fred power statons. The Energy Act 2011 ntroduced an oblgaton on Ofgem to provde the Secretary of State wth a report assessng plausble electrcty capacty margns and the rsk to securty of supply and the responsblty for the securty of supply s wth the government. 14
However, Ofgem has warned the government that spare electrcty power producton capacty could fall, ncreasng the rsk of blackouts f the naton s energy demand remans at current levels. Congress also notes that the closure of eght ggawatts of coal fred capacty, n accordance wth the EU s Large Combuston Plant Drectve, s contnung apace and that there s lttle evdence that the UK s provdng the urgently needed nvestment and regulatory clmate to ensure remanng coal statons can stll run, and that new carbon capture coal statons are bult. All of ths s occurrng when coal s the cheapest form of electrcty generaton and at a tme when the ndgenous coal ndustry n the UK s n crss. Congress notes wth great concern the effects of the falure wthn 20 years of the poltcally motvated prvatsaton of the Brtsh coal ndustry. Thousands of drect and ndrect hghly sklled jobs have been lost whch has brought about socal and economc devastaton to communtes across Brtan. Prvatsaton has faled. The possblty of Brtan facng power shortages could sgnfcantly rse towards the mddle of the decade as ageng power plants retre. The UK has abundant ndgenous coal reserves and only government nterventon wll secure a future for the UK coal ndustry. The government s urged to take steps to protect the market for coal produced n ths country to save employment, provde securty of supply and provde the consumer wth cheap, envronmentally bengn electrcty. Mover: Communty Seconder: Natonal Unon of Mneworkers Supporter: Brtsh Assocaton of Collery Management Techncal, Energy and Admnstratve Management C05 Arts fundng Motons 12 and 13 Congress notes the fundng crss facng local theatres n the UK. Ths crss s prmarly due to reductons n Arts Councl fundng and local authorty budgets as a result of the government s falng austerty agenda. Congress beleves that the arts ndustry plays an mportant role n the UK, both culturally and economcally, and notes wth alarm the devastatng reducton n fnancal support for the sector snce the fnancal crss began. The Department for Culture, Meda and Sport wll see a 26 per cent real reducton n budget by 2015; 41 per cent of arts fundrasers have reported that busness sponsors plan to reduce ther donatons; and local authortes, tradtonally major supporters of the arts, face cuts of up to 50 per cent n central government grants by 2018. Congress further notes that ctes such as Sheffeld and Newcastle, where the arts and culture has been central to regeneraton, have been forced to cut huge sums from ther arts budgets, whle local authortes n Westmnster and Somerset have opted to end all fundng for the arts and culture. In Westmnster the arts spend was just 350k, 0.04 per cent of the Councl s total budget. Under extreme pressure, most councls have revewed ther arts expendture, all of whch s dscretonary, resultng nvarably n cuts, sometmes to zero. Taken wth reductons n other fundng, for example a 30 per cent cut n grants from the Arts Councl of England, the exstence of hundreds of arts organsatons s threatened. Arts actvtes contrbute to ther local areas by enrchng the lves of ctzens, encouragng socal ncluson, supportng learnng and achevement, and developng a vstor economy. The arts also boost local economes as a whole, and a survey by Arts Development UK revealed that for every 1 of local authorty arts expendture, a further 3.83 was rased n alternatve fundng, wth most of t beng spent locally. Another study n Newcastle showed a beneft sx tmes greater than the level of publc subsdy. Congress beleves that cuts to local theatres are damagng and short sghted and supports the work of the My Theatre Matters! campagn, whch brngs together local communtes, audences, theatres, performers and creatve workers to lobby local and central government about the mportance of supportng local arts provson. Recognsng the crss n arts fundng, partcularly n councl grants, Congress calls for local authorty support for the arts to be a statutory oblgaton throughout the UK. Mover: Equty Seconder: Broadcastng, Entertanment, Cnematograph and Theatre Unon 15
Secton three Composte motons C06 Housng Moton 14 and amendment After three years of Conservatve-led government and as a result of ther polces there has been a huge ncrease n the housng crss. Congress notes that the government s latest fgures show that there are now 53,540 people consdered to be homeless and 55,300 households n temporary accommodaton, of whch 4,500 are lvng n bed and breakfast. Congress further notes that despte there beng nearly fve mllon people on housng watng lsts, the government has cut captal spendng on socal housng by 60 per cent. Congress recognses that the cost of prvate rentng has ncreased dramatcally, that the market rents for propertes n 55 per cent of local authorty areas are unaffordable. It s estmated that t costs 132 a month more to rent a property than pay a mortgage. Congress s deeply concerned that over fve mllon homes stll fal to meet the Decent Homes Standard, of whch 88 per cent are n the prvate sector and 26 per cent are prvately rented. Congress welcomes the commtment by Ed Mlband to nvest n truly affordable housng and as a result reduce the housng beneft bll. Congress calls on the TUC General Councl to campagn for: v a huge expanson n the buldng of councl and socal housng an mmedate end to the Rght to Buy and homes that are sold replaced lke for lke the establshment of a comprehensve system of local authorty-led regulaton for the prvate rented sector, ncludng a statutory regster of lcensed prvate landlords the ntroducton of workable rent control measures and reformed tenancy arrangements by local authortes to regulate the cost of prvate sector rented accommodaton and mprove securty for tenants. Mover: Unon of Constructon, Alled Trades and Techncans Seconder: UNISON C07 Far pay and standards n the publc sector Motons 17 and amendments, 18, 19 and amendment, and 20 and amendments Congress condemns the publc sector pay freeze and ongong pay cap. Pay has faled to keep pace wth the cost of lvng and many publc sector workers have been ht wth actual pay cuts due to pay freezes and hgher pensons contrbutons, wth prces rsng faster than pay every month snce November 2009 and wage cuts for UK workers the deepest snce records began. Workers are collectvely losng 50bn a year due to the restrctng of pay n both the prvate and publc sectors. Congress welcomes the TUC report Where Have all the Wages Gone? that hghlghted the fall n share of natonal ncome gong to wages over the last 30 years whle the proporton gong to profts ncreased. Congress congratulates unons for ther natonal and local campagns aganst the pay freeze, threats of regonal and local pay and attempts to undermne natonal structures and agreements. Congress s encouraged that communty and ndustral campagns for a lvng wage, as a means of brngng pay up and not levellng t down, have gathered momentum. Congress s deeply concerned by the rse of casualsaton, the use of zero hours contracts, that appears to have grown rapdly n the health sector over the past two years, extendng nto most job roles, attacks on terms and condtons, agency worker loopholes, unpad standby and travel tme and longer workng hours, especally n socal care. Congress deplores the attacks on the professonal status of teachers n England and Wales and from publcly funded employers n further and hgher educaton. Introducng performance-related pay wll further demoralse teachers and wll trgger a declne n the qualty of educaton that chldren and young people receve. Congress asserts that the attack on teachers terms and condtons s a naked attempt to encourage predatory companes to make a proft out of chldren s educaton. 16
Congress notes the despcable actons of the coalton government to bankroll a raft of hostle organsatons to ntmdate teachers and undermne teacher unons. Congress s alarmed that the government s now attackng pay progresson. Pay progresson supports sklls acquston, recrutng and retanng staff, the delvery of equal pay and structures that provde a transparent pathway to a rate for the job, thus savng the publc sector money. Congress calls on the General Councl to: C08 Pensons Motons 21 and 22 Congress reaffrms ts support for affordable, hgh qualty occupatonal pensons n both the prvate and publc sector, along wth a state penson lnked to earnngs. Congress, therefore, condemns the austerty measures ntroduced by the UK government that have resulted n those n recept of state pensons and those n prvate and publc sector penson schemes sufferng as a consequence of the bankng crss n 2008. v campagn for an end to the publc sector pay cap, to protect pay progresson and equal pay for work of equal value, an equal pay strategy prortsed n both the prvate and publc sectors, and the outlawng of zero hours contracts campagn for a lvng wage and far wages clause n publc procurement, as part of a strategy to end n-work poverty support the maxmum number of unons coordnatng necessary ndustral acton, across sectors where possble, as the most effectve way to break the cycle of pay restrant oppose any proposals to further restrct the rght of trade unonsts to make efforts to defend ther workng condtons through collectve acton, sharng best practce on potental legal challenges Congress, n partcular, condemns the decsons of the UK government whch have resulted n: an ncrease n employee penson contrbutons the rasng of normal retrement age to 68 cuts to penson ncome by as much as 40 per cent. Congress recognses that the replacement of DB wth DC penson schemes has transferred all of the rsk from the employer to the employee. Wth lttle prospect of a resurgence n defned beneft schemes and despte the ground-breakng work of autoenrolment, Congress recognses the realty that f penson provson s to be adequate for the younger generaton then ndvduals wll ncreasngly need to save more and for savngs to acheve a better return by good governance. v v call on the government to engage wth all publc sector unons to delver a meanngful, long-term reward strategy for the publc sector and lobby poltcal partes to support collectve barganng and a natonal framework of pay and condtons campagn to mantan teachers natonal pay and condtons of servce and the enttlement of all chldren to be taught by qualfed teachers v research the extent of zero-hours and other forms of casualsed contracts across sectors v provde gudance and materal for trade unons to wn publc opnon. Mover: UNISON Seconder: Natonal Unon of Teachers Supporters: NASUWT; FDA; Publc and Commercal Servces Unon; Prospect; Unversty and College Unon; Educatonal Insttute of Scotland; Chartered Socety of Physotherapy; Transport Salared Staffs Assocaton; Socety of Chropodsts and Podatrsts Congress recognses ths wll be no easy task n the current economc clmate and aganst a backdrop of real cuts n ncomes snce 2008. Congress, therefore, welcomes the orgnal work done by TUC offcers on the nformatve Touchstone pamphlet Thrd Tme Lucky, on buldng a progressve penson consensus. Congress welcomes the declared opposton by the Scottsh government to UK government penson polcy and calls on the Scottsh government to devote addtonal resources to realse ths and amelorate some of the effects of ths polcy. Congress, therefore, nstructs the General Councl to: a b c contnue to campagn aganst the UK government s damagng pensons polcy provde support, coordnaton and publcty to those afflates resstng changes to penson provson call on future governments to reverse the harsh changes to penson enttlement whch the current government has ntroduced. 17
Secton three Composte motons Congress calls on the General Councl to buld on the phlosophy of the Touchstone pamphlet. Ths work mght nclude a major membershp engagement exercse on the need for ndvduals and ther employers to pay more nto DC penson pots and explotng annual pay negotatons as an opportunty to ncrease contrbuton rates, wth tax relef easng the burden of ncreased contrbutons for members. Congress also recognses that charges can make a sgnfcant dfference to penson outcomes and s appalled at the lack of transparency of the true costs members have to bear. Congress nstructs the General Councl to undertake a survey of costs and expose the good, bad and ugly provders and produce a gold standard of oversght arrangements. Mover: Educatonal Insttute of Scotland Seconder: Brtsh Ar Lne Plots Assocaton v v Many parts of England have a shortage of prmary places whch the free school programme fals to address. Changes to the way student teachers are traned, programmes such as Troops to Teachers, and the ablty of academes and free schools to employ unqualfed teachers represent a sustaned and substantal attack on the professonal status of teachers and wll damage the qualty of educaton n England. Congress resolves to campagn for: a b c the rght of all chldren n state-funded schools to be taught by a qualfed teacher all state schools to be funded equtably regardless of ther status the restoraton of local authortes role as the democratc and accountable mddle ter n educaton C09 Defence of comprehensve educaton and natonal currculum Motons 27, 28 and amendments, and 29 and amendment d e place plannng to be determned by local authortes n consultaton wth communtes the endng of the academy or free school presumpton for new schools. Congress reaffrms ts support for the prncple of hgh qualty, comprehensve educaton whch should be avalable to all young people wthn ther local communtes. Congress also recognses the key role currently played by local authortes n the provson of a democratcally accountable comprehensve educaton servce for all. Congress notes: Congress beleves that such a comprehensve system of educaton offers our communtes the strongest foundaton for an educaton system that promotes the values of socal justce and equalty, and provdes opportuntes for all. Congress, therefore, opposes any ntatve that seeks to undermne the provson of accountable comprehensve educaton and that: v Alongsde attacks on teachers pay, pensons and workng condtons, the academy and free school programme s part of the government s drve to prvatse educaton and undermne the professonal status of teachers and teacher trade unons. Academes and free schools are unaccountable to local authortes, are outsde natonal pay and condtons arrangements and can determne ther own admssons and currculum. Twenty per cent of the manstream free schools approved to open n 2012 13 are n local authortes wth a projected surplus of places of 10 per cent or more by 2016. Prvate schools are convertng to free schools to access state fundng. 1 gves undue nfluence or control over state schools to unaccountable and unrepresentatve ndvduals or busnesses 2 fragments coherent and harmonsed comprehensve educaton provson for all 3 acts as a vehcle for the marketsaton and prvatsaton of the publc educaton servce. Congress calls on the General Councl to campagn for the advancement of comprehensve educaton and to ensure that both the UK government and the devolved admnstratons provde suffcent fundng for our state educaton servce to enable all of our young people (aged 3 to 18) to have access to the hghest qualty educaton servce possble. 18
Congress congratulates the General Councl for ntroducng the TUC campagn Educaton not for Sale n order to rase awareness amongst the electorate of the ntenton of the Conservatve Party to ntroduce proft nto the management of statefunded schools n England. Further, Congress regrets the lost opportunty for movng towards a currculum that wll meet the needs of economy and socety, ncludng socal coheson, and remans commtted to a broad and balanced currculum whch ncludes not only academc subjects but the understandngs, sklls and behavours whch wll equp young people to become successful ctzens and workers, and prepares them for Apprentceshps and employment, as well as hgher educaton. Congress condemns the Secretary of State for Educaton for gnorng all expert opnon, ncludng that of the CBI and TUC, n developng a revsed natonal currculum for England. Congress s serously concerned by the sklls clff edge, a dmnshng sklls base, outsourcng, crumblng nfrastructure and endemc youth unemployment. Congress therefore calls for fundng for secondary schools to develop vocatonal and practcal sklls n ther syllabuses, wth equal promoton of Apprentceshps alongsde further and hgher educaton. The urgency of the need for the government to revew ts flawed proposals about qualfcatons and the currculum s hghlghted by youth unemployment fgures. Wth one mllon young people not n educaton, employment and tranng, Congress calls on the General Councl to work wth a broad coalton of organsatons campagnng for a more approprate school currculum. Mover: Natonal Unon of Teachers Seconder: Assocaton of Teachers and Lecturers Supporters: Educatonal Insttute of Scotland; Unte C10 The future of the NHS Motons 34 and 35 and amendments The NHS needs our support more than ever n ths, ts 65th, year. Congress notes the tragc events at Md Staffordshre NHS Trust. There wll be dfferent nterpretatons of the recommendatons across the NHS; however, Congress welcomes the Congress s appalled that the government s usng the report to dengrate the NHS. Whle lessons can and must be learnt when thngs go wrong wth the qualty of care gven to patents, such nstances must not be allowed to devalue the excellent care delvered by commtted staff every day. Nor must they be allowed to dvert attenton away from the damage beng nflcted on the NHS n the name of effcency savngs and competton. Congress beleves: v v v Healthcare workers must ensure they nteract wth patents wth dgnty, compasson and respect, as set out n the NHS Consttuton. Good multdscplnary team workng n Strategc Clncal Networks wll help mprove care and the patent experence. Future servce developments and reconfguratons should be based solely on the needs of the communty and only made after full clncal nvolvement. Royal Colleges, healthcare trade unons and professonal bodes should have a role n hosptal vsts by regulators and external revewers, to ensure that hgh qualty standards n medcal educaton, tranng and servce provson are mantaned. Current statutory revews by Montor and the CQC do not nclude measures that are covered by the Royal Colleges and other healthcare trade unons and professonal bodes roles and responsbltes. Indvdual clncans and Trusts must be enabled to submt accurate and truthful data to the NHS on patent care. It must be acknowledged that cuts affect care qualty. Safe mnmum staffng levels are needed now. Congress asks the TUC General Councl to: a b contnue to expose the consequences of competton, job cuts, strppng out of specalst clncal sklls, and constant reorgansaton and fragmentaton of servces campagn to promote the value of a properly funded, accountable and publcly delvered NHS as the most far and cost effectve way of delverng hgh qualty, comprehensve health care Francs Report and that the DoH s workng wth NHS unons to drve the change needed and eradcate such events from happenng n the future. c campagn to gve NHS staff and local communtes a genune say n the future of ther own local health servces 19
Secton three Composte motons d e f campagn for more nvestment n preventon, early nterventon and rehabltaton as a key part of meetng future healthcare needs campagn to remove the appallng term bed blockng when used to descrbe vulnerable older people who do not want to be n hosptal but have no choce ensure these themes are rased as part of the march and rally at the Tory party conference. Mover: Chartered Socety of Physotherapy Seconder: Hosptal Consultants and Specalsts Assocaton Supporters: UNISON; Socety of Radographers Despte the revelaton that a restrcted MOJ rsk regster shows that mnstry offcals warn that ths so called rehabltaton revoluton carres a hgh rsk of operatonal falure and reputatonal damage, the Justce Secretary refuses to change course. Napo has called for a moratorum on the plans. Congress beleves the government s deologcally drven plans pose a threat to servce delvery and a rsk to publc safety. Congress expresses ts full support for Napo s alternatve methods of assstng the under-12 month custodal communty, by properly resourced and locally accountable partnershps, and endorses ther campagn of resstance to ths attack on the probaton servce, ncludng possble ndustral acton. Congress nstructs the General Councl to: C11 Contractng out n the crmnal justce system Motons 40 and amendment and 41 Congress notes the contnued contractng out and prvatsaton of the crmnal justce system from prsons through to probaton and the court servces. campagn not just aganst prvatsaton wthn the crmnal justce system but all publc servces make representatons to the government, alongsde the probaton trade unons, that no changes to the probaton servce should proceed untl there has been full parlamentary and publc scrutny of the dentfed rsks Congress notes the collapse of planned polce prvatsatons n West Mdlands, Bedfordshre, Hertfordshre and Cambrdgeshre and the termnaton of the custody procurement project n Thames Valley. Congress notes the turnng of a tde on prvatsaton as polce forces realse the lack of evdence for prvate sector clams for effcency. In May the government publshed ts Transformng Rehabltaton plans. These plans, whch nclude the outsourcng of 70 per cent of the probaton servce s work, ncludng the supervson of all medum and low rsk offenders, are beng promulgated wthn a very short and aggressve tmeframe, and wll see the 35 current probaton trusts replaced by a small Natonal Probaton Servce, delverng work wth hgh rsk offenders; the creaton of 21 government companes; the reallocaton of up to 250,000 cases; and the transfer of 18,000 staff to new employers by October 2014. The lkely bdders for the outsourced work wll be bg multnatonal securty companes such as G4S, Serco, and Sodexo. n lght of the allegatons of over-chargng by mllons of pounds n the electronc montorng contract, call for an ndependent publc nqury nto the true cost of prvatsng publc servces. Mover: POA Seconder: Napo Supporter: UNISON C12 Ral prvatsaton Motons 45 and 46 and amendment Congress congratulates the TUC and afflates n ther work makng the case for a publcly owned and accountable ral ndustry and hghlghtng the falngs of the ndustry s current structure as exemplfed by the fasco of the ntercty West Coast franchsng process that landed taxpayers wth a 50m bll. Congress s alarmed at the government s and the ndustry s apparent denal that there s anythng fundamentally wrong wth the ndustry and ther determnaton to contnue wth the competton for passenger ral franchses. 20
Congress beleves ths complacency and blatant self-nterest must contnue to be challenged at every opportunty. Congress, therefore, welcomes the fndngs of TUC-commssoned research by the Centre for Research on Soco-Cultural Change as further evdence of the falure of ral prvatsaton that has, amongst other thngs, artfcally boosted prvate profts of the prvately owned tran operatng companes. Ths research also explodes the myth that ral frms are brngng added value to our ralways or are responsble for passenger growth snce prvatsaton. In realty they rely upon taxpayers to turn a proft, vrtually all of whch ends up n shareholders pockets, rather than beng used to mprove servces. Snce the franchsng system came nto beng, subsdes are about three tmes as hgh as they were at the tme of prvatsaton. The fact remans that ral prvatsaton has not brought the mprovements ts supporters promsed. The realty s the hghest fares n Europe, the average age of trans has ncreased and most new nvestment s funded by the state, no real ncreased prvate nvestment n the network. Congress reterates ts support for ral re-natonalsaton. Congress notes wth concern and condemns the European Commsson s 4th Ralway Package, whch presents the Brtsh franchsng system as a structure that should be replcated across the whole of the contnent. Congress s concerned that the package, whch wll mpose fragmentaton and prvatsaton, forces member states to ntroduce market forces nto ther ral network. By December 2019 t wll be mandatory for servces to ether be provded though tendered publc servce contracts or by open access operatons. Congress also opposes the package s ntentons to transfer many safety functons away from natonal bodes to the European Ralway Agency. Ths move could lead to a reducton n safety standards and a loss of regonal expertse. Congress fears that f mplemented, the package would not only force countres to allow the same profteers to take money out of ther networks n the same way that they do n the UK, but stop the UK from ever reversng the dsastrous prvatsaton of our ralway. Congress calls on the General Councl to: contnue workng wth afflates and others to campagn for a publcly owned ral network that works n the publc nterest lobby and campagn to stop the 4th Ralway Package passng n to law and to work wth the ETUC and European partners to ensure that the mstakes of Brtsh ral polcy are not spread across Europe and made rreversble here moblse for the days of acton aganst the fourth ral package on 9 October and for the 20-year annversary of UK ral prvatsaton on 5 November. Mover: Transport Salared Staffs Assocaton Seconder: Assocated Socety of Locomotve Engneers and Fremen Supporter: Natonal Unon of Ral, Martme and Transport Workers C13 Campagnng for socal securty Motons 47 and 48 and amendment Congress notes that coalton socal securty polces have resulted n an extra mllon people lvng n poverty, homelessness up 14 per cent n the last year, rough sleepng up 31 per cent n the last two years, and 500,000 people now relyng on food banks. Congress notes that the mnmum wage wll agan rse below the rate of nflaton n October, and that mllons of publc and prvate sector workers have been subject to below-nflaton pay rses for several years. Congress further notes that UK state benefts and pensons are among the lowest n the developed world, and leave many n poverty and despar, and at the mercy of payday loan companes. Congress condemns the Westmnster consensus whch has perpetuated the myth that benefts spendng requres cappng, that has abandoned unversal benefts, and whch demonses scroungers. Congress beleves that socal securty s an mportant trade unon ssue for our members and ther famles, whether n work or out of work, and that as a movement we must do more to defend the welfare state. 21
Secton three Composte motons Congress beleves the Unversal Credt system, due to be ntroduced n the UK n October 2013, wll have a devastatng effect on the lves of many members of trade unons, such as Equty and the other entertanment unons, where those members are fully self-employed and survvng on a low ncome. These welfare reforms wll also mean that those members who are assumed to have a mnmum ncome floor (MIF) may fnd the help they can get wth ther housng costs (rent or mortgage nterest) s very lmted, leadng to an ncreased rsk of homelessness or repossessons. v v fees at employment trbunal, that wll weaken access to justce for workng people reduced protecton for unfar dsmssal, ncludng rasng the qualfyng perod for unfar dsmssal to two years cappng ET awards shorter perods for redundancy consultaton the waterng down of health and safety at work legslaton. Congress condemns the reforms whch wll remove access to certan benefts from strkng workers and reduce the beneft enttlement of dependants of strkers. Congress urges the General Councl to campagn aganst ths unfar system and seek ts replacement wth a more workable and equtable system. Congress nstructs the General Councl to: actvely challenge and debunk welfare myths from poltcans and n the meda actvely campagn for: a repeal of the bedroom tax and the beneft cap b the defence of unversal benefts c decent, lveable beneft levels d abolton of workfare schemes e scrappng the Work Capablty Assessment f removal of the sanctons regme g a publcly run welfare system h a mass councl house buldng scheme. Mover: Publc and Commercal Servces Unon Seconder: Equty Supporter: Assocated Socety of Locomotve Engneers and Fremen In addton, the Growth and Infrastructure Act ntroduces the wdely dscredted shares for rghts proposals, despte lack of employer support for them. The Enterprse and Regulatory Reform Act wll undermne workplace equalty and make t harder for workers to clam compensaton for njures at work, by abolshng strct lablty n PI cases, whch s a further blow to mllons of workers and could deny justce to mllons of workers and ther famles n compensaton clams for njury at work. Congress remembers 6 July 2013, the 25th annversary of Pper Alpha, the world s worst offshore ndustry dsaster, whch clamed 167 lves. Congress notes the ncreasng use of casualsed contracts alongsde the worsenng mpact of cuts and marketsaton n post-16 educaton, as well as more broadly across both the publc and prvate sectors. Congress also condemns the government s decson to remove the requrement on employers to consult collectvely on redundances resultng from the endng of fxed-term contracts. Congress beleves the removal of the oblgaton to consult when a fxed-term contract fnshes s lkely to: C14 Trade unons and employment rghts: new rghts, new freedoms Motons 51 and amendments, 52 and amendment, 53, 55 and amendments and 56 Congress recognses the coalton has launched a vcous attack on ndvdual workers rghts at work, ncludng: a b c d gve unscrupulous employers an ncentve to ncrease the use of fxed term contracts remove employment rghts not only from staff n HE/FE, but from some of the poorest and most vulnerable n socety, who work n ndustres such as caterng, toursm and constructon mltate aganst the prncple of gvng employees and ther trade unons a chance to propose alternatves when faced wth redundances prevent or not allow long enough tme for a meanngful attempt at redeployment. 22