Unite Viewpoint

G20 Crisis Summit - A Trade Union Declaration

Tony Burke — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 19:08:00 GMT

Worthwhile reading... A Trade Union Statement To the G20 Crisis Summit in Washington - The Washington Declaration. http://casinocrash.org/?p=506

Job losses, Proskills Awards and UTV.

Tony Burke — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 19:08:00 GMT

More job losses again this week across the board - in manufacturing, services, finance, everywhere are the recession bites. In the Unite GPM sector besides the big job losses announced in the papermaking sector in Scotland last month we are facing job more losses in commercial print notably this week at Cooper Clegg. Regional officers are reporting that some companies are just going bust because banks will not help them through short term cash flow problems. We have now set up a "recession database" to log job losses, closures. In the GPM sector, regional officers of the union have been sent survey forms to notify us of proposed job losses in the sector in advance and to help us campaign and lobby the government to help those facing unemployment, help families who are being hammered by the recession. Interestingly at the at the Proskills Apprentice Awards this week the word was those companies that do train and invest in their workforces are better placed to survive the recession - and once again it was highligted by the CEO of Proskills the lack of take up of training funds in some sectors of Proskills by employers. Proskills covers Print, Paper, Extractives, Coatings, Quarries, Furniture and Glass. Unite proudly sponsored The Young Achiever of The Year Award - which gets us welcome and positive publicity and it was interesting to talk to a wide range of training professionals, the apprentices and nominees and managers about training. Bernard Rutter the union's Sector Skills Co-ordinator was on hand to present the award. Disappointly the print apprentices nominated failed to win Aprrentice and Advanced Apprentice of the Year Awards, but they did well to win "highly commended" certificates. Maybe next year! Finally the latest Episode of Unite TV is now available at http://www.amicustheunion.org/default.aspx?page=9606

Unite GPM Sector e-bulletin 28 now available

Tony Burke — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:00:00 GMT

Latest Unite GPM Sector e-bulletin http://newsweaver.co.uk/unite/index000315353.cfm?x=bdGRJf2,bbdnCvmM

Obama - it was the unions what won it.

Tony Burke — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:07:00 GMT

Sorry to paraphrase the Sun from a few years back, but here is something to think about... President-elect Obama's "broad church", appealing to a coalition of working families, women, ethnic minorities, young people, union members and the beleaguered middle classes along with the fallout from the financial crisis is credited with his historic victory. However, data from polling in the US presidential election shows just how big an influence US unions had on the result and turnout. According to AFL-CIO research union voters supported President-elect Obama 67% to 30% over John McCain. In the main battleground states the difference was even more stark, with union members going for Obama 69% to 28% - a massive 41 point margin. While McCain won among voters aged 65 and over, active and retired union members aged 65 and over went for Obama by a 46-point margin. And while McCain won among armed forces veterans, veterans who were union members went for Obama by a 25 point margin. Members of the AFL-CIO and community umbrella organisation, 'Working America' who concentrated on the key marginal states, supported Obama by 67% to 30 % and 60% of union members and 56% of 'Working America' members said the economy was a "top issue". Statistics also show that union members received substantial contact from their unions during the election, with more than 80% receiving union mail, more than 80% receiving union publications, 59% getting live phone calls and 32% getting worksite flyers. In Midwestern states, where unions are at their strongest, and where George W. Bush had previously come close to winning and McCain campaigned hard, union support helped put votes solidly in Obama’s column. Obama won by 13 points in Wisconsin; 16 points in Michigan; 10 points in Minnesota and 11 points in Pennsylvania as well as helping win swing states such as Ohio, North Carolina, Michigan and Florida. According to the AFL-CIO more than 250,000 union volunteers devoted their time and energy to working for an Obama victory and getting out the vote. This included some 10 million door knocks, 70 million phone calls, 27 million worksite flyers and 57 million union mail pieces made the difference in races from the White House to state legislatures. The AFL-CIO says that 75% of union members say Obama’s victory gives him a mandate to make major change and 81% support the Employee Free Choice Act, which would give US unions the right to secure union recognition based on a membership card check. The Employee Free Choice Act, which would require employers to recognise unions once a majority of workers sign cards of support, is being fiercely opposed by big business. The current NLRB system is widely discredited and open to widespread abuse by employers and union busters. The battle over the EFC Act will be an early test of Obama's presidency. Obama strongly endorsed the legislation, saying it was an overdue effort to raise the standard of living for the nation's working class. But business leaders are already stepping up their campaign against the change in legislation, arguing that it would put "new burdens on business". We seem to have heard that somewhere before! US big business also opposes a provision that would allow a mediator to impose a contract settlement in cases where a union and management cannot agree on a deal within 120 days - a provision business leaders say will benefit unions. US union leaders will also push Obama to move quickly to stimulate the US economy by extending unemployment benefits, broadening the food stamp programme, investing in infrastructure, and making grants to state and local governments, which have been hard hit by revenue losses from the economic downturn. They are also looking to broaden the availability of healthcare and eventually increase taxes for top income earners as a way of countering the income inequality that has accelerated in the past decade. Which ever way you look at it, much of President-elect Obama's success was down to the support and sheer hard graft put in by US unions and their members.

Unite research shows drop in HSE injury investigation levels

Tony Burke — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 11:39:00 GMT

New research published by Unite, shows investigation levels into major injuries to workers have declined by 43 per cent between 2001/2 and 2006/7. In 2006/7, the last year when statistics are available, only 10.5 per cent of major injuries reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) were investigated. The research, undertaken by the Centre for Corporate Accountability for Unite, also shows that in the same five year period there has been a 69 per cent reduction in the number of worker 'over-three day' injuries investigated, a 31 per cent decline in the number of 'dangerous occurrences' investigated, and a 68 per cent decline in the number of members of the public injuries investigated. The issue of investigation levels - the central concern of the report - is crucial, because unless the HSE investigates an incident, it cannot know whether the injury or dangerous occurrence was caused by a health and safety failure. Therefore, a decision not to investigate can result in failures both in relation to prevention and in securing criminal accountability. Derek Simpson, Unite joint general secretary, said: "This report highlights the need for the government to address the problem accordingly and admit that the HSE needs more money, more resources, and more inspectors. We believe the most fundamental right for workers is that they return home from work to their families, healthy and safe. "The significant reductions in the level of investigations and prosecutions together with less HSE inspectors, goes to the heart of the question of levels of adequate HSE resources. "Unite activists are bearing the strain caused by such low levels of operating inspectors, and they are continually expected to police their own workplaces. However, they are doing a great job, reducing accident rates by half compared to non-unionised workplaces. Unite will continue the campaign to secure new and improved legal rights for safety reps." The research shows that there were significant variations in investigation levels between sectors. In 2006/7 the level of investigation ranged from 24.5 per cent in the agricultural sector to 5.3 per cent in the services sector. In the construction sector, the sector with the most number of reported deaths, only 14.1 per cent of major injuries were investigated, a reduction from 20 per cent six years earlier There was also significant variation in different regions. In 2006/7, the level of investigation ranged from 14 per cent in Scotland to 5.3 per cent in London. A full copy of the Unite report can be downloaded from the Unite website, visit: http://www.amicustheunion.org/Default.aspx?page=9530 Employers and others have an obligation under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences 1995 (RIDDOR 95) to report certain kinds of injuries and incidents either to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) or to local authorities. The analysis in the Unite report only relates to those incidents reported to the HSE - that is to say injuries and dangerous occurrences relating to the construction, manufacturing, agricultural, energy and mining sectors - as well as a certain segment of service sector injuries. The injuries reported to the HSE in fact only represent a proportion of the total number of injuries that actually take place. The HSE acknowledge that 'non-fatal injuries are substantially under-reported,' estimating that 'just under half of all such injuries to employees are actually reported, with the self-employed reporting a much smaller proportion'. The most recent research suggests that 41 per cent of major injuries and 25 per cent of over three day injuries are reported. There is no data on the level of under-reporting of dangerous occurrences and injuries to members of the public. Both are likely to be significantly under-reported, for details visit: www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr528.pdf This under-reporting needs to be kept in mind since it means that the percentage of actual major injuries investigated is around 40 per cent of the level set out in this report (so, rather than 10.5 per cent of major injuries to workers being investigated, only about 4 per cent are actually investigated) and the level of over-three day injuries is 25 per cent of the level set out in this report (so rather than 2 per cent, it would be about 0.5 per cent).

Tony Dubbins - "Giant of the trade union movement retires"

Tony Burke — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 07:21:00 GMT

Tony Dubbins former leader of the GPMU and Deputy General Secretary of Unite retires on 31st October. Tony Dubbins has been a dominant figure in the Trade Union movement for over two generations. Tony's stature has been built not simply by his reputation as a negotiator, but by his leadership during some of the crucial moments in modern trade union history, when he demonstrated the best attributes of strength, unity and solidarity. Tony first became a full time union official in the National Graphical Association in the Chiltern & Thames Valley branch, before becoming the NGA’s Assistant General Secretary in the late 1970s. Tony succeeded Joe Wade as General Secretary of the NGA in 1984 and so has been a General Secretary for 24 years. The early 1980's saw the start of the Thatcher attacks on the unions, and the print workers bore the brunt of these, with Tony at the forefront of the fight back. In the Eddie Shah/Stockport Messenger dispute in Warrington, the new Tory laws were used for the first time against trade unions. During this dispute the NGA faced sequestration of its assets in defence of its members and he also lead the fight against Rupert Murdoch at Wapping. Tony led those battles and it is an irony that last month Wapping closed for the last time: Tony Dubbins has outlived it! He was also hugely supportive of other unions. During the 1984-85 miners strike, the NGA, and Tony in particular, gave crucial assistance, a fact still acknowledged today by our brothers and sisters in the NUM. In a precursor to later merger strategies, Tony brought together many of the smaller printing craft unions and then merged with SOGAT in 1990 to form one union for the graphical and paper trades. He won the subsequent election against Brenda Dean to become the first - and only - General Secretary of the GPMU. He was President of the TUC in 1997 and is the longest serving member of the General Council and TUC Executive Committee, so much that if he didn't retire soon it would be his turn for President again! His experiences in the print industry in the 1980's made him an expert on employment laws and at the TUC it became a tradition that Tony would always move the main motion, on employment rights. He was also, a member of the ACAS Council as well as being the TUC's lead spokesperson on Training. Tony promoted international trade unionism too. He was President of Uni Europa Graphical, a member of the European TUC Executive and helped build the International Graphical Federation to strengthen ties with sister unions throughout the world, but in particular in Scandinavia, Germany, Africa and North America. He was instrumental in ensuring the union had a base in Brussels during the 1990s to lobby the European parliament and influence EU legislation and he developed a strong political base for the union in Westminster, developing a group of Labour MP's that ensured the union "punched above its weight". He was a major figure within the printing industry, leading national pay campaigns in the late 1970s and in the early 1990s with the BPIF. He was the union's lead negotiator for many years with the British Printing Industries Federation, the Scottish Print Industries Federation and his support for improving print workers pay and conditions is legendary. He always listened to the views of members no matter where they worked, recognising that the bulk of the print unions' members worked in small and medium sized companies. In addition he promoted the printing industry in particular, with his support for better learning & skills for members, the importance of unions maintaining an influences at all levels in the industry and was instrumental in setting up Vision In Print and the modernised national agreements. Tony recognised that technological developments would effect print union members, and he worked tirelessly to reach new technology agreements with newspaper employers and other unions in particular - and following the election of a Labour Government in 1997, he worked to re-establish union recognition in the newspaper industry. Following the GPMU's merger with Amicus in 2004 as Deputy General Secretary of the union he led the unions' political work through TULO, and building on the success of the Big 4 he held the trade unions together at Warwick prior to the 2005 General Election. He has been harrying the government ever since on delivery, and has been leading again on Warwick 2. When Unite agreed to run a candidate in Labour's Deputy Leader election, it was Tony who came up with the name of Jon Cruddas and tirelessly promoted him across the unions and the party, almost securing victory but seeing off three cabinet ministers in the process. Tony is a person to whom you always look to first for advice. He is a strategic thinker and negotiator as well as being a giant of the trade union movement, not only in the UK, but in Europe and the world. He provided leadership from the front - in the toughest of times. He has been a good friend to all our officers and members - a true comrade and an inspirational leader, and his retirement will leave a huge hole in our union and sister unions throughout the world. Tony is also a keen West Ham supporter! On behalf of all Unite members, officers and staff, print workers and the trade union movement we pay tribute to Tony Dubbins, we recognise with gratitude his achievements, wish him a long and happy retirement.

Yet Another Bad Week For The Papermaking Sector

Tony Burke — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:17:00 GMT

Following on from the announcement of the potential closure of Cutris Fine Paper, global papermaker, International Paper had announced to their workforce that the IP Aberdeen site is "at risk" and has started 90 days consultation of possible closure. They have also declared job losses in the USA in paper and box making sites our comrades in Workers Uniting (USW) have advised us. The news came out of the blue and Unite members and their families were shocked at the news. This is bleak news for the UK's paper industry, for manufacturing in Scotland and in the UK in general. Scotland First Minister Alex Salmond, in whose constiuency the plant sits has visited the site and pledged his support to see if a buyer can be found. Unite reps at the site are understandably bewildered at the news. These are 400 skilled jobs that are at risk and Unite is pledging we will do all we can to try to reverse the decision, to save jobs and support our members and their families. In a statement to the local press yestrday evening I said: it was “understandable” that people may be thinking about looking for other work, but insisted all hope was not lost. “I can understand how people would consider vacancies in their local area, but clearly there’s no deal done yet on either a rescue package or a redundancy package,” he added. “Our policy is to try to save the mill and create jobs at the Inverurie site.” IP are saying that there are many factors which had contributed to the mill’s demise, including soaring energy, fuel and raw material prices. Energy costs for the firm have trebled in the past 12 months. Transport costs have risen by a quarter. Some costs for raw materials have increased by up to 100%.

Vote For LabourStart Labour Photo of The Year.

Tony Burke — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 17:20:00 GMT

LabourStart, one of the best sites on the web providing daily news updates on the trade union and labour movement from around the world is running its Labour Photo Of The Year competition. To take part and vote check out: http://www.labourstart.org/lpoty/

Fatality at St. Ives Peterborough

Tony Burke — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 09:18:00 GMT

Like many in the printing industry I was shocked to learn of the death of Unite member, Ian Ebbs, aged 43, a manitainance engineer at St. Ives' plant at Peterborough, who was fataly injured at work last week. As yet we do not know the details of the circumstances of Ian's death and obviously we cannot comment until our Health & Safety specialists have visited the plant and met with our FOCs and the company. Unite regional officers have been sent a brief update on the situation from Bud Hudspith. We hope to issue advice to members working on similar presses next week. Our condolences, prayers and support goes out to Ian's family at this most difficult time.

Roll On The Day Of Reckoning....

Tony Burke — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 09:12:00 GMT

Watching TV is difficult when you are on holiday! Last week in sunny Cyprus I could only snatch chances to watch the BBC world news or Sky News either in the morning or early evening to catch up with the unfolding global financial crisis as bank by bank went into freefall and had to be rescued. There have been countless pundits expressing their views on what it all means and where will it lead us – the best so far has been Paul Mason and Michael Crick on Newsnight notably last night. (Friday). Mason’s BBC blog is a mine of information and updated daily at present. Derek Simpson, joint GS of Unite, welcomed Gordon Brown’s intervention but warned that” "The union is demanding that this financial support is tied to clear commitments to secure vital jobs in the financial services sector. The Government finance must serve to make the industry more transparent and accountable." Derek went onto say it was not acceptable for the Government to continue to capitalise the rewards in the finance industry and said measures should be extended to include undertakings by the banks of no job losses, no repossessions of homes and no rewards for "failure". He added: "It is imperative that the financial measures announced today mark the turning point in the world of banking and finance. Workers in the financial services industry are not the culprits of the credit crunch and we are not prepared to allow them to become the victims." Dead right. I think Gordon Brown has done as much as possible to “steady the ship” but to little avail at present – and like many – I wonder when “the day of reckoning” will come (if at all!) for the people who got us here. I don’t think many people believe or are fooled either by the Cameron/Osbourne line of the “no big bonuses anymore” and “heads must roll” sound bites. Their mates in the City know that this is all bluster. Also Osbourne using the phrase ‘Casino Capitalism’ was interesting – it was a phrase used earlier this year in the Morning Star (and I think by myself in Print Week) when the debate was raging about Private Equity. Don’t recall him using the phrase back then or calling for an end to big bonuses! The big worry is the effect on jobs, on our members and their families. In manufacturing and in print and media there is no doubt that there will be an effect in investment and on companies seeking loans for new kit or to tide them over the current crisis. Pagination in magazines is already dropping as publishers cut back on adverts, direct mail and new launches. Some companies who have been in difficulty some time before the current crisis could possibly go under – it was sad for me to learn yesterday of the situation at a company I know well, Buckley & Blands in Stockport (now called TPS) – it has been there forever! Everyone seems to agree that much tighter regulation is essential and is going to happen – it can’t come quick enough for me. And yet the TV is still has pundits and City based Hooray Henry’s saying that the market cannot be regulated and what is needed is a “light touch”. Over the last few weeks we have all learned a lot about what has been going on and where a "light touch" has got us - short selling: toxic debt; self cert mortgages; buy to let mortgages: bets made on falling shares that have sunk decent companies, share swops and other get rich quick schemes which appear to be nothing but pyramid selling, run by people who have already costs thousands of working families their jobs through sheer greed and an unregulated market. Nye Bevan’s phrase of “organized spivery” springs to mind. Many of these schemes would not be out of place on BBC 3’s The Real Hustle! Roll on the day of reckoning in both the UK and the USA.

New website to campaign against recent ECJ Rulings

Tony Burke — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:31:00 GMT

A new website has been launched, assembled and supported by Unite which gives details of the recent ECJ rulings, news items, comment, a discussion forum all related to the ECJ rulings on Laval, Viking, Rüffert and Luxembourg. And you can sign the on-line petition. Should 1 million signatures be gathered, then the Petitions Committee of the European Parliament, will pass it on to the European Commission, so that proper action is taken. So, please send the link to your colleagues and encourage them to sign the petition or post the url on your networking, websites and blogsites! http://www.amicustheunion.org/lavalvikingruffert/default.aspx

Unite GPM Sector e-bulletin 27 now available

Tony Burke — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:20:00 GMT

Latest issue of the Unite the Union GPM Sector e-bulletin (No.27) is available at: http://newsweaver.co.uk/unite/index000303282.cfm?x=bdtnLhR,bbdnGgnH To recieve your copy each month click on the "subscribe" button and get added to the list.

A Week At The Labour Party - slight return.

Tony Burke — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 10:09:00 GMT

It seemed that this years conference season is never ending. The Labour Party Conference started on Friday for Unite delegates - travelling to Manchester. I started from London after attending a meeting at the TUC on the revision of European Works Council legislation (see its not all glamour!). This is an important peice of legislation that affects many Unite members who work for European and multi-ntaional companies - Unite is represented on 200 EWC and providing 50 union experts. In the print, packaging, media and paper industries there are over 20 EWCs with more in the pipeline. Unite has met the Government, lobbied hard in Europe, met MEPs and is working with other European trade unions to get a positive revision of the legislation. So to the Labour Party Conference. The first obstacle is getting to the conference "island", which means being dropped off on Oxford Road and lugging bags and breifcases - just what Unite DGS Graham Goddard and I did to the Midland after the cab driver was warned by a representative of GMP that he "was in a bus lane". Much of the conference was surrounded by speculation about Gordon Brown's future, who was set to resign (turned out to be Ruth Kelly for family reasons); set peice speech's by Ministers; who will get the longest standing ovation etc. But it is also a chance to influence party policy and Unite certainly did that - on energy and fuel poverty, the all important ECJ Judgements (which, if they remain will cause industrial chaos in the UK), public sector pay, the crisis in the finance industry and manufacturing. I was fortunate to speak on the behalf of Unite in the debate on manufacturing, making the case for support for our beleagured manufacturing base and sector training levies on those industries who fail to deliver - such as print. (See elsewhere in PW's website for debate on this point). Unite's finge meetings were well attended, notably, the support for the Miami Five, a group of Cuban's currently wrongly banged up in a US prison. Two of their wives were attending the Conference to lobby with Unite to get the US goverment to at least give them visiting rights (which are denied). See the Unite website for more details on this appalling situation. The 'Big 4' fringe was well attended, as was the fringe on Global Unions where Derek Simpson, Tony Woodley and Leo Gerrard of Unite's sister union, the United Steelworkers of America put the case for the creation of the first global trade union - Workers Uniting. It was good to see the Workers Uniting logo getting its debut at the conference! The Remploy firnge was as always well attended, with speakers including myself, Paul Kenny and the inimitable Phil Davis of GMB along with Paul Goggins MP for Wythenshawe who worked hard to keep the Remploy print site in Manchester open. Meetings with MP's and other unions meant it was difficult to attend all of the "big" set peice speech's - I missed Milliband senior's speech, but his younger sibling Ed was impressive. The decision by his wife Sarah to introduce Gordon Brown was a masterstroke and it worked well. The PM's speech was one of his best, but there were long parts of it that were annodyne. The promise to scrap prescription charges for cancer patients was well recieved and his attack on Cameron (an Milliband senior!) as novices hit the spot. On the financial crisis and the greedy energy companies he pressed the right buttons - but it should have been done weeks ago. Seven out of ten was the concensus - he has seen off the rebels - but only for the time being in my book. As has been said before - its the policies that need changing, we can't have "more of the same". So at the end of a momentous week - the American financial system is rescued by the US Government, they now own finaicial institutions Fannie Mae (which was btw the title of a hit R&B record by Buster Brown in 1959) and Freddie Mac, plus 80% of AIG, plus punishment (well, a clip across the ear at worst) for those that caused it - a dose of socialism in the USA, I'd say. And the billionaires at Eastlands got knocked out of the Carling Cup by Brighton - oh how the mighty have fallen! Still it was good to be back home in Manc Land. As the late Tony Wilson said in his last interview: "In the North West it rains and it rains. (During the LP conference it didn't - the sun actually came out) - and yet we managed to produce the industrial revolution, the trade union movement, the Communist Manifesto and even the goddam computer. Down south, where the sun never sets, you took all our money and what did you produce? Chas and f*****g Dave."

A Week At The TUC

Tony Burke — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 08:01:00 GMT

Back from the TUC at Brighton and having had time to reflect on proceedings here's my take on it. Much of the build up prior to the Congress was the response of the unions to issues such as the windfall tax, attacks on visiting Labour politicians. However, having attended every Congress since 1994 (and a few more before), delegates do recognise that there are the set peice debates, but there is a lot of work done by unions on the nuts and bolts of the world of work, with debates on health & safety, employment law, learning and skills and many issues that specialist unions wish to debate in what used to called "the workers parliament". However, you can't escape the expected and unexpected clashes between politicians and trade union officers. At this years Congress we were treated to Alistair Darling. The Times described his much trailed Tuesday speech as "indescribably boring". Actually, veteran Industrial Correspondent from The Mirror commented in his end of Congress speech, where the press comment on the week said: "No it wasn't, Darling's speech was describably dull." Harriet Harman concentrated on equalities and the unequal society, but had to pull back some of the tougher stuff for fear of upsetting the CBI and employers. It is reported that she toned down an attack on the class system by removing quotes from her speech to the TUC on government plans to tackle inequality. Harriet had been expected to say that social class rather than gender, race, sexual orientation or disability was the main reason why people failed to reach their full potential. "What overarches all of these is where you live, your family background, your wealth and social class." Instead she confined herself to two examples: showing how six-year-olds from the middle classes were already ahead of more able peers from working-class backgrounds, and how very rich men now live longer than poorer women. John Denham the minister for BERR gave a crumb of comfort with the uppping of the NMW for young workers with weekly earnings for apprentices in England will be increased from £80 to £95 per week from August 2009. This rise will benefit an estimated 26,000 people, about 10% of apprentices. As I said - welcome but crumbs of comfort compared to the issues we now face in manufacturing and on learning and skills. The best debate and speeches of the Congress were on the final day, when Derek Simpson Joint GS of Unite, moved the most important motion of the week on the European Court Judgements that could do so much damage to industrial relations in the UK, will undermine working peoples right to take industrial action to defend their employment and will damage the whole concept of social Europe. Leading in the debate Derek outlined the consequences of the judgements for collective bargaining and national agreements and put forward compelling arguments for strong political action across Europe to get the judgements reversed. He stressed there is now the need to mobilse unions and our members at every level, and at every meeting to explain the judgements and the effect they will have on working people. This is the nuts and bolts stuff that the public don't see but is vital to the work of trade unions. Unite of course were involved in many of the debates - the health service, public sector pay, health and safety, energy, the economy, transport, foriegn affairs and I seconded the NUJ's motion on the ownership of the press - which Print Week have turned into this week's comment peice. The Congress Fringe has got better each year - with an opportunity for delegates to listen to speakers on a wide range of issues. Highlights for me this year were the traditional Monday fringe meeting of the Liason Committee for the Defence of Trade Unions, with some fine speeches on the ECJ Judgements, Public Sector Pay etc from Derek Simpson, Billy Hayes, Christine Blower, Paul Kenny, Frances O'Grady Tuesdays Morning Star fringe was again packed to hear Derek Simpson, Bob Crow and Mark Serwotka get into a real political debate about the way forward for trade unions and the Labour Party. Good news for Morning Star readers as well - the paper will be moving to a 16 pager weekdays and a 20 pager at weekends, with full colour plus there will be a re-vamped website. Once again delegates turned out for the Remploy fringe meeting chaired by myself. Other Unite sponsored fringe meetings were well attended including the event to discuss developments in Bolivia, which Unite and the Graphical Sector are playing a big role, Justice for Columbia and support for the imprisoned Miami Five. This year saw the ending of a number of Congress "fixtures and fittings". The traditional cricket match between the press and the General Council has now ended. Having played in a few (very badly too) I am not surprised. The TUC has lost many of its better players - John Edmunds, John Monks, John Sheldon, Bill Morris and the journo'\s just got younger with fresh from university reporters hurling the ball at you at 90 mph! The traditional end of Congress knock-about "vote of thanks" from the press is going as industrial coverage is cut back by newspapers for who second rate celebs, Big Brother and increasing profits are now paramount - and this was also Tony Dubbins' last Congress. More tributes to Tony at some point later, (he has the Labour Party Conference in two weeks time to go as yet) but I know many delegates told me they will miss him. Tony's presence at the TUC has been massive. He is currently the longest serving GC member and has been a friend and confident of John Monks and Brendan Barber TUC General Secretaries. As was commented on Monday at the LCDTU meeting, it was Tony who traditionally moved the first big set peice motion at the Congress on employment rights, with the President announcing "I will now take Composite One, Employment Rights to be moved by Tony Dubbins of the GPMU." Game on!

More job losses in newspaper printing sites - and more stuff.

Tony Burke — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:26:00 GMT

The news today that the owners of the Liverpool Post and Echo - Trinity Mirror - are proposing to close the Liverpool site with the loss of 100 jobs is yet another body blow to the printing industry. In the last few weeks we have seen growing job losses in the newspaper industry as consolidation in the sector continues. There have been closures of print sites and the switch of advert production to India and South Asia. More publishers are looking to print titles in one regional site and we will see the impact of NI's plant in Broxbourne in the near future as they ramp up production and try to capture the production of more daily and regional titles. The news is a shock to Unite members and their families and discussions have commenced with our chapel members. Next week at the TUC I hope to highlight the changes that are taking place in the production of newspapers and the impact this is having not only on our members but the very real fears we have about the rise of the super-plants and the impact this will have on the diversity of the press and the printed media in the UK and Ireland. Another major concern to Unite in the print industry is the question of training. Print Week have given space to Unite's response to the ridiculous proposals of the Federation of Small Business's that workers in SME's should not have the right to call in a union rep when discussing training needs in order to cut "red tape". The FSB don't speak for the printing industry but Unite has lots of members working in small business's with whom we have a good relationship. it was good to see that an employer who employs just 16 staff comfirming that the FSE's proposals were unacceptable and stating that members had a right to bring in a union rep on this issue. Maybe we will get some progress on the whole issue of Learning, Skills and Training in the printing industry after all...