Motions AGM 2012
MOTION 1 - THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE
This AGM recognises that the UK Government's strategy for dealing
with the deficit is not working.
At the same time as attacks on public services have led to a
loss of jobs and services; to a pay freeze and to poorer pensions
on retirement, this economy has slid further into recession with
negligible growth and increased borrowing.
This, despite warnings from trade unions, amongst others, that
cutting jobs and services and throwing more and more people out
of work, will only make matters worse.
We warned that our economy depends on a healthy public sector
and the private sector depends on public sector contracts. The
impact of public sector cuts on the private sector is now clear
for all to see.
This AGM further notes that the warning from the Institute for
Fiscal Studies that these cuts will hit the poor far more than
the rich and will increase inequality in the UK has also come
to pass with more and more children being pushed into poverty.The
planned benefits cuts will only make matters worse, especially
for children and disabled people.
This AGM reiterates its belief that there are better ways to
deal with the financial crisis - ways which will ensure that the
rich and the banks all play their part in the recovery.
This government has still not taken steps to deal with tax avoidance
amongst the very wealthy. In fact we hear of complicity between
HMRC and rich CEOs to avoid big business paying their taxes. Furthermore,
the government has opposed EU plans for a financial transaction
tax on banks. Clearly they are still happy to protect the banking
sector whilst ordinary working people and the most vulnerable
in our society take the hit.
This AGM welcomes UNISON's campaigning against the cuts at branch,
Scottish and UK level under the Million Voices and Public Works
banners. It acknowledges however that we are still not getting
the message across to many of our members that there is an alternative;
that these austerity measures are not the right way to manage
the economic crisis.
This AGM calls on the branch to:
1. continue the work it has been doing to get the key messages
out to members and the public that the cuts are unfair and will
damage the economy;
2. find ways to promote the alternatives to this government's
failed economic strategy, including fair taxation which ensures
the wealthy and the banks pay their share; investing in growth;
and a living wage.
3. build alliances locally with other UNISON branches, trade unions
and community groups to oppose the cuts.
4. lobby politicians about the impact of the cuts and for their
support to oppose cuts to welfare benefits and public services.
5. call on UNISON to continue its high profile campaign against
public service cuts through a motion to UNISON's Delegate Conference.
Proposer: Kate Ramsden
Seconder: Morag Lawrence
top
MOTION 2 - END CHILD POVERTY
This AGM is deeply concerned that the UK has one of the highest
rates of child poverty in the industrialised world. It is a national
disgrace that the UK has proportionally more children in poverty
than most rich countries.
Almost 4 million of our children will grow up in poverty and
these numbers are rising. This government has missed its target
of cutting child poverty by half by 2010, because, like previous
governments, it has failed to prioritise children and does not
invest sufficiently in measures that would lift our children out
of poverty.
The 21 millionaires in the Cabinet do not understand the devastating
effect that living in poverty has on the lives of our children,
the effect on their life chances, their education and their health.
After a period where the numbers of children in poverty had begun
to reduce, the impact of rising joblessness is creating a new
crisis of child poverty in Britain. A recent study by the Institute
for Fiscal Studies shows that children living in absolute poverty
is set to increase by 500,000 by 2015.
This AGM is further concerned that the majority (59%) of poor
children live in a household where at least one adult works. Many
of these will be our low paid members.
In addition to the human cost to families and children of allowing
high levels of poverty to continue, research estimates that child
poverty costs £25 billion each year in costs to the Exchequer
and reduced GDP.
This AGM condemns the UK Government's austerity measures which
are further exacerbating child poverty at the same time as boardroom
pay is increasing and banks give out millions in bonuses. It deplores
Government policies which are leading to increased inequality
in the UK.
Cuts to public services and welfare provision impact disproportionately
on families with children, thrusting more and more into poverty.
Universal credit will make matters worse.
This AGM instructs the Branch to take a motion to National Delegate
Conference calling on the union to put tackling poverty back at
the heart of the political agenda and to:
1. Continue to make child poverty a key campaigning issue in
the fight against public service and welfare cuts, under the "million
voices" and Public Works banner.
2. Continue to monitor and highlight the impact of public service
cuts, benefit changes and job losses on children in the UK, as
part of the "million voices" and Public Works Campaign.
3. Monitor the UK Government's implementation of the Child Poverty
Act to ensure that their commitment to reduce child poverty is
put into practice.
4. Work through Labour Link to challenge the government to prioritise
children and to meet their commitment to end child poverty by
2020.
5. Continue to campaign for a living wage for all.
6. Continue to work with groups such as the Child Poverty Action
Group and the End Child Poverty Campaign to campaign for an end
to child poverty in the UK by 2020.
Proposer: Kate Ramsden
Seconder: Steve Gray
top
MOTION 3 - BUDGET CUTS IMPACT UPON SERVICES
AND COMMUNITIES IN ABERDEENSHIRE.
This Annual General Meeting of Aberdeenshire UNISON Branch is
concerned that the impacts of the service reductions and jobs
losses must not be borne by the more vulnerable people and communities
of Aberdeenshire.
This Annual General Meeting of Aberdeenshire UNISON Branch believes
that the Scottish and UK Governments should be investing in the
human and community resources of the North East of Scotland rather
than creating a two tier society of the haves and have nots in
order to please an economically and morally deficient financial
sector.
The 2012 Aberdeenshire UNISON Branch AGM is called upon to support
the following motion.
This Annual General Meeting of Aberdeenshire UNISON Branch instructs
the Branch Officers and Committee to call upon Aberdeenshire Council
to clearly identify as part of each Committee Revenue Budget Report
what the impacts of the proposed budget savings are in terms of:
1) The delivery of services to the people of Aberdeenshire especially
those required under the Single Outcome Agreement between the
Scottish Government and Aberdeenshire Council.
2) A list of the posts deleted by or not filled as part of the
budget saving process in each of the financial years being discussed
in the Budget Report.
3) The location of the services and posts being deleted by Aberdeenshire
Council
Proposer: Steve Gray
Seconder: Kate Ramsden
top
MOTION 4 - FUEL POVERTY
This AGM notes with deep concern the high level of Aberdeenshire
households living in fuel poverty. Numbers have risen over the
last 10 years and according to the latest figures 31% of households
are affected across Aberdeenshire and 33% across Scotland, the
highest figures in the UK.
AGM recognises that the soaring figures in fuel poverty have
a serious impact on our members, especially in the current economic
climate of rising living costs, pay freezes, cuts to benefits
and fuel costs set to rise again.
This AGM also notes that this is a major concern for our low
paid, disabled and retired members, who are already being put
at a greater risk of health related illnesses due to the lack
of sufficient heating in their homes. We welcome the current Scottish
Government pledge to try to eradicate fuel poverty in Scotland
by November 2016 by improving energy efficiency within homes,
but this initiative falls a long way short of the action needed
to see a serious reduction to families suffering with fuel poverty
and to further reduce the cost of heating our homes.
The AGM therefore calls on the Branch to:
1. Monitor Aberdeenshire Council's Fuel Poverty Strategy and
Action Plan
2. Lobby local politicians to press the government to take more
action to help reduce the cost of heating fuels and to review
their current plans.
3. To take a motion to Local Government Conference calling for
the Service Group Executive to:
- Monitor fuel poverty across Scotland.
- Press the Scottish Government to call for more regulation
on heating fuel pricing. o Review and challenge the future rise
in fuel costs due to the government's green energy plans.
- Press the government to take appropriate steps to access monies
collected by the treasury from VAT on fuel to help fund households
affected with fuel poverty.
Proposed: Susan Kennedy
Seconded: Kate Ramsden
top
EMERGENCY MOTION 1 - TERMS AND CONDITIONS
This AGM is appalled by the attack on the hard won Terms and
Conditions of Aberdeenshire Council staff. This at a time when
pay is frozen pensions are under attack and the cost of fuel and
living continues to rise. Staff are working harder to cover for
the cuts that have seen jobs removed and vacancies unfilled now
these same staff are facing a real term cut in the wages they
take home at the end of the month.
These cuts affect all staff but disproportionately affect those
that provide front line service 7 days per week, 365 days per
year. Essential services we all rely on, whether it is care or
keeping the roads clear. These staff will face up to 18% real
term cut in their wages over the next 4 years, a cut none of us
could contemplate.
This AGM calls on the Branch.
1. To campaign against the changes to Terms and Conditions to
deliver a resounding No to the Consultation and ballot.
2. To work with the National Organisation to highlight these attacks
and to work together as a National Union to protect our Terms
and Conditions. 3. To work in conjunction with other organisations
and Trade unions to build a national campaign to protect the hard
won Terms and Conditions of all workers.
4. To encourage the National Union to produce a guidance to support
branches facing Terms and Conditions changes.
Proposer: Inez Teece
Seconder: Susan Kennedy
top
EMERGENCY MOTION 2 - UNISON support to members
in the community, voluntary and private care sector
As councils set their 2012/13 budgets it has become clear that
this is likely to place additional strain on community services
resulting from the current budget setting process of local authorities.
This AGM considers that this will result in increasing difficulties
being faced by members working in community services. Reductions
in public sector spending stemming from budget cuts are also translating
into an increase in services contracted out to the voluntary and
private sector and constraints on funding to service providers.
In turn this climate is resulting in downward pressure on the
pay and conditions of our members working in these services.
This AGM further notes the pressure this places on UNISON to
meet the needs of our members working in these services and the
difficulties in providing support to stewards in this sector.
It therefore welcomes initiatives taken at all levels of the union
to address these problems including the full time secondment of
a steward by Cornerstone (for work within Cornerstone) and the
appointment of local development staff jointly by Aberdeenshire
and City Branches.
However it considers that the difficulties faced by this sector
will remain considerable for the foreseeable future and are at
risk of deteriorating. It therefore resolves:
A. Locally, in collaboration with other Branches, to:
1. Sustain and increase its level of support to members in this
sector by improving communications with members through, for example,
funding, newsletters and dedicating time of Branch Officers;
2. Sustain and increase its level of support to stewards in this
sector;
3. Support a network of stewards and activists in this sector
;
4. Allocate funding and resources to support stewards and activists
networks;
5. Establish an inter branch team dedicated to support stewards
and activists in this sector
B. Nationally to:
1. Support the development of further initiatives at Scottish
and National level to improve support to this sector by, for example,
increasing the resources available to Branches with a high level
of members in this sector.
2. Support the formulation of a common negotiating strategy on
pay and conditions in Scotland based on the Voluntary Sector Charter
and to lobby for this at all levels;
3. Lobby in support of the Voluntary Sector Charter on funding
levels to sustain quality care and decent pay and conditions for
members and to fight against the 'race to the bottom' in contracting.
4. Pursue B1, 2 and 3 through UNISON Scottish Council, Scottish
Community Service Group Executive and nationally through Annual
Conference and other appropriate bodies.
Proposer: Norman Smith
Seconder: Tony Brennan
top
|
