Feb 2010
Branch agrees to nominate Dave
Prentis for General Secretary
 The
Branch Committee of 4th Feb has agreed to nominate Dave Prentis
for General Secretary of the union.
Kate Ramsden, Branch Chair said, "The branch is backing
Dave because we have been impressed with his record to date of
defending public services and public sector jobs and pensions;
and challenging politicians to value and invest in public services.
UNISON has been a strong and effective union under Dave's leadership,
and we want that to continue. We need stability and strong leadership
in the fight ahead, to defend public sector funding from cuts
and to counter attacks from media and the right"
And we are in good company. Dave
was also nominated by Scottish Council, the meeting of all
Scottish UNISON branches, which was held on 6th Feb 2010.
Dave has been General Secretary of UNISON for nine years and
has helped build it into the strong, effective force it is today.
The branch nominated Dave in 2005 when UNISON members re-elected
him into post with an overwhelming 77% of the vote. Today he is
asking for members' support again, as he faces a potential third
term in office.
Other candidates seeking nomination include Kirklees Branch Secretary
Paul Holmes, Knowsley’s Roger Bannister and Manchester Metropolitan
University’s Delroy Creary. See
more details on the UK UNISON site.
The election is being held following a decision by UNISON's national
executive council on 20th Jan 2010.
The meeting voted to set the process in motion for a five-month
election period, which will see nominations take place from 4
February to 1 April, with a ballot starting on 17 May and ending
on 11 June, ahead of the union's national delegate conference
later that month.
The result of the election will be announced on 22 June.
Dave Prentis was entitled to remain in office until May 2013,
under trade union legislation, the union's rules and the contract
of employment entered into at his last re-election in 2005.
However, he made it clear that he wished to submit himself for
re-election this year, because "I have always believed that the
democracy of our union is paramount" and because a new democratic
mandate for the general secretary in "the difficult times we are
now entering into" would help build "a strong united union capable
of defending the interests of our members", which is needed now,
more than ever.
In a letter to president Gerry Gallagher indicating his wish
to seek re-election, Mr Prentis added that an early ballot would
mean "we could then coalesce around an agenda on the issue which
are so important to our members – fighting any cuts and defending
our members".
The NEC agreed and adopted a timetable that will allow the election
of a general secretary with a new mandate to meet the challenges
of whichever new government is elected in the general election
and take forward the policies decided at June's national delegate
conference
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