Minutes GPTU 4/7/07

1. Apologies: Paul Frost, Alan Wheatley, Joseph Healy, Neil Walsh

    

2. Minutes of previous meeting (accuracy and matters arising)

    

   1. Agreed that there be no further discussion of Old GPTU bank account.
   2. Banner quote still needed (action: Joseph Healy )
   3. Further info needed re Northern meeting (action:P.Murry)
   4. Wm Morris museum visit; explanatory speakers might be useful on future visits.
   5. New leaflet available from P.Murry.
   6. Sue Tibbles elected to Green Left committee as TU liaison officer.
   7. Believed that Joseph Healy has facilitated donation from Unite to Papers for All campaign.
   8. Further info needed re Ecosocialist gathering in Paris.
   9. Further info needed re TU groups in other GP´s.

       

3. Funds believed to stand at £70.
   1. P.Murry to liaise with Neil Walsh re payment of expenses (at least £65) to Sue Tibbles re Unison Conference meeting. (£60 hall hire £11.69 refreshments).
   2. Sue Tibbles to investigate possibility of fundraising stall in Oxford over summer.
   3. Other fundraising ideas urgently needed.

       

4. Unison Conference meeting; Successful, reasonable attendance but could have been improved, perhaps such meetings needed more leafleting outside the event by persons not in the Union concerned. Sue Tibbles was thanked for organising the meeting which was the first time GPTU had organised an event in association with a Union conference. Sue will be putting a more detailed report on the GPTU blog at http://gptublog.blogspot.com/.

    

5. Patio Heaters; the meeting endorsed P.Murry´s email re no tipping action proposed in Patio Heater leaflet. There are some indications that the leaflet is being withdrawn but it is by no means clear that this is happening.

    

6. Further info needed re Remploy march planned to TUC conference in September.

    

7. CWU dispute at least one local statement of support (Southwark GP) issued but no national one? There could still be a national statement at an appropriate time (P.Murry to liaise with Derek Wall).

    

8. The meeting agreed to supoort the following motion and sent messages of support as indicated in Peter Cranie´s email.

    

   "The Green party trade Union Group notes:

   1. the suspension of Karen Reissmann, branch chair and member of UNISON´s national health executive, by Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust management on Friday 15th June.
   2. That the 3 charges against her all relate directly to her role as a union official, i.e. "she is accused of having engaged in activities from August 2006 until now which have seriously affected the reputation of the trust, behaved in a manner which has undermined confidence in her as an employee, and suspicion of misusing time during her employment as a CPN" .
   3. Manchester´s mental health trust is officially in turnaround and is expected to save over £3million this year which can only be done by savage cuts in service.
   4. That Karen´s branch has been at the forefront of fighting cuts and out-sourcing over the last year, including 2 days strike, and would oppose any further cuts.

       

   We believe this attack is an attempt to stop Karen and any other Trust employee from speaking out and opposing cuts, privatisation and marketisation in the NHS. We completely condemn the trust for this attack on an elected branch and national officer and demand her immediate reinstatement.

   We believe we need to organise the full weight of the trade union movement to stop this attack and therefore agree to:

   1. Send a protest to the Chief executive, Sheila Foley on " Sheila.foley@mhsc.nhs.uk" or fax to 0161 882 1033 with a copy to the branch at union office, Chorlton House, Manchester Rd , Chorlton M21 2UN or "unison@zen.co.uk".
   2. Send a message of support to the branch which has agreed to ballot its mental health members for indefinite strike action.
   3. Circulate the branch petition demanding Karen´s reinstatement."

       

9. London Met Uni dispute GPTU needs updating GPTU members are urged to sign the petition circulated by Steve Dawe.

    

10. GP conference:
    1. Motions; not clear if GPTU supported motions accepted yet (draft timetable published on members´ website).
    2. Fringe: agreed to book fringe on "Can greens have a meaningful relationship with Trades Unions?"
    3. Stall booked by P.Murry on phone, need to confirm.

        

11. Tolpuddle issue appeal to any GPTU members to take GPTU leaflets.

     

12. Rise Festival Finsbury Park leafleters needed to work with GP stall contact mdouglas@gn.apc.org

     

13. Further info needed re Burston Festival

     

14. Black History Month October there will be TUC involvement, further info needed.

     

15. Prototype website accessible via GPTU blog at http://gptublog.blogspot.com/ . NB this is currently a version designed for the purposes of P.Murry´s college course, certain features (ie pictures of individuals and some out of date information) may appear on the prototype which will not be on the site when it goes on line.

     

16. Alan Wheatley invited to next GPTU meeting to discuss drafting motion on earning restrictions on disabled people.

     

17. Minimum Wage meeting, Elephant & Castle 10/7/2007, speakers include Mark Serwotka and Jenny Jones AM. Joseph Healy to send full details to GPTU list.

     

18. Whole Food Markets is setting up stores in UK (see Independent 3/6/2007) and is believed to have a no-union policy. Does Planet organic have a similar policy? Does USDAW know? Contact Martin Wicks.

     

19. Brighton GPTU: rep invited to next GPTU meeting, also invited to notify list and/or blog of its activities.

     

20. Next meetings 1st August QEH 6.30pm. 5th September QEH 7.00pm.