MINUTES GPTU meeting 6.30 14th May 2008

Apologies: N.Lynch, A. Wheatley, J.Healy, R.Phoenix, P.MacCafferty, S.Miles, E.Benjamin

1. Minutes of 30/4/2008
   1. Agreed for Accuracy
   2. Motion on Chinese arms shipment agreed, sent to London federation and Green Left
2. Campaign Against Climate Change Trade Union Group. Paul Cooney may be working with CaCCTU on fringe at Unison Bournemeouth Conference.
3. Finances: Documents sent to bank new cheque book and statement awaited.
4. All speakers have confirmed. Poster drafted Copies avialble from secretary (yrrumuk@yahoo.co.uk) and posted on Blog (http://gptublog.blogspot.com/) Phelim.Maccafferty has agreed to act as floor manager.
5. GPRC:
   1. Andy Hewett presented GPTU report which was generally well received. He will give Secretary a mailing list of GPRC contacts to be sent leaflets. There were suggestions that GPTU should support repareal of anti-TU laws (it does) and the organisation of non-unionised workers (it does).
   2. Andy Hewett now acting GPRC rep
6. John Carver will be investigating the legal position re TU political levies and opting out.
7. GP Conference

   Noted that GP conference motion deadline was 5/6/2008. Members were called on to draft and/or suggest suitable topics. It was also noted that at last conference two GPTU supported motions were out of time because of low votes on prioratisation ballot, the importance of this was drawn to members´ attention.

   Possible motions

   1. revive min/max wage motion

      "British people work some of the longest hours in Europe, with some 3.6 million people regularly working more than 48 hours a week, yet 7 out of 10 people working over 48 hours per week say they would like to work fewer hours. For many however this is impossible, as they simply cannot afford to do so. Overwork is forcing workers into unhealthy lifestyles as they attempt to reconcile long working hours and family responsibilities, according to a report from the charity Working Families. Half of the parents surveyed with unhappy with their work and family balance. A majority reported that work dominated their lives, and family life suffered as a result. Working long hours also led to increased levels of stress, resulting in irritability, exhaustion and depression. At the same time, the gap between the most prosperous and the poorest in society has not been as great since the nineteen thirties.

      • In 2006, around 4 million adult employees were paid less than £6.50 per hour.
      • Two-thirds were women. 3.8 million children in Britain live in poverty. Since 1980 the poorest quintile of the population has experienced no growth in real earnings.
      • Nearly twice as many people have relatively low incomes as 25 years ago.
      • The average total earnings of FTSE 100 chief executives have doubled over the last five years to a new record of £3.2 million.
      • The top three per cent of the population own three times as much as the whole of the bottom half of the population.
      Therefore, the Green Party will campaign:
      1. for the immediate ending of the British opt-out of the European Working Time Directive;
      2. for the National Minimum Wage level to be increased to come in line with the Council of Europe Decency Threshold, which is set at 60% of net national average earnings (this would currently mean a minimum wage of £8.17 per hour);
      3. For maximum income limit of 10 times the National Minimum Wage, through the establishment of a 100% rate of income tax on taxable personal income above that level."

    

   2. Population/migation (Possible draft motion, suggestions for amendment needed)

      "Any population policy is only acceptable if it

      1. rejects the notion of setting a target population for the UK
      2. calls on gov't to build and adapt ecologically friendly housing stock to be provided affordably on a basis of social need
      3. . calls for immediate international negotiations on world population size, distribution and migration, in view of the fact that a climate change refugee problem is already starting, adding to the push and pull factors caused by gross international inequality.
      4. Adopts the European Green Party : Paper "Europe is a continent of migration""
   3. GPTU agreed to support the motion drafted by Jean Lambert on TU environmental reps and called on members to send their signatures individually to jeanlambert@greenmeps.org.uk. (full text available from JL).
   4. Changes in tax rates; We need more info on the precise impact these are likely to have with a view to drafting a motion.or a statement from GP and/or GPTU
8. The following statement was agreed

   "We support the recent strike action by NUT, UCU and PCS and note that it is absurd to claim that the workers involved were overpaid. We support their struggles for decent pay rates and against the casualistion of their work."

9. Tolpuddle; Will we ever get there?
10. Campaign for Press and Braodcasting Freedom; Sue Tibbles to forward details of AGM.
11. Cultural events;possibility of oragnising an event to coincide witth GP conference and/or visit to Wm Morris'acute; house (Hammersmith)
12. Next meetings Weds 18th June &pm & Wed 2 July 6.30pm both 1st floor national theatre.