Report via the prolific report writing fellow NEC member John Jones as I was unable to attend this meeting.
'This was the first NEC meeting I’ve “attended” via go to meetings video conference but to be fair it worked ok.
27 lay and staff members were on the meeting which is a decent attendance.
We held as best we could, a minute’s silence for the recently deceased Northern Ireland Convener and all members and/or their families who have sadly died as a result of Covid/other means since we last met.
Roger McKenzie, Assistant General Secretary advised that neither zoom or skype were permitted for online UNISON meetings as they’re both insecure.
When zoom was trialled, p**n/racist images appeared and the union’s finances were put in jeopardy.
I queried if the full NEC scheduled for the 3rd June would take place via go to and it will so should be interesting with 70 or 80 people jockeying for position to speak!
Online Branch Committees are allowed with original guidance sent out now updated to include Regional Officers having to be in attendance if expenditure is likely to be incurred but best practice is an invite anyway.
If Retired Members return to work (usually in health at present) they revert to full subs from day 1.
The “4 week rule” is to be ignored if members join with covid related issues.
The £570 death benefit amount is to be paid for all who are casualties as a result of the pandemic.
Honoraria amounts over the 10% threshold not agreed by AGMs must be referred to the appropriate region.
UNISON subs remain for those members furloughed at the current rate.
3 NEC by-elections are cancelled as the new NEC will be elected early in 2021.
I queried why an email had been sent out the previous day extending the SGE elections by a further 6 weeks as in my opinion this was the remit of D&O.
The (unsatisfactory in my view) answer was that the decision was made by the President/General Secretary but nobody else seemed unduly bothered by this. I of course would have supported the action but believe it’s the role of D&O to do so.
Candidates will be informed ASAP of the need for an election or not but this needs to be physically done not remotely.
The Chair of D&O said the TUC was off but I’ve subsequently looked at their website and it isn’t!
A fellow Committee member queried the timetable for the General Secretary’s election as well as Conferences but again a “non” answer was given in my view.
This will no doubt be addressed properly at the full NEC. '
John Jones, NEC member, Water, Environment and Transport Service Group.
