Report of UNISON National Executive Council 16th October 2024

The President Steve North welcomed everyone to the meeting.

A delegate reminded officers of the standing orders for NEC meetings, developed by the NEC, as several papers were late for the meeting, including a detailed report issued the night before the meeting and another paper issued the night before which would later prove to incomplete.

The President commented that an investigation was underway on complaints submitted mainly by Police, Probation and CAFCASS (PP&C, formerly Police & Justice) members following Conference. Interviews were taking place and it would be inappropriate to comment at the current time. Findings would be brought to the NEC meeting in December. The President commented on his good experience chairing the PP&C conference in Llandudno the previous week.

The President presented a gift from the NEC (glassware) purchased by NEC members for former President Libby Nolan to mark her previous year in the role.

General Secretary report

• We have a new Labour government since the last NEC meeting, and the difference in access and consultation is stark
• We expect a big impact on our members from the SSSNB (School Support Staff Negotiating Body) and new sectoral pay arrangements for care workers
• As at 16th October, net membership growth across the union was 36,000 with 4,000 new activists. The general secretary thanked Unison staff for this achievement.
• The general secretary visited the West Bank to bring a solidarity message to the Palestinians. We discussed how we can keep the momentum generated by the Palestine rallies developing. Trade union support is key in this aim, and also in putting pressure on the Labour government.
• NEC members received a report on the general election results from an Assistant General Secretary. The NEC was told that where Unison campaigned, returned Labour MPs had a larger majority and the Labour Party was referring to this as ‘the Unison effect’
• NEC members received a report on the Employment Rights Bill. The Bill is 150 pages long, with 100 pages of explanatory notes and a ‘Next steps’ document
• UNISON fed into this legislation through the Labour Party’s National Policy Forum
• Most of the provisions will become effective in 2026
• It is Britain-wide and not applicable to Northern Ireland, which has its own framework already (which is not as restrictive as that in England, Wales and Scotland)
• There will be a Single Enforcement Body so that employment tribunals are not clogged up with workers trying to enforce their new rights
• There are improvements to facility time
• There is a new recognised role of equality rep

Questions to the General Secretary report

• If zero hours contracts need to be agreed with the employer, they can still be exploitative. Unison needs to be vigilant; we are in favour of flexible hours, not zero hours contracts.
• Concern that we may see our priorities watered down through the consultation process.
• The vice-chair of the National Labour Link Forum said he we need to hold Labour’s feet to the fire on local government funding.
• A delegate from Birmingham expressed shock at the cuts planned there. The budget was vital: our members need to have hope. What had happened to the local government demonstration NDC passed, which was to be held before the end of the year.
• The general secretary raises local government funding at every opportunity she gets, including with the Chancellor who she has seen.
• A delegate raised the need for Unison to work to change the narrative on immigration with the Labour party e.g. promoting safe routes, so it did not fall into the trap of reinforcing Reform and right-wing messaging.
• One delegate praised the role of the police in combatting racism and the far right in Stockport this summer. Their daughter had left the NHS due to misogyny, so misogyny was not just a police issue.
• Collective employment rights are as important as individual rights, but the former are not nearly sufficient in the ER Bill.
• One delegate raised that there was still a lot to play for in the ER Bill, with opportunities to strengthen collective and individual rights, and to tighten up timescales for implementation. They asked that the NEC’s Policy Committee would have oversight of the detail of UNISON’s consultation response and be involved in its development and sign off, given the importance of the consultation phase in improving the bill and need for lay input. This assurance was given by the general secretary.
• A delegate from the North West called for mobilisation of branches and members on October 26th on the anti-fascist demonstration called. It was important not to allow a far-right street movement to develop alongside Farage/Reform. By turning out in large numbers we can demoralise and defeat the fascists. UNISON has to do more to get members involved in these mass campaigns.

Presidential Team report

• President, Steve North, sent solidarity messages to our members taking industrial action.
• The President’s Charity for 2024/25 will be the Salford Women’s Centre, and branches were encouraged to donate. Also in Salford, the President raised the issue of Salford Council being the first to sign the Migrant Workers Charter, a real success for UNISON.
• The NEC discussed the anti-fascist rally on 26th October in London. It will be the trade union movement that can be a bulwark against this rise in Right Wing activity. Over a decade of austerity has helped to create the conditions for these views to grow, and trade unions need to be leading activity to educate our members.
• The ongoing crisis in funding for Local Government is a real threat to our members and UNISON needs to prepare for campaigns to protect these vital services.
• We discussed Wiltshire Community NHS services being privatised, with the Labour Government not intervening to prevent this.
• The NEC agreed to award honorary Unison membership to the parents of Zane Gbangbola for their work on the Truth About Zane campaign.

Organising to Win

• The NEC received a detailed report on the Organising to Win work underway, which included the 36,000 net membership growth and 4,000 reps figures cited previously.
• 100 new BSOF organisers work alongside these new reps to help us sustain growth.
• This success is rooted in the industrial action over the last 12 months, with Unison winning over £100 million in wages for our members.
• One delegate from Greater London stated that our policies on pay and Palestine have attracted new members to our union. The mark of a trade union will be how we organise these new members.

Service Group update

• Pay campaigns in the NHS and Local Government were discussed. The Anti-Trade Union laws are cutting across our ability to reach the 50% threshold in larger disputes.
• The Health SGE recommended that members accept the 5.5% award from the Government and focus on next year’s pay campaign. There was a 30% turnout with 76% accepting the recommendation.  The RCN took a different approach by not recommending acceptance and received a larger turnout rejecting the offer.
• We await the results from the Local Government pay ballot.
• One delegate raised that the impact of local government cuts will affect the Labour government’s whole agenda e.g. housing targets won’t be met if councils cannot plan effectively, etc.

Industrial Action report

• The report was received and discussed. We need to look at ways of supporting the vital Industrial Action fund. Industrial action is an important way to recruit, and it also adds vitality by creating new activists and bringing them into the labour movement.

Finance report

• The management accounts for the first 8 months (January to August) were received, discussed and approved.
• Working groups of the finance committee are looking at the union’s income and expenditure, financial governance issues within branches, and considering how we should resource our work. These working groups will report to the Finance Committee and the NEC in due course.

Other discussions and decisions

• The election rules to be used for NEC elections in 2025 were agreed. A delegate from the South West asked that branches be given a snapshot of their membership in service groups at the new point in the timetable this eligibility to nominate is to be confirmed.
• A vote was held to agree that NEC Local Government and Health Male seats would be converted to General seats, in line with the Conference decision on NEC Regional seats becoming General seats. It was explained that it is custom and practice for service group seat proportionality to follow regional proportionality (only the latter of which is prescribed in the Rulebook). 34 were in favour, 8 against, with 3 abstentions.
• The NEC agreed to service group by-elections for 40 unfilled seats, in line with the Rulebook requirement. The timetable for by-elections had not been circulated with the paperwork which caused some concern, but the vote was carried.