INTRODUCTION
We understand that any change is always initially resisted.
It’s natural to be more comfortable with the familiar rather than the unknown.
However change is our constant companion and those who don’t recognise this
reality will be left behind. That’s the motivation behind this manifesto.
However you analyse the facts the trade union movement has
been in decline for the last three decades. Whatever political beliefs you hold
it can’t be denied that under the last Labour administrations millions of jobs
were created and the best we could do was stem the rate of decline in organised
memberships. Yes, thankfully, there have been success stories along the way but
the overall picture is a negative one. Now once again working people are under
severe and sustained attack on all fronts; terms and conditions, pensions, NHS,
higher and Further education, housing and transport costs, increasing energy
bills, hospital and library closures, out-sourcing and the miserable list goes
on. We are in the midst of the worst times that most of us have ever
experienced and yet we seem unable to take advantage of people’s anger and
build effective opposition based on organising broad based fight backs in the
workplace or the community.
This manifesto is addressed primarily to the members of the
GMB but we hope that some of the ideas outlined here will have some resonance
elsewhere and hopefully stimulate debate and further and better ideas.
It is not our purpose to personalise these issues. Our view
is that whatever criticisms one may have of any individual we are determined to
concentrate on the collective. Pursuing individual agendas, for whatever
reason, makes not an iota of difference to the lot of working people. These
matters are too important to be muddied by ego and individual agendas and
therefore we centre this manifesto on the need to develop ideas and structures
that have the capacity to meet the needs and aspirations of working people in
the 21st century including those outside organised labour.
If we fail to project a vision outside of our diminishing
strongholds we will become ineffectual bystanders, heckling from the side lines
while others struggle to take on the corporate and financial elite that are
squeezing out all those gains that past generations of trade unionists
struggled to win in the pursuit of a better, more enlightened, more fulfilling
existence, lived in a socially and economically just society.
That simply is the purpose of this manifesto – how better to
secure these goals. We know that unanimity is always elusive, but that is not
the goal. There are many of us with differing political views and loyalties but
to do what we do, we by definition, share the same objectives and we trust that
many of you, will contribute to this process as sisters and brothers looking to
build our movement and make it stronger at a time when our strength has never
been more in need.
It is in this spirit that we welcome discussion and debate.
Where Power Resides
Trade Unions can either reflect the values of the society
they function in or they can challenge them.
If we wish to challenge them we have to examine ourselves to
ensure that our structures are fit for purpose.
The GMB operates a bureaucratic centralist regime that
concentrates power in the offices of the Regional Secretaries.
At present regional Secretaries are appointed by Regional
Committees and once in office they are there for life.
Regional Secretaries are given ascendancy over branches by
dint of the rule that they are able to close and open branches. This rule can
and has been used to effectively allow only those who support the status quo to
progress through the union’s structures i.e. Branch, Regional Council, Regional
Committee as well as election to attend Congress.
The distortions created by this bureaucratic
dictatorial approach fundamentally undermines
the relevance of the branch.
The power that unelected Regional Secretaries have over the
active membership of the union is unhealthy and is a recipe for an officially
sanctioned autocracy.
Criticism of the present power structure is not necessarily
a criticism of the individuals who occupy these positions. However the manner
in which people conduct themselves in these powerful offices is often too
reliant on individual character and personality which often proves to be too
much of a challenge especially as there is no democratic accountability to the
general membership through the ballot box.
Conversely the Branches which are meant to be the bastion of
membership power are in essence in the gift of the Regional secretary. Branches
are meant to be the focus of local activism and the forum for workplace leaders
to influence the direction of the Union.
Some Branches have sought ways and means of making their
meetings and activities more meaningful and relevant to the daily experience
and lives of the general membership however “Branch life” for want of a better
phrase in many cases is essentially dead.
The question we have to pose therefore is are our present
structures and practises informed and controlled by the membership or by the
senior full time officers employed by the membership?
The old chestnut of membership apathy has to be challenged
and put to bed. Apathy is essentially a result of powerlessness and is
graphically illustrated by the society we live in when all our institutions ,
including the Labour Party, are considered by many citizens to be detached from
everyday experience because of their lack of responsiveness to people’s real
concerns. Union members can at least correct that imbalance by demanding that
our organisation should lead by example.
So how to address this issue? This manifesto is centred on
giving power back to the members because through power comes the ability to
make effective decisions, hold office holders to account and to bring necessary
changes. If that objective is achieved members will see a purpose in active
membership.
Corporate Britain and the Financial Institutions are
supposedly “governed by” Chief Executives who report to a Board who in turn are
“answerable” to the shareholders. This is a form of theoretical democracy that
doesn’t work in practise. If we are honest our own structure is not that
dissimilar. This manifesto is rooted in the belief that the real strength of
trade unionism is the collective, creative intelligence of working people,
combining together to gain economic and social justice and build power that can
effectively challenge those who govern our lives, not only in our workplaces
but also in our communities.
We should be a bottom up organisation not a top down
institution. Most trade unionists would agree with that objective – but how to
achieve it?
Branch Reorientation
This manifesto suggests that all Branches get automatically
15% of the Branch's overall income every three months in advance and this
manifesto proposes that all Branches should draw up 5 year organising plans for
their localities. Branches could choose to cooperate in drawing up these plans
which would be required to address the following:
·
Identify all unorganised workplaces in their
locality.
·
Map all organisations/institutions where people
come together in their locality e.g. schools, Churches, Mosques and other
places of worship, colleges, sports clubs, social clubs, historical societies,
walking clubs, Tenants and Residents Associations, other union branches etc.
·
In short produce a comprehensive picture of the
social and economic fabric of the community.
·
Engage with these organisations to assess
whether they would be prepared to work with others to achieve common goals
through a social action agenda to promote action on community concerns.
·
Assess the potential for workplace membership
increase in every location.
·
Consult with the Branch membership to gauge the
support for the organising plan via a general meeting, text and email.
·
To achieve approval for the plan the Branch must
obtain evidence of positive support from the membership.
·
The plan should then be submitted to the CEC for
registration.
·
Once the plan is registered the CEC would
release a further 10% of the Branch's income (making in total 25%) going back
to the Branch in six monthly instalments of the further 10% in advance to be
forwarded to the Branch for the purposes of funding the organising plan
including the appointment of a full time Branch Organiser if so desired.
·
Introducing the position of Branch Treasurer.
·
The Branch Treasurer and auditors would be
responsible for monitoring all expenditure and would be supported in this work
by the elected Regional Treasurer.
·
Any misuse of funds would result in immediate
investigation by the elected National
Treasurer. All payments would be suspended until completion of the
investigation. Any member involved in wrong doing would be deprived of
membership. In the event of any financial loss not being made good criminal
prosecution would be statutory.
·
Anyone guilty of making false charges of
misappropriation of union funds will be subject
to the union's disciplinary procedures that could lead to dismissal or being
expelled from the union.
·
If the Branch membership wishes to engage a full
time Branch Organiser they could appoint only by competitive interview by the
Branch Committee and once a Branch Organiser is appointed by the Branch
Committee he or she must face an election of the Branch's membership within the
first year of the appointment.
·
The Branch Organiser's post will be up for
re-election every two years at the Branch's AGM.
·
No member of the Branch Committee would be
eligible for the post of Branch Organiser unless they resigned before applying
for interview or standing in the election.
·
Any member of the Branch will be eligible for
standing in the election of Branch Organiser as long as the Branch Committee
believes they are suitably qualified and capable of efficiently carrying out
the duties of the office.
·
The Branch would have to demonstrate its direct
contact with and attempts to build relationships with every organisation
identified in the mapping exercise bar those who do not share our values. A
major objective of the organising plan would be to establish working
relationships with as many of these organisations as possible.
·
The plan should include an objective to publish
a Community Action Plan at the end of the first year. This plan should include
at least two issues but no more than four identified by the community
organisations as important to them.
·
The prime objective of the organising plan has
to be to build power within the community so that instead of being the passive
recipients of decisions they become proactive in setting the agenda.
·
The Branch should plan to become a focus of
change as well as building profile and credibility within their community.
·
The community organising plan should shadow and
complement the workplace organising plan.
·
The Branch would have to review the plan every
six months and send the review to the CEC who would be responsible for ensuring
that the Branch keeps to the plan.
Labour Party
The lack of active involvement of trade unionists in the
Labour Party has been a concern for decades. This manifesto believes that the
membership disinterest toward the Labour Party has the same roots as the
disengagement of the general membership in their union, namely they have no
power locally and therefore no influence. Generally speaking Branches are only
seen to be important at candidate selection time and in the run up to elections.
Branches who wished to re-engage their membership with the
Labour Party would first have to establish and register their organising plan.
On application they would receive 50% of their political fund, 25% in advance and 25% in
arrears.
What this means is the Branch would receive a political fund
on top of the 25% of the Branch's income.
In the Branch's political fund would be 50% of the Branch's
political levy payers, the Branch would receive 25% in advance and 25% in
arrears.
The Branch would elect a lay member as Political Officer to
oversee all political activity.
The fund could only be used to finance Labour Party members
and candidates who identify with and share our values and political agenda.
Branches could decide to finance local campaigning so long
as it was in line with union policy.
Branches in receipt of the political fund would have to
identify an achievable Party membership increase and membership activity with a
view to full engagement with local Party activity and campaigning.
Branch Secretaries and Chairs in each Region would be at
liberty to meet and collaborate on both organising plans and political
campaigns.
Membership responsibility and office holder’s
accountability
To make the union a bottom up organisation and not a top
down institution requires some fundamental changes to the present structure:
·
Regional Secretaries would be subject to a
direct ballot of the Regional membership every 4 years and candidates will need
to be nominated by 12 Branches within the same region.
·
Introducing the position of Regional Treasurer,
the Regional Treasurer will be subject to a direct ballot of the Regional
membership every 4 years and candidates will need to be nominated by 10
Branches within the same region.
·
Regional Organisers can be appointed only by
competitive interview by the Regional Committee and once he or she has been
appointed they must face an election of the regional membership within their
second year of appointment, there will be the right of recall.
·
Regional Committee Members would be subject to a
direct ballot of the Regional membership every 4 years and candidates will need
to be nominated by 3 Branches within the same region.
·
Regional Council Members would be subject to a
direct ballot of the Regional membership every 4 years and candidates will only
need to be nominated by the Branch they are a member of.
·
Branches being able to elect one delegate
directly to Congress for every 1000 members they have.
·
Branches of any size being able to send at least
two motions directly to Congress.
·
Reintroducing the position of Deputy General
Secretary, the Deputy General Secretary would be subject to a direct ballot of
the entire membership every 4 years and candidates will need to be nominated by
25 Branches.
·
Splitting the positions of General Secretary and
National Treasurer, the National Treasurer would be subject to a direct ballot
of the entire membership every 4 years and candidates will need to be nominated
by 25 Branches.
·
The General Secretary would be subject to a direct
ballot of the entire membership every 4 years and candidates will need to be
nominated by 30 Branches.
·
National Organisers can be appointed only by
competitive interview by the CEC and once he or she has been appointed they
must face an election of the entire membership within their second year of
appointment, there will be the right of recall.
·
CEC Members would be subject to a direct ballot
of the entire membership every 4 years and candidates will need to be nominated
by 5 Branches.
·
There will be a right of recall on all elected
positions.
·
The Union’s decision making Congress would be
held every year.
In order to maintain the ascendancy of the membership a 4
year cycle of elections would be held with the CEC being elected in the first
year, the Deputy General Secretary and National Treasurer in the second, the
General Secretary in the third, Regional Treasurers, Regional Secretaries,
Regional Council Members and the Regional Committee Members in the fourth.
The purpose of this proposed structure would be to make sure
there is accountability to the membership.
The Congress would remain as the Union’s prime decision
making body but would become much more vibrant with this and other changes.
The difference would be felt in that the direct democratic
elections for all posts and the 4 year terms and the right of recall of all
posts would ensure accountability.
Our Values
• Regular elections and right to recall of all full time
officials, who should be paid no more than the average wage of a skilled
worker.
• Lay members control over all negotiations and industrial
action through mass meetings and elected strike committees.
• Striking workers to be given strike pay.
• For militant action, strikes and occupations, to stop all
cuts against working class people.
• We support the calls for a General Strike.
• Ending the anti-union laws.
• For the rights of all women, black, lesbian, gay,
disabled, migrant and undocumented workers to caucus in the trade unions and
voice their own demands, against any discrimination at work.
• Workplace democracy.
• Full employment rights for everyone from day one of employment.
• Employment for all.
• For social and economic reasons, we believe that all
transport systems and industries, on- land, sea, rail, inland waterways and
air, should be in public ownership, managed in a fully accountable way.
• The right to free Education.
• Bring all energy companies into public ownership.
• Britain needs a long term integrated energy policy based
on a deep mine coal (clean coal only) industry which is publicly owned and
controlled but at the same time our country needs to develop all forms of
renewable energy such as wind, wave, tide, geothermal and solar power.
• We support a greener Britain.
• We are committed to a National Health Service available to
all at the time of need, on demand and free of all charges, including prescriptions,
dental care and eye care.
• We believe that there is a fundamental right to housing.
• We want a full programme of council housing, homes built
and renovated, employing building workers hired directly, using the capital
receipts at present still held by local authorities from the sale of council
housing. Such a programme would provide not only homes but jobs for the
multitude of building workers currently unemployed.
• We wants a complete overhaul of Britain's justice system,
we will fight for proper legal representation, a fair hearing and a fair
opportunity to put your case, these rights should be available to all, not just
a privileged few.
• We want the introduction of a national living wage of at
least £10 per hour.
• Abolishing 0 hours
contracts.
• Proper terms and conditions.
• Right to a decent pension.
• To bring the banks and the whole of the so-called
Financial Industry into public ownership and under pubic control.
• We are committed to abolishing capitalism and replacing it
with a Socialist system.
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