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| Reading Trades Union Council AGM Delegates, 13 December 2016 |
Following the relaunch of the Reading Trades Union Council in
February 2016, a successful year of events has been held related to trade union
struggles at Capita, the NHS and Reading Borough Council; historical commemorations
at Huntley & Palmers and on International Workers’ Day; and events concerning
the EU referendum, the Labour Party leadership and the murder of Labour MP, Jo
Cox. Fuller details of the RTUC’s activities in 2016 are appended below in the
form of the Annual Report presented by the Executive Committee to the AGM.
With a wind in the sails, the first RTUC AGM was held on 13 December
2016 at the Friends’ Meeting House, Reading. As well as being a great honour to
the RTUC, the fact that the organisation could attract the General Secretary of
the TSSA, Manuel Cortes, as its guest speaker illustrates the success of the
journey it has embarked upon thus far. Of those delegates who have been active
in earlier manifestations of the trades council in the 1970s, 1980s and 2010s,
none could remember a time when it attracted a general secretary of a national
trade union to address its annual general meeting.
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| Manuel Cortes, General Secretary of the TSSA, addresses the RTUC AGM |
The evening commenced with the address by Manuel Cortes. Despite
having meetings in Bristol and Swindon during the day, Manuel was pleased to
attend the event and fire the audience with his rousing enthusiasm and passion
for workers’ solidarity. Being the general secretary of a transport union, he
couldn’t but begin by discoursing on the recent industrial action by drivers (ASLEF)
and guards (RMT) at Southern Rail. Southern are seeking to remove
responsibility from guards for the opening and closing of train doors during
station stops and add this extra safety burden to train drivers’
responsibilities. As Southern is a rail management company – not a franchisee –
it loses no income by continually provoking strikes over safety in this
political campaign to weaken rail unions. Southern continue to receive their
management fee through taxpayer subsidy during times when rail fares are not being
collected. Despite this guaranteed income, rail fares are permitted to increase
by over two per cent in the new year. Manuel saluted the efforts of trades
council such as the RTUC in taking trade unionism into the community whilst
also supporting workers’ struggles. In answer to a cry of despondency about
lack of membership activism and an overreliance on workplace representatives,
Manuel acknowledged that building trade unionism in the workplace was a tough
job, but only through persistence and making the case amongst members and
non-members will more people join unions, become active and strengthen
bargaining power. After a tough year in Reading of local authority cuts and
several industrial disputes, Manuel’s words were heartening and help recharged
the batteries of those in attendance – ready to take the fight to 2017!
Following Manuel’s opener, Chris Reilly as Acting President of
RTUC presented the Executive Committee’s Annual Report to the AGM. This
commenced the formal business of the evening, with the most important task
being the election of officers and committee members for 2017. The nominations
and elections resulted in the following executive committee being created for
the coming year:
President:
Chris Reilly (RMT)
Vice-President:
Nada al-Sanjak (UCU)
Correspondence
and Communications Secretary: John Partington (TSSA): readingtradesunioncouncil@gmail.com
Organising
Secretary: James Parker (UNITE)
Assistant
Secretary: David McMullen (GMB)
Treasurer: Tom
Sutherland (UNITE)
Equality Officer:
Terrie Withers (UNISON)
Auditors: Keith
Jerrome (UNITE) & Billie Reynolds (UNISON)
Committee Members: Kevin Jackson (UNISON) & Nikki Dancey (GMB)
Chris thanked the new Officers and Executive members for standing
and accepting office and also thanked the outgoing postholders for their hard
work during 2016.
The AGM also debated affiliation costs and agreed to increase the
fees per member from 10p to 15p with a minimum cost of £5 union affiliation to
RTUC.
The following is the Annual Report of the RTUC as presented by the
President on behalf of the Executive Committee and accepted by the AGM.
Reading Trades Union Council
Annual Report, 13 December 2016
It is with pleasure that we present this Annual Report of the
Reading Trades Union Council – the first such report since the RTUC was re-launched
in February 2016.
Although the RTUC re-emerged at the beginning of the year, it is
worth noting that there is a heritage of trades councils in Reading stretching
back to 1874, with subsequent re-launches in 1891 and 2010. The seed for the
current RTUC was planted in November 2015 when a meeting of trade unionists
assembled to discuss a strategy for coordinating the local fight-back against
the government’s austerity programme. After further meetings in December and
January, it was decided that there was enough enthusiasm and anger among
attendees to hold a launch AGM in February this year to create an Executive
Committee and elect the RTUC’s post-holders. The following persons were duly
elected on 16 February (with changes to personnel shown parenthetically):
President: Jan Bastable, UNITE (until October 2016); Chris Reilly, RMT
(acting from October 2016)
Secretary: James Parker, UNITE
Treasurer: Dave Dymond, FBU (until October 2016); Tom Sutherland, UNITE
(from October 2016)
Vice-President: Chris Reilly, RMT
Young Members
Secretary: Tom Sutherland, UNITE
Equality Officers: Michele Spiller, UNISON & Arron Jones, UNISON
Communications
Officer: John Partington, TSSA
Committee
Members: Sarah Hacker, UNITE; Kevin Jackson,
UNISON; and Keith Jerrome, UNITE (until August 2016)
Due to her increasing commitments at regional level with UNITE and
the Labour Party, Jan Bastable stepped down as President in October with Chris
Reilly covering the post as sitting Vice President. Similarly, Dave Dymond
relinquished the Treasurer’s position with Tom Sutherland being elected in his
stead at the October General Meeting. And having been invaluable in the
start-up of the RTUC at the beginning of the year, Keith Jerrome stepped down
as a Committee Member in August to focus on his other local activities, though
remaining a UNITE delegate to the RTUC.
During the course of the year, the following trade unions have
affiliated to the RTUC: ASLEF, CWU, FBU, RMT, TSSA, UNISON, UNITE and UCU.
The RTUC revitalised its social media presence, creating a public
Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/ReadingTUC/),
with 182 ‘Likes’, and a Blog site (http://readingtradesunioncouncil.blogspot.co.uk/)
as well as a Closed Facebook Group with thirty members, accessible only by RTUC
delegates, to discuss forthcoming events, meetings and strategy. We also had a
quantity of t-shirts produced emblazoned with the words ‘Reading Trades Union
Council / *In Solidarity*’. These have been sported at a number of events in
Reading and elsewhere during the year.
From the start, the RTUC felt it important to recognise events of
the past whilst building for the future. Similarly, whilst maintaining an
independence from the local Labour Party, the RTUC recognised the longstanding
link between that party and the trade union movement, not to mention the
significance of operating in a town with a Labour-controlled Council. The
RTUC’s activities during the year thus reflected these realities.
The RTUC’s first event took place on 1 May in the Forbury Gardens.
Assembling around the monument to Reading’s volunteers in the Spanish Civil
War, we celebrated International Workers’ Day, with speeches by delegates, Keith
Jerrome and Ray Parkes, as wells as from a fraternal visitor from Spain’s
PODEMOS party. Nicky Jerrome, former Labour Councillor in Wokingham, completed
the event, leading the assembled comrades in a rendition of ‘The
Internationale’, the anthem of international socialism.
On 7 May the RTUC sent John Partington to Swindon where Swindon
Trades Council marked the ninetieth anniversary of the General Strike. After a
procession through the railway village, bearing banners and carrying a coffin
(as occurred in 1926, to represent the blacklegs who continued working during
the strike), the event culminated in speeches in the Central Community Centre
by local trade union activists and also Nigel Crossley, South West TUC Regional
Secretary.
On 18 May, as the referendum on Britain’s continued membership of
the European Union approached, the RTUC organised a ‘question time’ style
debate, with Chris Reilly in the chair and two pro-EU speakers (Jonathan Hayward, UNITE, and Cllr Matt Rodda, Labour
Party) and two anti-EU speakers (Steve
Hedley, RMT, and Ragesh Khakhria, Trade Unionists against the EU). The
event gained wide local publicity and – we hope – helped to inform
decision-making on referendum day, 23 June.
On 4 June, John Partington attended the ‘Bursaries or Bust’
protest in Whitehall on behalf of the RTUC. The event was organised by nurses’
unions (UNISON, RCN) and organisations for the defence of the NHS. Speakers
included doctors, nurses, the NUS leader, Malia Bouattia, and the fashion
designer, Vivienne Westwood.
The 8 June saw the RTUC’s ‘Audience with Harry Leslie Smith’,
during which the 93-year-old campaigner told of his experiences before the
creation of the NHS and the welfare state. Chaired by Jan Bastable, the event
was well attended and roused discussion amongst the audience about current
politics and what we can do to fight austerity cuts and build a defence of the
NHS and the present benefits system.
On 16 June and 18-19 July, RTUC delegates joined picket lines with
UNITE staff striking in a pay dispute with Capita. Jan Bastable, Sarah Hacker
and Graeme Hoskin of RTUC were all directly involved with the dispute, while
John Partington, Chris Reilly and James Parker were among the RTUC delegates
who joined the pickets in solidarity. This solidarity action by RTUC followed
earlier similar such action during the junior doctors’ strike, during which
delegates fraternised with striking doctors on the picket lines at the Royal
Berkshire Hospital.
With the horrific murder of Jo Cox, Labour MP for Batley and Spen,
on 16 June, the RTUC organised a memorial gathering in the Forbury Gardens the
following afternoon. Assembling at the monument to Reading volunteers in the
Spanish Civil War, the event allowed people moved by the murder to come forward
and expressed their feelings to the assembled crowd – or to remain in silence
and reflect. The local media gave tasteful coverage of the event, with reports
appearing in the local print and online media as well as on BBC radio and
television.
Disturbed by events in the Labour Party, with a leadership
challenge to Jeremy Corbyn and mass resignations from his shadow cabinet, the
RTUC hosted a pro-Jeremy Corbyn rally in the Forbury Gardens on 1 July. Chris
Reilly spoke on behalf of the RTUC and RMT, while guest speakers from UNITE
(Jennie Formby) and the TSSA (Chris Clark) also contributed. On 13 July the RTUC
also sent an open letter of support to Jeremy that was published in the local
media. These events culminated, locally, in the Labour Party endorsement
meeting on 25 July at which a number of RTUC delegates were present. John
Partington spoke at the meeting on behalf of Jeremy and the party’s vote across
the two town constituencies came down in favour of his continued leadership.
Sadly, although Reading West endorsed Jeremy for Labour Party leader, Reading
Eats backed his challenger, Owen Smith.
On 3 July, the RTUC – with Keith Jerrome taking the lead –
organised a centenary picnic to honour the successful strike by the women
workers of Huntley and Palmers Biscuit Factory. The event took place in Kings
Road Gardens and included music by the Newtowners and a series of theatrical
performances to a script by Dr Rebecca Hillman of the University of Exeter. The
event received wide publicity, including a television report by the BBC.
On 17 July, Keith Jerrome and John Partington represented the RTUC
at the Tolpuddle Martyrs’ Festival in Dorset. Marking the movement to free six
transported agricultural labourers in 1834, Tolpuddle is an annual celebration
of trade union strength. This year’s speakers included Frances O’Grady, General
Secretary of the TUC, and Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party.
On 18 July, Chris Reilly and Billie Reynolds of the RTUC joined
UNISON workers in protesting at Reading Borough Council’s cuts in social
service spending.
On 25 August, John Partington represented the RTUC at the Oxford
& District Trades Union Council’s public meeting of support for Jeremy
Corbyn at the Wesley Memorial Church Hall, Oxford. The speakers were Barry
Faulkner (UNITE), Caroline Glendenning (UNISON) and Cllr Claudia Webbe (Labour
Party NEC).
On 3 September, Jan Bastable, Sarah Hacker and John Partington
represented the RTUC at the Thirteenth Reading Pride Festival in Kings Meadow.
The trade union movement was well represented, with stalls organised by UNISON,
NASUWT, GMB and UNITE.
Most recently, RTUC endorsed the NHS Campaigning Day in Reading
Market Place on 26 November, part of a series of national events called forth
by Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party. Billie Reynolds (UNISON), Kevin Jackson
(UNISON), James Parker (UNITE), Ray Parkes (UNITE) and Graeme Hoskin (UNITE)
were some of the RTUC delegates who made a presence on the day.
In promoting the above events, the RTUC has utilised its Facebook
presence as well as pages and groups of allied organisations (other trades
councils, the Labour Party and pro-NHS and anti-cuts sites) and has published
press releases and other publicity in the Reading
Chronicle, the Morning Star and Get Reading, and had information
broadcast on BBC South Today as well as on BBC Radio Berkshire and JackFm
Berkshire.
