General Conference Report 12-13 June 2005. by J Kelly.

In June 2005 I attended Annual Conference as part of the Branch delegation and for the purposes of this report I intend to focus on General Conference which was time tabled to occupy the first two days of the week’s agenda.

For any of our members unfamiliar with Conference procedure, General Conference is the forum where all Constituencies of our Union are represented. The decisions made determine our Union’s policy for the forthcoming year on the many important matters that impact on all of our members lives, regardless of where they work or which company they work for.

It would be unrealistic to attempt to sum up two days of debate in a few short lines and I don’t intend to try. Instead I’ll pick out some of the headlines and report on the propositions, which went forward, in the name of our Branch.

Billy Hayes CWU General Secretary opened Conference with an upbeat contribution, highlighting some of the successes achieved in the last twelve months.

It was particularly pleasing to hear that at last the decline of our membership numbers has been halted and that the money spent on recruitment is now paying dividends.

CWU finances are also looking much healthier .The action plan previously agreed by Conference has successfully turned a deficit into a much more acceptable position.

Conference kicked off on a very positive note with every proposition in the first session being carried. This session included a very good debate on the forthcoming change in legislation regarding retirement age and the difficulties currently being faced by the pension funds to which our members contribute.

On a personal note I made a contribution, on Sunday morning, on the first of the Glasgow and Motherwell propositions which instructed our Union’s Executive to commit to a campaign to get rid of Political Fund Ballots. This legislation dates back to the Tory years and their deliberate attempts to de-politicise the whole Trade Union movement. I’m pleased to report that the proposition was carried by Conference.

Our Branch Chair Phil Hughes made a successful contribution on Monday morning on a proposition instructing our Executive to produce a report disclosing the extent of the CWU’s liabilities to all of its Pensions Funds by end of Aug 05.This prop was remitted on the basis that a similar report, already scheduled by the Executive, will be shared with the membership when published.

Our Branch Secretary Lawrie McMenamin moved a proposition on Monday afternoon calling for the CWU to provide some form of training and guidance for Branch Officers dealing with members suffering from mental health problems.

Despite Lawrie’s best efforts the proposition was lost. However the debate on this proposition did reflect the seriousness of the issue and no doubt it will be revisited.

Over the course of the two days an impressive number of propositions were debated

on a wide range of issues ranging from Health and Safety to Equal Opportunities, National and International Policy, Recruitment , Education and Training alongside a Rules Revision session amongst others.

It was a busy week covering most of the agenda and our delegation also made the effort to attend a variety of the fringe meetings and political events, which took place while Conference was adjourned.

If anyone reading this has any questions on any particular Conference business, I can be contacted either directly or via the Branch Office.

Finally can I take this opportunity to thank the Branch for electing me as a Conference delegate and also to thank Phil, Lawrie and Gary Creamer the other Branch delegates for their support and good humour.

A week in Blackpool in June…. The rain was so heavy we thought they must have moved the Glasgow Fair Fortnight.

John Kelly.