- Conference
- 2008 National Delegate Conference
- Date
- 25 February 2008
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Conference congratulates Nelson Mandela on the occasion of his 90th birthday, which is on 18 July 2008. Many people and organisations are marking his birthday in 2008 as part of wider celebrations of South Africa’s struggle for liberation from apartheid, the successful establishment of a representative and participatory democracy and recognition of those who sacrificed their liberty or lives during the struggle.
Conference notes the commitment and engagement in the anti-apartheid struggle of UNISON’s predecessor unions and many individual members. However, we recognise liberation was not the end of the struggle and there is still much to do to overcome the legacy of apartheid and the years of deprivation and that South Africa and other countries in southern Africa continue to face extraordinary social, economic and political challenges. These include access to education, housing and health provision. For some countries, such as Zimbabwe and Kenya, this also includes the opportunity to participate in free and fair elections.
Conference notes the work by local NGO’s, communities and public services to meet these challenges but recognises that there is a huge amount of work to be done to improve the lives of the majority populations and this requires support from the international community and that the commitment shown by organisations and individuals during the apartheid era is still needed.
Public services across the region are often weak and fragmented. After decades of underinvestment, largely due to the neo-liberal policies of the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and other donors to the region, the state’s role in providing public services has been systematically dismantled leaving public services under ever greater threat from privatisation, out-sourcing and the casualisation of jobs. Reducing the pay and conditions of public sector workers has been a particular target.
Conference notes with concern the threat to strong public services from current international trade negotiations, including Economic Partnership Agreements and the bilateral trade deals [taking place in the absence of World Trade Organisation negotiations.]
Conference welcomes UNISON’s ongoing work to support sister trade unions in their struggle against HIV/AIDS. Sub-Saharan Africa experiences the greatest prevalence of the disease. An entire generation of working people have been lost leaving hundreds of thousands of children orphaned. Women bear the brunt of the crisis as they are contracting the disease faster than any other group and are left responsible for the care of others who are infected. Public services cannot meet the dual burden of providing the extra health services needed to tackle the crisis while thousands of public service workers themselves are absent from work because they are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.
Conference therefore recognises the work our sister trade unions and others are doing to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS prevention, tackle discrimination in the workplace and civil society and support those affected by HIV/AIDS.
As a large public service trade union with a strong record of international solidarity, UNISON can use its collective experience, parliamentary influence and campaigning muscle to work with unions in southern Africa to tackle the new and ongoing social, economic and political challenges they face. By defending and strengthening public services and trade unions in southern Africa we strengthen public services and trade unions worldwide. Conference also recognises, as a lay member led trade union, many of our members, regions and branches who supported the struggle against apartheid will wish to participate in supporting the people of Southern Africa in the struggle to overcome the legacy of apartheid, improve their lives and tackle the HIV/AIDS pandemic;
Conference instructs the National Executive Committee to:
1)work with sister trade unions on their campaigns to defend, build and strengthen public services and tackle HIV/AIDS;
2)keep branches, regions and the wider membership informed about these issues and opportunities to campaign on them;
3)continue to develop joint lobbying and campaigns on strengthening and supporting development work, defending public services with organisations including Action for Southern Africa, Community HEART the World Development Movement, War on Want and Oxfam;
4) participate in the celebrations to mark Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday and the recognition of challenges ahead by encouraging regions, branches and members to sign the birthday card launched in Glasgow in March and pledge their on-going commitment to the struggle
5)monitor developments and campaign where appropriate on: the threat to the public delivery of the provision of water and sanitation services; Economic Partnership Agreements; World Trade Organisation negotiations; and World Bank and International Monetary Fund policies and activities, especially in the area of health service provision.