- Conference
- 2015 Community Service Group Conference
- Date
- 6 November 2014
- Decision
- Carried
Conference welcomes the updated “Organising for Equality: UNISON guidelines on self organisation”. In the forward to the guidance, Dave Prentis, our General Secretary states that “Self-organisation is an essential tool helping the union to identify and challenge discrimination and build equality. It can be a way for members to get involved in the union, developing skills, expertise and confidence”.
Effective organising of members in the community sector is crucial to be able to identify issues, find solutions and resolve problems. It inspires confidence and acts as a recruitment tool and encourages existing members to become activists.
Conference recognises that some of our community members such as women, Black, disabled and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) members, experience prejudice and discrimination because of who they are and have traditionally been less visible in trade unions and under represented in democratic structures. Conference understands that as a result it is important for some members to be afforded the right to self-organise and notes the valuable contribution that self organised groups make to the trade union agenda.
Self organisation should not be seen as an add-on but as an integral part of the branch and a crucial part of the organising, bargaining and negotiating agenda.
UNISON’s rulebook provides for the core branch committee position of equality officers. Branch equality officers are not limited in number and include roles such as LGBT officer. The national LGBT committee advocates for branch LGBT officers to be sought and elected even where branches do not have an active LGBT self organised group yet, to assist the branch in meeting the needs of LGBT members and encouraging them to become active. Where an LGBT self organised group is in existence, the rule book provides that they may elect their representatives to the branch committee in accordance with branch rules.
Conference recognises that the way in which community organises is wide and varied and that one size does not fit all but branches should be encouraged to set up self organised groups and self-organised group members’ activism.
Conference therefore calls on the service group executive working with the national self-organised group committees, to:
Distribute the organising for equality guidance to community branches
1)Encourage branches to set up self organised groups and support participation in regional and national self-organisation
2)Produce guidance on facility time for members involvement in self organisation at branch, regional and national level
3)Circulate guidance to branches on their responsibilities to adequately fund self-organisation
4)Collate and circulate examples of good practice in community branches.