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Social and economic - general

Motion A129 was carried

NEC Attitude: support

This Conference believes that poverty damages children and society and we demand a better future for our children. The UK has one of the worst rates of child poverty in the industrial world. 1 in 3 children live in poverty in the UK today. 57% of children living in poverty are living in working households.

This Conference instructs the NEC to:

1. expose the link between child poverty and low pay

2. campaign to improve poverty benefits levels

3. campaign for opposition to the welfare reform bill which would worsen the living standards of many of the poorest children in Britain

4. campaign for good quality free publicly funded childcare for pre-school children and wrap around care provision for school age children.

5. an increase in the minimum wage to remove the need for top up benefits for working people.

(E marked motions associated with lead motion E536-E550)

Motion A130 was carried

NEC Attitude: support

This conference recognises the enormous amount of work already done by the DWP group and the national union on welfare reforms including public campaigning and material, public meetings, seminars and the emergency motion sent to the TUC last year that was carried unanimously. This conference notes the attacks on the welfare state contained in the welfare reform green papers. This New Labour Government is planning the wholesale privatisation of the welfare and benefit system, based on the report written by merchant banker David Freud, to scandalously open up benefit delivery to the most vulnerable in society as a multi-billion pound market on the basis of a “right to bid". The green papers are also a part of the propaganda attack on the working class trying to blame the individual for being out of work and stressing the individual's own responsibility to get into work. During a recession it is clearer than ever before that it is the economic system to blame for condemning working class people onto the scrap-heap.

Conference agrees that some of the key issues we need to oppose In the New Labour Government’s welfare agenda include:

  • Potential wholesale privatisation of the DWP to companies to make a profit out welfare provision
  • Abolition of Income support - and therefore the safety net
  • Workfare - forcing the unemployed to work for benefits
  • Forcing single parents to be available for work when their youngest child is 7
  • Harsher medicals for those claiming the new sickness benefit ESA
  • Those addicted to drugs required to undertake treatment to get benefits
  • Lower rate of sickness benefit With ESA.

Conference therefore instructs the NEC to continue and step up the campaigning work to oppose the government's welfare reforms agenda by:

  • Working with claimant groups and support organisations and other unions
  • Continuing the campaign against privatisation. Public services that are publicly owned and delivered by civil servants have always out-performed the private and third sectors when compared on a level playing field.
  • Increasing the growing public support for nationalisation to put the spotlight on the waste and failure of private sector doing welfare work and campaign to reverse any privatisations.
  • Highlighting the real barriers to getting into work- lack of long term, well paid jobs, decent childcare and employers who do not discriminate against disabled people or who have genuine family friendly working practices.
  • Campaigning for a living minimum wage for all workers to lift people and their children out of poverty
  • Continuing to highlight the impact cuts in the DWP and HMRC are having on the service to the public
  • Calling for a moratorium on all cuts and office closures in the DWP and HMRC.
  • Campaigning to get the Government to put the resources and political will in to tackle employers instead of claimants to ensure the enforcement of equality, H&S, employment legislation to provide real job opportunities for people.
  • Draft an alternative vision of what the welfare provision should be, valuing the contribution of people in bringing up the next generation and caring for those close to them, and highlighting the support that a civilised society should be providing collectively in the public sector.

(E marked motions associated with lead motion E551-E561)

Motion A632 was carried

NEC Attitude: support

This conference notes:

  • The fighting traditions of the shop stewards committee in the Linamar (ex-Visteon, ex-Ford) plant in Swansea in providing a lead and solidarity to other workplaces in Wales and the car industry.
  • The anti-union stance of Canadian company Linamar which cut workers pay in all the non-unionised plants by 10% informing the employees by email.
  • The attacks that this company is preparing against the workers' pay, jobs and conditions in Linamar Swansea
  • The massive intimidation that the shop stewards and union members are facing from Linamar management

This conference is appalled at the sacking of Rob Williams, the UNITE convenor at Linamar car plant in Swansea on May 6th. Despite the fact that he was represented by UNITE General Secretary Tony Woodley the company refused to budge. This sacking was done illegally on the spurious grounds of “irretrievable breakdown of trust” and clearly is an attack on the union and the right of members to elect the convenor of their choice, especially one who is prepared to stand up against attacks on the workers. The strength of feeling of the workforce is shown by the militant action they took, risking their own jobs, when Rob was initially sacked on 28th April. The Linamar workers prevented the police from removing Rob from the Linamar site by surrounding the union offices and forced management to temporarily reinstate Rob.

Conference agrees that this is not just an attack on one trade unionist but on the trade union movement as a whole. We must do everything we can to make sure that Linamar management is not allowed to get away with sacking a convenor, as this would give a green light to employers to take action against any reps standing up for their members.

Conference calls on the NEC to:-

  • Do everything they can to support the campaign for Rob’s reinstatement
  • Send messages of protest to Linamar management
  • Send messages of support to Rob and the shop stewards committee at Linamar who are currently balloting for strike action
  • Issue a circular encouraging branches to send protest messages to the employer and messages of support to Rob and the shop stewards committee
  • Encourage branches to support the reinstatement campaign’s protests and activities
  • Publicise the campaign for Rob’s reinstatement in the union publications
  • Send a donation to the Linamar workers hardship fund.

A131 Composite 2 was carried

NEC Attitude: support

Conference notes that with the collapse of the financial system and the continuing instability of the banks and building societies there exists an opportunity for the government to set up a "safe and secure" saving and banking institution for working people. The role of traditional Building Societies as mutual societies has largely become obsolete with profits for share holders becoming the goal rather than the security of assets for members. The deregulation of the financial system has seen a free for all plundering of banks with mergers creating huge private banks with bad debts and collapses. British taxpayers have seen money meant for their health and social services diverted into the bankers pockets through the re-capitalisation programme.

At the same time the government has systematically presided over the splitting up of the post office and the privatisation of the most profitable parts. The re- emergence of Peter Mandelson to the Government has re-invigorated the zeal to further privatise those parts which are left.

In addition, there has been a huge reduction in the number of small post offices both in rural areas and on many housing estates in large towns and cities. The reliance on “on-line” payments has been pursued during the boom period of the last decade. However, for many of those now losing their jobs the internet will be a luxury they cannot afford.

Conference rejects the idea that the Royal Mail/Post Office should be privatised and believes that more investment from the government should be made rather than allowing the Royal Mail/Post Office to be run down.

Conference instructs the NEC to campaign with the CWU and other TUC unions to resist the plans put forward by Lord Mandelson in regard to the Royal Mail/Post Office.

Furthermore, Conference calls on the NEC to campaign for the setting up of a National Post Office network using subsidised existing and newly created small outlets in order to maintain a Government-run savings and banking system providing safe and secure credit and financial services alongside other government services at a local level.

(E marked motions associated with lead motion E562-E565)

Motion A625 was carried

NEC Attitude: support with statement

This Conference takes note of the Members of Parliament expenses scandal. This Conference condemns the rules and regulations that allow MP’s to claim for items that the British taxpayer should not have to fund. PCS is to campaign for those rules and regulations to be changed to remove the burden from the taxpayer.

This Conference directs the NEC to ensure that the MP’s in the PCS Parliamentary Group have not taken advantage of the system and have only claimed the necessary expenses. If it is found that members of the Parliamentary Group have claimed expenses that while not illegal are outside the spirit of the rule and regulations PCS is to sever contact with said MPs.

Motion A132 was carried

NEC Attitude: support with statement

This Conference recognised that motion A116 carried at the 2008 ADC, commits the union to oppose a third runway at Heathrow Airport. This Conference notes the open letter to the Secretary of State for Transport, signed by PCS and five other unions, on 14 October 2008, calling for the third runaway to be scrapped.

This Conference further notes resolution Composite 9 (Climate Change), passed at the 2008 TUC Congress, calling for investment in green transport among a suite of measures for transitioning to a low-carbon economy.

This Conference further notes that the stated TUC position on investment in green transport is incompatible with its support for Future Heathrow, a lobbying organisation that promotes expansion of Heathrow Airport. Further Heathrow is largely supported by multinational corporations like BAA (the owners of Heathrow), airlines and the Confederation of British Industry.

In light of the above this Conference agrees to:

Instruct the NEC to submit a motion to the next TUC congress calling for the withdrawal of TUC support for Future Heathrow.

(E marked motions associated with lead motion E566-E567)

Motion A585 was carried after a card vote

For: 117049 Against: 80797 - NEC Attitude: support with statement

In 2008 more than 70 teenagers have been violently killed in the UK. These have included victims of racial and domestic violent, straightforward assault and gang-related deaths.

We in Hastings have seen the outcome of such occurrences with the death of Mohammed al-Majed, a visiting student to Britain, who was attacked and died after a racially motivated attack.

These actions have brought a disgrace to our country and devastation to the families and the communities in which they have occurred. The time has now come for action to be taken. Society must not just protect the youth of our country but everyone including visitors to our shores.

Conference demands that this Government:

a) Hold a public enquiry to ascertain why there has been an increase of teenage deaths over a number of years and in particular over the last twelve months.

b) Seek ways in which these criminal acts can be eradicated through better education in our schools and communities.

c) Establish whether an alternative to a custodial sentence or a stiffer prison sentence should be imposed.

d) Debate and give Parliament a “Free” vote to decide whether a “life sentence” should mean “life”.

Guillotined: A133, A571, A135, A136, A137, A138, A572, A139, A140, A141, A143, A144, A145, A146, A570, A578, A149, A150, A151, A152, A153, A154 and A155