UNISON branches have now received a circular from the General Secretary about the 1999 conference.
This regrets the relatively small number of branches submitting resolutions, and urges branches to submit some for this year in line with the union's "priorities" -implying that these are determined by someone other than the union's sovereign body. The circular goes on to suggest that Conference should be a "showcase"!
This circular is opening in a roundabout way a debate on the role of the Conference. Some NEC members and senior officials have complained about the expense of Conference and the allegedly limited accountability of delegates. Some are raising again the view that UNISON should be member "centred" (and officer-led) rather than "member-led". Even though last year's UNISON conference clearly voted to maintain the right of branches to campaign inside the union to change policy, this is already under attack Branches are now being advised that if they want to organise a meeting at which other branches are invited, they must now seek the agreement of the regions concerned.
Branches and stewards committees who sponsored the call from the University College London Hospital branch to lobby the Labour Party conference for the Minimum Wage have been requested to submit details as to which body took the decision and of the money spent.
Branches were instructed not to attend a conference on Private Finance Initiative organised by the UCLH branch.
Five motions regarding UCLH submitted for the next London Regional Council have been ruled out of order because of UNISON's High Court appeal and internal disciplinary investigation, even though one did not refer to either the appeal or the investigacion.