A summary of the minutes of our branch committee meeting from August 2018.
Discussed were:
– Recruitment
– A nomination request for the Unison community conference
– Corporate meetings: Unison has been asked to respond to the new proposals on staff dismissal appeals by 7 September. Confirmed that our position is not to agree to appeals being heard by managers instead of councillors at all.
– New contract buyout discussed, including the position of Scale 1 pay protected caretakers, library workers and an issue regarding unpaid out of hours enhancements for workers at St Pancras Square
Convenor’s reports
– Corporate services: toilet break issue in Contact Camden
– Supporting communities: upcoming restructure in Development involves no redundancies
– Supporting people: recruitment plans made for schools and social work, early years restructure, adoption service changes and Camden School for Girls cleaners outsourcing issue discussed
Private/3rd sector reports
– NSL strike action will begin in September with 5 days of action
– Croma sackings tribunal cases have been combined into one collective case, with potential court dates from 30 September. Unison national have stated that the legal team wrote back the case, so the Camden Unison branch is appealing against this.
– Self organised groups: CBWG black history event on 19 October in the council chamber
– Health and safety: issues with Camden’s Senior Health and Safety Adviser discussed
– Labour link: nominations for Holborn and St Pancras general committee agreed
Motions
– Windrush motion on calling for Camden Council not to apply the “hostile environment” policy, and to affiliate to the Refugee Rights Campaign agreed unanimously
– Donation in support of striking Birmingham homecare workers unanimously agreed
– Motion to support an educational Auschwitz visit for Holocaust Memorial Day, and to organise collections to fund it unanimously agreed
– Chairs action to donate to striking Birmingham care workers agreed unanimously
– Emergency motion opposing anti-Semitism and defending free speech in Palestine unanimously agreed