Andrew Ford – Unite EC member for Health : build a strong union – on strong foundations

This is the email sent to the union’s organising department last Wednesday. We are going to meet with them on Monday 5th Octber

“Now that the GS and EC elections are done, I would like to put forward a proposal for Regional Combines. Although the national combine is better than what we had before, the last thing many of us need is another Zoom or Teams meeting. It is difficult to see any other platform for a national combine given the cost of convening a face-to-face meeting for around 1,000 NHS reps.

Our RISC has many times requested a regional all reps meeting, and under the previous regime, it was many times refused.

All we need is a quarterly meeting of all the accredited reps in each region, held in any venue with a large room and breakout areas. A cheap and faded hotel with parking would be ideal and affordable.  No overnight stays.

On arrival the delegates would be addressed by either the RISC chair or the local lead officer for Health to set out regional or national themes around the NHS.

The delegates then break up into occupational groups – labs, support services, health visitors, ambulance, estates, psychology etc. One of them is elected chair of the session the other as secretary/scribe. They discuss their industrial issues and the secretary prepares a short summary/plan of action.

LUNCH

After lunch all return for a plenary session which starts off by hearing and discussing the occupational group reports.

There is then a final plenary session which could be a legal update or training in matters such as dealing with attendance policies, resisting contractual changes, surveillance in the workplace etc.

END

The aim would be to increase the self-activity and mutual support of the reps and to steer them away from dependence on full-time officers. Because we do not, and never will have, enough full-time officers to deal with all the issues that arise in NHS workplaces. If successful we might be able to free the Officers from some of the individual case work which bogs them down at present and let them give a better service to members.

Cost is likely 60 delegates, travel of £20 on average each = £1200. Members money well spent in my opinion.”