Motions to Branch

[Big Daz]

As some peple seem so unhappy with the CWU and the political levy at the moment,may i suggest that you prepare some motions to your branch to change the aspects of the CWU you are unhappy with.

Its time to start doing rather than just letting lose on RMC.


Think about how you would like the political fund to be used and run submit motions.

How many people on here know who makes up the political fund managment commitee and what their job description is?

From CWU website;

"POLITICAL FUND MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
Internally the CWU has the above Committee to manage the Political Fund of the Union. By law, the Union is required to ballot its members on retaining a Political Fund every 10 years. The last ballot was held in 2004 and 73% voted in favour of retaining the Fund. The PFMC deals with all political matters except policy issues which are handled by the Policy, Education & Training Committee."

That belive it or not is all i can find on the CWU website, perhaps you wish to see more info about the PFMC on the website?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

I found a page about the Ballot in 2004 this may help answer some questions but remember its 3 years out of date.

http://www.cwu.org.uk/default.asp?Step=4&pid=501


Why have a Political Fund?
A Political Fund is vital to defend the rights we have already won and for us to be able to continue to influence political decisions. The Political Fund allows us to take our workplace campaigns into the political arena, campaign for CWU policies and have a say on changes in the law.

The Executive Council will therefore be recommending that members vote YES in the forthcoming ballot.

What the CWU has won using the Political Fund.
Over the years, many of the laws, policies and public services which we now take for granted have been partly achieved by long, hard campaigning by trade unions - much of this campaigning has been paid for using Political Funds.

Trade union campaigning and political lobbying has helped win:
o Health and Safety legislation
o Legal rights to union recognition
o Information and consultation rights
o The National Minimum Wage
o Working Time Regulations
o Protection against Discrimination and Harassment
o Better Pensions
o More rights for parents at work.

Without a Political Fund, many CWU campaigns - including the campaign against Post Office privatisation and the Broadband Britain campaign - would have been seriously hampered.

Defending members' rights in the future
Today, the need to lobby and influence politicians in Westminster, Brussels and on local councils is even more central to protecting union members at work. With devolution creating a Scottish Parliament and Assemblies in Wales and Northern Ireland, the need for the CWU to campaign politically across the whole of the UK has never been more important.

Frequently Asked Questions on Political Funds

Q: What is the Political Fund?
A: The law says that unions must have a separate Political Fund to spend on political campaigning. This could include a newspaper advertising campaign in support of public services, lobbying for better legal rights for workers, calling for increased investment in public services, holding a rally to improve health and safety protection or support for a political party. Members choose whether or not to contribute through a 'political levy'.

Q: How much is the Political Levy?
A: 10p per week.

Q: Shouldn't unions concentrate on defending members' rights at work?
A: That's exactly what the CWU does - seeking wage improvements, negotiating better terms and conditions, defending jobs, representing members at legal, medical or disciplinary hearings. But the decisions and laws made by politicians affect members' interests at work. Members rely on decent public services and a healthy economy for their livelihood. So unions must be able to campaign in the political arena.

Q: Who decides how the Political Fund is spent?
A: The elected Executive Council controls how the money is spent. The Executive is accountable to members through Conference and ensures that, when money is spent, a clear benefit can be seen for the union's members.

Q: But doesn't all the money go to the Labour Party?
A: No. The CWU spends some of its money to affiliate to the Labour Party to ensure that the voice of members is heard within its policy-making structures and to bring influence to bear.
But this ballot is not about affiliation to the Labour Party - nor is it about what we do with the Political Fund - we are just voting on the basic right to keep it. Unions that are not affiliated to the Labour Party are also required to ballot to maintain a political fund.

Q: Do other unions have Political Funds
A: 73% of trade union members, who belong to a TUC affiliated trade union, belong to a union with a Political Fund. Unions with Political Funds range from the largest - Unison, to the smallest - GULO. They represent a wide mix of professions, trades and industries and include general unions like the TGWU, the GMB and AMICUS to the NASUWT, which represents members in the education sector.
Of the 31 unions in Great Britain, which have a Political Fund,10 are not affiliated to the Labour Party. The decision whether a union wants to affiliate to a political party is subject to a separate, internal, democratic process. Of the unions in Great Britain with a Political Fund, one third are not affiliated to any political party.

Q: Why are we having a ballot?
A: Under a piece of legislation introduced by the Conservative Government in 1984, unions not only have to ballot their members to set up a Political Fund, but also have to vote every ten years on whether or not to keep the Political Fund. This is the third round of ballots. The last two rounds were a massive success. We hope to get an even better result this time.

Q: If I vote Yes does it mean I have to pay more?
A: No. In fact, every member has the right to opt out of paying into the Political Fund whenever they want. A Yes vote just means that the union keeps its Political Fund, so you keep your right to choose.

Q: I don't pay the political levy. Why should I vote Yes?
A: Voting Yes means that those members who wish to pay into the Political Fund can continue to do so. It does not mean you begin to pay into the Political Fund. Every member of the union, political levy payers and non-payers alike, has a vote to decide whether or not to keep the Political Fund working for members. If you don't want to contribute to the Political Fund, you don't have to - you have the right to opt in or out of paying the levy whenever you want. It is important, though, that you vote, and that you vote Yes, so that all members can benefit from the union's political campaigning.

Q: Who can vote in this ballot?
A: All members of the union whether they pay the political levy or not (excluding overseas members - the relevant legislation classes members in the Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Northern Ireland as overseas members).

Q: How do I vote?
A: The ballot paper will be sent to your home unless you ask for it to be sent to another address. You should read the ballot paper and vote Yes if you agree to keep the union's Political Fund. It must be posted back to the Independent Scrutineer. A pre-paid return envelope will be included with the ballot paper.

Q What if my ballot paper doesn't arrive?
A: If you have not received a ballot paper three weeks before the close of the ballot, you should contact CWU head office. Have your membership details to hand.

Q Is it a secret ballot?
A: Yes, completely secret.

Q: What happens if the union loses the ballot?
A: The union would lose the ability to campaign effectively on issues like better laws, better pensions, better public services and better health and safety laws.

Q: I'm not really interested in politics. Why should I vote Yes?
A: Because the law defines many ordinary campaigns (such as campaigns for better laws, better pensions, better public services and better health and safety laws) as having a 'political purpose'. A Yes vote keeps your right to choose whether or not to contribute to the Political Fund.

Q: What can I do to help the campaign?
A: If you would like to help our union win a Yes vote, then please contact your local Branch Secretary. Further information on the ballot can be found on the CWU website at www.cwu.org or at the TUC website at www.vote-yes.org.uk

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Also this but this is 7 years out of date http://www.cwu.org.uk/default.asp?Step=4&pid=70

INTRODUCTION

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has a political fund, separate from its general fund, to enable it to run political campaigns and finance political activities.

There are a host of issues affecting CWU members which have a political dimension. Many of these are specific to the industries in which our members work - primarily posts and telecommunications - but others are of more general relevance to the collective trade union movement.

This political work sometimes involves local lobbying - likely to be more often the case with the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly and the Northern Ireland Assembly - and often requires lobbying of Government and Parliament at the national level and of the Commission and the Parliament at European Union (EU) level.

A) POSTAL ISSUES

1. Local Level

* MLO closures

We have lobbied local authorities and local MPs in respect of Royal Mail's wish to close or re-locate certain mechanised letter offices (MLOs), notably - where we were successful - Dartford and Liverpool.

* Crown Office conversions

Together with local consumer and interest groups, we have run local campaigns against the proposal by Post Office Counters Limited to convert certain Crown offices into franchised offices.

2. National Level

* Ownership & control of Post Office

We ran a major campaign around the Labour Government's review of the Post Office, successfully preventing any privatisation of the Post Office but instead providing the Post Office with much more commercial freedom. This campaign involved the submission of both written and oral evidence to both the Department of Trade & Industry and the House of Commons Select Committee on Trade & Industry. Furthermore, the General Secretary and the Head of Research had a series of private meetings with no less than 10 members of the Cabinet plus members of the No. 10 Policy Unit and the No 10 Political Unit.

* Regulatory Decisions

Since 2000, there has been a regulatory agency for posts, called the Postal Services Commission or Postcomm, and a consumer watchdog body called the Consumer Council for Postal Services or Postwatch. We have already made representations to these bodies on the licence for Consignia plc - the new name for the Post Office at corporate level - and the extent of competition to be faced by Royal Mail. Future issues for representations will include the pricing levels of and price controls on Royal Mail and more specific proposals for the domestic liberalisation of postal services.

* Crown Office conversions

We successfully persuaded the incoming Labour Government to impose a moratorium on any further Crown office conversations pending a review to which we made a major written submission. Although the Government subsequently lifted the moratorium, we successfully managed to introduce a limit to the franchising process which will ensure that 15% of POCL's business remains within Crown offices.

* Quadrant joint venture

When the Government approved Royal Mail's proposal that Quadrant should become a joint venture, we had a series of meetings with the relevant Minister to ensure the maximum protection for the terms and conditions of our members involved.

* Control of animals

We have had long-running discussions with Members of Parliament about the scheme for ensuring that rabies is kept out of the country and we lobbied in respect of the move from a quarantine system to a 'pet passport' system.

*British summer time

Periodically we have been required to run a campaign to maintain the present system whereby clocks go forward by one hour in the Spring and go back by one hour in the Autumn. An alternative proposal to bring British time in line with European time would hit our membership in the North of England and Scotland.

3. European Level

* Liberalisation programme

We had a series of meetings with officials of the European Commission and members of the European Parliament over the Green Paper and then the Directive in respect of the liberalisation of European postal services. Currently we are working hard to prevent the next stage of liberalisation from being excessive.

* Terminal dues agreement

Most European postal administrations - including the British Post Office - have reached an agreement on a new system of terminal dues which are payments made by postal administrations to each other for carrying each other's international mail. Since our Post Office is a net exporter of mail, we stand to lose from the current agreement and therefore have made a written submission to the European Commission.

4. Global Level

* UPU work

The Universal Postal Union (UPU) is the official UN agency for co-ordinating the activities of all national postal administrations and has a full-scale congress every five years. The last congress was held in 1999 in Beijing. Together with Union Network International (UNI), we endeavour to ensure that there is a trade union viewpoint on the major issues for debate.

* ILO work

The International Labour Organisation is the official UN agency for the promotion of good labour relations throughout the world and every five years holds a sectoral conference devoted particularly to the postal industry. The CWU usually provides a member of the Union Network International (UNI) team at this event.

B) TELECOMMUNICATIONS ISSUES

1. Local Level

* Siting of antennae

Together with local community groups, on occasions we run local campaigns against the inappropriate siting of tall or conspicuous microwave or radio antennae.

* Laying of cable

On occasions, we have had to make local representations in respect of laying of cable by local cable television operators where this activity has caused damage to pavements or trees.

* Regional infrastructure

Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales now all have devolved authorities which exercise powers over economic and social matters previously exercised by the national parliament. One of the major issues we are discussing with these new authorities is the telecommunications infrastructure in these particular parts of the United Kingdom.

2. National Level

* Government policy

We regularly hold meetings with Government Ministers and Whitehall officials in order to lobby on particular aspects of Government policy which impact on BT and telecommunications more widely. In the last few years, issues of particular concern have included the ban on BT carrying broadcasting on its telecommunications network (the so-called asymmetry rule), the campaign on BT purchasing the 40% of Cellnet which it did not previously own, and the impact of the high auction price of BT's 3G mobile licence. Currently a major issue is the legislative implementation of the Communications White Paper which proposes a new agency body called the Office of Communications (Ofcom).

* Regulatory decisions

The Government appoints a Director General of Telecommunications whose decisions have a major impact on BT. We make written submissions on most Oftel inquiries, notably the regular reviews of the BT price cap. Currently our major concern revolves around local loop unbundling which provides access by competitors to BT's local lines and local exchanges. Another regulatory issue of current debate is how best to co-ordinate the regulation of telecommunications and broadcasting at a time when both services are becoming increasingly digital and more and more converged.

* Information society issues

We regularly meet Government Ministers and Whitehall officials to discuss a range of issues concerning the promotion of the information superhighway and the development of the information society. These issues cover everything from encryption techniques to intellectual property rights to the National Grid for Learning.

3. European Level

* Liberalisation programme

Over a period of years, we have made representations to the European Commission over the opening up to competition of telecommunications markets throughout the European Union.

* Information society issues

The European Commission is promoting a range of initiatives designed to speed up the use of IT throughout the European Union, and we have been in dialogue with relevant officials over a whole host of issues such as the regulation of convergence, the protection of copyright, teleworking and the promotion of employment opportunities.

4. Global Level

* ITU work

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is the official UN agency for the promotion of telecommunications standards throughout the world. On occasions, we have had to put views on important initiatives, such as promotion of infrastructure in underdeveloped countries.

* ILO work

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is the official UN agency for the promotion of good labour relations throughout the world and every five years holds a sectoral conference devoted particularly to the telecommunications industry. The CWU usually provides a member of the Union Network International (UNI) team at this event.

* OECD work

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development represents the 28 most industrialised countries of the world and it takes a particular interest in telecommunications and information technology since these are major sectors for growth. The CWU sometimes represents the Trade Union Advisory Committee of the OECD on the Telecommunications Working Party.

C) GENERAL ISSUES

1. Local Level

* Crime & social exclusion

Locally, we have to take an interest in levels of crime and urban deprivation, since postal delivery staff and telecommunications technicians are required to visit virtually all homes in the country including those in areas where personal assault is a continuing risk.

* Transport & environment

We have to take an interest in local transport arrangements and the quality of the local environment - especially in London - since this impacts on the working and personal lives of our members.

2. National Level

* Economic policy

The economic policy of the Government affects our members directly in the impact on the purchasing power of their wages and indirectly since the growth of both posts and telecommunications is closely related to the state of the national economy.

* Employment law

The Government's proposals for new fairness at work legislation impact on our members in a whole series of ways including organising and recruitment, balloting procedures, and maternity and parental leave. Therefore we have had discussions with Ministers and officials and lobbied on the Employment Relations Bill.

* Education & training

Our members are affected by the Government's policy in respect of further education and vocational training and we are actively involved in the debate around the development of life-long learning, including the National Grid for Learning and the University of Industry.

* Pensions

Both the BT and Post Office pensions schemes have been impacted by recent budgetary decisions and more generally the Government's pensions policy impacts, if not so much on our members themselves, their partners and families.

* Health & safety

The resources which the Government makes available to the Health & Safety Executive has an impact on the frequency with which inspectors can visit Post Office and BT sites and the quality of the support service to our union safety representatives.

* Transport & environment

The Government's policy for integrating transport systems and cleaning up the environment all have a significant impact on the quality of our members' lives both at home and at work.

* Equal opportunities

We regularly have occasion to lobby the Government or the appropriate agency in respect of racial and gender discrimination and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and disability.

* Electoral reform

Any proposed reform of our current electoral system would impact on the current links between the Labour Party and the trade union movement and therefore we have to have a view on proposals such as those from the Jenkins Commission.

3. European Level

* European monetary union

The trade union movement needs to make clear its view on whether and, if so when, the United Kingdom should enter European Monetary Union and the implications for working people.

* Works councils

Some of our members have been impacted by the European Directive on Works Councils since, although the UK opted out of the Social Chapter under the Conservative Government, BT and some other companies where we have members have chosen voluntarily to introduce such councils.

* Working time

The European Working Time Directive is affecting all of our members but in very different ways which depend on their traditional work patterns.

* Health & safety

In recent years, the European Commission has enacted a whole series of Directives on health & safety and the detailed implementation of these has required very active involvement by the trade union movement.

* Racism & xenophobia

The European Commission is seeking to combat racism and xenophobia throughout Europe and we have actively supported relevant campaigns and initiatives.

4. Global Level

* WTO Work

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is currently promoting a new far reaching General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) which will impact on some 160 services. These include the services - posts, telecommunications and finance - in which the majority of our members work.

* ILO work

Besides the work of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in the specific areas of posts and telecommunications, we have supported the more general work of the ILO in areas such as minimum labour standards for conduct by multinational corporations.

* World economic order

Although our influence is obviously marginal, we have to take an interest in the state of the global economy since this affects our domestic economy and impacts on the overseas activities of BT and the Post Office.

* Poverty & discrimination

The nature of trade unions is such that we will always wish to support campaigns and initiatives designed to alleviate poverty and racial discrimination wherever these evils arise throughout our interdependent world.
CONCLUSION

As will be seen, the range of issues on which we could intervene politically is enormous. The Union's National and International Policy Committee decides the priorities for our lobbying work and the Union's Political Fund Management Committee is responsible for allocating the appropriate funds and managing relations with the Labour Party at all levels.

24 April 2001
RD99/025/2
RD/SKH

[davidessex]

Q: What happens if the union loses the ballot?
A: The union would lose the ability to campaign effectively on issues like better laws, better pensions, better public services and better health and safety laws.

havn,t the cwu already lost this ability, especially on pensions................... you accept one deal you get them both remember......

[k979aaa]

Q: What happens if the union loses the ballot?
A: The union would lose the ability to campaign effectively on issues like better laws, better pensions, better public services and better health and safety laws.

havn,t the cwu already lost this ability, especially on pensions................... you accept one deal you get them both remember......

To my mind i think our union could do a lot better with the £660064.35p than give it to gordon im the so great brown because let's face it he get's the same from one person without any question's asked and no "favour's given"!.

[Big Daz]

It will be intresting to see whats on the new website for political stuff.