STUC Report 2014

Scottish Trades Union Congress 2014
The 117th STUC Annual Congress will be held in the Caird Hall, Dundee, 14-16th April

Report of the STUC 2014

ATUC delegates are:

Kevin Hutchens

                                  
                                        









Michelle Brady

Workers’ Memorial Day mourns all those who have lost their lives at work and pledges to fight for fundamental health and safety protections in this country and around the world.

Local trade unionists joined with politicians and citizens in a poignant service to commemorate Workers’ Memorial Day on 28^th April, in the beautiful setting of the Persley Workers’ Memorial Garden.

Speaker after speaker spoke of the key importance of Workers’ Memorial Day, to remember the dead but to fight for the living. They spoke of the rising numbers of people who have lost their lives or their health at work, in this country and around the world.

The service was organised by the Aberdeen Trades Union Council and opened at 11am with a minutes silence to remember and to mourn all those who have died doing their job.

Cllr Graham lays the wreath

 Representing the Lord Provost of Aberdeen, Councillor Gordon Graham laid the wreath on behalf of all those who had gathered. He told them that all workers have the right to work safely and without risk to their health.

“With 241 people dying at work last year and 790,000 injured or made ill due to poor standards of health and safety, a lot more has to be done to protect workers,” he said, calling on all businesses to embrace health and safety regulation, and for the Health and Safety Executive, trade unions and businesses to work together to improve safety at work.

He also remembered the Bangladesh factory collapse  last year that killed over 1,100 workers, and called on the UK and Scottish Governments to take action to stop companies in the UK benefitting from the lack of health and safety standards that lead to such disasters and other tragedies.

Come along to the May Day March and Rally 2014 and celebrate solidarity across borders

Come along and celebrate International Workers Day with us, in a family friendly march down Union Street to demonstrate your opposition to austerity and to show solidarity across borders.

The 2014 May Day March and Rally will gather at Rubislaw Terrace Gardens, Aberdeen at 11am.

Organised by Aberdeen Trades Union Council (ATUC), it will march off at 11.30am down the full length of Union Street, to a Rally in the Castlegate at 12.15 where there will be a variety of speakers, including Ian Tasker from the STUC, as well as other trades unionists, politicians and community activists.

Alan Robertson, President of the ATUC urged union members, their families and friends, and community activists to attend the march and rally in numbers.

He said, "Let's make this a march to remember.

"For the second year running, marchers will be able to march the whole length of Union Street, after a number of years when permission for that was not granted. It is important that as many trades union and community activists as possible turn out.

"Please bring your banners, flags, pendants and signs to make the march and rally as colourful as possible."

Do you have enough information to make a decision on 18th Sept? Go along to Scotland's Referendum, the Scottish Women's Convention free event for women

The Scottish Women's Convention is running a number of free events around Scotland for women who are interested in knowing more about the Independence Referendum.  The events are geared towards helping women to make an informed choice about how they vote.

The Aberdeen event will be held on Saturday 31st May 10am - 1pm. If you are interested in attending please phone Telephone: 0141 339 4797 .

or.

Email: info@scottishwomensconvention.org

"Remember the dead. Fight for the living." - Workers' Memorial Day Service Monday 28th April 2014

A reminder that this year's International Workers Memorial Day Service, will be held at 11am (gather from 10.30am) at Persley Gardens, Persley, Aberdeen. All are welcome to attend.

The ATUC has organised the service and will be represented to lay a wreath in memory of all those whose lives or health have been lost through work.

International Workers Memorial Day (IWMD) takes place all over the world on 28 April each year.

As the campaign slogan says, we must "Remember the dead. Fight for the living."

The Service will last for approximately 30mins.

In this time of austerity, it is ever more important to protect our Health and Safety legislation, which is constantly under attack.

The purpose of IWMD is two-fold. Firstly it is about not forgetting those who have died, been injured, or made ill by their work. Secondly it is about ensuring that tragic loss and suffering are used to reinvigorate the campaign for healthier and safer work and workplaces.

Come along to the May Day March and Rally 2014 and celebrate solidarity across borders

Celebrate International Workers Day. Join with us in a family friendly march down Union Street to demonstrate your opposition to austerity and to show solidarity across borders.

The 2014 May Day March and Rally will gather at Rubislaw Terrace Gardens, Aberdeen at 11am.

Organised by Aberdeen Trades Union Council (ATUC), it will march off at 11.30am down the full length of Union Street, to a Rally in the Castlegate at 12.15 where there will be a variety of speakers.

Alan Robertson, President of the ATUC urged union members, their families and friends, and community activists to attend the march and rally in numbers.

He said, "Once again marchers will be able to march the whole length of Union Street so it is really important that as many trades union and community activists as possible turn out.

"Please bring your banners, flags, pendants and signs to make the march and rally as colourful as possible."

Aberdeen Trade Union Council Delegates in action at the STUC

Report of the ATUC at STUC Dundee 2014

Monday at the STUC



Kevin Hutchens

Investment in public services and living wage are key to recovery

The STUC is calling on UK and Scottish Governments to end austerity and instead invest in public services and backed the ATUC's call to pay a Living Wage to ensure a 'better today and more prosperous tomorrow for Scotland’s people'.

Congress urged the Scottish Government to 'change its mind' and use its procurement rules to insist that contractors pay the Living Wage.

ATUC delegate, Kevin Hutchens, seconded the Composite and urged Congress to ensure that Living Wage provisions are at the heart of public procurement regimes.

Austerity 'a political choice, not an economic necessity'

Congress later pledged to continue its high profile campaign against welfare cuts and austerity and will press the UK and Scottish governments to take steps to improve employment protections, including the abolition of employment tribunal fees, and an end to poverty pay.

Kevin Hutchens spoke to the composite which included the ATUC call for the "abolition of employment tribunal fees and discussion on the potential need for full control of employment tribunals in Scotland to be fully devolved, to facilitate the abolition of fees and other progressive changes."

Wednesday at the ATUC

Support pledged for Palestinian people in the International Year of Solidarity

Michelle Brady

Congress condemned the human suffering in Palestine as a result of Israeli segregation and backed the ATUC's call to mark International Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People in 2014 by calling on the Scottish Government to include the recent history of the Palestinian people in the school curriculum and to look into producing a booklet to increase awareness of Boycott, Disinvestment and sanctions amongst Scottish Trade Unions.

Michelle Brady moved the Composite and slammed the treatment of the Palestinian people by the Israeli occupation in the West Bank and the blockade of Gaza.

Police Control Centre Closures without consultation condemned

In almost the last throw of the dice on Wednesday afternoon, Congress supported the ATUC's concern at the decision by Police Scotland to close the Aberdeen and other Control Centres, without consultation and agreed that the STUC General Council will formally express its concern to Police Scotland and the Scottish Government.

Michelle Brady, herself a member of UNISON's Police Staff's Branch, told Congress that local knowledge will be lost through these closures - in Aberdeen but also across other parts of the country, with over 450 jobs affected. She called for the STUC to challenge the closures.

Successful Festival of Politics gives Citizen-Eye-View of Scotland’s future

Aberdeen’s first Festival of Politics was described by organisers and those taking part as “incredibly successful”, giving a Citizen-Eye-View of Scotland's future after the Referendum vote in September of this year.

Thanking all those involved for their hard work during the week-long Festival, organiser, Renee Slater said, “I'm sure everyone will agree that whatever the outcome of the referendum, Scotland will certainly be a very different place. The Festival provided a great opportunity for the people of the North East to get involved in the debate”

However, she criticised the refusal of the press to cover the Festival. “It seems they will only talk to politicians and a unique event organised by ordinary people didn't merit a column inch in most of the local media. This is a real shame”

Workers' Memorial Day Monday 28 April 2014 Remember the dead, fight for the living

This year's International Workers Memorial Day Service, will be held at 11am (gather from 10.30am) at Persley Gardens, Persley, Aberdeen. All are welcome to attend.

The ATUC will be represented and will lay a wreath in memory of all those whose lives or health have been lost through work.

International Workers Memorial Day (IWMD) takes place all over the world on 28 April each year.

The purpose of IWMD is two-fold. Firstly it is about not forgetting those who have died, been injured, or made ill by their work. Secondly it is about ensuring that tragic loss and suffering are used to reinvigorate the campaign for healthier and safer work and workplaces.

As the campaign slogan says, we must "Remember the dead, fight for the living."

In this time of austerity, it is ever more important to protect our Health and Safety legislation, which is constantly under attack.

The Service will last for approximately 30mins.