At the last AGM, I agreed to continue in post for this year. Monthly
meetings of the Council have been held and a range of issues have
been discussed. I hope delegates and branches have benefited from
this involvement.
Branches have been supported with a number of campaigns, in particular
CWU in their dispute with Royal Mail. Campaigning against the BNP
has also featured in our activities. Currently we are supporting the
“Defend the Welfare State” campaign supported by all major
unions.
The Trades Council had the opportunity to send an observer to the
TUC Women’s Conference in Scarborough. Sarah Pigott represented
the Council at the conference. The Trades Council’s Conference
in Eastbourne was attended by Pete Norfolk. Thanks are extended to
both for attending these events on behalf of the Council.
The Council was also represented at the SERTUC Trades Council in November.
Delegates also attended the quarterly meetings of the Essex Association
of Trades Union Councils, where we play an important part.
Coming to the future, I do believe that we can play a valuable part
in the union community as a focus point on the important issues that
will face us. It is important to ensure that we remain active, relevant
and visible.
There is a need to build solidarity amongst unions and branches, as
often a little support can go a long way. It is likely that we will
need to be working together a lot more in the future. Building links
is vital, because a union may have issues that we need to hear about
and I believe there is much experience that can be tapped into through
Trades Councils.
I will continue to work for the Council and for the benefit of our
affiliates. My thanks go to colleagues who have supported the Council
over the past year and have been active on our behalf.
Chris Burrow - Secretary 04.02.10
