Proposals debated at Conference 2009

All decisions on proposed propositions (motions) considered by the BECTU Annual Conference at Bournemouth on 25 April 2009.

Decisions of Conference are flagged by the use of six descriptions:

  • CARRIED - proposal supported by Conference.
  • LOST - proposal rejected by Conference.
  • REMITTED - proposal handed to NEC without any decision by Conference.
  • PASSED OVER - proposal not debated or no vote taken.
  • WITHDRAWN - proposal removed by those who submitted the motion and therefore not considered by Conference.
  • INCORPORATED - amendment incorporated into proposal by agreement of movers of proposal.

Formal motions on the BECTU Conference agenda

AP1 Voting via the BECTU website

That this annual conference applauds the staff at Head Office for the new features now incorporated in the relaunched BECTU website. In noting this progress, conference requests that the NEC takes the necessary steps to allow for any type of BECTU elections or ballots, at all possible levels, to be accommodated in an electronic voting section of the website. This would in no way replace more traditional means of voting, which must remain an option in all circumstances, be no less secure or confidential, and must follow all the current rules governing BECTU ballots.

This conference recommends this initiative in order to secure greater turnout and therefore higher membership involvement in the important election business of the union.

BBC Cardiff

REMITTED

AP2 Ethical sourcing

That this annual conference directs the NEC to introduce a policy of ethical sourcing within its procurement supply chain, to ensure that BECTU does its utmost to secure fair wages and safe employment conditions for all factory workers who produce BECTU-branded products.

BBC Worldwide TV & Publishing

CARRIED

AP3 State of the economy

That this annual conference notes the role of the UK banking sector in creating the current depression, in which thousands of people are losing their jobs every week. Conference also notes that there have been few legal sanctions against those at the top of the banks, who have often received huge pay offs.

Conference instructs the NEC to campaign for a full public enquiry into the collapse of the banking sector, so that lessons can be learnt; and also to confer with other unions who may wish to raise this issue at TUC Annual Conference.

Bush

CARRIED

AP4 Crewbus

That this annual conference notes the BECTU Crewbus service does not meet the needs of increasing numbers of freelance members in Divisions other than film and television. Conference instructs the NEC to ensure Crewbus is suitably configured for freelance members from all Divisions, and further promote this service to relevant employers.

West Midlands Freelance

CARRIED

AP5 Victimisation

That this annual conference welcomes BECTU’s support for the repeal of anti-union laws. It recognises that the trend to individual employment rights exposes individual workers to victimisation and/or non-renewal of contract if they choose to assert those rights. It calls for the campaign for collective union rights to be given a higher profile in Stage Screen and Radio and on the BECTU website, and it urges branches and divisions to seek to collectivise disputes wherever appropriate so as to minimise the risk of individuals being victimised.

Media Make Up & Hair

CARRIED

AP6 Personal accident insurance

That this annual conference asks the NEC to investigate whether the union can use its buying power to obtain preferential rates for members who wish to purchase personal accident insurance, and if possible, with such rates being subsidised in the same way as the existing public liability insurance offered to members.

Freelance Lighting Technicians

CARRIED

AP7 Private health insurance

That this annual conference asks the NEC to investigate whether the union can use its buying power to obtain preferential rates for members who wish to purchase private health insurance, and if possible, with such rates being subsidised in the same way as the existing public liability insurance offered to members.

Freelance Lighting Technicians

LOST

AP8 Delegation reports

That this annual conference instructs the NEC to publish on the BECTU website all reports from delegations from BECTU to other organisations or events.

Post Production & Facilities

CARRIED

AP9 BBC Television Centre

That this annual conference believes that the proposed closure of the BBC television centre in London, and the removal of various programme strands and production departments will detrimentally affect most divisions within the union. The proposed closure will not only result in significant job cuts of BBC staff, but will also threaten the employment and employment prospects of freelances, contract staff, casuals and those members employed by companies contracted to the BBC.

This conference therefore instructs the NEC to carry out a high profile campaign to oppose the closure of TV Centre using all appropriate political contacts and actively pursuing publicity opportunities.

Post Production & Facilities

CARRIED

AP10 Pay (composited)

That this annual conference recognises that a number of our members across all divisions, for example those in catering and cleaning are amongst the lowest paid in the areas covered by BECTU.

Conference therefore instructs the NEC to campaign for a ‘living wage’ and seek to involve all members in the campaign to apply pressure to the companies employing workers on the minimum wage, and to the organisations using those companies as subcontractors.

Where there is a chain of subcontracting, the union will seek to apply pressure on all points of the chain, especially on the media organisation at the top that bears the ultimate responsibility.

This campaign should be based on the action being taken by fellow trade unions and the Mayor of London to establish a ‘living wage’ of £7.45 per hour within London.

Johnsons Controls
BBC Radio & Music Production

CARRIED

AP11 Cross-party select committee

That this annual conference calls on the General Secretary:

  • To take all necessary action, in order to convene the existing ‘Business & Enterprise Committee’, a cross-party select committee of the House of Commons, which scrutinises the role of the BERR and holds it to account.
  • To provide the select committee, such evidence showing:
    1. The complete failure of Employment Agency Standards (EAST) to deal effectively with the problem of up-front fees.
    2. The need for agency licensing.
    3. The need for the EAS to be made a statutory body that can impose fines.
    4. The need for the NMW has to be determined, after agency deductions.
    5. How the EAS have failed to enforce existing regulations.

Film Artistes Association

WITHDRAWN

AP12 Health & safety

That this annual conference asks that all productions provide a heart defibrillator for life saving medical emergencies to every production unit.

Film Artistes Association

REMITTED

EP3 Breast cancer and nightshifts

In the light if the recent decision by the Danish Government to compensate 40 women who developed breast cancer as result of working night shifts, this conference instructs the NEC:

  1. To investigate the risks of cancer linked to nightshifts;
  2. To work with the TUC to raise awareness of this issue, with a view to lobbying the UK Government.

Bush Branch
IT Branch

CARRIED

AP13 Death notification

That this annual conference requests that each organiser and branch chair are informed of the death of a member immediately the union is advised.

Film Artistes Association

LOST

AP14 Strike fund

That this annual conference instructs BECTU to investigate seriously the setting up of a strike fund and the methods for a) collection of fund subscriptions, b) the administration of the fund, and c) the criteria for distribution of the fund in the event of a strike.

BBC Radio & Music Production

LOST

AP15 Fight back against business opposition to trade unions

That this annual conference resolves to instruct [the NEC] to:

  1. Compile, publish and regularly update a list of companies that refuse to recognise trade unions and/or victimise staff who join/try to join/fight for recognition of trade unions;
  2. Encourage BECTU members to boycott such companies, and to write to them telling them why.

If necessary the list could be administered in collaboration with other trade unions.

BBC Radio & Music Production

CARRIED

EP2 Ford Visteon dispute

That this annual conference resolves:

  1. To support the campaign to defend jobs and pensions waged waged by workers at the Ford Visteon plants;
  2. To support with the union banner the March for Jobs on 16 May called by the Unite Union.

Manchester & North West BBC Branch

CARRIED

AP16 Break the Link with Labour

That this annual conference recognises the need to cut ties that hamper us in our fight for our interests, and therefore resolves to withdraw all BECTU funding from the Labour party and cease this union's political affiliation with immediate effect.

BBC Radio & Music Production

LOST

AP17 Media workers and the war

That this annual conference resolves:

  • that BECTU members should be free to obey their conscience and refuse to engage in any propaganda work that helps the criminal war effort in Iraq and Afghanistan, in particular by publishing government and army press releases without independent corroboration or using the invaders' terminology to describe resistance forces and civilian victims;
  • that all members refusing to engage in such work shall have the full backing of the union.

BBC Radio & Music Production

LOST

All the following propositions were remitted to the NEC due Conference to running out of time.

AP18 Reclaim our rights

That this annual conference believes:

  1. that given the above conditions, it is imperative for all trade unions to prepare themselves and their members for a serious fight against further encroachment on pay, conditions, pensions etc, and to defend services such as health, education, the postal service and public broadcasting;
  2. that unjust anti-worker legislation must be overturned, and that the only way to overturn the present anti-union legislation is to defy it en masse.
  3. to use all means at the union's disposal to fight against further attacks on pay, pensions etc, even if to be effective means to defy the anti-union laws;
  4. to coordinate with other unions to build a mass campaign to defy the anti-union laws in order to protect the pay and conditions of all workers in Britain.

BBC Radio & Music Production

REMITTED

AP20 Women writers and directors

That this annual conference calls for the recognition that less than 6% of UK feature Directors are women and less than 12% are screenwriters.(source: skillset report). Conference calls on the upon the NEC to develop proposals in conjunction with the equalities committee on targeted training and development programmes for women directors and screenwriters and to lobby the government for new funds to be allocated to the UK film council for these initiatives providing new funding for a feature industry, which truly reflects a diversity of voices.

Writers Directors and Producers

REMITTED

AP21 Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions

This conference calls on the NEC to be involved in the building of a long-term strategy as a priority to lobby both the British government and TUC to provide practical funds and support to the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGTUG) media workers, journalists and filmmakers to establish and build an independent and democratic media for a New Palestinian state.

Writers Directors and Producers

REMITTED

AP22 Gaza

Conference calls on the NEC to organise a panel with the NUJ and the International Federation of journalists to investigate the targeting of media by Israeli forces in the Gaza strip and to consider further organisation of joint public activity, meetings and campaigns with the NUJ

Writers Directors and Producers

REMITTED

AP23 Palestine solidarity campaign

Conference reaffirms BECTU's affiliation to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and resolves to actively support PSC by encouraging branch affiliation and by raising the profile of the campaign via the union journal, press releases. Conference requests the NEC to give consideration to a donation to the PSC campaign to assist its work and to actively participate in its Trade Union Advisory Committee alongside the other PSC affiliates.

Writers Directors and Producers

REMITTED

AP24 European Working Time Directive Opt Out

That this conference condemns the British Government on its decision to maintain the opt-out of the Working Time Directive and notes the European Parliaments decision to end Britain’s veto and urges the NEC to carry on the campaign to end the Working Time Directive opt-out.

Writers Directors and Producers

REMITTED

AP25 Bolivia

That this annual conference

  • celebrates the success of the Bolivian people in resisting privatisation of gas and water. supports the first indigenous president of the country, Evo Morales in his policies of supporting trade unions, human rights and land reform.
  • condemns the right wing opposition behind the massacre in Pando in October 2008.
  • congratulations President Morales on winning a recall referendum with an increased majority.
  • affiliates to the Bolivian Solidarity Campaign.

Central London OB Engineers

REMITTED

EP1 Young people and the job crisis

With unemployment threatening to rise to 3.2 million by 2010, young people will be hardest hot with hundreds of thousands of school leavers, college leavers and graduates who face trying to find work when there is a job crisis. It is also a concern that young workers have been and will be used as a cheap pool of labour used by employers to undercut wages and conditions in the film and television industry.

Therefore this Conference agrees to:

  1. Support the Youth Fight for Jobs campaign (YF4Jobs)
  2. Send observers to the launch conference on 9 May in London
  3. Develop joint initiatives with YF4Jobs to highlight the low/no pay scandals in the arts and media sectors this union represents
  4. Support the unionisation and integration of young workers
  5. Raise the profile of the campaign throughout the union

Writers Directors and Producers

REMITTED

EP4 Conference timetable

This conference believes that, since the NEC acknowledges that the time for conference is short, the timetable for future conferences should follow similar lines to previous years and include two days for divisional and annual conference, thus giving the opportunity for fuller debate and the possibility of extra workshops and training sessions to benefit delegates.

BBC Cardiff

REMITTED

Last updated 29 April 2009