Annual conference
BECTU's head office
26 The National Executive Committee continued to operate the policy of seeking to find suitable alternative accommodation for BECTU and to find the right purchasers for the union's current head office for the first six months of 2000.
27 When the National Executive Committee met in July 2000 it recognised that in the absence of a suitable alternative head office that the existing head office presented a poor image to visitors and potential members, and asked the Finance & General Purposes Committee to develop practical proposals to be considered by the National Executive Committee with a view to achieving an improvement to the front of the union's head office.
28 The National Executive Committee agreed at its meeting on the 13 August that £30,000 would be allocated out of the 2001 budget to achieve an improvement in the shop front/reception area and conference room and that a number of designers be asked to compete for the work within the agreed budget. It was agreed that the work should start as soon as possible in January 2001.
29 The National Executive Committee agreed at its meeting on the 24 September that the two companies pitching proposals for the interior design project be eligible for payments of up to £500 each for doing so.
30 Two companies - Paul Mullins Associates and Langmans Interiors - made presentations to the union's Finance & General Purposes Committee in October 2000 and the National Executive Committee agreed at its meeting on the 5 November 2000 that subject to there being sufficient funds in the income and expenditure account for 2001 Langmans Interiors be appointed to refurbish the front of the union's head office and the Asquith Room.
31 At the same meeting the General Secretary drew to the attention of the National Executive Committee details of a property in Clapham Road which had arrived unsolicited in the post. The National Executive Committee agreed that a small delegation from the National Executive Committee would visit this property on Friday 10 November.
32 When the National Executive Committee met on the 17 December 2000 it was reported that the majority of those who made up the delegation visiting the property located at 373-377 Clapham Road, SW9 thought that it had very interesting possibilities and that the union should explore the matter further. The General Secretary reported to that meeting that he had concluded it would not make sense for BECTU to sell its existing offices in Wardour Street valued at £3 million plus and move into a property at Clapham Road, valued at £2� million. He did, however think it was worth exploring the possibility of refurbishing the union's existing offices in Wardour Street, lease this property out and using the income to repay the loan that would be necessary to purchase 373-377 Clapham Road.
33 The agents used by the National Executive Committee were Hutchinson Morrison Childs. Peter Hutchinson, one of the senior partners, had been asked to produce a report and give a written estimate of (a) how much it would cost to refurbish 111 Wardour Street to an extent that would allow us to lease out the property successfully; (b) how long it would take to carry out the refurbishment, and (c) how long would it take to find someone willing to lease the property. One of the most disturbing things about the report that had been produced was that it placed a value on the union's existing offices in Wardour Street of less than £3 million in their current condition. The report indicated that with complete refurbishment of the office, which would cost approximately £530,000 plus VAT, the offices would then be valued at in excess of £4 million. The report also indicated that it would be possible to achieve an average rental of £40 per square foot for the offices at ground level and above, and £20 per square foot for the ancillary accommodation at basement level, and that this would produce a total income from 111 Wardour Street of £342,000 per annum.
34 The General Secretary reported that he had established, prior to the meeting, that the business plan which he had drawn up would be agreed by Unity Trust Bank and that Unity Trust Bank or another bank would be willing to make a loan facility available to BECTU of £3.25 million to cover the costs of purchasing 373-377 Clapham Road, and to refurbish the union's current offices at 111 Wardour Street. The business plan envisaged that it would take 12 months to refurbish the union's Wardour Street offices and that there would be a further 6 month period during which the property would be let out during which time there would be no income from Wardour Street. The report that had been prepared for the National Executive Committee also demonstrated that the refurbishment of the reception area and Asquith room currently being considered by the National Executive Committee was insignificant compared to the complete programme of works that would need to be carried out on the union's head office. The business plan drawn up by the General Secretary is attached to this report as Appendix C.
35 Following a very full debate the National Executive Committee agreed to endorse the business plan set out in the General Secretary's letter to Kerry Walton of Unity Trust Bank, that the General Secretary be authorised to instruct Hutchinson Morrison Childs to start the process necessary to purchase 373-377 Clapham Road, to authorise the General Secretary in consultation with the General Officers to achieve the best financing possible for the business plan. The National Executive Committee then decided to endorse the business plan outlined in the General Secretary's letter dated 12 December 2000 to Kerry Walton of Unity Trust Bank with or without the purchase of 373-377 Clapham Road, and that if the purchase of this property fell through for any reason that the union should look for an alternative property that fits the business plan.
36 The General Secretary reported to the January meeting of the National Executive Committee that there was at least one other prospective purchaser for 373-377 Clapham Road and the National Executive Committee agreed to authorise the General Secretary to increase BECTU's bid beyond the asking price. At the time of writing BECTU's solicitors were preparing the necessary paperwork to exchange contracts. A supplementary report will be given.
Proposition 5/01 (AP5) Head Office
That this annual conference recommends that the right place for the head office is at the present location, and not at Clapham, as has been suggested.
Production Management Support
Amendment
Delete "at the present location" and insert "in the Soho/West End area".
Camera Department
ERS contract
37 BECTU has renewed its contract with Electoral Reform Services for a further year, under which they are responsible for the processing of membership application forms, the calculation of subscriptions and the updating of members' payment records. They also have responsibility for writing to members whose membership has ceased and for writing to direct payers a couple of months prior to their renewal date for subscriptions.
Membership database
38 Since the end of 2000 we have been providing branches with a quarterly list of all new members, rejoiners and cessations within their branch during that period. Officials are being provided with similar information on a monthly basis for the areas for which there are responsible. The NEC is given data on leavers and joiners every month.
39 Maintenance and development work on the Miller Technology Oracle database has continued intensively since last year's conference. Some 105 support �issues� were logged, broadly divided into three types:
- "bug-fixing" - ironing out inherent software problems that have emerged since installation in 1999, including corrupt data inherited in the data transfer process between the old and new databases;
- user errors - problems arising out of unfamiliarity with some of the system's functionality, and the transfer of bulk processing to Electoral Reform Services;
- chargeable enhancements - development and installation of extra functionality to meet new or unforeseen circumstances.
40 At the time of writing 86 issues had been resolved but new ones were still being added albeit at a much slower rate.
41 Foremost among the first type of issue has been a seemingly intractable software glitch affecting a number of members paying subscriptions by direct debit. The system has not coped as well as it might with members who have switched to direct debit from standing orders or direct payments. In the earlier part of the year it was necessary to apologise in advance to some members whose direct debits were not collected promptly, but multiplied in a subsequent collection.
42 A major example of the second type of issue was the re-run of NEC elections in the summer of 2000 affecting members in the Arts & Entertainment and London Production divisions. This was necessitated by users' misunderstanding of a �No Mail� function provided on the system when selecting records for balloting. About 300 members in each division failed to receive ballot papers as a result, and re-ballots had to take place after the problem had been identified.
43 Examples of the third type of issue include computer administration of the £10 introductory subscription offer and of reduced rate subscriptions for New Entrants/Graduates, training in more detailed statistical reporting using the Cognos reportwriter software, reports to branch secretaries on members moving in and out of their branches, validation mechanisms for subscriptions received by check-off, protocols for members paying at incorrect rates (e.g. £96 per annum), subscription reminder, warning and lapsing procedures, and improvements in committee and mailing list administration.
44 Last year the database successfully delivered a conference administration module, which, among other things, allowed delegates to be registered by barcode scanning for the first time. Had there been a card vote at last year's conference, that would have been counted electronically as well. Delegates may well be able to judge its merits at this year's conference.
Data Protection Act
45 The implementation of the 1998 Data Protection Act in October 2000, and subsequent legislation regarding interception of e-mail by employers, brought further complications. In particular the union has had to tread warily towards the objective of exchanging membership information with branch secretaries by e-mail if their e-mail address is on their employer's domain. Guarantees of confidentiality may have to be obtained from employers or others who may wittingly or otherwise come across "personal data" - this includes data which has the effect of divulging whether or not someone is a trade union member.
46 A clearer statement from the union as a "data controller" under the 1998 Act of its relationship with "data subjects" - i.e. members - is also desirable, and at the 2001 conference the NEC is using its powers under rule 45(b) to propose changes to rule 7 intended to reflect the changes between the 1994 Data Protection Act and the 1998 Act.
Propositon 6/01 (AP1) Data Protection Act 1998
That this annual conference approves the following alterations to rule submitted by the NEC under rule 45(b):
Rule 7(b)
Delete "Such data will be used by the union only for such purposes as are specified in its Data Protection registration." and insert: "Members agree to the processing of data by the union including data as to whether or not they are members of the union for the purposes of furthering its objectives in accordance with these rules."
Rule 7(d)
In last sentence delete "register computer records" and insert "process membership data"
National Executive Committee
Proposition 7/01 (AP17) E-mail interception
That this annual conference opposes changes to the Official Secrets Act and other measures that attempt to curtail civil liberties by the wholesale interception of personal electronic communications.
Camera Department
BECTU website
47 Traffic on BECTU's website, www.bectu.org.uk, continued to grow during 2000. Hits on the site averaged 95,639 per month, generated by more than 140,000 user sessions over the course of the year - an increase of 64% compared to the last two quarters of 1999. By February 2001, the monthly hits figure had grown to 150,333. Actual usage figures are thought to be well in excess of this, due to the numerous ISPs and employers who cache BECTU's most-visited pages, allowing their users to read them without being recorded on the union's Poptel-operated web server.
48 New areas added to the site included details of freelance rates paid by AFVPA and PACT, information about the union's stakeholder pension scheme, and a home site for the Directors' Rights Campaign. Over 60 members, and six branches, asked for their own websites to be featured on the union's links pages.
49 More than 12,000 visits were made to the Skillsbase home page, and the BECTU membership form was often one of the most popular ten pages each month. News remained a major feature of the site - 115 new stories were posted over the year, and a dedicated area was created to cover negotiations on the BBC reorganisation.
50 For an experimental period, edited news stories were ported to a BECTU mobile internet site which could be accessed from WAP-enabled portable telephones. However, use of the facility was too low to justify continuing the service.
51 For the third year running, full annual conference documentation was made available on the site. Development plans for the site include a comprehensive search facility, discussion areas, and password protected member-only sections. Administration of the site continues to be done by voluntary effort.
Proposition 8/01 (AP9) BECTU website
That this annual conference instructs the NEC to take immediate steps to upgrade the BECTU website.
As the principal union in the broadcasting, entertainment and multimedia industry, BECTU should have a website worthy of its status, with a content which maximises the opportunities as a means of recruitment and employment, and reflects the national and regional aspect of the organisation.
Featuring leading-edge technology and administered by a dedicated webmaster, among its provisions it should include:
- up-to-date information on agreements and legislation;
- on-line membership application to aid recruitment;
- on-line Crewfinder (or members' directory) to enhance the employment opportunities for freelance members;
- interactive notice-boards where National Officials can post information relative to specific divisions and issues (e.g. training, health and safety, etc.) and where members can exchange information, or where employers or members can post job vacancies.
South Wales Freelance
Amendment
In third paragraph, after "1 up-to-date information on agreements and legislation;" insert: "2 a prominent recruitment appeal advertisement panel placed high on the home page to attract potential members, including freelance workers;" then renumber remaining items accordingly; in item 4 delete ", or where employers or members can post job vacancies".
Post Production & Facilities
Communications White Paper
52 The government published the Communications White Paper in December 2000. The National Executive Committee asked all of the relevant divisions to set out their views on the proposals and ideas set out in the White Paper, and following the widest consultation BECTU's response was submitted to the DTI and DCMS prior to the deadline on the 12 February 2001. BECTU's response is set out as Appendix D to this report. BECTU also gave oral evidence to the DCMS Select Committee on the Communications White Paper on the 25 January 2001.
Proposition 9/01 (AP16) Communications White Paper
That this annual conference opposes and rejects the policies laid out in the government's Communications Reform White Paper which encourage further concentration of media ownership, and which also fail to maintain and strengthen public service obligations and the quality and diversity of television broadcasting. Conference calls upon the union to campaign for the re-opening of the consultation period for the issues and policies raised by the White Paper and for an independent public inquiry into the future of television and radio broadcasting. The work of the inquiry shall be to inform and influence policy discussions around the Communications White Paper.
Camera Department
Life, honorary and deceased members
53 The National Executive Committee has during the course of the last year awarded Life Membership to David Fowle, D J Kelly, Alec Mills, and Elaine Short.
54 The National Executive Committee is inviting conference to approve the award of Honorary Membership to George Maniatakis.
55 The union's journal, up to its March 2001 issue, has recorded that the following members and/or employees of BECTU, or its founder unions, have passed away during the course of the year: Derek Arnold, Lawrie Baker, John Bramall, Gladys Brooks, Ken Cameron, Maurice Carter, Eric Chohan, Alf Cooper, Joan Davis, Carmen Dillon, Bob Dunbar, Marcel Durham, Michael Forlong, Sir John Gielgud, Denis Gifford, Anthony Gilkison, Bernard Hedges, Harry Holton, Arthur Humberstone, Richard Isaac, Jim Lascelles, Ursula Lee, Ned Lynch, Harry McFarlane, Peter Page, Ron Pope, Ray Sturgess, Robin Scott, Jim Shields, Brian Thompson, Larry Thompson, Stephen Wade, Jim Walker, Donald Wyatt.
Trades Union Congress
56 BECTU's delegates to the 2000 Trades Union Congress, which was held in Glasgow, were the General Secretary, President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Rose McDonald. BECTU successfully submitted two motions to the Congress.
57 The National Executive Committee at its meeting on the 28 January 2001 decided that BECTU should be represented at the TUC Women's Conference by Helene Bevan, Cathy Snow, Moira Elliott, Kate Elliott, Si�n Gale and Edna Hewitson.
58 BECTU was represented at the 2000 conferences of the Scottish TUC, the Wales TUC and the Northern Ireland Conference of the Irish Congress.
59 The union continues to be represented on the Council of the Southern & Eastern Regional TUC. Through SERTUC, Jack Amos represents the union on the London Mayor's Cultural Strategy Group.
Labour Party
60 BECTU was represented at the 2000 Labour Party Conference by the President, Tony Lennon, AGS Gerry Morrissey and Helene Bevan. BECTU was also represented at the conferences of the Scottish Labour Party and the Wales Labour Party.
Proposition 10/01 (AP20) Labour Party affiliation
That this annual conference instructs the NEC to disaffiliate from the Labour Party.
Bush House 2
Amendment
After "disaffiliate" insert "BECTU", and after "Labour Party" insert "and remain disaffiliated until such time as a future conference decides otherwise."
BBC IT Services
Proposition 11/01 AP21 Political Fund
That this annual conference notes:
- The failure of Tony Blair's New Labour Government to defend working class people and the interests of trade unionists.
- The growing support for candidates and groups that more closely represent BECTU policy and the interests of BECTU members, such as Ken Livingstone, the Socialist Alliances and the Scottish Socialist Party.
Conference resolves:
- That political fund money (other than affiliation fees to the Labour Party nationally and regionally) should be spent on candidates and campaigns that accord more closely with BECTU policies.
- Branches should be allowed to give money to groups and political organisations whose aims accord more closely with BECTU's aims and objectives.
- Branches should not be allowed to give money to organisations and political parties that are in direct opposition to the aims and objectives of BECTU.
BBC IT Services
Amendment
Delete the final sentence of the proposition (i.e. item 3).
North West Freelance
Affiliations
61 BECTU has remained affiliated to the following organisations since last year's conference [all figures in £]:
General Fund
Federation of Entertainment Unions 2,500
Irish Congress of Trade Unions 613
Scottish TUC 1,539
Trades Union Congress 43,026
Media Entertainment International (50%) 14,867
Political Fund
Action for Southern Africa 150
Amnesty International 127
Arts for Labour 150
British Copyright Council 770
British Film Institute 176
British Screen Advisory Council 4,100
British Standards Institution 176
Campaign for Freedom of Information (variable)
Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom 225
Cuba Solidarity Campaign 75
Institute of Employment Rights 200
International Centre for Trade Union Rights 100
Labour Party 24,000
Labour Research Department 601
Mechanics Institute 50
Media Entertainment International (50%) 14,867
Metier 100
National Abortion Campaign 100
National Assembly Against Racism (variable)
National Campaign for the Arts 235
Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign 200
Scottish Labour Party 250
Skillset 1,175
Southern and Eastern Regional TUC 250
Theatres Advisory Council 420
Trade Union CND 200
Trade Union Disability Alliance 100
62 Since the last conference the National Executive Committee has decided to affiliate to the Socialist Education Association at an annual fee of £100, and to the NHS Support Federation at an annual fee of £250.