Retired Members section – Minutes from meeting of 18th May 2022
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COMMUNICATION WORKERS UNION
NORTH STAFFS (POSTAL) BRANCH
RETIRED MEMBERS SECTION
Minutes of the Meeting of 18th May 2022
Chair Andrew Cawley
Minutes Jan Zablocki
The Chair welcomed everyone attending and opened the meeting at 10.30am at the North Stafford Hotel, Station Road, Stoke on Trent.
Apologies
Chris Stones, Tim Waye, Wayne & Pauline Oliver, Judith Collinson, Eilleen Jones, Alan Jukes, Mick Taylor, Graham Lowe, Alan Carter and Gary Pointon all sent their apologies for being unable to attend the meeting. Mick Jones would be late but would attend the meeting.
Minutes
The minutes of the previous meeting of the 16th March 2022 were read and agreed as a true and accurate record.
Organising Secretary’s Report
A report of the visit to the Blists Hill Industrial Village was given and everyone expressed their enjoyment of the event. There was a brief report of CWU Annual Conference at which it was revealed:-
Proposition 1 – Calling for the restoration of full legal services to members and dependents – was Not Carried.
Proposition 3 – Calling for a review of Unionline legal services (following Proposition 24 Carried at 2018 Annual Conference calling for a review of Unionline legal services which was carried but not enacted by the CWU Executive) with a report to Branches by the end of 2022 – was Timed Out.
Proposition 4 – Calling for a review of Unionline legal services similar to that of Prop 3 – was timed out.
Proposition 12 – Calling for the CWU to campaign within the TUC and Labour Party to oppose the Health & Social Care Bill which simply provides mechanisms for further privatisation of services – was Carried.
Proposition 19 – Calling for the financial rebate to Branches to be increased where Branches’ memberships are spread across large geographical areas and remote communities – was carried.
Proposition 26 – Calling for a “one member one vote” electoral system within the CWU (restoring the voting rights of Retired Members) – was Not Carried.
Proposition 61 – Calling for the union to campaign with the TUC & Labour Party to campaign to maintain the “triple lock” on State Pensions and improve entitlements for retired people – was Timed Out.
Chair’s Report
Andrew reported that he had been waiting to two years for a hip operation on the NHS but was offered treatment within two weeks if he was willing to pay the £14,000 cost of the operation. Graham Ellis reported he had been on a waiting list for a hip operation for two years and was expected to wait a further year before he could be treated by the NHS. The Secretary reported he had done a fact finding investigation into the state of the NHS to present to the North Staffs Pensioners Convention and would circulate it to CWU Retired Members.
Finance Report
Andrew reported the visit to Blists Hill had cost a total of £681 from the £4,300 available for the Retired Members Section leaving a balance of some £3,619.
Social Report
There was a discussion of arrangements for the next event and it was agreed to organise a visit to the Triumph Motorcycle Factory in Leicestershire around the end of July with a further event in September.
Any Other Business
Andrew reported that he had spoken to Michelle Simpson at CWU Headquarters and e mailed her, following the sale of the CWU Education Centre at Alvescot, Oxfordshire, requesting the return of plaques from the site that commemorated the outstanding contribution made to the Union by North Staffordshire Branch activists but without success. Andrew reminded the meeting it was the Branches who had paid for the plaques and not CWU HQ. The organising secretary said he would contact the Branch Secretary about making representations to CWU HQ about this matter.
It was agreed to convene the next meeting for Wednesday 20th July at the North Stafford Hotel and the meeting was then closed at 11.50am.
