GMB ambulance workers on strike in 2023. Photo: Kevin Greenway
GMB ambulance workers on strike in 2023. Photo: Kevin Greenway

Holly Johnston, Nurse and GMB NEYH region (Personal Capacity)

GMB union Congress has seen some encouraging motions, including one calling for a joined-up campaign on health and social care. When one fails, the other also fails. Ambulance waiting times have grown exponentially, but waiting for beds won’t get better without addressing the issues in social care. We need a coordinated campaign to ensure an equitable healthcare system for all.

Our region brought an emergency motion on NHS pay that I spoke on. We said that the general election implies that NHS workers may not receive any pay rise until after the summer. Our staff, our patients and service cannot wait! Time and time again our pay offer is late. No pay offer is the same as a 0% pay offer!

So we must make this a priority for the incoming government and be ready with our demands and our actions. The motion also highlighted the importance of the need to abolish the ‘independent’ Pay Review Body and have direct negotiations, and also the need for the health unions to work together and coordinate our actions.

A theme in Congress so far has also been the amount of cuts and the impact it has on our services: from local government and councils, to welfare and childcare. A motion has been passed calling for university grants for all and free education for NHS and emergency students. We should also demand free education for all!

I spoke on a motion on the Tory anti-union ‘minimum service levels’ legislation, that was passed unanimously. The motion included a strategy to build coalitions of non-compliance, including an industrial response to defend workers’ rights to strike and protect any trade union member attacked under this new law. The union should place demands on employers, devolved governments, local governments and other public bodies to refuse to issue work notices, and to initiate and participate in demonstrations. Keir Starmer must be in no doubt we want the MSLs repealed!

However, there was some reluctance from the leadership in the union to push for our members’ demands in the first 100 days of a Labour government – saying that the reality is it will take longer than that.

Surely it should be that the unions push for change immediately! Regardless of whether they say they cannot deliver, we must hold their feet to the fire rather than kick it down the road.

It is clear that our fights in the trade union movement will be ongoing under a Labour government. Although there has been some great discussion so far at Congress, the need for a political alternative remains apparent and is vital to bring about the real change the working class needs.

Monaghan Report

Near the start of Congress, general secretary Gary Smith faced a walk- out by delegates from North East, Yorkshire and Humber (NEYH). Allegations have been levelled at the general secretary, national president and senior management team, including that they have failed to tackle the culture of institutional sexism and endemic bullying and harassment identified by the Monaghan report in 2020, accompanied by new allegations of bullying, and suspensions of Central Executive Council (CEC) members. This has led to threatened and subsequently averted strike action by GMB staff in NEYH region. A number of urgent questions are raised around the union’s commitment to fully implement the recommendations of the report, and we call on the general secretary and president to provide full transparency and an urgent report to branches, including confirming if CEC members have been suspended, and on what grounds.