Summary Minutes of Branch Meeting 290525

18/6/2025

The May branch meeting of GMB Northants Community Branch (C51) took place on Thursday the 29th May 2025 at 7pm on Zoom.
Below are the summary minutes of the meeting. A full copy of the minutes are circulated to attendees and available on request from the branch secretary

A PDF file copy of the May Summary Minutes are here

GMB Northants Community
Summary Branch Minutes 29th May 2025

Correspondence.

May Day greetings from several unions.
Marzena – updated members list.
Members enquiries – 34.
Pat – Blanks Gave Way
Sarah James – RMA.
Adelle Atkiss – New Regional Secretary – Phil Soper.
BBC Northampton.
Anti-Poverty Campaign – WFA
Labour Party
Adele Atkiss – CEC minutes.
Mike Wealer RIP.
Unity Trust – Warning.
Pat – Women’s TUC.
Chainmakers Festival – 28th June 2025.
Adele – CEC minutes.
Mark Pengally – Corby Highland Gathering.
Neil - Congress
Jackie – meeting.
Wortley Hall – update.
Unity Trust – Impact report.
Corby Pride – 2025.
38 Degrees – update.
Alan – Corby the Wasted Years
Adrian – website.
Education – case handling.
Wortley Hall – Orgreave play.
Labour Party x 4.
Adrian – website.
WhatsApp group – new member.
Pat – WASPI.
Pellecraft – Accounts.
38 Degrees – Update.
CEC minutes.
Adelle – VE Challenge Event – Charity.

Branch Secretary’s Report

Corby the Wasted Years – publication hopefully in July.
Media proposal from Abi and Neil – passed, agreed budget of xxxx
Corby Highland Gathering 12/13th July – Agree to have a stall @ xxxx
Update on Rajko – feeling better and thanks to branch.
Community Officer . Agree the branch should have one going forward from the elections in June.
Education Officer – Agreed to an officer going forward from the elections in June.
Secretary took various questions from members around his report.

Branch Elections , June 2025.
Reminder of elections in June. Officers always available to talk to any potential candidates as agreed by the branch. A list of nominations received will be available prior to the next meeting. Gordon was able to clarify rules appertaining to elections.

Presidents Report:

Jackie reported on the following activity
Full report from the Region Council meeting 21st May, 2025.
Jackie expressed her concern about how we work with Unionline. It is understood those concerns are widespread.
GMB Protect – Pat expressed how good the presentation was and what a good addition they will be to the union, explaining their work and how they contact the membership.
Rachelle was able explain her involvement with MOD.
Report on the Credit Union – branches making more use of the CU. Suggestion that honorarium payments could be paid into CU accounts.
Report on membership subscriptions, including retired members!
Pat expressed her joy at the number of new members on the Council.

Digital Communication Office

Website activity (GA4) for last 30 days: we had 208 (+12) website visits (sessions) by 154 (+8) people (users).
gmbnorthants.org domain due for renewal at cost of xxxxx for 1 year.
News Items Added to Website:

Alice Hawkins Event and Peter Barratt video. Read Easy Kettering and Corby. Corby Pride 2025 Corby The Wasted Years - Steel in Their Blood .
Summary of Branch Meeting 240425 May 2025 GMB Northants Branch Meeting.

WhatsApp Group has 49 (+0) members.
The May Email Newsletter was sent out on Saturday 24th May to 1,739 members (May members list) and has been opened by 698 members, a 40% opening rate.
X / Twitter: 786 (-4) Followers.
Facebook: 462 (+2) Followers. Last 28 days: Posts Views 339 (-61%) seen (reach) by 96 (-54%) people.

Equality Officers Report

Pat reported that it has been quiet lately but she has been sending through ‘feeds’ as she has received them.
WASPI update.
Regional Council – Pat supported Jackie’s report from region.
Again, concern about Unionline.
“Radical change on the Council with new members.”
Pat reported on her preparations for Congress.

Youth Officers Report
Verena to take forward the ideas we discussed at the last meeting to attract more young people to the branch.
Verena reported on her own workplace and the current state of pay negotiations.

Regional Organisers Report

Rachelle gave an extensive report of her current workload, which included the following reports:
Matalan, distribution.
North Northants Council – report, post-election in May. Meetings arranged to meet the new leadership.
Public Sector pay ballot report. Recommendation from all unions to reject current offer (3.2%) on the table. Rachelle to keep the branch updated.
St Andrew’s Healthcare – increase in the number of cases we are dealing with. Current membership nearly 300. Branch officials hoping to support Rachelle in St Andrews to recruit some new branch officials from the current staff and train them up.
ASDA – Equal pay claim update.
Schools report – concerns expressed about GMB members being poached by NEU.
Kettering Hospital – hopeful of a recognition agreement in the coming weeks.
Questions from members. Concerns expressed about the loss of so many dedicated Counsellors at the May election.
Jackie to work closely with the Secretary to visit more workplaces with Rachelle, especially the training of new reps.

Accompanying Reps Report (ARs)

Alan reported again, he’s been very busy with recent cases, mostly disciplinary.
Considerable increase in phone advice given to members.
Secretary reported he will be attending Congress for 1 day.

Workplace Report

Neil gave a comprehensive report on his work at ASDA, including the following:
Health & Safety update. Seven first aiders now trained.
Store looking a lot better, mostly due to Neils diligence on the shop floor and working with the management. .
Neil reported on cases he has been handling.
Recruitment day – 23rd June.

Any Other Business

Pat – report on her magisterial work.
New judicial paper now available for members – please contact Pat.
TUC equalities report.

Date and Time of Next Meeting
26th June 2025– Zoom.

summary_minutes_290525.pdf
File Size:	437 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

0 Comments