Summary of Branch Meeting 250124

The January meeting of the GMB Northants Community Branch took place on Thursday the 25th January 2024 at 7pm on Zoom

Below are the summary minutes of the meeting. A full copy of the minutes are sent to attendees and available on request from the branch secretary

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A PDF copy of the January Summary Minutes are here

​Summary Minutes of the Branch Meeting held on 25th January 2024

​Matters Arising
 
Item (e) from previous mins, November correspondence. (Jackie) Election 2024 or 2025?  Secretary to contact Richard Taylor and report to February meeting. 
 
Correspondence.

•  Significant volume of members correspondence over the past 2 months, Representations etc…
• Various campaign correspondence – 38 Degrees; Cuba Solidarity, Nicaragua etc…
• Rachelle – several pieces of correspondence – members representation.
• Kettering Constituency Labour Party – Candidates.
• 38 Degrees – Palestine, NHS.
• Mark Pengally – Burns night 2024
• Wellingborough By election.
• Adrian – website updates.
• Banner Theatre – Freedom for Palestine.
• CEC minutes.
• Wellingborough election. – Fin Bowie, support for candidate
• Regional Council Minutes.
• Midland Region staff results.
• Martin Allen – vacancies.
• Regional Council – update on disputes and membership figures..
• Nicaragua campaign updates. 
• CEC Election returns.
• Congress delegations – Branch have requested two visitors’ tickets.
• National Pensioners Convention. Reaffiliate agreed.
• Mark Pengally – Francis O’Grady visiting Corby. February 1st 2024.
• Rachelle, NNC report. Event 29th January.
• GMB diaries.  Received!
• Requests to join the GMB WhatsApp group.
• Preserving Midland Manufacturing – Call to Action, 10th February 2024.
• Gen Kitchen. PPC.
• Membership cancellations.
• Hunsbury Park primary School – Rachelle dealing with this.
• March for the Right to Strike, 25th February 2024. Cheltenham
• Survey – Verena to report.
• Team Labour – canvassing.
• Regional Election – re-run in the coming months due to spoilt papers.
• Pat – Megaphone announcements.
• Region Council minutes – December 2023

 
Secretary’s Report

• Election of CEC candidates.  Agreed support Colin Gunter.
• Invite to Rosie Wrighting and Lee Barron to speak to the branch. Both have agreed.
• Verena – Young person’s survey.  Verena to conduct (supported by Adrian) and circulate and report back.  Questions agreed.
• Planks Gave Way – potential for bringing the play to Congress 2024.  Still in progress
• Burns Night – Labour Party Corby .  Secretary attended. 
• Corby Holocaust Memorial 2024 – Secretary has accepted the invite to speak.
• Potential for coffee mornings. 
• Invite to PPC candidates,

 
Presidents Report
 
Jackie reported on a webinar on Right to Strike, march in Cheltenham. Excellent speakers.  Jackie happy to pass on the information received from the webinar. Interesting talk on Minimum Service Levels, in relation to government legislative restrictive requirements. 
 
Digital Communications Officers Report

• Website activity for last 30 days: we had 143 (-36) website visits (sessions) by 112 (30) people (users)
• News Items Added to Website:

NICE DRAFT MENOPAUSE GUIDELINES
BANNER THEATRE FREEDOM FOR PALESTINE
DEMAND EMIRATES AIRLINES ALLOW WORKERS REPRESENTATION
POLITICAL FUND BALLOT NOTICE
TUC EQUALITY CONFERENCES: DEADLINES 2024
ASDA KETTERING CHRISTMAS RECRUITMENT DAY
2024 GMB NORTHANTS BRANCH MEETING DATES
WHAT IS NEURODIVERSITY WEBINAR JAN 2024
EMLU WELLINGBOROUGH CAMPAIGN DAY FEB 2024
TUC EQUALITY CONFERENCES 2024
JOIN THE TUC MARCH FOR THE RIGHT TO STRIKE 27TH JAN 2024
SUMMARY OF BRANCH MEETING 301123
JANUARY 2024 BRANCH MEETING
HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY CORBY 2024

• WhatsApp Group has 36 (+3) members
• The January email newsletter was sent out on Friday 19th January 2024 to 1,609 members (Jan members list) and has been opened by 730 members, a 45.6% opening rate
• X / Twitter: 805 Followers. Last 28 days: Tweets viewed (impressions) 147 (65.2%)
• Facebook: 363 Followers. Last 28 days: Posts seen (reach) 210 (+337.5%)

Equality Officers Report

•  Attended the Regional Equalities meeting.  Planning ahead for 2024. 
• International Women’s Day.  Still waiting on a day for that event. 
• Retired Members Association – something the branch should consider going forward is a push for greater recognition within the union. Consider a motion to have a formal seat on the Regional Committee.  As it stands no access!  Excellent discussion from the branch about pushing this item going forward. 
• Regional Equalities Conference in Stoke – 25th March 2024.

 
Youth Officers Report
 Verena, update on survey.   
  
Regional Organisers Report
 
Secretary report that he will take up whether the branch should have an election in 2024, given that Gordon stayed on an extra year due to Covid.  Report to next meeting.
 
Accompanying Reps Report

• Secretary reported being very busy prior to Xmas with a significant number of cases. 
• Secretary reported more cases are coming direct to the Secretary by virtue that his details on the website.  All cases discussed with Rachelle.
• Gordon expressed his concern about how cases are processed. 

 
Workplace Report

•  Rep gave a report from xxxx.  A very busy Xmas period, moral was quite low among staff. 
• Mental health has become an issue in the workplace.  Neil has put up notices in relation to MIND.
• Have been able to negotiate more facilities for union work, now 3 hours a week. 
• Also, recruited a new Rep.
• Have registered a grievance with regard to concerns on ‘out of date’ food. 
• Having a better relationship with the store manager.
• Petrol station in xxxx is now unmanned and relocated back into the store.
• Rep was thanked for an excellent report!
• Christopher attending his first meeting gave a short report about his place of work.  It was good to see a new member at the meeting. Secretary to make to contact with Christopher.

 
Any Other Business
WASPI update report from Pat.  Information for the website.

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