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GMB NATIONAL
GMB Paul Kenny speaks
Opinion
We reproduce the main points the GMB General
Secretary made in his address to GMB Congress 2008,
■ Your GMB, your union which was held in Plymouth in June
G
MB membership has
Paul Kenny gets
grown to 604,500. It is
tough on MPs and
built on policy, planning
the Labour Party.
and a fair bit of passion.
On GMB@Work there will be no
easing off. There will be more of the
same. There will be more campaigning.
There are thousands more GMB
members working in ASDA stores this
year than there were last year. We will
continue until we get to a point where
we can properly bring back collective
bargaining to those ASDA retail
stores. GMB now has a thousand plus
members and recognition in Bakkavör
in North West London that was
totally anti-union less than a year ago.
At Fenland Foods, which supplies
Marks & Spencer, GMB are not going
to be mucked around. I think the
d
iar
campaign T-shirt says it all: “Plan A:
W
Fight for the jobs”.
e
w
GMB is also still battling with the Andr
AA and will not give up. We have lost
some battles at Remploy but anybody
GMB membership has grown to
directly to their MPs. We are going to
who thinks that the war is over has
made a very sad mistake. We are
604,500. It is built on policy, planning
consider our affi liation levels to ensure
they represent the realistic level of
currently going through the courts. and a fair bit of passion. On GMB@Work support within the Union for the party.
At Co-op Funeral Care, GMB
there will be no easing off.
No GMB member’s money will go
members were de-recognised by the to pay off loans that the Labour Party
Co-op after 130 years! We are fi ghting off that is going on every day with took from multi-millionaires who
back against them. speculators making money on our now want their money back because,
All across the Union, we are dealing backs – social housing problems and perhaps, the peerages they thought
with keeping the pay of members up abuse of agency workers. they might have got are not going to
with infl ation, and it is a real struggle. I do not believe that GMB should materialise. Not a single penny!
Our political campaigns are on leave the Labour Party. I do not think GMB aims for a Government and
the move. We have made some that is the way forward. It is the elected representatives that deliver our
movement on agency workers’ rights, wilderness. We should change our needs, by fi ghting for working people,
TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings approach because it is our party and pensioners and the vulnerable. But in
(Protection of Employment)) rights some of its elected representatives doing so, GMB will never forget the
in buyouts; people pay audits and should refl ect our views and our values. carnage that the Tories created and the
equal pay; justice for asbestos workers We have monitored all of our MPs, legacy they left on this country, from
and environmental workplace 108 of them. The aim is very, very which many of us still suffer.
representatives. About corporate simple. If they do not match up to a We will strive for a Labour Party
manslaughter, I say, forget the fi nes level of performance, then the position and Labour Government but let’s not
and bang them up! is absolutely crystal clear. be unrealistic. GMB will make sure
On Gordon Brown. Time is We are removing funding, support that we put to the forefront the key
important for Gordon because, frankly, and all organisational support from issues that affect our members, our
time is running out to convince people those MPs and their constituencies society and our communities.
that the Labour Party should win until they actually follow and be
another term of offi ce. There has been responsive to the needs of working
a failure by his Government to address people in this country.
key issues which affect our members We intend over the next 12 months
every day: tax unfairness, speculators to consult all members about what Paul Kenny
on energy and oil – the absolute rip- their concerns are and relay these General Secretary and Treasurer
www.gmb.org.uk 11
IINS02.nat_kenny 11NS02.nat_kenny 11 11/7/08 14:49:58/7/08 14:49:58
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