Prospect National Conference 2024: Sunday, 9 June

More than 300 delegates, made of up senior reps from across Prospect, are in Birmingham for the union’s National Conference 2024, which is being held between 8-11 June.

Across several days of Conference business, as well as hearing from special guest speakers, such as Paul Nowak, the TUC General Secretary, taking part in fringe meetings on issues such as pensions, neurodiversity and environmental action in the workplace, delegates are voting on the issues that they want Prospect to be focussing on during the next couple of years.

As Mike Clancy, Prospect General Secretary, wrote in his welcoming remarks to the conference agenda:

“Conference is an opportunity to share our successes, reflect on what we have done well and what we can do better in future. Conference is the core democracy of the union and delivers accountability to members through their representatives.”

Read more from Mike’s address to National Conference.

Mike Clancy speech to Prospect conference: we must revive trade unionism in the private sector

In conference business on the first day, Sunday, 9 June, delegates debated and voted on more than 30 different motions across a variety of topics. Here’s a summary of some key motions.

Energy and environment

Four motions concerning the climate crisis were carried practically unanimously by delegates.

One of those motions, was moved by Nick Mole (UK Intellectual Property Office), who said: “It is essential that the National Executive Committee builds on the campaigning work that has been done to raise the profile and understanding of the work Prospect members do, and to ensure that the present environmental realities and threats we face form an irreducible core of that campaigning.

“This has to go in lock step with a campaign for Just Transition and to ensure that the pay of our members and the funding of the work they carry out is adequate to retain and develop the skill base we have.”

Similarly, an NEC motion, moved by George Ryall, was also carried that pledged to continue their work across various areas of the climate crisis, such as building Prospect’s membership in low carbon technologies and strengthening partnerships with ‘aligned employers and other organisations.’

Jon Hollis (Environment Agency) moved another successful motion, instructing the NEC “to set up a cross sector group utilising expertise from public and private sector branches to identify, based on sound science, shortcomings in current measures and identify and promote robust measures to achieve the required outcomes.”

A motion moved by Julia Coneybeer (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) highlighted the need for the restoration of nature and for showcasing the work of the environmental workforce was also carried.

However, one motion on the climate crisis also from the Efra branch was remitted by delegates. Adriana Gielbert proposed the promotion of the ‘personhood of nature’, however the NEC, while sympathetic for the need to strengthen environmental laws, argued this was still a novel and uncertain area of the law, and successfully called for remittal.

Equality and diversity

Christine Danniell for the NEC carried a motion on fighting and rooting out sexual harassment in workplaces as a trade union priority.

“Sexual harassment by colleagues ranges from inappropriate comments, unwanted touching and so-called banter to serious sexual assaults. We know that tolerance for lower-level misbehaviour can become a breeding ground for the worst excesses and, in some cases, criminality.

“This is a historic issue but it’s one that women have been reluctant to report for good reason. Many of those who are brave enough to do so end up getting blamed, having their career prospects curtailed, or being shunned. These are our members, your colleagues, your friends at work.”

Among the actions were the establishment of a confidential advice line to support members and to hold employers to account for their responsibility to eliminate harassment.

Delegates also voted to carry a motion brought by Debbie Gosman (Efra) calling on the NEC to use the general election as an opportunity to work with the new government to strengthen the Equality Act “to ensure the most vulnerable members of the workforce, including those affected by disabilities, pregnancy and gender reassignment, are better protected.”

Greater support for activities to help and encourage neuro-diverse members was proposed in a successful motion brought by David Foote (Rosyth Royal Dockyard.)

“I’m a dyslexic, autistic person myself. I’ve always suffered for most of my life, always felt alone. Five years ago I set up a neuro-diversity network at my work and it finally felt that my mental health greatly improved. Tiny and reasonable adjustments can change the course of people’s careers.

“Why does every single job advert says you  have to be a good speaker? Are we trying to hire the best speaker, or are we trying to hire the best person for the job? There are massive skill shortages and neurodiverse people want to do those jobs but most of the time they can’t get through the hiring process.”

Delegates also voted for a motion from the BBC World Service branch looking at the ‘creation or review of Disability Leave policies’ that would enable workers to manage their conditions and reduce the stigma towards disability and chronic health issues.

The ATCOs branch successfully carried a motion for the NEC to lobby for an increase in statutory paternity leave.

Pensions

Audrey Uppington for the NEC successfully moved a motion on improving freelancers’ pension provision, who she said, “have some of the worst retirement outcomes of any group of workers.

“Freelancers are often self-employed and therefore don’t have an employer to contribute to their pensions, or where they are workers, they often miss out on the employer contributions through some loopholes in the system,” she told delegates.

“We have taken a lead when it comes to addressing the gender pension gap in this country, the NEC has proposed this motion because we think we should address the freelance gap in in this country.”

Norman Jacobs (Department for Transport) was successful in his motion highlighting instances where some people with long covid have been denied access to Ill Health Retirement.

The NEC is now instructed to look at the effects of long covid; support members affected and create tools and resources for reps to support their local members.

Health and safety

A motion brought by Amy Bishop (AWE) calling on the NEC to run a members’ survey, starting in the Defence Sector, to look at workplace stress, depression and anxiety was voted for by delegates.

“As part of the Health and Safety at Work Act, employers have a legal duty to protect workers from stress at work by doing risk assessments and acting on them. They should also be recording those risk assessments. At AWE we’ve found increasing numbers of members coming to us with work rated stress and having to take time off,” she told delegates.

“A survey, initially in defence, would help Prospect gather evidence of work related stress but also allow us to find out if employers are fulfilling their legal duty and whether they offer any support to their employees suffering from work related stress.”

Delegates also agreed with two further health and safety motions from the Efra branch. First, for Prospect to integrate psychological safety into its health and safety resources and broader reps training.

And, secondly, for the long-term support and development of the union’s health and safety representatives.

Artificial Intelligence

The impact of AI in the workplace and on jobs was the subject of lively debate towards the end of the first day.

Two motions were carried and, unfortunately, two further AI motions had to be guillotined because of time had run out, although they may be heard in a later session at Conference.

Colin Johnston (BT Networks & Digital Branch) successfully moved his motion calling for an AI charter for companies who would pledge to use AI responsibly in different areas, such as data privacy, ethical practices, responsible transition and training.

The other AI motion that was carried was moved by Kris Hampel (BT Business) who said, “It’s actually not just AI. I think in terms of ‘A3’ as in AI, algorithms and automation. They’re all black boxes that people use and for many people it’s arcane magic; you don’t know what’s inside them. Applying them in the workplace without safeguards leads to unintended consequences.

“What we’re asking for is to instruct Conference to campaign for safeguards to look at jobs and make sure jobs are not lost just because of automation.”

Media, training and communications

Delegates agreed with a motion brought by Nicholas Clarke (BT Networks & Digital Branch) calling on the NEC to increase the presence of Prospect in the media on issues that are relevant to its members in the workplace.

“We all know the value of Prospect, that’s why we’re here, but the wider public generally does not. As an example of this, the last person I spoke to before getting off my train to Birmingham happened to be a young BT employee. He spotted the BT logo on my hoodie, but he wasn’t aware that Prospect could support workers like him.

“How are we going to raise awareness? I think the solution is for Prospect to be more active in the media.”

The MOD: UKStratCom Branch brought two motions in this area, one was carried and another was remitted.

The successful motion called on the Prospect Training team to advertise the full year’s training prospectus (including delivery format) at the beginning of each calendar year and that the courses to be delivered in a variety of delivery formats, and not just online.

However, their other motion calling on the use of Microsoft Teams, rather than Zoom, as a main videoconferencing tool was remitted because the delegates felt that one platform would never be universally preferred, or accessible, for all members.

Two motions were carried, one from the Department for Transport branch, and the other from MOD: UKStratCom Branch, calling on the NEC to review and improve the functionality of the Prospect website, especially as a tool for reps, such as for finding resources, or more effectively communicating with their branches.