ORGANISING: Glasgow UNISON day-care convener Sam McCartney.
TRADE union activists from across Scotland warned the government on Saturday that a network of active shop stewards will help rebuild union strength, defend the public sector and organise to win strikes and campaigns over jobs, pay and pensions.
The first conference of the Scottish Shop Stewards Network in Glasgow was attended by shop stewards and union activists from across Scotland, representing a range of sectors and unions.
Glasgow UNISON day-care convener Sam McCartney described how shop stewards had led members in taking on and beating their employer in a two-month strike over the council's failure to recognise their value in single-status regrading.
"These were not the most militant and left-wing trade unionists in Scotland," he pointed out. "The thought of going on strike was not something they took on lightly.
"But we held out and the politicians caved in," he said, because the stewards "brought the carers and their families and the clients on board."
Civil Service union PCS branch secretary and national executive member Cheryl Gedling argued that the union's network of shop stewards had been vital in building strong local and national actions against the government's privatisation agenda.
"You can involve members and the public in the argument for protecting public services and you can win," she said.
National Union of Journalists Glasgow broadcasting branch deputy father of chapel Peter Murray described joint union opposition to a similar agenda at the BBC.
"Mark Thompson wants to shrink the BBC down to a small core and privatise the rest. But, if there are compulsory redundancies, we will ballot for strike action," he said.
RMT shop steward at Network Rail Gordon Martin said that anti-trade union laws had to be targeted for repeal and broken if necessary.
"Too many full-time officers say their hands are tied by the law," he said.
West Dunbartonshire Trade Union Council spokesman Tommy Morrison said that shop stewards needed to work through trades councils to involve local communities in their campaigns.
South Lanarkshire UNISON branch secretary Stephen Smellie acknowledged the difficulties of getting stewards and branches in different unions to co-operate.
But he argued that the collective rejection by UNISON, GMB and Unite T&G of Scottish councils' three-year below-inflation pay deal was an opportunity to work together.
"We have a unique agreement now to campaign with the other unions in the same timescale," said the UNISON official.
Communications Workers Union steward Tom Penman, who works in a Dundee call centre, told the conference of "seething anger at the way we are being treated."
The conference agreed a resolution to support the public-sector unions taking action on April 24 and to develop a campaign to defend public services building on that joint union activity.
The Scottish Shop Stewards Network was set up in December 2007 and is a part of the National Shop Stewards Network.
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