Regional Secretary's Report

Welcome to the 2007 Annual Report.

This has been a particularly busy and exciting year in the West Midlands region. The last twelve months has seen staff and activists working together across the region, generating lots of activity in a number of varied campaigns.

This has been reflected in the membership growth we have seen during 2007. With just under 15,000 new members recruited we have achieved membership growth of almost 2%, we are in fact the top performing region for 2007 (together with Northern Ireland who share the top spot with us), and although this is a little short of our target we will strive to do even better next year.

Our membership growth shows that we are addressing issues that matter on a day to day basis to our members and potential members. In particular, the year has been dominated by the issue of equal pay. The implementation of Single Status in Local Government and the repercussions from Agenda for Change in the NHS have both proved immensely controversial. Staff and activists have been involved in mass litigation in a number of local authorities across the region. Thousands of members have been given individual advice, and many thousands of equal pay claims have been lodged. The situation has been made more confusing for everyone by the activities of 'No Win, No Fee' lawyers, seeking to make a profit from our members' back-pay. At the time of writing, UNISON's case against Coventry City Council is still working its way through the courts, and further legal action in respect of both Sandwell and Birmingham is in the pipeline.

National pay negotiations in both Health and Local Government service groups reached a conclusion with lower than inflation annual pay awards. UNISON will continue a co-ordinated pay campaign at employer and national level in preparation for the 2008 pay awards.

The new and improved Local Government pension scheme in England and Wales is a good deal for members in a number of service groups and a major achievement for our union. However, the campaign is not over yet - we are pushing for members to be better represented on the schemes and this work will continue during 2008.

We have campaigned on a number of other important issues during the year. In particular we have opposed the BNP across the region and worked with the TUC in the Hope not Hate campaign. This work has borne fruit as this year's local government elections saw a reduction in the number of successful BNP candidates in the West Midlands. As a result of UNISON's active lobbying, proposed changes to work permits which would have particularly affected members working as Senior Carers are currently being reconsidered.

We have also been proud to be part of the Women Chainmakers Festival at the Black Country Living Museum. We ran a major conference at Birmingham Council house as part of the Black History Month celebrations. And Friday 23rd November saw the West Midlands Region host its innovative environmental conference at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens with debate on how we as trade unionists can make changes to the way we live and work in order to preserve our natural resources and combat global warming. Thanks to everyone who contributed to these events being the undoubted success they were.

In all of these campaigns, our strength lies in our membership and activists. To actively contribute to the work of the union we are always seeking to encourage more members to become more involved in the work of the union. Why not give it a try – you might even enjoy it!

We had a very successful Staff Conference and Strategy session with lay activists when we reviewed the Regional Operational Plan which again this year has provided a positive framework for the work of the Region. We are much better now at setting realistic targets which means we have become much better at achieving them.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to pass on my heart-felt thanks to all the hard-working lay activists, branch officers, regional convenor's group, NEC members and staff, especially during my long absence away from the office due to ill health.

Valerie Broom

Regional Secretary