MRDC – Open
18th June
Agenda Item 09/67 1
Report on UK Stewards, Safety Representatives and
Learning Representatives Committees
1.
Purpose
To provide an update on the activities of the three UK representative
committees.
2.
Background
Each of the three committees is comprised of an elected representative from
each of the 12 Boards in the UK. The minutes of committee meetings are
published on the activist section of the RCN website, along with updates from
the committee chairs.
3.
Committee Reports
UK Stewards Committee:
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The committee has not met since its last report. The next meeting will take
place on 8 July 2009.
The committee had two items on the Congress agenda: ‘Union matters’
(resolution) – which called on the RCN Council to lobby for the
implementation of equitable and accessible trade union facilities; and
‘Putting its house in order’ (matter for discussion) which called for
discussion on whether the NMC has restored the faith of nurses in its
fitness to practice. It also held a joint fringe meeting with Unions21 – ‘The
economic downturn: opportunity or threat to unions’. The event focused on
the effect of the current economic climate on unions, and how the RCN fits
into this.
Committee members are participating in the following RCN working
groups/committees: UK Committee for Activists’ Learning and
Development; Mentorship of RCN Representatives Project Steering Group;
Resources for Representatives Group; and the political leadership
programme.
UK Safety Representatives Committee:
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The committee met on 1 April 2009.
Mark Thomas from the Health and Safety Executive gave the committee a
presentation on the HSE’s slips and trips ‘Shattered Lives’ campaign. This
included sign-posting to a wide range of information on preventing slips
and trips in the workplace: www.hse.gov.uk/slips.
Kim Sunley, Senior Employment Relations Adviser, briefed the committee
on the roll out of lone worker devices in England. Committee members
expressed concerns that the third year costs would deter employers from
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taking up the devices. She also updated the committee on the RCN
response to the Danish Government’s decision to compensate night shift
workers who have developed breast cancer, and the review of the health
and well-being of the NHS workforce.
Josie Irwin, Head of Employment Relations, attended the meeting to brief
the committee on the activities of the resources for representatives working
group. The committee agreed that the facilities agreement negotiated as
part of the three year pay deal for NHS staff was a key element in
improving the availability of resources to representatives, and that it should
be backed up by a high profile RCN campaign to ensure that employers
were fulfilling their obligations under the agreement.
Wendy Irwin, Diversity and Equalities Co-ordinator, briefed the committee
on the development of an RCN equality representative role.
The committee held a fringe event at Congress – ‘You’re not alone –
personal safety for lone workers’. This offered practical advice to members
on ensuring the personal safety of lone workers.
Committee members are contributing to a review of the RCN Safety
Representatives’ Handbook.
Committee members are participating in the following RCN working
groups/committees: UK Committee for Activists’ Learning and
Development; Mentorship of RCN Representatives Project Steering Group;
and Resources for Representatives Group.
UK Learning Representatives Committee:
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The committee met on 1 April 2009.
Committee members will sit on the Unionlearn Project Steering Group as
the new project gets underway.
Wendy Irwin, Diversity and Equalities Co-ordinator, briefed the committee
on the development of an RCN equality representative role, and Paul
Vaughan, Health Care Assistant Adviser, also attended to update the
committee on resources available to learning representatives to support
the recruitment of HCAs as both members and representatives.
The committee held a fringe event at Congress – ‘The importance of
learning representatives with a trade union’. Learning representatives
shared their experience of supporting the learning and development of
members and promoting the learning representative role within the
workplace.
Committee members are participating in the following RCN working
groups/committees: UK Committee for Activists’ Learning and
Development; Unionlearn Project Steering Group; Mentorship of RCN
Representatives Project Steering Group; and Resources for
Representatives Group.
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4.
RCN Representative of the Year Awards 2008
Panels from the UK representative committees judged the representative of the
year awards for 2008 and the winners are:
Safety Representative of the Year: Tony Sawyer
Steward of the Year: Gina Shaw
Joint winners of the Learning Representative of the Year: Marva Duncan and
Beverley Hernandez.
For the first time, the representative awards were presented as part of the
awards ceremony at Congress. The winners have been profiled in Activate.
5.
UK Joint Representatives’ Conference, 19-20 June 2009
Nominated members from each of the UK representative committees have
contributed to planning of the UK Joint Representatives’ Conference being held
in Hinckley on 19-20 June 2009.
6.
Resources, costs and implications
Funding for the committees is covered by current budgets.
7.
Recommendations
The committee is asked to note this report.
Originators: Josie Irwin, Head of RCN Employment Relations.
Input from: Jenny Lillywhite, Representative Support Officer
4 June 2009
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