Beeru area shrsloice sed and The GMB leadership knows that Labour's policies are not helping its GMB is a very de-centralised union. It organises through its ten regions but it also made up of many different sectors (clothing and textile, commercial services, construction, energy and utilities, food and leisure, process and public services) that often sit together in an uneasy alliance. Congress, from June 11-16, clearly reflected that.
In many ways, GMB is a microcosm of where British industry is today. The old traditional manufacturing industry is dying, and GMB is looking more and more to Both areas are low paid and under threat from foreign competition.
Resolutions reflected those concerns but in some cases in a way that could be seen to be almost xenophobic. A motion
the "rights of foreign workers" called for a campaign to stop the exploitation of Eastern European workers on the one hand while condemning foreign firms that win British contracts using non-British labour on the other.
This was General Secretary Paul Kenny's first Congress since his election - although he had previously been acting general secretary. He was clearly well received and his speech to Congress was full of fire.
The "piece de resistance" was his diatribe against Asda Wal-Mart. He defied Asda to bring in scab labour and said GMB would "not play by Marquis of Queensbury's rules; there would be mass picketing of depots". He also demanded that Asda sue him when he claimed that the union had proof of food being sold that should be condemned.
Yet the Central Executive Council member replying to members but like most trade unions cannot see any alternative. the debate on anti trade union legislation called on conference to support the excellent
composite only "with qualification" as the GMB could not be seen to break the law!
Perhaps Kenny's sound bite that "politicians are like babies nappies, both need changing regularly for the same reasons" will come back to haunt him. A resolution that deplored Labour's record on anti trade union laws and asked for a review, otherwise all financial support for the Labour Party should be withdrawn, was defeated.
There were a number of good resolutions around social policy: the call to end discrimination and phobia against gay asylum seekers and the decriminalisation of prostitution.
But a resolution on a "balanced energy policy" which asked for such a policy to take account of "all sources: renewables, nuclear, coal, etc", once
again was aomi nated by the protection of members' jobs.
GMB has a good record in supporting international campaigns. Gilberth Bermudez Umana, general secretary of SITRAP, Union of Agricultural Plantation Workers 1n Guatamala addressed conference.
There were a whole range of internationalist fringe meetings: "Fair Trade or Aid"; Information Centre and Cuba Solidarity Campaign", "What Future Palestine", "Justice for Colombia", "Supermarket Stranglehold" with Banana Link and War on Want.
So it was unfortunate that the only resolution on the