The highlight of the health sector conference was undoubtedly the visit of Patricia Hewitt MP, health secretary who got a good grilling from Amicus delegates.

Patricia Hewitt explained the policy behind the current redundancy and funding issues in the NHS. Wealthier trusts areas had been apparently overspending and so poorer areas had to bail these overspending trusts out. It was a move to make the system more balanced and transparent. The process would take a good year and everyone needed to chip in to the reserves. But she added that all the money would be returned with the poorest trusts getting it back first.

The aim was to treat patients in the community rather than totally relying on acute care. “If one emergency patient per week was treated outside of acute care, over £0.5bn would be saved in a year.

Delegate Annie Hair, a health visitor from Scotland where this emphasis is already in place disagreed. “There are still budget deficits in Scotland and community care is more intensive than acute care and can actually work out to be more expensive.”

Many delegates gave shocking reports about how the cuts would affect services. Ginny Klein, a health visitor from Lincolnshire said she was, “extremely distressed about the cuts in my area. There would be no access to A&E after 10pm, no sexual health clinics at all, no vasectomies for six months, health visitors to only visit children at high risk and district nurses to only attend the seriously housebound.

Other problems included student health visitors who on qualifying had no job to go to despite numerous vacancies, and the PFI ‘chickens coming back to roost.'  Jim Greenwood, Oldham, called on Patricia and the government to “let us deliver and don't keep interfering.”

Patricia agreed there should be no more interfering and said she'd heard the delegates loud and clear and would take all the Amicus messages back with her. She invited national officer Gail Cartmail and the health negotiating team to meet with her and her ministers to discuss all these issues in depth. She also promised to answer any further delegate's questions personally by email.

The conference also debated motions on working time, pay and conditions and top-slicing of PCT budgets.

Badgetastic!
Health delegate Ian Rez, a medical engineering technician from North Middlesex Hospital received his 30 years service badge from national officer Gail Cartmail. Ian said, “This is my first and last conference as I'm retiring after 40 years in the NHS.

“Amicus is a brilliant union, but we must never lose sight of our members. Go back and recruit more reps!”

Cars and passion!
In a passionate speech to the motor vehicles sector conference , Amicus member Lindsay Hoyle MP (Chorley) challenged both the UK government and the British people to put their money where their mouth was and only buy cars built in Britain. He said that Amicus had bailed out the Labour Party at the last election and now it was payback time. 

Following the demise of the ordnance factories including the one in Chorley the UK was now unable to stock its own military with weapons made in this country.

“Such is the backing of our manufacturing industry by the UK government we can't even produce a bullet or a shell in this country without the French or Germans – all because the British government won't buy British.”

“It's time to say to manufacturers that if you're not prepared to build here, the British government and the British people won't buy your products. It's no good having maternity or paternity leave improvements if there are no jobs. The heart of manufacturing is being lost. Make this government you got elected, deliver for you,” he added.

The key was the Warwick agreement, which was discussed. Lindsay said, “There are many fine words in the Warwick agreement but we need real action. We have all got to stand shoulder to shoulder and make Warwick work.”

Lindsay answered delegates' questions and replied to comments. NEC member Mick Millichamp said the time had come for Labour MP's to support the unions or they would not be returned. “We've had a load of verbal and no action. Now it's time to deliver.”

Delegates agreed and discussed their concerns which included agency workers, the real situation of perceived success stories like Honda, and the need for Labour and the trade unions to work together.

Lindsay said he had no problem with any of the delegates' comments. A car plant was only as good as the investment in the car model. “We need long term investment and we need to press the DTI into long term commitments to the UK motor industry. That's what we need to be jointly campaigning for.”

Other motions discussed included the merger, the service directive and job security for agency and temporary workers.

Graphic debate
The graphical, paper and media sector conference had a full day's discussion which covered a wide range of issues including BPIF agreements, paper costs, the publishing industry, learning and skills, and disability discrimination laws. Former print worker, Amicus member and home office minister Gerry Sutcliffe MP addressed the conference, which concludes on Tuesday.

Viva Thabitha!
Zimbabwean trade union leader Thabitha Khumolo addressed all delegates and was honoured by the union when Amicus general secretary Derek Simpson presented her with lifetime membership of Amicus.