Despite ATUC opposition delegates vote for biennial Congress

Fred Bayer

ATUC’s Fred Bayer joined the wide ranging constitutional debate, as Congress, on a card vote, supported the General Council’s constitutional amendment with over two-thirds of the vote. This reversed last year’s decision and means that from now on Congress and Equalities Conferences will be every two years albeit with some strengthening of rights.

This is predicated on saving expense and staff time with a plan to redirect both to implementing Congress decisions and a more incisive campaigning focus.

The concerns about a democratic deficit were rejected by a majority of unions.

Opposing the amendments, Fred pointed out that the changes proposed were philosophically incoherent.

“As a trade union we oppose cuts. We should resource the STUC properly to keep delivering Annual Conference and the other campaigning events that have been described.”

X's coat on a shoogly peg

Fred Bayer

Fred was also in action in the debate about affiliates use of X, formally Twitter.

It was once again condemned by STUC Congress as a platform for misinformation, misogyny and extreme content. However, the movers, SSTA, agreed to remit the motion to enable the General Council to consider further the practicalities.

Seconding the motion, ATUC’s Fred Bayer said, “We do not use X, X uses us. Our data, our time, our content. It’s time we stop spending our time and energy creating profit for a fascist.”