South West regional committee
This body is elected from all UNISON Branches and lay structures and provides leadership across the Region on campaigns, organising and bargaining. Its officers are Nick Olgard (Regional Convenor) and Debi Potter (Deputy Convenor), as well as Clytus Williams (Chair of O&D*) and Joanne Kaye (Regional Secretary). Twenty members are elected from branches – comprising of eight general seats, eight women’s seats and four low paid women’s seats. This ensures the Committee reflects that UNISON is a union where women make up over three quarters of our membership, many of them in low paid part time posts. Up to fourteen further seats are elected from our Service Groups and representatives from our Self Organised Groups too. South West Committee meets regularly throughout the year, usually in Taunton or at the same location as Regional Council.
South West Committee Meetings
The next meeting of South West Committee will be held on Monday 19 March 2012 at the UNISON Office, Emperor Way, Exeter Business Park, Exeter EX1 3QS. The meeting will start at 10.30am
Dates for 2012 South West Committee Meetings:
· Friday 18 May 4.00pm – Croyde Bay Holiday Village. Pre Regional Council Meeting
· Wednesday 18 July 10.30am, Conference Centre, UNISON House, The Crescent, Taunton TA1 4DU
· Thursday 13 October 10.30am, Conference Centre, UNISON House, The Crescent, Taunton TA1 4DU
· Monday 3 December 10.30am, Conference Centre, UNISON House, The Crescent, Taunton TA1 4DU
CNR
What is the CNR?
Responsibility for leadership of the South West (SW) is clearly enshrined in Regional Council and Regional Committee. However, under the Partnership Working at Regional Level guidance agreed in 2008 they are also required to make arrangements to ensure more regular communication between lay leadership and the regional staff.
Consequently, the Convenors, NEC (National Executive Council members) and RMT (Regional Management Team) meet as a group to ensure that agreed actions are carried out and to make sure that regional objectives are met. This group is known as the CNR and plays an important part in the leadership of the region.
Who makes up the CNR?
- Convenors – plus Chair of the Regional Organisation and Development Group (O&D). This last post was added as the O&D group is the body responsible for overseeing branch organisation and also receiving reports on branches in difficulties or under supervision. The partnership guidelines are very clear that branch organisational matters should be regularly and jointly managed by lay leaders and staff.
- NEC members – As the elected officials of the union, responsible for the overall direction of the union, NEC members are also included in the CNR group
- RMT – while the guidance on partnership solely relates to the Regional Secretary, the South West region have included all RMT members in the group.
What is their Role?
- To ensure good working relations between lay leaders and staff.
- To provide clear leadership and direction in between SW Committee and Council meetings.
- To deliver the objectives of our campaign strategy and to manage our resources effectively.
How do they do this?
At a CNR seminar it was agreed that this group needed to meet regularly, communicate directly with South West Committee and also consider how they include other parts of the lay leadership – such as Service group Chairs, etc. The CNR now meet monthly and have a programme of actions for the year.
*Key
CNR = Convenors, NEC (National Executive Council members) and RMT (Regional Management Team)
O&D = Organising and Development Committee