2015 Reps Awards Night - 27th November

On November 27, ^th 200 people attended the fourth Midlands TUC Reps Awards Night to celebrate the work and achievement of trade union reps in the region.

In addition to the awards presentations, which are detailed below, the evening included a presentation about the Dying to Work campaign. Moreover, an 'Outstanding Contribution' award was presented to Jacci Woodcock, the union member who has been the driving force behind the campaign.

We are again grateful for the support of our sponsors, without whom we would not be able to put on the Awards. Companies that share our values, companies that are truly part of the trade union movement. So, our thanks go to Pellacraft for providing the Awards for the night, Thompsons Solicitors and Simpson Millar Solicitors for the sponsorship of specific awards and to Matt Jones for the sponsorship of the photography.

Andy Becker Student Award for Trade Union Education

Wayne Kidger of the GMB picked up the 2015 Andy Becker Student Award for Trade Union Education. Wayne has undertaken as much union education as possible, growing in confidence and this year made his maiden speech at GMB conference which helped change union policy.  

Campaigning Rep

The 2015 Midlands TUC Campaigning Rep of the Year went to Dionne Lawton from UCATT for her campaigning work that built widespread support both in the workplace and wider communities for industrial action to defend terms and conditions at her workplace.

The Highly Commended Certificate went to Claire Eldridge from the BDA for her work in raising member concerns and recruiting new members and reps to the union since assuming a regional rep role in 2015.

Communications Rep

The 2015 Midlands TUC Communications Rep of the Year went to Helen Wilson from UNISON for transforming her branch website, securing email or mobile numbers for 95% of the branch membership and for establishing simple and precise protocols for the induction and mentoring of new reps.

The Highly Commended Certificate went to Sarah James of the GMB for her imaginative use of communication that helped to recruit members to her branch as well as running the social media pages for the union’s regional women’s group.

Health & Safety Rep

Mike Maley from UNISON was awarded the 2015 Midlands TUC Health & Safety Rep of the Year for his efforts in integrating Health and Safety into the organising strategy of his branch, understanding the importance of good training and support to ensure the branch has competent well-motivated activists.

Jane Johnson and Ray Beekman of the GMB were the joint winners of the Highly Commended Certificate.

Jane delivered increased union membership as a result of her work on lone working policies, improvements to PPE and extra staff training. Ray has a particular interest in asbestos and his campaigning activities have included the delivery of ‘asbestos awareness’ training courses and fundraising £1000 for the Derbyshire Asbestos Support Team.

Mary MacArthur Equalities Rep

The 2015 Midlands TUC Equalities Rep of the Year went to the Birmingham Organised Sister Society – BOSS. BOSS is a self-organised women’s group that have raised £1300 for a women’s shelter, collected toys and clothes and provided computers to help women write CVs and look for work. They also arranged for a union recognised company to donate plates and mugs to the shelter. They have recently started a new campaign, collecting bras for sisters in Africa.

Sally Goodwin of the RCM picked up the Highly Commended Certificate for helping Midwives and Maternity Support Workers overcome barriers to individual and collective learning needs. Her holistic approach to learning enabled the workforce to collectively meet their learning needs whilst delivering benefits to her union’s members as well as staff in the NHS and women.

Organising Rep

Kevin Davies from the CWU was awarded the 2015 Organising Rep of the year for his work in leading 50 recruitment events over the last 12 months which has resulted in the recruitment of over 2000 new members, including approximately 300 apprentices.

The Highly Commended Certificate went to Mark Gould of the GMB for his work in increasing membership from 30 to nearly 150 presently, a density level of around 80%.

Union Learning Rep

The 2015 Midlands TUC Union Learning Rep of the Year went to Jenny Brown from UNISON for helping over 150 members access learning opportunities over the past year and securing a ‘Learning Agreement’ between the union and employer.

Steve Croke of the CWU was awarded the Highly Commended Certificate. Steve left school with few qualifications but through workplace learning he now has a degree in Trade Union Studies. He has been inspiring others to access learning opportunities.  

Campaign of the Year

The 2015 Campaign of the Year went to ‘Save Birmingham Youth Service’ organised by UNITE Reps at Birmingham City Council for their campaigning to minimise cuts to the Youth Service in Birmingham. The imaginative and constant campaigning has meant that Birmingham City Council have moderated cuts to the Youth Service for the next two years – the only Council in the West Midlands to have done so.

The 2015 Midlands TUC Campaign of the Year award was collected by Chris Seeley, Claire Hughes, Tom Muirhead and Adil Hadi

The Highly Commended Certificate was collected by Rachel Pincher representing the GMB's ‘Change for Workers in the Care Sector’ for the campaign focussing on delivering positive change in the Care Sector. The main message of the campaign has been to;

•  increase the minimum hourly rate within the sector to at least the Living Wage
• to be registered as a skilled profession nationally
• instigate minimum standards for training
• Agree a national ratio of staff to residents.