GMB Magazine GMB24 Centre Point Spring 2016 | Page 9

TIM ROACH
E

SAYS

ecretary
S
l
a
r
e
n
e
G
B
your GM
m
o
r
f
d
r
o
w
A

Building a
21st-century GMB…

I

t was the proudest moment of my
working life when I was elected to
lead our great GMB. If you’d told the
17-year-old Tim Roache when he
started in the GMB postroom in
London more than three decades ago that
one day he’d be General Secretary, he
wouldn’t have believed it. But that’s the
fantastic thing about our labour movement.
I worked my way up to GMB legal officer,
organiser and senior organiser, until in
2007, I was appointed as GMB Yorkshire
and North Derbyshire Regional Secretary.
The Region grew every year with the army
of GMB activists growing from 300 to over
1,300. This network of active, well-trained
workplace organisers, supported by highly
skilled staff and officers, had the resources
they needed to deliver – and that is exactly
the 21st-century GMB I want to build.

TOUGH TIMES
You don’t need me to tell you how tough
things are as we face an anti-worker
agenda, driven by this uncaring Tory
government hellbent on silencing the
voice of workers forever. If that sounds
a bit dramatic, then let me explain.
The Trade Union Bill includes, among
other things, provisions making it illegal
for local authorities to deduct GMB
contributions from people’s pay – and
yet it’s perfectly legal for those authorities
to continue to deduct for private health,

credit banks, Christmas clubs and more.
Their hope and expectation is that GMB
members won’t switch to have their subs
deducted by direct debit – and if they
achieve their aim, then it’s you who will
lose your voice at work, lose your right
to protest and lose your right to win equal
pay, fairness and justice in the workplace.
That’s why, if you work in the public sector
and haven’t already, you will soon see a
GMB workplace organiser urging you to
switch to direct debit.
The spiteful Trade Union Bill seeks to cut
GMB workplace organisers’ facility time,
make strike votes unachievable and then,
if we do strike, lets employers use agency
workers to do GMB members’ jobs.
They want to cut the GMB Political Fund,
used for GMB members’ campaigns for
fairness and justice, whether that be
blacklisting, saving Remploy or fighting
cuts to local government or our NHS. But
these are battles that we can – and will – win.

21ST-CENTURY UNION
I stood for General Secretary on a platform
of building a 21st-century GMB. One that
listens to GMB workplace organisers and
members, that hears the threats and
challenges, and has in place the people,
resources, training and education to win
in the workplace. My leadership will tackle
head on bad employers that abuse GMB
members with zero-hours contracts,

minimal hours, bogus self-employment,
paying the minimum they have to when
they can afford much more and who treat
young people as disposable – the kind of
employers who say, “If you don’t want the
‘job’, there’s loads more who do.”
Here’s the thing. The public agrees with
GMB on the elderly, public ownership,
housing, the banking system and pay. We
need to make the most of this. We must
embrace new technology, so if you need to
track down your GMB workplace organiser,
you’re as likely to do so on Facebook as by
email or phone.
The world of work has changed and
GMB will change with it and carry on the
legacy left us by our retiring General
Secretary, Paul Kenny.
Trade unions are a force for good. GMB
offers members more security, safety, skil ˜[