University Hospitals Birmingham UNISON

Branch Delegate: James Anthony

Friday of the conference consists of meetings for different groups, I attended the Labour Link meeting as well as the West Midlands Region and Health Service Group meetings. At the West Midlands meeting I was asked to substitute as the Regional Delegate and move one of the Regions motions. At the Health meeting I was successful in being elected as the representative from the Conference to the Health Conference in April, and also proposed that we submit a motion on the importance of protecting Agenda for Change for LGBT people.

From Saturday the formal conference sessions started, and we heard a great speech from our own region's Eleanor Smith as Vice President. We also heard from the Shadow Minister for Equalities and from a Nigerian Trade Unionist.

There was a wide range of motions, but many focused on the Governments spending cuts and their effects of LGBT members and communities. I spoke in support of a motion brought by the Disabled Members caucus about the cuts. There is also significant concern about the coalition's 'Big Society' agenda and that more public services could be transferred to faith based organisations which are exempt from the regulations protecting employees from discrimination based on their sexual orientation, and I moved the motion from the West Midlands on this.

One of the more controversial issues before the conference was on prostitution/sex workers. While their was broad agreement that what is important is to protect vulnerable people in the sex industry, there was disagreement about whether this is best served by decriminalising prostitution all together or by criminalising those who by sex but not those who sell it. There was an amendment that called for the complete decriminalisation of prostitution, and on balance I voted against this as I felt that the arguments for were passed on the small number of less vulnerable sex workers who may choose to do so, but not the really vulnerable especially those trafficked into prostitution. This means that the LGBT Group will try and change the policy of the wider union, which was set when National Delegate Conference passed a motion from the Women's Conference calling for the purchasers of sex to be criminalised.

Also at the conference I was glad to have been elected to the Standing Orders Committee, so I will be involved in running the conference next year.