Dear Colleague

CHANGING THE UNION - REVIEW OF THE STE

The seminar to begin the review of the STE took place last week. Thank you to all those who sent in submissions for the seminar - they provided an invaluable input to a positive and forward-looking event. We have concluded that we must change if the STE is to be a successful union in the future.

Many of the submissions referred to the shorter Conference this year. We have had another look at this and Conference will be longer next year. Equally important, we need it to be more rewarding, more constructive and to provide better opportunities for networking.

However, Conference is only one aspect of the review (now called CHANGING THE UNION) and we are drawing up a discussion paper which will bring together all the issues that are being examined. The aim is to send the paper out to branches as soon as it is ready and then continue the review process with branch representatives in a series of regional seminars later this year.

The important thing to remember is that the EC seminar was just the beginning of a process of change. We have established that fundamental change is necessary and desirable but change will only be successful if it has broad support in the union. The regional seminars will form a key part of the change process.

Watch out for the discussion paper. Discuss it in your branches, ask for views, invite an EC speaker to come along and explain what is happening. In short, let’s have a national debate throughout the union to build support for CHANGING THE UNION.

Yours sincerely

SIMON PETCH
General Secretary