UNISON Moray welcomed Dave Prentis, general secretary of UNISON, to their AGM on 11 March.
Earlier that day, Dave had unveiled a defibrillator, purchased by the Moray Branch for public use and located at the council annexe main entrance, ensuring access to a defibrillator at both ends of the Elgin High Street.
Dave paid tribute to the branch, thanking them for donating the defibrillator and for all they do for our members and our union. “I am so proud of all we achieve together.”
The suggestion to donate a defibrillator had come from steward, David Eddie, who also proposed the location.
Speaking at the AGM, Dave highlighted that by working together as a collective we have a stronger voice; year on year UNISON membership has increased since 2010.
“UNISON has a caring nature, with more female members than male. We will still take industrial action, but it will be a gentler approach that is highly effective.”
He reiterated that the branch has a strong collective voice and he thanked branch secretary, Karen Donaldson, for her hard work. Dave also urged the members in attendance to consider becoming a steward or a workplace rep, saying: “It is about standing up for fairness and what is right.
“We need to think about how we hold the governments to account and how we are going to work together for the next five years to make changes for the better.”
Karen said, “This was his first visit to Moray so it was a good chance for Dave to get an insight into local issues the branch deals with.”
Dave also attended a meeting between branch representatives and the Moray Council leader and chief executive where there was discussion around budget cuts, pressures in the local area, facility time and much more.
Of course Dave, along with assistant general secretary Liz Snape, couldn’t come to Moray without visiting a whisky distillery, so Karen and John Frew (fighting fund local organiser) took them on a tour of Benromach Distillery in Forres. “A good start to the day,” said Karen.