by Florie Barnhoorn | May 24, 2017 | News
The largest trade union in The Netherlands with over one million members, FNV (Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging / Federation of Dutch Trade Unions), held a conference on May 10-11 at Sport Business Centre Papendal to discuss its policy plan for the years 2017-2021.
The policy is based on the experiences, opinions and observations of the members, non-members and experts of the organization. During a comprehensive consultation phase, each member had the opportunity to identify the most important topics which should be included in FNV’s conceptual policy plan for 2017-2021. A preliminary summary of the most important subjects was published in a separate draft resolution that was discussed by the Congress of the FNV on May 10. Despite several attempts to amend the draft resolution, the board of the FNV turned down all the proposals that went beyond the statement that “The FNV will investigate a basic income in the coming period and will start a discussion about it.”
However, on the 11th of May, during debates with members of FNV’s parliament and especially with the sector beneficiaries therein, this announcement was replaced by a more powerful and far-reaching text stating that
The basic income is an interesting option, especially in the way it is formulated by FNV Sector Beneficiaries. The FNV therefore proposes to start investigations and experiments in a practice-oriented manner based on the recommendations of FNV Sector Beneficiaries. As a result of this, FNV will decide whether a basic income can become one of the instruments that can equally share work, income and capital.
A ‘basic income’ as formulated by FNV Sector Beneficiaries is
- an amount that is comparable to the Dutch state retirement pension (AOW) in which a couple receives less than a single person;
- for anyone who has legally lived in The Netherlands during 18 years;
- income from paid employment will not be set off with the basic income;
- current allowances such as rent and care benefits continue to exist;
- unemployment and disability insurance also remains for that part of the income that comes from paid work.
“Due to the hard work and non-stop pressure of the section of welfare recipients among FNV’s members, they now have negotiated a much better outlook for the introduction of a real basic income in the long run,” says Johan Horeman, “A huge step is set in the right direction.”
The adoption of the amendment was made possible by the driving forces Willem Banning and Harrie Ortmans, board members of FNV Sector Beneficiaries and Johan Horeman, advisor of the board.
Thanks to Ad Planken and Dave Clegg for reviewing this article.
Credit Picture CC Terence Faircloth
by Julen Bollain | Feb 7, 2017 | News
(Picture credit: Counterpunch)
In this article Julie Wark and Daniel Raventós write about why the trade unions do not support an unconditional basic income when “properly understood and administered, basic income could have enormously positive consequences”.
Prior to their discussion of the reasons why trade unions do not support an unconditional basic income, they first try to assess both the normative and the practical questions that must be answered when it comes to speaking about the unconditional basic income.
It is also analyzed the right-wing and left-wing unconditional basic income supporters.
Finally, Their discussion is comprised of a point by point response to the six arguments most often raised by unionists when opposing basic income and after discussing them the article is finishes by saying that unionists “also raise basic issues about what kind of society we should and might be able to have because the underlying human rights concerns are always the same and they affect everybody: freedom, justice and dignity”.
Daniel Raventós is a lecturer in Economics at the University of Barcelona and author inter alia of Basic Income: The Material Conditions of Freedom (Pluto Press, 2007). He is on the editorial board of the international political review Sin Permiso.
Julie Wark is an advisory board member of the international political review Sin Permiso. Her last book is The Human Rights Manifesto (Zero Books, 2013).
More articles by Daniel Raventós and Julie Wark, here.
Read the original article:
Daniel Raventós and Julie Wark, “Why don’t Trade Unions support an Unconditional Basic Income (precisely when they should)?”, Counterpunch, January 11th, 2017
by Kate McFarland | Dec 17, 2016 | News
Photo: Results of “ball poll” at UNISON West Midlands Regional Games in Birmingham (credit: Becca Kirkpatrick).
The trade union UNISON has called on West Midlands mayoral candidates to commit to running a basic income pilot in the region.
UNISON, a major public service employee union, has released a 20-point manifesto, calling on candidates in the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) mayoral election to declare which of the 20 “asks” they would implement if elected.
The election, which is to take place on May 4, 2017, will decide the first mayor of England’s West Midlands region. The WMCA was established to the govern the seven-authority area in June 2016.
One of the points of UNISON’s manifesto, which has been published in full on the West Midlands political blog The Chamberlain Files, is a demand for a “micro-pilot” of universal basic income (no further details of the pilot have been specified):
WMCA to run a micro-pilot on the use of a Universal Basic Income (UBI). A UBI could have many benefits including helping the long-term unemployed get back into work via part-time work and providing a basic income that would allow people to undertake entrepreneurial activities.
Unemployment is a pressing concern in the West Midlands. A new report from the Resolution Foundation, a nonpartisan think tank, reveals that WMCA has an employment rate of 64.5%, as compared to an overall employment rate of 71.6% within UK city regions other than WMCA.
The UNISON manifesto also calls for a range of improvements in education, transportation, housing and development, and government accountability in the WMCA.
UNISON has approximately 1.3 million members across the UK. It has over 120,000 members in the West Midlands, making it the largest union in the region. Members in the region comprise employees in eight main types of work: local government, health care, education services, water, energy, community, police and justice, and private contractors.
Sources
Kevin Johnson, “Nationalisation, seats for unions and free public transport – Unison unveils mayoral manifesto,” The Chamberlain Files, December 15, 2016.
Neil Elkes, “Call for universal basic income trail [sic] in the West Midlands,” Birmingham Mail, December 15, 2016.
Becca Kirkpatrick, personal communication.
by Kate McFarland | Mar 9, 2016 | News
At a recent UNISON Women’s Conference in Brighton, amendments were passed which commit the union to look into Basic Income. The amendments – which were added to motions discussing flexible working, austerity and in-work poverty – instructed the UNISON National Women’s Committee to:
- investigate the impact of a Universal Basic Income policy on women with caring responsibilities, and publish their findings in the National Women’s Committee 2017 Annual Report;
- work with the National Executive Council and the Policy Committee to explore the potential of a Universal Basic Income as a more woman-friendly direction for future welfare policy.
Limited resources and other pressing priorities for the union may mean that minimal action is taken at first, but the discussion has begun.
Barb Jacobson, co-ordinator of Basic Income UK, addressed the UNISON West Midlands Regional Council at their February 25th meeting.
The UNISON West Midlands Community branch will submit a motion to the full National Delegate Conference in June 2016, calling for the union to adopt a position in favour of the principle of a Universal Basic Income, and to draft a description of UNISON’s preferred version of a Basic Income policy.
UNISON is a trade union for people working in public services, including those outsourced to the private sector. With 1.3 million members, in more than 1000 branches across the UK, it is one of Europe’s largest unions. Over 70% of UNISON members are women.
Photo CC Wikimedia Commons
Thanks to my supporters on Patreon.
by Josh Martin | Jan 16, 2016 | News
Andy Stern, the former President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and a major voice on unions in America, will publish a book on June 14, 2016, titled Raising the Floor: How a Universal Basic Income Can Renew Our Economy and Rebuild the American Dream. Stern’s book will look at the future relationship of labor markets and technology through interviews with economists, futurists, labor leaders, CEOs, investment bankers, entrepreneurs, and political leaders. Stern believes the foundation for economic prosperity for all Americans starts with a universal basic income, and while the idea may not be mainstream yet, he hopes to create a movement that forces the political establishment to take action on the issue.
This will not be Stern’s first book. A Country That Works called for unions to be dominant vehicles in promoting social reforms and was successful enough to land Stern an appearance on The Colbert Report in 2006 to promote the book.
To view the book on Amazon, click here.
