51¸£Àû

51¸£Àû/583ÌýÌý 25 April 2014 ÌýÌýÌý

University and College Union

Carlow Street, London NW1 7LH, Tel. 020 7756 2500, www.ucu.org.uk

ToÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Branch and local association secretaries

TopicÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý Distinguished service awards 2014

ActionÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý For information

Summary ÌýÌýÌýÌý Details of members who will be given distinguished service awards in 2014ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý

 

Dear Colleague

Distinguished Service Awards

In autumn 2013, a call was made for nominations for members to receive a distinguished service award (51¸£Àû/528). At its meeting on 14 March, the NEC endorsed two nominations, one from the East Midlands regional committee and the other from the South East regional committee.Ìý The supporting statements provided as part of these nominations are set out below for information.ÌýÌý Awards will be announced at Congress.

Yours sincerely

Sally Hunt

General Secretary

Mick Booth (East Midlands retired members’ branch)ÌýÌý Nominated by East Midlands regional committee

Mick Booth served the union for 30 years in various officer positions at branch, county, region and also at national level. He was a superb case worker in his branches and played a crucial, at times lonely, role in Derby University where he was the main mover in establishing a functioning committee and was the mainstay of union negotiations with management. Mick brought experience and wisdom to his work on the NEC where he specialised in equality and FE issues.

The length and depth of his commitment to the union is underlined by the following long list of his union positions.

NE Derbyshire College of FE – Branch Secretary – 1976 to 1984

High Peak College / University of Derby Buxton Branch – Branch Chair – 1985 to 2010

Derbyshire Liaison Committee

Liaison Committee Secretary – 1977 to 1993

East Midlands Region

Regional Chair – 1994 to 1996

Regional Secretary – 1997 to 2006

National Executive Committee

Elected member – 1994 to 1998 – served on a number of sub committees including FE; Equality; and Rules and Structure.

Annual Conference

Attended every conference between 1987 and 2006

Mick played a vital role in defending members during the fraught years leading up to and beyond incorporation in both FE and HE. He was a major player regionally in securing the union merger to form 51¸£Àû.

 

Mick Dawson (Brooklands College)ÌýÌýÌý Nominated by South East Regional Committee

Mick has supported and represented members of both NUT and NATFHE (now 51¸£Àû) and organised, recruited, and enabled Branch development during his period of time as a Trade Union member:

1974 – 1979 – NUT member & Rep - Yateley School, Hampshire

1979 – 1982 - NATFHE Branch Secretary & Safety Committee Rep - Brooklands College

1979 – 1982 - Rep to SE Regional Council (NATFHE), Surrey Area Liaison Committee (NATFHE), Surrey FE Teachers’ Panel, Surrey Division NUT, Surrey County Council Central Joint and Education Safety Committee and Addlestone & District Trades Council

1984-1987 & 1993-present - Secretary Surrey Area Liaison Committee (NATFHE now 51¸£Àû)

1987-1993Ìý Chair, Surrey Area Liaison Committee (NATFHE now 51¸£Àû)

1984 – 1988 Secretary Surrey FE Teachers’ Panel

1994 – Present – Secretary SE Regional Council NATFHE (now SE Regional Committee 51¸£Àû)

2013 – Present NEC Geographically-elected member FE

1979 – Present – NATFHE (now 51¸£Àû) delegate to Surrey County Council Trades Unions (SCCTU)

2010 – Present – 51¸£Àû delegate to West Surrey Trades Council

2011 – Present – President West Surrey Trades Council

Mick has always attempted to advance the equality agenda. He was a member of the Racial Equality Movement in NE Hampshire from 1974 – 1979, a member of the Equality Committee at Brooklands College and always encouraged female members of the Area Liaison Committee and Regional Council (Committee) to take an active part.

Mick has been involved in a number of key campaigns including agreeing Joint union policies on asbestos, discipline and grievance with Surrey County Council, agreeing joint negotiation policies with Surrey Education Committee for all teaching unions, the Silver Book campaign, protection of Adult Education in Surrey and the current campaign to reduce Fire Service cover in Spelthorne in Surrey.

Mick is an outstanding activist and has more recently become an elected member of the NEC, this of course being long overdue.Ìý He has been the South East Regional Secretary 20 years and has always encouraged members of the Region, in a collective way to take part in debate and wider roles within the Union. Mick always takes time to get to know members so that they really feel part of the Region and the Union per se. He is an extremely effective communicator in every sense.Ìý One of his major strengths is an eye for detail. Moreover, Mick is able to make sense of the myriad number of rules that are the bedrock of the Union and with a sense of fair play, see that these are applied correctly or amended accordingly. Mick is a measured non-partisan member of the Union and will always take a reasoned stance after taking part in debate.

Mick will always give over and above to the union, as he believes in Trade Unionism and the motto of: an injury to one is an injury to all.Ìý Mick will join picket lines across the SE to support his comrades.ÌýÌý Mick will keep going as a Trade Unionist even when it seems there is little or no support or when there is disappointing or low turnout for meetings or other Trade Union activities.Ìý I would go so far to say that without Mick Dawson there would be no SE Region.Ìý His tenacity and loyalty are unequalled, his faith and belief, unparalleled. If you were able to cut Mick Dawson open, bizarre those this idea may seem, you would find indelibly etched like a stick of Blackpool rock the words ‘Trade Unionism.’

Like Worsel Gummidge, Mick Dawson is outstanding in his field.Ìý You should wholeheartedly endorse this nomination.