Unity Gazette
Unity Gazette is a broad left caucus group in the Amicus trade union. It includes activists from the former MSF and AEEU trade unions which merged to form Amicus. The broad left of AEEU was also known as Unity Gazette. Recent mergers between Amicus and UNIFI and GPMU have resulted in new members from those unions. Membership of Unity Gazette is open to any lay member or employee of Amicus who shares its aims, regardless of any position they may hold within the union. Candidates for membership must be proposed, seconded and approved by the attendees at the appropriate regional meeting of Unity Gazette.
Unity Gazette is often known as "the Gazette" or "the Left" by supporters and opponents alike.
Activities of Unity Gazette include:
- Regular national and regional meetings to decide policy and lists of candidates, which all members are then mandated to support.
- Encouragement of members who belong to the Labour Party to stand for election to the Amicus Political Committees, which are only open to Labour Party members.
- Publicising and encouraging support for Amicus campaigns and industrial disputes.
The Gazette was instrumental in campaigning for two rule changes which were approved by the union's 2005 Policy and Rules Conference. The first introduced area committees, consisting of workplace representatives from a given geographical area. Such structures existed in the AEEU. The second, much more controversial rule change, introduces election of full-time officers rather than appointment, although it remains to be seen how this will be implemented at a time when Amicus is predicted to merge with the Transport and General Workers Union which will result in a net reduction in the number of officers and redeployment of the remaining officers into other rôles.
Unity Gazette is completely self-financing, by means of members' donations.
The name Unity Gazette derives from a newspaper of the same name which had a regular print run and was circulated within AEEU workplaces. This paper has not been printed for many years. However, pamphlets with the same title are still printed for conferences and in response to industrial disputes.
Another caucus group within the union, with different aims, is ATU Network. That group seeks to attract Labour-supporting members of Amicus who are sympathetic to Blairism. It is currently smaller than the Gazette, with a much lower profile. However it is believed to have opposed the Gazette's campaign for election of full-time officers.