1.1 Present:

1.2 apologies for absence: Roy Boosey GMB FTAT, Denis Garne TSSA

1.3 The meeting opened at 7.55pm with Dave Rossi in the chair.

3.0 Guest Speaker - Andrew Vaughan, Green Party

3.1 Andrew had agreed to stand in for Adrian Hedges, to address the meeting on the subject of the Citizen’s Income.

3.2 Recent Governments have pursued the goal of full employment with some degree of success. However, what we see currently are low wages, long hours worked and those who are unemployed forced to take any job. There is now a "divided society" with extremes of wealth and poverty, and also an emerging "anxious class" afraid of losing their employment.

3.3 The Welfare System with widespread means testing, has created the "benefits trap" along with the poverty trap. With a visible underclass, the social fabric of our society is threatened with rising crime. There had been some expectation that in a post-industrial situation we could have become a leisure based society with the advance of computers and other new technology. That the seriousness of the situation has not been recognised can be blamed on the market operating in a greed orientated society, in which work is concentrated in fewer and fewer hands. With falling numbers working in agriculture and manufacturing there is not wealth creation. People who are unemployed are stigmatised for not finding work which is not there.

3.4 There is now a need for the new, radical approach to the problems of low paid work and benefits. The Citizen’s Income is a uniform fixed sum paid unconditionally to all citizens at a level at which it is sufficient to live upon. A higher rate would be paid to pensioners and the disabled and a reduced rate would apply to children. It would replace the current state benefits and provide a fairer distribution of wealth. However, the major drawback is that it would be very expensive to put in place.

3.5 Historically, Thomas Paine alluded to the concept of the Citizen’s Income in 1796. It has been considered in Denmark, Finland and Ireland. Even the Heath Government considered proposals to introduce it in the 1970s.

3.6 The advantages would include the removal of poverty, disincentives to work, opening up work on a part-time basis and bringing an end to the demeaning benefits procedure. The system would be funded by: * the efficiency savings from removing the current complex benefit system * new top tax rates of 40%, 45% and 50% on incomes above £60,00 * abolition of tax reliefs and of the lower rate band * combining tax and National Insurance * the "Tobin" tax on currency speculation * a "green tax" on energy consumption or a land tax

3.7 Inevitably, there will be criticism that this is a "free riders charter" but there is already exploitation of the benefits system. It will be claimed that there will be no incentive to find work and the system will encourage bad employers to pay low wages. However, workers will be allowed greater choice of which jobs they take up. At the moment, public opinion is against higher taxation and therefore a gradual introduction would be needed.

Andrew concluding by saying, that the Green Party believes there must be reform of the tax and benefits system. Their proposal for reform is the introduction of a system for a Citizens Income.

3.8 The President thanked Andrew for addressing our meeting and agreeing to be the guest speaker.

4.0 Branch Reports

4.1 MSF

4.2 UNISON

CW advised that UNISON is planning a day of action to raise the profile of its campaign against PFI.

A coach to Brighton has been organised by the Borough Council Branch, to attend the protest outside the Labour Party Conference on 30th September.

4.3 PCS

IP reported that the PCS Inland Revenue Group’s Executive has recommended that members vote to reject the pay offer, which is worth 4.3% on the pay bill, but only provides Basic Performance Awards worth 2.5%. A further ballot for industrial action will follow if the offer is not improved.

5.0 Finance

6.0 Correspondence