Workers of the World Unite in 2016

Banksy says it all!

Stop the Trade Union Bill - Week of Action 8th to 14th February 2016

8th to 14th February 2016

The TUC have organised a week of action to raise awareness of the impact of the Trade Union Bill, which is currently going through the House of Lords.

The heartunions week of action celebrates the great work done by union reps and members in our workplaces and in society. We're proud of our unions and reject the government's attempts to damage them with the trade union bill.

North Somerset UNISON members will be on Weston High Street on 11th February between 12 and 2 talking to members of the public about trade unions. We will also be running an information stall for council staff in the canteen at Castlewood at lunch time on 10th February, and taking part in the Big Workplace Meeting on 9th February.

More information at: http://heartunions.org/

WHAT HAVE THE UNIONS EVER DONE FOR US? - PUBLIC MEETING 19TH NOVEMBER

WHY UNIONS ARE VITAL FOR SOCIETY & 
WHY THE GOVERNMENT’s TRADE UNION BILL SEEKS TO SHACKLE THEM

Come along and hear the facts, and how YOUR rights are threatened, from three excellent speakers

· Nigel Costley – Regional Secretary SW TUC
· Joanne Kaye – UNISON SW Regional Secretary
· Andrew Fisher – Senior Policy Advisor to Jeremy Corbyn (Personal capacity)

Thursday 19th November at 6.30 PM

WESTON WORKING MENS CLUB,
6-10 ORCHARD STREET,
WESTON SUPER MARE  BS23  1RQ

No to Austerity March and Rally at Tory Conference in Manchester - a few photos

North Somerset UNISON banner gets a mention in Weston Mercury's Dismaland Special

Trade Union Banner maker Ed Hall is featured in the Weston Mercury's Dismaland special, and he mention the banner he made for North Somerset UNISON a few years ago. Click on the photo to enlarge to read the article.

Jeremy Corbyn elected as Labour Leader

Dismaland Fly Posting Wall displays North Somerset UNISON posters

Our posters now on Fly Posting Wall at Banky's Dismaland in Weston super Mare, but get there quick in case they've been fly postered over! Thanks to Sam Newbury and Strike Magazine for putting them up and providing the photos. Thanks also to Angela Mitchell and Ed Hall.

More Info at:
http://strikemag.org/
https://www.facebook.com/strikemagyo/photos_stream

And have a look at this great video showing at Dismaland - gives you many good reasons to join a trade union!

National Rally and March on the Tory Conference in Manchester - 4th October 2015 - Coach from Weston super Mare

As Conservative Party Conference meets in Manchester this year, thousands of trade union members and supporters will march through the city, taking a clear message to the Conservative Party about their Government's damaging programme of austerity and their attacks on the rights of working people and their unions.

Programme for the day

12.00: Assemble Oxford Road from All Saints Park southwards
13.00: Opening rally
13.30: March through the city on a route that circles the Conference Centre, ending at Deansgate / Whitworth St for coach pick ups

Coach from Weston super Mare - pick up at 8.20 am at Worle Station. To reserve your seat contact: Richard Capps - rickpcs55@btinternet.com

More information at:
https://www.tuc.org.uk/about-tuc/no-austerity-yes-workers-rights-national-demonstration-conservative-party-conference

North Somerset Youth Services Cuts - Appeal to Supreme Court

The following is a press release issued by Public Interest Lawyers:

In a judgment handed down today the Supreme Court set aside the finding of the Court of Appeal on costs and ordered North Somerset Council to pay Aaron Hunt two thirds of his costs before the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. The appeal to the Supreme Court was brought following the Court of Appeal’s finding that although the Council had acted unlawfully in relation to a decision taken in February 2012 to reduce funding to youth services in the North Somerset area by 72% over a three year period Mr Hunt was not entitled to relief on the basis it was too late to revisit the Council’s budget for that financial year. Mr Hunt, a keen user of these services, had challenged the Council’s decision on the basis, among others, that the decision making process was illegal as it had failed to comply with its statutory obligation to consult with young people.

The Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, found that the Court of Appeal had fallen into error and was wrong to find against Mr Hunt on costs as he had won the argument on the substantive issues in dispute. The Supreme Court’s decision on costs is an accurate reflection of the fact that the concerns raised by Mr Hunt about the Council’s decision making process were validated in the Court of Appeal.

A spokesperson for Public Interest Lawyers said –
While the Court of Appeal found that Aaron was right to challenge the Council’s unlawful decision making process, it failed to properly reflect that finding in its decision on costs. Today’s Supreme Court judgment on costs vindicates Aaron’s challenge to the Council’s February 2012 decision. As Lord Toulson noted in the Court’s judgment, public law is not about private rights but about public wrongs. Where a claimant successfully challenges a public wrong committed by a local authority, that claimant should expect to recover their costs. The Supreme Court has given the final decision in this case, with the result that Aaron has succeeded in his challenge and has had the bulk of his costs awarded to him. It is hoped that in the future the Council will give appropriate consideration to the criticisms made of it by the Court of Appeal and ensure that any future decisions taken, whether in relation to youth services or any other important public service, will respect the views of those within the North Somerset area as well as the law.

Padraig Hughes, Public Interest Lawyers

Judgment here: https://www.supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2014-0023.html

Proposal to Cut Pay Enhancements - Consultative Ballot and Members Meetings

North Somerset UNISON members will soon be balloted on the latest proposals regarding the reduction to overtime payments and enhancements. Please make sure that you take part in the ballot and return your ballot paper by 30th July. In the meantime we have set up a number of meetings for members to find out more:

15th July at 1 pm in the Town Hall room 1.05
16th July at 1.15 pm in Castlewood room G08
23rd July at 12.45 pm in Castlewood room G08

End Austerity Now Demonstration

A couple of members of North Somerset UNISON travelled to London with colleagues from the NUT for the End Austerity Now demonstration. We joined 250,000 people from all over the UK who marched from the Bank of England to Parliament to demand an end to austerity.

We heard some great speakers including: Charlotte Church, Liz Carr, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Caroline Lucas MP, Marina Prentulis, Christine Blower, Shappi Khorsandi, Francesca Martinez, Steve Turner, John Rees, Sam Fairburn, Martin McGuinness, Mark Serwotka, and Len McCluskey amongst others.

Here's a few photos from the day:

UNISON Local Government Conference - Some Reflections

Two delegates from North Somerset attended UNISON's Local Government conference at the Scottish Exhibition & Conference Centre (SECC) in Glasgow on 14th and 15th June. Our union debated many motions, including: Local Government Cuts and Finance, Privatisation, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), Devolution, Co-ops and Mutuals, the attacks on facility time, Organising in Schools, the Living Wage and Local Government Pay, We heard inspirational guest speakers - John Hilary from War on Want, and Vincent Ncongwane, General Secretary of Swaziland TUC. We attended a fringe meeting on the impact of TTIP on Local Government, and a demonstration in support of Robert O'Donnell - a UNISON Rep victimised and sacked by the SECC only days ahead of our conference starting - so too late for us to transfer it elsewhere in protest, although a the President of UNISON read out a statement at the beginning of conference informing the SECC that if a way forward is not found, UNISON will withdraw any future business from the SECC and encourage other trade unions to do the same.

With the election of a Tory government we're certainly going to have a lot on over the next few years - with more attacks on our pay and conditions, more cuts and privatisations of local government services, and more attacks on our facility time. The Trade Union bill aims to make it almost impossible to strike with restrictions on ballot turnouts, unless we are able to mobilise our members. One delegate from Islington branch called for demonstrations across the country on Emergency budget day - 8th July, followed by an industrial action ballot over pay before Schools break up for the summer holidays, and industrial action in the Autumn on the day that the Trade Union bill gets its first reading in parliament.

During the conference we also got the news that Jeremy Corbyn, MP for Islington, had just in the nick of time received enough nominations to stand for Labour Leader. All trade union members must become Trade Union Affiliated Supporters and use their vote to elect a Labour Leader, who will stand on an Anti-Austerity platform. Tomorrow, on the 20th June, tens of thousands of people will take part in the End Austerity Now demonstration in London, marching from the Bank of England to Parliament. A demonstration will also take place in Glasgow. This must become the start of a massive campaign to end austerity and kick out the Tories - we cannot wait another five years in the hope of a Labour Government.

UNISON members - help choose the next Labour Leader

If you are a UNISON member and want to choose the next leader of the Labour Party you need to register as a Trade Union Affiliate Supporter. You can do that for free by going to the following link:

http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/our_voice

Voting ballots will be sent out on Friday 14 August, so you'll need to register by then.

You can find out more about the candidates at this link:

http://www.labour.org.uk/index.php/leadership

End Austerity Now National Demonstration 20th June - Coach from Weston super Mare, Gordano & Bristol

The coach will leave Locking Road car park in Weston super Mare at 7.30 am, picking up at Gordano Services at 8.15 am, and Anchor Road, Bristol at 8.45 am.

Tickets cost £5 for NUT members, £10 for non NUT members.

Demonstrators will assemble at the Bank of England and march to the Houses of Parliament.

If you're interested please contact secretary@north-somerset.nut.org.uk

The Tories are coming after your Trade Union - what are you going to do to stop them?

No-one (except the Exit poll) predicted that we would wake up today to find a Tory government, albeit with a small majority. I thought my worst nightmare was a Tory-Ukip coalition! Locally, although the Tories have lost 1 high profile councillor - Exec member Jeremy Blatchford, they still have an overwhelming majority at North Somerset Council - 36 out of 50 councillors.

What does all this mean for UNISON members? Quite simply it means another 5 years of attacks on our public services, our jobs, our terms and conditions and our rights as trade union members. Here's what the Conservative party manifesto says about trade unions:

"We will protect you from disruptive and undemocratic strike action

Strikes should only ever be the result of a clear, positive decision based on a ballot in which at least half the workforce has voted. This turnout threshold will be an important and fair step to rebalance the interests of employers, employees, the public and the rights of trade unions. We will, in addition, tackle the disproportionate impact of strikes in essential public services by introducing a tougher threshold in health, education, fire and transport. Industrial action in these essential services would require the support of at least 40 per cent of all those entitled to take part in strike ballots – as well as a majority of  those who actually turn out to vote. We will also repeal nonsensical restrictions banning employers from hiring agency staff to provide essential cover during strikes; and ensure strikes cannot be called on the basis of ballots conducted years before. We will tackle intimidation of
non-striking workers; legislate to ensure trade unions use a transparent opt-in process for union subscriptions; tighten the rules around taxpayer-funded paid ‘facility time’ for union representatives; and reform the role of the Certification Officer."

Now is the time for UNISON members to stand up to protect their trade union. Now is the time for you to get more involved in your trade union. If you're not a member, now is the time to join a trade union. Don't let them take away everything that has been fought and won by working people over the last 100 years.

Your union needs you to become a UNISON Rep

Election Hustings for Weston super Mare Parliamentary Constituency - 24th April 2015

HOW WILL THE NHS SURVIVE THE NEXT 5 YEARS?

YOUR CHANCE TO QUESTION YOUR NEXT MP

Friday April 24th at 7.30pm

Blakehay Theatre, Wadham Street, Weston-super-Mare BS23 1JZ

Panel includes:
John Penrose MP (Cons), Dr Richard Lawson (Green), Tim Taylor (Lab), John Monroe (LibDem), Ernie Warrender (Ukip)

The General Election on May 7th 2015 will be the most important vote we will have for the future of our NHS.  Are we heading for a US style health insurance model or is there a chance of retaining a health service which remains free at the point of use.

Everyone is invited to come and hear what all the candidates are thinking their party will do if it gets into power.  And with the way the polls are looking at the moment, it looks as though we will have another five years of a coalition of some sort.

Remember these public meetings are an essential part of our democracy.  Come along and ask the difficult questions, raise the burning issues and make sure your chosen candidate tells you exactly what their party will do if they get into power.

If you can’t make it to the meeting you can send your questions to The Weston Mercury: simon.angear@archant.co.uk

For further information please contact: NorthSomersetHustings@outlook.com

Campaign for the Living Wage in North Somerset Schools and Academies

North Somerset UNISON will soon be writing to all North Somerset Schools and Academies to make them aware of our campaign for the Living Wage for Schools Support Staff across the district.

Over the last year or so UNISON has signed national agreements to implement the Living Wage with the Church of England, the Catholic Church, the Schools Co-operative Society, and a number of Academies.

In North Somerset there are 25 Church of England Schools, 3 Catholic Schools and 5 Co-operative Schools. This means that over half the Primary Schools in the area are being encouraged by their Churches and Society to pay the Living Wage. In addition we understand that 2 out of the 10 Secondary Schools (including Academies) in North Somerset are likely to implement the Living Wage within the year. As all these Schools begin the process of implementing the Living Wage, others will be forced to follow, or else they may find themselves facing recruitment problems in a recovering jobs market.

Further information on UNISON's Living Wage agreements with the Church of England, the Catholic Church and the Schools Co-operative Society can be found at the following links.

Church of England announcement:
https://www.churchofengland.org/media-centre/news/2014/09/unison-and-church-of-england-reach-landmark-agreement-to-bring-living-wage-to-all-schools.aspx

The Living Wage - A briefing and plan for implementation in Church of England schools

Catholic Church announcement:
http://www.catholiceducation.org.uk/news/ces-news/item/1002826-living-wage-guide-for-schools-from-catholic-church-and-unison

The Living Wage - A briefing and plan for implementation in Catholic schools

Schools Co-operative Society announcement:
http://www.co-operativeschools.coop/media_events/living_wage

The LivingWage - A briefing and plan for implementation in Co-operative Schools

Public Meeting about the future of Social Care - 29th April 2015

Weston super Mare Labour Party are organising a meeting about the future of Social Care:

29th April at 7.30 pm

The Purple Sheep Centre
25 Hughenden Road
Weston super Mare
BS23 2UR

Speakers include:

Ash Poddar, Help-in-Care
Tim Taylor, Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Weston super Mare
Helen Thornton, North Somerset UNISON
Steve Timmins, Protect Our NHS

All UNISON members, whether Social Care workers or not, are welcome to attend.

Special Local Government Conference held on 24th March 2015

UNISON local government delegates from across the UK met at a special conference in London to debate the lessons of the recent pay campaign and agree a set of strong proposals to increase member engagement and democratic participation in every aspect of future pay campaigns.

During a day of impassioned speeches and strong feelings about the impact of the government’s continuing pay freeze and years of declining pay in local government, a range of composites and motions were agreed.

Composite A recognised that “years of pay freezes and pay caps in local government mean that many of our members are now forced to rely on in-work benefits or to take on extra jobs…or even rely on food banks”.

It pledged the union to ensure a UK-wide perspective on all pay campaigning; to put women and gender equality at the heart of campaigning; to work jointly with other unions and to build bargaining and industrial strength through a massive recruitment and organising effort.

Most importantly, future campaigns needed to increase member participation and engagement in the fight for fair pay.

Delegates also agreed Composite B to amend the local government service group’s procedures to ensure that “meaningful, clear and transparent” consultation is carried out with branches.

It also called for at least one lay representative from the appropriate sector committees to have the opportunity to be involved in all pay negotiations.

Composite C called on the union to lodge an additional pay claim for 2015/16 with a settlement date of 1 April 2015 to include a Living Wage rate as the minimum pay value of the NJC pay spine and an equivalent flat rate pay increase to be applied to all other scale points.

Delegates agreed motions from Wales and Scotland calling for a range of measures to increase member engagement in pay campaigning and for the development of a “consistent, sustained and coherent political strategy, allied to our bargaining and industrial strategies.

UNISON Northern Ireland and Scotland moved a motion calling for future claims to be based on a strong central claim but allowing for local improvement in devolved nations, while opposing any moves to undermine National Joint Council bargaining or move towards regional or local bargaining.

The conference also agreed a report from the service group executive to alter the union’s pay consultation processes to improve participation - including allowing branches to carry out consultation using electronic polling methods.

Election Hustings for North Somerset and Weston super Mare Constituencies - 10th and 24th April 2015

HOW WILL THE NHS SURVIVE THE NEXT 5 YEARS?

YOUR CHANCE TO QUESTION YOUR NEXT MP

North Somerset Public Meeting:

Friday April 10th 7.30pm 

Scotch Horn Leisure Centre, Brockway, Nailsea, BS48 1BZ

Invited Candidates Include: Dr Liam Fox MP (Cons), David Derbyshire (Green), Greg Chambers (Lab), Marcus Kravis (LibDem), Ian Kealey (Ukip)


Weston super Mare Public Meeting:

Friday April 24th at 7.30pm 

Blakehay Theatre, Wadham Street, Weston-super-Mare BS23 1JZ

Panel includes:
John Penrose MP (Cons), Dr Richard Lawson (Green), Tim Taylor (Lab), John Monroe (LibDem), Ernie Warrender (Ukip)

The General Election on May 7th 2015 will be the most important vote we will have for the future of our NHS.  Are we heading for a US style health insurance model or is there a chance of retaining a health service which remains free at the point of use.

Everyone is invited to come and hear what all the candidates are thinking their party will do if it gets into power.  And with the way the polls are looking at the moment, it looks as though we will have another five years of a coalition of some sort.

Remember these public meetings are an essential part of our democracy.  Come along and ask the difficult questions, raise the burning issues and make sure your chosen candidate tells you exactly what their party will do if they get into power.

If you can’t make it to the meeting you can send your questions to The Weston Mercury: simon.angear@archant.co.uk or call The North Somerset Times on 01934 422656

For further information please contact: NorthSomersetHustings@outlook.com

UNISON NHS members in England accept government’s pay offer

UNISON members have accepted the government’s pay offer for NHS workers in a ballot that closed today.

The results are:

Votes to accept: 67 per cent
Votes to reject and take further action: 32 per cent

UNISON head of health, Christina McAnea, said:

“Our members have voted to accept this offer. Although it does not go far enough, it is an improvement and it will make a difference particularly to over 250,000 of the lowest-paid in the NHS.

“By ignoring the recommendations of the NHS Pay Review Body for England, the government forced health workers to take strike action over pay for the first time in 34 years.

“I’m proud of the fact our members were prepared to take strike action without compromising patient care. Their industrial action has forced the government to negotiate with us and sent a warning that NHS workers will not sit back and do nothing when their standard of living is attacked.

“We are calling on any government elected in May to develop a pay strategy that rewards health workers fairly for the demanding jobs they do, and ensures the NHS can continue to recruit and retain a high quality workforce.

“The current state of pay in the NHS means many workers rely on unsocial hours payments to make ends meet. We know this government wants to cut these.

“The industrial action over the last six months should be a warning to ministers that our members will not accept further cuts.”

March for the NHS in Bristol - 14th March

March for the NHS in Bristol Saturday 14th March

Starting at College Green at 11am.
March to Castle Park for rally from about 12.30

Download a poster for the Bristol event:
https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/peoplesvoteforthenhs/pages/111/attachments/original/1425035268/March_poster_A4__Bristol_no_printer_marks_AW.pdf?1425035268 

Full details of national campaign:  http://www.peoplesvotefornhs.org.uk/pledges

The People’s Vote for the NHS’s pledges are:

1. Repeal the Health and Social Care Act. Halt and roll back the privatisation of the NHS. No to TTIP.
2. End the NHS funding freeze: Increase spending to meet growing need for health care.
3. No more unsafe cuts and closures to save money.
4. Don’t let PFI costs kill off local services! Renegotiate on the basis of fair value.
5. Fair deal and fair pay for NHS staff.

This will be the second stop in a pre-election tour of Britain by those who marched 300 miles for the NHS last August from the North to London.

Proposal to Cut Pay Enhancements - Consultative Ballot result

North Somerset UNISON has recently balloted members on proposals to cut pay enhancements.

85% rejected the cuts to pay enhancements and are prepared to take some form of industrial action.

15% accepted the cuts with 1 year pay protection.

We have informed North Somerset Council  that our members have overwhelmingly rejected the proposals. We are now in further negotiations with the council, and will ballot members again on a new set of proposals within the next month or so.

In the meantime we need members to let us know what the financial impact on them will be. You can do this by emailing unison@n-somerset.gov.uk or phoning 01934 634759.

UNISON Lobby of Council Budget Meeting 17th February 2015

North Somerset UNISON members, including members working in Libraries and the START team lobbied North Somerset Council as they met to set their budget for the forthcoming year - £15 million of cuts, including cuts to overtime and unsocial hours payments for staff.

Opposition councillors proposed 4 amendments to mitigate the impact of the cuts, including stopping the cuts to Community Meals, START and Pay enhancements for staff, as well as paying the Living Wage, but the massive Tory majority ensured the budget got voted through.

Green Party Councilor Leimdorfer praised the START team saying they have received 270 compliments and only 1 complaint from service users, whereas the private sector had received a couple of dozen compliments and a similar number of complaints. Councillor Leimdorfer gets the award for quote of the night when he said: "START is where privatisation should  stop". He talked about double standards - the principle of full cost recovery which is being applied to Community Meals charges is not being applied to collecting large numbers of green bags from big houses. That Local government is supposed to promote the common good and provide services for the vulnerable. Councillor Leimdorfer also suggested that the £157,000 which had recently been added to the Contingency budget could be used to pay for enhancments.

Tory Executive member Tony Lake confirmed that the cuts to enhancements are not just about bringing North Somerset in line with other local authorities, but about bringing us in line with the private sector (and of course this will help them when they outsource START)

Independent councillor Donald Davies talked about the £1.8 million underspend which could be used to finance the opposition budget amendments. He also said that the cuts to enhancements are a race to the bottom, and that Tory councillors obviously had no experience of industry, where workers are paid extra for working nights. He said staff have worked hard in difficult times, and the proposal to cut enhancements is just nasty, and typical of the Tories.

Labour councillor Ian Parker read out an email he'd received from a staff member about the impact of cuts to enhancements. Labour councillor Richard Tucker talked about the erosion of terms and conditions over the last 30 years, and suggested the cuts to enhancements be postponed until after the election.

Lib Dem councillor Mike Bell also spoke against the cuts to enhancements and asked councillors present to think about what sort of jobs staff getting enhancements do.

UNISON members should note that the amendment concerning protecting pay enhancements was pretty much unanimously voted against by the Tory majority, and for by Green, all Labour, some Independents, and Lib Dem councillor Deborah Yamanaka. The forthcoming local elections are a good opportunity for UNISON members to show their displeasure with those councillors who have voted for the cuts to enhancements - so don't vote Tory.

Opposition parties voted against recommendations 1 and 2 of the Council Report approving the budget, while the Tories voted for it. The report can be found at this link: http://apps.n-somerset.gov.uk/cairo/docs/doc26475.pdf. In addition Labour councillors voted against recommendations 3-6 of the report (concerning council tax setting), while Tory, Green, Independent and Lib Dem voted for.

A UNISON Rep spoke at the council meeting - here's ours speech:

We have submitted a paper ahead of the meeting, which I hope you have had time to read and consider. We are in danger of repeating ourselves year after year, but again we are urging councillors to question whether the levels of reserves are strictly necessary. This year on top of £8 million in general reserves, you have a £2 million contingency reserve (which has been massively underspent over the last few years), and the recent review of earmarked reserves has created  a new £2 million redundancy reserve, a £1.38m capacity fund for transformation reserve, plus a new £3.1 million transformation projects reserve for Agilisys led digital transformation projects which are likely to lead to many more job losses. This is a total of £8 million which could be invested in services, but instead is being invested in privatisations and redundancies.

Again this year we are urging councillors to pay your staff the Living Wage, and to ensure that schools across the district pay the Living Wage. Councillors may be interested to know that over half the Primary Schools in North Somerset are either Church of England, Catholic or Co-Operative, and all have signed national agreements with UNISON to implement the Living Wage. The benefits of paying the Living Wage to both employers and the local economy are well-known, and are supported by all political parties.

In our view this year's budget is yet another attack on the staff who have kept council services running despite the cuts. The budget proposals include the loss of 21 full-time equivalent jobs, including School Crossing Patrols, along with the transfer of 150 staff to Agilisys and Liberata (at least 30 of whom will face redundancy as Agilisys transform services), the proposed transfer to the private sector of 85 staff (mainly women) in the START reablement team, the loss of 10 to 15 management posts, as well as unspecified staff reductions in Property & Asset Management, Legal & Democratic Services, Human Resources and Training departments across the council. Council staff that avoid the cull will see their workloads increase even further as a result of fewer managers, as well as the loss of admin staff, who will soon be sitting in the centralised Agilisys hubs, making it highly likely that the remaining council staff will be doing their own admin. We are now very worried that services are likely to fail.

Over the last 5 years your staff have seen their pay fall in real terms - UNISON has estimated that local government workers have lost about 20% of their pay. The recently concluded 2.2% cost of living increase over 2 years is the first close to inflation pay rise for 4 years - and that's only the case because inflation has fallen so low. Councillors will be aware that this year's staff survey shows that levels of satisfaction with working for the council have dropped by 6%, while levels of dissatisfaction have increased by 11%. And only a quarter of staff said they would speak highly about the council as an employer. As the economic situation is improving, UNISON members are reporting that more and more of their colleagues are leaving to go and work elsewhere.

So given all of this, and on top of 400 job cuts over the last 4 years, it is a real kick in the teeth for staff to find out that the council is now proposing to remove and reduce pay enhancements or the extra payments it makes to staff working overtime and unsocial hours. 400 staff, or a quarter of the council's workforce, will be affected by these cuts to pay, and in some cases (particularly for part-time workers) they could lose between 10 and 20% of their monthly wage packet. Those affected include staff working in Libraries, Home Care, Community Meals, CCTV, Parking, Social Workers, and Area Officers. The cuts to pay enhancements are designed to save the council £200,000 over 2 years. It is therefore interesting to note that because of the delays to the Dolphin Square development the council is losing income of £20,000 per month from Carlton Street car park - it now looks very much to us like council staff are paying for this lost income.

We think that the removal and reduction of pay enhancements will have a huge impact on already low staff morale, as well as on recruitment and retention. Councillors will be interested to know that the proposed cuts to enhancements, in most cases, take our rates below the rates paid by the other West of England authorities. In combination with our lower levels of basic pay, this will create major problems for the council in recruiting. These proposals will also impact on services, as the council may find staff unwilling to work overtime, unsocial hours, or spend their free time on call out and standby if they are not paid adequately. It will also make it difficult for the council to cover annual leave and sickness, and as a result may lead to services such as libraries closing.

We are asking councillors to seriously consider whether the cuts to enhancements, which aim to save a relatively small amount of money for the council, are worth the risk of further damage to the council's relationship with your staff.

Stop the cuts to our enhancements

NORTH SOMERSET COUNCIL ARE LOSING £240,000 A YEAR ON THIS CAR PARK!

ARE COUNCIL STAFF PAYING FOR THIS LOST INCOME WITH CUTS TO THEIR UNSOCIAL HOURS WORKING PAYMENTS?

NHS Pay Offer 2015 - Information for Members taking part in the Ballot

UNISON members working in the NHS will be receiving ballot papers asking them to accept or reject the latest pay offer from the NHS employers.

The ballot closes at 10 am on Monday 2nd March.

If you have not received your ballot paper by 20 February please phone 0800 0 857 857 to request a duplicate

Last year (2014/15) the government refused to  negotiate wit the trade unions and imposed a two-year pay freeze on 60% of NHS staff, with only those at the top of their pay band receiving a non-consolidated lump sum payment of 1%.

Your industrial action has improved this offer for 2015/16.  But the offer falls short of what NHS staff deserve, although it does address some of the key concerns that unions have about low pay in the NHS. Those on the lowest pay bands in the NHS will receive an increase of between 2.1%-5.6%, but the very lowest pay band will still fall short of the Living Wage rate, currently £7.85 an hour outside London.

UNISON's Health Service Group Executive (HSGE) believes that this is the best offer that can be achieved through negotiation. The HSGE is clear that if members reject this proposed pay offer, UNISON will need to continue with our programme of industrial action starting with another strike on Friday 13 March. We will need your support and participation on the day if you choose to reject this deal and continue with strike action.

Proposed Pay Offer 2015/16:

A. 1% consolidated pay rise for all staff up to point 42 from April 2015
B. Abolition of the bottom point of AfC and increasing pay point 2 to £15,100.
C. A further additional £200 consolidated for staff on pay points 3-8.
D. An increment freeze in 2015/16 for staff on pay point 34 and above for one year only
E. Urgent talks to take place with a view to the proposed redundancy changes being
implemented from 1 April 2015

UNISON members need to talk to their stewards and look at the following information, which will help them decide whether or not to accept the offer.

NHS Pay Proposals Stewards Briefing

NHS Pay Proposals FAQ

UNISON members may also want to consider that this offer is, after all, only a 1% pay increase (although inflation is currently falling). It is a very small increase - particularly for those NHS staff who did not receive the unconsolidated 1% lump sum for 2014/15, and had their pay frozen, It also does not take the lowest level of NHS pay up to the Living Wage.

BUT IF YOU WANT THE PAY OFFER TO BE IMPROVED YOU WILL NEED TO BE PREPARED TO TAKE FURTHER INDUSTRIAL ACTION.

MAKE SURE YOU TAKE PART IN THE BALLOT TO GIVE YOUR VIEW ON THE PAY OFFER

Stop the War on Workers at North Somerset Council

Members of North Somerset UNISON will be lobbying North Somerset Council's Budget meeting on 17th February from 5.30 pm outside the Town Hall in Weston to protest against the ongoing attack on Local Government workers.

This years budget is another attack on the staff who have kept council services running despite the cuts. This year's budget proposals include the loss of 21 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs, along with the transfer of 150 staff (120 FTEs) to Agilisys and Liberata on 31st January 2015 (30 of whom will face redundancy as Agilisys transform services), the proposed transfer of 52 FTEs in the START reablement team to the private sector, the loss of 10 to 15 management posts, as well as unspecified staff reductions in Property & Asset Management, Legal & Democratic Services, Human Resources and Training departments across the council. Council staff that avoid the cull will see their workloads increase even further as a result of less managers, and Admin staff separated from their teams and transferred into centralised Agilisys hubs, making it highly likely that the remaining staff will be doing their own admin. In our opinion the timing of the transfer of Admin staff, along with the roll out of the ICT transformation, and the implementation of the Social Care Act, is very likely to lead to service failure.

Over the last 5 years council staff have seen their pay fall in real terms - UNISON have estimated that local government staff have lost about 20% of their pay through a 3 year pay freeze (2010/11 - 2012/13), followed by a below inflation 1% increase for 2013/14. The recently concluded 2.2% pay increase over the 2 years up to 31st March 2016 is the first close to inflation pay rise for 4 years - and that's only the case because inflation has fallen so low. Over the last 5 years the council has underspent on its budget for staff salaries by just over £4 million - this money has been put into the council's reserves. Every year the council undertake a staff survey. This year levels of satisfaction with working for the council have dropped by 6%, while levels of dissatisfaction have increased by 11%. Only a quarter of staff said they would speak highly about the council as an employer. In addition over the last year the council has seen a number of senior officers leave, and UNISON members are reporting that more and more of their colleagues are leaving to go and work elsewhere. In our view, if the council is not careful, it will find that many more of its experienced staff will move on to other employers, and it will also find it difficult to recruit new staff.

So given the results of the staff survey and on top of 400 job cuts over the last 5 years, and the real terms cuts in pay, it is beyond belief that the council is now proposing to remove and reduce pay enhancements or the extra payments it makes to staff working overtime and unsocial hours. These payments will be reduced to a point where the council will not make extra payments to staff who work overtime, evenings, nights, and weekends, or who are on call and on standby at times which are outside their normal working hours. 400 staff, or a quarter of the council's workforce, will be affected by these cuts to pay, and in some cases they could lose between 10 and 20% of their monthly wage packet. Those affected include staff working in Libraries, Home Care, Community Meals, CCTV, Parking, Social Workers, and Area Officers. The council are arguing that these reductions are necessary because of the current financial situation, to avoid redundancies and because our levels of enhancements are apparently higher than in two thirds of other local authorities. The cuts to pay enhancements are designed to save the council £200,000 over 2 years. It is therefore interesting to note that because of the delays to Dolphin Square development the council is losing income of £20,000 per month from Carlton Street car park - it now looks to us like council staff are paying for this lost income. In addition, although the council claim that accepting a reduction in enhancements will mean less need for redundancies the council has created a £5.35 million ear-marked reserve to pay for £3 million of so-called transformation projects, including digital transformation (leading to job losses), and also to pay for £2 million of redundancies.

We think that the impact of the proposed reductions on already low staff morale, as well as on recruitment and retention, will be huge. We also think that the council will need to ensure that the combination of our lower rates of basic pay plus levels of enhancements, do not make North Somerset an unattractive place to work, in comparison to the rates of basic pay and enhancements paid by neighbouring authorities - otherwise they will find it difficult to recruit. In our view these proposals will also impact on services, as the council may find staff unwilling to work overtime, unsocial hours, or spend their free time on call out and standby if they are not paid adequately. It will also make it difficult for the council to cover annual leave and sickness, and as a result may lead to services such as libraries closing. On the 17th February we will be asking our employers - North Somerset councillors - to put a stop to the proposal to reduce pay enhancements and to stop the war on workers at North Somerset Council.

Download UNISON's Submission on Budget 2015

UNISON members in the NHS to be consulted on latest pay offer

UNISON health members in England are to be consulted on a new pay offer from the government following talks with the Department of Health.

This means that the 12-hour strike scheduled for tomorrow (29 January) has been suspended to allow the consultation to take place - along with the month-long action short of a strike and the 24-hour strike planned for 25 February.

The offer includes a consolidated pay rise for staff on all pay points up to pay point 34, but with a one year increment freeze for staff on pay point 34 and above..

UNISON head of health Christina McAnea, who is also lead negotiator for the joint health unions, praised the commitment of UNISON members, saying: "The two strike days staged by health workers last year have moved the government to negotiate with the unions.

"These new proposals deliver pay rises of between 5.6% and 2.2% for more than 200,000 of the lowest paid workers in the NHS.

"On top of that, we got additional important concessions for ambulance staff.

"While the offer doesn't go far enough to meet our claim," added Ms McAnea, "the changes are not insignificant - it is important that our members get to decide to accept or reject them.

"If they choose to reject them, we will move to further industrial action."

UNISON is preparing detailed briefings on what the offer would mean for members and how they can have their say, which will be available on the health pay web pages over the next few days.

Read The offer from health secretary Jeremy Hunt

UNISON Lobby of North Somerset Council Budget Meeting on 17th February

North Somerset Council will meet to approve it's budget for 2015/16 on 17th February 2015. Their budget includes another £15 million of cuts to jobs and services, on top of £63 million of cuts made since 2010. Proposals include:

• More job cuts - 18 definite including school crossing patrols, 10 -15 management posts, and more job cuts to come as a result of reviews of Training and Human Resources - all on top of 400 job cuts over the last 4 years.
• 120 full-time equivalent staff transferred to the private sector on 1st February 2015
• 52 full-time jobs from the START reablement team to be outsourced by 2016
• Reductions to overtime, unsocial hours working, call out and standby payments, and travel allowances for staff
• Increased charges for Community Meals
• Further cuts to Supporting People Services
• Further cuts to budgets for care packages
• Cuts to school transport and crossing patrols
• Cuts to funding to the voluntary sector
• Cuts to budgets for road safety and sustainable transport

Members of North Somerset UNISON will be lobbying the meeting from 5.30 pm outside the Town Hall in Weston super Mare - all members and non-members are welcome.

NHS workers at Weston Hospital to strike on 29th January

UNISON members working in the NHS in England will walkout for 12 hours between 9am – 9pm on Thursday 29 January. They will then work to rule between Friday 30 and Tuesday 24 February, which means they will be working their contracted hours and will take their breaks, and not do unpaid overtime. This will be followed a 24-hour strike on Wednesday 25 February.

There will be picket lines at Weston General Hospital from 9 am on 29th January. 

Please support our NHS workers as they strike for a 1% cost of living increase for all NHS workers, and the Living Wage of £7.85 an hour for the lowest paid staff. 

North Somerset Council's proposal to cut enhancements for unsocial hours working

In August 2012 North Somerset Council put on hold their proposal to reduce pay enhancements, such as overtime and unsocial hours working payments, callout and standby allowances, pending a cost of living pay increase. Because the 2014 pay claim has now been concluded the proposals are back on the table.

The proposals include: all overtime to be paid at plain  time, removal of Saturday enhancements, reduced payments for working Sundays and Bank Holidays, and evening and night work (Mondays to Saturdays) to be paid at plain time. In addition standby payments will be removed, but there will be no change to call out payments.

The proposals aim to save approximately £150,000 annually from the staff pay bill. The council argue that this is necessary because of the current financial situation and because our levels of enhancements are higher than in other local authorities. The council are proposing that the changes will begin from 1st April 2015, and they are offering 12 month’s pay protection or an equivalent lump sum in compensation for the reduction to your enhancements.

North Somerset UNISON members will soon be receiving consultative ballot papers asking them if they are prepared to accept the cut to enhancements or whether they are prepared to take industrial action, or action short of industrial action, in order to protect them.

We have also arranged meetings so that you can come and find out more:

• 3rd February at 12.30 pm in the Rickford room at the Town Hall
• 10th February at 12.30 pm in room 2.07 at Castlewood

North Somerset UNISON opposes any reductions to our members’ terms and conditions, and we will be lobbying the Council’s meeting on 17th February from 5.30 pm outside the old Town Hall in Weston super Mare - all UNISON members affected by these proposals need to be at our lobby.