The time of year has come when most people take time off work, spend time with loved ones, relax and recharge their batteries for the year ahead.
Yet for many UNISON members and other public servants, Christmas is a continuation of the working year. Instead of eating turkey or Quality Street, many of you will be providing vital public services that allow the rest of the country to have Christmas off.
While the politicians who have denied UNISON members the real pay rises they deserve are relaxing at home, you’re driving the ambulance on Christmas Day.
While the tax avoiders are heading off for some winter sun, you’re heading into work to make sure the services we rely on are being delivered all through the holidays.
So whether you’re a hospital cleaner, porter, police staff, nurse, receptionist, care worker or any of the other public servants that keep the country functioning at Christmas and all year round– your dedication and sacrifice doesn’t go unnoticed.
Your communities appreciate the efforts you make. Everyone in your union knows the sacrifices you make. And so do I. I am so proud to have those who go above and beyond for our loved ones as an integral part of our union.
In the year ahead, we have so much to fight for. But I know that we can win, because of our union’s greatest strength – the strength of our people.
Merry Christmas, and thanks for being a part of our union.
As many of you know, Cliff Williams, our Assistant General Secretary, sadly died on Friday 15thDecember.
Cliff’s service to our union spanned three decades. Born in Oldham, he moved to Yorkshire to work for Yorkshire Water before joining NALGO. He adopted the region, working there for thirty years, and in turn the region adopted Cliff. He served as District Organisation Officer, before becoming Regional Secretary when UNISON was created in 1993. In the years that followed, he built a formidable team of lay members and staff from across the partner unions and laid the foundations for a strong and influential region.
Cliff was heavily involved in the regional TUC and until he died remained Chair of Yorkshire and Humber Labour Party. He was widely respected across the party both nationally and regionally and used his skills as an astute strategist and a born organiser to support every MP and councillor. Cliff built long standing friendships with many MPs and only ever had one demand of them all – that they, like him, put our members first.
In 2010, Cliff was appointed AGS, overseeing all of our regions. It was a post he loved and undertook with his customary commitment, dedication and passion. His incisive intellect and pragmatism saw our union turn a corner as we faced the attacks of the Coalition government. It was Cliff who masterminded the Fighting Fund scheme, boosting support for branches. It was Cliff who managed our budget to protect our campaigning capacity. And it was Cliff who everyone turned to for support and wise advice when they were up against it.
Yet despite his pivotal role, Cliff never sought the limelight or any accolades. His only ambition was to serve our union and deliver for the members he loved. From first thing in the morning until late at night, Cliff worked relentlessly – advising members and being a trusted and supportive colleague to us all – regardless of the issue or time of day.
Despite his illness, Cliff continued to work from Yorkshire. With long emails and detailed texts, he continued to manage and support others. He commandeered a room in his local pub in Malton, that was soon nicknamed “the office”. His friends, colleagues, lay activists and staff travelled from across the country to spend time with him, enjoy his company and catch up on work. An hour with Cliff was like gold dust.
I was fortunate to have seen him only a week before he died. We spent the afternoon together in “the office”. Yet despite his obvious pain and his gruelling treatment, there were no complaints – no mention of himself or the illness that would soon take him from us. Instead he handed me 16 pages of meticulously written notes. They were his ideas, suggestions for tackling the issues we face and plans for taking the union forward.
Thinking of others, never himself, thinking of our union even at the most difficult times – that for me is and always will be Cliff.
Everyone who worked closely with Cliff will miss his counsel, his support and his commitment – and I know his words “leave it with me, I’ll sort it”, will echo around our union for years to come. All of us who worked with him and laughed with him will miss him. All of us who learned from him and relied on him will miss him. All of us will miss Cliff so, so much.
Yet whilst the union meant so much to him, nothing mattered more than his family.
Sharon, his wife and our friend and colleague, was the love of his life – his soul mate. Their relationship was strong – it was special. With a wide circle of long-standing and loyal friends both in London and Yorkshire – they were always good company and great fun. Yet it was their kindness, their warmth and their consideration of others that we will never forget.
Cliff’s life revolved around his beloved daughters, Liv and Ria. We often shared stories, the trials and tribulations of daughters – late night parties then late-night lifts, boyfriends, dancing lessons, driving lessons, university and the universal Bank of Dad.
We laughed and smiled and every time he spoke of them, his eyes shone and his face lit up – beaming at everything they had achieved. They will always be his pride and joy.
Sharon and the girls cared for Cliff right to the end and I cannot imagine their sense of loss. All of our thoughts and love are with them, Cliff’s mum and all his family as they mourn his passing.
It’s true to say that a great sense of sadness has descended on our union these last few days as we come to terms with Cliff’s death. Yet there is also a true sense of warmth, of supporting each other and of solidarity as we come together to share memories of our dedicated colleague and our very special friend. And just as our union owes so much to Cliff, we his friends and his colleagues do too. Cliff will always be a special part of our union and he will always have a special place in our hearts. He will always be my special friend.
Being able to feed their families, afford dental treatment, repair their cars or pay off debts are some of the things that health workers could afford if the government gave them a decent pay rise, according to a survey released today (Sunday) by UNISON.
UNISON says the findings expose the financial hardship suffered by NHS staff as a result of the government imposing limits on their pay. They form part of the union’s evidence to the NHS pay review body, which is due in tomorrow (Monday).
Since the 1% pay cap was imposed seven years ago, NHS employees have seen their pay lose value as the gap between wage increases and the rising cost of living has grown.
This fall in income has had a significant impact on the service and the workforce, as overworked staff leave for higher paid jobs elsewhere and NHS trusts struggle to attract new recruits.
The survey – of 12,000 NHS employees working as cleaners, nurses, paramedics, midwives, receptionists, security, catering and other health staff – shows that more than three-quarters of respondents (78%) said a pay rise would boost staff morale and ease their financial worries (71%).
Health employees who completed the UNISON survey said a pay rise would enable them support their children at university, buy healthier food, and shop without having to put back items when they get to the checkout:
“It would mean I could get to the end of the month without being overdrawn. And that I could do a food shop and not have to put items back at the checkout because it’s too expensive.”
“It would mean I wouldn’t need to ration food.”
“It would be nice to get to the checkout at the supermarket halfway through the month without panicking that my card will be refused.”
“It would mean I could afford to send my son on school trips.”
One in five (21%) said they do additional paid work on top of their NHS job to make ends meet. Of those that do this, more than half (56%) do extra shifts (known as bank work), and more than a third (36%) have another job outside the NHS. Unsurprisingly, almost three-quarters (73%) of those doing extra work said their basic salary did not cover all their living costs.
More one in three respondents (37%) have been so strapped for cash that they’ve had no choice but to turn to friends and family for financial support in the last 12 months. One in ten (10%) have pawned possessions.
More than three-quarters (79%) revealed they feel worse off now compared to a year ago. Almost all (95%) have noticed a rise in food prices, (92%) said their energy and water bills had increased, and 89% had seen a rise in transport costs.
As a result, more than three-quarters (78%) said they could no longer afford to save money each month. Another three-quarters (74%) have cut back on meals out, 71% on clothes and shoes, and two-thirds (66%) on family holidays.
More than four in five (84%) have considered leaving the NHS in the last year. Of these, more than three-quarters said it was because they felt undervalued (78%), and 73% because of the increase in workload. Of those that would consider leaving, almost half (45%) said their preferred option would be take up a role outside the NHS.
UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said: “It is obvious that a pay rise would boost staff morale. The increase in workload, cuts to services, staff shortages and low pay have all contributed to making the NHS a difficult and pressurised place to work.
“Awarding health employees a decent pay rise would not only give staff the recognition they deserve, it would also allow the NHS to hold on to its experienced and dedicated workforce.
“Health workers are far from greedy but the expectations placed on them keep on rising while their pay has been stagnating. It’s hardly surprising that an increasing number are leaving the NHS for better paid jobs elsewhere.
“This survey is NHS staff saying in their own words how much a decent pay rise would mean to them. We are calling on the government to listen to health workers and pay them fairly.”
Health unions are calling for a pay rise that is at least in line with inflation and a one-off payment of £800 to make up for the loss of pay over the past few years.
Notes to editors
The survey results are here. The survey was open from September to December 2017 and there were 12,108 respondents. Case studies are available on request.
Elections are due to be held for all seats on the union’s service group executives (SGEs) in 2018.
Please note that these will be the first national UNISON elections where members will have the option to vote online or by post.
Instructions on how to vote online will be provided to members nearer the time.
The nomination period will open on Monday 29 January 2018 and close at 5pm on Friday 2 March 2018.
Branches should ensure that the names of the branch chairperson and secretary are current and up to date on the RMS.
This is because nominations will only be accepted if they are authorised by the branch secretary and branch chairperson, and these names must correspond with that recorded on the RMS.
If your branch is an RMS user this information should be entered locally. If not, please contact your regional office and ask them to amend their records as soon as possible.
For more information, contact the member liaison unit at the UNISON Centre. Telephone 020 7121 5399, email elections@unison.co.uk.
Health unions are today (Wednesday) renewing their call for a coherent strategy to improve recruitment and retention, equality and diversity, workloads, well-being and career prospects as the government publishes its workforce plans.
Over the last three years unions representing cleaners, nurses, doctors, radiographers, pharmacists, midwives, medical secretaries, paramedics, caterers, dental technicians, as well as porters, managers, and allied health professionals have identified areas of improvement that would give the NHS a more flexible positive workplace culture.
Chair of the NHS unions and UNISONhead of health Sara Gorton said: “Although the strategy is welcome it needs more work to become the solid, comprehensive plan that unions have been pursuing for years.
“Unions want the NHS to be honest about the challenges faced by an underfunded service and ensure busy staff are able to learn new skills and feel valued without the constant fear of making mistakes due to the overwhelming pressure they’re under.
“Services must also reflect the communities they serve and staff from all backgrounds must be treated equally and given the same opportunities to reach more senior roles.
“NHS strategy is currently shared between nine organisations. All these bodies now need to work together with the unions to ensure the final document has a focused, realistic approach to staffing.
“The plans must have a stronger emphasis on work-life balance and making working conditions better for the million plus people who care for patients.”
Notes to editors: The NHS unions are: British Association of Dietitians, British Association of Occupational Therapists, British and Irish Orthoptic Society, British Medical Association, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, Federation of Clinical Scientists, GMB, Managers in Partnership, POA (union for prison, correctional and secure psychiatric workers), Royal College of Midwives, Royal College of Nursing, Society of Chiropodists Podiatrists, Society of Radiographers, UNISON and Unite.
Last week at the Treasury Select Committee Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond MP, in answer to a question about the cause of poor productivity implied that the UK’s poor productivity levels were the result of disabled people in the workforce.
He said:
‘It is almost certainly the case that by increasing participation in the workforce, including higher participation by marginal groups and very high levels of engagement in the workforce, for example disabled people– something we should be extremely proud of – may have had an impact on overall productivity measurements.’
UNISON disabled members are outraged by this inaccurate and incendiary statement. There is absolutely no evidence to back up his assertion, which is an insult to all disabled workers.
In the context of years of austerity that has disproportionately affected disabled people and a disability employment gap that, despite repeated commitments from the government, isn’t decreasing, these comments seriously call into question the government’s assertion that they want to support disabled people into the workplace
Our hardworking disabled members already experience high levels of discrimination in the workplace and barriers to accessing and retaining employment, comments such as these only make things worse and legitimise prejudice against disabled workers. We will not be used as a scapegoat for the government’s failed economic policies.
The Chancellor should issue a full apology for his statement and the government should endeavour to work alongside trade unions, disabled people’s organisations and other civil society organisations to tackle the challenges faced by disabled people in work.
Commenting today (Tuesday) on the rise in inflation, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “With inflation at its highest level in six years, many public service workers are facing a bleak Christmas.
“With wages now lagging even further behind the cost of living, the government’s punishing pay cap is pushing families to the brink. It’s time that all public service workers received a decent pay rise that at least matches the rate of inflation.”
Local government unions in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have asked the government to make sure to make sure a decent pay award for school and council staff is properly funded in this week’s local government settlement.
The call came in a joint letter to chancellor Philip Hammond signed by UNISON national secretary Heather Wakefield, Rehana Azam of the GMB and Unite’s Jim Kennedy.
The letter follows a pay offer of 2% increases in 2018 and in 2019, with higher increases for lower aid staff to ensure the lowest pay point if the local government pay spine “is aligned with the national living wage.”
It is the fourth time the unions have written to the chancellor, so far without response.
Today it was a pleasure to visit Halton, where the council became the latest local authority to sign up to our Ethical Care Charter. In recent months, there have been a number of councils – different sizes and in different parts of the country – who have signed our charter, guaranteeing decent pay for care workers and a decent standard of care for those who need it.
Afterwards I spoke with Branch Chair David Owen, Branch Secretary Paula Barker (who is also the North West convenor) and members of the branch. It was great to speak with such dedicated UNISON activists about the work they do supporting members in their branch, dealing with a wide variety of issues in so many different workplaces every single day.
Their dedication is just one example of the brilliant work that branch activists do, the heartbeat of our union that keeps us strong. The passion they have for their colleagues, friends and fellow members was really inspiring.
Yet the great thing about our union is that this kind of dedication is replicated by so many of you across our union. Working tirelessly, volunteer UNISON activists stand by our members at the toughest of times, when it can sometimes feel like there is nowhere left to turn.
Different people from different professions and backgrounds, all with different skills, coming together, pooling their resources and their energy for the benefit of all UNISON members and the services they provide. That’s what our union is about when it’s at it’s best. That’s what I saw in Halton today.
Thousands of local government workers and school support staff are to take part in stunts, events and mini-protests across the country today (Friday) in an attempt to persuade the Chancellor to stop the cuts and guarantee councils and schools the money to give staff a pay rise, without them having to cut jobs and services.
UNISON, Unite and the GMB, the three unions representing local government employees in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, have organised the Pay Up Now day of action.
In towns and cities across the three nations, social workers, school crossing patrol staff, librarians, school receptionists, refuse collectors, teaching assistants, and other council and school employees will all be making their voices heard.
Earlier in the week, the Local Government Association wrote to the three unions setting out proposals for a two-year pay deal.
It would mean a pay rise of up to 16% for the lowest paid staff over the two years, and 2% for anyone on more than £19,430 a year next April, and a further 2% in April 2019.
But while the three unions are now to put the offer to their respective committees for consideration, there is huge concern about the government’s cuts to council budgets.
UNISON, Unite and the GMB have written to Philip Hammond three times this year asking to meet to talk about pay and the threat to local services and jobs. He has yet to respond.
On Tuesday the Leaders of Labour-controlled councils wrote to the Chancellor urging him to fully fund the pay offer made by the local authority employers.
UNISON head of local government Heather Wakefield said: “A pay rise for council and school support staff can’t come soon enough. But as the lowest paid staff in the public sector, they desperately need the government to stop its swingeing cuts to council budgets, deal with inadequate school funding and fully fund this pay increase.
“Half the cost of the pay increase will be recouped by the Treasury in increased tax and national insurance ‘take’ and cuts to spending on in-work benefits. This can be recycled to councils and schools.
“Council and school staff are already providing vital local services and educating children with far fewer employees than in 2010, while demands on services grow. Councils are facing real problems recruiting and retaining staff due to low pay. The government needs to recognise the importance of the jobs council and school workers do and pay up now.”
Unite national officer Jim Kennedy said: “Over the last seven years local government workers have seen their pay plummet in real terms by as much as 21 per cent thanks to the government’s cuts.
“It’s time that Philip Hammond and the government committed extra funds to austerity ravaged councils to protect services and give local government workers the pay rise they need.
“A failure to do so will lead to the crisis in local government deepening, services suffering and the pay misery for council workers continuing.”
GMB national secretary Rehana Azam said: “GMB’s members are really struggling with the cost of living. Public sector pay cuts started in local government, which means local authority workers and school support staff have suffered some of the most unfair real wage reductions in the country.
“Theresa May has said that the pay cap has been lifted – now she must back up her words with action by fully funding real pay rises for all public sector workers.”
In recent years, public service employees have been hit hard by the decisions of the Conservative government. Yet few of its policies have been as divisive or as dangerous as the so-called “two-child limit”.
The “two-child limit” restricts parents’ tax credits applications to two children. Any family that has a third child born on or after 6 April 2017 cannot claim tax credits for that baby or any subsequent children.
On Monday I spoke at an event, organised by UNISON in the House of Commons, to draw attention to this vital issue. Our campaign against the measure has been driven by the passion of our President Margaret McKee to tackle this injustice.
It’s a campaign that chimes with the values of our union and with our role as a union of more than a million women.
It is the worst kind of government policy – moralistic, judgemental and ineffective – and it will cost many families around £2,800 a year if they have a third child and £5,600 if they have a fourth.
These are families already struggling to make ends meet, in a difficult economic climate, after years of cuts and austerity. Especially those who work in our public services, who face the double whammy of the pay cap coupled with spiralling inflation.
The two-child limit comes on top of frozen child benefit, a four year freeze on in-work benefits and cuts to work allowances.
This was a plan so bad – so misconceived – that at first, the government didn’t even support it. Backbench MP Nadhim Zahawi floated the idea four years ago, yet Downing Street said at the time that this wasn’t government policy and it was not supported by the Prime Minister.
After the 2015 election the proposal went straight into the Budget – a proposal for which there was no mandate and no reasonable justification. And that proposal, now government policy, is at its core immoral.
The limit will increase child poverty and penalise children for the order of their birth. Worse than that, it’s governed by an arbitrary process, with when children are born and how many siblings they have, mattering more than need.
It is well-known and well-documented that abusers often use pregnancy, poverty and financial dependence as means of establishing control over their victims. This policy will simply enforce and facilitate that control.
One of the great injustices in our society is that many women do not have control over the number of children they have. Some face domestic violence, living with a violent partner or in fear of violence.
Some are victims of sexual coercion, sexual assault and other forms of abuse. Others are forbidden from accessing or using contraception. And some are raped.
The government states that there is an exception to the two-child limit, and that’s where a child is “conceived as a result of a non-consensual sexual act (including rape) or when you were in a controlling or coercive relationship”. It requires proof of that crime.
That simply places a further, dreadful burden on women in poverty, who must now go to the government and prove they were raped, abused or otherwise coerced in order to avoid further financial hardship.
This is one of the most dreadful ideas I have ever heard from this government.
It would be far better and far more preferable to scrap the two-child limit altogether. UNISON’s campaign will continue to fight for that in the weeks and months ahead – both because of the impact of this pernicious legislation on UNISON members, and because it is the right thing to do.
Commenting on the news that the health secretary has today (Thursday) written to the chair of the NHS pay review body to begin the process around the pay award for health staff in 2018/19, UNISON head of health and chair of the NHS unions Sara Gorton said:
“It’s good that at long last the wheels have started to move. Exasperated the government seemed to be ignoring NHS pay, health unions took the initiative earlier in the autumn and submitted their own pay claim. Something they’d not needed to do in years.
“But today’s letter means that talks can now begin to discuss the much-needed review of the NHS pay structure and the decent wage rise that hard-pressed health staff have waited seven long years for.
“But those talks won’t last long if the government is expecting NHS employees to pay for their own wage rise. Any suggestion that midwives, porters, nurses and healthcare assistants might need to give up the money they get for working weekends or late at night in return for a pay increase and we’ll be back to square one before we’ve even got to the table.”
Notes to editors: The NHS unions are: British Association of Dietitians, British Association of Occupational Therapists, British and Irish Orthoptic Society, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, Federation of Clinical Scientists, GMB, Managers in Partnership, POA (union for prison, correctional and secure psychiatric workers), Royal College of Midwives, Royal College of Nursing, Society of Chiropodists Podiatrists, Society of Radiographers, UNISON and Unite.
It’s impossible to review UNISON’s year and do justice to all the amazing things UNISON’s activists and members get up to.
So, we haven’t tried. Instead here are 8 pretty important, awesome things we’ve done together. Roll on 2018.
It wasn’t just about ET
The big headline-grabbing win over the summer concerned employment tribunal fees. They were scrapped after UNISON won a landmark court victory against the government.
The Supreme Court – the UK’s highest court – unanimously ruled that the government was acting unlawfully and unconstitutionally when it introduced the fees four years ago.
Thanks to UNISON, anyone who has been treated illegally or unfairly at work will no longer have to pay to take their employers to court – as a direct result of our legal team’s challenge.
The government will also have to refund more than £27m to the thousands of people charged for taking claims to tribunals since July 2013.
Anyone in England, Scotland and Wales wanting to pursue a case against their employer has had to find as much as £1,200. This has been a huge expense for many low-paid employees.
UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “The government is not above the law. But when ministers introduced fees they were disregarding laws many centuries old, and showing little concern for employees seeking justice following illegal treatment at work.
“The government has been acting unlawfully, and has been proved wrong – not just on simple economics, but on constitutional law and basic fairness too.”
It’s been a busy year for the UNISON legal eagles. It was also when we won the fight for fair holiday pay. Thanks to a UNISON-backed legal battle against British Gas, which took almost five years, the amount workers get for their holiday pay must be based on both their basic pay and any commission they earn, rather than just their basic pay.
And back in March our award-winning lawyers won £70,000 for 22 hospital cleaners who became ill after using a disinfectant without any training. The cleaners all work for Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust.
The legal team also won £178,000 in compensation for a group of workers supporting adults with addiction issues. The workers’ jobs were transferred from Greater Manchester West NHS Foundation trust to Arch Initiatives, but the company refused to take them on and left them with no redundancy pay.
UNISON’s legal assistance scheme has supported around tens of thousands of members with legal advice, assistance or representation related to their work, injury or other legal matters. For personal injury cases alone UNISON has successfully settled nearly 3,000 cases for members suffering from work related injuries and their family members for non-work injury cases, and won over £26 million in compensation.
Don’t mention the ‘B’ word
So you may have missed it, but there was a referendum on whether the UK should leave the EU and somehow we’re leaving and Article 50 was triggered back in March and everything’s been going swimmingly since then.
Or… Brexit has been the number one news story for what seems like forever and there’s no sign of it going away. For UNISON’s part, we have been quietly working with partner organisations like the 3million, to make sure the rights of our members’ originally from the EU are protected once the UK does leave.
We organised two big rallies at Westminster and lobbied MPs, to make sure the contribution of all EU migrants is respected and valued and we will continue to make sure UNISON works for all of its members, no matter where they come from.
Pats on the back v pay up now
As you well know, for years now, public service workers have seen their pay held back by the government in the name of austerity. First came the freeze, then there was the cap. Combined, they’ve seen public sector pay rise by just 4.4% between 2010 and 2016 while the cost of living has risen by 22%.
So, the summer saw the start of UNISON’s Pay Up Now! campaign to put real pressure on the government to change their policy and use money instead of words to reward public service workers.
The campaign took place across the union and involved a satirical ‘Pats on the back’ film starring legendary Dynasty actress Stephanie Beacham, and a government petition signed by nearly 150,000 people which forced MPs to debate the issue in Westminster in December, amongst other actions across the country.
This one isn’t a victory, yet. But the fight goes on into 2018.
Ms Smith went to Westminster
The general election that wasn’t going to happen and then did, that was going to deliver strong and stable but didn’t and arguably left the country in an even bigger mess than it was before, confused and confounded most people. But it did throw up a few UNISON-related success stories.
And none was more enjoyable or satisfying than former UNISON president Eleanor Smith’s victory in the Wolverhampton seat once held by Enoch Powell, of all people.
In doing so she became the first Black MP in the West Midlands. But she told UNISON: “You know what – it should have happened a long time ago.”
Of Powell, she said: “I can remember my mum and dad saying: ‘I can’t believe this man. He came to the West Indies asking us to move to Britain and do their jobs – and now he’s asking us to get out’”
Getting on the charter bandwagon
The crisis in homecare was again a big issue for UNISON this year. Not only did more councils sign up to our Ethical Care Charter – stand up and take a bow Hackney, Haringey, Halton, Manchester, Sheffield, Stirling, North Lanarkshire, Gateshead, Swansea, West Dunbartonshire, North Ayrshire, Aberdeen – but we made a video that went viral.
Our satirical film with celebrity Liverpudlian Claire Sweeney highlighted the problem with homecare visits being limited to 15 minutes, and was part of our Save Care Now campaign. The film was watched by over four million people.
Winning, winning, winning
Victories like the Employment Tribunal one in July make the headlines, and understandably so. But there are smaller, quieter UNISON victories happening all the time.
For example, Neath Port Talbot Council became the first organisation in Wales to formally sign a voluntary charter which aims to secure the rights of workers diagnosed with a terminal illness, thanks to hard work by UNISON Cymru/Wales.
There was also a win in Wales in April. Staff working in the sterilisation and disinfectant units at the Morriston, Neath Port Talbot and Princess of Wales hospitals were being paid less than people doing exactly the same job at neighbouring health boards. After two years of trying to negotiate, the workers went on strike for one day and, together with further action, the board come up with an increase in pay.
The social network
We stood up for social workers this year as we launched a new campaign ‘Stand up for Social Work,’ because these members found themselves under attack from the government’s so called ‘social work reform agenda’.
As well as contending with austerity and soaring caseloads, social workers now face an extra unnecessary challenge. The government have insisted they will soon need to pass a raft of tests and become an accredited profession, despite social workers’ overwhelming opposition, considering they are trained, qualified and registered professionals already.
UNISON led the way in calling on the government to drop their plans for accreditation, with support from leading industry experts. After a consultation, a petition, numerous articles and drum beating – the government backed down. Not wholly but considerably. They announced that just 4% of children and family social workers will need to pass the National Assessment and Accreditation System (NAAS) by 2020, rather than all social workers, as they had originally proposed. The phased roll out has also been cut from 31 to 6 English councils this year.
However, the campaign continues to pressure the government to scrap NAAS altogether. Our latest awareness raising activity took us into new digital landscapes, as we hosted out first ‘Social Work LIVE’ – broadcasting a discussion between UNISON social workers live via Facebook. Over 2,000 people tuned in, with social workers from Brighton to Newcastle chipping in with comments to the discussion. So, watch this space – 2018 is set to be an active and exciting year for Stand up for Social Work.
Learning on the job
Supporting apprentices was a key focus this year, and UNISON’s Apprenticeship Charter quickly proved itself a genuinely important tool to raise apprenticeship standards. Launched at National Delegate Conference, Southport and Ormskirk NHS Trust were the first organisation in the UK to sign the Charter in November.
UNISON’s Christina McAnea and John Flannery joined senior leaders from the hospital to sign the Charter. Also present was Simon Bunting, who is currently undertaking an apprenticeship in the Pharmacy department at the Trust.
He said: “I have really valued the opportunity to develop my career through undertaking an apprenticeship at the Trust. It is hard work, but I have learned a great deal which is already helping me to have a better understanding of leadership and management, enabling me to use this knowledge to become better at my job.
“It is great that more people will have a chance to undertake a high-quality apprenticeship in the future.”
With public sector apprentices set to multiply over the next few years, the Charter could be instrumental in protecting young workers from exploitation and UNISON is leading the way.
Do you have a story of success?
If so, we’d love to hear it! Whether you successfully won a dispute in the workplace or you’ve got an excellent new branch rep you think deserves recognition, please let us know.
Commenting on the latest report from NHS Providers on winter pressures in the NHS published today (Thursday), UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said:
“This alarming report shows the amount of strain the NHS is under even before winter pressures have kicked in.
“A lack of beds, staff shortages and the funding squeeze are all issues the government should have addressed years ago. Even with the extra money announced in the Budget, it still falls well short of what the NHS needs.
“It’s incredibly difficult for the NHS to plan for a crisis when it is already running at capacity and staff are stretched all year round.
“Ministers must be honest with the public about how the funding shortfall will hit – with more rationing, longer waiting lists and fewer operations all on the cards.
“It is only through adequate funding and long-term planning that the NHS will ever be in a position to anticipate the winter months with confidence.”
“In the past 25 years of UNISON’s existence, the world of work has changed completely,” general secretary Dave Prentis told the last meeting in 2017 of the union’s national executive council today.
The London meeting came on the eve of UNISON’s silver jubilee year in 2018.
Mr Prentis pointed out that the single employer union branches envisioned by the rule book when the union was set up in 1993 no longer exist.
With branches having to deal with sometimes hundreds of private employers – and individual schools in local government – it makes life very difficult for the stewards who are the backbone of the union, he said.
Equally the union centrally faces additional demands, with increased costs across the board.
The NEC welcomed a proposal to use the anniversary to launch a review of the union “at all levels,” to make sure we get resources to where they are needed to support members and run a modern progressive union.
“All parts of the union are feeling the strain of the austerity agenda,” Mr Prentis told the meeting.
Noting that Chancellor Philip Hammond’s budget wasn’t helpful to UNISON members, public services or the union, the executive received a wide-ranging update on the union’s campaign around pay, including work to co-ordinate political and industrial campaigns, both across the various sectors where UNISON members work, and with other unions.
The NEC was updated on budgeting plans for next year.
Changes to DOCAS subscription methods introduced by the 2016 Trade Union Act, and the need to negotiate new agreements, and charges, with employers by March mean that income for next year cannot be accurately predicted, or a budget finalised, yet.
At the same time, the union is in the middle of consulting on changes to the union’s political funds, because the Trade Union Act requires members to actively opt in to the funds rather than opt out.
Rule changes are required to be discussed at June’s conference, to meet the law, but UNISON will make sure the changes are guided by two principles:
they cannot allow the government to diminish our ability to campaign;
they cannot be allowed to reduce our resources.
The NEC also:
agreed the union’s draft objectives for 2018;
agreed to mobilise members for a national TUC demonstration in London on 12 May;
agreed the election procedures for the 2018 service group executive elections;
agreed the union’s accounts for the nine months to September 2017;
agreed its policy on the motions not reached at June’s national delegate conference;
Almost 150,000 people signed UNISON’s petition calling on the government to scrap the public sector pay cap – and as a result, MPs debated the issue in Parliament this week.
For seven years now, public sector workers have not had a pay rise: they either had no increase at all or saw their pay rise by just 1%, which has been considerably less than inflation.
UNISON has been campaigning hard on the issue and one of the things we did was start a petition on the official Government site. When these petitions reach 100,000 signatories the Government (usually) is required to meet and debate the issue.
So on Monday evening, MPs piled into the house for the lively debate. It was introduced by Helen Jones, who is the Labour MP for Warrington North and chair of the petitions committee.
She gave a passionate speech, which she ended by saying that a pay rise for public sector workers, “would be good for public sector workers, the wider economy and our regions, and in the end it would be good for our country. It is time to abandon the policy and give people a decent wage.”
As well as Ms Jones, 37 MPs made a contribution. One of Parliament’s youngest members, Laura Pidcock MP, pointed out that public sector workers, “are not directly responsible for inflation or prices; their living standards improve or degrade at the Government’s behest.”
Unfortunately Conservative MPs made little contribution to the debate, which was commented on by Mohammad Yasin MP: “It is painful that only a handful of Government Members have turned up for this important debate. That shows that they do not care about our workers, who provide such a wonderful service to our country.”
Great to speak in the Westminster Hall debate for public sector workers.@unisontweets have done a fantastic job fighting for the people who keep our country going. Same old Tory excuses as to why they won’t #payupnow
.@PreetKGillMP speaks of her constituent Kayleigh, a newly-qualified nurse who loves her job, but is unsure of her choice now she sees colleagues forced to take a second job to feed their children. #payupnow#paydebate
UNISON is backing an amendment to the controversial EU (Withdrawal) Bill, which seeks to preserve the rights enshrined in the Good Friday Agreement after the UK exits the EU.
The union’s backing for the amendment, which will be tabled by Labour’s shadow Brexit team during the committee stage of the bill in the House of Commons, comes after the Brexit negotiations stalled over proposals for the future of the Irish border.
UNISON Northern Ireland regional secretary Patricia McKeown said: “While it has been stated by all parties to the EU exit negotiations that nothing should be done to jeopardise the peace process in Northern Ireland, the UK government needs to do much more to suggest that it is genuinely committed to upholding the Good Friday Agreement in all its parts.
“This bill as drafted contains no provision to protect the Good Friday Agreement and the peace process in Northern Ireland from the negative effects of an EU exit. And that is unacceptable.”
The peace process as a whole was conducted with both the UK and Ireland sharing membership of the EU. An assumption of continued membership permeates the Good Friday Agreement and forms part of the legislation that established devolution in Northern Ireland.
The agreement includes a principle of equivalence between human rights protections in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Due to an EU exit this principle is now at serious risk.
As the Republic of Ireland will remain subject to EU law, workers’ rights will undoubtedly develop over time in response to changes in Brussels legislation. In contrast, if Northern Ireland is outside the EU and is not subject to EU law, rights for workers there will not develop in the same way.
UNISON also believes that the bill undermines the Good Friday Agreement by interfering with the devolved functions of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Ms McKeown added: “While we are currently without a government in Northern Ireland, there can be no power grab from Westminster into areas that were already devolved, like workers’ rights and equality protections.
“Instead this bill must ensure that a future devolved government can take the steps needed to continue to protect and advance rights and equality, as the Good Friday Agreement requires.”
GMB, UNISON and Unite have today (Tuesday) received a letter from the local government employers outlining a proposed two-year pay deal for council and school support staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The three unions representing local government staff will now put the offer to their respective committees for consideration.
The offer covers the two years from 1 April 2018. It would mean a 2% wage rise next April for the majority of council and school support staff currently earning more than £19,430, and a further 2% in April 2019.
The local government employers are also proposing to give lower paid staff a higher wage rise – of up to 16% over the two years.
The proposals also include a revamp of National Joint Council pay scales.
UNISON head of local government Heather Wakefield said: “Council and school support staff are the lowest paid workers across our public services and are long overdue a wage rise above the 1% cap.
“The government must now come up with the cash to fund local government properly so councils have the money to give their staff a wage increase that doesn’t put more services or jobs at risk.”
GMB National Secretary Rehana Azam said: “Local government workers are suffering the worst squeeze on their pay in living memory. We have been clear throughout that the years of pay pinching must be brought to an end with decent pay rises.
“We’ll now be giving the employers’ formal offer the careful scrutiny and consideration it requires.”
Unite national officer Jim Kennedy said: “Continuing government cuts to local government have seen real term pay cuts of up to 21% for some of the lowest paid public servants in the country.
“This self-defeating austerity, which is denying communities vital services and sucking money out of local economies, is unsustainable and has to end. Unite will be considering the detail of the pay offer and consulting with its members.”
Notes to editors: – UNISON’s and GMB’s local government committees are due to discuss the offer next week.
UNISON is to show its continuing commitment to adult learning today (Tuesday) by reaffirming two separate partnership agreements with the Open University and the WEA.
The agreements with the two learning organisations are due to be signed later today at the union’s headquarters in London.
UNISON’s relationship with the Open University first began in 1997. Since then around 7,000 public service employees who belong to the union have enrolled upon a wide range of accredited courses, right up to degree level. Many of the learners have also been able to take advantage of UNISON’s bursary and grant scheme to help with their studies.
In addition, hundreds of professional development workshops have helped learners build their skills and confidence in workplaces across the country.
UNISON and the WEA have been working together for many years, and signed an agreement to celebrate that relationship in 1996. This collaboration has successfully enabled people, many of them in low-paid, part-time work, who may have been failed by the education system to access higher skilled jobs through training.
Since the two organisations’ return to learn courses were launched in the late 1980s, thousands of people employed in the NHS, schools, police forces and local government have been encouraged to get back into the classroom.
UNISON’s head of learning and organising services, Teresa Donegan said: “Renewing these agreements today ensures that workers who left school without many qualifications don’t lose out in the education and training stakes. By continually opening up new learning opportunities, it gives lower paid staff across our public services the chance to brush up on their skills and apply for more senior, better paid jobs.”
The Open University’s Vice-Chancellor Peter Horrocks said: “The Open University is proud of its long-established links with UNISON, providing work-based learning that empowers and improves the skills of hundreds of people every year.
“The ability to learn and earn is not just key to tackling the UK’s slow growth and low productivity, but it is also a vital engine of social mobility. We are delighted to cement our links with UNISON today.”
WEA’s chief executive Ruth Spellman said: “The partnership with UNISON has long been very precious to the WEA, symbolising the commitment of both organisations to improving the life chances of ordinary working people through education.
“Over the years we have worked together to deliver first class learning experiences and end results, shared best practice, and represented the interests of adult learners.”
Public money is being used to subsidise private education companies – and UNISON members can do help to do something about it.
The money comes from the UK government’s international development funds, which are increasingly being used to support so-called low-fee pivate schools and other models of private education.
These are pushed as an alternative to free, quality public education.
UNISON is urging members to write to their MP and international development secretary Penny Mordaunt to highlight the issue and ask them to end the government’s support and funding for these schools.
The union is working with sister unions, campaigning organisations and Public Services International to argue for the World Bank and national governments to stop funding the private corporations that run these schools.
It wants the UK department for international development to instead invest in quality public education that is free for learners and their families.
South African liberation icon Nelson Mandela once said that “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” and UNISON believes that quality public education is the most effective and sustainable way to improve education and to tackle poverty and inequality.
But more and more schools for profit have been growing across the global South as multinational education corporations recognise the opportunity for profit and open chains of these “low-fee” private schools in Africa and Asia.
Studies in Kenya, Ghana and Uganda have shown that the poorest households would need to spend up to 40% of their income on school fees to send one child to one of these schools – and that is without additional costs for school uniforms, transport, text books and exam fees.
And the problems become even more acute where there is more than one school-age child in a household. If families have to prioritise which child to education, they often choose boys over girls.
And the UK Department for International Development is a major advocate and funder of these low-fee private schools, awarding a number of contracts to private education companies seeking to expand in Africa and Asia – despite criticism from the UN and concerns from MPs.
UNISON is urging members to write to their MP, asking them to highlight the concerns about low fee private schools, and to Ms Mordaunt, calling for an end DFID’s support and funding for these private schools.
