What a start to the new decade!

January’s been busy for UNISON. We started off the year strongly, announcing our support for Keir Starmer as the new Labour leader (above with Dave Prentis) and Angela Rayner as deputy (below).

The first campaigning win of the year came for members in Northumbria Police, after the Northumbria office of the Police and Crime Commissioner signed the Dying to Work Charter, which protects individuals at work with a terminal illness.

In Northern Ireland, health workers suspended a strike action after the government offered an improved pay deal. The pay deal was offered after intensive negotiations between UNISON leadership and government officials on pay parity and safe staffing.

In London, cleaning staff at Birkbeck, University of London achieved a huge victory (above) when they won their long-running struggle to have their jobs transferred back in-house.The cleaning staff and their UNISON representatives have campaigned courageously for years for an end to the injustice of outsourcing.

Another insourcing victory followed shortly in Somerset, care workers, catering and domestic support staff working for Sirona Care and Health have been told that their roles will be returning to Bath and North East Somerset Council.The win came after a two-year dispute led by UNISON.

Research from YouGov showed that UNISON is the most influential voice among Labour Party members.

On 22 January, UNISON hosted the launch of this year’s Show Racism the Red Card schools competition, 24 years after the campaign group was founded.

Showing racism the red card

Guests at the event included The Voice winner Jermain Jackman, England cricket star Monty Panesar, former England and Arsenal star Rachel Yankey, Arsenal legends Paul Davis and Perry Groves, and author, poet and former Children’s Laureate, Michael Rosen.

On Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January, UNISON members across the UK remembered the victims of the Nazis – and of more recent genocides.

L-R: Jemma Levene, Dave Prentis, Ruth Levin, Josie Bird, Keir Starmer, MP Keir Starmer, Georgia Gould

An event at UNISON Centre included general secretary Dave Prentis saying that we all need to recommit ourselves to working against hatred and intolerance.

In Scotland, Renfrewshire members paid tribute to Jane Haining – the only Scot to die in a Nazi concentration camp.

Suffolk and Norfolk UNISON police branches celebrated improvements to maternity support leave.

Police chiefs in the region have increased the amount of maternity support leave by a third – and backdated the measure to last autumn.

The third and final in-sourcing victory of the month came from members at Imperial College in London, where UNISON successfully brokered a deal to bring a thousand low-paid porters, cleaners and catering staff back under NHS direct management. Private contractor Sodexo has managed these staff for the last five years.

Here’s hoping that the rest of 2020 brings more insourcing victories and continued Labour Party trust in UNISON!

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UNISON deal ends outsourcing at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

UNISON-brokered deal ends outsourcing at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

A thousand low-paid porters, cleaners and catering staff at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London are today (Thursday) celebrating after winning the right to be directly managed by the NHS, says UNISON.

From 1 April the staff – who work in the trust’s five hospitals across the capital – will no longer be employed by private contractor Sodexo. The company has held the contract since 2015.

As part of the transfer back to the NHS, staff from Sodexo will see their pay, overtime, pensions and sickness allowances brought in line with other health service workers, ending years of unfair treatment, says the union.

Employees’ pay will increase from £10.55 to £11.28 an hour and they’ll get sick pay from the first day they’re ill. Workers will also be able to join the NHS pension scheme, which was previously unavailable to them as Sodexo staff.

UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “This is a victory for fairness and common sense.

“Thousands of workers and their families will be able to sleep a little easier,

knowing they’ll be paid more fairly and treated more humanely when they are back in the NHS.

“Managers at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust have sensibly put an end to a system that forces staff to watch colleagues doing similar jobs get better pay, more leave and more generous pensions.”

UNISON Greater London regional organiser Debbie Eakins said: “Bringing the staff in-house is a major step towards ending inequality and unfairness.

“That such a major trust has accepted our arguments and put staff and patient welfare first is a major breakthrough.

“UNISON will continue to work with trust managers to make the case for bringing all outsourced staff back into the NHS as soon as possible.”

Notes to editors
– Hospitals managed by the trust include: Charing Cross, Hammersmith, St Mary’s, Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea, Western Eye.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services – in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in both the public and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Emma Davey T: 0207 535 6581 M: 07432 733187 E: e.davey@unison.co.uk
Garfield Myrie T: 0207 121 5546 M: 07432 741565 E: g.myrie@unison.co.uk

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FE workers in England reject pay offer

A UNISON working group will look into how further education members in England can best campaign against low pay after rejected the employers’ pay offer for the 2019-20 academic year.

The employer’s body, the Association of Colleges, recommended a pay increase of 1% or £250, whichever was greater, in November last year.

This was in response to a union claim for an extra £1 per hour for all pay grades, an extra five days annual leave and the living wage – as calculated by the Living Wage Foundation – as a minimum.

UNISON consulted members on the offer over January, and they rejected it.

The union’s national further education committee discussed the result of the consultation and next steps at its meeting yesterday.

Following wide-ranging discussions and detailed analysis of the issues, including turn-out, it was decided to set up a working group to look at “how staff in colleges will demonstrate their intense dissatisfaction with yet another poor pay recommendation that many colleges will not implement”.

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Barriers to overseas recruitment will disrupt care, says UNISON

Commenting on the report from the Migration Advisory Committee published today (Tuesday) on the UK’s future immigration system, UNISON assistant general secretary Christina McAnea said:

“The immigration system has got to work for social care. But reducing the salary threshold by £4,400 won’t allow a single care worker to come to the UK.

“The sector is already in crisis. Placing barriers to recruitment from overseas would cause it huge difficulties.

“Nor would the government’s idea of a one-year visa be any better. By the time care staff have arrived and settled into their jobs, it’d be time for them to leave.

“All their experience and training would be lost, and migrant workers would face uncertainty and instability. The elderly and vulnerable people they support would also be left anxious and have their care disrupted.

“The government can no longer duck its responsibility to reform social care. If wages were increased and training improved, people who already live and work in the UK might start to see care as an attractive career option.”

Notes to editors
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services – in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in both the public and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Anthony Barnes T: 0207 121 5255  M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk
Sophie Goodchild T: 0207 121 5555 M: 07767 325595 E: s.goodchild@unison.co.uk

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Our members count, UNISON tells universities

Make sure our members count, UNISON is demanding, after the body that published data on the university workforces announced that it won’t collect information on professional, administrative and operational workers in future.

The Higher Education Statistics Agency says it has stopped collecting data on support staff, rendering them invisible, while only academic staff and higher grades on non-teaching staff will be counted.

The HESA publishes data showing the number of staff in each university by broad occupational group and also by nationality and gender, ethnicity and age. It’s last figures, published on 23 January, showed that there are 222,885 non-academic staff in the UK’s universities and 217,065 academic staff.

But information on the larger group will be harder to find in future.

UNISON has been campaigning for the sector to continue to collect data on the entire higher education workforce.

“Surely the government, employers and sector agencies need to know exactly how many staff work in our universities,” says the union’s head of higher education, Ruth Levin.

“How can evidence based, strategic decisions be made about the workforce if we don’t even know the numbers of staff working in universities?

“The sector has huge challenges to eliminate the gender pay gap, and to ensure that there are the same job and progression opportunities for Black and minority ethnic staff.

“Not collecting this data will set the sector back and could adversely affect policy decisions,” she warned.

Last of its kind? January 2020 workforce data from HESA

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Evil of anti-Semitism ‘still with us’, says UNISON

Speaking an event to mark Holocaust Memorial Day and the 75^th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau and Bergen-Belsen, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said:

“We remember the victims of the systematic and planned attempts by the Nazis and their collaborators to murder all the Jews in Europe. They exterminated six million Jewish people – two thirds of all those in Europe and over one million in Auschwitz alone.

“Today we remember the other victims of Nazi persecution including Roma, Sinti, Polish and Slavic people as well as the disabled, LGBT and Black people. Trade unionists and political opponents of Nazism too.

“Concentration camps were designed to make human beings feel superfluous. To convince prisoners they were nothing before they were murdered.

“But today we remember them as human beings who died, in all their differences, in all their humanity, courage, fear, strength and fragility.

“We meet to learn, remember and reflect because the evil of anti-semitism is still with us. Holocaust denial is still with us – five per cent of adults in the UK deny it happened, and one in ten say it was exaggerated.

“Holocaust denial is a poison, a deliberate, insidious evil wherever it manifests itself. We remember too those who suffered genocide in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

“UNISON will always stand against anti-Semitism, racism, discrimination and hate wherever it raises its head.

“Anti-Semitism is racism and has no place in the Labour movement. Prejudice and hate is on the rise and must be challenged by all of us.

“But more than anything, on this day, we remember the precious lives lost and the deep grief felt by those who survived.

“We honour their memories by committing ourselves to challenge hate, to ensuring that ‘Never Forget, Never Again’ aren’t just words, but a call for action.”

Media contacts:
Sophie Goodchild T: 0207 121 5555 M: 07767 325595 E: s.goodchild@unison.co.uk
Anthony Barnes T: 0207 121 5255 M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk

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Holocaust Memorial Day: standing together

Today, 27 January, is Holocaust Memorial Day, and this year it marks exactly 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

UNISON marked the event with an event at UNISON centre, attended by hundreds of staff.

There was a minute’s silence and the lighting of a candle of remembrance to honour the victims of the Nazi regime and those murdered during modern genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

Speeches were given by Dave Prentis, Georgia Gould, the leader of Camden council, local MP Keir Starmer, UNISON president Josie Bird, Hope not Hate deputy director Jemma Levene and UNISON national officer Ruth Levin, whose family history archive was on display at the event.

UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “Today, Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism are growing problems that cannot be allowed take hold. We must never forget the bitter consequence of turning a blind eye to hate.

“If society again stands by while neighbours, colleagues, friends or relatives are singled out for ridicule, isolation or worse, we won’t have learned the lessons of the past.

“We have the opportunity to create a better, fairer future for everyone – regardless of colour, religion or belief – and we must grasp that opportunity now.”

Holocaust denial remains a serious problem in the UK. A survey carried out by Opinion Matters for the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust found that 5% of adults in the UK (2.6million people) did not believe the Holocaust happened at all, while one in 12 believed the scale had been exaggerated.

Of those polled, 45% said they did not know how many people were killed in the Holocaust, while one in five (19%) believed that fewer than two million Jews were murdered. The actual figure was six million.

UNISON president Josie Bird connected the traumatic journeys of Jewish refugees to the existing hostility the UK government displays towards people fleeing to safety.

She said: “Today there are 4,000 unaccompanied child refugees living in camps in Greece and France. Their families wait for them in the UK. UNISON is proud to stand with Lord Alf Dubs in his fight to protect them in the face of an uncaring government.”

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Holocaust Memorial Day: UNISON Renfrewshire remembers Jane Haining

Holocaust Memorial Day is Monday 27 January and UNISON Renfrewshire will be remembering the only Scot who died in a Nazi concentration camp – Jane Haining.

In 1932, she responded to an advert in the Church of Scotland magazine for the position of a matron at the Scottish Mission School in Budapest. When Germany annexed Austria in 1937, Budapest became a major destination for Jewish people fleeing the Nazis.

Jane and the Scottish Mission did vital work saving Jewish refugees by helping them emigrate to safety – by February 1939 it was running courses in farming, cattle breeding and any other subjects that would help refugees get jobs abroad.

Jane was visiting home in Scotland when Germany invaded Poland in 1939. Despite all warnings from the Church of Scotland for foreign missionaries to return home, Jane went back to Budapest and the Mission. She said: “If these children need me in days of sunshine, how much more do they need me in days of darkness?’.”

In 1944, Germany took possession of Hungary and the Nazis controlled Budapest. Life became immensely difficult and many Jews were immediately transported to forced labour camps or to their deaths. In April 1944, the Gestapo arrived at the Mission and arrested Jane for harbouring more than 400 children, the majority of whom were Jewish orphans, and took her to Auschwitz, where she died three months later aged 47.

UNISON Renfrewshire branch secretary Mark Ferguson said: “The memorial work we’ve done over the past few years on Jane Haining has been very humbling, and having the opportunity to build a relationship with her family has been so special. We are working on telling the story of someone who lived and worked in our community for a long time, and it’s an incredible story.”

“In 2018, we organised a delegation visit to Auschwitz with her family, including a historian. We held a memorial outside the block where she was detained alongside Hungarian women and children. When she was killed, the Nazis sent a death certificate to the family which said she had died in hospital of a lung infection. She was actually executed in the gas chambers, and we visited the gas chambers.”

“The First Minister has commented on the work we’ve done, and BBC Scotland created a programme that tells Jane’s story. The next part of the project is to create a legacy education programme for young women”

Members of UNISON Renfrewshire and members of Jane Haining’s family at a memorial service at Auschwitz-Birkenau in 2018, outside the block she was held in.

A Scottish delegation involving five branches will be participating in a study tour at the end of March 2020. This is being supported by the national office. The delegation will participate in a fully guided tour of Krakow (Ghetto and Shindler’s Factory and Plazow Concentration Camp), Auschwitz 1 and Birknenau camp including memorial service for Jane Haining.

In denial

Alarmingly, holocaust denial remains a serious problem in the UK. A survey carried out by Opinion Matters for the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust found that 5% of adults in the UK (2.6 million people) did not believe the Holocaust happened and one in 12 believed the scale had been exaggerated.

45% of those polled said they did not know how many people were killed in the Holocaust, while one in five (19%) believed fewer than two million Jews were murdered. The actual figure was six million.

A survey by the European Union’s Fundamental Rights Agency in December 2018 found that 89% of Jews living in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the UK feel anti-Semitism has increased in their country over the past decade. 85% believed anti-Semitism was now a serious problem. Almost half worried about being insulted or harassed in public before they are Jewish and more than a third feared being physically attacked.

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UNISON marks Holocaust Memorial Day

UNISON marks Holocaust Memorial Day

Senior local politicians and union leaders will be at UNISON’s London headquarters to mark Holocaust Memorial Day on Monday 27 January.

UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis and president Josie Bird will host an event at 11.45am to remember the millions who died during the Holocaust.

They will be joined by Holborn & St Pancras MP Keir Starmer, Camden Council leader Georgia Gould and Jemma Levene, deputy director of anti-fascism campaigning group Hope not Hate.

Commemorations will be even more poignant this year, as 2020 marks 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, and 25 years since the 1995 Bosnian genocide.

Dave Prentis will lead a minute’s silence and the lighting of a remembrance candle to honour the victims of the Nazi regime and those murdered during modern genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “Today Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism are growing problems that cannot be allowed take hold. We must never forget the bitter consequence of turning a blind eye to hate.

“If society again stands by while neighbours, colleagues, friends or relatives are singled out for ridicule, isolation or worse, we won’t have learned the lessons of the past.

“We have the opportunity to create a better, fairer future for everyone – regardless of colour, religion or belief – and we must grasp that opportunity now.”

Notes to editors
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services – in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in both the public and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Garfield Myrie T: 0207 121 5546 M: 07432 741565 E: g.myrie@unison.co.uk
Liz Chinchen T: 0207 121 5463 M: 07778 158175 E: l.chinchen@unison.co.uk

 

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Greener NHS Campaign to Tackle Climate ‘Health Emergency’

NHS Chief Sir Simon Stevens has today (Saturday) announced that the NHS and its staff will step up action to tackle the climate “health emergency” this year, helping prevent illness, reducing pressure on A&Es, and saving tens of thousands of lives.

The initiative follows the launch of the Climate Assembly UK this week, which is discussing how the country can best get to ‘net zero’.

Health chief Sir Simon Stevens has today announced three steps the NHS will take during 2020 to tackle this problem.

First, NHS England is establishing an expert panel to chart a practical route map this year to enable the NHS to get to ‘net zero’, becoming the world’s first major health service to do so.

Dr Nick Watts, of University College London, will chair the NHS Net Zero Expert Panel. He is a medical doctor and executive director of Lancet Countdown, the independent international expert group that tracks the links between climate change and health. The NHS in England is the only health-care system in the world that is routinely reporting on greenhouse gas emissions. The Expert Panel will look at changes the NHS can make in its own activities; in its supply chain; and through wider partnerships – thereby also contributing to the government’s overall target for the UK.

These include the Long-Term Plan commitment to better use technology to make up to 30 million outpatient appointments redundant, sparing patients thousands of unnecessary trips to and from hospital. It is estimated that 6.7 billion road miles each year are from patients and their visitors travelling to the NHS.

It will also look at changes that can be made in the NHS’s medical devices, consumables and pharmaceutical supply, and areas the NHS can influence such as the energy sector as the health service moves to using more renewable energy.

The Panel will submit an interim report to NHS England in the summer with the final report expected in the Autumn, ahead of the COP26 International Meeting in Glasgow.

NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said: “With almost 700 people dying from potentially avoidable deaths due to air pollution every week we are facing a health emergency as well as a climate emergency.

“Patients and the public rightly want the NHS to deliver for them today, and to help safeguard the future health of our children and grandchildren.

“While the NHS is already a world leader in sustainability, as the biggest employer in this country comprising nearly a tenth of the UK economy, we’re both part of the problem and part of the solution.

“Indeed, if health services across the world were their own country, they’d be the fifth-largest emitter on the planet.

“That’s why today we are mobilising our 1.3million staff to take action for a greener NHS, and it’s why we’ll be working with the world’s leading experts to help set a practical, evidence-based and ambitious date for the NHS to reach net zero.”

UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “Involving staff is crucial if the NHS is to help the UK meet its emissions targets in good time. They know more than anyone how the health service ticks and so are best placed to make practical green suggestions to get the NHS to where it needs to be.

“But the implications for the NHS building stock are huge. Everyone must now work together to understand how environment-harming heating and lighting systems can be replaced without redirecting funds from patient care.”

The NHS will be taking immediate action in 2020, with a proposed new NHS Standard Contract calling on hospitals to reduce carbon from buildings and estates, whilst switching to less polluting anaesthetic gases, better asthma inhalers, and encouraging more active travel for staff.

The health service will also now launch its own grassroots campaign ‘For a Greener NHS’ to encourage staff and hospitals to cut their impact on people’s health and the environment.

The ‘For A Greener NHS’ campaign will be supported by the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change – which includes representative bodies covering over 650,000 NHS staff – to build on the work already underway to help trusts and staff to cut emissions, energy use and waste, including phasing out oil and coal boilers and increase use of LED lighting and electric vehicles.

Staff and local NHS organisations are being encouraged to feed in ideas to the Expert Panel, and evidence of steps they may have already taken within their own hospital. A new website https://www.england.nhs.uk/greenernhs/ will help local NHS bodies to share ideas and ramp up initiatives that are already working across the health service.

Collectively the NHS’ 1.3million staff could make a huge impact on the campaign. For example, each person switching to refillable water bottles instead of plastic bottles could save 65kgCO2 per year. One London trust showed that just by turning off printers, computers and other equipment overnight and managing heat loss each staff member was able to reduce CO2 emissions by an average of 70kg a year.

Notes to editors

– Case Studies:

• Newcastle Upon Tyne NHS Foundation Trust was the first NHS Trust to declare a climate emergency. One hundred trees have been planted at Freeman Hospital, made up of a variety of species and a green spaces group has been set up to create a wellbeing garden with a dedicated dementia friendly section.

Plastic-light wards: with reusable ceramic cups, plates and metal        cutlery and staff are encouraged to have single use plastic free            lunches.

• Great Ormond Street Hospital ran a ‘Gloves off’ campaign to reduce the unnecessary use of non-sterile plastic gloves across the Trust. In the first year of the programme: they saved £90,000 and cut the use of non-sterile plastic gloves by 3.7m. Staff reported fewer cases of skin issues and contact dermatitis
• Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust has been encouraging staff to change how they travel to work. The campus provides: subsidised hybrid bus shuttle services, and a car club. Events including cyclists breakfasts (in partnership with local universities), cycle maintenance sessions, seasonal cycling events and public transport days.

 

 

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Police branches welcome new maternity support

Suffolk and Norfolk UNISON police branches are celebrating a victory, after chief officers agreed to increase the amount of maternity support leave for officers and staff.

The chief constables agreed to increase special leave for new parents by one week – in addition to the previous arrangement for two weeks – and the new policy has been backdated to 31 October 2019.

Suffolk and Norfolk UNISON branch secretaries Mark Trask and Caren Reeves welcomed the news.

In a joint statement, they said: “Once again, Norfolk and Suffolk chief constables stride ahead for staff welfare by agreeing to increase maternity support leave by a third and allowing this to be backdated.”

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Library workers: have you experienced abuse at work?

UNISON wants to hear from members working in libraries who would be prepared to share their experiences of violence, abuse or harassment while doing their job.

Sarah (not her real name) works in a library in the South East. She told us: “I once had a library user slap my bottom as I bent down to pick up some books. So I’m now careful to squat, kneel or sit on the floor if I ever need to reach down for anything.

“I’ve also had customers hurl racist abuse at me and others have refused to be served by me. These unpleasant occurrences are thankfully rare, but it’s upsetting all the same. No-one should have to put up with this kind of behaviour at work.”

If this is you, please share your experience using the form below.

UNISON believes that violence, harassment and abuse of library staff is unacceptable. It is not part of the job.

Help us to spread this important message and raise awareness of the issues our members in libraries are facing every day.

Library violence

• Would you like to remain anonymous?
  • Yes
  • No
• What is your name?
• What is your email address?
• What area do you work in?
• What is your job title?
• Please share your experiences of abuse or violence at work:
• Did you report the violence?
  If you did, let us know what happened. If you didn’t, let us know what prevented you from reporting.

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New NHS community response teams show the need for social care investment, says UNISON

Commenting on NHS England plans to create a number of community rapid response teams to treat older people in their homes to try to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions, UNISON assistant general secretary Christina McAnea said:

“Any moves to treat elderly people in their own homes and avoid trips to already overstretched A&E departments will be welcomed by an NHS that’s in danger of being overwhelmed.

“If the social care system wasn’t underfunded to the point of collapse, older people could be helped before they hit crisis point.

“But with resources scarce, short visits have become the norm. Care workers are so rushed off their feet, they barely have time to administer basic care, let alone assess whether someone needs a greater degree of help.

“There can be no quick fix for social care. The failure of politicians to get to grips with one of the most pressing issues the country faces is nothing short of a disgrace.”

Under the NHS England plans, vulnerable adults would be seen in the community within two hours, with the aim of avoiding visits to hospital A&E departments.

Notes to editors
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services – in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in both the public and private sectors.

Media contacts:

Liz Chinchen T: 0207 121 5463 M: 07778 158175 E: l.chinchen@unison.co.uk

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‘It’s our responsibility to kick racism out of our society’

“It’s our responsibility to kick racism – not just out of football, but out of our society.”

That was the clarion call at the heart of Dave Prentis’s speech last night, as UNISON hosted the launch of this year’s Show Racism the Red Card schools competition.

Dave Prentis

The general secretary noted that, 24 years after the campaign group was founded – with UNISON’s support – “we are back to where we started,” with some fans even “chanting against their own players” as racism and xenophobia grow outside football stadiums too.

“It’s demeaning, immoral – and it’s wrong,” he said.

“It’s by standing up to racism that you make that difference.

“We can’t say we’re only in it for the good times. If we don’t do it, nobody else will. But if we do it, we will make a difference.”

Leroy Rosenior

The formal part of the evening was chaired by Margaret Greer, UNISON’s national officer for race equality, who also introduced former player Leroy Rosenior, who has worked with Show Racism the Red Card for years.

Mr Rosenior talked of the importance of education and how, when you talk to children about racism, they “get it”.

And when you’re talking to children about the subject, then there’s a simple rule: “KISS – keep it simple, stupid”.

Baroness Christine Blower. The former general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, borrowed from Nelson Mandela to say: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Monty Panesar and Perry Groves

Guests at the event also included The Voice winner Jermain Jackman, England cricket star Monty Panesar, former England and Arsenal star Rachel Yankey, Arsenal legends Paul Davis and Perry Groves, and author, poet and former Children’s Laureate, Michael Rosen.

Find out more about the Show Racism the Red Card schools competition.

• UNISON Black members meet in their annual conference in Bournemouth at the end of this month, from 31 January to 2 February, where discussions will focus on tackling racism in the workplace, public service and the wider society.

All photos: Amanda Kendal

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Patel’s terrorism plans mean more resources needed for probation

Probation in England and Wales needs “significant additional investment” if the government is serious about its plans for tougher monitoring of prisoners convicted of terrorism related offences when they are released, says UNISON.

Speaking after home secretary Priti Patel said she wanted a tougher regime and would look to produce a new anti-terrorism bill in the spring, national officer Ben Priestley said that investment needs to feature in this year’s budget and comprehensive spending review.

He warned that “the home secretary’s amitions to reform the management of those convicted of terrorist offences will be seriously hampered if the current staffing crisis in the National Probation Service is not resolved.

He noted that last week’s report from the probation inspectorate highlighted severe shortages of probation officers and victim liaison officers, out-of-control workloads, shabby workplaces and poor facilities management.

It also said the system of private contracts to cover probation hostels and other approved premises, which house the most serious offenders on probation, is “failing”.

UNISON is calling for these private contracts – employing staff on the minimum wage to oversee serious offenders, including those convicted of terrorism offences – to be ended. It also wants the pay of staff to be reviewed.

Noting that there are currently 600 unfilled probation officer vacancies in the National Probation Service, Mr Priestley said that Ms Patel’s plans to increase training and create more specialist counter-terrorism probation officers “will only work if the NPS has the staff to train in the first place”.

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Local government employers accused of creating “unnecessary” pay delay

The three unions representing council workers have today (Wednesday) expressed disappointment at the local government employers’ failure to make them a pay offer – more than six months after they submitted this year’s wages claim.

UNISON, GMB and Unite – which between them have more than a million local government members across England, Wales and Northern Ireland – are critical of what they see as unnecessary delays to the process.

The unions want the employers to hurry up and make an offer, and have already written to Chancellor Sajid Javid urging him to ensure that local authorities have the funds to meet the unions’ pay claim for 2020/21.

In a joint statement the three unions say:

“The unions are astounded to hear that the local government employers – who met on 21 January – still have not made the local government workforce a pay offer. The unions were expecting that one would be made in response to the pay claim submitted back in July.

“The pay talks have already been delayed due to the general election. While we welcome the employers’ commitment to meet in early February, the extra delay of a couple of weeks is unnecessary and unhelpful.

“The joint union message to employers is simple. We submitted our joint union pay claim well in advance of the pay timeline and don’t understand why they can’t make an offer now instead of further delaying pay talks.

“We urge them to make an opening offer, get around the table and start pay negotiations immediately.

“In the meantime, the three unions representing local government workers have written to the chancellor setting out why it’s essential the Treasury fully funds a substantial pay rise for the more than one million local government workers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.”

Notes to editors:
– The National Joint Council negotiates the pay of the vast majority of local government workers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The three unions involved are UNISON, GMB and Unite.
– The unions submitted their pay claim for 2020 (to take effect on 1 April 2020) in July 2019. The claim is for £10 an hour for the lowest paid council staff and a 10% pay increase for everyone else. Negotiations are due to take place between the unions and the local government employers, made up of representatives of local authorities supported by the Local Government Association.

Media contacts:
Liz Chinchen T: 0207 121 5463 M: 07778 158175 E: l.chinchen@unison.co.uk
GMB press office M: 07958 156846 E: press.office@gmb.org.uk
Barckley Sumner T: 0203 371 2067 M: 07802 329235 E: barckley.sumner@unitetheunion.org

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Care workers win in Bath

After a two-year dispute, care workers, catering and domestic support staff working for Sirona Care & Health have been told that their roles will be returning to Bath and North East Somerset Council.

The news comes after Sirona announced it would be handing back the contract to provide community resource centres and extra care facilities in September. The services will be back under full council control after with effect from 1 September 2020.

UNISON regional organiser John Drake said: “UNISON has been campaigning alongside care workers in Bath to call for their service to be brought back under direct council control following the dispute we had with Sirona in 2018.

“This decision by Bath and North East Somerset Council is the correct one and we will work closely with the council to ensure continued quality of care for both residents and staff.

“UNISON believes that all adult social care should be adequately funded and run by local authorities who are best placed to plan and deliver care services in their area. We call on all local authorities to bring care services back in-house as and when the opportunity arises.”

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UNISON comes top in YouGov poll

With the Labour leadership contest under way, research has been released that shows UNISON is the most influential voice among Labour Party members.

YouGov asked just over 1,000  party members to say whether they had a favourable or unfavourable view of various affiliated and other organisations.

The top two positions in the poll were taken by trade unions, with UNISON seen favourably by 75% of party members and Unite by 65%.

UNISON has nominated Keir Starmer in the election to be the next leader of the Labour Party and Angela Rayner as deputy leader.

YouGov: Five more things we discovered about Labour members

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Young people are paying the price for youth centre closures, says UNISON

Commenting on a YMCA report published today (Monday), which reveals the extent of youth centre closures, UNISON head of local government Jon Richards, said:

“A generation of young people have been robbed of the safety net of youth centres.

“It’s no surprise there’s been an increase in unemployment, mental health problems and gang-related activity.

“The short-sighted closing of youth centres will be felt for years to come –  with some young people paying the ultimate price.”

The YMCA report found that every region of England has each seen funding for youth services cut by more than 60% since 2010. Some of the most severely affected experienced average cuts of as much as 74% in the North West, 76% in the North East, and 80% in the West Midlands.

Notes to editors
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services – in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in both the public and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Garfield Myrie T: 0207 121 5546 M: 07432 741565 E: g.myrie@unison.co.uk
Liz Chinchen T: 0207 121 5463 M: 07778 158175 E: l.chinchen@unison.co.uk
Aimee Reilly (YMCA) T: 0207 186 9544 E: aimee.reilly@ymca.org.uk

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End-of-year accounts for 2019 – branch audits

Branch treasurers have received notification of the procedures to apply on the closedown of the online branch accounts package (OLBA) for 2019.

The branch authorisation sheet which includes the branch auditors’ statement must be signed by the branch auditor and should be sent to:

IMPS Team,

UNISON,

Arena Point,

1 Hunts Bank,

Manchester,

M3 1UN.

It must arrive by Monday 16 March 2016.

As last year, it is a requirement that photocopies of statements for all balances held in bank, building society, deposit accounts, prepaid cards and/or any other short-term investment accounts at 31 December 2019 be sent along with the authorisation sheet.

Branch auditors act as representatives of your branch’s membership as a whole.

It is essential that auditors are given enough time to complete the audit in time for the branch to meet the 16 March deadline.

They need to make sure that the treasurer knows when they will need to start their audit work and agree a timetable. It is desirable for the audited accounts to have been presented to the branch’s AGM before the deadline date.

Auditors who are UNISON members should ensure that the RMS membership system records their auditor status. If it does not, they should approach their regional RMS team to to update it.

Auditors who are not members – eg, external accountants – should request access to the branch’s OLBA records by email to olba@unison.co.uk.

The branch auditor’s checklist should be used to judge whether you have covered the main aspects of the branch audit.

If further detail is required, please see the OnLine Branch Accounting Audit Programme below. This sets out the programme of work a branch auditor should aim to complete.

Depending on how the branch organises its finances, the whole of the programme may not apply – eg many branches operate without petty cash.

The auditor and branch treasurer have the capacity to make changes to the branch accounts up until they take the “generate authorisation sheet” option in the closedown process.

Branch auditor’s checklist 

OLBA audit programme January 2017

Should you wish to discuss any matters raised please do not hesitate to contact John Nagle, head of audit, on on 020 7121 5367 or Barry Lyons on 020 7121 5404.

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UNISON welcomes probation report

UNISON has welcomed the report from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation on the National Probation Service, which was published this week.

The report by independent inspectors bears out what UNISON has been saying for a long time: that

• workloads are too high;
• there are too many staff vacancies;
• the workforce is not diverse enough;
• workplaces are shabby and often unfit for purpose;
• the performance of the private contractors providing facilities management and night cover in approved premises has been woeful.

UNISON welcomes the key recommendations in the inspectorate’s report that the probation service must take the action necessary to resolve these issues.

These include holding underperforming private contractors properly to account, reducing workloads of staff via a workload measurement system, and reviewing the pay grade of victim liaison officers.

UNISON will work with the National Probation Service to deliver these changes on behalf of our probation members.

However, the depth of the crisis faced by the service means that the government needs to step up and significantly increase the funding for the service over the next comprehensive spending review period.

If this does not happen, UNISON believes that the plans to transfer 7,000 staff from the private community rehabilitation companies into the National Probation Service in 2021 will simply add to the crisis.

The government needs to pay the cost of putting right the disastrous probation privatisation – and then to begin investing properly in probation again.

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Birkbeck cleaners win fight to be directly employed

Cleaning staff at Birkbeck College in London have won their long-running struggle to have their jobs transferred back in-house.

Yesterday was their first day of direct employment since the service was outsourced in the late 1990s. The workers will benefit from improved conditions, plus access to the SAUL pension scheme.

Birkbeck UNISON campaigns officer Edwin Clifford-Coupe said: “The cleaning staff and their UNISON representatives have campaigned courageously for an end to the injustice of outsourcing.

“This phase of the campaign began in early 2018, but it was a continuation of our successful campaigns for the London Living Wage in 2009 and equal holiday and sick pay in 2014.

“Our members’ struggle has paid off. Congratulations to them – and thank you to everyone who has supported our campaign”.

The victory follows successful insourcing campaigns elsewhere in London, but the work at Birkbeck goes on, with the union campaigning for night security and catering staff to be brought back in house too, and at the University of London and UCL.

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‘Every higher education worker should get the pay they deserve’

Pay in universities has fallen by 15% over the past 10 years, delegates at UNISON’s higher education conference in Milton Keynes heard today. At the same time, universities’ income has risen and is now £38.2bn a year.

Conference also pointed out that reserves are at a record £49.2bn – a 300% increase since 2009/10. In the last financial year alone, universities increased their capital spending by 6.4%, while wages for most rose by just 2%.

That was the background against which delegates set out UNISON’s plans for this year’s joint pay claim, which will be drawn up with other campus unions.

That background is “shocking and appalling”, service group chair Denise Ward stated as she moved the successful motion setting out the union’s aims, and demanded “fair pay for the many, not for the few.

“Every higher education worker should get the pay they deserve,” she declared.

Conference agreed and called for a joint union claim including a pay rise of RPI inflation plus 5%, a minimum hourly rate of £10 an hour and for all universities to become accredited living wage employers with the Living Wage Foundation.

Delegates stressed the need to continue the campaign against low pay, passing a specific separate motion on the issue.

In a day of wide-ranging debates, delegates also discussed the campaigning work to defend pensions across the sector, promote equality, combat the far right and back mental health.

But there are issues beyond the campus workplace, and delegates categorically stated that “climate change is a trade union issue,” calling for a just transition to a carbon neutral economy for workers, with universities leading by example.

Finally, conference vowed to recommit the union to a higher education sector for the many, as it debated the general election outcome and the impact on higher education.

Recalling the election campaign, service group executive speaker Kath Owen reminded delegates: “The Tories hide from their crimes of underfunding public services and run away from scrutiny. We need to remember this in the battles ahead.”

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Unions state concern for health and safety of prison staff

The Joint Unions in Prisons Alliance (JUPA) today wrote to Prisons Minister Lucy Frazer QC, raising the urgent issue of health and safety conditions for prison staff.

The letter, co-signed by UNISON, reads: “Our members are raising growing concerns about threats to their health and safety at work, and the impact this has on their ability to perform their professional roles safely and effectively.”

JUPA brings together nine national unions representing staff working across the prison system in England and Wales. JUPA’s ‘Safe Inside’ report on the health and safety of prison staff found that:

• 78% of all respondents had experienced verbal abuse in the past 12 months;
• 26% of all respondents had experienced physical abuse;
• 53% had experienced exposure to psychoactive substances, in instances where inmates were using them. This resulted in 39% of those people becoming ill and almost all of them reporting feelings of light-headedness, dizziness, confusion and tiredness;
• Nearly two in three prison workers reported they felt unsafe at work.

UNISON believes that prison and probationary staff have a right to work in safety without the fear of being attacked. Government cuts and austerity measures have contributed to a crisis in the prison service, not just for prison staff but supporting services such as probation and education services.

Working with other JUPA members, UNISON has requested a meeting with the Prisons Minister.

The letter concludes: “As an alliance, we are keen to work with you to find ways to improve the conditions for our members working in prison settings across England and Wales, and ensure a safe and effective prison service.”

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Northern Ireland health workers suspend strike and vote on government pay offer

UNISON health workers in Northern Ireland have today (16th January) agreed to suspend strike action and ballot staff on whether to accept an improved government pay deal.

UNISON’s health leadership met to consider a framework agreement in relation to the long running industrial dispute on pay parity and safe staffing in the health service.

The agreement was reached last night after intensive negotiations between the trade union group and the department of health.

UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said: “Our members in Northern Ireland have not only achieved pay parity against great odds, they have won the support and respect of the people of Northern Ireland by their determination to stand up for the rights of patients and health workers alike.

“There can be little doubt that the sustained industrial action, dominating headlines for seven weeks, forced a response from both the UK government and the main Northern Ireland political parties that has resulted in the restoration of devolved government and reinstatement of the health service to the top of the political agenda.

“I take great pride in extending congratulations to them from everyone in UNISON. I take particular pride in the fact that our members, who have worked tirelessly to protect the peace process over the past 20 years, were the catalyst for the return of power sharing and what we all hope is the start of a new era of rights and equality for all.

“Our members from right across the community in Northern Ireland have delivered for all the people. Now it’s up to the politicians to do the same.”

UNISON head of bargaining Anne Speed, the lead trade union negotiator said: “UNISON representatives from across all health trusts, and health service agencies and bodies, have now considered a proposed framework agreement to resolve our industrial dispute.

“The agreement has been endorsed by the health minister and restores pay parity with health workers in England, backdated to 1 April 2019. It also sets out a funded framework for safe staffing.

“We are now balloting our membership with a recommendation to accept. Our industrial action is suspended for the duration of the ballot.”

UNISON Northern Ireland regional secretary Patricia McKeown said: “While we are heartened that our new health minister and the executive have kept their word, there are two groups in this society that really deserve the credit for getting us close to the resolution of this dispute – our members who have shown incredible determination and compassion – and the public, who’ve been unswerving in their support.

“Over the past seven weeks our 26,000 members in the health service have each played a crucial role in the action. Thousands of them have also taken direct strike action at great personal cost.

“No one simply walked away and closed the door behind them. Instead they spent weeks engaging with their employers on the detailed work of ensuring emergency cover and protection for the most vulnerable patients.

“The public have supported them throughout, despite enduring thousands of cancellations in a health system bursting at the seams. They understood that someone had to call a halt to the rapid decline of our vital health and social services system. On behalf of all UNISON members I extend our heartfelt gratitude to them.

“There’s no doubt this dispute put incredible pressure on our elected politicians. That it was cynically used as leverage by the UK government is also self-evident. The dispute has played a critical role in the return of devolved government and it has rightfully placed the health and wellbeing of the people of Northern Ireland back to the top of the political agenda.

‘We believe that we will have a positive response from our members to the offer. We are determined to get back to the core business of tending to the health needs of our people. This time we expect to be listened to and to play a full role in rebuilding our health service for the future.”

Notes to editors:
For further information, please contact:
Patricia McKeown: 07802539096
Anne Speed: 07904427133
John Patrick Clayton: 07508080386
UNISON Regional Centre: 02890270190

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Preparing for the future

UNISON higher education members gathered in Milton Keynes today, conscious that they were at the first of the union’s conferences since the general election.

And that was a point highlighted by assistant general secretary Christina McAnea.

However sick of thinking about the election delegates were, she said, “the landscape of the UK looks and feels very different” and “it would be irresponsible of us as a union not to prepare and plan for life under a Tory government with such a huge majority for the next five years”.

Ms McAnea, a former national secretary for education and now responsible for bargaining, negotiating and equalities across the union, said she highlighted the election result “not to depress us but because it is now the reality within which we have to work and negotiate.

“But above all I say it because it emphasises why our union, and indeed the union movement, becomes even more important: we are the first and main line of defence for workers and public services.”

Whatever reason people have for joining UNISON, she added, whether as an insurance policy, because they want better pay or because of local issues such as parking at work, they “believe and know that the best way to get what they want is through being part of a strong union – having a collective voice; that being part of a group is stronger than being on your own.

“And that’s important, because that belief in collectivism can change things.

“And,” she told delegates, “it’s important to remind ourselves that unions weren’t set up because everything was going well. We came about because of injustice and unfairness in society and in the workplace.

“We were set up to be a voice for working people and because there is strength in a union.”

And UNISON has demonstrated that strength over the past 10 years of Conservative governments and austerity, she pointed out. The largest union in the UK didn’t just batten down the hatches and hold on to what we had – “we kept up the fight”.

Recalling the first national strike in the health service in health service for 25 years, Ms McAnea, pointed out that UNISON saw off moves to introduce regional pay bargaining, forced an end to an artificial pay cap, took on the government and won in key legal cases, and had the biggest equal pay victory in history in Glasgow.

“When we organise, we can win,” declared Ms McAnea. “So in this new decade, we need to be prepared for this new empowered Tory government.”

And while that means negotiating with Tory ministers and with employers funded and driven by Tory policies, operating in a political, legal and industrial framework of a Tory government in Westminster, the union will be “ready to fight for fairness and justice when it becomes necessary.

“We’ve shown across the union over the past few years that we can win disputes. Yes, it is hard work. It means building density and organising long before we need to have have a ballot.

“It means building on issues that matter to our members; it means having an impact when we do take action,”

Or, as service group chair Denise Ward, expressed it when taking up the theme as she moved the annual report: “Yes, we’ve got a horrible government. But, yes, we’ve also got each other and we’ve got UNISON.

“Because we know there’s safety in numbers, there’s strength in numbers.”

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Cricketer Monty Panesar, sports presenter Chris Kamara and author Michael Rosen to help launch Show Racism the Red Card school competition

Big names from the worlds of sport and literature will gather in London next Wednesday (22 January) to launch the annual Show Racism the Red Card school competition – the country’s largest equalities-themed competition for young people.

Children’s author and poet Michael Rosen, Chelsea FC Women midfielder Anita Asante, England cricketer Monty Panesar, Sky Sports presenter Chris Kamara and former Scotland manager Alex McLeish will be among the special guests helping to kick-off the competition at UNISON’s Euston headquarters.

The project, which has been running for more than two decades, supports schools to talk to pupils of all ages about racism. It’s designed to stimulate discussion and understanding and encourage young people to think critically about issues around racism.

Entrants will produce original creative designs on the theme of anti-racism using a range of formats – from artwork, creative writing and film, to fashion designs and music. Organisers expect thousands of young people from across the UK to take up the challenge.

More than half a million pupils have taken part in the competition since it was launched in 1998. Winning entries are shared by the charity in posters, publications, on its website and through social media, as well as featuring in the Show Racism the Red Card fundraising calendar.

Winners attend a high-profile awards ceremony in the spring to receive prizes presented by special guests, including current and former professional footballers.

The competition launch is supported by UNISON, the country’s largest union and by the NEU. Special guests include Show Racism the Red Card Vice President Leroy Rosenior MBE and former professional footballers Paul Parker, Paul Elliot CBE, Paul Canoville, Paul Davis and Alain Goma.

Chief executive of Show Racism the Red Card Ged Grebby said: “UNISON has been a supporter of Show Racism the Red Card since day one and have been instrumental in the organisation’s development ever since. 

“The UK Schools Competition is one of the highlights of our anti-racism education work and one of the most powerful ways of combatting racism. Last year 27,000 young people took part in the competition across 474 schools. The standard of entries was incredible. 

“We use the entries in our publications and online campaigning to get across a strong anti-racism message. UNISON and the NEU help ensure every school in the UK gets an opportunity to engage in the competition. We’re hoping this year’s competition will be bigger than ever. At a time of growing racism across the UK, this anti-racism message is certainly needed.

UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “We can’t afford to be complacent and think racism is a thing of the past, it isn’t.

“Today Black footballers are being abused at football grounds and on social media and hostility towards Black people in wider society is on the rise. Show Racism the Red Card is doing incredibly important work that’s as relevant now as it’s ever been.

“I’m immensely proud that UNISON is working with Show Racism the Red card to help young people challenge racism and celebrate the rich diversity that has made our country such a special place.”

Notes to editors:
– You are invited to send a photographer/journalist to the launch event on Wednesday 22 January 2020 from 6pm-8pm at UNISON headquarters, 130 Euston Rd, London NW1 2AY.
– There will be opportunities to interview Show Racism the Red Card chief executive, Ged Grebby, as well as celebrity patrons and ambassadors for the charity including Michael Rosen, Anita Asante, Alex McLeish, Chris Kamara, Leroy Rosenior MBE, Paul Parker, Paul Elliot CBE, Paul Canoville, Paul Davis and Alain Goma.
– Please confirm your attendance by emailing info@theredcard.org For more information about Show Racism the Red Card please contact Janice Riddell at Janice@theredcard.org.
– Show Racism the Red Card (SRtRC) is the UK’s largest anti-racism educational charity. Founded in 1996, it uses the high-profile status of football and football players to help tackle racism in society. The charity works with schools, football clubs, unions and companies to deliver unique anti-racism education to children, young people and adults. Each year it delivers training to more than 50,000 people across England, Wales and Scotland.
– Find out more about Show Racism the Red Card at: Twitter: @SRTRC_England; Facebook: @theredcard; Instagram: @showracismtheredcard; Online: www.theredcard.org

Media contacts:
Ged Grebby T: 0191 257 8519 M: 07710 776616 E: ged@theredcard.org
Garfield Myrie T: 0207 121 5546 M: 07432 741565 E: g.myrie@unison.co.uk

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University staff map out the challenges ahead

Proper funding for the UK’s higher education system, alongside pay and protecting pensions, will be the major topics when representatives of the sector’s workforce gather in Milton Keynes for UNISON’s higher education service group conference tomorrow.

“At the start of 2020, there are key issues facing universities across the UK,”  says national secretary Jon Richards.

“We need the government to commit itself to working with and supporting the higher education system – especially as it is one of the UKs most significant sectors of the economy.”

With the UK due to leave the EU at the end of the month, “it is more important than ever that the UK workforce receives the post-16 education and training that our economy needs,” he added.

Figures from Universities UK show that the sector contributes £73bn to the economy,  with international students alone bringing in £7.3bn.

Universities face a particular challenge in England, in the wake of the Augar report into post-18 education and funding, which will be the subject of a specific debate.

As UNISON starts the process of helping to formulate a joint union pay claim for the 2020-21 academic year, delegates will debate a motion from the service group executive on the specifics of that claim, including campaigning for all universities to become accredited living wage employers, with a £10 minimum hourly wage and a consolidated pay increase of RPI inflation plus 5%.

Delegates will also look at wider issues such as how universities can work to tackle climate change, stamp out racism and promote inclusivity of LGBT+ staff and students.

The article University staff map out the challenges ahead first appeared on the UNISON National site.

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