Trade unionists on trial in Turkey

Trade Union representatives outside the court of Justice in Sapanca, North West Turkey.

Arzu Çerkezoğlu’s case is one of many taking place against progressive trade unionists in Turkey at the moment.

The erosion of democracy, rights and the rule of law in the country means that defending workers’ rights comes with extraordinary risks, so UNISON’s solidarity as an international court witness is essential.

Arzu Çerkezoğlu is a medical doctor and president of both the Turkish trade union federation DISK and Dev Sağlık-İş – the Progressive Union of Health Workers.

Arzu has been charged with “provoking people to be rancorous and hostile” under article 216/1 of the penal code, following comments she made about reclaiming the streets at a CHP – or social democratic party–  public debate in 2016.

At the trial, the prosecution also added “insulting the president” to the charges against her.

If found guilty, Arzu could face a prison sentence of up to seven years for the combined charges.

And even if she is found not guilty on this occasion, as a courageous defender of workers’ and human rights, who is closely monitored by the government, this isn’t the first or the last time she will appear in court, simply for defending workers.

Around 100 observers attended the hearing, outnumbered only by the heavy police presence inside and outside the court.

They included representatives of DISK, public sector union confederation KESK, the Union of Pensioners, Chamber of Doctors, Chamber of Engineers and Arzu’s parents.

“Our presence at key trials sends a clear message to the government and the judiciary that the world is watching” – UNISON

International observers included representatives of the European Public Service Union (EPSU), the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), UNISON and Unite.

The long-anticipated court session only lasted around 20 minutes. The judge asked the prosecutor to clarify which parts of Arzu’s 2016 speech related to the charge of “provoking people to be rancorous and hostile” and which related to the new charge of “insulting the president”.

He postponed the hearing until 9 March 2020.

UNISON will continue to stand in solidarity with Arzu and other trade unionists who are facing prosecution for defending workers in Turkey.

As well as observing trials and demanding that charges are dropped, UNISON also supports the ITUC solidarity fund, assisting trade unionists who are under attack, and some of the 152,000 public service workers who have been dismissed under Turkey’s state of emergency.

“When trade unionists risk long prison sentences, simply for defending their members’ rights, and justice is routinely denied, international solidarity really matters,” says UNISON international officer Mark Beacon, who was one of the observers at the hearing.

“Our presence at key trials sends a clear message to the government and the judiciary that the world is watching.

“And those in the dock know they are not alone, they have the support of the international trade union movement behind them.”

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In the fight of our lives

For our union and for public services, this election is the fight of our lives – and we’ve been giving it our all.

Whether it’s on the streets in marginal seats across the country, talking to our members about the issues at stake, or securing UNISON’s priorities in Labour’s incredible manifesto, I have never known an election where UNISON has played a bigger part.

Now, as we head into the final days of the campaign, a Labour victory is needed more than ever before. Decent wages, better childcare, building more affordable homes and restoring vital local services are what’s needed.

Labour’s commitment to a 5% pay rise for all public service workers next year – and real pay rises every year after that – shows they have listened to our calls to “Pay Up Now”.

Every vote for Labour is another vote for getting your pay back to where it was (in real terms) before the austerity decade – and for investment in public services which all our communities benefit from.

What Labour is offering is what UNISON has fought for – what we have all fought for.

Alongside saving our NHS from Tory privateers who would hand it over to Donald Trump and his American multinational chums, that’s what’s at stake.

Of course, this election will determine our country’s future, but it’s about so much more than Brexit. This election is about the huge issues that are a matter of life and death for millions of people.

And as I travel around the country, I’m in no doubt about the state in which Boris Johnson and his party have left our public services.

The health service is struggling after a decade of austerity, confirming that Tory claims about loving our NHS aren’t worth the paper they’re written on.

Decent wages, better childcare, building more affordable homes and restoring vital local services are what’s needed.

Council services have been decimated – hardest hit by a global crisis that started on Wall Street and in Canary Wharf, not in Wakefield or Camden.

And care services, for so long stretched to crisis point, are now actually breaking down across the country with low-paid workers working long hours to support vulnerable people.

All deserve so much better. Fixing the problems our society faces means there’s only one option – electing a Labour government. Because the Labour Party, led by Jeremy Corbyn, has the answers to the questions our country faces.

I said in 2017 that Labour’s manifesto could practically have been UNISON’s manifesto. If that was the case then, it’s even more so for the manifesto produced for this election, which reflects the priorities of UNISON’s members – the common sense changes for our country that will end austerity for good, and deliver properly funded, decent public services that work for everyone.

This is a manifesto with UNISON’s priorities at its heart. The campaigns that our members have called for and led are always at the heart of our Labour Link work – and those priorities have been at the heart of the months of work we’ve put into Labour’s groundbreaking manifesto.

I was proud to attend the party’s Clause V meeting to discuss the final text and, along with our Labour Party NEC members, win vital changes to the final text that make it an even better plan for the future of our country.

It is the direct result of months of work from our policy and political teams who worked tirelessly – often late at night –- to make sure every idea we had and every word we wanted was inserted into the draft text.

Elections aren’t won by ideas alone. What’s crucial is the people who are campaigning, day in and day out, for a Labour victory.

Their work set the foundation for this manifesto.

On pay, insourcing and funding for public services.

On our NHS, local government and social care.

On the gender pay gap and childcare.

Helping WASPI women and those suffering due to the hated Universal Credit system.

This manifesto has something for every UNISON member. I’m proud our union played such a critical role in its development and I’m proud to give it my personal endorsement.

Our members campaigned, fought, spoke out in unison – and Labour listened. This is an agenda worth fighting for.

But of course, elections aren’t won by ideas alone. What’s crucial is the people who are campaigning, day in and day out, for a Labour victory.

That’s why – like so many UNISON members – I’ve been getting out on the doorstep and campaigning for public services and for a Labour government.

I’ve been supporting Labour candidates – and UNISON members – from Bambos Charalambous in Enfield Southgate to Laura Smith in Crewe.

From Rosie Duffield in Canterbury to Ruth Smeeth in Stoke.

From Emma Whysall to Carl Greatbatch – across the country I’ve been proud to knock on doors alongside those who represent the best of our party, their communities and our union, and tell voters everywhere I go about the change they have the chance to vote for.

While Boris Johnson may have the money and the media on his side, Labour has something stronger – people. And so many of them are our people.

They are fighting injustice. They are taking on racism. They are opposing privatisation.

And they are resolute in their demands for decent, properly funded public services.

What’s at stake in this election is clear. And so is the choice everyone faces on 12 December.

You can vote for the untrustworthy Tories, for more austerity, for a continuation of a system that has failed public services and failed UNISON members.

Or you can vote for a Labour Party that has taken on UNISON’s issues – your issues – and wants to change our country for the better, starting with properly funded public services and decent wages for public service workers.

All my life I’ve fought for our public services and our members. In this election, we have a chance to put our union’s values into power.

It’s an opportunity we can’t afford to waste.

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Knock knocking on voters’ doors

For those who haven’t door knocked or phone canvassed before, the idea might well fill you with doubts about being able to answer and deal with the questions or arguments a voter on their own doorstep or on the end of a phone might put to you.

So how can we make make the experience as painless as possible? Some of the ideas below are obvious, but they are all sure-fire winners, based on experience.

And remember that the first time you turn up to help canvass, you will get some training and an opportunity to buddy up with a more experienced canvasser until you get the hang of things.

Information is key

The central goal is to find out how the people you are talking to are going to vote.  You need to know the names of all the voters in the house and ask to speak to them all.

This is not as hard as it sounds – after you’ve spoken to Terry, you can ask if June is around.

Make sure you record their voting intention and any useful comments they have: for instance, if they’re thinking of voting Labour, but would like some more information about the party’s position on a second referendum.

Be safe out there

You will never be expected to canvas on your own: typical canvass groups will include three to six volunteers.

One – the person said to be ‘running the board’ – will be carrying all the data, the route map, spare posters and leaflets etc.

They’ll decide who goes where, one property at a time. Collect the data and then feed it back to the board runner. The whole group should stay fairly close together.

Although some calls take longer than others, make sure no one is left behind.

Always have your phone with you. Swap numbers with the board runner. In some areas, volunteers will stay in pairs.

If you encounter any abusive or threatening behaviour, leave immediately and report it to the board runner.

Paint the town red

Always use campaign materials to create a sense of Labour’s presence.

Ask people who tell you they are definitely going to vote Labour to put a poster up. This is especially important if they live on a street or in a location where lots of people will see the poster.

Of course it’s inevitable that many people you call on will be out. In these cases, don’t forget to put something through the door, so that people know Labour has called on them and is keen to speak to them.

Many candidates will have something called an ‘out card ’for this purpose. This includes a ‘sorry we missed you’ message and a few of the candidate’s/party’s key messages.

Wrap up and keep warm and dry

This is the first winter general election since 1974, which presents all kinds of challenges: trying to write with a pen on soggy paper; trying to knock on a door with a faulty bell when your hands are frozen; looking someone in the eye when your glasses have steamed up.

Well, you get the picture.

The rule of thumb should be to stick at it for as long as you can.

Some local campaigns and candidates have also set up phone banks. And the party itself has created an app for volunteers to be able to call from the warmth of their own home. Do look into this if you’d rather!                 

Be polite

Remember, you are not going to convert someone who has made their mind up.

If we get the information of how they’re planning to vote, we have secured our objective and won’t have to waste our time calling on them again in this election campaign.

The article Knock knocking on voters’ doors first appeared on the UNISON National site.

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Hold all bosses to account that exploit low-paid staff, says UNISON

Commenting on the naming and shaming of the UK’s worst employers by the Labour Party, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said:

“Employees across the UK are struggling to live on poverty wages. They’re at the mercy of unscrupulous employers who deliberately deny them their rightful earnings.

“Care workers are being ripped off by firms who don’t pay them properly for travelling between home visits.

“Health service staff are being exploited by a two-tier system. Those whose jobs are transferred to private companies are losing out on NHS wage rises.

“These shameful practices must end and all bad bosses held to account.”

Notes to editors:
– Staff working for private contractor Compass in St Helens and Blackpool are paid around £1,000 less per year than colleagues doing the same jobs but are employed directly by the NHS. They’ve been taking strike action over the company’s failure to match health service pay rates and working conditions.
– 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. One million of the members are women.

Media contacts:
Sophie Goodchild M: 07767 325595 E: s.goodchild@unison.co.uk
Liz Chinchen T: 0207 121 5463 M: 07778 158175 E: l.chinchen@unison.co.uk

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NHS staff shortages increase

Latest figures show that there are now 106,000 vacancies across the NHS in England, including over 44,000 vacancies in nursing. This marks an increase from one year ago.

Beneath this staffing crisis is a chronic lack of government funding, particularly the scrapping of training bursaries. The result is that health workers are working over a million hours a week of unpaid overtime to help the NHS cope with rising demand for care.

UNISON health officer Guy Collis said: “A decade of Tory underfunding has left our NHS struggling to cope and this is having a damaging impact on its devoted workforce.

“Ongoing understaffing means we are more dependent than ever on the goodwill of health workers.”

In October the NHS in England witnessed the lowest performance across all A&E departments since records began: only 83.6% of patients were seen within 4 hours in A&E departments, down from 89% in October 2018.

In major “type 1” A&E departments, more than a quarter of patients are now not being seen within the required 4 hours: only 74.5% of patients in October 2019, the worst performance on record.

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Ambulance delays down to nine-year NHS funding squeeze

Commenting on new research from Labour, which shows that in the past three years almost 1.5 million patients have been delayed in the back of ambulances before being admitted to hospital, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said:

“Ambulances queuing outside A&E departments have become a common and distressing sight. It’s frustrating for crews who need to be on their way to the next emergency call and worrying for patients waiting to be seen.

“Understaffing, bed shortages and a failure to get a grip on social care problems are behind these delays, which then ripple out across entire hospitals.

“This is what nine years of an NHS squeeze on resources does. It’s time for the health service to be treated much better.”

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
Anthony Barnes T: 0207 121 5255 M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk

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UNISON welcomes new social work regulator in England

On Monday 2 December, Social Work England (SWE) takes over from the Health and Care Professions Council as the new specialist regulator for social work – a move that is welcomed by UNISON.

Social workers support millions of people across the country every day and SWE will regulate the social work profession so that people receive the best possible support whenever they need it.

The body is committed to raising standards through collaboration with everyone who has an interest in social work. It will also seek to promote confidence in the sector.

SWE will contact social workers from Monday to introduce itself. Social workers will also be provided with details on how to set up an online account with the regulator.

Lots of important information will be available on the SWE website, such as that linked to the new professional standards and guidance on continuing professional development.

UNISON welcomes the new regulator and has been working with it in the lead up to its establishment, contributing to its development.

SWE and social workers have high expectations of each other and, while UNISON has a few concerns to iron out, the union is very hopeful and will work collaboratively to help the new regulator bed in.

You can find out more at www.socialworkengland.org.uk.

Remember that UNISON provides specialist representation if your practice is ever called into question by Social Work England. However, you can only access this if we know about it.

If an email or letter ever lands in your inbox or through your letter box, UNISON should be your first call. We can then put specialist help in place to support you throughout any fitness-to-practice process by your regulator.

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