May Day events 2011 across Scotland

Glasgow: May Day March and Rally Sunday 1st May Assemble George Square at 11am. Plus a whole week of events from 26 April to 7 May organised by Glasgow Friends of MayDay and supported by UNISON Scotland.

Dundee: Friday 29 April demo starting from 11:30 in Hilltown park with a rally in the city square at noon. Later that night there will be a social in Lyrics in St Andrews Lane from 7:30pm. This will have music, raffle and revolutionary enjoyment. Tickets cost £10.

Aberdeen: Aberdeen May Day march Saturday 30th April Assemble on Back Wynd at 11am. The march starts at 11.30am. http://aberdeenvoice.com/2011/04/may-day-march-2011/

Inverness: Inverness May Day: Sat 30 April March: Assemble at Castle at 10.45am Rally: The Square behind the County Buildings. Plus Dimension Mayday Weekend Event - Bands against the Bankers - supported by UNISON. http://invernessgigs.co.uk/inverness-club-scene/dimension-mayday-weekend-event/

Edinburgh: March & Rally - Saturday May 7th. Assemble 10.30 Johnston Terrace (top end) and march Royal Mile, Mound, Princes Street to Princes Street Gardens for a rally. Edinburgh People's Festival http://www.edinburghpeoplesfestival.org/

Scotland’s most vulnerable young people under attack as services face the axe

SCOTLAND’s most vulnerable young people are under attack by government cuts as thousands of staff in the community and voluntary sector face redundancy.

Using police to plug staffing gaps is “economic madness” says UNISON

UNISON, Scotland’s largest union representing police staff, has condemned plans to plug staffing gaps by taking police officers off the streets to perform civilian roles.

International Workers Memorial Day 28 April - Scotland events

International Workers Memorial Day (IWMD) takes place all over the world on 28 April each year. The purpose of IWMD is two-fold. Firstly it is about not forgetting those who have died, been injured, or made ill by their work. Secondly it is about ensuring that tragic loss and suffering are used to reinvigorate the campaign for healthier and safer work. The campaign slogan is Remember the dead, Fight for the living.

28 April: LOBBY TO DEFEND SERVICES TO DISABLED PEOPLE IN GLASGOW

12.30 pm Thursday 28th April George Square.
Last summer Glasgow City Council started a process called ‘personalisation’ and ‘self-directed support’ across services provided by Social Work. We support the principles of personalisation, which are about providing people with more independence, control and dignity. However, this is not what is happening in Glasgow. Right from the word go, the council was explicit in its ‘working assumption’ that at least 20% savings would be made.

STUC Ayr: More reports from UNISON speeches

More reports from the STUC in Ayr. Domestic abuse: We have a critical role in campaigning for protection, prevention, provision and workplace policies: - What kind of residential care would we want for ourselves?  Go to http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/stuc2011/index.html for full details

E-mail your Scottish election candidates on climate change

Thursday 21 April 2011


Stop Climate Chaos Scotland  is asking supporters to take part in the SCCS election E-action. 

The aim is to put pressure on our future MSPs to ensure Scotland makes its fair contribution to tackle climate change and achieve the targets in the Scottish Climate Change Act. 

This E-action gives you the chance to easily and quickly contact some or all (you decide) of the candidates from the five parties represented in the last Scottish Parliament for whom email addresses are available in your area. The email asks them to prioritise three of the ‘asks’ in the SCCS manifesto :

1. Green Procurement Bill

2. £100m a year for home energy efficiency

3. 10% of the transport budget for active travel (walking and cycling

You can amend the email to suit what you would like to say.

Email your election candidates today

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Action on government pensions robbery

“This Congress and this Government should be under no illusion that if this tawdry coalition of a government does not end their attacks on our pensions, then UNISON will ballot for industrial action and we will win, Gordon McKay told the STUC to loud applause.

Our young people have a right to a future

Slamming cuts in benefits, education allowances and employment opportunities, UNISON NEC Policy Chair Jane Carolan told the STUC, “there has never been a worse time in this country to be young.

UNISON wants time to consult on national fire service

The STUC backed and Fire Brigades Union motion supporting the amalgamation of fire and rescue services, while UNISON abstained on the issue until it could consult fully with its members in the service.

NHS and social action both needed to improve nation's health

The STUC today called for increased collaboration and joint initiatives between NHS, local authorities and other public bodies to improve public health in Scotland; and campaign for more support to health professions in community settings to promote public health and to target health inequalities as part of high quality care pathways for patients.

Health and Social Care: 'Injury to one is an injury to all'

An Injury To One - Is An Injury To All is a timeless principle of the trade union movement. It's the principle that lies behind our Health and Social Care Services. It's the principle that underlines our determination to defend those services, those that rely on them, and those that provide them", UNISON Scottish Convener Lilan Macer told the STUC today.

Be bold in the defence of our public services

The STUC will build the widest possible alliance to popularise an alternative economic strategy and to fight the cuts. Building on the witness of civic society in yesterday's special session of Congress, and calling for the next step for the 'Better Way' campaign, Mike Kirby urged delegates to "be bold in the defence of our public services".

Bonuses: We are not all in it together

Delegates to the STUC in Ayr roundly condemned the massive bonuses for senior executives in the finance sector, while workers face the stress of redundancy.  Many CEOs now earn more than 100 times the basic pay of their workers at the bottom of the pay scale.

Call for balanced energy policy

With Scottish winters becoming colder, Congress set out an agenda for a balanced energy policy in the UK, aiming to reduce energy consumption and investing in renewable energy generation.
This was alongside measures to achieve clean coal and carbon capture storage.

Lossiemouth 'deeply let down by the ConDem government'

The STUC's General Council pledged to campaign at the highest level for the retention of RAF bases in Scotland as delegates heard of the davastating effect their closures will have on the local economy and local public services.

Congress slams 'irresponsible and ideological' cuts

The STUC reiterated its support for public services, calling on the Tory led UK Government to rethink its ‘irresponsible aand ideological’ aproach to economic policy.

STUC: There is a Better Way

The 114th STUC started with a host of speakers from civic society, campaigning groups, trade unions, disability groups, pensioners and front line service providers testified to the real effects of the ideological attacks on public services.

Council Tax

This morning the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) has singled out the council tax freeze, a key election policy for the SNP, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Tories, as unaffordable and says it will be blocked by council chiefs.

This is a welcome intervention that reinforces UNISON Scotland's long standing view that the Council Tax freeze is unsustainable. Not only does the £70m payment not cover the full cost of the freeze, but councils are forced to put up charges for services to plug the gap. These charges can be more regressive than the Council Tax and have wider consequences. For example, refuse uplift charges will inevitably lead to more fly tipping, causing wider environmental concerns in many communities.

The Council Tax freeze may buy short term electoral popularity, but its long term consequences will be felt by us all.

UNISON health checks for ministerial candidates

Contenders for the position of Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing in the next Scottish Government will lay out their stalls at a major UNISON Scotland Health Conference in Glasgow today (Friday, 15 April).

May 5 Election: Ask your candidates

UNISON Scotland has published a leaflet with questions to ask your candidates about our public services in the Scottish Parliament Elections on 5 May. Get your lefalet at http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/publicworks/index.html

New Course Programme for 2011

UNISON Scotland's Learning and Organising Committee has published a new course programme from April to December. See http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/education/courses.html for details.

Health Conference 2011 collated reports

See http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/healthcare/conf2011.html  for reports and blogs from the UNISON Health Conference in Liverpool last week.

Climate change? It’s murder! Taggart star supports SCCS Online Debate on Wednesday

10 April 2011

The Sunday Herald’s Rob Edwards reports today that Taggart star John Michie is supporting the Stop Climate Chaos Scotland Climate Day Election Debate on Wednesday evening.

The actor, who plays DI Robbie Ross in the STV crime series,  said: "We need to make sure the next parliament actually delivers a low-carbon, green future for Scotland."

The politicians taking part in the debate, chaired by former BBC journalist Alan Mackay, are: 

Sarah Boyack, for Scottish Labour

Patrick Harvie, for the Scottish Green Party

Iain McGill, for the Scottish Conservatives

Shirley-Anne Somerville, for the SNP

Mike Crockart MP, for the Scottish Liberal Democrats

Read the full report in the Sunday Herald here Hear John Michie here and tune in for the debate from 7.30pm on Wed 13 April here 

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