Courses coming up

Please find below a list of upcoming training courses where we still have availability. If you have any activists who are interested in attending any of these courses please arrange for the booking form to be completed and then forward to activisteducationscotland@unison.co.uk or post to Activist Education (Scotland), UNISON, 53 Shore Street, Inverness, IV1 1NF as soon as possible:-


• Employment Law Discrimination – 24 August – Glasgow
This course is open to experienced stewards and Branch Officers. Covers all aspects of potential discrimination as defined by Equality legislation.

#BOTW16 UNISON Scotland training weekend under way

Convener Lilian Macer visits a Welfare Officer session at UNISON Scotland's annual new branch officer training weekend in Glasgow.

UNISON Personal Assistants Project launched in South Lanarkshire

#JoinUNISON
Union project offers personal assistants (PAs) and support workers training and employment rights advice

The public services union UNISON's new PAs project has launched in South Lanarkshire.

It offers networking, advice and support to personal assistants (PAs) and Support Workers who work for disabled and elderly clients.

PAs are being invited to a series of meetings in July and August around South Lanarkshire to find out more.

New union project offers personal assistants training and employment rights advice

22 May 2013

 

The public services union UNISON has launched a new project offering networking, advice and support to personal assistants (PAs) who work for disabled and elderly clients.

PAs are being invited to a series of meetings in June around  Glasgow to find out more.

Lynne Rankin, organiser for the project, said that PAs working in the homes of disabled and elderly people can feel very isolated and may not be aware of their employment rights.

She said: “We are hoping to contact personal assistants in and around Glasgow.

“We want to offer support with training and development opportunities and to make sure they know about their rights to join a trade union and be represented at work.

“They will benefit too just from networking and meeting others doing the same work. PAs can come to one of the meetings we have organised around the city, or can contact me for further information.”

Employers’ organisations such as Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living (GCIL) Carers Projects, the Scottish Government and Self Directed Support Scotland (SDSS) have responded positively to the project, agreeing there should be a support organisation for PAs.

Glasgow City Council is also supportive of the initiative and welcomes working with UNISON to provide this. 

Lynne added: “We are also keen to hear directly from PAs what matters most to them and what they would like support on.”

More than eleven meetings have already been arranged at venues including the Pearce Institute, Penilee and Castlemilk Community Centres and the Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living.

 

ENDS

 

For information please contact:

Lynne Rankin, organiser for the PAs project, 0141 342 2881 or 07903 853022  L.Rankin@unison.co.uk

 

Notes to editors:

1. UNISON is Scotland’s largest trade union representing 160,000 members working in the public sector in Scotland.
2. The PAs project is a new move for UNISON and is working in liaison with a similar project in Yorkshire and Humberside, sharing good practice.
3. PAs work mainly for disabled people, supporting them to live independently, paid for by direct payments from social care budgets. Many may formerly have been employed by councils or are now employed through an agency.
4. Training and development opportunities may include discounts on Open University courses.  UNISON is also working with the Scottish Government and the Workers Educational Association (WEA) to look at developing local learning opportunities for PAs.   

5.       Meetings details are:

Monday 10^th, 17th & 24^th June 10-11am Pearce Cafe, Pearce Institute. Govan

Monday 10^th & 17^th June 2-3pm GCIL 117-127 Brook Street, Glasgow

Thursday 13^th, 20^th & 27^th June 1.30-3.30pm Penilee Community Centre, Glasgow

Friday 14^th, 21st & 28^th June 11am-12 noon Castlemilk Community Centre, Glasgow

Further dates and locations will be added to the website at:

 

http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/socialwork/personalassistants.html 

 

 

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A motivating weekend

UNISON Scotland's branch officer training ends at lunchtime today with participants and tutors alike

Expert tuition from Lilian Macer, UNISON Scottish Convener,
and Stephen Smellie, Depute Convener, on the branch
secretaries course.

speaking of how the courses and the networking with each other motivates and gives new energy to go back to their branches to organise.

The number of new branch officers was encouraging and so were the more known faces who were changing role in their branch. But this is only the start and there is a host of other courses people can attend during the year. See the course planner at http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/education/index.html

Course reminds us what the union stands for

Clare Sweeney from UNISON West Dunbartonshire Branch was thrown in at the deep end as communications officer last month after a branch development day. She had only been a steward since last year.

“I was encouraged by people to stand and I was delighted that the training came up so quickly”, said Clare (pictured). “The training is really interesting and I’ve been able to meet people from other branches.”

“Perhaps the most important thing I’ll take from it is to keep reminding us all what the union is, what it stands for and why we are in a union in the first place.”

Malcolm Burns presents the media training
on the communications course

She praised the keynote speech last night by Assistant General Secretary Roger McKenzie as “re-invigorating”, bringing her “back to the basics as to why we do this.”

It’s scary being branch secretary..

.. but the training is giving me more confidence to go back and organise in my branch, said Shirley Birrell of Scottish Borders Health Branch during a break in UNISON Scotland's branch officer training this weekend.

Shirley (on the right in the photo) became branch secretary just two months ago like Karen Merriman of Orkney Health Branch. Both had been stewards before but the big step to branch secretary was a scary one.

Shirley said she was: “interested in being branch secretary but not confident” until her regional officer encouraged her to go for it.

“The training is really helpful”, said Shirley. “It gives you lots of ideas especially showing you how to create an organising agenda in the branch.

Karen, who had been Young Members Officer previously, agreed: “The training underlines the importance of working together in the branch, making use to the skills of stewards and other officers.

“I wasn’t that confident when I came on the course but I’ll leave more enthused and motivated”, she said.

New branch officers attend training

The future of UNISON Scotland is in safe hands as 100 members attend new branch officer training in Glasgow this weekend. Run by the Scottish Learning and Organising Committee, the training concentrates on organisation and broader trade union education as well as the nuts and bolts needed to do the job.

The weekend kicked off with an inspiring contribution from UNISON Assistant General Secretary Roger McKenzie, before secretaries, treasurers, chairpersons, education officers, welfare officers, communications officers, equality officers and health and safety officers got down to work.