WOWPetition to assess full impact of all cuts to support & social care for disabled people

Michelle Maher of WOWPetition explains why you should sign the WOWpetition.co.uk

Today’s papers are full of the horrific impact of cuts to social care and with the Independent Living Fund just starting to impact, we are sadly sure this will get worse. We urgently need an assessment all cuts to disability support as called for by EHRC and Social Security Advisory Committee which Osborne is blocking, showing no duty of care towards disabled people.

As you know ESA (WRAG) has also been cut by £30 a week, access to work, support employers, council tax, housing benefit, and the roll out of PIP has seen many people losing support. We need you’re help to get behind and back the new WOWpetition.co.uk fronted by Francesca Martinez.  If you can e mail the petition to members tweet and put on facebook any help would be great.

We are a small group of sick, disabled people and carers who need backing.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/brutal-government-cuts-forcing-disabled-6802010#ICID=sharebar_twitter 

Michelle Maher

Sign the new petition here: WOWpetition.co.uk 

Petition: Assess full impact of all cuts to support & social care for disabled people

Govt has ignored calls for a full assessment of the impact of Welfare, Social Care & NHS reform on disabled people and their families. The number of households with a disabled family member living in “absolute poverty” increased by 10% between 2013 & 14.

Since WOWpetition collected 104,000 signatures the Government claimed IFS said it was too difficult to do a CIA, IFS subsequently contradicted the claim and said it could be done. EHRC and Social Security Advisory Committee have also called for a CIA of how cuts have affected disabled people and their families. A Cumulative Impact Assessment undertaken by Landman Economics and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research proved disabled people have been hit the hardest by cuts.

United Nations takes issue with UK government on human rights, says UNISON

Friday 23 October 2015

UNISON media release, with Human Rights Consortium Scotland (HRCS)

The Westminster Government faces a series of awkward human rights questions following action by the United Nations. The UN has directed the Government to address a 'list of issues' ranging from welfare cuts and reliance on food banks to blacklisting and the erosion of trade union rights.

Members of the Human Rights Consortium Scotland (HRCS), which includes representation from UNISON Scotland, gave evidence at the UN earlier this month and those concerns will now be the subject of formal dialogue between Geneva and London.  

These developments coincide with the UN celebrating its 70th anniversary on 24th October 2015 and promoting minimum human rights standards that people across the world should enjoy.   The 'list of issues' which the UK needs to answer includes how the UK will enshrine all the rights contained in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

HRCS spokesperson, Carole Ewart said 
"The UK has agreed with the UN that we would enjoy a minimum set of economic, social and cultural rights.  As so many people know from everyday life, there is a huge gap between the rhetoric and the reality so we highlighted the increase in poverty resulting from the government's austerity measures and welfare reform, the demonistaion of human rights by politicians and the UK undermining international human rights standards by abolishing The Human Rights Act 1998.  Our government has promised the UN that it will progressively realise economic and social rights to the maximum extent of available resources but has failed to do so and the poorest are suffering."

Peter Hunter, UNISON Regional Manager  and HRCS member said
"The Trade Union Bill is a direct attack on trade unions and the services we provide to members. Scottish industrial relations are particularly harmonious and CoSLA and the Scottish Government are standing shoulder to shoulder with us against this union-bashing law. Trade unions are key human rights defenders and there is widespread criticism of the Bill on Human Rights grounds so the UN intervention couldn't come at a better time" 

Notes

The Human Rights Consortium Scotland is a network of over 150 civil society organisations and individuals in Scotland.

UNISON Scotland is the public services union and the largest union in Scotland

The delegation to the UN in Geneva on 14th October included UNISON Scotland, Unite the union, Close the Gap, Engender and Nourish Scotland.

The UN list of issues can be found athttp://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/treatybodyexternal/
Download.aspx?symbolno=E%2fC.12%2fGBR%2fQ%2f6&Lang=en

Details of the UN 70th Anniversary http://www.un.org/un70/en

UNISON Scotland statement on First Minister’s programme for Government

Wed 26 Nov 2014

Mike Kirby, Scottish secretary of UNISON, said ‘UNISON is Scotland’s largest trade union and we welcome the First Minister’s programme for government. There was much in Nicola Sturgeon’s statement to commend.

We welcome her commitment to protect public services and to increase NHS funding; her commitment to the living wage and to mitigate the problems of welfare reform; and her commitment to put gender equality and women’s rights at the heart of her government; and to increase childcare.

Review of local government financeUNISON also welcomed the commission to review local government finance but we are disappointed that the council tax freeze will remain in place until 2016. This freeze hits the most vulnerable people, those who need public services the most.

We need a fundamental reform of how we pay for local services. Local government is experiencing the worst of the cuts. It has lost the bulk of the jobs and it is the only sector to get a real cash cut. We can no longer pretend to get better services for less money. We favour a progressive property tax where we all pay our fair share.

Large scale investment is needed to reverse Scotland’s housing crisis, warns UNISON

Wednesday 8 October 2014

A survey of Scotland’s housing staff has exposed the reality of frontline staff trying to cope with the huge scale of Scotland’s housing crisis.

Our report – Open the door: housing staff on the homes we have and the homes we need – looks at the real experiences of members involved in all aspects of providing housing services: housing officers, housing assistants and lettings officers.

The majority of those surveyed (68 per cent) said funding for their service had gone down, negatively impacting on the quality of service they can provide. Three quarters of respondents said changes in welfare and benefit legislation has contributed to the problem. At its bluntest, welfare changes have made life more difficult for tenants and this in turn has created problems for housing staff.

Some of the comments included:

• “I work with homeless people. The pressure is increasing relentlessly. Demand is increasing as resources dwindle.”

• “[Benefit changes] have impacted massively and it will only get worse. Rent arrears have risen and you cannot take what people don’t have.”

• “Due to bedroom tax and direct payments of housing benefit to tenants we are seeing an increase in rent arrears and homeless rising due to more evictions.”

• “How is it possible for them to provide for the future of their housing with less staff and more homelessness. It’s not possible.”

More than half of respondents (55 per cent) said they regularly work over their contracted hours while 58 per cent said staff numbers are in decline, meaning they don’t have as much time to spend with clients. Like other workers in public services, housing staff have been experiencing years of zero or minimal pay. Almost 70 per cent of workers said their standard of living had dropped in the previous three or four years, with many struggling to make ends meet.

Mark Ferguson, chair of UNISON’s Housing Issues Group, said: “This survey shows the shocking truth of Scotland’s housing crisis. It goes beyond the raw statistics and shows the reality facing frontline staff who are struggling to maintain a quality of service against a background of declining resources and increased financial pressure, while their workload increases.

“We have a crisis with the availability, the cost and the quality of our housing and we urgently need a large scale investment to reverse Scotland’s housing crisis. Any plan for social justice – and Scotland has had no shortage of talk of social justice in recent months – must have housing at its core.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. The full UNISON Scotland survey – Open the door: housing staff on the homes we have and the homes we need – can be accessed on our website athttp://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/housing

2. Scotland has approximately 1.46 million owner-occupied homes, 368,000 privately rented homes, 277,000 homes rented from housing associations and 318,000 homes rented from local authorities. There are currently 23,000 long-term private sector empty homes across Scotland.

The most recent Scottish Government Housing Statistics record that there are 179,954 households with outstanding applications for social housing; of these some 29,500 are households on transfer lists meaning 150,000 households are waiting to enter social housing.

3. Further information can be found in our UNISON reports:

• Making homes for a fairer Scotland 
  http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/housing/
  MakingHomesForAFairerScotland_June2013.pdf
  
• Funding and building the homes Scotland needs 
  http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/housing/
  FundingAndBuildingTheHomesScotlandNeeds_Mar2013.pdf

Worried about back to school costs?

UNISON has set up a limited fund to help UNISON members on low income with school uniform costs by way of a one-off payment of up to £120.
   To apply or find out more about other help that is available visit the UNISON UK website or click here for a form on the UNISON Scotland site. You can also contact your UNISON branch (see branch contacts here)
   Closing date for receipt of applications is 11 July 2014.
PS. If you know of other members who may need our help, please pass this on!

UNISON supports disability WOW campaign - add your name to e-petition now

28 Nov 2013 - update

UNISON is supporting the disability WOW campaign and petition which calls for an end to the war on welfare and for a cumulative impact assessment of welfare reform and a new deal for sick and disabled people and their families and carers based on their needs, abilities and ambitions.

Sign the Petition here: http://wowpetition.com/ 
The petition currently has 96,000 signatures. 100,000 signatures before closing date on 12 Dec will mean it has to be considered for a Parliamentary debate at Westminster.

UNISON's UK Policy officer Allison Roche said: "UNISON believes that the current cuts of £23 billion in disability benefits are not creating a better welfare system but an ill fare system for disabled people and their carers and families.

"It's not just about people losing care services, it's also the quality of care they receive with the increased pressure on staff to cover more clients."

Sign the Petition here: http://wowpetition.com/

Social housing is key says UNISON - as Audit Scotland finds ‘failure to meet need’ for homes

Thu 11 July 2013

Housing services union UNISON has called for a massive investment in social housing to meet the shortfall of homes identified in a hard-hitting report out today.

The Audit Scotland report ‘Housing in Scotland’ finds that the “supply of housing is not meeting current levels of need”, and argues that welfare reform – otherwise known as benefit cuts - “will further increase pressure on the sector”. The report concludes that more funding sources are needed for new social housing to meet the massive shortfall in homes being built.

Welfare cuts: Heaping homelessness on top of poverty

#stuc13 The Scottish Government must work to prevent evictions over the deeply unfair bedroom tax – evictions that would heap homelessness on top of poverty. That was the call from UNISON’s John Stevenson as he supported a motion condemning the despicable ‘welfare reform’ agenda of the UK coalition government. Full story at http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/stuc2013/15.html

HELP MILLIONAIRES OR GIVE 618,800 FAMILIES IN SCOTLAND INCREASED CHILD BENEFIT

18 March 2013

New analysis from UNISON reveals that instead of cutting taxes for millionaires in the budget, the government could end the child benefit freeze, giving up to 618,800 families in Scotland increased child benefit in line with inflation.

The decision would make a difference of up to £200 a year to 303,765 families in the Scotland with two children, and more than £100 a year for the 315,035 families with one child, helping to ease growing levels of child poverty.

New figures from the TUC last week showed that more than half a million children in the UK will slip into poverty by the 2015.

The u-turn would also have a huge knock on effect by stimulating local economies. Unlike millionaires, low paid families spend most of their money in local shops and businesses and they have precious little left over to save.

UNISON is calling on the government to make the right choice in the budget next week (20 March), with targeted help for hard-pressed families.

Scottish Regional Secretary Mike Kirby, said: "The true blue Tory-led coalition is a government of the rich for the rich. It is a disgrace that child poverty is growing in the UK because of benefit and welfare cuts, whilst millionaires are being handed tax cuts.

"Low paid families cannot afford to save. Restoring child benefit levels  would lead to more spending in local shops and businesses, giving our beleaguered high streets the boost they need."

The government's decision to cut the 50p rate of tax would hand the 13,000 millionaires in the UK an average of £97,884.62 next year, at a cost to the Treasury of £1,272.5 million.

If this tax had been collected, it could have funded an increase to child benefit - in line with CPI inflation - for the first two children in every family, effectively helping 12,049,360 children and nearly 8 million families.

.A family with one child will get £114.50 a year less than they would have received if child benefit had been raised in line with CPI.

A family with two children will get £190.09 a year less, and a family with three children is £265.66 a year worse off.

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#JoinUNISON - 388% rise in bids for financial help to UNISON's welfare charity

12 March 2013

Nurses, home care assistants, school cleaners and teaching assistants are among the UNISON members struggling with rising fuel bills and turning to the union for help. 

The union has seen a massive 388% increase in requests for financial assistance, as the effect of the Government’s three year pay freeze bites deeper into household incomes.

More than half of applicants for a fuel grant (56.6%) had sacrificed food to keep warm, while 69% had cut back on clothing and 80% on leisure. The survey also revealed that 77.7% avoid putting the heating on, while 54.6% only heated the room they were in.

A very worrying finding was that nearly a third reported that the health of someone in the household suffered as a result. Asthma and bronchitis were the top consequences – including for those with young children - but cancer, diabetes, MS and arthritis sufferers were also affected by cold. One person revealed that their son with cerebral palsy was confined to a wheelchair and therefore unable to move around to keep warm.

Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON said:

“It is heartbreaking to read some of the stories behind these requests for help. Never in all my years in the union have I seen so many members struggling so hard just to keep warm and to put food on the table. It has been a long hard winter this year and it is disgraceful - heating or eating should not have to be a choice in the UK in 2013.

“The fact that nearly 30% of those surveyed are on prohibitively expensive pre-payment meters, speaks volumes about the dire state of their family finances. And is it any wonder when public service workers have been stuck on a three year pay freeze, while prices just keep on going up?

“It is time the Government invested in the future of the country for the benefit of all. We need investment in infrastructure, in building much needed homes, as well as putting money back into people’s pockets, to get them spending and stimulating their local economy.”

The union is also calling for concrete policies to stem the flow of people falling into the despair of fuel poverty. A nationwide programme of measures to insulate homes and provide energy efficient central heating systems would help domestic consumers and create jobs says UNISON.

UNISON’s welfare fund – There for you – offers advice and support as well as financial assistance for members and their families. It receives applications from members for help with debt, housing and fuel, as well as the cost of school uniforms.

The charity used to pay for wellbeing breaks for low paid families, but since the coalition took office these have been cancelled to allow the fund to cope with the massive rise in demand for help with basics such as fuel and housing, emergency financial aid and the rising demand for help with debt.

See the news release on UNISON UK website, including comments from members surveyed.

UNISON - Essential cover if you work in public services #JoinUNISON
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STUC Lobby of Scottish Liberal Democrat Conference 16 March, Dundee

As part of the wider national campaign for fair welfare and an end to the attack on benefits, there is an STUC Lobby of the Scottish Liberal Democrat Conference in Dundee, 16 March at Westpark conference centre in Dundee. It is still not too late for the Government to change its position on welfare including reversing its decision on the horrific bedroom tax and abandoning its attempt to cap benefits for many of the poorest in society.

Full details and how you can support the lobby are on 'There is a Better Way' website  

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UNISON welcomes call for clarity on Universal Credit delivery

22 Nov 2012


UNISON, the UK’s largest union, has welcomed a Select Committee report calling for clarity on the practicalities of Universal Credit delivery.

The Work and Pensions Select Committee report, ‘Universal Credit implementation: meeting the needs of vulnerable claimants’, calls for a ‘clear statement on service delivery arrangements […] that must be in place before anyone is required to start claiming universal credit.’

The report, published today, specifically cites evidence given to the Committee by UNISON, that integrated and ‘people based’ local delivery in addition to any ‘online’ arrangements should be implemented from the outset.

Commenting on the report, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said:

“Universal Credit represents the biggest welfare shake-up since 1945, and will affect eight million households and 19 million people. UNISON has consistently argued the public’s right to expect a quality service, and that this would be best achieved by putting the skills, experience and knowledge of those already involved in delivering housing benefits to use in introducing this new system.

“This report from the Select Committee, and the call for a clear statement on service delivery arrangements presents an opportunity for the DWP to look again at this issue, and bring an end to the uncertainty of thousands of families. We are willing to work constructively with the Department to put in place the integrated service delivery model that we believe can deliver the quality of service the public deserves.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

In the Report, the Work and Pensions Select Committee says:

We request that, in response to this Report, DWP provides an explanation of its online targets and a clear statement of its proposed service delivery arrangements, setting out how people will be informed about where to go to make a claim, what support they will be able to get there, and what resources DWP is investing in that support. These arrangements need to be in place before anyone is required to start claiming Universal Credit. (paragraph 42)

UNISON UK news release http://www.unison.org.uk/asppresspack/pressrelease_view.asp?id=2890 

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Falkirk Wheel Welfare Fun Day 9 September

Branches are urged to support the UNISON Welfare Family Fun Day and Sponsored Walk at the Falkirk Wheel on 9 September. Full details are on the website with forms for branches to sponsor events or stalls and sponsorship forms for walkers. See http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/welfare/index.html

Welfare newsletter now online

Building to the Falkirk Wheel fun day and sponsored walk in September http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/welfare/index.html

UNISON urges Nick Clegg to safeguard vulnerable in Universal Credit claim arrangements



Nick Clegg and Ann Wardlaw at the UNISON stand

 UNISON today warned Deputy PM Nick Clegg and Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander that the system for claiming the new Universal Credit risks failing those in most need.

The public services union used a ‘policy pitch’ session with senior MPs and MSPs at the Scottish Liberal Democrats’ conference in Inverness to warn that the planned online claims system should not axe the option for local face to face support.

Ann Wardlaw, vice chair of UNISON Scotland’s Disabled Members Committee, said: "Benefit cuts in the Welfare Reform Bill have horrified those of us who want a more equal society.

"On top of such devastating cuts though, is the worry that many people will not be assisted to claim support that they are entitled to because of the switch to a largely online system.

"We asked Nick Clegg and Danny Alexander to ensure that there is an option still under the new system for local face to face support for a range of aspects of the claim service, including verifying and scanning documents such as tenancy agreements, and help with queries."

Housing benefit is one of the range of benefits being brought together into the new Universal Credit. UNISON represents members who currently work in local authorities administering housing benefit services. The union says that the expertise of these staff should be used in retaining local access to claiming Universal Credit.

Dave Watson, UNISON’s Head of Bargaining and Campaigns, said: "The Liberal Democrats have an opportunity to realise that even if the IT for this proposed new online computerised system works, against the evidence of similar past projects, it is vital to help people claim all they are entitled to.

"Yet half the 9.5 million people in social housing have never used the internet. Attempting to deliver 80% of Universal Credit claims online and most of the rest in distant call centres simply won’t work.

"We believe it is vital to keep a local delivery mechanism , including using the experienced staff in local authority housing benefit services. The Government seems unaware of the high level of face to face interaction these staff have with claimants.

"There is a real risk that without access to proper support, people who could be getting help will lose out, leading to severe financial problems, major stress and potentially homelessness."

ENDS

http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/briefings/b010_PolicyBrief_HousingBenefitReform_August2011.pdf

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Notes to editors

1. UNISON is Scotland’s largest trade union representing more than 160,000 members.

2. UNISON’s briefing on housing benefit reforms is on our website at 　

Sponsor Stephen and Gail to 'Make a Child Smile'

Glasgow Branch's Stephen Ready and Dundee's Gail Miller are doing a sponsored parachute jump for the 'Make a Child Smile' fund on behalf of UNISON Sctland's Welfare Committee. You can sponsor them using the sponsorship form on the website.