UNISON wins Comhairle living wage backdating

UNISON’s Western Isles Local Government Branch has welcomed the Comhairle’s recent agreement to backdate payment of the National Living Wage to its lowest-earning staff to April 2013.

Back in November the Comhairle, following an intensive campaign by UNISON, agreed to pay the Living Wage for 2014 exclusive of Distant Islands Allowance. However, the council disagreed with the union over its obligation to also back-date living wage payments to April 2013 – which UNISON maintained had already been agreed as part of a national pay award.

UNISON Branch Secretary, Alison MacCorquodale (pictured) said: “UNISON welcomes the Comhairle’s agreement to finally back-date payment of the Living Wage to April 2013. We pushed the Comhairle hard to sort this out before Christmas, but they appeared to be burying their heads in the sand!”

UNISON intervention ensures 27 jobs retained at Stornoway call-handling centre

Friday 13 February 2015

UNISON, the public-sector trade union, has helped to ensure the retention of 27 jobs at the Consumer Advice Direct (CAD) call-handling centre in Stornoway after members were issued with redundancy notices early in the New Year.

Flora Somerville, UNISON Branch Organiser, met recently with local politicians and senior management from Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) - which currently contracts-out the delivery of the consumer advisory service to CAD. 

Flora said: “We understand that following our intervention, a further one-year contract is being negotiated which safeguards our members’ jobs for twelve months whilst consideration is given to the longer-term.

"There was the additional risk that under a new contract, CAD would opt not to continue in Stornoway and that jobs would transfer to Glasgow.

"We have however received assurances from CAS that they are fully committed to keeping the Stornoway call centre in operation.”

Letters dated 1 January 2015 had been issued to all staff advising them that CAD “decided to make them redundant” with effect from 31 March 2015.

UNISON, Highlands & Islands Enterprise (HIE) and Outer Hebrides Parliamentary representatives have since been in discussions with CAS about their intentions for the Stornoway call-centre.

Located at Gleann Seileach, Stornoway, Citizens Advice Direct handles consumer calls from all over Scotland and deals with hundreds of enquires each day.

HIE originally invested over £400,000 in the call-centre, taking the view that the company would expand in future.

UNISON General Secretary in Stornoway visit to support case against cuts

Wed 20 Feb 2013

Dave Prentis, General Secretary of the UK’s largest public sector union, UNISON, will tomorrow (21 February, 2013), join members in Stornoway to add his voice to their opposition to spending cuts and job losses.

He will be attending and speaking at the union’s Western Isles local government branch AGM, scheduled to start at 3pm.  Over the past two years, 200 jobs have been cut and more are on the cards as a result of the Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council) budget for 2013-15.

He will be urging the Comhairle to do all in its power to protect jobs and services.

Dave Prentis will say:

“The Western Isles rely heavily on the public sector for employment, for services and for maintaining the health of the local economy.  More job cuts will simply add to the misery of families affected and will do nothing to assist the economy.

“People out of work have no money to spend in the local shops and businesses, and the economy suffers as a result. All the evidence shows that there are few private sector jobs out there, apart from those that are part-time and low paid.

“This is not the time to cut jobs and the services that people need to help them through these tough times.

“UNISON will continue to fight spending cuts and make the case for real investment in real jobs to give us the real growth families so desperately need.”

Dave Prentis will also call on the Comhairle to join the growing band of Living Wage employers.

The Scottish Living Wage is currently set at £7.45 an hour.

ends

.

Job cuts threaten services and make workers sick in Western Isles

Tue 18 Dec 2012

UNISON’s Western Isles local government branch has issued a counter-warning over jobs and service cuts following an Audit Scotland alert that staff sickness rates were becoming an area of ‘concern’.

Branch chair Flora Somerville said:

“The Audit Scotland report noted that ‘the Comhairle (Council) is not clear what the underlying cause is for the increase in sickness absence’.”

“I think we can tell them. The cuts we have faced – including the loss of 200 jobs - have had a damaging effect on the wellbeing of the workforce.”

 “The low morale in the workforce, the constant pressure of excessive workloads and the uncertainty around the future of their own jobs is having a significant impact on sickness levels.” 

The job cuts so far represent more than 10% of the Comhairle’s workforce and there are proposals currently on the table which include yet more job losses. 

Flora Somerville warned that further job losses would have an impact on services as well as the health of council workers:

“The reduction in the workforce so far has been achieved without cuts in service delivery - but at a very high cost to employees who are doing the work of colleagues who have left. Any further job cuts are bound to impact on the services we deliver to the most vulnerable in our communities.”

UNISON Scottish Secretary Mike Kirby said:

"Councils are being placed in this position as a result of decisions of the Westminster and Scottish Governments. These cuts across the UK are not about austerity measures to meet an economic problem, but about politics - a politics that hates public services and loves to profit from privatisation.

"If the Western Isles Council, or any other council, moves to any form of compulsory redundancies, UNISON will consult on industrial action."

ENDS

For further information please contact:Flora Somerville, UNISON Western Isles branch chair, on 07767034786

Malcolm Burns, Communications Officer, UNISON Scotland, 0141 342 2877 or 078765 66978

Fiona Montgomery, Communications Officer, UNISON Scotland, 0141 342 2877 or 07508 876 995

Notes for editors

1. UNISON is Scotland’s largest trade union representing over 160,000 members working mainly in the public sector in Scotland and represents staff in all of Scotland’s local authorities.

2. The Audit Scotland press release and report on Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council) December 2012 are available online here:

http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/media/article.php?id=222

.