Tackle fuel poverty scandal and help fight climate change, says UNISON

Tackling Scotland’s “disgraceful” fuel poverty scandal must be a top priority and will help fight climate change, UNISON said today.

New figures from the Existing Homes Alliance show that 62% of Scottish homes are “unhealthily cold”. The public services union works with the EHA, Energy Action Scotland, Stop Climate Chaos Scotland and others in calling for a Warm Homes Act.

UNISON’s 2016 manifesto ‘Public services and a sustainable Scotland’ says that climate change is one of the biggest challenges we face, with action on energy efficiency, active travel and green workplaces crucial to helping meet climate targets.

Depute Convener Stephen Smellie said: “The lack of energy efficiency in Scotland’s housing stock is a social and environmental scandal. It adds massively to our carbon emissions and is a major cause of fuel poverty, which is at disgraceful levels.

“We want to see a Warm Homes Act, with the energy efficiency of Scotland’s homes designated as a National Infrastructure Project. It would help cut fuel poverty, boost GDP, sustain local jobs, improve health and wellbeing, reducing NHS spending, as well as improve energy security and deliver substantial emissions reductions.

“UNISON also wants to see a meaningful shift from car use, including through a more integrated public transport system, with green travel to work plans as part of strong green workplace action, with employers recognising trade union environment representatives.”

The manifesto calls for a ‘Just Transition’ to the low carbon economy necessary to meet Scotland’s climate targets and an expansion of public and community owned electricity generation.

UNISON says that public procurement has a major role in driving up standards, including the provision of fresh, healthy, local, sustainable food in schools and hospitals. Pubic bodies have important duties under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 and these policies will help them comply with their duties.

ENDS

Notes for Editors

UNISON Scotland’s ‘Public services and a sustainable Scotland’ manifesto is available at www.unison-scotland.org/2016/04/11/public-services-and-a-sustainable-scotland-minifesto-2016/

UNISON Scotland is a key part of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland and we endorse the recommendations in the SCCS manifesto ‘Securing A Low Carbon Scotland’http://stopclimatechaos.org/sites/default/files/Manifesto-final-web.pdf

Stop Climate Chaos Scotland will host an online election debate on Climate Day (Monday 18th April) with the five parties currently represented at Holyrood. www.stopclimatechaos.org/online-debate-2016. The debate will be livestreamed and will be hosted by journalist David Torrance. 

UNISON Scotland and SCCS are jointly holding a fringe meeting at the STUC Congress in Dundee at 12.30pm on Monday 18 April. ‘Trade unions call for a low carbon Scotland’ www.unison-scotland.org/2016/03/16/climate-day-trade-unions-call-for-a-low-carbon-scotland-stuc2016-fringe/

New figures from the Existing Homes Alliance are herehttp://existinghomesalliancescotland.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/EXHA_Cold-Homes-press-release_11April16.pdf

Climate change and fuel poverty are urgent challenges

#stuc15 The STUC will work with NGOs and trade unions internationally to press for a Just Transition as part of a binding international deal at the UN Conference on Climate Change due to be held this year in Paris, which is “critical for the future of the planet.”

UNISON’s Pat Rowland told delegates that a Just Transition will ensure that the costs and benefits of switching to a low carbon economy are fairly distributed, with workers involved in planning.

Public ownership needs to rise up political agenda to end fuel poverty

#stuc13 UNISON Scotland’s Willie Docherty told congress that more than one in three households in Scotland are estimated to be in fuel poverty as a result of poor energy efficiency in their homes, low incomes and the high cost of fuel - full story at http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/stuc2013/5.html

UNISON Scotland slams Osborne Budget as ‘a broken record of broken hopes’

20 March 2013

UNISON Scotland leader Mike Kirby has described today's Budget by George Osborne as a "broken record of missed targets and broken hopes" and slammed the government's austerity strategy which makes public service workers pay for the sins of the bankers and the markets.

UNISON Scottish Secretary Mike Kirby said:

“Even in the Chancellor’s own terms, this Budget is a broken record of  missed targets and broken hopes, which shows that austerity is not working.”

“A budget of the rich for the rich who will gain from the removal of the 50p tax rate, and for those of the middle England stereotype who gain some small tax breaks.

"The increase in personal allowance does little to assist many public service workers, who are still in a job, and in lower income households, having suffered by falling real wages, cuts to tax credits and rising gas and electricity prices.”

“The single tier state pension to be introduced from 2016 will present many more losers than winners, a £6 billion windfall for the Treasury from 2016-17, alongside big national insurance increases from the ending of contracted out rebates on NI for those who’ve been providing for life after work through occupational pension schemes.”

"The announcement that the government will seek significant further savings through reforms to progression pay is another disgraceful attack on public service workers who are being punished for the sins of the bankers and the markets.

Progression pay is the contractual process by which staff reach the rate for the job. It is not a pay rise."

“The £2.5 billion extra cuts in public services may fund house building and other projects, but at the cost of revenue for other public services, when the public has greater trust in services that are delivered locally, so the chancellor should devolve resources for housing, infrastructure and jobs, not cut local budgets for central projects.”

UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said the Chancellor was "out of ideas and should be out of a job."

Dave Prentis said:

“The Chancellor is clearly bankrupt of ideas. His bleak austerity agenda and fiscal inertia is leading to stagnation, robbing the country of the Government’s prized AAA rating and tipping it towards a triple dip recession.

“Attacking public services is the Chancellor’s default setting. Osborne talks about supporting people with aspirations but does exactly the opposite.

“On top of the three-year public service pay freeze workers will now have their pay pegged to 1% until 2015/16 – what does that say about giving people aspirations?

“Osborne can’t dig the country out the hole he has made – more cuts are not the answer to revitalising the economy.”

"Cutting Whitehall budgets further will simply lead to the loss of more services that the millions of people rely on with little gain for the country as a whole. Reversing the tax cut for millionaires would have been a much fairer way to raise revenue.

“It’s Bleak House for the majority but the minority get to party on.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. UNISON is Scotland’s largest trade union representing 160,000 members working in the public sector in Scotland.

2. Full UNISON UK budget response release is online at http://www.unison.org.uk/asppresspack/pressrelease_view.asp?id=3010

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INFLATION FIGURES HIGHLIGHT HEATING OR EATING DILEMMA

19 March 2013

Commenting on inflation figures out today Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON, the UK’s largest union, said:

“The unprecedented, unrelenting squeeze on family budgets is yet another example of the Tory-led coalition’s ongoing failure to turn recession into recovery.

“A public sector pay freeze turned squeeze has hit families and high streets hard. The spiraling cost of energy means people face the misery of choosing between heating and eating.

"And as families suffer, its boom time for millionaires in Tory Britain who are in line for tax cuts in tomorrow’s budget.

“The government has to take radical action to turn our economy around. Tinkering at the edges will not work. The Chancellor could take an important step in the right direction by ending the pay squeeze and stopping the jobs carnage in the public sector.

ENDS


Notes to editors:

A recent survey by UNISON's Welfare Fund, There for you, found that 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.

In the last year there was a massive 388% increase in demand for applications to the union‚s fund for fuel grant assistance.

The union's full plan to help the government turn recession into recovery is available on the UNISON UK website here:
www.unison.org.uk/asppresspack/pressrelease_view.asp?id=3002


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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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Rise in fuel poverty linked to higher prices

27 Feb 2013

UNISON, the UK’s largest union, today accused the government of doing “precious little” to help the millions of people trapped by fuel poverty.

On the day that Centrica announced a rise in profits to £606m for its residential arm, the union is calling for urgent action to stem the flow of people falling into the despair of fuel poverty.

Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON, said:

“The rise in fuel poverty is a blight on this country with hundreds and thousands of people joining the growing numbers now spending more than 10% of household income on energy costs. Without action we are sleepwalking into very cold and dark future.

“The high cost of fuel has made ‘heat or eat’ a dilemma for many families and it is a scandal that 1.6m million children are living in fuel poverty in the UK. Shareholders and directors should not be creaming profits from British Gas and adding to the numbers of consumers struggling with their bills.

“The Government is doing precious little to address this problem. They need to pursue positive and concrete policies to stem the flow of people falling into the despair of fuel poverty. We want a nationwide programme of measures to insulate homes and provide energy efficient central heating systems for domestic consumers.

“This would help counter rising energy costs as well as providing a much needed economic boost by creating thousands of jobs. “ The union is calling on the government to plan for the future with a coherent energy policy that keeps the lights on for all consumers at an affordable price.

Notes to Editors

UNISON represents thousands of members working in the energy industry. We also operate a charity ‘there for you’ that is dealing with members who are suffering fuel poverty.


See this release on the UNISON UK website
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