UNISON lobbying Scottish Parliament for fair funding for local services

Scotland’s largest trade union will lobby the Scottish Parliament on budget day (1pm, Wednesday 24 February 2016) to call for a fair funding settlement for local services.

Local government has taken the brunt of cuts in Scotland. Scottish Government funding is down by 0.8%. Yet funding for local government is down by 4.5%. This is a £500m cut from local services this year. 
The cumulative cost of the council tax freeze is £3.15bn out of local services. Of the 50,000 job cuts in Scotland, 40,000 have been in local government. This budget will mean a further 15,000 job cuts for Scottish council workers. 

UNISON believes these cuts are simply unsustainable.

Mark Ferguson chair of UNISON local government committee said, 

‘It is no secret that UNISON members have been taken aback by the level of cuts forced on to Scottish councils. Our local council services simply cannot sustain this level of cuts. We are already seeing cuts to services for disabled people, older people, education, youth services, school support, libraries, road repairs and much more. 

'We need to look at expanding the funds available and agree a fairer funding settlement for local government. Another £500m cuts and 15,000 more jobs cuts will have a drastic effect on both our local services and economy. It's why we are calling on the Scottish parliament to look at this budget again.’

END

Notes

• UNISON is the public services union. We are the biggest union in local government, and the biggest union in Scotland
• UNISON is joining other public sector trade unions and the STUC in a lobby of the Scottish Parliament on budget day.
• The lobby will be at 1pm outside Scottish Parliament, Wednesday, 24 February 2016. UNISON spokespeople will be available for comment

UNISON Contacts

• Mark Ferguson, chair of local government committee, 07773342570
• Danny Phillips, communications officer, 07944 664 110

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.

Silent epidemic of discrimination against working mothers

UNISON is calling for “a cultural shift” to end discrimination against pregnant women and mothers returning to work.  The union, which has 1m women in membership, called it a disgrace that a new survey (see BBC report) has found that more than one in four mothers feel discriminated against.

This survey shows the slow rate of progress since 2005 when the Equal Opportunities Inquiry into Pregnancy Discrimination found that each year 45% of working women
experienced pregnancy discrimination.

Karen Jennings, Assistant General Secretary of UNISON, said:

“It is a disgrace that in 2013 women should still be missing out on promotion or treated as second class workers.

“This research shows that the Equality Act is failing working mothers as thousands of women continue to suffer in silence while bosses discriminate in the shadows.

“Many women feel pressured into returning to work before they are ready, to try and protect their position in the workplace.  This is a growing problem with employers targeting women returners for redundancy selection, despite the legislation.

“Unless there is a wholesale cultural shift across workplaces this silent epidemic is only going to get worse.  The introduction of tribunal fees is making it more difficult for women to challenge discrimination by employers, coupled with rampant cuts to employment rights.”

“UNISON is continuing its case for a Judicial Review into fees for employment tribunals and has also vowed to cover the cost for its members.”

ENDS


See this news release on the UK website

Public services paying the price of austerity job cuts

Date: Thu 23 May 2013

UNISON Scotland response to Audit Scotland report on ‘early leavers’

UNISON Scotland has called for an end to the ongoing massive public service job cuts which cost hundreds of millions of pounds and devastate local economies.

In response to a report by Audit Scotland on the price of early retirement and severance the union argues that its alternative to austerity would boost the economy and protect vital public services.

Mike Kirby, UNISON’s Scottish Secretary, said:
“While the Audit Scotland report makes some positive noises about the way public bodies manage workforce change, the reality is that our precious public services are paying the price of austerity economics.

“Audit Scotland reveal that the cost of removing 14,000 jobs from the public sector in just two years was £561 million. And that’s the tip of an iceberg.

“We know that over 50,000 jobs have gone from the public sector in Scotland since greedy bankers caused the crash in 2008.

“Why should jobs and services go when the need still exists?”

UNISON has consistently argued for an alternative to austerity economics. Growing our way out of trouble: UNISON's alternative budget for jobs and public services published in March says:

• on average every redundancy creates £29,400 in additional costs to the public sector as well as undermining morale and productivity
• most of the cost of employing a public service worker is recouped by the state through increased tax revenues and reduced benefit payments
• economic research shows that for every pound spent on local public services, 64 pence is re-spent in local economies, supporting jobs and businesses

Lilian Macer, Convener of UNISON Scotland added:

“Every job lost costs the local economy dear – and piles stress on vital public services as a decreasing workforce faces mounting pressure to meet increasing need.

“Every new piece of evidence supports our call for an alternative to austerity. We need to grow our way out of trouble – and not carry on cutting jobs and vital public services at massive cost to our communities and the public purse.”

ends

Notes for editors

1. UNISON is Scotland’s largest trade union representing 160,000 members working to deliver vital public services.

2. UNISON Scotland’s e-Briefing - Public Sector Workforce in Scotlandpublished in Dec 2012 gives details on the cuts to public sector jobs since the crash in 2008
http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/briefings/e-briefing_PublicSectorWorkforce_Dec2012.pdf

3. Growing our way out of trouble: UNISON’s alternative budget for jobs and public services was published in March 2013 – see news release here:
http://www.unison.org.uk/asppresspack/
pressrelease_view.asp?id=3002

and the full alternative budget document here:
http://www.unison.org.uk/acrobat/18887.pdf

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Save our colleges, UNISON FE members tell MSPs

Tue 5 Feb 2013

Scotland’s college support staff union UNISON will today (Tuesday 5 February) give evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Education and Culture Committee on the Post-16 Education Bill


Chris Greenshields, chair of UNISON’s Further Education Committee, will today (Tuesday 5 February) tell MSPs that college cuts and mergers will have a catastrophic effect on key services to students.

In evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Education and Culture Committee on the Post-16 Education Bill, Chris will tell MSPs:

“We have already lost more than 1,300 jobs in Scotland Colleges in 18 months alone - before Education Secretary Mike Russell announced that he wanted a further £50 million of savings as a result of mergers.

“We think this that will have a catastrophic effect on the key services our members provide to our students. We cannot continue to cut while the sector deals with the biggest changes in over 20 years.

“We believe this is gambling with our students' future.”

The cuts have also seen vocational courses like aeronautical and aircraft engineering, computer animation, digital gaming, green-keeping, and horticulture disappearing alongside opportunities for part time students.

Chris Greenshields said:
“Thousands of people were unable to find a college place this year. We believe that regionalisation could make a difficult situation worse. We believe college regionalisation is about budget cuts not improvement.”

UNISON’s college staff in Scotland are planning to step up their campaign to save further education.

Regional Organiser Emma Phillips said:
“Members working in FE have been facing a double whammy of deep funding cuts and a series of difficult mergers with minimal consultation.

“Our FE committee has been campaigning along with the National Union of Students and other community activists and trade unions.

“Around 1300 UNISON postcards signed by members and supporters calling for an end to short-term cuts and long-term damage will be delivered as a petition to the Scottish Parliament. That is one for every job lost in FE colleges in the last couple of years.

“We are calling on Education Secretary Mike Russell to guarantee: decent funding for colleges; no compulsory redundancies; no more privatisation in colleges; an end to so-called ‘back office’ cuts - and a Living Wage for all staff whether directly employed or working for contractors.

“We plan to build our campaign with a lobby of MSPs and local campaign initiatives in colleges across Scotland through 2013.”

ends


Notes for editors:

1. UNISON is Scotland’s largest trade union representing 160,000 members working mainly in the public sector in Scotland and represents a range of staff delivering important services in further and higher education.

2. UNISON Scotland's written evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Education and Culture Committee on the Post-16 Education Bill can be found on our website here:
http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/response/
Post16Education_EvidencetoSPEducation+CultureCttee_Jan2013.pdf


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Government must act on Scots police staff jobs and end confusion

1 Feb 2013 

UNISON’s new all-Scotland police branch today urged the government and employers to avert disastrous police staff job cuts and to end “the chaos and uncertainty” facing members.

Police staff from across the country spoke at a UNISON meeting in Glasgow today of their anger about up to 3,000 job losses, uncertainty around the redundancy scheme and confusion about who their ultimate boss will be.

George McIrvine, Secretary of UNISON Police Staff Scotland said: “The continuing chaos of the reform of the Scottish police service is affecting staff members whose futures are even more unsure as information is drip fed to them. This is ludicrous and no way to treat a workforce.”

He said that it is time for the Scottish government to take action and realise that keeping its headline target number of police officers while cutting tens of millions of pounds out of the budget for the new police service is fatally flawed.

UNISON wants the government to get around the table with the police authorities and unions to discuss realistic ways of achieving a modern balanced police service and not having the expensive waste of police officers backfilling support staff jobs, as hundreds already are.

George added: “At our meeting today stewards told similar stories of being inundated with queries from members after the announcement of the Scottish Police Redundancy/Voluntary Severance policy.

“However, there has been no further information on future structures to allow staff to make an informed decision.  So far, there has been no discussion about where redundancies will fall, what jobs or where.

“Also, police staff, who have been told they will all be employed by the Scottish Police Authority, have no idea under whose direction they will come - either Vic Emery, of the SPA, or Steve House, of the Police Service of Scotland.

"We are less than eight weeks from the 1 April start and the lack of information is astounding. The SPA expects staff to volunteer their jobs up, under the current bleak outlook of no work externally, without knowing all of their options.

“What sort of morale do they expect staff to have when they turn up on day one? They are expected to come to work with enthusiasm not knowing what the future holds for them."

 Note to editors:

The proposed redundancy/voluntary severance scheme is being rolled out through the existing eight police forces and the SPSA to allow staff to express an interest and to allow those leaving before 1 April to qualify.

See the UNISON Scotland website for further details of earlier police staff and other news releases

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UNISON slams ‘damaging’ Stirling Council plan to cut vital services and jobs

Mon 28 Jan 2013

Stirling UNISON branch has criticised a decision by the local council to give formal notice of up to 250 redundancies ahead of negotiations over budget plans - which should be intended to avoid such measures.

James Douglas, Stirling UNISON branch secretary, said:

“We knew we were facing a challenging round of negotiations, but the employer’s move to take this drastic action is totally unnecessary and unwarranted. It suggests that damaging decisions to cut vital services on which our communities – and indeed our members and their families - depend have already been made.

“Some of the proposals coming forward are completely unwarranted. The council are saying staff can either face job losses just now or work longer hours for no pay - which in their words will ‘allow for staffing numbers to be reduced.’ But we’ve already had a pay freeze for the last few years – and jobs have gone too.”

Staffing levels at Stirling Council have been reduced over the last five years but these have been managed through negotiations with UNISON in order to avoid reductions in service delivery. In addition to the notice of 250 redundancies, the employer has also now proposed wide ranging changes to employee terms and conditions.

UNISON Regional Organiser David O’Connor said:

“UNISON has worked with Stirling Council in facing up to the challenges that have come our way and I am bitterly disappointed that we have got to this point.

“We’ve achieved a lot mainly through the hard work and dedication of Council employees.

However, you can only cut so much before you reach breaking point. We are now at that point.”

Lesley Russell, UNISON branch chair said:

“Our members are incensed at the cuts to jobs and services which are being proposed. UNISON would hope that a negotiated agreement can be reached - but we cannot rule out the possibility of industrial action to protect our members and the vital services they deliver.”

ends

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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

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Government adds to fear in workplace - UNISON

Tue 18 December 2012

The announcement today that the Government is cutting the opportunity for consultation on large scale redundancies from 90 to 45 days, “Is a cruel blow for workers and their families” said Bronwyn McKenna, UNISON Assistant General Secretary. She went on to say:

“Cutting the opportunity for employers and unions to realistically explore alternatives and ways to avoid large scale redundancies is a retrograde step. It will mean the loss of more skilled and experienced workers to the dole. The recession has led to fear in the workplace and the Government is adding to those fears by cutting short the opportunity for meaningful talks to take place.

“Any worker facing redundancy needs time to plan, to mitigate the impact on them and their family finances. Making arrangements to cover mortgages or rent, sort out bills, re-train and apply for new jobs all takes time and this cut will leave families facing financial hardship.

“This process can also be used to cut pay and conditions through disreputable dismissal and re-engagement strategies. Halving the period for consultation gives greater license to rogue employers to attack wages.”

Ends


UNISON UK news release:
http://www.unison.org.uk/asppresspack/pressrelease_view.asp?id=2918



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UNISON calls for immediate withdrawal of redundancy notices at Queen Margaret University

Tuesday 18 December 2012

UNISON Scotland has called for the Education Secretary to intervene over incompetent redundancy notices issued by bosses at Edinburgh’s Queen Margaret University. The higher education union wants the redundancy notices withdrawn immediately in this week before the Christmas break.

At least 29 staff have been notified that their jobs are under threat of redundancy – and three have been told they are definitely losing their jobs – despite the fact that the posts are not redundant. The university has also failed to comply with its legal obligations to consult with UNISON and to notify government.

Regional Organiser Emma Philips said:

“There is no need for these compulsory redundancies. The planned changes are part of a reorganisation with enough jobs for all existing staff.

 “The duties of the three people in Finance who were told they have been made compulsorily redundant will have to be covered by agency staff until new staff are recruited to cover their jobs. The security staff begin being interviewed for their present jobs today. 

“We have now written to Mike Russell, the Cabinet Secretary for Education, to tell him we do not believe there is a genuine redundancy situation. The jobs still exist, although there is a change to some of the tasks within the jobs.

“We want Queen Margaret University to withdraw all notices of redundancy and review all their processes in regard to this issue. And we call on Mike Russell as Education Secretary to take swift action to ensure this happens.”

UNISON already has the support of Labour’s higher education spokesman Neil Findlay MSP, who is putting down a motion today in the Scottish Parliament in support of the QMU staff.

Emma Philips said:

“We believe these redundancy notices are incompetent – in the legal as well as the usual sense of the word. But the university management persists in putting people under this kind of pressure in the week before Christmas. It is totally unjust, they are totally wrong - and they should call a halt now.”

ENDS

For further information please contact:Emma Phillips, UNISON Regional Organiser, on 07538101221

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 a range staff delivering important services in further and higher education.

2. Queen Margaret University has failed to comply with its statutory obligations to consult with the trade unions and to notify government. The legislation states that these consultations should take place if 20 people are vulnerable to redundancy.

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UNISON calls for action to avert 3,000 police staff job cuts

Wednesday 26 September 2012

 

UNISON Scotland has called for action by the Scottish Government to avert the disastrous loss of 3,000 police staff support jobs, of which new Chief Constable Stephen House warned today.

George McIrvine, Chair of UNISON Scotland’s Police Committee, said:

“We have been saying that up to 3,000 vital police support staff jobs are under threat for about a year now. If Stephen House is right in what he has said today, this is just the beginning of a disaster for Scottish policing.”

 “Already we have seen police officers being taken off the street to cover for the thousand police support staff jobs which have been lost in the last year or so. We need the government to take action to end this unfolding disaster by committing to a balanced police service rather than an arbitrary target for police officer numbers.”

Gerry Crawley, UNISON’s lead officer for police in Scotland, said:

“It gives us no pleasure to find that the newly-appointed Chief Constable of the new Police Service of Scotland can do the same sums as we can.

“The problem is the Scottish Government’s arbitrary target to maintain police officer numbers at 17,234. This combined with their failure to fund a balanced police service means that massive cuts will fall on police support staff - whose skills and qualifications are vital to effective policing across Scotland.

“We need a balanced workforce where the skills of police staffs enable police officers to do the job the public wants them to do, where they want them to do it. That is fighting crime, out on the streets. Using officers as expensive replacements for police staff might meet the Scottish Government’s political target - but not the needs of Scotland’s communities.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. As the Scottish Government has an arbitrary target to maintain police officer numbers at 17234, the focus of the savings are concentrated on police staffs. This has resulted in over 1000 police staff posts being lost already. As a consequence, police officers are taking on the work of police staffs.

2. Other documents giving analysis of the police reform process and UNISON’s campaign for a balanced, modern police force – rather than cutting thousands of police staff jobs – are available on our website.

For more information see UNISON’s police pages http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/police/index.html

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Extra police should be out on the beat - not replacing police staffs

Wed 16 May 2012


Survey by UNISON indicates half of extra officers are covering non-operational duties
Up to half of the 1000 extra police recruited by the Scottish Government are spending some or all of their time doing the work previously carried out by police staffs who have been made redundant. That’s the result of a survey by UNISON, the union representing police staffs ahead of Thursday’s parliamentary debate on policing.

Police forces across Scotland have been trying to make savings. As the Scottish Government has an arbitrary target to maintain police officer numbers at 17234, the focus of the savings are concentrated on police staffs. This has resulted in over 1000 police staff posts being lost. As a consequence police officers are taking on the work of police staffs.

Police staffs operate in corporate and support roles in functions such as intelligence, information technology, control rooms, station assistants, forensics and human resources. They also take on operational roles in areas such as custody and detention, financial investigation and scenes of crime.

It is very difficult to precisely specify the amount of job substitution because most of the duties are spread among a larger group of police officers who often spend only part of their time undertaking these duties. To get a better picture UNISON Scotland undertook a survey of a random sample of UNISON members employed in police boards in Scotland.

This survey shows that around 53% of the 1000 police staff posts which have already gone are being covered in part or in full by police officers. That means around 500 police officers are now not out on the street fighting crime for part of the time they used to be.

If this was applied to the future staffing plan it would suggest up to 2,000 officers could, at least in part, be taken off operational duties. UNISON accepts that extrapolation from survey data is not a precise calculation. But it does give an indication of the scale of loss – one police officer lost in this way would be too many. And remember - we already have hundreds of police officers undertaking roles that elsewhere in the UK would be done more efficiently by police staffs.

George McIrvine, Chair of UNISON Scotland’s Police Staffs Committee said:
“People expect police to be out on the beat - not doing jobs that, quite frankly, other people are better qualified for. It’s also pretty galling for staff to see people made redundant to save money being replaced by uniformed Officers earning nearly double the wages of those who’ve gone out the door."

UNISON Scotland Head of Bargaining and Campaigns Dave Watson said:
“The fixation on maintaining numbers of uniformed officers while slashing budgets everywhere else wastes money and does nothing to keep people safe. Scottish police forces are already less specialised with lower levels of civilianisation than those in England. If current trends are carried on into the proposed single police force we will see anything up to 2000 police officers spending some or all of their time off operational duties. It’s the wrong approach in terms of public safety - and makes no sense economically”


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UNISON calls for a balanced, modern police team ahead of parliamentary debate on national forces

UNISON response to stage 1 debate on Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Bill

A balanced, modern police team must be the focus for the future of Scottish policing. That was the message from UNISON, the police staff union, speaking ahead of today’s stage one debate on the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Bill at the Scottish Parliament.

The union has been highly critical of the Scottish Government’s plans to maintain an artificial target of police officers, a move the union says will result in the loss of thousands of civilian roles.

George McIrvine, chair of UNISON’s police committee, said the loss of these roles will lead to fewer police on our streets as officers are taken off the streets to perform the tasks of civilian staff.

He said: “We deserve an efficient and effective police force, with the right people doing the right jobs.

“To date, 1,000 police staff have already been cut and we’re seeing more and more police officers being taken off the streets to carry out these roles – roles they are untrained to do and at a greater cost to the taxpayer. The Scottish Government’s plans to maintain an artificial target of police officers will see between two and three thousand civilian jobs being cut - it’s a crazy strategy and it makes no economic or operational sense.

“We want to see a balanced, modern police team, with the right skills and expertise for an effective police force. We need the skills of police staffs to enable police officers to do the job the public wants them to do, where they want them to do it – that is fighting crime, out on the streets.”

Gerry Crawley, UNISON’s Regional Organiser, said: “On top of these cuts, the new national forces could see the police lose their VAT exemption which will cost Scottish taxpayers at least £30m. 

“If the new national forces were organised on the basis of local authorities, not only would this strengthen local democratic accountability, but it would retain s33 status and maintain the exemption to the taxpayer.”

‘Care before cost’ says UNISON as it urges the Scottish Government to save St Philip’s

UNISON Scotland will today make an urgent plea to the Scottish Government to put care before cost and to reconsider its decision to close St Philip’s secure unit.

Severance payments

An article in today's Scotsman indicates that a total of 6,400 staff have taken redundancy or severance deals at a cost of £100m over the past three years. This analysis includes Scottish local government, police and health boards.

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.