Public service factories are not the key to reforming public services, says UNISON

UNISON, Scotland’s largest public service union, today warned of the high cost of setting up ‘public service factories’ in a bid to save councils cash.

The union said shared services are not providing the answer to modernising public services and warned that services will suffer as a result of the top-down approach to change.

Dave Watson, UNISON’s Scottish Organiser, said: “Co-operation between public services is essential, but that doesn’t mean setting up vast public service factories or bringing in the private sector. Shared services are often pushed by private consultants as a way to improve services and save money. However, these schemes come with huge upfront costs and evidence shows that initial savings are not delivered in many cases – so we would warn against the belief that there is a pot of gold to be released through shared services.”

The drive towards shared services, both within organisations and between them, is based on economies of scale and a view that front and back office functions should be separated. However, there is increasing evidence from the UK and internationally that this approach is wrong. Few services actually delivered in this way have realised the claimed savings and real costs are simply displaced onto frontline services. There is also a massive increase in transactional costs as systems drive activity rather than addressing user demand. UNISON believes services should be organised so that staff who meet users are able to deal with most of their needs, without artificially splitting the work up.

The union has also been critical of the Clyde Valley Review, which has involved no consultation with either trade unions or with the staff who deliver services.

He continued: “Bright ideas are never the result of discussions which take place in a darkened room. For positive changes to happen, managers have to adopt a bottom-up approach and involve staff in decision making.

“Job concerns are sometimes hailed as the reason for shared service failings, however, this is simply not the case. We fully support partnership working and efficient delivery of services, however, we are sceptical as to whether this type of shared service will deliver savings and, most importantly, whether it will deliver a better service.”

See the Briefing at http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/briefings/100611Bargainingbriefingsharedservices.pdf

Care privatisation - time for change

The revelations in last night's Panorama of abuse at a private residential unit has shocked the nation and rightly led to police arrests. Whilst this was a particularly shocking episode, concerns over care provision have rarely been out of the news in recent months. Examples include:

• The collapse of Southern Cross care homes is a potential tragedy for residents and staff and has highlighted the economics of the private care home industry. The Financial Times has provided a clear analysis and described this as "The shameful state of the UK care homes"; commenting that "Private care providers seeking to maximise profits are tempted to cut back on the spending needed to provide the best possible care for those vulnerable people in their charge."
• The Elsie Inglis care home in Edinburgh closed after the death of a resident. The home was being investigated by Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (SCSWIS) who said they had “serious concerns” about standards of care.
• Today's Guardian publishes an open letter from mental health groups over the impact of welfare benefit cuts. "The government's changes to the welfare system are having a "devastating" impact on hundreds of thousands of people with mental health problems and have driven some of the most vulnerable to try to take their own lives, according to charities and medical experts."
• Last night's Newsnight Scotland highlighted massive increases in care charges. Disabled persons groups said that these charges were being used to finance the Council Tax freeze.
• Councils across Scotland are privatising homecare in response to budget cuts. The scandal of the "15 minute care visit" was highlighted in an earlier Panorama programme.
• The personalisation agenda, whilst an appropriate solution for some groups, is being adopted as the new 'one size fits all' approach to care. It is being used in several areas as cover for budget cuts. It is also being used to drive further privatisation. 

These stories highlight a crisis in the care industry and we are drifting into a privatised service without any real public debate. With a growing elderly population these pressures will not go away. It is surely time to call a halt to privatisation and undertake a detailed review of the future of care.

We're not quite ALL in this together...

Do you remember David Cameron  announcing savage budget cuts and austerity measures saying that   "We're all in this together"  - Well, I hate to break it to you, but it seems that he might not have been, all  things considered, taking everything into account, telling the truth   

While most of us face a pay freeze (or even cut) whilst inflation reduces the  value of the wage we do earn... it seems the pain isn't being fully shared  - or even noticed  - by Britain's top bosses.

Executives of FTSE 100 Companies have trousered a 32% pay rise in the last year...
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/anger-as-pay-for-top-ftse-bosses-soars-by-a-third-2291186.html

.... leaving them with a salary mid point of £3.5 million

Which according to one survey  - isn't  even performanced related.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13588114

This level of money sloshing about at the top is something to bear in mind the next time someone tells you that we have to cut back on services because 'the country is bankrupt' , or that you have to submit to a pay freeze because of 'the state of public finances', or even that " We're all in this together"

Balanced police workforce

Today's Herald newspaper reports on the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents conference. They have stressed the importance of a balanced workforce and not taking experienced police officers off the beat to undertake the roles of police (civilian) staffs.

Their survey comes as senior policing figures fear that forces’ ruling boards of councillors will be tempted to cut numbers for civilian staff instead of officers.  Chief Superintendent David O’Connor, Asps president, said:

“A balanced workforce is all about the right people with the right skills in the right jobs. It would denude the frontline if we start taking highly confident and experienced police officers and putting them in to office jobs.”

This is welcome support for UNISON Scotland's long standing position from senior police officers who understand the operational realities. The 1000 police officer target is simply a cosmetic political fix that makes no sense.

Sharon Shoesmith court appeal ruling- UNISON reaction

UNISON General Secretary, Dave Prentis, said: “This ruling will give a much-needed boost to social workers up and down the country who protect daily thousands of vulnerable children and adults. It should serve as a lesson that whipping up a campaign of vilification and hatred will never save a single child’s life. http://www.unison.org.uk/asppresspack/pressrelease_view.asp?id=2308

Calling pensions champions. Sign up now

Scottish Pensions Bulletin May 2011 (pdf) is now out. Pensions Champions and contacts - sign up now - and register for training courses

UNISON Scotland welcomes warning to Treasury over public service pensions

UNISON Scotland today welcomed concerns from MPs who warned that the Treasury has not carried out a proper assessment of the impact of changes to public service pensions.

IT schemes and shared services

A salutary warning for Scotland on the risk of large scale IT projects from south of the border.

The NHS's National Programme for IT is an £11.4bn project which has delivered some good things, but which according to the National Audit Office (NAO) - will not deliver on its central aim of making a detailed local care record available to local hospitals where a patient may well be treated, or making a Summary National Care Record available across England, for use when someone needs urgent treatment away from home.

The BBC's Mark D'Arcy gives an entertaining account of the Public Accounts Committee grilling of the NHS in England's chief executive Sir David Nicholson and the private contractors Sheri Thureen of CSC, and Patrick O'Connell the president of BT Health.

Why is this important for Scotland? There are large scale shared IT services planned in the Clyde Valley project and elsewhere. We are also expecting the McClelland review of public sector IT infrastructure soon.

As we have said before about public service reform - bigger is not always better and that holds for IT as well.

Billions wasted on Trident could stop cuts, warns UNISON chief

Commenting on the Defence Secretary Liam Fox’s announcement that the cost of a new fleet of Trident nuclear missile submarines could more than double to £25bn by the time they are built, Dave Prentis, UNISON’s General Secretary, said:





“The Defence Secretary’s decision to plough money into Trident will leave a sour taste in the mouth of the millions hit hardest by the Government cuts.

“This huge sum could be used to save the economy and stop the loss of thousands of jobs and hospital wards, children’s centres and other vital services. The £25bn does not even include the price of warheads, running costs and the bill for leasing Trident missiles from the US.

“Just a week ago Nick Clegg claimed the Lib Dem’s had put a stop to all this. This is clearly another sign that the Government’s claims cannot be believed.

“We know that there is an alternative to the Government’s cuts agenda - cracking down on the tax avoiders and tax havens, raising a Robin Hood Tax on the banks and making taxation fairer, would also save billions, at the same time as safeguarding our recovery.”

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BBC - The Street

The BBC programme The Street should be compulsory viewing for those who think the private sector can take over public services or that it can be left to 'communities' to sort out themselves - the so called Big Society.

The street was in Preston, but it could be pretty much any street in any town or city except for one thing. The residents of this street agreed to take part in a unique experiment. They agreed to live without all the services their council tax pays for - all, that is, except for schools for their children and the emergency services - and to let the BBC film how they got along or, more often, how they did not.

UNISON Scotland did its own version of this last year with what we called 'A Day in the Life'. We also costed the private alternatives. It would bankrupt most people. The simple conclusion - Public Works.

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.

PFI schemes - waste of money

UNISON this week called for an end to Private Finance Initiative schemes as it published a report showing that the ConDem Government and the Scottish Government are both continuing the “chronic waste of public money” on PFI, despite strongly criticising it in opposition.

The Scottish government has announced new PFI schemes with a capital value of £2.5 billion, which will enter into procurement in the next two years.

Job cuts and inequality

In an analysis piece in today's Scotsman, UNISON's Dave Watson makes the link between job cuts and inequality.

The Scotsman's main article uses the latest TUC report on unemployment to highlight unemployment blackspots in Scotland where 40 people are chasing every job. Areas like West Dunbartonshire and North Ayrshire now make up two-fifths of Britain's worst unemployment blackspots. This is a dramatic deterioration in Scotland since 2005.

Dave's analysis highlights a deeper problem within council areas and argues that we have to target particular areas to address long term inequality. We know that more equal societies do better on every measure, so this is an issue for everyone in Scotland.

Rally for cuts flops

Only 350 people turned up to the rally for cuts in London today. This is in contrast to the half a million people who joined the TUC march for the alternative to deep, early spending cuts.  

It exposes the organisations that supported the rally like the so called Taxpayers Alliance for what they really are. Representative of no one other than their offshore big business backers.

The TUC said: "The fact that only a few hundred people rallied for more Sure Start centre closures and punitive cuts on disabled people, shows how little support there is for the government's economic plans."

Austerity measures don't work

Austerity measures “don’t work” and prevent countries from creating jobs needed to generate economic growth, said Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz. He is also an economic advisor to the Scottish Government.

“Austerity is an experiment that has been tried before with the same results,” Stiglitz said today in a speech in Copenhagen. Cutting budgets in low-growth cycles leads to higher unemployment and hampers recovery. Europe’s leaders are gripped by “deficit fetishism,” Stiglitz said. Austerity “doesn’t work, it does not led to more efficient, faster growing economies.”

We could not have put it clearer. There is a better way.

Planned Cuts and Job Losses

UNISON Scotland's latest survey of budget cuts and job losses shows planned cuts of at least £962m and job losses of nearly 18,000. These are not projections of the sort that policy think tanks and others have churned out, but actual plans approved by public bodies across Scotland for this financial year, with some spill over to the following year.

The biggest cuts are in local government, with £535m taken out of budgets and consequential job losses totalling 11,936. In health, £278m of cuts with consequential job losses of 4461.

The balance comes from police, housing and universities. The plans in these sectors have not been finalised. In addition, voluntary sector providers of public services have been badly hit with over 500 job losses so far.

These figures only cover the services UNISON organises in so the total public sector job loss next year will be greater. These numbers come on top of some 13,000 job losses last year.

In total, this survey shows that UNISON Scotland's original projections of 50-60,000 public sector job losses over the CSR cycle looks about right. And we also know from the Treasury model that for every public sector job loss there is at least one job loss in the private sector.

Job losses on this scale will continue to blight the Scottish economy. There is an alternative, Public Works.

May Day events 2011 across Scotland

Glasgow: May Day March and Rally Sunday 1st May Assemble George Square at 11am. Plus a whole week of events from 26 April to 7 May organised by Glasgow Friends of MayDay and supported by UNISON Scotland.

Dundee: Friday 29 April demo starting from 11:30 in Hilltown park with a rally in the city square at noon. Later that night there will be a social in Lyrics in St Andrews Lane from 7:30pm. This will have music, raffle and revolutionary enjoyment. Tickets cost £10.

Aberdeen: Aberdeen May Day march Saturday 30th April Assemble on Back Wynd at 11am. The march starts at 11.30am. http://aberdeenvoice.com/2011/04/may-day-march-2011/

Inverness: Inverness May Day: Sat 30 April March: Assemble at Castle at 10.45am Rally: The Square behind the County Buildings. Plus Dimension Mayday Weekend Event - Bands against the Bankers - supported by UNISON. http://invernessgigs.co.uk/inverness-club-scene/dimension-mayday-weekend-event/

Edinburgh: March & Rally - Saturday May 7th. Assemble 10.30 Johnston Terrace (top end) and march Royal Mile, Mound, Princes Street to Princes Street Gardens for a rally. Edinburgh People's Festival http://www.edinburghpeoplesfestival.org/

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.

Using police to plug staffing gaps is “economic madness” says UNISON

UNISON, Scotland’s largest union representing police staff, has condemned plans to plug staffing gaps by taking police officers off the streets to perform civilian roles.

International Workers Memorial Day 28 April - Scotland events

International Workers Memorial Day (IWMD) takes place all over the world on 28 April each year. The purpose of IWMD is two-fold. Firstly it is about not forgetting those who have died, been injured, or made ill by their work. Secondly it is about ensuring that tragic loss and suffering are used to reinvigorate the campaign for healthier and safer work. The campaign slogan is Remember the dead, Fight for the living.

28 April: LOBBY TO DEFEND SERVICES TO DISABLED PEOPLE IN GLASGOW

12.30 pm Thursday 28th April George Square.
Last summer Glasgow City Council started a process called ‘personalisation’ and ‘self-directed support’ across services provided by Social Work. We support the principles of personalisation, which are about providing people with more independence, control and dignity. However, this is not what is happening in Glasgow. Right from the word go, the council was explicit in its ‘working assumption’ that at least 20% savings would be made.

STUC Ayr: More reports from UNISON speeches

More reports from the STUC in Ayr. Domestic abuse: We have a critical role in campaigning for protection, prevention, provision and workplace policies: - What kind of residential care would we want for ourselves?  Go to http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/stuc2011/index.html for full details

E-mail your Scottish election candidates on climate change

Thursday 21 April 2011


Stop Climate Chaos Scotland  is asking supporters to take part in the SCCS election E-action. 

The aim is to put pressure on our future MSPs to ensure Scotland makes its fair contribution to tackle climate change and achieve the targets in the Scottish Climate Change Act. 

This E-action gives you the chance to easily and quickly contact some or all (you decide) of the candidates from the five parties represented in the last Scottish Parliament for whom email addresses are available in your area. The email asks them to prioritise three of the ‘asks’ in the SCCS manifesto :

1. Green Procurement Bill

2. £100m a year for home energy efficiency

3. 10% of the transport budget for active travel (walking and cycling

You can amend the email to suit what you would like to say.

Email your election candidates today

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Action on government pensions robbery

“This Congress and this Government should be under no illusion that if this tawdry coalition of a government does not end their attacks on our pensions, then UNISON will ballot for industrial action and we will win, Gordon McKay told the STUC to loud applause.

Our young people have a right to a future

Slamming cuts in benefits, education allowances and employment opportunities, UNISON NEC Policy Chair Jane Carolan told the STUC, “there has never been a worse time in this country to be young.

UNISON wants time to consult on national fire service

The STUC backed and Fire Brigades Union motion supporting the amalgamation of fire and rescue services, while UNISON abstained on the issue until it could consult fully with its members in the service.

NHS and social action both needed to improve nation's health

The STUC today called for increased collaboration and joint initiatives between NHS, local authorities and other public bodies to improve public health in Scotland; and campaign for more support to health professions in community settings to promote public health and to target health inequalities as part of high quality care pathways for patients.

Health and Social Care: 'Injury to one is an injury to all'

An Injury To One - Is An Injury To All is a timeless principle of the trade union movement. It's the principle that lies behind our Health and Social Care Services. It's the principle that underlines our determination to defend those services, those that rely on them, and those that provide them", UNISON Scottish Convener Lilan Macer told the STUC today.

Be bold in the defence of our public services

The STUC will build the widest possible alliance to popularise an alternative economic strategy and to fight the cuts. Building on the witness of civic society in yesterday's special session of Congress, and calling for the next step for the 'Better Way' campaign, Mike Kirby urged delegates to "be bold in the defence of our public services".

Bonuses: We are not all in it together

Delegates to the STUC in Ayr roundly condemned the massive bonuses for senior executives in the finance sector, while workers face the stress of redundancy.  Many CEOs now earn more than 100 times the basic pay of their workers at the bottom of the pay scale.

Call for balanced energy policy

With Scottish winters becoming colder, Congress set out an agenda for a balanced energy policy in the UK, aiming to reduce energy consumption and investing in renewable energy generation.
This was alongside measures to achieve clean coal and carbon capture storage.

Lossiemouth 'deeply let down by the ConDem government'

The STUC's General Council pledged to campaign at the highest level for the retention of RAF bases in Scotland as delegates heard of the davastating effect their closures will have on the local economy and local public services.

Congress slams 'irresponsible and ideological' cuts

The STUC reiterated its support for public services, calling on the Tory led UK Government to rethink its ‘irresponsible aand ideological’ aproach to economic policy.

STUC: There is a Better Way

The 114th STUC started with a host of speakers from civic society, campaigning groups, trade unions, disability groups, pensioners and front line service providers testified to the real effects of the ideological attacks on public services.

Council Tax

This morning the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) has singled out the council tax freeze, a key election policy for the SNP, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Tories, as unaffordable and says it will be blocked by council chiefs.

This is a welcome intervention that reinforces UNISON Scotland's long standing view that the Council Tax freeze is unsustainable. Not only does the £70m payment not cover the full cost of the freeze, but councils are forced to put up charges for services to plug the gap. These charges can be more regressive than the Council Tax and have wider consequences. For example, refuse uplift charges will inevitably lead to more fly tipping, causing wider environmental concerns in many communities.

The Council Tax freeze may buy short term electoral popularity, but its long term consequences will be felt by us all.

UNISON health checks for ministerial candidates

Contenders for the position of Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing in the next Scottish Government will lay out their stalls at a major UNISON Scotland Health Conference in Glasgow today (Friday, 15 April).

May 5 Election: Ask your candidates

UNISON Scotland has published a leaflet with questions to ask your candidates about our public services in the Scottish Parliament Elections on 5 May. Get your lefalet at http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/publicworks/index.html

New Course Programme for 2011

UNISON Scotland's Learning and Organising Committee has published a new course programme from April to December. See http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/education/courses.html for details.

Health Conference 2011 collated reports

See http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/healthcare/conf2011.html  for reports and blogs from the UNISON Health Conference in Liverpool last week.

Climate change? It’s murder! Taggart star supports SCCS Online Debate on Wednesday

10 April 2011

The Sunday Herald’s Rob Edwards reports today that Taggart star John Michie is supporting the Stop Climate Chaos Scotland Climate Day Election Debate on Wednesday evening.

The actor, who plays DI Robbie Ross in the STV crime series,  said: "We need to make sure the next parliament actually delivers a low-carbon, green future for Scotland."

The politicians taking part in the debate, chaired by former BBC journalist Alan Mackay, are: 

Sarah Boyack, for Scottish Labour

Patrick Harvie, for the Scottish Green Party

Iain McGill, for the Scottish Conservatives

Shirley-Anne Somerville, for the SNP

Mike Crockart MP, for the Scottish Liberal Democrats

Read the full report in the Sunday Herald here Hear John Michie here and tune in for the debate from 7.30pm on Wed 13 April here 

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UNISON warns of ‘dark future’ for students if university cuts go ahead

UNISON Scotland has condemned planned cuts by Glasgow Caledonian University, claiming students will face a dark future if cuts go ahead.

Take part in the Climate Day Election Debate - 13 April

Take part in the Climate Day Election Debate



Climate Day Election Debate
Wednesday 13th April  7.30 - 9pm



The Scottish elections are coming up fast. UNISON is supporting Stop Climate Chaos Scotland's campaign to keep climate change firmly on the political agenda.

Please take part in the Climate Day Election Debate - it's a fantastic opportunity to ask your questions about climate change to your future politicians from the comfort of your own living room.

The event will be broadcast over the internet starting at 7.30pm. Tune in online to watch the debate and post your questions by email, Facebook or Twitter, for party spokespeople to answer live.

Your involvement will help ensure our future politicians understand just how important tackling climate change is to the people of Scotland.

Register your interest and ask your question today on Facebook or by email to info@stopclimatechaosscotland.org 

Find out more www.stopclimatechaos.org/11/mar/climate-day-election-debate


It would be great too if you could 'like' SCCS on Facebook and/or follow us on Twitter.


The SCCS elections online campaign includes short video interviews with party leaders, guest blogs (including a UNISON one on jobs/skills and Just Transition) and Facebook discussions.


Please do get involved. As trade unionists, we know that climate change is an urgent health and safety issue for the planet. Let's play our part in keeping it high up the political agenda.

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‘No funding, no future’ says UNISON Scotland as colleges protest against cuts

30 March 2011


No funding – no future’ that’s the message from UNISON Scotland today as college staff across the country take to the streets to protest against the cuts.

Colleges throughout Scotland will take part in a day of action today (Wednesday, March 30) to raise public awareness of the extent of Government’s cuts to further education.

Scotland’s colleges face a 10.4% cut in their funding from the Scottish Funding Council, which will have a devastating impact on staff, students and entire communities.

College bosses have already indicated that this will lead to a loss of courses, a loss of staff and, in turn, a loss of educational opportunities for students.

Karen Dawson, chair of UNISON’s further education committee, said:
“These cuts will have a devastating impact on both colleges and communities and the worst of it is that these are just the tip of the iceberg.

“These cuts will not only destroy our colleges, it will steal the future of an entire generation of students.”

Emma Phillips, regional organiser with UNISON, said:
“The Government must rethink its savage cuts or thousands of Scotland’s students will be left facing a bleak future.

“It is vital that Scotland has an educated and skilled workforce and to achieve this we need to invest in education, not cut it.”

ENDS


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UNISON considers legal action over transfer of 300 staff on critical ScottishPower contract

29 March 2011

UNISON, the union for power industry staff, is considering legal action over the proposed transfer this Friday of 300 vital IT staff who provide support to critical IT systems for ScottishPower.

The union has urged ScottishPower and its owners, Spanish conglomerate Iberdrola, to reconsider its shock announcement terminating their IT support contract with major supplier Accenture with effect from Friday 1^st April - just 12 months after signing a 10 year deal – and award the contract to IBM without consultation.

Dave Watson, UNISON Scottish Organiser said:

“Not only does this impact on the 307 workers - but the practicalities of transferring the support of critical national infrastructure from one employer to another in just three days could put major systems at risk, threatening the operations of a major national energy supplier.

“UNISON will be taking all necessary steps to urge decision makers to reconsider the timetable for the transfer. We want to ensure that the continuity of energy supply and the future of critical IT support workers are not subject to risk in a contractual spat between suppliers.”

UNISON represents the majority of the 307 workers employed by Accenture to carry out the IT support contract at East Kilbride in Scotland and at Queensferry in North Wales. UNISON reps at both sites expressed astonishment on being told that Accenture has not been granted any extension by ScottishPower to carry out its legal obligations under TUPE to consult the workforce on the transfer to new supplier IBM.

ENDS

Note to editors

ScottishPower, which is owned by Spanish company Iberdrola, signed a 10 year contract with Accenture 12 months ago covering the IT support contract. Around 200 work on this contract at East Kilbride in Scotland and around 100 work at Queensferry in North Wales. In November 2010, a proposal to cut large numbers of staff on the Accenture contract was withdrawn after months of negotiations between trade unions, Accenture, ScottishPower and parent company Iberdrola.



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Dave Prentis speech at 26 March Hyde Park rally

For those who missed it - the powerful call to action of UNISON's General Secretary on video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhKhkkXAIok

Dangers of privatisation

The Sunday Herald has today published damning evidence of the dangers of handing over public services to private firms.

FoI requests show that the taxpayer is spending £4.8bn for sewage plants that cost £600m to build. And they don't even work properly. They have been plagued by a series of mechanical failures, leaks and bad smells. Their performances have been so poor that Scottish Water has imposed financial penalties totalling £7.5m on PFI operators.

The irony is that these plants are run by the very same multi-national companies who want to take over Scottish Water.

26 March: Together we can achieve anything

Thousands of Scotland UNISON members descended on London today from across the country to join hundreds of thousands in the biggest trade union demonstration in a generation.

Many travelled overnight with trains and buses arriving in London early to join the march. Banners from across Scotlan were part of a ribbon of green and purple that snaked past the iconic sights of London to make one simple point - there is an alternative to cuts and to the smashing of our welfare state.

See an 'on march' report from the unofficial UNISONActive blog here.

See UNISON UK live updates here.

More UNISON Scotland pics at http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/publicworks/26march2011.html

We're here (most of us)

A host of overnight buses from Scotland have arrived in London for the demo. The trains are nearly here. Check http://www.unison.org.uk/ for live updates throughout the day.

Sea of purple and green to snake through London on Saturday

A carnival atmosphere, with brass bands, dragonfly stilt walkers, 4000 trumpets and tattoos, all decked out in green and purple, will snake its way through London’s streets on Saturday (26 March). 

UNISON, the UK’s largest union, will form the biggest group of people marching against the cuts, as tens of thousands of nurses, midwives, social workers, teaching assistants, blood transfusion staff and healthcare assistants make their way from all corners of the country, by train, plane, tube, boat and coach.

From even further afield, union representatives from France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden, will show their support for an alternative, fairer global approach to the economic crisis. The union leaders will take part in a round table discussion on Friday (25 March), highlighting the different approaches their countries have taken to the downturn.

The UNISON group will assemble from 11.00 am outside Embankment tube, with the march heading off to Hyde Park at 12 o’clock midday. UNISON, at the front of the trade union section, will be lead by giant purple inflatable’s and national banners.

Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary, said:

“Marching to the sound of a choir, brass bands, drummers, trumpets, rattles and whistles, a sea of purple and green ponchos, hats, t-shirts and flags will make its way through London on Saturday.

“Millions of lives have already, or will shortly be, touched by the Tory’s reckless plans. Tens of thousands of dedicated public service workers will vote with their feet, marching with family and friends to show their support for an alternative economic approach.

“We know the government has other choices – but the Tories are ideologically wedded to cutting back on vital local services and public sector jobs. This is not only a disaster strategy for our society – it is already hitting our chances of recovery. Instead of making cuts that close children’s centres, connexions offices and cut hospital beds, the Tory-led coalition should impose a Robin Hood Tax on banks, and make taxation fairer.”

Why UNISON members are marching

The Government’s own forecasts expect a total of 330,000 public service jobs to go because of the cuts – some economists estimate the toll will be much higher. This includes 50,000 job cuts from NHS trusts in England, and 140,000 jobs from councils in England.

Not only will this destroy our society, with vital services that provide a safety net for the poor, the sick and the vulnerable closing down, it will wreak havoc on our economy – hitting our chances of recovery.

At 2.5m unemployment is already at a 17 year high, and will keep on rising, inflation has hit a two-year high, and business and consumer confidence are already low. We do not accept the government’s mantra that cuts are the only way – this is a political choice and there is an alternative.

Instead of making cuts that are stretching the gap between the rich and poor, the government should use taxation and measures against the banks, including a Robin Hood tax, to spread the burden of the crisis, fairly.

Keeping up public spending on vital services would help us to recover from the recession, and help communities to pick up the pieces.


UNISON UK Press release 25 March 2011
http://www.unison.org.uk/asppresspack/pressrelease_view.asp?id=2235


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Pensions rip off

The Pensions Increase Order has been laid before the UK Parliament. This confirms that public service pensions will increase by 3.1%, in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI), as at last September.

If the increase had been in line with the Retail Price Increase (RPI), as it has traditionally been, pensioners would have had an increase of 4.6%.

At a stroke of the pen the UK Government has just robbed public service pensioners of 1.5% of their pension at a time when real inflation is over 5%, VAT going up etc.

Tax cuts for rich businesses isn’t much of a strategy – UNISON Scotland budget response

UNISON Scotland has slammed Osborne’s decision to cut corporation tax for rich businesses, claiming the focus should be on collecting taxes not cutting them.

The union branded Osborne’s ‘no budge budget’ as a missed opportunity to right Tory economic wrongs.

By passing up the chance to scale back the savage public spending cuts, the Tories are condemning the economy to long-term low growth and high unemployment.

UNISON’s Scottish Secretary, Mike Kirby, said: “Tax cuts for rich businesses that don’t pay their taxes at the moment isn’t much of a strategy.

“Each year, billions of pounds are lost to the economy due to tax avoidance by rich businesses. Our members already pay their taxes through PAYE and the Chancellor should be focussing on collecting the taxes of those who don’t.

“In order to build a fairer, more sustainable society we need fair taxation and tough measures in place to combat tax avoidance. However, this budget will see the most vulnerable in our society paying the price for the bankers’ mistakes as they watch the public services they rely on disappear.”

UNISON is calling for a change of direction and a budget for growth including a Robin Hood Tax. This tax on the banks would add £20 billion to the public purse – twenty times the measures the Chancellor announced today to close tax loopholes.

Twenty billion would save local services from shut down, keep children’s nurseries open, stop hospital’s shedding jobs and save adult day centres from closure.

ENDS

Notes to editors

1.UNISON is Scotland’s largest union. For more information on our campaign to protect public services visit: www.unison-scotland.org.uk/publicworks .

World Water Day - EPSU calls for implementation of UN resolution

On World Water Day, 22 March 2011, the European Federation of Public Services Unions (EPSU) calls on the European Union and Member States to implement the United Nations resolution on the Right to Water and Sanitation without delay.

The UN General Assembly voted on 28 July 2010 for this resolution which declares that access to water and sanitation services is a fundamental human right. Although this resolution has no binding authority, it expresses global consensus. Shamefully several EU Member States abstained. That is why EPSU calls upon the EU again to put in place this right for Europe’s citizens.

It is imperative that governments dedicate the necessary resources to ensure universal access to water and sanitation at an affordable price. Most governments can afford to do this, yet choose not to. This is a political problem, not a market problem. It is up to workers and trade unions, in alliance with civil society and other progressive forces to impose the necessary political pressure.

EPSU repeats its support for the European Parliament declaration to keep the management of water resources not subject to internal market rules. It also states its support for public ownership and management of water and water utilities. Privatisation has induced inequalities and exclusion and has often led to steep water-rate hikes, water-service disruptions and unaccountable management. A recent trend is a return to public management of water services. Local governments’ awareness of market failures in public services is increasing.

We believe that water and sanitation services are a fundamental responsibility of governments and must not be outsourced for private profit. These are essential Quality Public Services that our families and communities depend on. Water is life.

UNISON launches safety guide for social workers

UNISON Scotland will today (Monday) launch a guide to help social workers stay safe in the workplace. The new guide – Keeping Safe in the Workplace – aims to help social workers recognise when they are becoming stressed or overloaded at work and to seek support from their employers, trade union or professional association when needed.

The guide has been written by social workers for social workers and examines some of the key issues faced by staff in their day-to-day working lives.

The launch, organised by UNISON Scotland in conjunction with the Scottish Association of Social Workers (SASW), will include a presentation on the new guide and the principles behind it.

Kate Ramsden, a member of UNISON’s Social Work Issues Group, said: “There is no doubt that social work staff work in an increasingly difficult climate with rising demands not always matched with an increase in available resources. This group of staff are constantly overstretched and this can lead to stress, ill-health and burnout.

“This guide aims to help social work practitioners to keep themselves safe in the workplace; to recognise when they are becoming stressed or overloaded, and how to seek the necessary help from their employer or trade union.”

Stephen Smellie, chair of UNISON’s Social Work Issues Group, said: “People are essential to the quality of service provided and it is vital that we support the staff who deliver services. We need to ensure they are trained, supported and properly resourced in order to undertake the often difficult tasks required by our service users.”

ENDS

Notes for editors

1. Photo opportunity You are invited to send a reporter, photographer and/or crew to the Keeping Safe in the Workplace launch. It will be held on Monday, March 21, at 10.30am at Discovery Point, Discovery Quay, Dundee (www.rrsdiscovery.com for location details.)

2. UNISON is Scotland’s largest union representing social workers and social care staff. We represent staff in all areas including residential workers, social care workers, occupational therapists, home care staff and professional, admin and clerical support staff. See www.unison-scotland.org.uk/socialwork

3. Click here for a PDF of the Keeping Safe in the Workplace guide

4. For further information contact Mandy McDowall, regional organiser for UNISON, on 0141 342 2804 or 07903 846 427. For further information on UNISON visit our website at http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/

‘Just Transition’ is key part of climate election campaign

UNISON Scotland has a guest blog featuring ‘Just Transition’ on the Stop Climate Chaos Scotland elections online website this week.


Fiona Montgomery, from the Policy & Information team, is highlighting the Just Transition ‘ask’ in the SCCS 2011 election manifesto.


Just Transition policies aim to ensure that the costs and benefits of switching to a low carbon economy are shared equally across society.


The blog is part of the SCCS elections online campaign which also features the Climate Day Election Debate at 7.30pm on Wednesday 13 April.  Do show your support by 'liking' this on Facebook and taking part in the blog debates there or following SCCS on Twitter.

Trade unionists, environment groups and others around the world have helped make Just Transition part of the negotiating text during United Nations climate change talks in recent years.


The STUC built it into the climate change communiqué that it agreed with the Scottish Government in 2009.

For more information on Just Transition, see the TUC Touchstone publication A Green and Fair Future.

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UNISON extends sympathy to Japanese people

UNISON has sent condolences to sister unions in Japan following the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the country last Friday.

Offering "whatever assistance we can", UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: "It is at times like these that the importance and value of public service workers is brought most sharply into focus.

"In rescuing the victims, in treating the injured, in restoring essential services and in comforting those affected, it is the members that public service unions represent who are at the forefront, putting aside their own concerns and needs in order to help others."

You can read the full letter from UNISON to JICHIRO here.

Similar letters have been sent to other sister unions, including ZENSUIDO, JHCWU, ZENSHOUKYO, JPSU and TOSHIKO



From UNISON UK News:
http://www.unison.org.uk/news/news_view.asp?did=6668
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UK Government will use Hutton report to raid public sector pensions

UNISON chief, Dave Prentis, is warning that the UK Government will use today’s Hutton report as a Trojan horse to raid the pensions of millions of public sector workers. The union is sending out a message to its 1.4m members
warning that industrial action is now one step closer.

Dave Prentis, said:

“Whatever the Hutton report may say about fairness, the Government will use
it as a Trojan horse to raid the pensions of hard working public sector
workers. Pensions that our members have paid into year in year out and
which are fair and affordable.

“In fact, even before the report today, the Government announced they were
increasing employee contributions by 50%.

“There is a lot of nonsense talked about public sector pensions – they are
not gold plated. The average is very low - in local government, the average
is just over £4,000, falling to £2,800 for women.

“Asking workers to work longer for less is simply not an option. We want to
talk to the Government about their response as a matter of urgency. But I
am sending out a clear message to our 1.4 million members warning them that
industrial action is now one big step closer."

There is a lot of misinformation about public sector pension schemes. The
facts are:

* The local government and NHS pension schemes were renegotiated in 2006
to make them sustainable and affordable.

* Both schemes are cash rich – more is going in than coming out.

* Last year, the NHS scheme received £2billion more in contributions than it
paid out and this money went straight to the Treasury.

* The average pension in public service pension schemes is very low, for
example in local government, the average is just over £4,000, falling to
£2,800 for women.

* If these people didn’t save for their retirement, they would have to rely
on *means-tested benefits paid for by the taxpayer.

* Pensioners are already being hit with the move from RPI to CPI to
calculate annual inflation increases - this will reduce their value by 15%.

* When the NHS scheme was renegotiated, protection was built in for current
members to retain their retirement age of 60. New members have a retirement
age of 65. If that agreement is broken, industrial action could follow.

* Government cuts to local government employers grants mean that the
shortfall in pension contributions has to be made up by employees. They may
have to pay between 50% and 100% more for a reduced pension. This is
effectively a tax on low paid workers.

* Studies have shown that if the contributions rise too much, workers will
desert the local government scheme and it could collapse.

* The local government scheme invests more than £100billion in the UK
economy. If the scheme collapsed, it would have a devastating impact on the
economy.

Hutton pensions report brings industrial action closer

UNISON, the UK’s largest union today warned that the Hutton report will bring the threat of industrial action closer, as the union’s members reel from pay freezes and job cuts.

Once again, the UK Government is expecting public sector workers to pay the price of the excesses of the bankers who caused the deficit, said the union’s general secretary Dave Prentis.

And he called on the Government to enter into urgent, meaningful talks on the substance of the Hutton report, rather than rushing to make cuts.

Dave Prentis said:

“This will be just one more attack on innocent public sector workers who are being expected to pay the price of the deficit, while the bankers who caused it continue to enjoy bumper pay and bonuses.

“On top of a pay freeze, and the threat of redundancy, they now face a pensions raid. This brings the threat of industrial action closer.

“One million of our members are in these pension schemes and I urge the Government to enter into urgent, meaningful talks on the report, rather than rushing to make cuts.

“Workers are already losing out as a result of the Government pre-empting the report, raiding the pension schemes and increasing contributions by 50%.”


There is a lot of misinformation about public sector pension schemes. The facts are:

• The local government and NHS pension schemes were renegotiated in 2006 to make them sustainable and affordable.

• Both schemes are cash rich – more is going in than coming out.

• Last year, the NHS scheme received £2billion more in contributions than it paid out and this money went straight to the Treasury.

• The average pension in public service pension schemes is very low, for example in local government, the average is just over £4,000, falling to £2,800 for women.

• If these people didn’t save for their retirement, they would have to rely on *means-tested benefits paid for by the taxpayer.

• Pensioners are already being hit with the move from RPI to CPI to calculate annual inflation increases - this will reduce their value by 15%.

• When the NHS scheme was renegotiated, protection was built in for current members to retain their retirement age of 60. New members have a retirement age of 65. If that agreement is broken, industrial action could follow.

• Government cuts to local government employers grants mean that the shortfall in pension contributions has to be made up by employees. They may have to pay between 50% and 100% more for the same pension. This is effectively a tax on low paid workers.

• Studies have shown that if the contributions rise too much, workers will desert the scheme and it could collapse.

• The local government scheme invests more than £100billion in the UK economy. If the scheme collapsed, it would have a devastating impact on the economy.

CBI ‘living in a Thatcherite wonderland’ – UNISON response to CBI submission

Mon 21 February 2011

UNISON, Scotland’s largest union in public services, has criticised a submission by the CBI on the future delivery of public services claiming it is living in a Thatcherite wonderland.

The union says the CBI’s call for private companies to have a ‘right to bid’ to deliver public services would lead to a complex chain of contractual relationships with huge cost implications. It would also require an army of people to manage it, taking staffing resources away from where they are needed most – delivering frontline services.

In its submission to the Christie Commission – a group established by the Scottish Government to look at the long term pattern of public service delivery in Scotland – the CBI also talks of privatising Scottish Water, a move which would cost the taxpayer far more than keeping it in public hands.

Mike Kirby, UNISON’s Scottish Secretary, said: “Public money is for delivering public services, not lining shareholders’ pockets, and the CBI’s talk of a ‘right to bid’ for public services quite clearly shows they are living in a Thatcherite wonderland.

“The evidence on privatisation, outsourcing and shared services is not that they are cheaper and better run – quite the opposite. We have seen time and time again the huge failures of privatisation; a perfect example is the outsourcing of hospital cleaning which resulted in the number of cleaners being cut in half and hospital infections rising as a result.

“The CBI is merely bowing to the myth that privatisation will deliver savings and improvements while experience shows it breaks up integrated provision, lowers standards and costs the public twice as much.”

ends

Notes to editors:
Other examples of the massive failures of privatisation are: 

1.     In November last year, a leaked report revealed that British Telecom was overcharging Liverpool City Council by £10 million a year for outsourced services. The controversial report, conducted by the council itself, criticised what has been regarded as one of the UK’s flagship outsourcing projects. It highlighted that the council could save £23 million a year by cancelling the contract for IT services and a call-centre operation, and taking the work in-house.

2.     Last week, it was revealed that two Scottish police forces are considering privatising cells in a bid to save money. Press reports revealed the two forces were in discussions with private security firm G4 Security to provide prison cells. UNISON condemned the plans as “crazy” and claimed it would result in another costly PFI scheme which would be bad value for money for the taxpayer. One of the police forces in England that tried this is Staffordshire. As a result of a freedom of information request from the UNISON police branch, we now know that the service costs three times more than the original cost of the in-house provision.


.

Police cells privatisation suggestion 'crazy' says police staffs union

Tues 15 February 2011 

Police staffs union UNISON today (Tues) called apparent proposals to privatise police cells "crazy" and claimed that they would result in another costly PFI scheme which would be bad value for money for the taxpayer. The comments came after press reports that two Scottish police forces were in discussions with private security firm G4 Security to provide prison cells.

The track record of G4 in handling prisoners and running prisons does not inspire confidence.

This is the company which ran the Oakington detention centre where violence against prisoners and racial abuse against inmates was exposed in a BBC documentary at the Oakington detention centre. The Prison Ombudsman’s report described the centre as having a "subculture of nastiness". Group 4 left the security manager in charge of the centre in post.

This is the company which ran the Yarls Wood detention centre in Bedfordshire where fire caused around £35 million in damages. Group 4 had ignored the fire brigade's warnings that a sprinkler system should be installed before the centre was opened.

This is the company which ran Campsfield detention centre - scene of inmate suicides and repeated complaints of violence against detainees. It eventually burnt down.

This is the company which runs HMP Rye Hill, about which in her latest report (Jul 2009) the Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales noted that against three of the four tests for a healthy prison the establishment was "still not performing sufficiently well." On safety Rye Hill was performing "reasonably well." This standard however has only been reached following three previous reports over eight years. Each time the chief inspector "raised serious concerns about safety at the establishment and expressed concern about the ability of staff to maintain order and control."

Amongst the latest findings "reception remained a poor facility and induction relied too heavily on prisoner orderlies." Staff at the prison "remained stretched" and this "limited the quantity and quality of interactions with prisoners." There remained a need for managers to be much more visible on the wings

This is the prisons company which made a 20% increase profit to £417.1 million for the financial year ended 31 December 2009.

UNISON Scotland organiser Dave Watson said:

"Privatising police cells would be crazy. If money is to be put into locking people up, that’s where it should go - not into the pockets of shareholders of a multinational security firm.

"Custody is about public safety not private profit. This is a company looking to using worries that police forces have about budgets to try and bounce them into PFI property deals which will be hugely profitable for the company but hugely expensive for the Scottish taxpayer.

"Scottish justice needs continuity and investment - not disruption at the hands of a multinational trying to fleece the taxpayer."


.

'Don't handcuff our councils' says UNISON

10 February 2011

UNISON Scotland says Government moves to dictate how council budgets are spent is effectively ‘handcuffing’ local authorities and sounds the death knell for democracy.

Today, in the Scottish Parliament, MSPs will be debating the Local Government Finance Order which will determine the budget allocation for councils in Scotland for the financial year 2011-2012.

In November’s draft budget, the Government presented councils with a Hobson’s choice: deliver key SNP policies, such as freezing the council tax and maintaining police numbers, or face an even bigger cut in your budget allocation. The Government claimed that councils who signed up to the ‘package’ of Government priorities would face a cut of 2.6 per cent, while councils who did not would face a cut of 6.4 per cent.

UNISON has branded the move a veiled attempt to turn local government into the administrative arm of central government and is urging councils to set a needs-based budget based on local need, not government dictat.

Trade unionists, community groups and members of the public will be lobbying council meetings across Scotland today to urge their elected members to put the needs of their communities first when setting their budgets.

Mike Kirby, UNISON’s Scottish Secretary, said: “To let the government dictate how council funds are spent is absolute madness and sounds the death knell for democracy.

“Democracy is the defining difference between public and private services and it is vital local authorities are able to allocate funds based on the local needs of their communities, not political ideology.

“This move by the Government is an attempt to handcuff our councils and our elected officials need to stand up for their communities and set a needs-based budget that protects our public services.”

ENDS

Notes to editors•

• UNISON has consistently challenged the need for cuts which it says are based on politics, not economics. The union has also condemned a continued council tax freeze as it prevents councils from raising vital funds and at the same time provides a real-terms tax cut to the wealthiest homeowners at the expense of vital services.

• UNISON has branded the Government’s demands to recruit 1,000 extra police officers a “cosmetic political exercise”. Giving priority to maintaining police numbers in a declining police budget simply means that large numbers of police (civilian) staffs will be cut. This will mean fewer police on our streets as they are taken off normal duties to perform administrative and specialist tasks they are not qualified to do at a greater financial cost to the public.

.

UNISON urges Christie Commission to put users at the heart of public services

UNISON, Scotland’s largest trade union in public services, has called for a ‘bottom-up’ approach in the future delivery of public services.

In a hard-hitting submission to the Commission on the Future Delivery of Public Services, the union criticised ‘top-down’ solutions and said staff and service users must be at the heart of public service delivery – not just through consultation but by working together in genuine partnership.

The commission, chaired by the former General Secretary of the STUC Campbell Christie, was established by the Scottish Government to look at the long term pattern of public service delivery in Scotland and will report on its findings in June 2011.

UNISON has called for the commission to focus on the design and delivery of services, not just structures, and said the basis for public sector delivery should hinge on five key public service principles: democracy, investment, fairness, excellence and partnership.

The union’s submission challenges the assumptions around the drive for ever bigger and more remote service delivery and structures. It argues that refocusing delivery on the needs of service users locally is more efficient and effective than splitting services into artificial front office/back office functions.

The submission evidences this new approach with many case studies across the UK and internationally.

Mike Kirby, UNISON’s Scottish Secretary, said: “The defining difference between public and private services is democracy and it is democratic structures that will make public services responsive to the needs of those who use and pay for them.

“It’s vital that the public are able to participate in the decision making processes about the areas in which they live, and staff in the services they deliver. “High quality public services benefit us all and public bodies should have a statutory duty to work with service users as partners, not as customers, in the decision making process.”

Please find UNISON Scotland’s submission to the Christie Commission at http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/response/UNISONChristieFeb11.pdf

‘Listen to the Scottish Government - come and talk to us’ UNISON tells Aberdeen City Council

Friday 28 January 2011

Aberdeen City UNISON has welcomed the Scottish Government’s intervention over Aberdeen City Council’s proposal to make more than 900 people compulsorily redundant. UNISON says its door is always open to the Council if it has new proposals to avoid compulsory job losses in the city.

John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, said today that it is "important" that Aberdeen City Council should "fully consider" the Scottish Government’s approach to avoid compulsory redundancies. Mr Swinney said he was working on a framework agreement that provides an assurance of no compulsory redundancies based on the delivery of flexibility in the workforce.

Karen Davidson, branch secretary for Aberdeen City UNISON said: "We have always been willing to talk about other ways to achieve budget efficiencies rather than sacking people. Over the last three years UNISON has co-operated with Aberdeen City Council to achieve reductions in staff numbers and cut spending.

"We have been very disappointed at the Council’s recent refusal to discuss realistic alternatives to compulsory redundancies - I hope that the Council will now listen to the Scottish Government and enter into meaningful talks with us.

"Obviously any proposals have to be acceptable to our members, who’ll be fully consulted on any new ideas that the Council comes up with to save money but also save jobs.

"UNISON wants to protect public services in Aberdeen and we need a financially stable Council – we do not think that sacking over 900 people will achieve either of these things so we’re willing to talk to our employer about alternatives."

Mike Kirby, Regional Secretary of UNISON said: "John Swinney said today that the Scottish Government’s priority is to maintain headcount as far as possible in the public sector. Throwing more than 900 hard working, dedicated council staff out of their jobs in Aberdeen flies in the face of that.

"UNISON and other unions have been working hard with the Cabinet Secretary and COSLA to reach agreement on avoiding compulsory redundancies and we’ve made good progress.

"Aberdeen City Council is very isolated at the moment in their approach to this issue but UNISON is still willing to engage positively with them. I hope that the Council will knock on our door soon with some reasonable new alternatives to compulsory job cuts."


ends


Note for editors: 


What John Swinney said in Parliament
Friday 28 January 2011
In response to a question from Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, in the Scottish Parliament today, Finance Secretary John Swinney said: "I am working on the creation of a framework that will provide an assurance on the avoidance of compulsory redundancies based on the delivery of flexibility in the workforce to enable us to manage the financial constraints we face. The priority and aspiration for the agreement I am working to secure is to ensure that we can maintain headcount as far as possible in the public sector... On Mr Macdonald’s specific point about Aberdeen City Council I have of course discussed with the council the issues that have been raised publicly over the last few days. It is a matter for the Council to consider, but it is important that it fully considers the approach the Government has taken."



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Cuts will hit the vulnerable - South Lanarkshire UNISON

Wednesday 26 January 2011 


The impact of the government's policies will be felt hardest by older people, disabled people, children at school who have additional support needs and poor families. This is the conclusion from an analysis of South Lanarkshire Council's budget cuts package.

Of the £27.7m of cuts that the council need to make following cuts in the budget as a result of the Tory-led government's public sector cuts, 20.6% of the proposals are directly targeted at these vulnerable groups.

The analysis of the proposals has been carried out by the UNISON in South Lanarkshire.

The union's South Lanarkshire branch secretary, Stephen Smellie, said:

"Of the proposals being considered by the council, £5.7m of them are either cuts in services, increased or new charges which directly impact on older people, disabled people, children with Additional Support Needs or poor families. If these are selected by the councillors this would represent 26.3% of the total cuts package.

"This is despite the council trying to protect the most vulnerable by firstly making savings in other areas.

"The government claim that we are all in this together is shown to be a lie. Whilst the poorest and most vulnerable in South Lanarkshire are paying for the crisis they had nothing to do with causing, the bankers are still to get their bonuses and MPs debate whether to give themselves a pay rise.

"Even at this late stage we are urging the council to look again at these proposals and try to protect the most vulnerable.

However it is government policy which needs to change."

The UNISON analysis has been sent to all South Lanarkshire councillors and council directors.


Click here for South Lanarkshire cuts will hit the vulnerable - a budget analysis by UNISON - January 2011' (pdf)


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Aberdeen: Employer has treated staff 'with contempt'

Commenting on Aberdeen City Council's announcement of 900 compulsory redundancies, UNISON Branch Secretary Karen Davidson has said: "We have already started the process for potential industrial action. There have been no negotiations. It was a political decision to demand this 5 per cent pay cut. It was either we accepted it or rejected it and our members have rejected it."

"The workforce are deeply disappointed and disillusioned by the council's decision. The employer has treated them with contempt and it looks as if we are bound for confrontation with the council." http://www.scotsman.com/news/Workers-threaten-to-bring-Aberdeen.6702250.jp

Speaking on the BBC's Newsnight Scotland, UNISON Regional Organiser Sarah Duncan said, "We will challenge them (the council) at every opportunity on the extent and number of redundancies".

She added, "Staff  are unsettled and  unhappy and extremely demoralised". She stressed that this was not a blueprint for other councils which may be 'better managed' than Aberdeen and pointed out that Aberdeen had already been through previous rounds of voluntary redundancies

Commenting on the council's previous attempt to break workers' contracts of employment by abolishing increments, she said "No other council has been foolish enough to propose that. No other council has been foolish enough to ask staff to take a pay cut to pay for job cuts".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007rhvm

UNISON Scotland's 'Public Works' campaign challenges some of the myths put forward by David Watt of the Institute of Directors Scotland on the programme. For example...

Public service job cuts affect the whole economy
For every one job cut in the public sector at least one is lost in the private sector. (Treasury report Guardian 29 June) Cuts don’t just damage essential services, they damage the whole economy.

About 70p of each £1 a public service worker earns is spent in their own community. Pay cuts and job losses will damage local businesses and local jobs. Not just services lost but at least 900 less people in Aberdeen paying taxes and buying in the local shops.

Cuts don’t just mean job losses.
They will mean cuts in the quality of our children’s education and the standards of our health service. Cuts attack the fabric of society.
http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/publicworks/tellapal.html

Anger at unnecessary 900 compulsory redundancies in Aberdeen

900 compulsory redundancies in Aberdeen: Anger from UNISON who says job losses unnecessary. See Newsnight Scotland tonight - full report tomorrow 25 Jan 2011

“Support your child’s support assistant” says Aberdeen city UNISON

Aberdeen City UNISON has launched a campaign to defend threatened Pupil Support Assistants ahead of a crucial council budget meeting on 10th of February. The branch are urging parents and citizens to write to their councillors defending the education service. The campaign also has an online petition.
Details of the campaign can be downloaded here (pdf)

Sunday Herald: '£40m black hole will mean compulsory civilian lay-offs and fewer beat bobbies’

Why losing staff jobs will put handcuffs on police


"The Scottish Government’s plan to recruit 1000 police officers is merely a cosmetic political exercise. Police boards face a real terms cut of at least 6% and, as the government have instructed that police officer numbers have to be maintained, the cuts will fall almost entirely on police (civilian) staff. Police Boards have reported that they will have to backfill civilian posts with police officers. This means more police officers will be taken off the street to perform tasks they are unsuited or unqualified to do – at a huge additional cost to the taxpayer."

Dave Watson, Scottish Organiser, UNISON


More by Dave - plus feature article on police service cuts - at Sunday Herald site:
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/crime-courts/police-budget-40m-black-hole-will-mean-compulsory-civilian-lay-offs-and-fewer-beat-bobbies-1.1081300


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UNISON condemns savage cuts being imposed on Glasgow’s colleges

Friday 21 January 2011

UNISON says the savage cuts being imposed across Glasgow’s colleges will have a devastating impact on employers, families and entire communities.

Last month the Scottish Funding Council announced that colleges across the country must reduce their budgets by more than 10 per cent this year alone. College bosses have already indicated that this will lead to a loss of courses, a loss of staff and, in turn, a loss of educational opportunities for students.

UNISON’s City of Glasgow branch says it will continue to oppose cuts and says it will not rule out industrial action if forced job cuts are imposed.

Jim Snell, of UNISON’s City of Glasgow branch, said:

“Cutting funding for higher and further education will not help to rebuild the economy. These cuts will not only affect students, it will affect employers, families and entire communities.

“We want to work with colleges to protect our services and ensure there is no need for forced job cuts, however, if compulsory redundancies are imposed we will not rule out industrial action.

“UNISON will continue to oppose cuts, as every cut affects the services we can provide to our students. Scotland’s students didn’t cause this crisis, so why should they be left to pay the price for the bankers’ mistakes?”



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Where are the new jobs? says UNISON

Ahead of the monthly unemployment figures out tomorrow, new analysis by UNISON, the UK’s largest public services union, has revealed a shocking collapse in the number of new jobs available compared to three years ago. The analysis exposes a fundamental flaw in the Tory-led coalition’s economic strategy.


For every 100 vacancies available in November 2007, there were just 68 in November 2010. Some regions are hit harder still; in the East Midlands, there were just 49 vacancies in November 2010 for every 100 available in 2007. In Scotland there were just 39 vacant jobs in November 2010, again for every 100 available in November 2007.


click here for full story on UNISON UK news

Help with the Modern Apprenticeships Survey

Unions Engage with Modern Apprenticeships: Click here to help Scottish Union Learning with its Modern Apprenticeship Project survey

Thousands of workers in Scotland too low paid to afford rent

Thousands of workers in Scotland are being forced onto housing benefit by a toxic cocktail of low pay and high rents, warns UNISON, the UK’s largest union today (10 January). On average 22% of those claiming housing benefit are in work, rising to more than 32.6% in East Lothian.

The union is warning that the benefits bill is likely to soar as more people in the region lose their jobs because of Government cuts. UNISON is calling for fair pay - fair rents, to switch the burden away from taxpayers and onto employers and landlords.

The union urging the Government to take urgent action and start building much needed affordable homes.

Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON, the UK’s largest union, said: “The Tories like to paint a picture of work-shy scroungers, living it up in massive mansions at the taxpayers’ expense, when the reality is very different. Their own statistics show that thousands of workers in Scotland are so low paid, they are forced onto housing benefit to keep a roof over their heads. These families will be amongst those hardest hit by the government’s changes to housing benefit.

“It is time to shift the onus onto bosses and make it clear that they cannot get away with paying poverty wages by expecting taxpayers to pick up the benefits bill. And the Government cannot turn their backs on the housing crisis that is sweeping through the country. Families are crying out for decent accommodation and instead of targeting housing benefits, the Government should be tackling the underlying problem by building affordable homes. This would stimulate the local economy, keep people in work and stop landlords from over-charging because of shortages in the rental market.

“Without urgent action the situation is set to get worse. When you add in those losing their jobs over the coming months because of Government cuts, the problem is set to add a huge burden on the taxpayer that workers can ill afford.”