HAVE A HEART FOR PUBLIC SERVICES – Valentines to the NHS in Glasgow and to police teams in Tayside

Theatre staff at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, members of UNISON's
NHS Glasgow and Clyde branch

14 Feb 2013 

From Durham to Dundee, Gateshead to Glasgow, around Scotland, down to SW England and over to Northern Ireland, UNISON members are today gathering for a Valentine's Day blitz.

Hospital theatre staff in Glasgow, police staff in Tayside, health workers in Belfast and council workers in Edinburgh are all taking part in the union’s ‘Have a Heart for Public Services’ day.

With a predicted 1.2m public service jobs under threat - giant Valentine's Day cards are being taken to hospitals, schools, day centres, libraries, leisure centres, town halls and police stations, to highlight the variety and value of work carried out every day across the UK.

Theatre staff and other health service UNISON members at Glasgow Royal Infirmary sent a Valentine to the NHS.

While in Tayside, members of the new UNISON Police Staff Scotland branch, showed their hearts are on the side of local police stations and the local police team.

PC Bob Cowan, PC Ashley Lee, Sheila Mitchell & Fran Benison (Crime management),
Leanne Meldrum (Warrants), Mandy Robertson (Staff Development/Training)
and Fiona Christie (Divisional Admin)

Branch secretary George McIrvine, who will lead the new UNISON Scottish police staff branch when the single police service comes into operation in April, said: 

"The photo of 'We love our local police team' is one which shows the importance of the current ‘Police family’ structure that ensures effective and best value policing for Scotland and the taxpayer.

“The threatened cuts that face up to half the police support jobs (3000) across Scotland will inevitably hinder this process, with the only alternative for the employer being to backfill with police officers at greater expense to the public purse.

“We continue to call on the Scottish Government to revisit their commitment to the artificial manifesto pledge of 1000 extra cops on the beat.”

Part-time shift worker Louise Phinn

UNISON General Secretary, Dave Prentis, said: "The hearts may be different - but the message is the same, have a heart for your public services - they are too valuable to lose.

"Since the Government came to power it has declared war on public services with savage cuts and job losses expected to rise to 1.2m.  This means that the services in hospitals, schools, libraries, elderly and children's care and many more that the public rely on, are disappearing fast.

"With 2.49m people unemployed, axing more public service workers makes no sense. It is time for the Government to have a change of heart and think again about pursuing its failed economic policies that are leading to rising inflation and threatening to drag the country into a triple dip recession.

"What the country needs from Government is a coherent plan for investing in jobs and growth in order to boost the money available to spend on improving and providing public services, instead of devastating them." 

Other branches taking part in the Valentine’s Day events in Scotland included Edinburgh City branch and members at Glasgow Caledonian University, where the big card said ‘We love our support staff’.

George McIrvine, Police Staff Scotland branch secretary.

Putting the dignity (and radicalism) back into social care

Putting the dignity (and radicalism) back into social care

STUC Lobby of Scottish Liberal Democrat Conference 16 March, Dundee

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

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

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Back to work scheme - UNISON response

12 Feb 2013

Commenting on the Court of Appeal ruling that the Government’s unpaid back to work programmes are unlawful, UNISON Assistant General Secretary, Karen Jennings, said:

“It is time for the government to ditch these unlawful policies which force people to work without pay or lose their benefits.

“Multi million pound companies receiving free labour are the only winners of the Tory back to work programmes. The losers are those who are forced into jobs that, in many cases, have nothing to do with their qualifications, or the jobs they are looking for. By seriously undercutting existing paid staff, the plans could damage wage and employment growth.

“What our country desperately needs to get our economy back on track is more people working in real jobs, and getting paid properly for doing so. It is time for the government to turn its full attention to cutting the dole queues.”

The union is also warning that if the government does not ditch the welfare to work policies, it will run a coach and horses through minimum wage legislation by creating an enormous loophole.

See this news release on the UNISON UK website
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Reintroduction of meat inspection in meat cutting plants 'a victory for common sense'

12 Feb 2013

UNISON today welcomed the move from the FSA to initiate some unannounced inspections of meat cutting plants in the wake of the horsemeat scandal, but said the FSA must go further, and put in place daily inspections by FSA meat inspectors.

A communication sent to all Food Standards Agency (FSA) staff has revealed that the Agency has commissioned a programme of unannounced visits to stand-alone cutting plants in England, Scotland and Wales. Under the new programme, red meat is to be prioritised before white meat, and premises giving cause for concern will be inspected first.

All horses killed in the UK will now be tested for the veterinary drug ‘BUTE’, and horse carcases will not be released until negative results are received, but UNISON is also calling for carcasses to be tested for the dangerous parasite, ‘Trichinela Spiralis’.

Ben Priestley, UNISON national officer said:

“UNISON is glad that the FSA has seen sense and has listened to our call to reintroduce unannounced inspections in meat cutting plants. Consumer confidence in meat products is once again very low and, while this is a step in the right direction, true consumer protection will not be achieved until daily, unannounced inspections are back in place.

“The lesson we learned about control of the meat industry following the BSE and e-Coli crises was that only strong, independent government inspection could properly protect consumers from industry malpractice.

“This has been forgotten as meat inspection, environmental health and trading standards services have been severely reduced by government cuts and light touch regulation.”

As a direct consequence of the ‘light tough regulation’ policies of both the European Commission and the UK government, the meat inspection workforce managed by the Food Standards agency has shrunk from a high point of 1700 – during the BSE and e-Coli crises in the 1990s – to around 800 today.

The inspection procedures that were effectively enforced following BSE and the Wishaw outbreak of e-Coli have, in the intervening years, been removed or substantially watered down.

In addition to the programme, UNISON is calling on the FSA to:

Reintroduce daily official inspection of all licensed meat cutting plants and cold storage facilities via capacity within the FSA inspection workforce to deliver the necessary enhancement to consumer protection and public health

Ensure that testing of horses killed in the UK for the drug BUTE is an ongoing safeguard for the consumer and is not a time limited measure in the wake of the horsemeat scandal. See that the horsemeat currently unlawfully sold as beef has been tested for the dangerous parasite, ‘Trichinela Spiralis’.

Move away from light touch, risk based enforcement and maintain an inspection system that delivers ongoing consumer and public health protection and does not become a boom and bust system that responds to consumer and public health crisis, the aim being to avoid the crisis Oversee the independent inspection of food manufacturing premises – where government cuts have compromised the ability of local authorities to do so.

See this news release on the UNISON UK website

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Unions challenge Argyll and Bute council to defend services and jobs

12 Feb 2013

The joint staff trade unions in Argyll and Bute today (Tues 12 Feb) united to call on councillors to defend services and jobs and oppose two key closures.

The unions made four demands to Argyll and Bute Council, which will set a budget on Thursday (14 Feb):

·       No compulsory redundancies

·       No compulsory reductions in hours for any staff

·       No to the closure of Struan Lodge care home and to putting the service at Kintyre Network Centre out to tender

·       Improved redundancy terms to encourage people to volunteer for redundancy and avoid the need for compulsory redundancies

UNISON, EIS, Unite and GMB have met with the SNP administration twice in recent weeks to discuss the budget, most recently on Friday (8 Feb). The unions acknowledged the financial challenges facing the council, but pointed out these are the consequences of the failed austerity policy of the UK government, which in turn has been fed through by the Scottish government.

The unions believe that the political leadership of the council should be up front with the people of Argyll & Bute by indicating the real shortfalls between what the budget they will set delivers and what the real local needs are.

Simon Macfarlane, UNISON Regional Organiser, said: "In all our discussions with the council leadership we acknowledged the difficult situation they face, while calling on them to show true leadership.

“We believe that by committing to our four points, the council could secure the trust and confidence of their staff, their families and the wider population of Argyll & Bute.

“As the biggest employer in the area they need to take fear away from workers by committing to not make people compulsorily redundant or cut their hours. Nor should they close or put out to tender vital council services such as Struan Lodge or the Kintyre Network Centre.”

Notes to Editors

UNISON's budget submission, which covers many of the points the joint trade unions made to the administration on 8 February, is online at www.unisonabc.org.uk/uploads/UNISON%20Response%20to%20Argyll%20and%20Bute%20Council_Budget%202013.pdf

Struan Lodge is a much loved care home for the elderly run by the council. If it closes, residents will be moved to private care homes.

Kintyre Network Centre provides care services for children with disabilities and the council proposes to put the service out to tender to the third sector. It is the only such centre between Campbeltown and Lochgilphead.

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Union welcomes South Lanarkshire Living Wage uprating - but 'council funded scandal' on contractors' pay

11 Feb 2013

UNISON has welcomed the announcement that South Lanarkshire Council will uprate the Living Wage for their employees to £7.56 and that they will also ensure that all workers paid below £21,000 (for a 37 hour week) will receive an above the national pay award pay rise in April.

South Lanarkshire Branch Secretary, Stephen Smellie, said, “The Council, and Council Leader Eddie McAvoy, are to be congratulated on this decision to recognise the need to protect and improve the pay of their low paid staff. These workers, who are mostly women, include cleaners, school catering staff, home carers, school crossing patrollers, care assistants and clerical staff, all of whom deliver crucial services to local communities and who have been hit hard by low wages and high prices.”

This is the third year running that the Council have made efforts to protect the lowest paid. In 2011 they introduced the Living Wage and gave a pay rise of £250 to the low paid when there was a national pay freeze. In 2012 the Living Wage increased to £7.20 and again the low paid received £250 whilst the pay freeze continued. Now in 2013 the Living wage is increasing to £7.56 they are consolidating the £250 into salaries and intending to pay the national pay award of 1%.

Stephen Smellie said, “A few years ago we decided to campaign locally for the Living Wage and to highlight how the lowest paid were suffering most due to years of below inflation pay awards and the pending pay freeze. We lobbied all Councillors and argued our case. In 2011 we negotiated the introduction of the Living Wage and the £250 for the low paid. Having won that case we have continued to work with the Council to maintain and develop this policy.

The benefit to the low paid workers is obvious but it also has a benefit to the wider community. It is well known that better paid staff leads to better and more reliable services. It also provides a boost to the local economy as the additional money is mostly spent locally. The final benefit is that some of these workers now come off benefits saving the tax payer money.”

There are thousands of workers in Lanarkshire who do not benefit from the Living Wage in the private and voluntary sector where the National Minimum Wage of £6.19 for over 21 year olds is the going rate. This includes companies who are contracted by the Council to deliver services on their behalf. UNISON recently highlighted this in a letter to South Lanarkshire Council’s Leader and Chief Executive.

Stephen Smellie said, “The Council recently invited tenders to deliver home care services. The companies who currently do this pay their staff just above the poverty rate of the National Minimum Wage and most of them do so whilst offering only zero-hour contracts. So these staff not only get very poor wages when they work but they have no guaranteed number of hours that they will be asked to work.

“This is a Council funded scandal. We wrote to the Council asking that they ensure that companies who they will contract to deliver services are required to pay at least the Living Wage. Unfortunately they replied that they are unable to do so as, according to advice from the Scottish Government that to do this would be in breach of European law.”

UNISON believes that Councils are able to ensure their contractors pay the higher rates of pay and have sought their own legal advice.

Stephen Smellie continued, “We are working with a number of trade union and community groups locally to organise a campaign to take up this issue of extending the Living Wage beyond the Councils and NHS. We would appeal to workers in the private home care companies to contact us to discuss how we can build a moral campaign in Lanarkshire for economic justice.”


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RE-INTRODUCE DAILY MEAT CUTTING INSPECTIONS NOW - UNISON

8 Feb 2013

UNISON has today called for the immediate re-introduction of daily independent inspections of meat cutting premises.

With new developments in the meat scandal coming thick and fast, the UK’s largest union said that both the Food Standards Agency and DEFRA had failed in their duty to ensure the safety of the food on people’s plates.

In a move of ‘astonishing insensitivity’, the FSA has this week written to all meat inspectors across the UK to tell them their pay and pensions are to be cut. UNISON called the move ‘poorly timed in the extreme’, as meat inspectors have never been more needed.

Ben Priestley, UNISON national officer said:“The latest developments in the unfolding meat scandal have shone a harsh, but necessary light on the meat processing industry, and it’s time for the question to be asked: how can we stop fraudulent and unlawful practices in the meat industry?

“Consumers have the right to know what is in the food they and their families are eating, and that their food is what it says it is, is safe and free from contamination.

“So far, most of the mislabelled horse meat has been found in ‘budget’ food, targeted at the poorest members of our society. It is a scandal that the safety of people, whose choice is limited by their income, has come second to the private profit.

“We demand the government tells us the full extent of the meat scandal, and until then, one thing is clear - these companies have put profits before the safety of the consumer – and is time for DEFRA and the FSA to act and start putting things right.

“In addition, he attack on food inspectors’ pay, at a time when their work has never been more needed, is poorly timed in the extreme and astonishingly insensitive.”

The meat inspection workforce managed by the Food Standards agency has shrunk from a high point of 1700 – during the BSE and e-Coli crises in the 1990s – to around 800 today.

This has been a direct consequence of the deregulatory policies of both the European Commission and UK Government to hand over more and more meat inspection duties to the meat industry and dispense with proper independent inspection.

In addition to a comprehensive investigation into the contents and quality of processed food, UNISON is calling for the following changes to meat inspection to stop this, the latest in a long line of UK meat scandals, from happening again:

·     The immediate re-introduction of daily, independent inspections of meat cutting premises,
·     The FSA to oversee the independent inspection of food manufacturing premises  –where government cuts have compromised the ability of local trading standards services to do so,
·     The FSA to ensure that all horses killed in the UK for human consumption are tested for the drug “BUTE” and that any horse carcases tested should not be released for human consumption until the test has returned a negative result.

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#nldscot #nld13 UNISON urges support for library services – National Libraries Day 9 Feb

8 Feb 2013

UNISON today hit out at cuts to library services and urged councillors to defend libraries at the heart of local communities.

Tomorrow (Saturday 9 February) is National Libraries Day, which celebrates the role of libraries and the range of information and entertainment they provide.

However, recent years of cuts have hit library services hard, with closures around Scotland and many now operating reduced hours.

Gray Allan, Secretary of Falkirk UNISON branch, and a librarian, said: “Libraries offer a fantastic place for people to come to for knowledge and information and expert help from trained librarians. It is desperately sad and wrong that at a time of financial difficulties for so many, library services are being cut back. We need improved services, not to make it harder for people to access a library.”

UNISON said another worrying development is the loss of mobile libraries. A number have been axed in council cutbacks and more are under threat as budget decisions are taken this month. Aberdeen, Moray, East Lothian and Midlothian councils are among those that have closed or propose to close mobile libraries. Yet many elderly people, and others who can’t easily get to a nearby library, rely on the mobile service not just for books, but the human contact and interaction which libraries themselves also provide.

Dave Watson, Head of Bargaining and Campaigns, said: “Libraries, community learning centres and access points are more vital than ever just now. They provide accessible education and entertainment for people facing pay freezes, job insecurity or unemployment and rising costs.

“It is a false economy to cut these vital services and in some areas the cuts are severe.”

In Moray, the council is proposing to close seven libraries and one mobile library. This leaves eight libraries (four with reduced opening hours) and one mobile library to cover 2,238 square miles. This is in the eighth largest geographical council area in Scotland. Three librarian posts and one mobile library driver would go, with one librarian expected to cover four of the remaining libraries, while the book budget is cut by £25,000.

Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary, said cuts to library services around the UK have a big impact:  “Children from the poorest families will suffer the most, as will their chances of a decent education. Low income families are struggling to afford the basic essentials, let alone books.

“Countless high profile writers have highlighted how crucial their local library was in their development. How many best-selling books will now not be written because budding writers did not have access to a decent local library.”

 

Note to editors:

1. UNISON is Scotland’s largest trade union representing 160,000 members working in the public sector in Scotland, including library staff in local council areas.

2. UNISON is supporting National Libraries Day on Saturday 9 February www.nationallibrariesday.org.uk

 

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Scottish Budget – council services hit hardest – UNISON calls for funding review

6 Feb 2013

Public services union UNISON today warned that vital council services are being hit hardest by budget cuts and called for a review of local government funding.

UNISON Scotland warned that already councils have lost 34,500 jobs since 2008/9, with severe impacts on services right across the country. And they are taking the brunt of budget cuts in the Scottish Government’s three year spending plans.

Stephanie Herd, chair of the union’s Local Government Committee, said: “Local services that people rely on daily are already under immense strain, with more spending cuts to come.

“Given the scale of the damage that is being done, the further cuts we face and the ongoing unfair council tax freeze, we need a much wider review of how to fund services.”

Stephanie added: “There are stealth cuts too, where staff are struggling with massive workloads and increased demand. We cannot continue like this if we want to retain proper quality services.

“Essential services provided by councils, including education, home care for elderly and disabled people, social work, environmental health, trading standards and many more are all affected by cuts and job losses.

“The austerity measures imposed by governments at Westminster and Holyrood are not needed. There is a better way and we will fight to retain good quality services. Paying off council and other public sector workers does not help local economies.”

UNISON is challenging councillors who are setting budgets this month, asking whether they will be the agents of cuts, or will they instead champion their local communities.

Note to editors:

Already a total of 51,700 jobs have been lost in the public sector in Scotland since 2008/9.  Analysis shows that 66.7% have been from local government, which makes up 57.3% of the workforce. Further details in our public sector workforce briefing.

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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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Dates confirmed for Happy Lands film

It’s the General Strike 1926 - Only seven years after the slaughter of the trenches, millions of workers across the country down tools to take part in the biggest walk out in British history, taking a stand against savage austerity cuts imposed by a Liberal-Conservative government.

Robert Rae’s epic, sweeping portrait of a definitive moment in the history of social justice charts the lives of three Scottish families as they deal with questions of loyalty, honour, love and trust in the midst of the Strike.

Created with over 1000 members of the Fife community, this moving story of the hardship faced by the miners is ultimately a celebration of the indomitable human spirit, which will resonate around the globe.

A game changing work that casts the people of the Fife Coalfield Communities at the heart of their own story and told it in their own voices and imprint it permanently on film. Theatre Workshop Scotland created an enduring social and artistic legacy that gave many participants what they have described as “the time of their lives”.

Scottish dates are now confirmed:
Glasgow Film Theatre - 17 February
Clydebank Empire - 18 February
Blantyre Miners’ Welfare - 1 March
Penicuik Cinema - 3 March
Eden Court Theatre, Inverness - 10 March
Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy - 10 March
Loganlea Miners’ Welfare - 18 March
Colinsburgh Community Cinema - 26 April

If you’ve got friends, family, workmates in these communities please spread the word and encourage them to attend. If you’ve got access to trade union or other email lists, please publicise the film via those routes.

See the first public review in the Sunday Mail http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/movies/movie-news/relatives-pay-tribute-to-mining-heroes-1572327  and a hard hitting editorial at http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/mail-opinion-have-we-really-left-the-days-1572328
See background on the making of the film and interviews with UNISON members in the cast at http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/happylands/

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 demands NHS chiefs stump up millions in unpaid wages

Fri 1 Feb 2013

NHS union UNISON is demanding that NHS bosses in Greater Glasgow and Clyde pay thousands of NHS workers wages which have not been paid to them since 2008.

Millions of pounds are owed to nursing and other staff on rotational shifts for payments they lost out on because of errors in their holiday pay.

UNISON NHS Glasgow and Clyde Branch Secretary Cathy Miller said: “UNISON has been trying to highlight this issue for a long time. While we are pleased that NHS bosses finally accept that they have been getting it wrong, we are angry that our members remain out of pocket whilst the Board plod on with no apparent emphasis on getting a solution.”

The issue arose at the introduction of the NHS Pay system ‘Agenda for Change’ which says that NHS workers are entitled to be paid as if at work when on annual leave. For many staff this is not a problem. However for staff who work rotational shifts (days, nights and weekends) it has become apparent that NHS bosses have not been paying them properly.

UNISON estimates that the overall underpayment could be as much as £5m for every year since 2008, potentially £20m.

Cathy added: “UNISON members in the NHS work round the clock, often with no set pattern of work. It is clear from our investigations that some local managers are simply not able to work it out, while others may be manipulating the rosters to save money. Either way, UNISON members have a right to be paid properly and we will work to ensure that they are.”

The exercise could prove a logistical nightmare for NHS bosses and might require a detailed review of around 25,000 staff records.

Frances Lyall, Assistant Branch Secretary said: “This is what happens when you ask clinical staff to do the work of admin and clerical workers to try and save a few pounds. Across the NHS nurses and other registered clinical staff are having to take time away from patients to write reports, gather data and input wages.

“It’s high time NHS bosses understood that paying a nurse to input wages doesn’t save money, doesn’t improve patient care and leads to the kind of administrative nightmare we see developing before us.”

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Union warns on public safety concerns raised in Audit Scotland report

Thursday 31 Jan 2013
UNISON today (Thursday) warned that damaging cuts to trading standards and food safety services in environmental health are putting the public at risk when safety should be paramount.

The public service union welcomed the fact that a new Audit Scotland report highlights the pressures on these essential services and calls for urgent action to strengthen protection for consumers.

Dave Watson, Head of Bargaining and Campaigns, said:
"Our members working in trading standards and food safety, within environmental health departments, tell us about many of the concerns noted in this report.

“For Audit Scotland to find that ‘the long term viability of councils’ trading standards services is under threat’ and to raise concerns about food safety staffing and training levels and loss of expertise demonstrates the seriousness of issues we have raised consistently.

“Members of the public expect to be able to rely on checks being carried out and expect these key services to be properly funded. This is another example of the enormous damage to vital public services caused by government funding cuts at UK, Scottish and local levels.”

The report suggests that COSLA and councils work together to ensure strong national co-ordination for trading standards. UNISON supports co-ordination and collaborative working, but would be sceptical about any suggestion that there should be a national service.

Dave added:
“The recent horse meat in burgers scandal also highlighted the importance of independent meat inspection in abattoirs. There is industry lobbying and EU consideration of relaxing the current standards. UNISON wants to ensure that there is no threat of privatisation and industry self-regulation. We must maintain an independent meat hygiene inspection service as this service is being devolved to Scotland.”

For information please contact:
Dave Watson, Head of Bargaining and Campaigns, 07958 122 409
Fiona Montgomery, Communications Officer, 0141 342 2877 or 07508 877 000
Malcolm Burns, Communications Officer, 0141 342 2877 or 07876 566 978


Note for editors

1.    UNISON is Scotland’s largest trade union representing 160,000 members working mainly in the public sector in Scotland and represents staff in council trading standards and environmental health departments.
2.    UNISON was responding to the Audit Scotland report ‘Protecting Consumers’.

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Glasgow equal pay tribunal victory for UNISON

Wed 30 Jan 2013

UNISON Scotland has welcomed an Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling on equal pay which could improve the chances of low paid workers, mainly women, seeking fair comparison with other workers in councils and their associated “arms length organisations” (ALEOs).

The Employment Appeal Tribunal has decided that UNISON members working in ALEOs set up by Glasgow City Council can compare themselves with Council employees, and with employees of other Council ALEOs when claiming equal pay.

Mandy McDowall, UNISON Scotland Regional Organiser said:

“This is a welcome ruling by the Employment Appeal Tribunal and an important victory for our members.

“It means that the law allows employees of one employer to compare themselves with workers in another employer if the employers are associated – and that councils can’t slip out of their duty to ensure equal pay and fair treatment simply by hiving off services into arms length organisations.”

The Council had argued that the ALEOs were not associated employers but were completely separate companies. They also argued that because some of the ALEOs were limited liability partnerships, they could not be an associated employer, because that only applied to companies.

The Appeal Tribunal dismissed that argument, declaring that there was no justification for putting such a narrow meaning on the legislation. They went on to say that the provision allowing comparisons across associated employers was an anti-avoidance measure to prevent employers splitting up their workforce to avoid equal pay comparisons. In order to achieve that aim, they were prepared to give a broad interpretation to the legislation.

Mandy McDowall added:

“This victory shows that workers seeking equal pay are stronger together in UNISON.”

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 staff in all of Scotland’s local authorities.

2. The Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling in the case of the Glasgow ALEOs was confirmed on Friday 25 January. The claimants in this case are mostly low paid women who were transferred out to the ALEOs but want to claim equal pay with their former male bonus-earning colleagues within the Council and other ALEOs like City Building LLP.

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Secret EU plans to privatise water

Secret plans of EU Commission to privatise water leads to support for campaign over Water as a Human right

A German comedian took the European Citizens Initiative (ECI) center stage on TV Tuesday evening, Erwin Pelzig, a celebrated comedian pointed his audience to the secret plan of the European Commission to privatise water services. The German TV programme Monitor   (EN subtitles) had revealed earlier how new EU rules could lead to more privatisation of water services. It also showed how the EU Commission has put private water company representatives in a number of crucial expert groups that advise the Commission. Their advice is predictable: introduce more competition. It is only the latest in a series of attempts of the Commission to push for private water in the EU. A letter  of the European Commission’s Greek desk in response to EPSU and other groups underlines how ideological the approach of the Commission is. It believes private water services will deliver more.  And now the Greek government is pushing for the privatisation of the publicly owned water companies of Athens and Thessaloniki. In the autumn 51% of the shares should be brought on the market.

Trade unions, anti-poverty campaigners and many others do know what that means: it leads to increased prices and higher profits for the private water industry as ample evidence including from the London based research group PSIRU  has demonstrated.  Erwin Pelzig underlined this also in his show on ZDF. He is upset that the Commission plans will lead to price increases for something as crucial as water. And he did a remarkable thing at the end of the broadcast. He first told his audience that he could not show the website of the European Citizens Initiative. The rules of the public broadcasting company prevent this. He then says that the rules do allow how to show a car. He walks to the car, pulls out a placard and puts that in front of the car. It shows the website of the European Citizens Initiative while the audience exploded in applause and laughter. That same day 100.000 mainly German but also some Austrians signed up.  

UNISON supports the European Citizens Initiative and Dave Prentis is a member of the organising committee. But we need more people from the UK to sign up. People sign up electronically to make sure that water becomes a Human Right and is not for sale.  The initiative demands that the European Commission stops plans to liberalise water services. Together with workers and citizens we seek to achieve 1 million signatures. Signing up is really easy. Please go to the website:

https://signature.right2water.eu/oct-web-public/index.do?initiativeLang=en   at the end of the page click on support, select UK and sign up to the initiative.  We need your voice.

#RPP2 #climatepromises SCCS: @ScotGov climate change plan lacks ambition/credibility

29 Jan 2013

The Scottish Government has shown an ‘extremely worrying’ lack of ambition in its new plans to reduce emissions, a leading coalition said today. [1]

Stop Climate Chaos Scotland (SCCS) [2] slammed the government’s second climate action plan, the draft Report on Proposals and Policies 2 (RPP2), accusing it of failing to fully grasp the multiple benefits for the economy, society and the wider environment to be gained from a transition to a low carbon economy.   The Royal College of Nursing today added their voice to call for more focus on measures which reduce emissions and can improve the health of Scots across the country.

With the Scottish Government having missed its first climate target, SCCS believes this draft plan fails to put us back on track to cut our emissions and play our full part in tackling dangerous climate change, committed to in the 2009 Climate Change Act.

Reacting to the draft action plan, Tom Ballantine, Chair of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland said:

“It is extremely worrying to see the lack of ambition demonstrated by the Scottish Government when it comes to reducing our climate emissions.  We have the strongest climate laws in the world and the Government has gone to great efforts to highlight this example globally.

“Sadly, missing the first climate target last year does not appear to have been the wake-up call needed for Ministers to put fresh impetus into their climate action plans. This new plan does little to reassure us that future targets will be met, putting Scotland’s credibility at risk at home and abroad. 

"While there has been some good progress in insulation programmes for homes, it fails to tackle the growing emissions from our transport sector. It calls into question how serious the Government is about delivering on the Act and actually reducing Scotland's emissions year on year.

"We need Members of the Scottish Parliament to come together, as they did in 2009 when passing the Scottish Climate Change Act, to ensure that Scotland's climate ambitions can be realised."

Although there are strengthened commitments to tackle emissions from heating and electricity, the package as a whole lacks credibility.

SCCS is calling on MSPs to suggest key improvements when it undergoes Parliamentary scrutiny, including essential policies to tackle the growing emissions from transport, home energy use and land use:

On transport, Colin Howden, Director of Transform Scotland, said:

"The Scottish Government has again shirked its responsibility of cutting emissions from the transport sector. It has failed to bring forward as confirmed policies the measures that are required now to turn around emissions in this critical area. The plans for transport are even worse than in the previous plan. They have decided to delay action on cutting transport emissions until 2025, in the vain hope that they can pluck something out of the air in the final three years.

"The Parliament must ensure that the Government isn't allowed to hide behind its claims that it doesn't have the funds to cut transport emissions, or that it's Westminster's fault. The Scottish transport budget has risen, not fallen, in recent years but the Government has chosen to spend these extra funds on new road-building rather than on reducing emissions. Under this government, we've seen a 40% increase in roads spending while the funds devoted to sustainable transport have remained static."

On homes, Theresa Fyffe, Director of Royal College of Nursing Scotland, said:

“It’s now widely accepted that climate change is a very real threat to the health and wellbeing of people across the world, and the RCN supports action that enables Scotland to play its part in reducing harmful carbon emissions.  Nurses are on the frontline of patient care and know only too well the health problems that can arise as a result of higher temperatures, extreme weather events, and other climate related impacts. 

“The people most likely to be affected include the elderly, children and the poor - we all have a responsibility to take action and we will support our members to do their bit, but leadership on this global issue must come from Government.  A fully funded National Retrofit Programme combined with the introduction of minimum standards of energy efficiency for all housing are necessary if we are to address the national shame of fuel poverty and the challenge of climate change.”

On land use, Stuart Housden, Director of RSPB Scotland, said:

“The proposals for peatland restoration are very welcome and encouraging.  Scotland's peatland is globally important for biodiversity but restoring degraded peat bogs has additional wider benefits including securing the vast amounts of carbon stored in the peat soils, improving our water quality, and providing opportunities for tourism. RSPB Scotland and other land managers look forward to working with the Scottish Government to deliver this commendable target, but await details on what funding will be put in place to achieve this important work."

Ends

Notes to Editors

(1) Low Carbon Scotland, the Report on Proposals and Policies (RPP)

(2) Stop Climate Chaos Scotland is a diverse coalition of more than 60 organisations campaigning together on climate change, including environment, faith and development organisations, trade and student unions and community groups.

www.stopclimatechaos.org/scotland

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#RPP2 #climatepromises SCCS: Scotland must get its climate change strategy right

29 Jan 2013

Tom Ballantine, chair of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, writes in The Scotsman today:

"TODAY the Scottish Government will publish its second climate change action plan.

The plan will set out how Scotland will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions between now and 2027. After the considerable setback and embarrassment of last year, when the government missed the first legally binding target to reduce Scotland’s emissions, this action plan is a must-seize opportunity to get us back on track.

In 2009, in response to the voice of the Scottish people, the Scottish Parliament unanimously passed the Scottish Climate Change Act. This legislation was not just a statement of intent but a world-leading commitment to take action to tackle climate change. Today’s plan from the Scottish Government will tell us if that promise is to be kept or broken.

If we are to get back on track, having missed our very first climate target, the new plan must be credible and transparent. The previous plan was undermined by a reliance on possible future actions to cut emissions. This time the Scottish Government must provide clarity and confidence with a firm statement of action and not a list of intentions.

The new plan must mark a step change in effort, particularly to reverse the projected growth in emissions from cars. More effort is also needed to secure warm and affordable homes for all. These are the two sectors where emissions have risen significantly over the past three decades or so, and if Scotland is serious about delivering on its climate promises, these areas will require particular effort...."

Full report here and BBC Scotland report here




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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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Pension investment

The Herald is running a story today about investments in the Scottish local government pension scheme (LGPS). They say:

"SCOTLAND'S public-sector workers are unwittingly pouring hundreds of millions of pounds through their pensions into funding cigarette manufacturers and companies dealing in arms. More than £220 million is tied up in tobacco firms – including those behind Marlboro, Benson & Hedges and Lucky Strike – despite guidelines that recommend ethical and social factors must be taken into account by councils administering the funds. The Scottish Government requires the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) to "take ethical and social considerations into account when making investment decisions".

The Herald's Leader column asks: "How will they feel about the report in The Herald today revealing that they are unwittingly investing more than £220m in tobacco firms?"

The answer is not impressed but not entirely surprised. Governance of the Scottish LGPS is probably the worst of any funded pension scheme in Scotland. While there has been some improvement in recent years there is only limited scheme member representation. Decisions are taken almost entirely by councillors. There is also no provision in the legislation that members serving on these committees have to make investment decisions in the best interests of beneficiaries or address potential conflict of interests with the councils that make up the fund. UNISON believes that the current arrangements sit outside the requirements of European law, particularly Directive 2003/41/EC, known as the IORP Directive. I covered these issues in more detail in a blog post last year.

The Scottish LGPS will be the subject of significant renegotiation in the coming months as a consequence of the UK Public Service Pensions Bill. One of the recommendations in the Hutton Report on public service pensions that UNISON Scotland welcomed, was the call for stronger member involvement in the governance of pensions. This is something high on our list of priorities to resolve in the current review.

Developing the Scottish Human Rights Agenda: Compliance, good practice and legal challenge

The Scottish Government is developing a distinctive track record in giving effect to human rights in Scotland and that approach takes place against a broader context of the need to comply with human rights law. The publication of ‘Do the right thing’, work on the UN’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the UK and the consultation on a proposed Children and Young People Bill which will ‘embed the rights of children and young people across the public sector in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)’ are examples of just some of the relevant policy developments which are currently unfolding.

In practical terms the need to comply with the detail and spirit of human rights will present a significant challenge for those organisations which do not understand how legislation and case law is driving change in policy, practice and service delivery.

To explore these issues there is a conference on Tue 5th Feb 2013 at The Carlton Hotel, Edinburgh. The conference is organised by MacKay Hannah and can be booked here.

Speakers

Roseanna Cunningham MSP

Minister for Community Safety & Legal Affairs, Scottish Government

Juliet Harris National Development Officer, Together

Tressa Burke Chief Executive, Glasgow Disability Alliance

Emma Gray Head of Policy and External Communications, Scottish Public Services Ombudsman

Dave Watson Head of Bargaining & Campaigns – UNISON Scotland

Professor Alan Miller Chair, Scottish Human Rights Commission

Diane McGiffen Chief Operating Officer, Audit Scotland

Tam Baillie Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People