New financial powers could save Scottish councils £50m, says UNISON

Wed 27 Jan 2016 Public services union UNISON has today (Wed 27 January 2016) urged the Scottish Government to push ahead with proposed new financial powers for Scottish councils to relax the rules for borrowing, lending and the repayment of loans.  These proposed changes to Scottish councils' financial powers should now be used for greater flexibility to deal with the funding crisis in Scottish councils. If used effectively it could save Scottish councils upwards of £50million, or save over 1000 jobs.  UNISON called for these ‘long overdue’ changes in their report Combating Austerity (Sept 2015). The report called for a relaxing of the repayment of loans fund regulations, arguing that councils need greater flexibility to mitigate austerity.  The Combating Austerity report explores all options and argues that making full use of flexibility in new borrowing or refinancing, and restructuring existing borrowing could potentially free up significant sums of money, at a time of severe austerity cuts.  Dave Watson, head of UNISON Scotland policy and public affairs said,  ‘These limited changes are very welcome we have been urging the Scottish Government to introduce them for some time. Scottish councils are in real crisis, cutting local services and shedding 1000s of jobs. Giving councils this flexibility could save upwards of £50m and over 1000 jobs. This is not going to solve the problem but is an example of how we need to start thinking to mitigate the worst of austerity and council tax freeze.'  UNISON is now urging the Scottish Government to go further and include new proposals to enable councils to borrow to either make grants to third parties where these grants fund capital expenditure, or for the authority to incur expenditure directly on third party tangible assets; and a new provision for a local authority to be able to borrow to lend to any of its subsidiary bodies where the loan is to be used to finance capital expenditure of the subsidiary. Dave Watson said, ‘Further changes beyond what is now being proposed, could make a real difference and mitigate some of the worst of austerity. Councils could use new types of borrowing to support, for example buyouts of expensive Privtae Finance Intitiative (PFI) contracts or, perhaps, to finance new conventional spending, they could offer health boards an alternative to expensive hub Public Private Partnerships (PPP), PFI, or Non-Profit Distributing (NPD) schemes. We think they could be doing this now. However the Scottish Government should make it explicit in the rules for Scottish councils, so we can encourage innovation and more efficient use of public funds. And vitally, use these rules to save our public services and thousands of local jobs. END Notes for editors  • UNISON is the biggest trade union in Scotland and the biggest union in local government.  • UNISON report Combating Austerity: signposting the ways Scotland could limit some of the damage from Austerity (PDF). Combating Austerity Press release 23 September 2015 here: http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/news/2015/sepoct/0923.htm • UNISON summary briefing here:  http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/briefings/ e-briefing_RelaxingBorrowingRules4Councils_Jan2016.pdf • The new draft Local Authority (Capital Finance and Accounting) (Scotland) Regulations 2016 and on Loans Fund Accounting are set to come into effect, with any changes following the consultation, from 1 April 2016 and statutory guidance can be read here:http://www.legislation.gov.uk/sdsi/2016/9780111031063 • These regulations cover changes to the statutory arrangements for local authority borrowing, lending and the statutory loans fund. They were the subject of a short consultation at the end of 2015.  • UNISON Consultation response to The new draft Local Authority (Capital Finance and Accounting) (Scotland) Regulations 2016 Here: http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/response/ LocalAuthorityCapitalFinanceRegs_UNISONResponsetoScotGov_Jan2016.pdf

Courses coming up with places available!

Please find below a list of upcoming training courses where we still have availability. For more details of the courses below see http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/
education/index.html . Contact your branch to apply for any of these courses.

Organising for Health & Safety (Residential) – Glasgow – Part 1 on 5-7 February & Part 2 on 11-13 March

Covers the role and rights of the safety rep using legislation, building H&S organisations, developing strategies for H&S and risk assessments

·        Organising Stewards – Edinburgh – Part 1 on 23-24 February & Part 2 on 8-10 March

5 day course which must be completed in full. Develop skill knowledge and confidence to enable you to carry out your steward role. Covers organising union in public services, importance of equalities, tackling issues in workplace, working with members, understanding procedures, handling grievances and disciplinaries and the world UNISON works in

·        Organising for Health & Safety – Edinburgh – Part 1 on 2-4 March & Part 2 on 12-13 April

Covers the role and rights of the safety rep using legislation, building H&S organisations, developing strategies for H&S and risk assessments

·        Organising for the Media (Residential) – Glasgow – 4-6 March

Aims to give participants skills, knowledge and understanding of relevant methods to improve level of branch media contact effectively. Covers various media, press, radio and TV and interview exercises

UNISON hails historic pay deal for further education support staff in Scotland

Date: Friday 22 January 2016 UNISON hails historic pay deal for further education support staff in Scotland UNISON has led negotiations to achieve the first ever national pay rise for over four thousand support staff in Scotland‘s Further Education Colleges. Support staff deliver a range of vital student services and are key to the running of the 25 new colleges in Scotland. The deal was agreed at the new National Joint Negotiating Committee (NJNC) in Edinburgh. (Orkney, Shetland and SRUC are not in scope of the new machinery). It is the first agreement since the recent college mergers. UNITE and GMB unions are also party to the national negotiations UNISON members will receive between 1-2% pay rise. Those on lower salaries will receive a higher percent rise because of the agreement to pay the living wage and £300 flat rate increase  Key features are consolidation of the real Living Wage rate of £7.85 per hour from 1 April 2015; a flat rate of £300 for all those earning under £30k per year; a standard 35 hour week across the sector; and a minimum 27 days annual leave across the sector; and 2 days extra leave for all.  Employers and trade unions have also committed to negotiate a new single pay structure and new single set of conditions of service for all staff; as well as attainment of official Living Wage accreditation of all Colleges by the end of 2016. Chris Greenshields, Chair of UNISON Scotland’s further education sector said: “UNISON is pleased to have achieved the first ever national settlement for further education support staff in Scotland. UNISON is the union for college support staff and there is something for all our members in this negotiated package. I want to congratulate UNISON members for helping to ensure all low paid workers in Scotland's Colleges are now guaranteed the Living Wage plus £300. We will continue the work hard for more gains in the 2016, in particular an equal flat rate settlement for all workers in the sector which is much fairer than a percentage increase.“ John Gallacher, Scottish organiser and UNISON lead for FE said: “This sets up the NJNC for a wider programme of negotiations. Scottish Government (post May 2016) must provide investment for a root and branch rationalisation and harmonisation of pay rates and conditions across the sector in an acceptable timescale. The disparities currently are still extreme after many years of college level bargaining” Shirley Sephton, Vice Chair, said: “UNISON members voted to accept this offer across Scotland in the knowledge that this was the best deal we could get for 2015 through negotiation. They wish to work with management to help establish National Bargaining and in return will expect all Scottish Boards to honour the national agreement and put the increase into pay as soon as possible.” ENDS  Notes for editors The full support staff deal is for: A consolidated 1% uplift for all employees (or) £300 pro rata for employees earning below £30k (whichever is the greater) The sector will pay the living wage for its directly employed staff. Commitments from the management:  The Management Side is committed to securing living wage accreditation for all colleges, the management side and the trade unions will work to achieve this by December 2016. Standardisation of the working week to 35 hours, with no detriment to earnings, the Management Side will work to achieve this standardisation by April 2016. To provide on a pro rata basis an additional unconsolidated two days annual leave entitlement for all support staff for 2015/16. To provide a minimum of 27 days leave pro rata, with no impact on the maximum entitlement from April 2015. Address as a priority leave entitlements across the sector by 31 March 2016  Will commit to look at a flat cash settlement from 2016 If there is any change to the % increase or flat cash settlement to lecturers, the support staff  will receive this To establish a short life working group, to develop an agreed timetable inclusive of a route map of key priorities and key deliverables, by 31 March 2016. The Management Side believe this offers the best prospect of introducing a workforce modernisation programme inclusive of standardisation and harmonisation across the sector. The management side envisage such a route map addressing: A national job evaluation scheme A national pay and grading scale National Conditions of service National Pay Protection Pay award will be effective from April 2015.

Ask Scotland’s party leaders to turn climate #AmbitionIntoAction

UNISON Scotland is supporting the new Stop Climate Chaos Scotland campaign calling on Scotland's political leaders to turn ambition into action.

2016 is election year in Scotland.  And that means our political parties need to tell voters what they intend to do if they are elected.

After the December 2015 climate agreement in Paris, what matters now, across the world, is what actually happens as a result of politicians’ climate promises.

Ahead of the Scottish Parliamentary election in May 2016, it is important to tell Scotland's political parties how important and urgent climate action is, for all of us now and for future generations.

Please take a few moments to use the quick, easy tool on the SCCS website to email SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, Labour leader Kezia Dugdale, Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Willie Rennie, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, and Scottish Green Party co-convenor Patrick Harvie.

Full details on the SCCS website.

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Sturgeon must act to protect local government services, says UNISON

Date: Tuesday 12 January 2016

UNISON local branches across Scotland are calling on Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, to meet UNISON members to hear about the damage Government policies are having on local government and to discuss the future of local services.

UNISON is the biggest trade union in local government and branch secretaries from across Scotland have written to the First Minister calling on her to intervene. UNISON has real and acute concerns about the state of local government in Scotland, brought on by both UK Government austerity and Scottish Government policy towards local government. 

Douglas Black, UNISON regional organiser for local government in Scotland said: 

"John Swinney’s spending review in December 2015 was met with disbelief by UNISON members. Local Government has borne the brunt of public sector cuts since 2008. Of the 50,000 jobs lost in devolved services, 40,000 have been in local government. And John Swinney’s latest budget means we will see many more cuts in local services and upwards of 10,000 more job losses.

"The situation is serious. Services are being privatised, community based services are stopping, grants to the voluntary sector are being slashed, caring services can provide only minimum client contact time, and we are seeing significant rises in charges for other services such as burials, school meals and leisure pursuits. This cannot continue. The First Minister must meet UNISON members to hear about the real damage being caused and to discuss the future of Scotland’s local services."

END

Notes:UNISON is the public services union, it is the biggest union in Scotland and the biggest union in local government.

December Scotland in UNISON out now

Beat the anti-union bill; Communications Awards 2015; Corbyn and Sturgeon say the bill must go; Celebrate learning; Council cuts campaign mounts as we face ‘worst cuts in living memory’; Tayside health branch wins low pay victory; Cordia janitors ballot; Climate march report; Speak up against police cuts; Save democracy in Turkey; Give your views on social work codes of practice and much more in this issue at http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/siu/index.html

Stand up for school librarians, says UNISON Scotland

Date: Monday 21 December 2015

UNISON Scotland has called on councils and Scottish Government to do more to protect school librarians. UNISON says the evidence is that local councils are seeing school library services as a soft target to meet budget cuts and are cutting school library services across Scotland.

UNISON has made a submission in support of School Libraries Petition PE 1581 to the Scottish Parliament Public Petitions Committee.

UNISON has evidence of cuts in North and South Lanarkshire, East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire, Glasgow, East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Fife and Shetland.

UNISON spokesperson, Simon Macfarlane, said:
'There is a consistent pattern of the school libraries service being a soft target to meet budget cuts. School libraries are not class rooms with books. They are vital for young people’s learning. School librarians have a central role in equipping our young people for the digital age; recent research has shown that children face struggle to discriminate between facts, fiction and paid for product placement online. School librarians are ideally placed to support young people to be more discerning in their use of the internet for research. We shoudl be investing more not less in school librarians. It’s unacceptable that Scottish councils are taking the brunt of the austerity cuts. But we also canot let services like school libraries disappear’

END



NOTES
UNISON is the biggest trade union in local government. We represent education staff including librarians and school librarians

The picture across Scotland varies but there is a consistent pattern of local authorities using the school libraries service as a soft target to meet budget cuts.

LOCAL CUTS INCLUDE: North and South Lanarkshire, East Renfreshire, Renfrewshire, Glasgow, East and South Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Fife and Shetland

South Lanarkshire proposals include reducing school library staffing by 15%

North Lanarkshire is now proposing to review the school librarian service for a second time with the reduction of 2 FTE School Library Resource Manager posts. The last review saw all schools with pupil roll under 700 reduce librarian numbers to 0.7 FTE librarian. All new staff now are only employed term time. The Council has also removed the need for library staff to have professional library qualifications.

East Renfrewshire Council is proposing moving from 1 fully qualified librarian from each of its high schools (7) to the FTE of 3.5. The original plans to use senior pupils to staff the library appear to have been dropped due to public opposition.

Glasgow has reduced the school librarian service to 0.5 posts per school.

Renfrewshire now has only 7 librarians across 11 schools.

East Ayrshire has replaced 3 librarians with 3 library assistants. Means 9 secondary schools are now covered by 5 librarians and 4 library assistants.

South Ayrshire has, l replaced a number of librarians with library assistants.

In Dumfries and Galloway when the librarian retired from Dumfries Academy responsibility for the library was given to the Head of English. Lockerbie Academy also currently without a librarian and Annan Academy have reduced the hours to 20 per week

Fife - school librarians who have retired have been replaced with library assistants

Shetland, where the school library service has always been integrated with the public library service, there have been cuts to school library book budgets of 20-30% over the last four years. While staff numbers have remained the same the working hours of staff have been cut from 8 FTE to 5.93 FTE.

Simple Minds called to campaign for world cup workers in Qatar

Date: Friday 18 December 2015 UNISON, Scotland’s biggest trade union, has written to the Scottish band Simple Minds asking they speak out for migrant workers rights in Qatar. UNISON supports the TUC Fair Play for Qatar campaign which is highlighting the poor working conditions of migrant workers who are building football stadiums and infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup. Simple Minds are booked to play a gig in Qatar on 29 January Simon Macfarlane, UNISON international committee spokesperson, said “Workers are being drafted in mainly from India, Nepal and Bangladesh and forced to live in squalid conditions, paid as little as 45 pence an hour and work in a very dangerous environment. Almost 1000 workers have died in Qatar building infrastructure for the world cup and if nothing changes the death toll could be as much as 4000 by the time the World Cup starts in 2022. Simple Minds have an excellent record in supporting Human Rights across the world. They were leading campaigners against South African apartheid. And songs like Belfast Child and Mandela Day are loved for their message as much as anything else. It would be great if they highlighted the plight of migrant workers in Qatar”  END Notes TUC Fair Play Qatar campaign https://www.tuc.org.uk/international-issues/countries/qatar Letter from UNISON Scotland international committee to Simple Minds is online here:http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/international/

UNISON Scotland reaction to ministerial statement on draft 2016/17 budget

Date: Wednesday 16 December 2015

Mike Kirby, UNISON Scottish Regional Secretary said,

‘UNISON Scotland recognises that Tory austerity limits the options available in the Spending Review. However, it is unacceptable that yet again local government is bearing the brunt of cuts. We are now in the 8th year of the council tax freeze that limits how councils can choose to respond to austerity. This cannot continue. We need to discuss how we are going to properly fund Council services as they play a crucial role in the health and well being of all of us.'

END

Notes

UNISON is the biggest trade union in Scotland

UNISON calls for Robert Gordon University to remove Donald Trump's honorary degree

Date: Wednesday 9 December 2015

UNISON members working at Robert Gordon University have written to the Principal, Professor Prondzynski, calling on him to remove Donald Trump's honorary degree because he is reported to have called for "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States"  

UNISON believes this to be unacceptable.  

Colin Jones, Robert Gordon UNISON steward said: 

“Robert Gordon University has a strong international reputation and UNISON believes that our University's association with Donald Trump can only undermine all the hard work we have put into building this worldwide reputation.  

"We believe that the University must distance itself from such views and make it as clear as possible that such statements are both unacceptable and irresponsible. They are divisive and put Muslim friends, family and colleagues in danger of discrimination and reprisals, and will make international relations worse not better.  

END  

Notes:
UNISON is the largest trade union in Scotland. It is the public services union and it is the recognised union for professional and support staff at Robert Gordon University.

The Principal of Robert Gordon University is Professor Ferdinand Von Prondzynski. Robert Gordon University awarded Donald Trump his honorary degree in 2010.

New 2016 Course Programme Launched

Following a review of last year's UNISON Scotland training and a survey of local branch requirements for 2016, the Learning and Organising committee has designed a comprehensive and professional development and training programme to meet the needs and demands of our newly elected stewards, workplace representatives and union activists. See full details and download course programmes here

This year's programme has been adapted to take account of a request for more flexibility on the days on which courses are run and has prioritised the courses that our members and activists have identified as their primary priorities.

UNISON reaction to DCC Neil Richardson’s statement to Scottish Parliament

UNISON is calling on DCC Neil Richardson to meet with them to discuss his plans for further job cuts after his words at the Justice Committee of 1st December, wherein he stated it would be wrong of him to say there won’t be further reduction in staff.

George McIrvine, UNISON Police Staff Scotland branch secretary said: ”They have no real strategy as to how they are going to achieve this years savings never mind the next 11 years and that's quite apparent with the current £25 million blackhole. It's not best value for the public purse and it's not what the rank and file officers signed up to do.

We now see a civilian staff workforce who have young family, rent, mortgages and debt; they therefore need to work for the foreseeable future. Redundancy is no longer an option to the majority.

Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority will either have to look at making cuts elsewhere to their budget instead of focussing it all on a small percentage of the civilian staff workforce or finally admit they cannot achieve the Scottish Governments efficiency savings. Chief Constables in England & Wales have been spoken out about such unrealistic goals and budget cuts, why can't Scottish senior police officers do the same?”

People’s Assembly Scotland calls for ‘widespread social movement’ against council cuts

The People’s Assembly Scotland is calling for a widespread campaign to back councillors who abandon ‘austerity denial’, urging them to show ‘political leadership’ in defending local services from Scottish and UK government cuts.

The campaign group, to which UNISON Scotland is affiliated, has issued a pack for unions and community groups with a statement of principles, advice on street stalls and lobbying, and a model letter to councillors.

Phil McGarry, chair of the People’s Assembly Scotland, is calling on councillors to be honest about how cuts are damaging services: “We are calling for councillors to abandon austerity denial and be up front about cuts and the damage they are doing. They should publicly label cuts as ‘this service withdrawn due to austerity’

“We recognise that in order to take a stand, councillors will need broad based support and this initiative aims to build that at grassroots along with trade unions and other progressive bodies.”

ICT should focus on providing better services not cuts, says UNISON report

Date: Monday 30 November 2015

A UNISON Scotland report Disconnected, published today, 30 November 2015, claims that ICT services should focus on better services. The report highlights that ICT systems are all too often seen as a way of providing cheaper rather than improved public services.

This UNISON report is qualitative research of ICT staff across Scotland working across a range of public services. In local government, NHS, housing associations, universities, the police and elsewhere.

It finds that ICT systems are central to all our public services, ICT departments are feeling the brunt of cuts, and many ICT experts are leaving public sector either through redundancies or to find work elsewhere and they not being replaced.

ICT staff say they are not listened to. That morale is low. When they give warnings of problems coming down the line they are ignored. They see big opportunities to improve public services wasted in favour of short term savings to budgets. They feel ICT is too often seen as a way of delivering cuts rather than improving delivery of public services for us all. There is a lack of awareness of the potential of ICT

In common with other public services ICT staff say they are stressed by too much work and not enough people to deliver it. Staff talk of a ‘circle of decline’

Dave Watson, head of UNISON bargaining and campaigns said, ‘ICT is often thought of in terms of the hardware however its success is reliant on ICT staff and their understanding of public services and how we interact with technology. Public services must meet complex needs and ICT has a central role to play in that, it simply needs harnessed properly.’

Dave continued, ‘Public services ICT workers could make a real contribution to improving our public services, if we invested in them to develop their ideas. However employers tend to adapt private sector solutions with big promises to save budgets instead. In fact we are seeing big cuts in ICT staff and their departments, so it is no wonder we see big ICT projects going over budget or failing altogether.’

END

Notes

• Full UNISON report Disconnected:
  http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/publicworks/
  Disconnected_ICTStaffSurvey_Nov2015.pdf
• UNISON Scotland is the public services union and the biggest union in Scotland. We represent ICT workers in public and community based services across Scotland

UNISON Scotland e-briefing on Autumn Statement - Osborne forced to abandon savage tax credit cuts

25 Nov 2015

UNISON Scotland e-briefing on Autum Attement online now...
http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/briefings/e-briefing_UKAutumnStatement_Nov2015.pdf

"The UK highlights include the abandonment of the savage Tax Credit cuts, following the government’s defeat in the House of Lords. Higher tax receipts and lower borrowing costs helped meet this cost. However, from 2018 claimants will switch to the new Universal Credit and we will need to ensure this isn’t used as a means of reinstating the Tax Credit cut. "

...

"The impact of today’s announcement on Scotland is an average real terms cut in the Scottish budget of 1.3% per year. A detail entirely missing from the Scotland Office press release! In addition, public bodies will have to find the cost of the increase in employers National Insurance contributions that the Chancellor announced last year. Plus increasing demands on services and other costs."

More briefings at UNISON Scotland website
http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/briefings/

Tax credits u-turn will bring huge relief to working families - UNISON

Wed 25 Nov 2015

Nearly three million working families countrywide have breathed a collective sigh of relief, says UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis.

Commenting on the announcement today (Wednesday) that the Chancellor is to reverse his planned cuts to tax credits, UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said:

“Nearly three million working families countrywide have breathed a collective sigh of relief. Since the cuts were announced in the summer, parents have faced increasing anxiety over losing the tax credits they rely upon so heavily.

“We’re pleased that the Chancellor has made good use of the thinking time last month’s Lords vote gave the government.

“But the real credit for today’s decision goes to the many brave parents who talked publicly about their already stretched finances, and the distress and hardship the cuts would cause. Their stories convinced the government this unfair tax credits grab was wrong.

“The government must now do more to encourage employers to pay staff more – at least the real living wage of £8.25 an hour. This would make a difference to the many low-income families still struggling to make ends meet.

“In 2018 new claims for tax credits will stop, and the families receiving them will start to be switched on to Universal Credit. The Chancellor must not use this change as a way to revive his original plans and leave working families worse off in 2020 than today.”

UNISON UK press release:
https://www.unison.org.uk/news/press-release/2015/11/tax-credits-u-turn-will-bring-huge-relief-to-nearly-three-million-working-families-says-unison/

Follow Live Jimmy Reid Lecture by Nicola Sturgeon

Follow Live Jimmy Reid Lecture by Rt. Hon. Nicola Sturgeon MSP First Minister of Scotland

Tonight First Minister of Scotland, Rt. Hon. Nicola Sturgeon MSP, will give the Jimmy Reid Lecture at Bute Hall, University of Glasgow, on the Trade Union Bill. The meeting will be chaired by Grahame Smith, General Secretary, STUC

Jimmy Reid was installed as elected Rector of the University in the Bute Hall in 1972 where he made his famous ‘The rat race is for rats. We're not rats. We're human beings’ speech. His archives are maintained by the University and some will be on display prior to the lecture.

The STUC call The Bill vindictive, unfair and unnecessary. It is an attack on the fundamental human right of workers to withdraw their labour, a right enshrined in international Conventions to which the UK is a signatory and which it will now contravene. It is a Bill that tramples over our civil liberties and should be of concern not just to workers but to everyone who values the right to peaceful protest.

The First Minister and guests will be welcomed by Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Anton Muscatelli. Following the speech there will be a question and answer session. The Reid Foundation Director, Professor Gregor Gall, will then make a short contribution on the Foundation’s work programme to conclude the event.

You can watch the event live: www.gla.ac.uk/events/reid

 

 

UN climate talks and cancellation of demonstrations in Paris - Support #ScotClimateMarch #COP21

UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis today urged the highest possible turnout for marches in Edinburgh, London, Cardiff and Belfast next weekend, in solidarity with climate campaigners in Paris and around the world.

The International Trade Union Confederation  made the same call. Both were responding to the decision by the French authorities, following the terrorist attacks in Paris, to cancel demonstrations there on 29 November and 12 December at the start and end of the important UN climate talks.

Dave Prentis said: “While we show our respect for the Paris tragedy, it is also important that we show that, even without the Paris demonstrations, politicians will not be left of the hook when making the most serious climate change commitments for the next generation.

“By marching on 28 and 29 November, our voices will be stronger than ever in calling for a climate deal that must protect people and the planet.”

Demonstrations in the four UK capitals are going ahead on 28 and 29 November. Scotland’s climate march in Edinburgh is on Saturday 28 November. www.scotlandsclimatemarch.org 

Trade unionists are marching for a Just Transition to a low carbon economy to be part of the final global climate deal.

Scotland welcomes refugees - message from International chair and secretary

As a plane of Syrian refugees is about to land in Glasgow today Sam Macartney, Chair of the International Committee and I wanted to tell you about what members of the International Committee heard from Robina Qureshi, Director of Positive Action in Housing on Saturday.

Robina advised us of the links her organisation had made with the Kempson family who live on the island of Lesvos in Greece where a huge proportion of the refuges trying to reach mainland Europe arrive first. The Kempson family have found themselves on the fronyt line of helping thjousands of refugees and PAIH are supporting them in challenging the large aid agencies over the inadequacy of their action so far on Lesvos. Robina was able to tell us on Saturday this action is beginning to have some impact on the NGOs. The plight of refugees is stark and we were reminded how many perish in the attempt to reach safety.

PAIH have set up schemes whereby individuals can register to house refugees; volunteer to assist and donate money that is guaranteed to get to the front line.

International newsletter now online

Glenrothes to London - How are our pensions invested? To ensure success for the BDS movement (boycott disinvestment sanctions) against Israel; Sam Macartney urged trade unions and civil rights groups to find out where our pensions are being invested.

UNISON Joint International Seminar, Newcastle Upon Tyne A report by Tony Caleary / Hamid Rasheed

TTIP Commission Recognises ISDS is Fundamentally Flawed!

Bus to Paris, for 12 December demonstration on UN Climate Change Talks
http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/international/index.html