Havana Glasgow Film Festival

A reminder that the Havana Glasgow Film Festival runs from today until Sunday 12 November.


The festival has a great selection of films and UNISON is associated with the screening of From Ghost Town to Havana at 7.15pm at the CCA, Glasgow, on Friday 10 November. Ghost Town to Havana is a heartbreaking, funny, and inspirational story about mentorship, life, love, murder, kids and baseball in Oakland and Havana today.


The full programme is here and on the HGFF website.


Of course, our thoughts are with Doreen Kean and the family of our friend, comrade and former UNISON Communications Officer Chris Bartter as the festival he helped promote gets under way.

This image dedicated to Chris Bartter will be displayed before the screening of From Ghost Town to Havana.

Chris said recently of the film: "I've seen the film now and it was great. It is both human and very political (without being overtly partisan). The director, unusually, is a key figure within the film - being the son of a baseball coach himself."

Three things UNISON members can do about climate change today/this weekend! #ScotPfG

You may have spotted some good news about climate action in yesterday’s Programme for Government, including action on phasing out new fossil fuel cars, investment in active travel, drink deposit schemes and low carbon infrastructure. (UNISON briefing here).

We particularly welcome news of the Just Transition Commission, although we still need to hear the details of it and some other commitments and proposals to be sure they can and will deliver on what is needed in the necessary timescales. STUC response to PfG here. Stop Climate Chaos Scotland response here. (We are obviously still opposed to the Scottish Government continuing with plans to cut Air Departure Tax - taking money from essential public services and going totally against proclaimed ambitions on climate.) 

There’s also lots happening this weekend about climate action and UNISON members can play a part by doing one or more of the following three things...

1. Add your voice to calls for the new Climate Act to be as strong as possible by making sure you support the SCCS E Action to contact First Minister Nicola Sturgeon or send a postcard (email Fiona Montgomery with your postal address to receive one for you and a few for colleagues f.montgomery@unison.co.uk )
    
2. Are you or colleagues interested in ‘Energy Democracy, Public Energy Companies and Investment for Just Transition’ – come to, and/or tell them about, the seminar on Friday, 8 Sept, organised by the Just Transition Partnership. 9.30am-12.30pm at the STUC. Speakers include Sean Sweeney, of Trade Unions for Energy Democracy. Apply to Matthew Crighton to be sure of a place. mcrighton@foe-scotland.org.uk
                               
3. All UNISON members are welcome at the Green Network meeting on Saturday, 9 Sept, in the UNISON Scotland office. Sean Sweeney is speaking at this too, along with Allison Roche, Policy Officer at UNISON UK. Come along and/or tell interested colleagues. Find out more about potential income generation for councils through city energy generation / renewables projects. Info also on pensions divestment, Just Transition, Green Workplaces, etc. 1.30-3.30pm. Details here
    
    

Act for our Future – help make new #ClimateChangeBill bigger and better

UNISON members are being urged to help make Scotland’s new Climate Change Act as strong as possible.

With other members of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland (SCCS), we are disappointed that the Scottish Government’s proposals for the new Bill are not ambitious enough.

The SCCS Act for our Future campaign has an easy online E Action. You can click here to email First Minister Nicola Sturgeon asking her to:

•Set a target of zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 at the latest, and a reduction of 77% by 2030

•Ensure that future finance budgets are consistent with our climate targets

•Commit to actions that cut emissions and deliver a cleaner, healthier, more prosperous Scotland by:

Making all homes efficient and warm: Ensure that all homes have at least Energy Performance Rating ‘C’ by 2025.

Cleaner transport: phase out the sale of new fossil fuel cars by 2030 to reduce emissions, clean up air pollution and improve the nation’s health.

Greener farming: Set a nitrogen budget for Scotland by 2020.
 
The Scottish Government consultation on the new Climate Change Act closes on 22 September. UNISON will be submitting a response, as will Stop Climate Chaos Scotland. More information about our asks for the Bill will be posted later this month on this blog.

Please support the E Action and help spread the word to colleagues and through social media.
 
UNISON Scotland members interested in working on climate change issues can join our Green Network email list and come to meetings. The next is on Saturday 9 September, 1.30-3.30pm in the UNISON Scotland office at 14 West Campbell Street, Glasgow, G2 6RX. We have an excellent speaker on city renewable energy generation, as well as updates on campaigns for a Just Transition to a low carbon economy. If you would like to be added to the email list, contact Fiona Montgomery at f.montgomery@unison.co.uk
 
Also, see our Green Workplace pages http://www.unison-scotland.org/campaigns/green-workplace/ and the Green Network Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/greennetworkunisonscotland/

Early Years and Childcare

This is Pat Rowland's, UNISON Scotland, speech at Scottish Labour Party Conference on Early Education and childcare.  

 

"Early Education and childcare has become a political football over the years with publicly provided provision becoming a hostage to fortune at the whim of councils trying to manage SNP and Tory cuts to Local Authorities.

Early years establishments follow education standards.

The mix of private and publicly  funded childcare doesn't work.

 

The publicly funded provision employs highly qualified professionals in the field whereas private provision has first of all to make a profit at the expense of lower wages, qualified staff with support workers and sometimes much poorer quality.

 

High quality childcare is imperative to enable women to reach their potential and ensure their independence.

Courses available in March and new Inverness courses

Please find below a list of training courses where we still have availability. If you have any activists who are interested in attending any of these courses please go to http://www.unison-scotland.org/learning/ for an application form  Please note that all of the courses are subject to numbers.

• Employment Law Discrimination – 14 March – Edinburgh closing date extended to 1 March as currently an insufficient number of applicants
This course is open to experienced stewards and Branch Officers. Covers all aspects of potential discrimination as defined by Equality legislation.
• Mental Health at Work – 20-22 March – Inverness (course commences 12.30pm on the first day, finishing early afternoon of the final day)
This course will assist reps on how to deal with members in difficult situations which may involve “mental illness” – a look at what employers can do, common signs and symptoms of poor mental health in the workplace, strategies for intervention and support, causes and strategies for coping with stress. This course is only available to experienced stewards, officers and H&S Reps. (This course will also be run in Glasgow on 10 & 11 May and 4 & 5 October.)

• Developing Representation Skills – 28-29 March – Glasgow
This is an advanced course which requires delegates to have completed Organising Stewards and Further Representation Skills courses first. The course is designed to develop representation skills, structured around one extended case study and looks at three different ways in which the case could evolve. This course can be used to renew ERA accreditation.

Further information regarding these and all the year’s regional courses can be found on the course programme www.unison-scotland.org/learning/.

Can we also advertise the following course which has just been added to this year’s programme in Inverness:-

• Organising Stewards (part 1) – 3-5 April – Inverness (course commences 12.30pm on the first day, finishing mid afternoon of the final day)
• Organising Stewards (part 2) – 8-10 May – Inverness (course commences 12.30pm on the first day, finishing mid afternoon of the final day)
This first course for new stewards will develop skills, knowledge and confidence to enable them to carry out their role and it covers the role of the organising union in public services, the importance of equalities, tackling issues in the workplace, working with members, understanding procedures, handling grievances and disciplinaries and understanding the world UNISON works in, both nationally and internationally. This is an essential course for those who want to become effective as workplace representatives and is compulsory for new accreditation.

Budget lobby of the Scottish Parliament - 15 December 2016

UNISON Scotland branches joined the trade union lobby of the Scottish Parliament today. Calling for a budget that defends public services.

Mark Ferguson, Chair of UNISON Scotland's Local Government Committee addresses the lobby.

Courses coming up

Please find below a list of upcoming training courses where we still have availability. If you have any activists who are interested in attending any of these courses please arrange for the booking form to be completed and then forward to activisteducationscotland@unison.co.uk or post to Activist Education (Scotland), UNISON, 53 Shore Street, Inverness, IV1 1NF as soon as possible:-


• Employment Law Discrimination – 24 August – Glasgow
This course is open to experienced stewards and Branch Officers. Covers all aspects of potential discrimination as defined by Equality legislation.

July Scotland in UNISON now online

Conference reports; Education plan: Support staff role ignored; FE ballot and Pride report.

The union’s briefing on the Scottish Government Education Plan: says: “…the absence of any recognition of the wider education team is very disappointing. It also warns of plans to to remove schools from local democratic control. Please note: The print version of this issue referred to school staff as ‘non-teaching’ staff. This terminology is not supported by UNISON members in schools and we apologise for the error.

Plus FE pay ballot and Pride report and coverage of all the main UNISON speakers at UNISON National Delegate Conference and Local Government Conference in Brighton.

Support @sccscot Mass Lobby of @ScotParl 29 Sept & call for climate action

UNISON Scotland is supporting the Stop Climate Chaos Scotland mass lobby of MSPs at the Scottish Parliament on 29 September. Full details from SCCS are below, including how to register for the limited number of places, and how to send support if you can't attend.

And if you're a member interested in action on climate change, do join our Green Network. At our September meeting, we will be discussing lots of ways that trade unionists can get involved, and practical policies in working for a Just Transition to a low carbon Scotland. We meet in Glasgow on the afternoon of Saturday 3 Sept. Information here, where you can also sign up for our email list.

Calling for Climate Action - Mass Lobby of Holyrood

Join people from all across Scotland for a mass lobby inside the Scottish Parliament, calling on our MSPs to take strong action on climate change.

Thursday 29th September 12-2.30pm, Edinburgh

Registration & briefing from 12 at a venue close to Holyrood, mass lobby from 1pm inside Parliament

Last year, all five party leaders at Holyrood pledged to deliver on Scotland’s climate commitments. 

Now it's time for action.

The Scottish Government will publish their draft climate action plan before the end of the year, setting out the steps they will take to tackle climate change.

It's important that this is an ambitious and credible plan, and contains action on things like renewable energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the food we eat and the way we travel, and improving energy efficiency of Scotland's buildings.

This is a great opportunity to meet your new MSPs and tell them why climate change matters to you.

Book your place.

If you can't join us on the day, you can still send a climate message. Send us a tag for our climate message tree and we'll deliver it to your MSPs on the day.

On the day we will meet at a venue near Parliament at noon, so that you can meet with others from your region and have a briefing session to help you talk to your MSPs about climate change. Everyone will then go to Parliament together to meet with MSPs.

Don't worry if you're not sure how to talk to your MSP - you will be sent a briefing pack in advance with lots of helpful information, aswell as the briefing session on the day itself. Or you can simply explain to them why you're concerned about climate change and why you feel it's important they take action.

As this event takes place inside the Scottish Parliament, places to take part in the lobby must be booked in advance.

Book your place now

Once you've booked your place, make sure you invite your MSP

Full details on the SCCS website 

Moving vigil in Glasgow's George Square for #Orlando attack victims. #LGBT #LoveWins

#APD cut is lose, lose - for public services and for climate action

#WED2016 It is World Environment Day on Sunday 5 June. A good day for the Scottish Government to cancel plans to cut Air Passenger Duty.

UNISON Scotland today urged the Scottish Government to prioritise protecting public services by axing its plans to first cut APD by 50%, then eventually abolish the tax.

In our response to the Scottish Government consultation on APD, closing today, we argue that Ministers should be defending public services and working for social justice by opposing austerity and tackling inequalities. Climate change action is essential and should support these goals. 

Instead, this policy proposal would benefit the wealthiest, while increasing aviation emissions. A lose, lose proposal for Scottish public services and for protecting our world for future generations.

If Scotland is to meet its proudly proclaimed as world leading climate change targets, a cut to APD makes no sense. The Scottish Government should think again.

Letter of support for Colombian national strike

From Lilian Macer, Convener, UNISON Scotland and Clare Williams, Convener, UNISON Northern, Paula Barker, Convener, UNISON North West

President of the Republic of Colombia
Juan Manuel Santos Calderón
Casa de Nariño – Carrera 8 No.7-26
Bogotá – Colombia

Friday, 27 May 2016

Dear President Santos,

We are writing to express our support and solidarity with the Colombian peoples who have come together to express their discontent in the form of a National Strike: The Agrarian, Ethnic, Rural and Popular Minga.

Rural people, workers and local communities continue to suffer the impacts of economic policies that directly affect their livelihoods and modes of production. Such policies are a hindrance to achieving peace with social and environmental justice in the different regions of Colombia. That is why they have decided to mobilise through the country’s farmlands, roads and cities.

Scotland in UNISON May 2016 now online

Reports of all the main UNISON speakers at the STUC Congress 2016 in Dundee
- Politicians must be bold in opposing austerity
– STUC to fight for fair and Social Europe
– Framework sets out vision for fair work in Scotland
– UNISON wins call to defend human rights
– Post election – where do the unions stand now? – Mike Kirby
– North Lanarkshire beats off privatisation
– Zero hours – bad for workers, services and economy
– Opposition to TTIP ‘dodgy trade deals’
– Health Conference reports
– Health and safety award for UNISON’s Scott Donohoe
– Trident an extravagance that will destroy public services
and much more…

Click here for a PDF

UNISON member interested in climate change? Green Network Meeting Sat 21 May

Calling all UNISON members interested in climate change!

Come to our next Green Network meeting in Glasgow - this Saturday, 21 May.

We have a guest speaker - Jim Densham from Stop Climate Chaos Scotland. Come and find out the latest on tackling global warming and campaigning for a low carbon Scotland. 

Tell us what you think we should be doing and/or what you are doing where you are.

And join in discussions about Just Transition, green workplace action as part of our Combating Austerity work, and the Scottish Food Coalition's call for a socially just and environmentally sustainable food system.

The meeting is from 11am -1pm in the UNISON Scotland office. 14, West Campbell Street, Glasgow G2 6RX. Email f.montgomery@unison.co.uk for more information and to sign up for Green Network email updates.

Pay all care workers living wage, says UNISON

UNISON is calling on all employers to pay the living wage to care workers and all councils to adopt UNISON’s Ethical Care Charter in its Social care manifesto for Scotland to improve working conditions for some of the worst paid public workers in Scotland.

UNISON manifesto Social Care in Scotland is launched today (Monday 2 May) (See on website)

Improving the quality of care means seriously addressing workforce issues, the most important of which is pay. Despite the introduction of the Chancellor’s new UK ‘Living’ Wage which sets an hourly rate of £7.20 for workers aged 25 and over, many employers do not pay for time to travel between visits or make other cuts to terms and conditions. UNISON believes that all providers should be required to pay the Scottish Living Wage (currently £8.25 in Scotland) through the procurement process.

#BOTW16 UNISON Scotland training weekend under way

Convener Lilian Macer visits a Welfare Officer session at UNISON Scotland's annual new branch officer training weekend in Glasgow.

Right to choose is a class issue

#STUC16 The last business in a rushed afternoon was the emergency motion on abortion. Because of the time restriction, UNISON’s Davena Rankin limited her speech to just one aspect of the motion. Here we print her short but powerful speech in full.

“The 1967 Abortion Act was never applied to Northern Ireland – something we must fight to change.

STUC backs progressive movements in South America

#STUC16 The STUC sent out a clear message today that we should be backing democratically elected governments in South America against a ‘corporate-wealth’ right wing backlash.

Moving UNISON’s emergency motion, Sam Macartney told delegates: “Over the last couple of decades we have seen huge advances for working people in South America.

STUC congratulates Glasgow CCTV staff on new deal

#STUC16 The STUC Congress sent congratulations today to Glasgow CCTV UNISON members who have won a deal bringing up to a 24% pay rise, after twelve days of strike action over six weeks.

The 19 members of UNISON are employed by Community Safety Glasgow, an ALEO of Glasgow City Council, and were taking strike action over the employer’s failure to pay shift allowances. The dispute was about fairness and pay equality.

Prevent strategy is counter-productive and risks alienating communities

#STUC16 The STUC will continue to oppose the “Prevent” strategy amidst concerns that it could criminalise Muslim communities and has called on the Scottish Parliament to ensure that it doesn’t divide our communities as it is implemented in Scotland.

Delegates heard that it will force workers in the health service, the prison service, local authorities, school , further and higher education and elsewhere to act as “snoopers” to report signs of radicalisation, which is very narrowly defined.