29/11/2010
Survey reveals Probation Service being pushed to breaking point

UNISON, the UK’s leading public sector union, today warned that the probation service is being pushed to breaking point, by a toxic cocktail of staff cuts and increased workloads. These spell danger for the government’s so-called “rehabilitation revolution”, which will see more offenders put on probation to take the prison population down. The survey of staff in the sector by the union found 69% of respondents already suffering from staff cuts, with 80% saying that workloads have increased in the last year. 74% said that stress levels had risen, whilst 69% said morale had decreased. 68% of staff said they felt less secure in their jobs than they did last year. Staff also raised concerns over management, with 46% saying they did not feel supported. The union said that plans to privatise parts of the service could see private companies making money out of offenders’ doing community payback work. The union warned these moves could spark a race to the bottom on service quality and terms and conditions for staff. Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary, said: “The probation service is instrumental in delivering community justice, rehabilitating offenders, and protecting the communities where offenders live and work. It is deeply worrying that the service is already under severe pressure, with staff reporting an increase in stress and workloads, but a reduction in numbers, leading to a collapse in morale. Worrying numbers of staff said they did not feel supported by their managers. “The worry is that an already tough job is set to get even tougher. The Ministry of Justice has been hit with savage cuts. If these cuts fall on the probation service, it will buckle under the strain. At the same time as cutting, the government is set to launch a “rehabilitation revolution”. This will see more offenders placed into the community. Who will be making sure these offenders and the communities where they live and work are safe?“The government is pressing ahead with plans to privatise parts of the service, including community payback work. This will take vital lifeblood away from Probation Trusts, and see private companies making money out of offenders’ hard work. It is highly unlikely that privatisation will lead to cost savings, but it is certain to lead to a lower quality service, and a race to the bottom for staff terms and conditions. “Our survey shows a clear link between staffing cuts and rising stress levels. And now the government’s plans are set to make matters worse by piling on the pressure. There is only so far the service can be stretched before it reaches breaking point. The government should take another look at its plans and take into account the risk they pose to offenders and to communities.” Key findings from the survey: - 80% of respondents said their workload had increased over the past year, with staff in Wales, the South West, and the North East most likely to report an increase. - 52% said they would not recommend their job. - Job security is a major concern – 68% felt less secure in their job compared with a year ago.- 69% said staff numbers in their area had already decreased over the previous year, with staff in Wales, the South West, Greater London and Eastern England more likely to report a decrease in staff numbers over the previous year. - 69% said morale had decreased in the past year. - 74% said stress levels had increased over the past year – staff in the North East, South West, Wales and Eastern England were more likely to report an increase. - 46% said they did not feel supported by their manager. - 79% said they had undergone training in the past year, with 32% saying their training lasted between 1 and 2 days. 46% said their training lasted between 3 and 6 days. - The three regions which stuck out in terms of workload pressure, stress and morale were Wales, the South West and the North East. UNISON represents 5000 members in the probation service, and more than 1000 were sampled in this survey.

Capita sacrificing services to protect profits- UNISON response

UNISON, the UK’s largest public sector union, today (19 November) accused the government of helping Capita, a public sector contractor, to cut services in a bid to protect company profits.The union warned that the government’s plans to increase privatisation of public services could spark a race to the bottom, as private companies seek to protect profits at all costs. Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary, said: “Here we have the government hand in glove with a private company, plotting how to cut services to protect profits. UNISON has long been warning that profits come before people when vital local services are privatised, but now the government is making it even easier for their friends in private industry to sacrifice services to line their own pockets. “As public spending cuts bite, margins will be ever tighter. This could spark a dangerous race to the bottom on services, and pay and conditions for staff. Coupled with the government drive to boost private involvement in public services, this is a recipe for disaster. It is the elderly, the sick and the vulnerable who rely on local services who will pay the ultimate price.”

Conservatives using Co-operatives as a Trojan horse

UNISON, the UK’s leading public sector trade union, today accused the government of using the co-operative ideal as a Trojan horse, to disguise their drastic cuts to public services.With budgets axed, the union is warning that breaking up public services, under the guise of turning them into co-operatives, would not deliver improvements. UNISON accused the Government of simply washing its hands of its responsibility to care for the most vulnerable in society, children, the poor and the elderly.Dave Prentis, UNISON General Secretary, said:“The coalition is simply using the co –operative ideal as a Trojan horse to disguise the effects of their drastic spending cuts on public services. Pushing responsibility onto staff to try and do more with less money, is setting them up to fail. The Government is simply washing its hands of its responsibility to provide services to the most vulnerable in society.“In today’s unstable financial environment, small co-ops and mutuals will be highly vulnerable to take over by big business, which could quickly start to dominate the market. This backdoor privatisation suits the Tories down to the ground.“The public should not be fooled by the Government’s Damascene conversion to co-operatives and social enterprises. I can’t see them advocating them across the private sector.”The union also pointed out that some of the original pilots in children’s social work had failed and staff voted with their feet. One even shut down after children, parents and foster carers were not properly consulted.”

Personal budgets could lead to personal hell, says UNISON

UNISON has warned that vulnerable people could be stuck in a personal hell as plans to move 1 million people on to personal budgets in the form of direct payments coincide with council cuts, shutting services and tightening eligibility. The warning follows the announcement by Care Services Minister Paul Burstow today (16 November) of personal budgets for all, and Government targets for even greater privatisation of social care.The UK’s largest public sector union is concerned that the long-standing funding deficit in social care will spiral, as austerity cuts bite. Stripping away vital local authority services will leave people struggling to manage their own care and stranded without choice or support.Helga Pile, UNISON’s National Officer for Social Care, said:“The move to making personal budgets in the form of direct payments at a time of cuts will leave vulnerable people with little choice or support.“The public should not be fooled by dressing up cuts as a chance to give more power to citizens. Tell that to hard-pressed families worried sick about elderly and vulnerable relatives who cannot get any help in the home. “It’s easy to sit in Whitehall and say councils shouldn’t cut eligibility at the same time you are forcing through record cuts in council spending. Many people will now not even be eligible for a personal budget, let alone any care services, and elderly people with conditions like dementia, Parkinson’s disease and diabetes face losing home support, even if they are unable to carry out basic personal care.“The care system is a nightmare for families to navigate. Without the option of directly provided services, people may not know whether the budget they are allocated is fair and councils could freeze people’s budgets, or start cutting them as the funding squeeze tightens. It’s no accident that the Government has slipped in a policy change to put the emphasis on ‘cash for care’ rather than the other more supported options that personal budgets can offer. This makes it easier to make cuts by stealth, and put the onus on people to ration their own care.“Day centres, meals on wheels and reliable homecare are among the vital services being removed. Trained, qualified staff are being replaced by cheaper workers. We have huge concerns over where the workers are going to come from to work for the minimum wage on casual contracts.“Evidence shows that moving to ‘cash for care’ can have a hugely damaging impact on older people’s wellbeing, but this is ignored. Evidence proves the damaging effect on quality of care of privatisation to the lowest bidder, but this is ignored. Far from promoting choice, the government is changing the policy on personal budgets to make it one size fits all, without proper debate or consultation.”

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Quality public services build sustainable economies, and democratic, just societies.

In tough economic times, social programs provide essential supports for both economies and societies. Investing in public services is the most effective way to create new jobs. Without them, the private sector cannot function. Democracy and universal access are linked to fair and accountable taxation. The growing gap between rich and poor in many countries can be explained in large measure by the fact that governments are taxing less and, correspondingly, spending less on social services. The economic crisis is providing more excuses for cutting public funding, at a time when citizens need public services such as education, unemployment, welfare, and health benefits the most. Public Services International and our affiliates are standing up to the attacks on public services, around the world.
Please see the following links for examples of these inspiring campaigns. Tell us your suggestions for more links and resources by emailing communications@world-psi.org

The UK Trades Union Congress

Has published a new report entitled Where the money goes: How we benefit from public services. It estimates the value of the public services from which households benefit, according to different income groups and regions. On average, each household in the UK receives the cash equivalent of £21,400 in services and benefits each year. The report also shows that the planned spending cuts will hit the poorest thirteen times harder than the richest.

Public sector pensions - UNISON comment

Commenting on Treasury plans to consult on the discount rate used in public sector pension schemes, Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON, said:"Changing the discount rate would cause more problems than it would solve. On average, public sector workers pay 6% of their salary into their pension schemes. The Government is now talking about adding an extra 3% on top. This could price many low paid workers out of saving towards their retirement.“If public sector workers are forced to opt out, this will undermine the future viability of the pension schemes. Workers will stop saving and rely on state benefits when they retire, leaving the taxpayer to pick up the bill.“It is time the government turned their attention to the private sector, where two thirds of employers don’t provide a single penny towards their employees’ pensions.”

British Gas price hike - UNISON response

Commenting on the news that British Gas will increase bills next month by an average of 7%, Steve Bloomfield, UNISON national officer for energy, said: “British Gas is the second of the six major energy companies to announce bill hikes, and it’s only a matter of time before the rest follow suit. Although there is some protection for low-income households, millions of other families will have to think twice before turning the heating up this winter, in fear of the heavy bill that will drop through their letterbox. “The British energy market needs an urgent, comprehensive review and overhaul to make sure it is acting in the interest of consumers. It cannot be right that companies like Centrica, British Gas’s parent company, can make huge profits by selling and producing gas, without passing savings onto British Gas customers.”

UNISON NHS survey reveals front-line pressures

UNISON, the UK¹s largest public service union, is warning that staff shortages, recruitment freezes and redundancies are set to ‘turn back the clock’ on patient care in the UK. A worrying report from the union shows a front-line under severe pressure, with more patients treated by fewer staff.UNISON is warning that the Government¹s squeeze on funding, risks dragging health services back to the 80¹s and 90¹s. An era when the NHS was starved of funds, hospital roofs leaked, training for nurses and other professionals was cut and waiting lists, for those who couldn¹t afford to pay, dragged into years.The survey - a cross section of more than 8,000 NHS staff - reveals that hospitals are responding to financial difficulties by freezing recruitment, cutting posts and services, outsourcing and restructuring. Almost a third of staff say this has led to a decrease in the quality of patient care, 80% reported an increase in workload, while half were struggling with staff shortages.Karen Jennings, UNISON Head of Health, said:“What is truly distressing is that that the survey clearly shows how spending cuts are already threatening to damage the quality of patient care. The Government are turning back the clock and dragging the country back to the dark days of the 80¹s and early 90¹s when the NHS was starved of money. Back then, patients who could afford it, paid up to avoid being at the end of a very long waiting list or being treated in poorly maintained hospitals.“Government cuts threaten to undo and reverse the benefits of all the investment and hard work that has gone into turning the NHS round over the past 13 years. We have been able to train our own nurses instead of scouring third world countries to fill shortages. In a worrying reversal, half the people we surveyed are affected by staff shortages. This is particularly dangerous because the lack of staff was a key factor in the appalling problems with patient care at Mid Staffs Hospital.“Our survey also reveals that 80% of staff have seen their workload increase and that means fewer staff treating more patients. This ties in with reports that NHS organisations are implementing recruitment freezes and making redundancies across the UK.“Our survey explodes the myth that the NHS is protected from spending cuts. How can this be true when Trusts are being asked to make savings to the tune of £20bn? At the same time, we know that the NHS faces an unquantifiable increase in demand as a result of cuts to local authority and other public sector services. “The cost of treatments are going up, drugs are getting more expensive, we have an aging population who need more, not less care and the cost of the latest round of top-down reforms will run into billions. “It is time for the Government to think again about the long term damage that their plans are inflicting on the NHS.”Key results from the UNISON survey:· 54% of staff reported they were coping with an increase in the number of patients; · 1 in 2 staff have experienced staff shortages; · 59% of respondents report a reduction in the number of staff employed; · 32% perceived a decline in the quality of care in their organisation; · There has been no let up in the relentless pressure placed on NHS staff, with 80% reporting increased workload and 77% increased stress over the last year; Factors contributing the most to increased workload include vacancy freezes and redundancies; · 46% of staff reported recruitment and retention difficulties; · Just under half of workplaces / departments responded to expected financial challenges with recruitment freezes.Ends The UNISON survey will form part of the evidence to be submitted to the NHS Pay Review Body on 10 November 2010

Relax - it's national stress awareness day

The risks of stress are far greater than you might suppose, warns UNISON's head of health and safety Hope Daley, on National Stress Awareness Day."Stress is clearly one of the biggest health issues facing our members today, and we want employers to focus more on the health of our staff and less on the bottom line to ensure that workers - who are after all their greatest asset - remain healthy and safe at work." said Ms Daley."Moreover, stress can be a killer, and coupled with the massive cuts to jobs and services, it could have a major impact on both individuals and society as a whole," she continued.A recent report undertaken by Manchester university has revealed that the public sector will be the most affected by increased stress as the global economic downturn impacts on the workplace.

Pension proposals - UNISON response

Commenting on the government’s pensions proposals today, Glyn Jenkins, UNISON Head of Pensions, said:"We believe all employers should contribute to their employees pensions and the fact that currently 2/3rds of UK employers let down their staff by paying nothing is a national disgrace.“But the proposals of allowing employers to contribute just 3% on a band of earnings, phased in over a number of years, is far too low to tackle pensioner poverty or provide relief to the taxpayers.“It takes a combined contribution rate of 20% and many years’ service to secure a decent pension and today’s Government proposals fall very short of the mark. It is peddling false-hope that somehow NEST will also come to the aid of the taxpayer. If employers continue to get away with paying such low contributions, good schemes will wither away and the taxpayer will have to pick up the benefits bill.”

Tuesday is Equal Pay Day.

From 2 November until the end of the year, women effectively work for nothing, because of the UK's persistent gender pay gap. How disgraceful that in 2010, women are still waiting for pay equality. We are campaigning for the law to be updated to make it easier for women to challenge unfair pay. But the coalition's public spending cuts are only making matters worse.Women bear the brunt of the cuts, as they make more use of, and find more jobs in, the public sector. Another reason why the union's Million Voices Campaign is so important. This week also sees UNISON's first community service group conference this week. The conference is very timely as the third sector is hard hit by damaging public spending cuts. The cuts are in direct contrast to the Tories so-called 'Big Society' agenda - otherwise known as the 'Big Cop Out'.

Say no to skeleton services

Public sector workers in London, Brighton, Leeds, Nottingham, Newcastle Taunton, Swansea and Birmingham from UNISON, the UK’s largest public sector union, will today (29 October) pose as skeletons in a grim reminder to the public that the coalition’s drastic, ideologically motivated public spending cuts, will slash vital local services to the bone. The union is calling on Tory and Lib Dem MPs to ‘bone-up’ on UNISON’s alternative budget, which proposes a fairer route to recovery, or face a dead loss in the next election.Heather Wakefield, UNISON Head of Local Government, said: “This may look like a fun Hallowe’en protest, but there is a serious message behind the masks. “The Chancellor’s knife is cutting deep. His drastic, hard and fast public spending cuts will cut vital local services back to the bone and throw tens of thousands on the dole.“With spending power cut, local shops and businesses will suffer from wholesale, long term, mass unemployment. High streets will turn into ghost towns, and local economies will be given a death sentence, spiralling downwards, out of control. “Why should hardworking people pay the price for the recession? The bankers who caused this crisis are still making off with massive bonuses. And while millions of workers are in the grip of a pay freeze, the directors of the top FTSE 100 companies are laughing all the way to the bank with 55% pay rises. Where is the fairness in that? “The Chancellor should take his blinkers off; there is a much fairer route to recovery. Cracking down on the tax avoidance and tax havens, and making the bankers pay their fair share would claw back billions, saving jobs and stimulating recovery.”UNISON’s Save Our Services alternative budget includes: A 50% tax rate on incomes over £100,000 would raise £4.7bn a year£10bn could be raised every year by reforming tax havens and residence rules to reduce tax avoidance by corporations and ‘non-domiciled’ residents£14.9bn raised every year by using minimum tax rates to stop reliefs being used disproportionately subsidise incomes over £100,000£30bn could be raised every year by introducing the Robin Hood TaxBringing back the windfall tax on bankers’ bonuses would raise £1.5bn £500m could be saved every year by eradicating healthcare acquired infections from the NHS – the extra cleaners would cost half this £1bn could be saved every year by halving the local government agency bill£5bn could be raised every year with an Empty Property Tax £2.8bn saved by ending the central government use of private consultant £3bn could be saved in user fees and interest charges every year if PFI schemes were replaced with conventional public procurement