Members lobby employers' conference

Heather Wakefield joins members outside the LGA conference to tell the employers that their offer is worth peanuts.(02/07/08) UNISON members working in local government today lobbied delegates at the Local Government Association conference in Bournemouth.In the latest stage of the dispute over pay, conference delegates were given peanuts and bananas to show how little the 2.45% pay offer means.Council workers across England, Wales and Northern Ireland will stage a 48-hour walkout on 16 and 17 July over their below-inflation pay offer.They include homecare and care home workers, refuse collectors, teaching assistants, librarians, social workers and environmental health officers.Despite the imminent strike, the three-day employers' conference did not include pay on the agenda.UNISON's head of local government, Heather Wakefield, said: "With a two-day strike around the corner, it is unbelievable that local government employers are sticking their heads in the sand and are not discussing pay at their conference."Our members would be in big trouble if they did the same every time another final demand dropped onto their doormat."Even bananas went up in price today," she continued. "With the cost of basic essentials going up weekly, our members cannot afford to take another pay hit."We have made it clear that we are willing to talk, but the ball is in the employers' court."

My 'council', what about 'my pay'

(02/07/08) UNISON today attacked the Local Government Association (LGA) for launching a 'My council' public relations exercise, as 600,000 local government workers prepare to take strike action.The LGA is using its annual conference in Bournemouth to trail a series of posters telling people about the many services provided by councils.UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis, said: "The LGA poster campaign shows just how difficult working for the council can be. What it doesn’t tell you is just how little those people get paid for doing jobs that most people would run a mile from."These are the very people who are being asked to take a pay cut. These are the people who will be out on strike on 16 and 17 July."The LGA is happy to boast about what excellent value for money council services provide, but they won’t share those £16bn efficiency savings with the people who made them - council workers."It’s time for the employers to tear themselves away from publicity seeking and concentrate on settling the current pay dispute so that council workers can continue keeping the streets clean and people safe.UNISON members also leafleted local government leaders attending the LGA conference, calling on them to come back to the table to negotiate a fair deal on pay.

Council strikes confirmed

(27/06/08) UNISON’s industrial action committee has today confirmed that local government strike action will go ahead on 16 and 17 July in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. "Throughout the union and across the country our members working in local government have given sustained strike action the green light," said UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis.The action affects 600,000 of the union’s local government members, including social workers, librarians, school meals workers, refuse collectors, surveyors and teaching assistants.They will walk out to protest this year’s below-inflation pay offer of 2.45%. "This decision has not been taken lightly, but years of pay cuts and recent hikes in fuel, food and housing costs has left them with little choice," Mr Prentis continued."The employers must realise that we mean business. They must also understand they can resolve this dispute by coming up with a decent offer. Our members are loyal public service workers and our case for fair pay is strong."The government’s Office of National Statistics’ own figures show that Retail Price Index inflation reached 4.3% in May. In the same month, the CPI measure of inflation, which the government uses to set its inflation target, hit 3.3%
Local government workers in Scotland are being balloted in July on taking strike action after rejecting a three-year offer worth 2.5% in each year.

Council strikes confirmed

(27/06/08) UNISON’s industrial action committee has today confirmed that local government strike action will go ahead on 16 and 17 July in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. "Throughout the union and across the country our members working in local government have given sustained strike action the green light," said UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis.The action affects 600,000 of the union’s local government members, including social workers, librarians, school meals workers, refuse collectors, surveyors and teaching assistants.They will walk out to protest this year’s below-inflation pay offer of 2.45%. "This decision has not been taken lightly, but years of pay cuts and recent hikes in fuel, food and housing costs has left them with little choice," Mr Prentis continued."The employers must realise that we mean business. They must also understand they can resolve this dispute by coming up with a decent offer. Our members are loyal public service workers and our case for fair pay is strong."The government’s Office of National Statistics’ own figures show that Retail Price Index inflation reached 4.3% in May. In the same month, the CPI measure of inflation, which the government uses to set its inflation target, hit 3.3%
Local government workers in Scotland are being balloted in July on taking strike action after rejecting a three-year offer worth 2.5% in each year.

Local government workers seek 48-hour strike

UNISON local government negotiators for England, Wales and Northern Ireland are seeking authorisation to start the “sustained strike action” over the below-inflation pay offer of 2.45% with a 48-hour strike in mid July.The union’s industrial action committee meets on Friday 27 June to make the decision over strike action – and negotiators on the union’s National Joint Council committee are recommending that 600,000 local government workers kick off the action by striking on 16 and 17 July. “It is a tough decision to take strike action but our members have shown that they are willing to fight for a fair deal,” said UNISON head of local government Heather Wakefield. “Once the dates are finally agreed we will be going all out to mobilise maximum support around those strike days.”Members voted 55% to 45% in favour of a programme of sustained strike in a ballot whose result was announced yesterday. That vote was in reaction to a ‘final offer’ from local government employers of a 2.45% pay rise. The government’s Office of National Statistics’ own figures show that Retail Price Index inflation reached 4.3% in May. In the same month, the CPI measure of inflation, which the government uses to set its inflation target, hit 3.3%“We are of course always willing to meet the employers,” said Ms Wakefield. “The solution to this is in their hands.” But she also warned the employers that the union will mobilise its members for strike action, saying “they must know that we mean business and they must know that our members cannot afford to take another pay cut this year.”
Local government workers in Scotland are being balloted in July on taking strike action after rejecting a three-year offer worth 2.5% in each year.

Local government workers seek 48-hour strike

UNISON local government negotiators for England, Wales and Northern Ireland are seeking authorisation to start the “sustained strike action” over the below-inflation pay offer of 2.45% with a 48-hour strike in mid July.The union’s industrial action committee meets on Friday 27 June to make the decision over strike action – and negotiators on the union’s National Joint Council committee are recommending that 600,000 local government workers kick off the action by striking on 16 and 17 July. “It is a tough decision to take strike action but our members have shown that they are willing to fight for a fair deal,” said UNISON head of local government Heather Wakefield. “Once the dates are finally agreed we will be going all out to mobilise maximum support around those strike days.”Members voted 55% to 45% in favour of a programme of sustained strike in a ballot whose result was announced yesterday. That vote was in reaction to a ‘final offer’ from local government employers of a 2.45% pay rise. The government’s Office of National Statistics’ own figures show that Retail Price Index inflation reached 4.3% in May. In the same month, the CPI measure of inflation, which the government uses to set its inflation target, hit 3.3%“We are of course always willing to meet the employers,” said Ms Wakefield. “The solution to this is in their hands.” But she also warned the employers that the union will mobilise its members for strike action, saying “they must know that we mean business and they must know that our members cannot afford to take another pay cut this year.”
Local government workers in Scotland are being balloted in July on taking strike action after rejecting a three-year offer worth 2.5% in each year.

Local government members vote for action

(23/06/08) UNISON members in local government in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have voted by 55% to 45% for a programme of sustained strike action over a 2.45% pay offer.The union’s negotiating team, the National Joint Council committee, will now meet tomorrow to decide what action to recommend to the union's industrial action committee that meets on Friday 27 June.Commenting on the ballot result, general secretary Dave Prentis said: "This is a solid vote for action and a clear message to the local government employers that our members are willing to fight for a decent pay rise."They are fed up and angry that they are expected to accept pay cut after pay cut, while bread and butter prices go through the roof. "Most of them are low paid workers, who are hit hardest by food and fuel price hikes and they see the unfairness of boardroom bonanzas and big city bonuses"Other local government workers who have to use their cars for work are being hit hard too by spiralling fuel costs and they end up subsidising their employers." UNISON head of local government Heather Wakefield added: "The employers should be in no doubt: the members have voted for a programme of sustained and escalating strike action because they are sick of being treated as the poor relations of the public sector."Their case for a realistic pay increase is indisputable. We are, of course, willing to meet with the employers at any time, but we will decide tomorrow what recommendations to make to our national strike committee."Nearly 600,000 UNISON members were balloted on industrial action; including social workers, housing benefit workers, rent collectors refuse workers, school meals staff, teaching assistants, cooks, cleaners, architects and surveyors.Almost 250,000 of those balloted earn less than £6.50 an hour and 75% of them are women.The joint unions' pay claim was for 6% or 50p an hour whichever was the greater.In Scotland, the union will ballot more than 100,000 UNISON members in July for industrial action, after they rejected a three-year offer worth 2.5% per year.UNISON also announced a lobby of the Scottish employers' organisation, CoSLA, on Wednesday 25 June."Despite public statements from CoSLA that they are still in negotiation, the employers have recently cancelled a negotiating meeting scheduled for Wednesday," noted UNISON Scotgland regional organiser Dougie Black."We have decided that our negotiators, and a representative number of our low paid members, will keep the appointment nevertheless to make the point to CoSLA that their offer is unacceptable."They will be carrying the princely sum of 46p – the total that our lowest paid members can expect their hourly rate to increase if they accepted the employers' offer."

UNISON calls for tighter regulations

on use of teaching assistants

UNISON is calling for tighter regulations on the use of teaching assistants in schools.Speaking from the union's annual conference in Bournemouth, Christina McAnea, UNISON National Secretary for Education, said: "Our members tell us they are often being asked to take on additional duties including taking whole classes."Many of them have not received the right training or support. Importantly, they are also not paid for these extra responsibilities."We are pushing the government and the employers to provide much tighter regulations and for these to be more closely monitored. "The government's wider agenda for extended services, personalised learning and targeting resources towards the most disadvantaged children, will all be put at risk if the lack of training, low pay and exploitation."Rosemary Plummer, a teaching assistant and union rep from Islington, reported that more than 40 teaching assistants from a small area of London had told her they felt they were being asked to do more than they were qualified for."They're delivering maths, they're delivering literacy and marking work - that's a teacher's job. They're being used as cut-price teachers," she said.UNISON organises more than 200,000 schools support staff.

'Use your liberty to promote ours'

"Please use your liberty to promote ours." The words of imprisoned Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi were echoed by numerous speakers at conference today as they spoke of their growing alarm at the unfolding natural disaster in Burma.It is now several weeks since Cyclone Nargis hit Burma, but the country is still reeling from its impact.Meanwhile, international aid agencies have been denied access to the stricken areas.Delegates said they were appalled at the military junta's failure to put in place any meaningful relief and rescue operation.Its response illustrated the contempt in which the regime holds the wellbeing of its own people, conference said.Talking about the problem was all very well, "but now is the time to act," urged Salford City rep Ray Walker, as conference voted to send a clear signal of support and solidarity to Burmese trade unions and the Burmese people.One of the most moving speeches of the morning came from University of Bristol rep Toe Aung, who left Burma for Britain 22 years ago.He had been to the low-lying delta devastated by the cyclone, he said, painting a picture of the people who live there – mainly farmers, growing rice for a living. His mother was born there."The people there have a simple life. They are good natured, which is why they have been exploited by the military government for so long." He did not dare visualise their pain and suffering in the wake of the cyclone, he said, telling conference: "They desperately need our help. Please show your generosity and solidarity."

Diversity 'is not the problem'

Racism, discrimination and poverty are the main barriers to integration - not cultural diversity, UNISON's national delegate conference declared today.Delegates voted for a range of measures to defend and promote multiculturalism and community cohesion. And they reaffirmed the union's commitment to opposing the far right and fighting racism.That fight needs to be year-round, not just at election-time, conference said, noting concern at the rising popularity of the BNP, and sending a message to all UNISON members that "the campaigning has got to start now."It was for everyone to tackle racism wherever they confronted it, and to work with all appropriate organisations to bring their communities together, urged speaker after speaker."As a union we can't just talk about this; we have to put in the resources and our time and energy, in our workplaces and on the streets," said Northern regional convenor Clare Williams."In UNISON we can rightly be proud of our campaigning work against the BNP... but let's be clear, we have still got work to do," she said."This is our message to the BNP," she said: "We will challenge you wherever you are until there is not a single BNP councillor and you are back in the gutter where you belong."Conference condemned government attacks on migrant workers, particularly ministerial statements which fuelled the far right and gave credence to the right-wing gutter press. Delegates also condemned media coverage "designed to create a climate of Islamophobic hysteria and isolate, demonise and even criminalise Islamic religious practices, choice of dress and cultural expression. "We regard these attacks as essentially racist," conference said.Conference also backed continued support for the joint UNISON and National Assembly Against Racism campaign, One Society, Many Cultures.Leading the call on behalf of the union's national black members' committee, Bev Millar reminded delegates why it was important to promote racial harmony."Where multiculturalism is celebrated, diversity is welcomed and racism is combated," she said. "Britain is a dynamic and successful multicultural society thanks to the contribution of all its citizens."Multiculturalism enriches us all by encouraging different ethnic groups to share their cultural heritage, added Rochdale branch delegate June Poole."We're already neighbours," she said - let's be neighbourly. "And remember, we're all different, but we're all equal."

Prentis issues battle warning !

"Class still divides. Geography still divides. Working people – our people – are taking the hit. It’s immoral – and it’s got to change."Addressing UNISON's national delegate conference this afternoon, general secretary Dave Prentis rallied members to prepare for strikes across the public sector.The union will know on Monday whether its local government members in England, Northern Ireland and Wales have voted to strike over this year’s below-inflation pay offer – an offer in line with the government's "iniquitous and unjust" pay policy.But UNISON members did not elect a Labour government to watch its core supporters suffer, Mr Prentis said. "How can it be that in New Labour’s Britain, it is the working poor who pay the price?" he asked.UNISON members want fair pay increases that will allow them to "live their lives without worrying about putting food on the table or the next gas bill," said the general secretary, telling conference he had placed ads in all the major newspapers today and tomorrow, calling on local government members to vote … and to vote Yes for industrial action."We need to prepare for battle," he said. "And I give this commitment: if our union decides to approve industrial action in local government, we will campaign with all other public service unions to break this pay policy."It was not too late to listen, Mr Prentis warned the government: "Raise our people up, or our people will bring you down."UNISON wanted a government that would stand up for working people, he said, promising this was a fight the union would not back down from."And while I am general general secretary, we will be at the forefront of that fight."This union, our union, will organise the most powerful campaign ever seen in support of our public services and those, our members, who provide them," Mr Prentis said.It would be a campaign to unite all public service workers, and all public service unions, "a campaign that turns our anger into aspiration… and makes justice for all a reality."UNISON’s activists would be the key to its success, he added, calling on delegates for their hearts, time and energy, because "that's when we’re strongest and that is how we will win."

Where workers' rights cost lives

"They may kill our leaders but the struggle will continue. Long live the unity and solidarity of the workers of the world."An impassioned speech from Ana Lucia Pinzon, leader of Colombian public sector workers' trade union Fenaltrase, was a key feature of all the union’s service group conferences in Bournemouth, prompting standing ovations from delegates.Free market reforms are taking their toll on workers around the globe, Ms Pinzon said, but in Colombia it's not just labour rights that are under attack.She explained: "It is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a trade union member. Thousands of my colleagues have been killed in recent years - 26 so far this year."In Colombia, trade unionists face the constant threat of violence and assassination. Sometimes, they just disappear, Ms Pinzon said. "One of my colleagues was taken away by police patrol when he was taking his six-year-old daughter to school. He has not been seen since."The people of Colombia took to the streets in March this year to protest these human rights violations and show solidarity with the more than 10,000 people murdered by the government. But the violence and attacks had stepped up since, Ms Pinzon said.Thanking UNISON members for their support to date, she urged them to continue to lobby the UK government to provide much-needed humanitarian aid to Colombia."We need support and solidarity from our colleagues around the world to negotiate a peaceful end to this conflict and, finally, an end to this abuse," she said."Finally, on behalf of Colombian workers, thank you to everyone in UNISON who, through Justice for Colombia, has helped with projects to defend human rights," she added."Long live the construction of a better tomorrow for all the workers of the world."

Voters back fair pay for public servants

As hundreds of public service workers prepare to lobby their MPs today, new research shows wide public backing for union calls for public sector wages to keep up with the cost of living and with wage rises in the private sector.The YouGov poll shows that 79% of voters think public service pay should keep up with the cost of living. Nine out of 10 agree that the government should take housing and energy bills into account when working out the cost of living, rather than basing pay negotiations on a measure of inflation that excludes these figures.Nor did those surveyed want the pay of school workers, NHS staff and other public service workers to fall behind private sector pay – 68% believe it is unfair that public service pay settlements currently average 2.7%, while the pay of people working for private companies is increasing by 4%.At lunchtime today, trade unionists working in schools, councils, the NHS and elsewhere will take part in a rally at Westminster before lobbying MPs over union calls for public service wages to keep up with the cost of living.They will tell MPs that the government’s pay policy means that public service workers are facing cuts in their standard of living, that many are already struggling to make ends meet and cannot afford a below-inflation pay rise.

Great news Phase 2 Job Evaluation agreed by Unison.

We will shortly be going out to ballot with a recommendation to accept this offer. It is a fine example of the trade Unions and the Employer moving to an agreed position with the help of ACAS that we can all sign up to. The Shropshire Branch owe a big thank you to our Regional Officer Andrew Johnson for his persistent hard work on this issue and to the employers for their hard work and patience in providing all the documents that we requested a big thank you to all involved.

Local government strike ballot approved

(15/05/08) UNISON members working in local government in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have been given the green light for a ballot on industrial action after rejecting the pay offer from employers.The offer is for a 2.45% increase on all grades from scale point 7, with an additional £100 flat rate increase on scale points 4, 5 and 6, giving workers on those points a 3.3% rise.Employers also want agreement that the National Joint Council, the negotiating body, will seek to conclude a review of 'Green Book' terms and conditions, started as part of the 2007-8 settlement, by the end of this year, and 'seek to' agree pay rises of 2009-10 and 2010-11 by 31 December also.The offer is below the current inflation rate of 4.2% and less that the increase in average earnings across the economy.If members vote Yes to industrial action, that is likely to start with a two-day all-out strike in early July, and be followed by a sustained campaign of escalating action, involving strikes of more than two days.Asking members to vote for action, the union is making it clear that the employers' offer is final, and "solid and sustained" industrial action will be needed to convince the employers to reopen negotiations.In Scotland, an 80% rejection result in UNISON’s local government pay consultation is also likely to lead to a campaign and an industrial action ballot.Scotland’s local government committee has agreed to try and build a united campaign for industrial action with the other unions on the Scottish negotiating body.The offer from the Scottish employers, hasn’t been improved in recent discussions despite recent increases in inflation. It stays at 2.5% each year for three years, with no weighting for the low paid, and no chance to reopen negotiations should inflation continue to increase over that period.Scotland’s local government policy forum discussed the pay dispute and the results of the consultation exercise in some detail at their recent seminar and agreed to hold further discussions with colleagues from GMB and UNITE (T&G) at the next joint union side on 22 May. A Scottish local government conference has been called for 29 May, where a full report on the current position will be made, and a campaign is planned during June, aiming to build toward an industrial action ballot in the summer.

Dave Prentis says...

This week an important report, by the Commission on Vulnerable Employment, will be published that exposes a hidden Britain of exploitation and abuse of nearly two million workers. As a member of the Commission, I have been shocked at the extent of the abuse and the way that these workers become trapped in a cycle of low pay and exploitation.Many of the abuses were lawful and underline how inadequate UK employment law still is. As the largest public sector union, we have a duty to make sure that we organise these workers, champion their rights and make sure that bosses are not allowed to get away with what can only be described as 19th century practices.

Time to end the nation's 30-year wait

for a new bank holiday

The TUC is today (Thursday) marking the 30th anniversary of the creation of the May Day holiday - the last bank holiday to be introduced in the UK - by calling for a new autumn holiday to celebrate the great British tradition of volunteering.
The Callaghan Government introduced the May Day bank holiday on 1 May 1978. As people across the UK celebrated the extra day off work, the Bee Gees were top of the charts with Night Fever, Nottingham Forest were on the way to winning the First Division and a pint of bitter cost just 40p.
But while the worlds of football and music have moved on, the UK's bank holiday allocation has been left behind. No new bank holidays have been introduced since 1978, leaving Britain with just eight, the second lowest in Europe.
The TUC believes that a new bank holiday would help repay employees for their part in building the UK's economic success. The real value of the economy has doubled since 1978, but wages have not kept pace. If today's workers had the same share of the economy that went to wages in 1978, they would each have an extra £2,339 per year - easily enough to pay for another bank holiday.
The TUC, along with leading voluntary organisations, want a new Community Day bank holiday in late October to celebrate and encourage volunteering and community activity.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'We've gone thirty years without a new bank holiday and the UK is now languishing behind the rest of Europe. People are crying out for a new bank holiday, a call that politicians should be listening to.
'A new bank holiday would give everyone much-needed time with friends and family. Timing it around late October would also create a welcome pit-stop to break the gruelling four-month stint between the August bank holiday and the Christmas break.
'But a new bank holiday should not just be a day off work, it should be a special day that brings the nation together. What better cause for us all to celebrate than our great British tradition of volunteering.'

Food for good !!

(01/05/08) The pioneering fresh, local and healthy school meals enjoyed by East Ayrshire children should be standard in all Scotland’s schools, hospitals and prisons, says UNISON.The union launched its new Food for Good charter yesterday at Gargieston primary school in Kilmarnock – one of the East Ayrshire schools that’s showing how healthy, sustainable meals can be provided at a reasonable cost.UNISON wants to see the charter introduced across the public sector to help change the diet and health of the nation.The move is in response to a Scottish government consultation on establishing a national food policy.Speaking at the launch, UNISON’s Scottish organiser, Dave Watson, said: “Food for Good would improve the health of children in schools and nurseries and of hospital patients and prisoners as well as being good for the environment, for local suppliers and those in the developing world.“East Ayrshire has delivered a first-class example of how public sector catering can rise to the challenge and deliver quality, healthy food – food that is fresh and prepared and sourced locally where possible. And provided at a cost within the standard range local authorities already pay.”UNISON’s Food for Good charter addresses issues including sustainability, health, fair trade, proper pay and employment conditions and animal welfare.Hospital chef Lilian Macer, who chairs UNISON’s health group executive, pointed out that privatisation policies had led to mass-produced chilled and frozen ‘ready meals’ being transported hundreds of miles in order to cut costs at the expense of a quality service.“We believe that sustainability should be at the heart of food policy,” she added.“The aim for all public sector catering should be to give a daily option of an organic/ethically-produced main meal.”UNISON’s Food for Good charter

Family critical after man's death

The family of a man who died after a sugar factory explosion has said he would still be alive if more 'care and attention' had been paid to equipment. Robert Howe, 52, was showered with hot coals when a boiler exploded at British Sugar's Allscott factory on 2 March 2003. He died the following day from severe burns and multiple organ failure. An inquest jury recorded a verdict of accidental death and highlighted several failings over the boiler's maintenance. Mr Howe's family said the past five years had been 'long and distressing.' The jury's narrative verdict said corrosion of boiler pipes had gone unreported and criticised the training and supervision given to a man who fitted a misaligned soot blower. This had caused corrosion to a pipe which led to the explosion, the jury concluded. The corrosion on the pipe had been spotted when it was inspected in 2002, but this had not been reported. In a statement released though solicitors, his family said: 'The family feel that had there been more care and attention to prevent the failings leading up to this tragic incident, Mr Robert Howe, a British Sugar worker, would not have lost his life. The whole family have been devastated by the events surrounding Robert's death and would like to emphasise that it is impossible for them to put their feelings into words.' Mr Howe's daughter, Kristy Howe, 29, wept as the verdict was announced and cried 'yes' as the failure to shut down the boiler was included as an exacerbating factor. Martin Oversall, an inspector for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), said after the inquest that inquiries into a possible prosecution were ongoing. 'The HSE liaised earlier with the family about this,' he said. 'This process will be completed as quickly as possible.' British Sugar has had other deaths and serious injuries at its facilities in recent years (Risks 214). Six months after Mr Howe's death, 40-year-old David Reed died in a fall at the same Allscott plant.

TUC welcomes DWP report on HSE

Commenting on the DWP Select Committee report on the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) today (Monday), TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'We welcome this far-reaching report on the work of the HSE.
'The report contains a number of positive recommendations and the committee endorsed all the key points raised by the TUC in its evidence, including increasing penalties for rogue employers who ignore legislation, and the importance of consultation and involvement of safety representatives.
'We are pleased that the Select Committee has focused on the appalling position of vulnerable migrant workers, who can find themselves at risk due to overtiredness from working long hours, may be denied sick pay so come into work when they are too ill to do so, and can lack the fluent English needed to grasp basic safety procedures at work. We hope that their concerns will be listened to and addressed.
'However, the theme that runs through the report is that the HSE is being asked to do too much with too little. The Government needs to address the very serious resource issues that this report raises.'

Report warns councils face chronic staff shortage

(21/04/08) UNISON says new research that shows councils will struggle to employ enough staff to run services in the next decade is a perfect illustration of why pay and conditions must be improved.The report from the New Local Government Network, published today, warns that a third of local government workers are due to retire within 10 years.Adding to the problem, it also found that “authorities are set to lose significantly higher proportions of senior managers over the next decade” compared to other areas of the public services.UNISON senior national officer Lucille Thirlby said: “This is not an issue for the future, but for the here and now.”While the report seemed only to focus on senior managers within local authorities, she said, “the problem is much deeper that.“While there are fewer graduates wanting a career in local government, this cannot have solely led to this crisis. It is pay and conditions at work that lead people to stay or go.”The report also shows that graduates often reject a career in local government because they perceive average council staff to be “definitely middle-aged, probably wearing glasses, slightly overweight … white, middle-class men”, who spend their lives focusing on “things like parking fines and what type of seat is going to be at the bus stop”. Ms Thirlby noted: “We are very concerned on the perception of local government, as it does not reflect that three-quarters of the workforce are women.“There is a job of work to be done by the Local Government Association and others in local government to promote local government for what it really is.”The report criticises many council management structures as “not currently fit-for-purpose” and calls on councils to be more “outward looking” when recruiting for posts.UNISON is backing the report’s call for greater support for middle managers.However, the union disagrees with two other recommendations: fixed-term contracts for management staff, and the introduction of a ‘transfer fee’ system, where councils would collect a cash reward if a worker they trained moved on to another authority.“Where is the equality in that approach?” Ms Thirlby asked. “We know that managers never have difficulty getting training, but other workers do.”And there were enough fixed-term contracts already, she said.

Union recommends rejection of 2.45% offer

(08/04/08) UNISON’s lay committee overseeing local government talks in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is consulting members on the employers’ final offer, under the local government group's pay consultation procedures, with a recommendation to reject.The offer, made made on 2 April. is worth 2.45%, plus an extra £100 for lower paid members – an increase of 3.3%The consultation will be carried out on the basis that – if members vote to reject the offer – they will need be prepared to take sustained and escalating strike action, starting with a two-day strike and escalating to more than two consecutive days of action, to get the employers back to the negotiating table.Branches will be strongly encouraged to carry out branch ballots and return the results to their regional offices by 7 May. The union’s NJC committee will meet again on 12 May to consider the outcome of the consultation.Materials for the ballot and the campaign are currently being prepared and a branch circular will sent to local government branches.

Employers come back with 2.45%

(02/04/08) Local government employers returned to the negotiating table today with a pay offer that would leave the lowest paid workers less well off than supermarket staff.The rise being offered is 2.45%, with £100 extra for those on the bottom three points on the pay scale – up on the initial 2.2% rejected by trade unions but still branded "hugely disappointing" by UNISON national secretary Heather Wakefield.The employers insisted that this is their final offer.The extra £100 a year on points 4, 5 and 6 of the pay scale would make the offer worth 3.3% to the lowest paid.But Ms Wakefield point out that "the bottom rate in Tesco is now £6.25 an hour, so highly skilled workers doing vital jobs in our public services are being paid less than supermarket workers."We have made it very clear that this was a very disappointing offer – below the level of CPI inflation let alone RPI."The pay talks affect more than one million local government and associated workers in England, Northern Ireland and Wales.Unions are claiming a pay rise of 6% or 50p an hour, whichever is the greater, which would give a minimum wage of £6.50 an hour.The 'catch up and match up' claim is intended to recoup losses from below-inflation awards for the past three years and cushion staff against inflation over the coming year.UNISON's NJC committee will meet next Tuesday to discuss the offer and the union's formal response.In Scotland the unions are taking soundings of members after employers responded to their rejection of an initial offer of 2.2%, 2.3% and 2.2% over three years by making a final offer of a 2.5% increase each year. The offer does not include a 'reopener' clause as yet, and does not approach the unions' claim of 5% or £1,000 for the first year. Trade union side secretary Dougie Black of UNISON commented: "It is clear that the employers are firm on their offer and any rejection will require a commitment to take serious industrial action."

Launch Event of the new society.

Wednesday 16th April 2008- 7pm - Morris Hall Shrewsbury (see opposite for location)

£3 admission fee - open to none members - to Book tickets call Kay or Barrie Thornton on 01691 623354 or secretary@marchesfabians.org.uk

Austin Mitchell MP will give a talk entitled:-

The Housing Disaster

Quote from Austin “Every previous Labour government has been proud of its housing record. The only records established in the last ten years have been in the lowness of the build totals for both private and public housing. The result is a housing crisis which we’re only now beginning to grapple with, and a growing strategy of affordable housing for the increasing numbers who can’t afford to buy. That makes it time to change our priorities, build public housing for rent and bring councils back into the housing game.”

The main speaker will followed by a local councillor who will give a local perspective on the issue. This will be followed by a debate and open discussion chaired by Alan Mosley (leader of the Shropshire County Labour Party).

Refreshment will be available.

THIS IS THE PRICE YOU PAY IN SOME COUNTRIES

FOR BEING A TRADE UNIONIST

COLOMBIA: IMPUNITY CONTINUES

Assassination of four trade unionists; threats against a trade union activist
PSI is calling on its affiliated organisations to send letters of protest to President Alvaro Uribe condemning the assassinations of four trade unionists on or around the day of action held in Colombia on 6 March. The day of action “For the Dignity of Victims”, which had the full support of the trade union movement, was a tribute to—and in solidarity with—all the victims of arbitrary violence and the armed conflict. PSI is further calling on affiliates to protest against serious threats made against Maria Fernanda Bolaños, an employee of the publicly owned waste and sanitation services of Cali and a member of PSI affiliate SINTRAEMSIRVA. BackgroundOn 6 March hundreds of thousands of people participated in events in 102 cities in Colombia and around the world in solidarity with the victims of the paramilitary and the crimes of the State. By means of a public communiqué, the Government pointed out that it did not support this demonstration, but offered guarantees for the programmed events to take place. Nevertheless, Mr. Gaviria made public declarations referring to the planned demonstration as a march “convened by the FARC”. Despite a request by the organisers of the 6 March Global Action Day, no Government spokesperson withdrew these assertions. This situation generated an increasingly tense atmosphere which was further exacerbated by the declaration of the paramilitary group, Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia, claiming that guerrillas were responsible for instigating the march. In the lead-up to 6 March, organisations promoting the day of action in Nariño were threatened and on 28 February, gunshots were fired at march organiser, Adriana González, in her apartment in Pereira.Four trade unionists were assassinated during the week of the 6 March protests:
Carmen Cecilia Carvajal, teacher. Killed 4 March, in Ocaña.
Leonidas Gómez Rozo, member of the bankworkers union, Unión Nacional de Empleados Bancarios (Uneb), President of the CITY-BANK Employees Union. Killed on 5 March, in Bogotá.
Gildardo Gómez Alzate, teacher and activist of the Asociación de Institutores de Antioquia (Adida). Killed 7 March, in Medellín.
Carlos Burbano, vice-president of the National Hospital Workers’ Union who led the local 6 March demonstrations, disappeared on 9 March in San Vicente del Caguán. His body was found in the municipal rubbish dump, his face disfigured by acid.

Compensation won by Unison

members in the west Midlands

Breakdown by branch of Personal Injury Settlements for FEBRUARY 2008. The breakdown shows the amount of money which UNISON recovered for members in Personal Injury Claim Settlements. In the Region members received £350,762.87 in compensation for personal injuries.

WEST MIDLANDS - FEBRUARY 2008
BRANCH
AMOUNT (£)
BIRMINGHAM UNISON
£64,560
COVENTRY DISTRICT
£1,778
DUDLEY GENERAL BRANCH
£4,250
DUDLEY GROUP OF HOSPITALS
£6,700
DUDLEY COMMUNITY HEALTH
£46,500
HEREFORDSHIRE UNISON
£3,743
ROYAL SHREWSBURY HOSPITALS
£3,500
SHROPSHIRE BRANCH
£8,500
SOUTH BIRMINGHAM MENTAL HEALTH
£2,000
SOUTH EAST STAFFS HEALTH
£159,150
STAFFORD
£3,520
TAMWORTH
£5,000
WALSGRAVE HOSPITAL
3,200
WARWICK HOSPITAL
£1,500
WEST MIDLANDS AMBULANCE
£6,000
WEST MIDLANDS GAS
£2,250
WOLVERHAMPTON GENERAL
£8,188
WOLVERHAMPTON HEALTH NO.3
£7,975
WORCESTER COUNTY
£2,000
WORCESTERSHIRE COMMUNITY HEALTH
£2,500
WORCESTERSHIRE COUNTY
£7,950

GRAND TOTAL £350,763

It's your money – speak out

(25/03/08) The best people to look after members’ money invested in pension funds are members themselves, general secretary Dave Prentis told a UNISON pensions seminar in London today.Around 100 union members came together to talk about the future of the Local Government Pension Scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland – and UNISON’s campaign to make sure that the bodies governing its investment funds include trustees answerable to scheme members.At present, the people overseeing how funds are invested are answerable only to the employers – contrary to how every other pension fund is run.Welcoming participants to the seminar, Mr Prentis said the issue of LGPS governance will be a major campaign for the union, adding: "It makes plain common sense that the best people to be trustees are those saving in the scheme."He said that the success of negotiations on the LGPS over the last three years "led to a major historical gain for our members saving in the scheme" but now we need to build on that gain and campaign for member trustees to help govern the various investment funds."We want you to become advocates for change. We want you to become reps on the boards of trustees," he told those taking part in the seminar, pledging that "UNISON will do everything it can to invest in you - to improve, support and train members who become reps."

Death fines below 0.2 per cent of turnover

Most large companies convicted of safety offences involving a workplace death are fined at less than a 700th of their annual turnover, a new study has found. If individuals earning an average annual income of £24,769 were sentenced at this level, they would be fined just £35. The research by the Centre for Corporate Accountability (CCA) also shows fines imposed on most of these companies after workplace deaths are only 1 per cent of their gross profits. CCA looked at the companies convicted for 'death-related' health and safety offences since 1 January 2006 and compared the fines imposed with the convicted companies' turnover and gross profits. CCA executive director David Bergman said: 'The fines that the courts currently impose upon companies for the most serious health and safety offences are so low as to be almost irrelevant to these companies. A key purpose of these prosecutions is deterrence - yet fines which are the equivalent of £35 for the average person simply have no impact upon a company's wealth.' He added: 'Companies can be fined up to 10 per cent of their turnover for breaching competition law - and this is when the company has not even been convicted of a criminal offence, and no person injury yet alone death is involved.' He said CCA believes 'the threat of fines of between 15 to 40 per cent of turnover is the kind of punishment appropriate to the seriousness of the offence and will create a real deterrent effect against companies needlessly placing the lives of workers and members of the public at risk.'

Public sector workers to "speak up" to MPs in June

Teachers, health workers, probation officers, social workers, civil servants, childcare workers and firefighters will be among public service workers representing the six million public sector workers in the UK coming to London in June to lobby MPs over the future of public services and to call for fair pay, the TUC announced today (Wednesday).
The Speak up for Public Services representative lobby and rally takes place in Westminster on Monday 9 June 2008. The event starts with a rally in Methodist Central Hall at 1pm and concludes with public sector employees lobbying MPs late into the afternoon.
Speakers at the rally will include general secretaries and senior officials from the 26 TUC-affiliated unions with members in the public sector, as well employees from across the health service, local government, central government and the prison service.
When individual public sector employees head over to Parliament in the afternoon to lobby their local MPs, they will say that public servants make a huge contribution to UK society and the economy. This hard work, they will say, should be fairly rewarded, properly valued and there must be fair pay for all public sector staff.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'Across the country, public sector employees are feeling increasingly undervalued and demoralised. Their pay is being held below the cost of living and they feel that public service reform is something done to them, not with them. They believe that all their hard work frequently goes unnoticed by politicians and that their contribution to improving public services is often overlooked.
'Last year, the way that pay settlements were handled caused widespread dissatisfaction and dismay amongst public servants. The UK's six million public sector employees are hoping for a better deal this year, and that's why a representative segment of the workforce will be in Westminster in June calling for fair pay for everyone in the public sector and for MPs to stand up for public services.'

'A slap in the face'

(19/03/08) UNISON described a 2.2% pay offer from local government employers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland tonight as "a slap in the face".The offer came at talks with the employers in central London which took much of the day.The joint trade unions submitted a pay claim for an increase of 6% or 50p an hour, whichever was the greater, earlier this year.UNISON head of local government Heather Wakefield reacted to the offer by saying: "A 2.2% offer is a slap in the face for 1.4 million local government workers, who have already put up with 10 years of below-inflation pay settlements. "The employers have completely ignored the justice of our claim and are prepared to let every teaching assistant, librarian, social worker and park attendant face increasing hardship. "They talk about unpleasant choices, but our members are already facing unpleasant choices between feeding their families and heating their homes. "Our members live in the real world, with real inflation and 2.2% does not go anywhere near to covering the huge hikes in basic living costs such as food, housing, gas and electricity. "You can't build world-class public services on poverty pay and it’s time that local government employers faced up to this."The government’s favoured measure of inflation, the CPI, rose to 2.5% yesterday and is expected to go even higher by the summer. "The employers need to take stock and come up with a more realistic offer in the next round of negotiations," Ms Wakefield added. UNISON's Pay Matters campaignLocal government pay

HMRC say tax avoidance could be costing every

household more than £1,500 a year

In a document published late on budget day with no publicity, HMRC has said that the cost of tax avoidance in the UK could run as high as £40 billion a year. This tax avoidance could cost every household in the UK more than £1,500.
The HMRC admission, contained in the report 'Measuring the tax gap - an update', estimates that in 2005 tax avoidance was between £10b and £40b. This figure is even higher than the £25 billion a year estimated by the TUC in it's 'Missing Billions' report. The HMRC say that avoidance has fallen since 2005.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'Even if the HMRC claim is true it still leaves huge amounts of unpaid tax by the super-rich - enough to cut taxes for ordinary people, boost public services and do far more to tackle child poverty than the limited measures in yesterday's budget.
'The Government has been hit by concerted lobbying by non-doms and the super-rich, who describe even the mildest attempt to make them pay a fair share of tax as a prelude to the sky falling in on national prosperity. But rather than retreat, ministers should pay more attention to ordinary voters, who are becoming more and more aware that a significant group of Britain's wealthiest people dodge paying fair taxes.
'The Chancellor was wrong to rule out further efforts to tax non-doms. Instead, he should call their bluff when the super-rich exodus fails to materialise, as a result of yesterday's very modest changes.'

Prentis calls for a fairer Britain

UNISON is calling on the chancellor to use his debut budget on Wednesday to release the stranglehold on public service pay."Alistair Darling's first budget gives him an ideal opportunity to show his mettle and set out a vision for a fairer Britain," said UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis.Subjecting low-paid public sector workers to a 2% pay squeeze was "grossly unjust", he said, warning the consequences would be damaging.Enforcing the limit risks derailing reforms, and threatens to throw the public sector back into the recruitment and retention crises of the 1990s, Mr Prentis said.Setting out UNISON's vision for fairness, he stressed: "It is catch-up time. Our members are struggling with rising food, energy, and housing costs and cannot afford to take a pay cut."At the same time we see the incomes of the super-rich continue to soar away. The chancellor must stick to his guns and ensure that the non doms are made to pay for the public services they use without making a contribution to their funding and upkeep."The union is also pressing for urgent action to ensure equal pay for women.Without funding from the government, employers were meeting their legal obligations by cutting pay and jobs, Mr Prentis pointed out."We know that this is hitting services vital to our country's future - from local environmental services at the frontline of tackling climate change to school support staff essential to improving literacy and numeracy."

UNISON lodges 40,000th equal pay case

(07/03/08) UNISON lodged its 40,000th equal pay claim this week, as 300 women members found out the union has won payouts for them of up to £35,000 each.The compensation follows UNISON's successful equal pay case on their behalf. It is on average 50% higher than the settlements achieved by no win, no fee lawyers."I am delighted that UNISON has been successful in achieving pay justice for this group of low paid women workers," said general secretary Dave Prentis.The union provides free legal advice and aid on equal pay to all members.It submitted the claim against Kirklees Council in 2006. The women, who worked in traditionally female jobs such as home carers, kitchen assistants and cleaners, were excluded from bonuses awarded to men working in comparable roles at Kirklees, such as gardeners and refuse collectors. Mr Prentis said the union was working hard to deliver equal pay through collective bargaining and negotiation.However, he warned: "We will not shy away from litigation if necessary - just this week UNISON lodged its 40,000th equal pay claim."This is a massive body of work for the union but equal pay is not a take it or leave it option; it is the law of the land and we will fight to enforce it." Sue Townend, 51, has worked for Kirklees Council for 22 years as a homecare assistant. She was originally offered just £7,000 to settle her claim but is due to get more than £20,000 in compensation.She said she was satisfied with her settlement and grateful to UNISON, adding: "I would urge all women in the same situation to go to their trade union and not line the pockets of no win, no fee solicitors."Christine Howarth, a home care assistant for 31 years is also due more than £20,000. She said: "The union has worked very hard on my behalf. It has taken time but the outcome has been well worth the wait."

Joint Statement by UNISON, GMB and Unite

Shropshire Job Evaluation – Phase 2



We refer to the statement issued unilaterally by Shropshire County Council to employees on 4 March 2008. This statement refers to the difficulties in obtaining national authorisation of the proposals for implementing job evaluation and lists the beneficial aspects of the proposals that the County Council is putting forward.

All of the beneficial elements of Phase 2 have been negotiated by the trade unions on your behalf and on the face of it appear to be an attractive package. However, the joint trade unions have been unable to persuade the County Council through negotiation to implement a job evaluation scheme that is fit for purpose, i.e. one that at least begins to address the gender pay gap between female and male employees. Currently, the average pay of the 80% of employees in Phases 1 and 2 who are women is 17% less than the average pay for male employees in the two phases.

1. The impact of job evaluation should be to reduce that gender pay gap, in fact it increases it. Part of the reason for this is that almost 200 employees in Phase 2 who are on linked grades will not be placed on their job evaluated grade for up to 3 years, which is unacceptable.

2. Further, there are issues around the drawing of the grade boundaries which has led to a large group of female workers just missing moving to a higher grade.

3. There is also the issue of those employees who go up from the top end of Phase 2 into Phase 3. The County Council has point blank refused to give a commitment to a date when Phase 3 will be implemented and when those employees will receive their correct job evaluated rate of pay.

4. There is a further important issue of what happens on 1 April 2009 when unitary status is brought in. Shropshire County Council has not discussed with the trade unions the mechanism that will be used to ensure that job evaluation applies fairly across the whole of the new unitary authority.

5. The reason why the trade unions are not able to agree, either at local or national level, the proposals is that, as they currently stand, when unitary comes about there will need to be a further complete job re-evaluation because of the issues raised above. We do not believe it is in members’ medium term interests for they and their colleagues in district councils to have to go through the stress and uncertainty created by a further complete job re-evaluation. In order to try to avoid the need for that and to agree a process which both addresses the pay gender gap issue and the transition to unitary, the trade unions have offered to jointly fund with the County Council a report by an independent equal pay expert to try to understand how these problems can be dealt with. However, the County Council has not responded positively to this offer and, given their unilateral issuing of the statement yesterday, this offer is now withdrawn.

The trade unions are committed to try to negotiate a beneficial outcome for all our members of job evaluation but given the issuing of yesterday’s statement will oppose any attempts by the authority to seek to impose a pay and grading structure that is not in members’ long term interests.

Minimum wage rise ‘falls short’

(05/03/08) UNISON has welcomed a 21p boost in the national minimum wage as a step in the right direction, but says it is still too low.The union is urging a "bolder" approach to prevent the gap between rich and poor widening further.The adult minimum wage will rise from £5.52 to £5.73 an hour in October, the prime minister said today.The new rate for 18 to 21-year-olds will be £4.77, up from £4.60, while 16 to 17-year-olds will get £3.53, up from £3.40.UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said there was no doubt the rise would benefit many low-paid workers."However, it falls short of its aim to protect the poor from the constant price rises in essentials like fuel, food and housing," he said."A much more realistic figure would be a minimum wage of £6.75 an hour, which would lift many more families out of poverty and off means-tested benefits."UNISON believes the government was too cautious when it introduced the minumum wage in 1999.In its evidence to the Low Pay Commission last year, the union made the case for an inflation-busting boost to the minimum wage, and called for an end to youth rates and regional variations.It also pressed for stiffer penalties and stronger enforcement powers to crack down on rogue employers who underpay staff.The TUC believes 150,000 workers still being paid less than the statutory minimum.

Time to restore redundancy pay value

The TUC is today (Friday) calling on the Chancellor to increase the weekly limit on statutory redundancy pay from £330 to £500 in the forthcoming Budget as a major step towards restoring the real value of the limit when it was first introduced at £40 in 1965.
Anyone who has worked for the same employer for more than two years is entitled to redundancy pay (which is paid by the Government if the employer goes bust). It is calculated as half a week's pay for each year of employment between the ages of 18 to 21; plus one week's pay for each year of employment between 22 to 40; plus
one and a half week's pay for each year of employment between the age of 41 or over but under 65. No more than twenty years service can be counted.
But there is a statutory maximum limit to what counts as a week's pay - anything earned in excess of this limit is not counted when working out redundancy pay. This is set annually and is currently £330 per week. Official figures show that more than half the working population earn more than this a week (53 per cent). Mean pay is £452 a week, so the current limit is just 73 per cent of average pay. Employers are free to offer more generous terms, and many do.
When redundancy pay was introduced for the first time in 1965 the limit was set at £40, more than twice the average wage (£19.60). If the limit had been uprated in line with prices it would now be a little over £500, and if increased in line with earnings it would now be in excess of £1,000.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'Now is the right time to start to restore the value of redundancy pay. When it was introduced the big majority of the workforce had all their wages counted when working out their redundancy pay, but now more than half the workforce would lose out.
'The Government pledged in its manifesto for the last election to boost redundancy and that pledge should be implemented. A one off rise to £500 and a link to earnings rather than prices in future is the minimum we need to see to start to restore some fairness.'

Agency worker statement

Speaking after a meeting between the Prime Minister and a TUC delegation to consider agency worker rights, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:
'The Prime Minister recognised the importance of the issue and the problems that many agency workers face. Gordon Brown reassured us that he wants to make progress on this vital issue. We need to consider very carefully the best mechanism to achieve this.'

TUC welcomes second reading for Agency Workers Bill

Commenting on the Commons vote to give a second reading to the Agency Workers Bill, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:
'This is good news for agency workers as it is an important milestone on the road to achieving fair treatment. We welcome the big turn out by MPs to support the Bill today. It puts even more pressure on the Government to drop their opposition to effective rights for agency workers.'

UNISON calls for windfall tax after

British Gas profits soar

(21/02/08) UNISON called for a windfall tax on excessive profits today, after energy supplier British Gas reported annual profits of £571m at its residential arm - just weeks after hiking its pricesd for gas and electricity by around 15%.The news of the profits - which are up from £95m in 2006 - follows a UNISON and National Right to Fuel Campaign demand for an official inquiry into fuel profits.And Centrica, the parent company of British Gas, has reported a 40% rise in operating profits to £1.95bn. Centrica has increased its full-year dividend to shareholders by 17% to 13p a share.UNISON national officer Steve Bloomfield said: "It is clear that the UK's energy market is not operating in the public interest."It's a scandal that a growing number of people are suffering from genuine fuel poverty – including many families, elderly and disabled people – when energy companies are making record profits. "We need a windfall tax on profits to put a stop to this profiteering."A new report, Gas and electricity costs to householders, which has been produced by Cornwall Energy Associates and co-sponsored by UNISON, shows how much extra ordinary customers are having to fork out to fund this profits boom. The report revealed that spending by households on gas and electricity increased by £8.2bn between 2003 and 2006, but companies' costs increased by £5.9bn - only £4.5bn of it due to higher fuel costs.Nearly 30% of the extra spending by customers has gone in increased profits amounting to £2.3bn – at a time when the government is telling public service workers to tighten their belts and accept 2% pay limits.

A DECISION AT LAST ON UNITARY !

I hope that this will mean that those so vigorously opposed to this will now use the same energy to support it. Daniel has yet again shown his ability to back a loser as he seems to throw himself on every passing bandwagon I suppose on the law of averages this is bound to happen but he does seem good at it!

From the Trade Union point of view those who clung to the belief that this would never happen have done nothing to help protect those staff and jobs they now hope will be protected. The rush to spend all the family silver in the District Councils will also be unhelpful. I have never liked Councillor Pate's politics but he is one of the few thinking Tories and a shrewd business man.

There is no doubt that those council tax payers in band D who stand to save £93 per year will not have been asked their opinion it does seem like a rather expensive Tory club that we cannot afford. What is often missed is that our members are Council Tax payers including myself and we also understand the frustration of the duplication in the current system. The Governments stranglehold on our pay will make any saving in overheads at home most welcome.

Work Your Proper Hours Day (22 Feb 2008)

is the day when the average person who does unpaid overtime finishes the unpaid days they do every year, and starts earning for themselves. We think that's a day worth celebrating!

Check your balance: Find out your office working style and you could win an iPod

The Work / Life Map: check out how the UK works

the Breaktime game: can you work your proper hours?

decorate your office with free posters

send your boss a secret boss-a-gram to fill them in
Nearly five million people in the UK regularly do unpaid overtime, giving their employers an average £4,955 of free work a year. If you're one, why not take some time to reflect on how well (or badly) you're balancing your life?
This is one day in the year to make the most of your own time. Take a proper lunchbreak and leave work on time to enjoy your Friday evening - You deserve it!
Here's our four point plan for having a great Work Your Proper Hours Day:
1: Put yourself on the map!
We're building a big interactive map of the UK's attitudes to work / life balance. Take our quiz to find out what your workplace style is, and then add yourself to the map to see how you stack up against everyone else, and get the chance to win a swanky iPod Touch. Or check the map, to see what others have said.
2: Spread the word
Help get the word out by sending your friends an e-card, or linking to the campaign. You can download or order free posters to spruce up your office. And don't leave your boss out - let them know about the day with an anonymous Boss-A-Gram.
3: Enjoy your Friday!
If you normally just cram a sandwich at your desk, and only leave work long after the sun's gone down, take just one day to make a stand and see what a difference it can make. Plan to take a proper lunchbreak - why not treat yourself to a nice lunch? Then arrange with colleagues or friends working nearby to go out and make the most of your Friday evening. Bonus points for anyone who gets the boss to buy the team a drink to say thanks for all the year's hard work!
4: Tackle your own hours problems
Long hours are not good for us; they cause stress; they're bad for our health; they wreck relationships; they make caring for children or dependents more difficult; and tired, burnt-out staff are bad for business.
People do long hours for a variety of very different reasons. Find out more about the UK's long hours culture.
Work Your Proper Hours Day for 2008 will be 22 February, but your own pay day may come earlier or later, depending on the hours you work above your contracted hours.
Use our online unpaid overtime calculator to find out when you can celebrate paying off your long hours debt.

Job applicants facing more drug tests

More companies are checking on potential employees by carrying out drug and alcohol tests on their hair, according to a supplier of testing products. Trimega Laboratories, established in 2005, announced in January it had signed a deal with the Nursing and Midwifery Council to provide its testing services in misconduct cases where drug or alcohol dependency is thought to be an issue. Trimega managing director Avi Lasarow said employers in other sectors were increasingly calling on his company's services. 'More and more corporates employing high-profile executives are looking to test potential employees,' he said. 'If an individual has nothing to hide, then what is the problem?' Many individuals - including those falsely fingered (Risks 335) - and unions, civil liberty and statutory bodies do have a problem with workplace drug and alcohol testing, however. A November 2007 report from Hazards magazine acknowledged Britain's employers have a big drug and alcohol problem, concluding they are wasting millions on testing and firing workers. It said impairment testing is a better approach (Risks 332). This can take account of the impact of drugs or alcohol use as well as work factors like fatigue, stress and exposure to physical and chemical hazards that might mean a worker is performing under-par. The report said non-punitive, peer-to-peer counselling and support is the most effective way to ensure drug and alcohol use is dealt with effectively at work. It warned UK workplace privacy rules laid down in official Information Commission guidance mean in most cases drug and alcohol tests could fall foul of the law.

TUC guide to romance in the office

With romance in the air this Valentine's Day, the TUC is urging employers not to ban love from the office or the factory but instead to consult an online guide to relationships at work published today (Thursday).
With the long hours culture enjoying a renaissance, and unpaid overtime on the increase, it's no wonder that around a quarter of long-term relationships begin at work, says the TUC guide.
It says employers should avoid the adoption of love contracts, a practice popular with employers in the US but thankfully still rare in the UK, and instead should be drawing up sensible guidelines that try to protect everyone - the lovers, their colleagues and their employer - should the romance ever turn sour.
The guide provides advice to staff who have just started a relationship at work and are worried that their employer may sack them as a result. It also warns what may happen if they are found in a compromising position in the stationery cupboard, reminding would-be lovers of the need to maintain an acceptable standard of behaviour in work at all times.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'With the long hours that many spend in work, it's hardly surprising that lots of people end up getting together with colleagues. Office romances rarely cause any problems so it would be wrong for employers to adopt a heavy-handed approach to office flirting and introduce strict rules or blanket bans.
'But office Romeos and Juliets may need to be reminded of where to draw the line at work. Guidelines reminding staff of the need to keep their love lives separate from work, and to not let lover's tiffs make workmates feel uncomfortable will prove useful to staff and employers alike.'
Office romantics keen on starting a relationship with one of their colleagues can find a host of useful tips in the guide. They can find out where they stand on relationships at work, what to do when they happen, what to do when they break up and what to do if they want to say no. The full guide is at www.worksmart.org.uk/valentine

Taken on the Sussex coast where they are salveging timber from the sea

Blue Valentine

(14/02/08) UNISON is calling upon the government to abandon plans to impose pay cuts on public service workers for another year running.The union's national secretaries for health, education and local government delivered a giant Valentine's card to the House of Commons. It reads: "Roses are red, violets are blue, but 2% just won't do."The government's 2% pay limit on public service workers comes as they are faced with steep hikes in the cost of housing, fuel and food. And economists predict even higher inflation is on the way."With even less in their pockets, our loyal, hard-working public service workers such as teaching assistants, ambulance drivers and nurses are going to have to dig deep to keep up," said UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis. UNISON, through its united Pay Matters campaign, is fighting for a fair deal for public service workers, one that recognises the difference they make to local communities, and respects and rewards their work with decent pay.

Jon Tandy Labour Party PPC for Shrewsbury and Atcham meeting with Prime Minister Gordon Brown on his visit to Telford today

The Prime Minister Gordon Brown arrives in Telford with David Wright MP to meet and talk to Shropshire Party members. At the meeting Valerie Broom Regional Secretary for Unison was able to tackle Gordon Brown on Public Sector Pay while not backing down he did say he hoped that we could achieve three year deals that would bring stability for everyone.

Training not enough to prevent back strain

Commenting on research published today (Friday) on the BMJ website, which suggests that training people how to lift heavy objects is failing to prevent back injuries, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:
'This is an important piece of research. It shows that employers shouldn't be relying on their employees lifting heavy weights 'correctly' to prevent back injury, but instead should be reducing the weight of things that need to be lifted manually. The Health and Safety Executive will now have to review its advice on manual handling as a matter of urgency.
'If employers want to protect their staff from the pain of back strain, they should not be banking on their staff using the correct techniques to lift heavy objects at work. The best way to keep staff injury free is to make sure that everyone understands the importance of not lifting heavy weights on their own.'

Tax avoidance by companies

and the wealthy costs

everyone at work £1,000 a year

New research for the TUC published today (Friday) reveals that the public purse loses £13 billion a year through tax avoidance by the wealthy and £12 billion a year through tax avoidance by corporations. Altogether this adds up to £25 billion - or around £1,000 a year for everyone at work in the UK.
The research, conducted by accountant and tax specialist Richard Murphy, is published in The Missing Billions, the first in a new series of TUC pamphlets designed to stimulate debate called Touchstones. The research includes the analysis of 344 sets of accounts from Britain's 50 largest companies and analysis of HMRC and other official statistics.
Analysis of the top 50 companies' accounts shows that their effective corporation tax rate is 22.5 per cent - not the 30 per cent agreed by Parliament. The companies almost always pay 5 per cent less tax on average than they declare in their accounts and in the seven years up to 2006 their effective tax rate fell by 0.5 per cent each year.
The report shows how super-rich individuals avoid paying their fair share of tax. £3.2 billion tax is lost by turning earned income into investment income (which is taxed more favourably) or by shifting the income to others (such as spouses) in lower or nil tax bands. Another £3.8 billion is lost moving transactions out of the UK, £0.5 billion by turning income into a capital gain and £4.8 billion from various kinds of tax planning.
Half the amount lost to tax avoidance could raise the level at which higher rate tax starts being paid by £10,000 a year, which would also offer significant help to those on middle incomes; or increase the state pension by 20 per cent; or reduce income tax by 3p in the pound; or build an extra 50 hospitals a year.
The Touchstone pamphlet calls for:
a minimum rate of tax to be paid by all those earning more than £100,000 a year to limit their use of tax avoidance and tax planning, without affecting the tax rates of middle Britain
a stop to HMRC staff cuts so that there are sufficient resources to effectively collect tax
the non-dom tax loophole to be abolished
capital gains on assets held for less than a year to be charged to income tax
a change to the tax treatment of charities to give them more income and close a tax loophole, and
the introduction of a new 'general anti-avoidance principle' to make it easier to tax the super-rich and large companies.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'There is mounting concern at the growing gap between the super-rich and the rest of society, but so far there have been few practical proposals to do anything about it. This TUC pamphlet is therefore doubly helpful. First it carefully works out just how much the super-rich and big companies rip the rest of us off by not paying their fair share of taxes. Secondly it sets out a practical set of policies that close loopholes, end abuse and starts the process of making the super-rich make a proper contribution - all without raising a single tax rate.
'Our strong view is that the proceeds should be used to properly fund public services, where six million are facing cuts in their real pay, and relieve poverty - particularly child poverty. But you do not have to agree with our spending priorities to back our call for fair tax, and we recognise the argument at this difficult economic time for boosting the income of low and middle Britain through tax cuts.
'This is not the politics of envy but the economics of fairness. It is all about getting rich and powerful people to understand they must play by the rules, not look for ways round them.
'Most people think that we have a progressive tax system, but it has now been hollowed out by so many loopholes and allowances that too much tax is now voluntary for the rich. It's time for a new campaign for a fair tax system - a campaign that can unite the vast majority of the population who do play by the rules and have nothing to fear from our proposals.'