Friday to Sunday 31st October 2010

Travel to Hull by coach to cross on the over night ferry to Rotterdam (cabin & meals included) we travel by coach into Amsterdam. Once you have spent your day in Amsterdam wandering up and down the Canals and taking in a cafe bar or 2 we return to Rotterdam by coach for the overnight ferry back to Hull and return home midday on Sunday

• Cost £109 per person.
• Contact Jon Harding 01706 925953 or email jonathan.harding@rochdale.gov.uk

Apprenticeships are key

(18/06/10) UNISON reiterated the importance of proper apprenticeships today, and pledged to publicise the special £10 union rate for apprentices and use it as a recruitment tool.

Helen Britten of North Yorkshire said that, given the economic situation, "it was more important than ever that we expand the fight for expanded apprenticeships."

And she pointed out that public service apprenticeships in Yorkshire have enjoyed an “almost 100% completion rate,” as opposed to the "68% national rate."

Kieran Grogan, who is a joint young members officer in Bolton branch, said: "Some apprentices are on £10 per week – they call it work experience, even when they’re going to college for a full day each week. It’s a disgrace."

Pay freeze means pay cut

(17/6/10) Conference today condemned the government's pay freeze for public sector employees for 2010/11 - which, with inflation, effectively means a pay cut for millions of workers.

The union noted that while two thirds of public sector employees earn less than £18,000 a year, many of the banks - which caused the current economic crisis - still pay "obscene" bonuses.

"At the moment most people are concerned with keeping jobs," said Paul Gilroy of Newcastle City branch. "But we must keep pay on the agenda."

Jim Board of Doncaster said: "Cameron and Clegg say the pay freeze for public services in this country is to run for four years. That could mean a 20% cut.

"These are life-changing pay cuts, which will hit the low-paid the hardest. Their pay will be reduced to a level they simply can’t sustain."

Delegates also noted the desire of employers to undermine national pay bargaining, which must be retained and strengthened.

They agreed that the campaign for real improvements in pay must continue to be a priority for the union - and that the use of industrial action may be the most effective means of winning acceptable improvements.

They also agreed to support the Living Wage campaign, and to support broadening UNISON's bargaining agenda on local government pay, to include:

• a minimum wage for council workers;
• access to affordable childcare;
• developing career pathways; and
• investing in workplace learning and development.

'We don't want them in our union'

(17/6/10) "There is no room in this union for fascists." That was how national executive council member Mark Clifford introduced this afternoon's rule change debate on dealing with members of the far-right and UNISON.

Conference voted to insert a new rule into the section on 'Becoming a member', stating:

"A member of a political party, whose constitution, aims or objectives expressly or impliedly promote racism, or whose objectives are contrary to the objectives of UNISON, specifically the equality provisions set out in … the rule book, shall not be eligible for membership of the union.

"This specifically includes, but is not solely limited to, the British National Party, the National Front and similar parties, as decided from time to time by the national executive council."

Mr Clifford explained the need for that flexibility on the grounds that: "Two years ago, we didn't know of the English Defence League – now they're a menace on our streets."

In a sentiment that was expressed by speaker after speaker, Gary Firth of Calderdale local government branch said of the far right: "We don't want them in our union!"

And needing a two thirds majority to see the rule changed, conference left no doubt, backing the rule change unanimously.

Conference backs Robin Hood Tax

BNP can be beaten

(17/6/10) Billy Bragg thanked UNISON members for the part they played in ousting the BNP from his home town, of Barking, in the general election.

And he said that "a new generation of anti-fascist activists" will have been inspired by the defeat of the BNP in London, the Midlands and the North.

The famous singer and political campaigner was a special guest of the union on its third day of conference. And his speech was preceded by a video showing him take on the BNP's Richard Barnbrook – who lost his own council seat in the election – on the streets of Bragg’s beloved Barking.

"Barking & Dagenham is no more or less racist than your own home town," Bragg told the delegates. "The problem was that these toe-rags stirred up trouble. The real problems in the area are those of social mobility, social services and social housing. The presence of immigrants is not the problem.

"I'm here to give a big thank you for the work that UNISON, centrally and its individual members, did against the fascists in the election. Without you the people in Barking & Dagenham would have been left on their own."

He added that he was particularly impressed by the number of young people fighting the BNP's "racist fascism".

He added: "Our work is far from done. Just because we managed to sweep them out of the streets of Barking & Dagenham, like so much dust, doesn't mean we can be complacent.

"But what it does prove is that these people can be beaten."

Political activity more important than ever

(16/06/10) With the threats posed to public services by the coalition government, it is more important than ever for UNISON members to engage in political activity, locally and nationally, Bournemouth delegates agreed today.

"There are major challenges ahead of us," said deputy general secretary Keith Sonnet. "It's imperative that we maximize our efforts in relation to political activities across the country."

Delegates backed recommendations to improve the way the political fund works, provide more training and support for branches and communicate widely throughout the union.

Both the General Political Fund and Labour Link had a crucial role in UNISON's plans to build alliances with community groups and politicians to defend public services and jobs.

The findings of the two-year review of UNISON’s political fund effectiveness, agreed by conference, showed two contrasting experiences.

On the one hand, both sections of the union’s political fund have facilitated successful lobbying and campaigning, which have brought tangible benefits to UNISON members.

On the other, levels of awareness, engagement and local political campaigning across many branches is still far too low.

Seven out of 10 branches consulted for the review never applied for funding from the General Political Fund, said Mr Sonnet. One out of three had never lobbied their local MP or approached the media.

The review found that levels of transparency, participation, activity and effectiveness could all be improved.

The NEC also has a role to play in improving understanding of the roles and the working of both political fund sections – as well as encouraging UNISON members, branches, service groups and other sections of the union to liaise with the political funds, in advancing UNISON objectives.

Conroy Lawrence of Lewisham Hospital branch said: "There's never been a more important time to get our campaigning and political work right.

"But it is up to all of us. It is not something you can just leave to the political funds or the NEC."

'I'm not a fat cat. I'm not even a skinny kitten'

(16/6/10) "As women's life expectancy increases, it's as much a curse as a blessing. Twenty years or more in retirement means 20 years or more in poverty for many women," was the chilling message from Eileen Best of the National Women’s Committee.

An alarming 50% of women aged between 35-44 make no pension provision at all, as they are faced with the stark choice between paying the bills now, or saving for the future.

While UNISON has successfully campaigned for the rights of part time and temporary workers to join pension schemes, low earnings and breaks from employment because of caring responsibilities combine to reduce women's pensions.

The current government intends to cut many services which have supported women carers - including breakfast clubs at schools, after school clubs and day care centres. This will roll back the gains made in the last ten years, once again making it harder for women to keep full time jobs.

"The gender pay gap is a life-sentence for many women. It doesn’t end with retirement," said Ms Best.

This was demonstrated by Lorraine Avery of the East Midlands who, in three years' time will be expected to live on her pension of £38.03 per week.

"I'm not a fat cat. I'm not even a skinny kitten," she declared. "I don't want to be forced to beg on my zimmer frame."

Delegates pledge to fight outsourcing

(15/6/10) UNISON will continue to promote the value of publicly delivered services, resist the privatisation of public services to outsourcing companies and work to counter the artificial distinction between "back office" and "frontline" functions.

"Private sector companies are getting rich on the backs of low-paid workers," said Ros Norman from the East Midlands.

"Politicians continue to outsource, despite the fact that many concerns have been raised about the performance of such companies," she said.

Outsourcing too frequently means poorer quality services, poorer terms and conditions for members and reduced accountability to the public. Examples were given from Northampton, Edinburgh and Somerset.

But positive examples of a successful campaign to resist outsourcing were cited by Joanne Nicholson from Newcastle city branch.

Annette Mansell Green of West Midlands police staff branch warned that: "These companies will destroy us if we don't have the density in our branches. Density is the key to this issue."

'Because we're all worth it'

(14/06/10) In an angry and passionate debate, local government members defended themselves from the myths that have been peddled about being overpaid.

Speaking for executive, Carole Maleham told delegates: "We know we deserve an increase".

"We keep hearing all the rubbish that the private sector is taking all the pain – but we'd better get the paracetemol ready, because it’s a myth."

And Mirza Hamie of Bury local government said: "The bankers and financial institutions should share the pain too – why just us?"

Saying that the Conservatives are "still the party of privilege", he added that members knew they deserved a proper pay rise, "because we’re all worth it."

Abi Quinsey of Birmingham branch told delegates: "It's not fair that a chief executive's pay is 14 times that of a care assistant.

"All we want is a fair day's pay for a fair day's work."

Amongst a raft of agreed actions, conference called on the executive to:

• continue to build the joint union campaign within the NJC, SJC and at local level;
• develop links across all local government bargaining groups in the UK to ensure a co-ordinated campaign against the pay freeze;
• continue to highlight the vital roles that local government workers play;
• ensure that UNISON uses the Equality Impact Assessment processes to prevent cuts and discrimination;
• broaden the bargaining agenda to include a minimum wage for council workers and affordable childcare.

Councils stash reserves whilst £6bn is cut

(14/06/10) "We've got to defend the weakest sections of our communities," said Peter Stafford of the National Disabled Members Conference. "The reserves that are being held by local governments could pay off 50% of the £6bn of cuts that George Osborne is demanding. Why are these reserves being stashed away?"

Conference voted to argue the case against council tax freezes and cuts, and to utilise unallocated reserves to retain employment, especially of disabled workers instead of financing the costs of redundancies.

They've taken the care out of caring

(13/06/10) "They're taking the care out of caring." That was the feeling dominating this morning's first session of UNISON's local government conference in Bournemouth.

A raft of motions (together with a screening of the UNISON-funded film Privatising home care – stories from Norfolk) dealt with social care, as delegates examined the issues of personalisation and social care, disability and training and support for personal assistants.

Speaker after speaker voiced concern that personalisation – while sounding a nice idea on the surface – would be used to privatise and cut services, reducing choice rather than increasing it.

It was noted that privatisation would hit training, pay and conditions of the staff who provide vital social care – damaging the service itself as well as the service providers.

There is no incentive to invest in training, one speaker explained, if a private company has a high turnover of staff because it has cut pay and conditions in order to win a contract.

And Anne MacCormack of the further education and sixth form colleges sector observed that a lack of training could also have a negative impact for carers as well as clients – not knowing how to lift properly, for instance – even though carers are increasingly taking on responsibilities for many of the jobs that district nurses used to do.

Angela Hamilton for the national disabled members' committee pointed out that the lack of Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks on care staff will also benefit those wanting further deregulation, as it again cuts or avoids costs – but could increase abuse against the vulnerable.

And she also noted that, for disabled people, privatisation of social care "increases exclusion if services are lost.

Helen Davis of Barnet said that "the government wants care to be more dependent on family and friends", adding that that would inevitably affect families whose members have to work longer to make ends meet.

"It's a class issue," she stated.

At the same time, social workers are suffering strain and burnout as a result of under-resourcing and a high-profile press reaction if things go wrong.

As Glen Williams of the service group executive noted: "I have been accused of being responsible for the murder of babies, the theft of children from their homes and the sexual abuse of vulnerable people by the gutter press, because I am a social worker."

"We are damned if we do and damned if we don't," added Dave Auger of Northampton branch.

There was short shrift for government ideas that the answer lies in the private sector or cutting "back office" staff.

"You don't cut bureaucracy by creating a new one around commissioning and contract compliance," said another SGE speaker Dave Buss. "You cut it by freeing social workers from desk-bound tasks."

The idea that "back office" staff can be cut without affecting frontline services, added Glen Williams, "is like cutting out the back four and Green fingers from the England team and expecting Wayne Rooney and company to provide a defence and still score goals."

Delegates agreed a range of policies to defend social work and the members who provide them, including:

• proper funding and resourcing to implement the Social Work Taskforce recommendations;
• agreements on national workloads;
• campaigning for a universal model of national social care based on the principles of the NHS, paid through general taxation and National Insurance;
• reviewing and monitoring the impact of underfunding and personalisation on the delivery if social care, jobs, pay and conditions;
• campaigning for adequate funding to meet the real needs of users and potential users, plus high-quality training and employment;
• calling for all personal budget schemes to include an option for local authority in-house services;
• making sure that equalities and human rights played their part at the heart of social care.

The fightback is underway

• continuing to campaign for well resourced, directl provided, high-quality local services and jobs, through well argued national and local campaigns, including continuing to promote the Million Voices campaign;
• ensuring that job security remains a key priority, while accepting the need to support those threatened with compulsory redundancy;
• promoting the economic case for a "redundancy freeze" and the union's alternative budget;
• continuing to promote the existence of the redundancy guide and continue to update this strategy;
• working with others to change the media-created negative perception of local government workers.

'Let's counter the pension myths' say delegates

(14/06/10) Local government delegates called on members to counter the myths about the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) and campaign to defend and reform the scheme at their conference today.

The LGPS is sustainable in the long term, conference heard, although there will be ongoing serious cost pressures on the scheme. Local government employers will be under serious pressure to cut the scheme.

All the myths that are being put out by the media, politicians, local councils, the Taxpayers' Alliance, the CBI, the Institute of Directors and others have been rebutted in a series of leaflets produced by UNISON.

The average local government pension for women is just £2,700, which pensions officer Glyn Jenkins pointed out is only just enough to keep members above the threshold for means-tested benefits.

UNISON will continue to answer the critics of the scheme with hard facts. "There's no instant fix, but the hard slog continues," said Mr Jenkins.

He expressed concern at the government's "cap and share" proposals for cost-sharing within the LGPS. UNISON has put forward proposals to share costs fairly in a way which doesn't penalise members.

He also noted that the government's "so-called independent commission" was formed of private pension advisors, and there are rumours that next week's emergency budget will contain proposals to cut the LGPS.

Mr Jenkins rallied the members, saying: "The battle has started. Every single member is invited to take part to counter the myths and lies that have been put out."

LGBT delegate Dierdre Costigan welcomed the previous government's decision to allow surviving partners of civil partnerships equal pension rights with married couples, but she called for full survivor pension rights to be extended to unmarried cohabiting partners.

If you would like to attend or would like more information please contact the Rochdale UNISON office.

01706 925952

The Settlement from 1 April 2009

• Pay will increase by 1.25% on SCP's 4 to 10 and by 1% on SCP's 11 to 49 inclusive.
• Basic annual leave will also increase from 20 to 21 days for employees with less than 5 years service.
• The employers and trade unions will also endeavour to produce a best practice statement on handling redundancies by 1 December 2009.

ANNEX 1