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News from UNISON National- Blog: A credit to their community 19 April, 2018UNISON and our members need to be round the table and involved in the decisions about the future of public services in Northamptonshire. By ensuring that, we’ll achieve better outcomes for everyone – and that’s something, after so much hardship, that’s sorely needed. The article Blog: A credit to their community first appeared on the […]
- Labour’s housing plans give millions priced out of housing real hope, says UNISON 19 April, 2018Thursday 19 April 2018 For immediate release Commenting on Labour’s plans to build a million ‘genuinely affordable’ properties over 10 years, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “It’s great to see Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party taking the housing crisis so seriously. “A million genuinely affordable homes would be a good start to fixing our broken […]
- Blog: The Windrush generation served us all and made our country a better place 18 April, 2018It’s time the legal status of the Windrush generation was confirmed once and for all – but the stain their treatment leaves on the already ugly record of this government will take a very long time to fade. The article Blog: The Windrush generation served us all and made our country a better place first […]
- Blog: A credit to their community 19 April, 2018
- UNISON National Campaigns
- Pay Up Now! 19 July, 2017For years now public service workers have seen their pay held back by government in the name of austerity. We believe it's time public sector workers need a pay rise. The article Pay Up Now! first appeared on the UNISON National site.
- Pay Up Now for Council and School Workers 17 July, 2017Council and school workers' pay has been frozen for years. UNISON is demanding better, fairer pay for all. The article Pay Up Now for Council and School Workers first appeared on the UNISON National site.
- Stand up for social work 5 July, 2017Austerity has hit social services hard. Instead of putting the services children and families need in place, the government's response has been to recommend unnecessary tests. We have an important opportunity to stop them but we need to take action now. The article Stand up for social work first appeared on the UNISON National site.
- Pay Up Now! 19 July, 2017
- UNISON National Events
- Housing Seminar 13 April, 2018UNISON is running a Housing Seminar at UNISON Centre to develop a plan in response to key challenges. We encourage all members working in housing to attend. Guest speakers • John Healey MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Housing • Sonya Howard, UNISON NEC Member & Kensington & Chelsea Branch Secretary • Steve Hilditch, Labour […]
- International Workers’ Memorial Day – unionised workplaces are safer workplaces! 13 March, 2018International Workers’ Memorial Day (IWMD) on 28 April is our day to remember the dead and fight for the living. International Workers’ Memorial Day (IWMD) on 28 April is our day to remember the dead and fight for the living. Up to 50,000 people die each year in the UK from work-related ill health and […]
- National Operating Department Practitioners’ (ODP) Day 26 February, 2018A day to celebrate the ODP profession and for colleagues and the public to find out more about the ODP role. Operating department practitioners have been working within the NHS for over 50 years under varying titles. ODPs have only been regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council since 2004, and from 7 April […]
- Housing Seminar 13 April, 2018
- UNISON South East News
- Southampton City Council Commits to UNISON Care Charter 11 April, 2018The council’s Labour team pledge to sign UNISON’s Ethical and residential care charters on May 7th Announcement made in Labour’s manifesto pledges for upcoming election Council will be first in country to sign up to Residential Care Charter Southampton City Council will join local authorities nationwide in signing up to UNISON’s Ethical Care Charter, […]
- Surrey schools in danger of closure 22 March, 2018There’s worrying news for staff, parents and pupils at schools in Godalming and Ripley in Surrey as two primary schools remain in danger of closure. Green Oak Primary and Ripley CofE were mandated to become academies by the Department for Education after failing their respective Ofsted reports, but at the time of writing, there are […]
- External Women’s History Events 22 March, 2018There are a number of events and exhibitions being run by external organisations to celebrate Women’s History Month in 2018. Here’s a selection which you may be interested in with links to find out more. Information about the various talks and guided tours around Westminster throughout the year to celebrate 100 Years of the Vote […]
- Southampton City Council Commits to UNISON Care Charter 11 April, 2018
- UNISON South East Campaigns
- Southampton City Council Commits to UNISON Care Charter 11 April, 2018The council’s Labour team pledge to sign UNISON’s Ethical and residential care charters on May 7th Announcement made in Labour’s manifesto pledges for upcoming election Council will be first in country to sign up to Residential Care Charter Southampton City Council will join local authorities nationwide in signing up to UNISON’s Ethical Care Charter, […]
- Surrey schools in danger of closure 22 March, 2018There’s worrying news for staff, parents and pupils at schools in Godalming and Ripley in Surrey as two primary schools remain in danger of closure. Green Oak Primary and Ripley CofE were mandated to become academies by the Department for Education after failing their respective Ofsted reports, but at the time of writing, there are […]
- External Women’s History Events 22 March, 2018There are a number of events and exhibitions being run by external organisations to celebrate Women’s History Month in 2018. Here’s a selection which you may be interested in with links to find out more. Information about the various talks and guided tours around Westminster throughout the year to celebrate 100 Years of the Vote […]
- Southampton City Council Commits to UNISON Care Charter 11 April, 2018
- Oxford City UNISON News
- Untitled 19 April, 2018
- We are here to help, all you need to do is ask.. 17 April, 2018
- Workplace stress top 10 sources 16 April, 2018
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World Mental Health Day 2017 Tea & Talk
UNISON are hosting Tea and Talk events between 11am -1pm on World Mental Health Day, 10th October 2017.
Oxfordshire County UNISON Branch is launching a campaign to promote positive mental health in the workplace and to improve support and provision for those in work with mental health conditions. UNISON officers and reps welcome members and non-members to come to our stall for tea and cake and to take part in our quiz, pick up information, give us suggestions about improving mental health at work.
Events will be held at the following venues;
Speedwell House (Oxford) 11am-1pm First Floor kitchen
Abbey House (Abingdon) 11am-1pm Second Floor kitchen
Knights Court (Cowley) 11am-1pm Second Floor kitchen
Samuelson House (Banbury) 11am -1pm Second Floor Breakout area.
As part of the campaign the branch is working with Oxfordshire MIND on an Olympic torch style event which will visit organisations across the county on the day collecting contributions to a World Mental Health Day Book which will be presented to Cllr Ian Hudspeth in a celebration at County Hall at 4.30 pm. The book will contain contributions of poems, photos, art work, personal experiences and pledges from people across the Oxfordshire in recognition and support of the those with mental health issues and the people who support them in our communities and services. UNISON’s Tea and Talk events will be offering the chance to make contributions to the book too. If you would like to attend the event at County Hall please contact unison@oxfordshire.gov.uk.
Mental Health Survey
Branch members should by now have received an email about our Mental Health Survey please do take the time to fill it in, it’ll only take a few minutes and it will help us a huge amount to plan the right campaign for you. It is for all members, not merely those who have or have had mental health conditions, if you’ve worked with or for someone then it’s just as valuable to get your opinion. We want to promote positive steps and attitudes to mental health in the workplace and everyone is part of that. If you haven’t received your link to the survey or haven’t been able to fill it in for some reason please get in touch with us so we can give you the link or sort out any issue.
Don’t forget it’s World Mental Health Day on Tuesday October 10th and there will be an event near you – details to follow. If you’d like to be involved with our campaigning then use the link above to get in touch.
Pay Up Now!
Public sector workers need a pay rise!
For years now, public service workers have seen their pay held back by government in the name of austerity. First a freeze then a cap saw public sector pay rise by just 4.4% between 2010 and 2016 while the cost of living rose by 22%.
That’s no way to treat people like you, hardworking people who play such a vital role in looking after us and holding our communities together – keeping us safe, healthy, educated, and cared for.
But the tide may be turning. The government is now under real pressure to scrap the 1% cap on public sector wages and UNISON is leading the fight to get you the pay rise you deserve. More and more people are listening and supporting our Pay Up Now! campaign.
Now it’s up to us, in UNISON, to keep that pressure on until we get:
- an end to the pay cap;
- government money made available for an immediate pay rise for all public sector workers;
- an end to government interference in bargaining arrangements for all public sector pay.
We can’t miss this opportunity. They won’t pay up if we don’t all speak up. So, please get involved in our campaign and help us win. Together we can do it.
EU citizens: UNISON returns to Parliament to defend members
UNISON members will join a mass lobby of Parliament on 13 September to speak up for the rights of EU nationals in the UK and British citizens in the European Union.
UNISON has an estimated 70,000 members who are EU nationals and is calling on the government to commit to all their rights to continue to live and work in the UK after Brexit.
This will be the second lobby of Parliament this year over the issue. The first, in February, helped to put it at the top the Brexit agenda in the minds of many MPs and peers. The new lobby comes when the negotiations are under way, with citizens’ rights seen as one of the major obstacles to an agreement.
Prime Minister Theresa May’s proposal in June, which offered “settled status” for EU nationals who have been in the UK for five years, was criticised by many, including the prime minister’s EU counterparts and citizens’ rights groups.
One important sticking point was Ms May’s refusal to accept the European Court of Justice as the arbiter of any future disputes over citizens’ rights.
Katia Widlak of UNISON’s strategic organising unit called the offer “pathetic”, adding that it fell short of the EU’s own, earlier position paper, which guaranteed EU nationals in the UK and UK nationals in the EU the continuity of their existing rights.
“The UK government proposal is already watering down some of those existing rights by restricting freedom of movement and the right to family reunion,” she said.
The lobby, organised alongside the 3 million, British in Europe and other citizens’ rights groups, will put the following demands to MPs:
◾keep the rights already held as EU citizens in the UK and British citizens in the EU;
◾guarantee these rights for life under the European Court of Justice;
◾support ring-fencing an agreement on citizens’ rights from the rest of the UK/EU negotiations;
◾introduce a free, easy-to-use registration process for EU citizens in the UK.
UNISON has reserved rooms in Parliament from 2–6pm, where members can meet their MPs.
There will also be a gathering at the nearby Emmanuel Centre, where speakers will include Labour’s shadow secretary of state for exiting the EU, Keir Starmer.
Ms Widlak is expecting an even greater turn-out than February’s successful lobby, including some British citizens currently living in the EU, who will be returning home to take part.
And she urged all UNISON members to take part, either on the day or through an e-lobby .
“Citizens’ rights are in phase one of the Brexit negotiations, which are supposed to be concluded by October,” she said. “This could be the last opportunity we have to influence what happens. It’s crucial that we maintain the pressure.”
