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News from UNISON National- Hospital parking: staff at some trusts paying 200 times more than others 22 June, 2018Parking outside work is becoming more and more of a problem for NHS staff in England. The article Hospital parking: staff at some trusts paying 200 times more than others first appeared on the UNISON National site.
- Labour government would bring back genuine national pay in education, says Angela Rayner MP 22 June, 2018Speaking at UNISON’s annual national conference today (Friday) in Brighton, shadow secretary of state for education Angela Rayner MP said: “I became who I am today thanks to this union. Because I wasn’t born in to the movement – I was made in it. That is why I am so proud to be back here on the […]
- Tax cut for rich means billions lost to Exchequer 22 June, 2018Cutting income tax for people earning more than £1m per year has deprived the Exchequer of more than £11.1bn over the past sixyears, according to new analysis by UNISON published today (Sunday). The government’s decision to reduce the top rate of income tax from 50p to 45p in April 2013 has also saved the rich […]
- Hospital parking: staff at some trusts paying 200 times more than others 22 June, 2018
- UNISON National Campaigns
- Public Service Champions: Moments of Truth 28 April, 2018The personal, frank stories behind 10 years of austerity. Public services have reached breaking point and so have the people that deliver them. They are speaking out to expose the truth. The article Public Service Champions: Moments of Truth 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.
- Public Service Champions: Moments of Truth 28 April, 2018
- UNISON National Events
- Nursing Times Careers Live London 24 April, 2018Prioritise your professional and personal development Whether you’re searching for your first placement or researching options for the next step in your career, Nursing Times Careers Live London provides the perfect opportunity to make a great first impression with employers and work on yourself both professionally and personally. Meet exhibitors from across the UK looking […]
- Celebrate and support the NHS at 70 on 30 June 2018 18 April, 2018Birthdays are special. This year the NHS is 70 years old and we think that’s something worth celebrating. We are celebrating the anniversary of the creation of the NHS, the single most loved organisation in the UK and the envy of nations around the world. We are also celebrating the staff who work for the […]
- UNISON National Disabled LGBT Members network meeting 26 January, 2018Annual meeting for all UNISON disabled LGBT members National Disabled Members Network Days A voice for you at disabled members UNISON conference! These meetings have been arranged to allow space for members from under represented groups within disabled members self organisation to network and organise and to ensure they have better access to the disabled […]
- Nursing Times Careers Live London 24 April, 2018
- UNISON South East News
- Rental costs in the South East price public service staff out of housing, says UNISON 20 June, 2018High rental costs mean many public service employees in the South East are spending over 60% of their wages on rent, according to research published today (Tuesday) by UNISON. Hospital porters are struggling the most, with rents swallowing up over half their take home pay in the South East which is the second most expensive […]
- In memory of Stephen Lawrence 19 June, 201822nd April 2018, this year, marked the 25th anniversary of the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993. It is widely regarded that the murder of Stephen Lawrence and the subsequent family oriented campaign triggered a sea Change in attitudes over race in the UK. Sir William Macpherson’s Inquiry examined the circumstances of Stephen’s murder, on April 22 1993, as well as the litany of […]
- Medway Self Organised Group event at Medway Council 19 June, 2018Working with Medway Towns UNISON, I helped to organise a Self Organised Group event at Medway Council, with the aim to promote our 5 Self Organised Groups (SOGs) to our membership & staff at the council. We held an exhibition stall in the cafe, over the lunchtime period. We advertised it well in advance, by sending an email to […]
- Rental costs in the South East price public service staff out of housing, says UNISON 20 June, 2018
- UNISON South East Campaigns
- Rental costs in the South East price public service staff out of housing, says UNISON 20 June, 2018High rental costs mean many public service employees in the South East are spending over 60% of their wages on rent, according to research published today (Tuesday) by UNISON. Hospital porters are struggling the most, with rents swallowing up over half their take home pay in the South East which is the second most expensive […]
- In memory of Stephen Lawrence 19 June, 201822nd April 2018, this year, marked the 25th anniversary of the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993. It is widely regarded that the murder of Stephen Lawrence and the subsequent family oriented campaign triggered a sea Change in attitudes over race in the UK. Sir William Macpherson’s Inquiry examined the circumstances of Stephen’s murder, on April 22 1993, as well as the litany of […]
- Medway Self Organised Group event at Medway Council 19 June, 2018Working with Medway Towns UNISON, I helped to organise a Self Organised Group event at Medway Council, with the aim to promote our 5 Self Organised Groups (SOGs) to our membership & staff at the council. We held an exhibition stall in the cafe, over the lunchtime period. We advertised it well in advance, by sending an email to […]
- Rental costs in the South East price public service staff out of housing, says UNISON 20 June, 2018
- Oxford City UNISON News
- LGBT survey 23 June, 2018You guys are amazing! We aimed to get 200 responses to our LGBT Staff Survey and we are currently a cat's whisker away from hitting 400.Thank you very much to you all, and if you would still like to take part, there is just one week left.The link to the survey is https://survey.yas.nhs.uk/s/LGBTStaffSurvey18/.
- Find out what’s going on at this years National delegate conference 22 June, 2018Click here to read all the latest news
- Dave Prentis Speech Full NDC 2018 20 June, 2018UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis marks the start of the union's 25th anniversary year with a speech recalling some of the battles and successes of the past. And he had a message for the Prime Minister: "Fund our NHS and all our public services. Or call an election and we'll elect a government that will."
- LGBT survey 23 June, 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.”
