UNISON has begun its campaign to achieve better pay.
They have written to all branches outlining the campaign . read here.
One of the actions has bee to write all Council leaders and Chief executives in England and Wales . read here
Thursday, 29 March 2012
PAY OFFER 2012/2013
UNISON has begun its campaign to achieve better pay.
They have written to all branches outlining the campaign . read here.
One of the actions has bee to write all Council leaders and Chief executives in England and Wales . read here
Thursday, 15 March 2012
999
Answer the call. Save the NHS
The hated Health and Social Care Bill could become law as early as next week. This means that there are only days to save the NHS as we know it, an NHS that is fair, efficient and more popular with the public than ever before.This Bill will change all that and create an NHS where competition will replace compassion and profit will be more important than patients.
UNISON, the trade union that represents nurses, midwives, paramedics, cleaners, porters, clerks and many other NHS staff, has been opposed to the government’s plans for the NHS since the beginning. We have now been joined by nearly every royal college and NHS trade union in campaigning against the Bill.
The Bill has its third and final reading in the House of Lords on Monday 19 March – the last opportunity for politicians to block the Bill and stop it becoming law.
This could now be our last chance to block this Bill and save the NHS. Here's how you can help.
Actions
- sign the petition and ask colleagues, family and friends to sign it too.
- adopt a peer and send a letter asking members of the House of Lords to block the Bill. It only takes a minute to send a letter.
Friday, 2 March 2012
EMPLOYER REFUSES PAY RISE AGAIN!
reproduced below is the best commentary on the web on our continuing pay freeze (by Jon Rogers Branch sec Lambeth branch)
"Warm words in the Pay Ice Age
In case any readers of this blog thought that the local government employers were unfeeling as they refuse once more to make a pay award, although prices have now risen by 13% since they last did so, I thought I should share with you the following extract from Tuesday's letter from the employers to the trade union side Secretaries (in which the employers refuse to go to ACAS); "The difficult decision to not make a pay offer was made in response to the unprecedented financial situation facing councils. Nevertheless the Employers are keen to stress how much they appreciate the hard work and commitment of the local government workforce and understand that asking them to accept a third year without a nationally-determined pay increase will come as a disappointment."
It certainly gives a warm feeling to know how much our "hard work and commitment" is "appreciated." Sadly this warm feeling doesn't unfreeze our pay!
As for a "disappointment", I think what is more disappointing than the predictable intransigence of the employers is the failure of the trade union side clearly to put the option of industrial action before our members.
It is completely mistaken to suppose that we can "build" for action next year against the fourth year of pay freeze whilst silently swallowing the third year now. Leadership is not shown by only asking members questions to which you already anticipate a positive answer.
What is required, for workers within the NJC and all our bargaining groups, is a continuing campaign against the pay freeze, with the aim of encouraging UNISON members to be prepared for, and take, sustained industrial action, coordinated on the widest possible basis.
At a minimum we need - now - a vigorous campaign to mobilise political opposition to the pay freeze in local government (and beyond).
We ought, for example, to be able to secure sufficient signatures on an e-petition to force a debate in Parliament, which would provide a focus for lobbying and to raise the arguments for action with our members.
I fear though that the answer to the question "when shall we fight the pay freeze?" always seems to be "next year" and that - if our leadership won't even clearly and formally ask our members the question about industrial action in 2012 - we ourselves have thereby made it harder to see how we can get a positive answer to that question in 2013.
The pay freeze is part of the same ideological anti-working class offensive as the attack on our pensions and the massive programme of spending cuts. We desperately need to start showing the same determination as is shown by our enemies.
Otherwise the pay freeze could become a Pay Ice Age, which will never be defrosted by warm weasel words from the employers. "
It certainly gives a warm feeling to know how much our "hard work and commitment" is "appreciated." Sadly this warm feeling doesn't unfreeze our pay!
As for a "disappointment", I think what is more disappointing than the predictable intransigence of the employers is the failure of the trade union side clearly to put the option of industrial action before our members.
It is completely mistaken to suppose that we can "build" for action next year against the fourth year of pay freeze whilst silently swallowing the third year now. Leadership is not shown by only asking members questions to which you already anticipate a positive answer.
What is required, for workers within the NJC and all our bargaining groups, is a continuing campaign against the pay freeze, with the aim of encouraging UNISON members to be prepared for, and take, sustained industrial action, coordinated on the widest possible basis.
At a minimum we need - now - a vigorous campaign to mobilise political opposition to the pay freeze in local government (and beyond).
We ought, for example, to be able to secure sufficient signatures on an e-petition to force a debate in Parliament, which would provide a focus for lobbying and to raise the arguments for action with our members.
I fear though that the answer to the question "when shall we fight the pay freeze?" always seems to be "next year" and that - if our leadership won't even clearly and formally ask our members the question about industrial action in 2012 - we ourselves have thereby made it harder to see how we can get a positive answer to that question in 2013.
The pay freeze is part of the same ideological anti-working class offensive as the attack on our pensions and the massive programme of spending cuts. We desperately need to start showing the same determination as is shown by our enemies.
Otherwise the pay freeze could become a Pay Ice Age, which will never be defrosted by warm weasel words from the employers. "
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