Special Branch Secretary Cuts Bulletin Issue No.1

Transcription

1 Hull City Branch Special Branch Secretary Cuts Bulletin Issue No.1 24 th January 2011 If you require any further details of the matters raised in this issue please do not hesitate to contact me either by at or telephone Welcome to the first issue of the Branch Secretary Bulletin Join our Campaign and Fight against these Cuts Don t be Con Dem d say No to Unfair and Unnecessary spending Cuts 1. Hull City Council Revenue Budget Proposals 2011/12 Following the announcement and publication earlier this month of the City Council s 2011/12 Revenue Budget Proposals it has become very clear the enormity of the proposed cuts and the impact this will have on jobs, service, the public of Hull including the vulnerable and the local economy. The sheer size of these cuts asks the question, what services will the City Council stop delivering and will the City Council as we know it survive? We are now facing the fight of our lives and this fight must be taken to the heart of the communities we serve. The Council keep repeating that the cuts are 50m but in fact this figure is 80m. The Coalition Government have targeted the poor, the elderly, the vulnerable and, predominantly, the North in their obsessive Cuts programme and the impact on our jobs, services and our terms and conditions is something that cannot be avoided by workers everywhere. The impact on our communities will be devastating. Research shows that cuts to public services hit the poorest and the vulnerable hardest. Combine these with regressive taxation, such as the VAT hike and the removal of grants such as the EMA and it becomes clear that working people are being squeezed by the bankers best friends, the ConDem Cabinet. UNISON will fight for a fairer way to protect public services, our communities and our jobs. There is an alternative. The Emergency Branch Local Government Committee on the 12 th January re-affirmed our opposition to the proposed Council cuts with the following resolution, which was carried unanimously: We mandate the Branch Officers to initiate an Industrial Campaign to fight the cuts. The campaign should use all possible resources to defend member s jobs and Terms and Conditions including where necessary and when supported by members, Industrial Action up to and including Strike Action. People are now beginning to realise the severity and unfairness of these cuts. Nationally, services are being axed, while people are losing their jobs and their homes and it s not just public sector jobs that are going. The Tory led Coalition continues to say that there is no alternative and this line is parroted by the media. It is not surprising that many people including our members believe it. But it is a myth. It is the mantra of the 1

2 millionaires, repeated over and over again to hide the fact that the bankers, who created this mess, have kept their bonuses, cushy jobs and tax avoidance loopholes at our expense. 2. Voluntary Early Termination (VET) Scheme In light of the recent Managers Special Budget Update published 14 th January 2011 and the Hull Talk VET Special circulated early last week, which both commented on two things to consider and stated that at present the payment for those leaving through VET will be 2.45 week s pay for each completed years service up to a maximum of 20 years this can only be guaranteed to those who apply to the scheme by Friday 4 th February and who agree to leave the organisation before Saturday 30 th April Following strong representation and concerns raised from UNISON and the other Trade Unions at the CEMPOL meeting held on Tuesday 18 th January 2011 Jacqui Blesic, Head of Human Resources agreed to the following Joint Briefing: Agreed Joint Briefing VET/Redundancy Calculator At the joint meeting on the 18th January the Trade Unions expressed concern about the information being shared around the VET calculator in particular that the statement that this can only be guaranteed to 30th April 2011 for those applying for VET commencing 4th February 2011 is incorrect. Furthermore managers are using this to put pressure on people to make applications for VET. The Authority has been open in terms of expressing a desire to encourage as many employees as possible to volunteer for early termination with the aim of mitigating the need for compulsory redundancy. The calculator is currently 2.45 week s pay for each completed year of service up to a maximum of 20 years. This calculator cannot change unless negotiations have taken place with trade unions and have been concluded. 3. Emergency Branch General Membership Meeting Wednesday 26 th January 2011 Due to the unprecedented attacks facing this branch and our members, there will be an Emergency General Meeting on Wednesday 26 th January at 12.30pm in the Mortimer Suite, Hull City Hall. It is important that members make every effort to attend this meeting and as a member led Trade Union it is important that member s views and concerns are listened to and receive the appropriate support and advice. 4. Terms and Conditions Negotiations/Consultation As part of the current Budget Cuts Consultation the Council have held two meetings so far with the Joint Trade Unions, begining formal negotiation/consultation on terms and conditions. The Council s Revenue Budget Proposals Public Consultation Document has proposed just under 1.4m staffing resource savings. UNISON has stated that it is opposed to any attacks on or reductions in terms and conditions and has also stated that it is equally important to protect the working conditions of staff remaining with the City Council following the outcome of the new VET scheme and the formal s188 (HR1) consultation. As soon as any details are known UNISON will inform members and seek your views. 5. TUC National Demonstration London Saturday 26 th March

3 Hull City Branch has been working alongside other Trade Unions and Hull Against Cuts to build the TUC National Demonstration in London on March 26th. The Branch has booked six coaches for members to attend. This is the most important national demonstration the TUC have ever organised and will be a strong message to the Tory led Coalition that their savage cuts are unnecessary and unfair. The TUC have estimated for between 500,000 to 1million people will attend. All Unison members will go free so if you are interested please contact the Branch Office on telephone and lets ensure that Hull City UNISON Branch sends a loud message to Con Dems in Westminster and the Council that these cuts are not acceptable and we will campaign to fight them.. 6. Members Workplace Meetings The Branch is in the process of organising a number of workplace meetings to talk to members and listen to what is being said. These have already started to happen and a recent meber meeting in Brunswick house was attended by 200 people. If you are not sure whether a meeting has been organised for your workplace, or you wish to have someone from the Branch come to your workplace please contact the Branch Office on telephone or unisonhull@unisonhull.karoo.co.uk 7. Other Issues Wilson Centre A consultation meeting has been arranged for Wednesday 26 th January 2011 with the Head of Customer Services with regards to the opening of the Wilson Centre and the impact this will have on workers and Customer Service Centres throughout the City. There are also possible issues for Box Office staff and their current working arrangements. UNISON will raise the outstanding issue of backdating of unpaid overtime in Customer Service Centres. Any agreement must be reached following a consultative ballot of those members concerned. Regeneration Housing Strategy and Renewal Restructure A number of meetings have been held with the Director for Regeneration regarding the proposed new Housing Strategy and Renewal Restructure. Following consultation with members affected by the restructure, along with UNISON Workplace Representatives, UNISON have agreed to support, in principal, an accelerated restructure timeline. The Branch is currently in consultation with members with regards to proposed job descriptions and selection criteria process. Street Lighting Terms and Conditions Harmonisation Following a meeting with UNISON members based within the Street lighting Section UNISON has raised concerns regarding the length of time the harmonisation is taking. UNISON feels that Senior Management within the Streetscene Service Area is stalling on seeking a suitable resolution. There are a number of major differences between the terms and conditions of this group of employees compared to the rest of the council work force, for instance they do not receive pay when on sick and there is a huge disparity with regards to annual leave entitlement. Management have had years to sort this out and have failed to move this forward. Unless progress is made now UNISON will have no option but to seek legal redress. 8. Local Government Pensions 3

4 As well as the current jobs and terms and conditions attacks that we face, we also face a further attack our Pension scheme once more. Public Sector unions are awaiting more details but these will more than likely include an increased personal contribution and an attempt to remove the Final Salary Scheme, replacing it with an Average Salary Scheme. Local Council workers must challenge the myth, peddled by the Tory led Coalition and reported unchallenged in the media, that our pensions are Gold Plated. These are the vicious lies put out by a Cabinet stuffed full of millionaires and former Bankers. In reality, the average public sector pension is a mere 4,000/annum. For women in local government it is just 2,600. For the millionaire Deputy Prime Minister or the millionaire Prime Minister who married a millionaire heiress to pass comment on workers who live on 2,600 a year after 30 years service is disgraceful. Let s not forget what our pension scheme really is, a deferred wage. Gold Plated Pension Scheme you are having a Laugh!!! Hands off Our Pension Scheme 9.. Wanted New UNISON Workplace Representatives and Health & Safety Representatives UNISON is currently dealing with a large number of complex and delicate issues, which is causing a severe strain on the resource the Branch currently has available. If you are a member and wish to become more active within UNISON then please contact the Branch Office on telephone or unisonhull@unisonhull.karoo.co.uk for further details. Finally if you are currently not a member of a Trade Union please complete the Membership application form and join the largest Public Sector Trade Union in the country and join the campaign and fight against the proposed cuts. Report by: Mike Adamson Branch Secretary 4

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