Happy
New Year
Special General Meeting
Pay
Housing Costs and Local Government Wages
Is your employer dyslexia friendly?
Code of Practice for privacy at work
Time Off for Learning Reps
Religious discrimination
Retirement and age equality
Guide to Domestic Abuse
Providing Support to UNISON Activists
Civil Partnership and Other Gay and Lesbian
Matters
Education News
Boycott Coca Cola - Stop the Violence
Happy New Year - But a Prosperous one?
On the first day of Christmas my Employer gave to me: No guaranteed
parking at my place of work!
On the second: Parking charges at my place of work should I be
lucky enough to find a space!
On the third: The outsourcing of my service to private enterprise!
On the fourth: the removal of Essential Car user lump sum!
On the fifth: the requirement in my job description to cope with
working in a stressful working environment!
On the Sixth: Performance related pay!
On the seventh: No negotiation on Job Evaluation salary protection!
On the eight: *1% increase (15% rise) in Superannuation contributions!
On the ninth: *No full superannuated pension until I reach 65
(was 60 last week!)
On the tenth:* A 5 year rise in the earliest age that any one
can retire and receive a pro-rata superannuated pension!
On the eleventh: *removed the 85-year rule to ensure I cannot
retire until I am 65!
And on the twelve day of Christmas my Employer told me that no
way was I going to retire on ill health grounds despite the fact that
I must be willing and able to take on a more and more stressful workload!
Our service conditions are under threat from our employer and government
(assisted by our Employer). UNISON is fighting to protect, but we
do need your help.
DCC are supporting the Local Government Pensions Division in their
proposals to make you pay more for longer before you can collect your
pension, without any increase in the level of pension that you receive.
We at UNISON wish you all a Happy New Year and we hope that it will
be prosperous for all of us.
Special General Meeting - 3 Dec 03, Exeter
Agenda items:
- Job Evaluation - update on the Collective Agreement
- Child Care Pathway Trust - latest position
- Green Travel proposal - latest position
- Staff Travel - considered the latest proposal from the authority
Some feedback:
As regards Job Evaluation - Devon UNISON are at the point of withdrawing
co-operation with this.
Similar with the Green Travel proposal.
A statement as regards the Child Care Pathway Trust will also be posted
here but no motion was actually voted on at the meeting.
However, on the proposed changes to Staff Travel arrangements and
the existing mileage allowance, the following
motion was passed:
This meeting mandates UNISON negotiators to dismiss this
latest management proposal. And instructs them to negotiate the implementation
of the NJC scheme as outlined in Part 2 & Part 3 of the green
book. The negotiators are instructed not to discuss any other proposals.
If management fail to agree, then this meeting instructs the negotiators
to trigger the 'failure to agree' process as outlined in part 1 of
the green book under 'principles'.
Negotiators are instructed to inform management that any attempts
to unilaterally change contracts of employment will be seen by this
Branch as a 'breach of contract' and will be considered as unlawful
and a constructive dismissal situation.
Inform management that instigating unilateral action will result in
a ballot for industrial action.
Instruct the negotiators to inform management that any deductions
from pay arising out of such a breach of contract will be unlawful
and contrary to the ERA 1996 and will inform all members to individually
sue DCC. They should also remind management of the need to obtain
written authority of employees before making such a deduction.
This meeting mandates this Branch to actively support members affected
by any breach of contract, including legal action for unlawful deduction
of wages and if constructively dismissed. The Branch will formulate
a letter on behalf of each member so that they can submit a written
response to DCC if they proceed with unilateral action.
This meeting instructs this Branch to apply for an injunction at the
earliest opportunity to prevent DCC breaching employment contracts.
With regards to the existing scheme, this meeting instructs this Branch
to proceed with claim for discrimination on behalf of HCA and part
time staff.
Local Government Pay Claim 2004/5 - No more
the public sectors "Poor Relations"
The proposed pay claim for 2004-5 is as below:
- Deletion of scale points 4,5,6
- Increase of 4% and £200 on all scale points from the existing
scale point 7, which will become the bottom scale point. This would
achieve a minimum hourly rate of £6.04 and a minimum annual
wage for full timers of £11,654
- Completion or equal pay audits and pay and grading reviews in
every council within two years, in accordance with the single status
Agreement, with additional ring fenced funding to enable councils
to carry them out.
- Increases in basic annual leave entitlement of 5 days to establish
a minimum entitlement of 25 days for all employers.
- An increase in paid maternity leave to 8 weeks full pay and 14
weeks half pay.
- 2 weeks paid maternity support/paternity leave.
The claim seeks to:
- Call a halt to local government staff being the poor relations
of the public sector
- Build on the recommendations from the Local Government Pay Commission.
- Deliver a basic increase well above inflation for all, with an
additional flat rate element to benefit those at the bottom end
of the pay spine.
- Generate additional action through equal pay audits and pay and
grading reviews to close the massive gender pay gap, in line with
the LGPC's recommendations.
- Bring basic NJC holiday entitlement into line with the rest of
the public sector and the economy.
- Increase maternity pay and paternity/maternity support entitlement
to bring them in line with NHS provision.
Housing Costs and Local Government Wages
Following on from a previous article a member sent in his experiences
looking for a house on Local Government wages in Devon.
He initially started looking to buy a house 3 years ago in Ottery
St. Mary. He has lived in Devon all his life and has worked for DCC
for the past 7 years.
He made an offer on a property in 2000 for £65k but was guzumped
and subsequently missed out. A few months ago he noticed the same
property back on the market for 120k, an 85% increase in price from
3 years earlier. This may be an extreme case but illustrates how prices
have become unobtainable recently. He was also guzumped on another
property a year ago although no one seems to occupy the house leading
him to think that it was purchased as a holiday home.
He had to give up looking as it would mean over stretching his means
to buy in the current market (sharp increases in council tax also
don't help when your trying do your housekeeping budget).
Unfortunately it seems whilst there is high demand locally and people
able/willing to pay the high prices unless you already have a foot
on the housing ladder you don't stand much chance of being able to
buy.
Is your employer dyslexia friendly?
Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer
in what oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng
is that the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset
can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs
is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but
the wrod as a wlohe.
10% of your colleagues are dyslexic, some of them severely dyslexic;
that is a large part of your team.
Dyslexic people think, learn and work differently. They can be highly
creative and bring many benefits, as well as some challenges to your
organisation.
Employers often fail to support dyslexic people adequately and as
a result also fail to get the best from dyslexic people
The British Dyslexia Association has developed guidelines for
employers so that they can be dyslexia-wise and the Devon County UNISON
Branch through the Disabled Self Organised Group is campaigning to
make its members employers dyslexia friendly.
If you are interested in supporting this campaign or what advice about
dyslexia contact the Union Office.
You are not alone there are many of us out there and as you may tell
from the spelling and the sometimes strange use of English you may
have noticed that your Editor is a dyslexic.
|
expand when clicked
Home
