Battling for Bolton Issue 5 by Mary Burns Publishing

the magazine of Bolton UNISON

Autumn 2014 Issue 5 Free

Fair Pay Not Poverty Pay! Strike Day 14th October

MPs Should Be More Like Me! Bolton MP David Crausby unleashed Why an Ethical Care Charter? Sign the petition

The Great Gold Plated Pensions Con! Your benefits unravelled ÂŁ25million Cuts Do we need them?

Plus...News, Views, Conference Reports and UNISON around Bolton...

Dear UNISON Member W elcome to the latest issue of Battling 14th October. Many other unions will be for Bolton. We hope that you enjoy it. As well as local news there is information about member benefits and services.

I would like to thank everyone who stood behind the democratic decision to take strike action on 10th July. These are difficult times, and we have to be strong and united in the battles ahead. I do understand that, for some, taking a day’s action might mean one less visit to the cinema but for some it will be a very different story - which bill do you pay or not pay? Well, being in UNISON means we will look after you. If the recent strike day does have this amount of impact, then don’t hesitate to get in touch and we will organise an application to the strike/ hardship fund. We have more challenges ahead as the joint trade unions UNISON, GMB and Unite have announced the next day of action -

Follow Bolton UNISON online… To keep right up to date with all the union news and views follow Bolton UNISON on the web…

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@UNISON_Bolton Printed by: Caric Press Ltd, 525 Ringwood Road, Ferndown, Dorset, BH22 9AQ 01202 871 766 www.caricpress.co.uk

announcing their day of action as we head towards that date. UNISON is currently balloting our comrades in the health sector and it is hoped they will also join us. Just a few days later, on 18th October, there will be a national TUC demonstration in London on the theme `Britain needs a pay rise’. Transport is being organised, the day will be family friendly and if you would like to attend please contact the branch office. We want to build maximum support for the pay campaign and give a clear message that we are determined to fight the Government’s 1% pay ceiling. Some members feel they can’t afford to strike, my message is clear. ‘We can’t afford not to’ In solidarity Andrea Egan Assistant Branch Secretary

CONTACT BOLTON UNISON Ground Floor, Howell Croft House, Howell Croft North, Bolton BL1 1QY Phone: 01204 338901 admin@unisonbolton.org www.unisonbolton.org Contact us if you’ve moved house, changed job, got a new name or to join Britain’s biggest and fastest growing trade union (see membership form at the back of the mag)

Contents

Fair Pay Not Poverty Pay! Strike Day 14th October Strike day 10th July £25million Cuts – Council cuts and health cuts: do we need them? The Great Gold Plated Pensions Con! Your benefits unravelled Careline – community alarm! Why We Need an Ethical Care Charter How Much??? How much do you need for a decent standard of living? The truth revealed! Social Worker Power! Government reels under the might! It’s Alright For Some! High earners earnings unearthed MPs Should Be More Like Me! Bolton MP David Crausby unleashed justice4bolton Will the truth ever be unveiled? The Battle of Seattle Living wage victory! What’s The Use of UKIP? Make Your Very Own UNISON Loom Band Bracelet! Diggers Delight Wigan Diggers festival treats Trench Fever World War 1 comes to Bolton Plus: Panto tickets, Blackpool Illuminations trip, the holiday benefits of UNISON and more

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Strike Day Tuesday 14th October

`We need Fair Pay not Poverty Pay…’ Following on from the July 10th strike, UNISON has announced a further day of action on 14th October in the fight for decent pay… On 14th October, UNISON’s local government and school support workers are set to hold a second day of strike action. They will be joining public sector workers from GMB and Unite to escalate the dispute over pay. The one day strike comes just a few days before the TUC organised national demonstration in London on 18th October calling for decent pay. Since the 10th July strike, no further talks have taken place despite the unions offering to go to the Government’s arbitration and conciliation service. “Employers and Government must be left in no doubt that we are serious in this dispute” says UNISON Head of Local Government, Heather Wakefield “Our members cannot afford to carry on propping up local services through their

pay packets. Many are low paid women who are being forced to resort to food banks and payday loan sharks just to survive. We need to put the heart back into local government by paying a living wage.” GMB National Secretary, Brian Strutton, adds: “Our members in GMB, UNISON and Unite expect us to maximise our joint effectiveness and that’s why we are announcing the next strike together. Our members deserve a fair pay deal and we have to fight together to achieve that. Council leaders should reconsider their parsimonious pay offer and do the right thing by their staff.” And Unite National Officer, Fiona Farmer, explains: “Local government workers have had years of real pay cuts, working harder to deliver vital local services while being paid less and struggling to make ends meet. On 1st October the National Minimum Wage will overtake local government pay scales, we need Fair Pay not Poverty Pay.” Bolton UNISON is calling for all members to join the 14th October strike.

Strike Day Thur Bolton Shuts D On July 10th, UNISON members in Bolton joined public sector colleagues in GMB and Unite, plus teachers, firefighters and civil servants in a one day strike in support of attacks on pay, pensions and terms and conditions…

ur employers have offered a 1% rise this year, which comes on top of three years of pay freezes and a 1% rise – effectively a 20% cut in real terms since the Coalition Government came to power. On July 10th members showed their disgust by taking industrial action which shut down Bolton’s town halls, libraries, children’s centres, schools, refuse collection services and lots more. At the huge rally on the steps of Bolton Town Hall, Bolton UNISON branch secretary, Bernadette Gallagher, explained why workers had had enough… “Industrial action is the inevitable

consequence of the employers’ refusal to sit down and have meaningful negotiations with the trade unions. This lack of engagement is systematic of the Government’s strategy of making public sector workers pay for a crisis not of our making. “Council workers provide vital services, some of which are high profile like emptying the bins and cutting the grass but there are lots of services that go unnoticed – care of the elderly, looking after children in care, fostering services, homelessness services, burying the dead, undertaking marriage services, rat catching, pest control and dealing with

rsday July 10th Down

dangerous dogs. And not to forget those people who collect the taxes that pay for the services we deliver. “The campaign for fair pay for all our public service workforce is a campaign for all of us who rely on these services. A TUC policy shows that the average public service worker is £2,245 worse off since this government came to power. In local government, two thirds of the workforce earns less than £21,000 and half a million workers earn less than the living wage. “The scale of the job losses through redundancy, recruitment freeze and deletion of posts combined with a pay

freeze means that those who are left behind are expected to do more for less – stress levels are rising and morale has been slashed. 86% of respondents to a UNISON survey of local government workers showed that stress levels have increased. “The Government brags that the economy is growing and that they are on target to be the fifth richest country in the world – well public sector workers feel that it’s time we had a share of that growth. Our economies cannot survive with a small minority at the top making vast profits and drawing huge salaries while paying little of no tax. Meanwhile, we have a low

wage economy where poverty pay is driving thousands into debt.

“There are 104 billionaires in Britain. Their total wealth has risen by £56billion over last year.

Public Sector Workers: Pay cut by

20%

“Council reserves have risen by £2.6billion in the last year. Reserves are supposed to be for a rainy day…Well let me tell you, it’s been pouring down for the last four years. “Today’s the day for Labour politicians to show that they are on our side and I’d like to thank our MPs David Crausby, Yasmin Querishi and Julie Hilling for their support. But I’d like to send a message to the Labour group on Bolton Council – `We’re still waiting for your message of support’. They rely on our votes and let me tell them that those votes are conditional. “I’d also like to send a message to David Cameron who wants to bring in legislation to have minimum turnouts on union ballots – `You haven’t even been elected!’ He started off his austerity measures by saying we’re all in this together. You don’t hear him saying that now because he knows that we know that we’re not. “There are 104 billionaires in Britain. Their total wealth has risen by £56billion over last year. The chief executives of FTSE 100 companies have seen their pay rise by 15%, with an average salary of £4.2m. Well, if 15% is good enough for the bosses and 11% is good enough for MPs, our £1 an hour is good enough for us.”

Messages of Support for 10th July Strike “We understand that your members do not take this action lightly but with a government that is only willing to listen to its cronies within the banking sector, you have no choice.” Kev Allsop, International and Communications Officer Northwest Probation & CAFCASS, UNISON “Your action today will send a message loud and clear, that enough is enough. Those with the broadest shoulders should pay their fair share in tax, and this government should stop punishing the poor.” Alan Johnson, Bolton Green Party “Another below inflation offer of a one percent pay rise for some of Bolton West’s most hard working individuals who undertake difficult and vital jobs locally is a huge disappointment.” Julie Hilling MP “In my view you have had no choice but to take action on July 10th and as such you have my full support. You have had the courage to do something. Congratulations, I wish you every success.” David Crausby MP “Our public sector workers deserve better from this Government” Yasmin Qureshi MP “I was privileged to join the picket line this morning because council and school workers deserve a fair deal. 1% is not enough.” Councillor Kate Lewis

MPs’ rec pay rise: 11%

“Fully support your action, wish we were with you, well done!” Bakers and Allied Workers Union, Hovis Wigan

“Taking industrial action is never easy but we fully support what you’re doing” CWUMSWL (Communication Workers Union Merseyside and South West Lancashire Branch)

Letter handed out on picket lines to “It’s either stand up people going into work on July 10th now and fight or just roll over and die.” 10

£25 Million Cuts

UNISON Must Stay Strong! Here, Matt Kilsby, Bolton UNISON’s Convenor, Development and Regeneration, gives his view on the £25million cuts coming Bolton’s way…

t the time of writing, we do not know exactly where the cuts will be made in the 2015/16 budget. However, what we do know is that approximately £25 million cuts will be made, with further details to be announced over the next few months. UNISON members will be rightly concerned about the impact of the cuts, particularly as we do not believe they can be made without attacking our terms and conditions, making workers redundant and privatising and outsourcing Council services. Furthermore, we are all too aware of being asked to do more work with ever dwindling resources and without a decent pay rise for five years. But we mustn’t despair. Thanks to your strength, not one of us has been made compulsorily redundant. Nor have we seen the sweeping attacks on our sick pay and annual leave entitlement – to name just two – that have been imposed on Council workers in other towns and cities across the North West. Meanwhile, the last pay strike on 10th July received fantastic support from all our members; this will send a message to the Council that we are prepared to fight for ourselves and the vital services that we provide. We must also do our utmost to get the message out there that there is an alternative to endless cuts, austerity and economic stagnation. The Government is trying to blame public sector workers

– many of whom are the lowest paid in society – for the economic crisis. Cuts need to be made, they tell us, and we all need to share the pain today for a brighter tomorrow. However, with £120 billion of tax going uncollected, evaded or avoided every year, it’s clear that there are plenty of people in our society that aren’t sharing our pain. At a local level, there are alternatives to merely implementing Tory cuts. In 2015, the Council could set a ‘no cuts’ budget based on the needs of the people of Bolton and the vital services that our members deliver. If the rest of the Greater Manchester Labour councils committed to do the same then we could build an unstoppable movement in defence of our vital public services. Finally, there has never been a more important time to join a trade union. It is only by sticking together and through collective action that we can beat these cuts.

Bolton Protest Health Cuts “The whole NHS is in crisis, we’ve got to say `Enough is enough!’ UNISON steward, Karen Reissman puts it as plain as she can…“Patients will die” she says, reviewing all the cuts going on in Bolton health service and beyond. At Bolton Royal Hospital, one and a half general wards closed earlier this year, while two and a half mental health wards are set to close in the near future. “This Government has completely decimated the NHS” she explains “The problem is right across the health service; hospitals can’t afford to run the wards they need to look after patients and patients are being excluded, they’re queuing up in casualty, they’re being admitted to wards in the wrong specialty and having to be moved. The whole NHS is in crisis. “They want us to take a wage cut - but not to keep wards and services open, they’re cutting them as well!” she adds “We’re also losing jobs - seventy posts in mental health in the next few months, while the General Hospital has lost posts as well. We have a Government full of millionaires who don’t need to use the health service because they can always afford private care. That’s not true for 90% of us. We want our health service

to remain safe and we’re going to fight for it.” In June, trade unionists and campaigners staged a lunchtime protest outside Bolton Royal Hospital against the cuts. But Karen believes the process has only just started, with proposals for new `super hospitals’ which will see Bolton vying with Wigan and possibly others not to be downgraded… “There’s a new Healthier Together consultation coming out in Greater Manchester and that’s about running down hospital care everywhere” she explains “Everybody will be affected by that, and whether you live near one of the hospitals that’s going to become a super hospital area or live in one that’s been downgraded, you’ll find it’s harder to get a bed when you need it. That’s not good quality care - that will mean patients will die. We are asking for people to join our campaign to stop all our hospitals being downgraded.” For further details of the campaign to Save Bolton Health services see www. saveourhealthservicesbolton.org.uk/

ts Against

Careline Comm

Linda Pomfret

Careline is one of the most important community services in Bolton. Here, those who work there tell us just how important it is…

ou’re old, you’re ill, you’re on your own…you hear a bang in the night outside your door, you’re frightened… what can you do? You’re old, you’re ill, you’re on your own…you have a fall and can’t get up…what can you do? You’ve got dementia and wake up confused… what can you do? Over six thousand Bolton people can summon immediate aid from Careline,

using a pull chord, a pendant or a phone. And here at the Bolton at Home service’s HQ on Prince Street, for 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, there are operators waiting to help customers who range in age from 21 to 103. If customers are injured the phone operators will call an ambulance, if not one of the mobile teams will go out to them and deal with the problem direct.

munity Alarm!!! We spoke to UNISON members who are part of the team that so many people rely upon. They work the shifts needed to maintain the Careline service 6am2pm; 2pm-10pm or 10pm-6am…including Christmas Day and New Year.

“If Careline wasn’t here more and more vulnerable adults would have no option but to live in care homes.”

that is available for anyone in Bolton, be they Bolton At Home tenants, home owners or those who live in private rented accommodation.

“Some of our customers pay £4.04 per week for the service, and some of them get a benefit from the Supporting People fund, but as with all benefits it’s currently under review” says Linda Pomfret, one of three Careline managers

“Day to day we will man the phones, which can range from daily check-ups to power failures, up to and including tenants falling over and injuring themselves” says Christina Guthrie “The other side of the job involves responding to emergencies. It can be hectic but it is also a rewarding job.”

“We’re looking at all angles because I don’t think there’s much doubt that sooner or later they’re going to pull Supporting People, it’s just been going that way” she adds “The whole thing is horrendous, we come up against it all the time. There are massive budget pressures but this is an essential department and I think they realise that.”

There are 47 members of the team which handles 250,000 calls a year and has an `exceptional’ rating by the national industry body, Telecare Services Association.

If anyone you know who lives on their own might benefit from the Careline service, check the website and get in touch to see how they can help.

“I enjoy the work we do at Careline” says Phillip Billington “It’s important to help older people maintain their independence. If Careline wasn’t here more and more vulnerable adults would have no option but to live in care homes.”

www.boltonathome.org.uk/careline

And Michael Sherrington agrees: “It’s a valuable lifeline for vulnerable customers who suffer from mobility and health issues.” Like everything, however, cuts could be starting to squeeze the service

Christina Guthrie, Phillip Billington, Michael Sherrington

UNISON Confe The national UNISON conferences took place in Brighton during June this year. Here’s a report by Bolton UNISON delegates…

B olton UNISON sent delegates Andrea

Egan, Joan Prichard Jones, Kieran Grogan and Julie Tudor to the National Conference 17th to 20th June and delegates Bernie Gallagher, Andrea Egan and Joan Pritchard-Jones to the Local Government Service Group Conference 15th and 16th June. The mood of Local Government Conference this year was sombre yet determined. Debate was overshadowed by two issues, the scale of cuts to local jobs and services, and the need for national co-ordinated action on pay. After years of pay freezes and a 1% offer this year delegates called on the union to give its full backing for the one day strike in July with further action to follow. It is clear that people felt strongly that `enough is enough’. UNISON National Delegate Conference is sometimes described as the union’s annual parliament. It is where delegates

from UNISON branches around the UK vote on key issues facing the union. This year’s June conference was no exception. Fighting the cuts and austerity: There were demands from across the floor to smash the Government’s 1% pay ceiling, and delegates from North West branches took a lead in driving this debate. There was also support for stepping up the antizero hours campaign and the need to support campaigns against welfare reform, including the fight to axe the Bedroom Tax. The future of public services. Conference delegates gave their backing to fight against probation privatisation. There was debate about how best to defend the NHS and there were calls to nationalise all energy companies. A big issue, also, was the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and the European Union, which threatens to open up even more public services to privatisation.

erence 2014

Union organisation: Conference delegates backed the principle of defending trade union activists who are threatened by victimisation, there was a much debate about the role of the Labour Party, and about building union organisation in fragmented services and workplaces. Other issues: There was discussion about various ongoing disputes plus the need for solidarity with trade unions and campaigns around the world including struggles in Columbia and the fight for a just peace for the Palestinians. Key conference decisions: • •

To campaign against cuts to services that will have a discriminatory impact on women To call on branches to work with other unions, students and community

•

• •

groups to defend and promote Further Education To encourage the Labour Party and Shadow Ministers to adopt the Ethical Care Charter in local authorities and promote an adequate and sustainable funding regime To work to ensure that the National Minimum Wage is the minimum paid to all apprentices and that, with the Living Wage employers apply it to apprentices, while seeking to negotiate pay that is based on ‘the rate for the job’ To fight the attacks on facility time and support to branches to defend and improve facility time To have an annual day of celebration to highlight the vital role that our members undertake in schools and hold an annual award for school based staff

How Much Do Bolton Earn For Adequate L

A new study supported by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) has found that to keep up an adequate standard of living, wages should have risen up to 126% since 2008.

he report, titled A Minimum Income Standard for the UK in 2014 by Abigail Davis, Donald Hirsch, and Matt Padley at the Centre for Research in Social Policy at

Loughborough University, asks members of the public what goods and services they think different types of households need to live to an adequate level.

n People Need To Living Standard? And, published annually since 2008, it uses the information to calculate how much people have to earn – taking into account their family circumstances, the changing cost of these essentials and changes to the tax and benefit system. This year’s research found… A lone parent with one child now needs to earn more than £27,100, up from £12,000 in 2008 – a rise of 126% A couple with two children need to earn more than £20,200 each, compared to £13,900 each in 2008 – a rise of 46% Single working-age people must now earn more than £16,200, up from £13,500 in 2008 – a rise of 21% “Despite social and economic change, the budgets are similar in real terms to the original 2008 amounts” the study states

“However, people’s ability to afford them has declined.” The only category of people who get anywhere near keeping up are pensioner couples. “Overall the cost of a basket of essential items has risen by 28% over six years, while average wages have increased 9% and the minimum wage 14%” the report explains “Increased tax allowances have eased the pressure somewhat for some households, but the freeze to child benefit and ongoing cuts in tax credits have outweighed this for low-earning families with children. “Out-of-work benefits have fallen further and now provide 39% of what single, working-age people need to reach a Minimum Income Standard” it adds “On the other hand, pensioner couples who claim all their allowances receive 95% of the amount required.” The study cites food costs rising by 26% since 2008, domestic energy by 45% and bus travel by 37%. There are differences to the items since 2008. People no longer thought that a landline for a phone was essential but computer access at home was essential. There was also a reduction in the amount allocated for eating out or takeaways by working-age households, who now regard this as an occasional treat. Read the full study at www.jrf.org.uk

Social Worker Power Forces Partial Government U-Turn!

Proposals to allow local authorities in England to privatise child protection services have been abandoned, after almost 73,000 people objected… UNISON members in social work responded in their hundreds to the union’s call to action when the Government moved to allow privatisation of children’s social work, including child protection. The Department for Education has now announced that profit-making organisations would be barred from carrying out core child safeguarding duties, although outsourcing remains a threat with councils still being able to bring in charities and not-for-profit firms if they wish. More than 700 social work staff responded individually to the government consultation, alongside an official response from UNISON. At the same time nearly 72,000 signed petitions opposing the plans. The decision also follows criticism from experts – including social work academics, professionals and charities – that opening up child protection to the market would distort decision-making and dilute local accountability over

sensitive matters such as taking a child into care. The department revealed that of 1,300 responses to its consultation, held in April and May, just 2 per cent agreed with the proposals. Over half said they objected to the introduction of the profit motive. This is a major victory against privatisation of one of the most sensitive state functions – but it is only a partial victory. Concerns remain about outsourcing to non-profit-making organisations – including the dangers of fragmentation of services, the effects of competitive tendering, cost-cutting and underfunding of contracts, and weakening of democratic accountability and oversight. UNISON will continue to raise these concerns as the Government moves to lay draft regulations.

Huge Pay Rises For Execs… T

op executives are getting huge rises while most of us have seen the biggest fall in earnings under the Con-Dem Coalition Government in any Parliament since 1880, according to a new analysis by the House of Commons Library. While average real earnings have fallen by 2.3%, the total remuneration packages for executives of some of the country’s biggest companies went ballistic. The top percentage rise of the 26 execs studied went to Ian Bull, chief financial officer at Ladbrokes bookies, up in twelve months from £735,000 to £2.1million - or a whacking 186.5%! Meanwhile, four executives of power

generator Drax also saw package rises, ranging from 103.4% to 141.0%. Talk Talk execs topped the earnings table of the companies, with its chief executive coming in first with a £6.84million package, while two other Talk Talk execs appeared in the top four, scooping £4.77million and £3.546million each. These eye watering finance figures are somewhat at odds with the wage experiences of the rest of us. This Government will be the first Parliament since the 1920s to see real earnings lower at the end of a Parliament than at the beginning. It really is `Alright for some!’

Did You Know?... This year, Barclays’ bonuses for top bankers alone were a staggering £38.5 million!!! How would you spend that amount of money if you were in charge? According to UNISON estimates this tidy sum would pay for… · or · or ·

1,800 nurses 9,625 pain relieving hip operations 600 potentially-life saving neuroblastoma treatments for children with cancer

or · 3,000 home care workers to help elderly and disabled people remain in their own homes

The Great `Gold Plated Pension’ Con The new pension scheme means we all lose out, while MPs keep their platinum plated retirement wads…

ony Shepherd used to be Bolton Council’s Pension manager before taking early retirement, and he’s been doing some calculations on the new Local Government Pension Scheme which show that, far from benefitting from the changed system, people will actually be worse off.

we can’t touch our pensions until we’re 65 minimum while they can take theirs at 60.

Up until the new, ironically titled, CARE Scheme (Career Average Revalued Earning Scheme) was introduced in April this year, employees were on a final salary scheme. Now it’s been changed to a system where for every year worked you get a 49th of that year’s pay which is indexed linked.

UNISON has more pension information for members at https://secure.unison.org. uk

“I would have been £2,000 a year worse off and my friend, who’s been almost on the same salary his entire working life, would have also been worse off” Tony explains “The Government actually said when they were introducing this that a lot of people will be better off and I’ve actually disproved that.”

The impact of falling wages on your future pension is the hidden damage the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Government are forcing on you, your family and your dependants. Continually falling pay means a loss of pension for every day of the rest of your life.

Tony also compared the new scheme to that of MPs, who get to keep their final salary scheme, and guess who wins? “Theirs is far superior; our scheme doesn’t even bear any resemblance to their scheme but according to them we’re the ones with a gold plated pension scheme and need to give it up because we’re rich people when we retire” he says “There’s no plans to change MPs’ final salary but ours has gone, we’re now on a career average – and

“It’s a joke, basically” Tony concludes “They’ve got the best pension scheme I’ve ever seen. If ours is gold plated theirs must be platinum.”

The 1% Pay Offer Will Harm Your Pension!

For example, if you earn £16,215 at spinal column point 15, in total, you will have lost: £407.31 worth of pension every year plus £290.18 from the value of your lump sum when you retire. This is just one of the reasons why it’s imperative to support the strike on October 14th. Full details of how this is worked out and more examples have been posted on our website www.unisonbolton.org

Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) What you need to know…. The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) has five million members in separate regional funds with billions of pounds in assets. It has members in local government, education, housing and other services. The LGPS is a statutory scheme with benefits and terms regulated by Parliament. Membership is automatic for most employees under the age of 75, but you can opt out.

• access to a pension, which could be enhanced, from any age if the medical evidence shows you should be retired on the grounds of permanent ill health; • the ability to boost your pension by paying more contributions, for which you receive tax relief; • employers’ contributions averaging between 14% and 18% on top of the contributions you pay towards the cost of your pension.

What are the benefits of the LGPS? The scheme offers: • a pension based on pay and how long you’ve been in the scheme, not the state of the financial markets when you retire; • the option to exchange part of your pension for tax free cash on retirement; • immediate life cover and a pension for your husband, wife, partner and/or children when you die; • an option means you can retire from 55 and receive benefits immediately, although if you voluntarily retire early, your pension is likely to be significantly reduced for being paid early; • an option to flexibly retire from 55 with employer’s consent and you can negotiate to continue working on reduced hours and draw part or all your pension; • immediate payment of pension benefits, without reduction, if you are made redundant or retired for business efficiency purposes after 55;

How much do scheme members receive? The pension you received before 1 April 2014 was based on your best year’s final pensionable earnings within the last three years of your scheme membership and on your length of service in the scheme. Now your future pension will be calculated on an average of your future earnings, revalued for inflation, rather than just on your earnings near to retirement. How much do scheme members pay? You currently pay between 5.5% and 12% (before tax relief) of the pay you receive, depending on how much you earn (see table below). You only pay contributions on the pay you actually earn. If your pay is reduced - for example, because of ill health or maternity - there are rules that set out when “assumed pay” is to be used so you are not penalised.

These pay bands and rates apply from April 2014 in England and Wales: Gross contribution Contribution you pay after tax Pay rate rate relief Up to £13,500 5.5% 4.4% £13,501 to £21,000 5.8% 4.64% *NB: This information was taken £21,001 to £34,000 6.5% 5.2% from the national UNISON website £34,001 to £60,000 6.8% 5.44% and believed to be correct at £60,001 to £85,000 8.5% 5.1% £85,001 to £100,000 9.9% 6.3% going to press. Please check and £100,001 to clarify all relevant information. 11.4% 6.84% £150,000 Further details can be found on the More than £150,000 12.5% 6.88% Greater Manchester Pension Fund website…. www.gmpf.org.uk 23

MPs Should Be More Like Me! Bolton North East MP David Crausby opens up on Ed Miliband, public sector cuts, zero hours contracts and careerist MPs…

S o we’re sat in David Crausby’s office on

Blackburn Road and a pretty obvious question has been fired… `Can UNISON members be assured that their best interests lie with the Labour Party as Ed Miliband lurches to the right?’ You’d expect an MP of 17 years standing to bat away such a question with an innocuous answer but he just shrugs an `I didn’t vote for him to be Labour Party leader’ shrug… “Can I just say that I voted for Miliband third” he says “The reason why Miliband is leader of the Labour Party is because the trade union movement in the main voted for him. One of the reasons why I voted for Miliband third was because I did expect that what he would do, once he got elected, would be to try and demonstrate that he wasn’t a prisoner of the unions. And I think to some extent that is what’s happening.” So would he get rid of Miliband? “Not at this point because I wouldn’t know who to put in his place if I’m honest” he replies “We’re eleven months from an election and I’d like to win it. If we got rid of Miliband at this point without an obvious replacement we’ll go into the election in absolute chaos.” It’s far from a ringing endorsement of the Labour leader but David Crausby blames the `presidential’ system where “we crown them and then say `Do what you want’. That’s just not good enough. We need to change so that the leader of the Labour Party recognises that they are the leader of a group of politicians,

not the boss.” Indeed, the Bolton North East MP has already led a kind of grass roots rebellion against the Labour Party leadership, standing on the steps of Bolton Town Hall last September threatening Miliband and co if they didn’t come out and oppose the Bedroom Tax. At the time, the Labour Party was still officially sitting on the fence. He recalls it well, and smiles with satisfaction…“Within a week I discovered that he’d changed his mind.” Indeed, there’s little subtlety in David Crausby’s attitude towards careerist politicians who have never actually worked, or even lived, in the real world. It comes across screaming when the issue of zero hour contracts is discussed… “I have a solid background in the trade union movement, which is becoming increasingly unusual, sadly in my opinion” he says “I think it’s the unions’ fault. We have just not been good enough in delivering candidates that are more like me…” Let modesty blaze, as they say, but the former engineer, who was convenor to three thousand workers in a Bolton factory producing paper making machines, says it to make a point. “We need to do better because increasingly Parliament is being populated by people who leave university, get a job with an MP and

then become an MP” he explains “That’s why I’m carrying on, that’s why I’m staying so long. We need to do something about it. “I ran the closed shop until I became an MP in 1997, and zero hours contracts would have been unbelievable to us – it would have been `you must be joking’” he fumes “When I was convenor we didn’t need a law to say we didn’t want zero hours contracts, we just wouldn’t have put up with it. I think within the trade union movement we need to do something about zero hours contracts.” However, while he feels that unions should flex their muscles in big workplaces, the government does need to legislate against smaller employers “who are getting away with absolute murder” and put pressure on councils like Bolton to sort out their suppliers… “We need to ensure that local authorities don’t employ companies that operate zero hours contracts and that, I’m afraid, is happening on a wide scale basis” he says “It is happening in Bolton and I have raised it along with councillors Kate Lewis and Ahktar Zaman, and we are pursuing the issue.” When it comes to the cuts, like all Labour politicians, David Crausby argues that’s he’s completely opposed to them. But… “…To be fair this Government and previous governments have cut the power of local authorities to the point where they’re almost entirely in the hands of central government, and the local Labour Council has two choices - either it makes cuts or completely collapses the balance sheet” he explains “I would rather it did neither of them but in really difficult circumstances what it has to do is make the best of a really bad job, and I think that is generally what it’s doing.” Council’s all over the country are actually budgeting for cuts until 2017, even though there’s a General Election next year. Are things going to be any different for public sector workers and service users under a

Labour Government? “The reality is that the best bet in order to defend jobs and services is to vote Labour” he says “It’s not a perfect bet, it’s not going to be absolutely ideal and it won’t be wonderful. When we came into the last election the previous Labour Government owed £700billion, and then the Tories and LibDems came together to cut the deficit and debt but now we owe £1,200billion, I think. And the next Labour Government will have to do something about that. “The real question is how it reduces the deficit, and the best way to reduce the debt and deficit is to do it by growth within the economy, and growth within the economy should be led by public spending as long as it’s progressive public spending” he explains “If we do, hopefully, have an overall majority then there will be those of us within the Parliamentary Labour Party who will argue for the strategy at the time.” Indeed, the Trade Union Parliamentary Group, of which Crausby is on the executive, has been consulting unions, getting together a shopping list of the most important things that the next Labour Government should do. Many unions have been pushing housing but UNISON has public spending right at the top. However, the cuts will continue… “What happens in the first two years will be extremely difficult and it will be almost impossible for a Labour Government to say that from day one `We will stop the cuts in public spending’ because life doesn’t work like that...” David Crausby describes himself as on the “pragmatic left” of the Labour Party. Nowhere is this clearer that on the contentious issue of fracking. While he skirts around the problems of all energy supplies, ultimately the Bolton MP is in favour of it, in line with what he says will ultimately be Labour Party policy… “I think in the long term we will probably need to do some fracking” he decides “But I don’t

know really what the rush is. It’s always the same, a government that wants to get it out during their Parliament…and wants to do that in the interests of their own political party, not in the interests of the people of this country who own those resources effectively.

and when something new comes along they have a look and go with it for a while” he says “Parties like that can say `We’re not any of the other three’ and for a bit it works but eventually it dawns on people that they are the same as well.

“I’m of the view that there’s no great rush to get this gas out of the ground until we know that it’s absolutely safe, and we don’t know that it’s absolutely safe” he explains “So I’m against what Cameron is doing, to effectively boost the economy in advance of the election by saying that we can just frack below people’s properties without any permission whatsoever. I think we need to consult very widely on that and make sure that first of all the compensation schemes are properly in place and secondly that it’s safe, in particular, that our water table is protected.

“I think UKIP are more Tory than the Tories and it’s a message that we haven’t got over that we need to address” he says “But what I find remarkable is that people who previously voted Labour kind of jump over the Tories and vote for something even more right wing. I hear people say on the doorstep `I wouldn’t vote Tory but I’m voting UKIP’… well, you’re voting Tory twice effectively by voting UKIP. We should learn a lesson from recent election results, although I’m confident that at the next election they won’t get anything near what they got in the European Elections.”

“I think Labour has a concerned view about energy, we don’t want to depend on other countries in the long run” he adds “I think Labour’s policy will be in the long run to frack, if you want the honest truth. We should do it very cautiously and make sure it’s safe, and we don’t need to do it that quickly.”

While David Crausby operates in the Political World with a capital `P’, within that process he sees the trade unions rediscovering their teeth and claws as crucial to improving working people’s lives.

With the three main political parties lining up with a `pragmatic’ view on issues like fracking and cuts, the European Election results showed that more people are turning their backs on the political system by either not voting or supporting fringe parties, even the pro-fracking, pro-grammar schools UKIP. “I think people do get fed up of politicians

“I see zero hours contracts and the living wage absolutely linked together” he says “But again it’s not just the Government; the unions need to assert themselves a bit more than they have done in recent years. We need to be more assertive in the way that we deal with our employers…” And with another shrug, the Bolton North East MP adds… “If we’re half as assertive as I used to be, then we’ll be ok…”

Bolton UNISON Blackpool Illuminations Trip Blackpool Illuminations is Britain’s most famous light show and Bolton UNISON has arranged a special trip on Friday 26th September, with coaches leaving at 6pm.

This year, the Illuminations fea-

ture a new Alice’s Garden feature complete with a Mad Hatters Tea Party and magical water garden, while there’s also the Dynamo, ever changing spinning colours in a whirlwind of light. The Illuminations are one of the most spectacular night sights you’ll see… Tickets for the Bolton UNISON trip are available from 9am Monday 8th September and cost £4 for adults, £3 for children under 16. There are a maximum of five tickets per member, any combination of adult and child tickets but every child attending must be accompanied by a named adult who is fully responsible for that child. To purchase your place(s) please call in person to: UNISON reception office, Ground Floor, Howell Croft House (Old Police Station), Howell Croft North, BL1 1QY. Tel: 01204 338901

The coach will leave at 6pm from the UNISON Office (above) on Friday 26th September and returns to the UNISON Office at approximately 11pm.

Support The Ethical Care Charter! B

olton UNISON is calling on Bolton Council to support an Ethical Care Charter to put an end to the practice of routine fifteen minute visits and ensure that care workers are paid a living wage. The more people who get behind this issue, the more likely it is that decision makers will pay attention. Every name added to the petition takes it one step closer to succeeding.

“There has been a great deal of coverage in the news recently about the use of zero hours contracts and calls for the minimum wage to be replaced by a ‘living wage’” says Martin Challender, Communications Officer, Bolton Unison “These are certainly big issues within social care services for elderly and disabled people where there have been concerns about the use of fifteen minute

visits” he adds “One thing is for certain, quality care cannot be provided on the cheap – it needs investment. UNISON nationally has launched a campaign for local councils to sign up the Ethical Care Charter. This is something Bolton UNISON, with the joint unions, are taking up with Bolton Council.” Check out Bolton UNISON website for further updates on the campaign. www. unisonbolton.org and share the petition on Facebook and Twitter: http:// you.38degrees.org. uk/petitions/boltonunison-call-forethical-care-charter

UNISON LEADS WAY ON LIFELONG LEARNING Lots of people lack confidence in learning new

skills. Some will have had poor experiences at school or maybe feel school was so long ago that they could never study again. Lifelong Learning in UNISON is about gaining skills and confidence to progress and participate in work, the community and the union. UNISON wants to ensure as many members as possible have opportunities for learning at work. This is why UNISON has been leading the way on Lifelong Learning through investing resources into a Return to Learn programme.

Recent courses include: • • • • •

Learning for Disabled Members (including Dyslexia training) Mental Health/Stress Awareness Money Management Political Education and Social History Workshops. Introduction to Study – short courses

If you want to know more or have ideas for future courses please get in touch with Sue Vickers: Life Long Learning Officer 01204 334447

UNISON Backs

Justice4Bolton demonstration outside Royal Courts of Justice backed by Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign (Photos by Daphne Liddle, Searchlight Magazine)

Bolton UNISON branch has passed a motion backing the justice4bolton campaign, and calling for a People’s Inquiry into the policing of an anti-EDL protest in the town square on 20th March 2010…

ack in 2010 the English Defence League called a march in Bolton and over 3,000 anti-fascist campaigners, including trade unionists and members of the Muslim communities, turned out to oppose them in Victoria Square. The policing that afternoon, with footage showing one pensioner, Alan Clough, being assaulted by Inspector Cantrell of the Greater Manchester Police, has been at the centre of controversy ever since.

The justice4bolton campaign was launched in the wake of the heavy handed policing, witnessed by Bolton MP Yasmin Qureshi amongst many others, and has focussed on a review of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) report into that policing, getting the reports in the public domain and basically getting justice for those who were assaulted or wrongfully arrested that day. Already, £39,000 has been paid by Greater Manchester Police in out of court

justice4bolton settlements to some of the anti-fascists arrested, who had claimed that they had been injured and/or unlawfully arrested and/ or wrongfully charged and/or maliciously prosecuted. “justice4bolton is a campaign to ensure that no anti-fascist who was in Bolton on 20th March 2010 is criminalised for being a protester, and it’s a campaign to expose the way in which protesters were policed that day, and to make sure that kind of approach to dealing with protest is never allowed to take place again” explains Rhetta Moran of justice4bolton “People saw tasers being paraded shortly after 9am, there was a pack of hungry dogs that were released by about 10:30am, yet the idea that the people who had come to the square to protest were violent isn’t borne out by the facts of what happened at all” she adds “People were going to demonstrate against the EDL but photos show members of BNP, Combat 88 and various other splinter groups of extremely violent fascists.” The report into the policing was carried out by the IPCC but, despite constant requests it has yet to be made public. In July, lawyers for Alan Clough and three others took their case to the Royal Courts of Justice. They were hoping to get permission for a review of the IPCC’s conclusions in relation to misconduct charges against the GMP’s Inspector Cantrell but it was refused - although the judge said there were “interesting points of law” in the case and “we probably won’t be hearing the last of it”. justice4bolton is determined that people’s ears will be constantly pricked until justice is done…

“I think that the policing approach that was taken that day was designed to criminalise anti fascist protesters” says Rhetta “They were using the anti fascist movement as the thin end of the wedge – if you manage to criminalise those protesters then you’re one step closer to criminalising other campaigners. I think it was used to try and bracket together protester and criminal and they failed in Bolton.” Recently we have seen far-right activity in Bolton on the back of campaigns against local mosque developments in Astley Bridge and Farnworth. UNISON together with Bolton TUC fully supports the principles of unity and solidarity and opposes racism and religious intolerance. It is hoped that Greater Manchester Police have learned from some of the mistakes made in 2010…. For further details see www. justice4bolton.org The YouTube footage can be viewed here… www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YF2YhyQf5I www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpR-N-ihAvE

UKIP In Bolton?

SOME THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW… At the last local election, two UKIP councillors, Diane Parkinson and Paul Richardson, were elected onto Bolton Council. Beyond pulling out of the EU and its views on immigration, what else does UKIP stand for? The UKIP manifesto gives very little detail but does give some pointers, along with a recent press release which talked of “leftie teachers’ unions being up-in-arms about the problem of school places”.

Here’s some definite policies which may make you shudder… * Anti Human Rights Court Elitist Grammar Schools UKIP states that it wants to “allow the creation of new grammar schools”. Even the OFSTED head recognises that grammar schools are about social segregation...they are “stuffed with middle class children”, he says.

Increase MPs’ Pay to £100,000

UKIP leader, Nigel Farage believes that MPs should get a rise from £67,000 at present, to £90,000 - £100,000 if the UK leaves the EU. Farage is to stand for MP at the General Election.

Pro-Fracking Despite community concerns, UKIP states it wants to “develop shale gas to reduce energy bills and free us from dependence on foreign oil and gas”. Even fracking companies themselves and Government ministers say that fracking won’t reduce energy bills.

The UKIP manifesto states that the party will “Remove the UK from the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights”.

Cutting Social Housing The UKIP manifesto states that it will “Prioritise social housing for people whose parents and grandparents were born locally”. It doesn’t define `locally’ – does it mean outside Bolton? If it does, it will exclude hundreds of people from affordable housing.

Abolishing Tax For The Rich UKIP states that it will abolish inheritance tax, as it “brings in under £4bn” and is “unfair” as “the super-rich avoid it”. Surely it would make more sense for former investment banker Nigel Farrage and co to put in place policies so that the super-rich can’t `avoid it’?

Who Needs The Cuts? We can all probably guess who needs the cuts but ‘Who Needs The Cuts?’ by Barry and Saville Kushner provides us with an interesting analysis of why the cuts are happening and why they aren’t necessary.

The book starts off by talking about

the sense of powerlessness in 2010 to challenge the cuts – “the sovereign debt and spending cuts narrative was cemented”. The debt narrative was so overwhelming that the book even highlights that the sense of powerlessness extended as far as Labour Minister Alistair Darling. He was iinterviewed on the BBC by Nick Robinson… Robinson: The Treasury’s own figures suggest deeper, tougher (cuts) than Thatcher’s - do you accept that? Darling: They will be deeper and tougher. It also questions the failure of the media to challenge the Conservative narrative about the need for the cuts, citing an “inadequate challenge to the debt narrative by journalists and no alternative represented by a mainstream political party.” Barry Kushner, a Labour Party councillor and his brother Saville, now a professor of Public Evaluation at The University of

Auckland, go on to give an interesting account of the economics that led to the financial crisis in 2008 and ask “Is this about a crisis of economics – or a crisis of democracy?” Nowadays most policy decisions are based on debt reduction, leading many commentators to claim that we now live in a debtocracy. With over 18 countries around the world, including France and Brazil, conducting debt audits and finding that their national debts are largely fraudulent the call to arms in this book for a greater challenge of the need for debt reduction could not be more timely. Who Needs The Cuts? by Barry Kushner and Saville Kushner £7.99 Hesperus Press Ltd

How To Make a UNISON Loom Band …inverted fishtail style. Anya shows you how in four easy steps What you’ll need • Green and purple loom bands • A hook • An S-clip/ C-clip

STEP 1

Take your first band, twist it once, and put it on your first two fingers. Now add two more and put these on normally, without twisting them.

STEP 2

STEP 3

Put the back of your hook into the second band and push it backwards. Then hook the bottom purple band and take it through the green one and over your finger, so that it’s in the middle of both your fingers. Repeat on the other side.

Add another band (without twisting) and repeat step 2. Continue doing this until your design is long enough to fit around your wrist.

STEP 4 Now attatch your S-clip/ C-clip to the bottom band, take the bracelet off your fingers, and clip the other side of the clip into the last two bands!

Diggers Delig

Merry Hell, Shamus O’Blivion and The Megadeath Morris Men and the Liverpool Socialist Singers are just some of the acts with attitude that are appearing at this year’s Wigan Diggers’ Festival, which takes place on Saturday 13th September.

The free open air event features

comedy, poetry, loads of stalls, children’s entertainment, a beer tent and a live line up featuring over a dozen musicians, ranging from Radio 2 Folk

Award winners, the Lucy Ward Band, to indie folk outfit Second Hand Wings to upcoming Bolton guitar band The Jade Assembly.

ght In Wigan The Festival, which grows bigger every year, commemorates Wigan-born Gerrard Winstanley, who led the 17th Century `Diggers’ movement, described by Tony Benn as the “the first true socialists”. The Diggers had ultra radical ideas at the time, for equality of men and women, the right to vote, for the abolition of private property and common ownership of the land…

Bolton’s The Jade Academy

…They didn’t just talk about it, the Diggers took direct action, taking over common land to farm so that everyone had enough to eat. Unfortunately, as Digger communities spread, soldiers were dispatched to destroy their homes and crops, and drive them off the land they were occupying. The Diggers fight is well worth remembering – and re-enacting, as Gerrard Winstanley is set to be reborn by actor John Graham Davies at what promises to be a fun packed, thought sprouting Festival. The Wigan Diggers’ Festival takes place on Saturday 13th September 11am-9:30pm at The Wiend. For a location map and loads more details see http:// wigandiggersfestival.org

100 Years S War One Martin Challender, Bolton UNISON’s Communications Officer, assesses WW1…

overnments of the day presented this war as a `fight for freedom’ and soldiers were told it would `all be over by Christmas’. The reality, however, was very different. Soldiers found themselves living in trenches, knee deep in mud, with rats and lice. They risked appalling injuries from bullet or shrapnel wounds as well terrifying new weapons such as poison gas and the flame thrower.

orders from senior officers. Throughout the war there were strikes and mutinies as people increasingly began to resent the sacrifices they were asked to make. Whilst those at home worried about their loved ones on the battlefield, people saw their wages cut and living costs steadily increase. The companies producing armaments, however, made often made huge profits at the expense of human misery.

From the 4th August 1914 to Armistice Day on 11th November 1918 an estimated 21 million people lost their lives and the War left much of Europe in ruins. At the beginning of the conflict, government propaganda went into overdrive and young men were told that `Your country needs you’. Yet from the outset there was a small but committed anti-war movement which argued strongly against the war.

It is important to remember all those who lost their lives. We should never forget the true horror of war and it is important to learn the lessons of history. As we all know too well, governments continue to make the same mistakes. We should certainly be wary of those seeking to stoke up nationalism as an answer to our problems.

Many readers will be aware of events such as the Christmas truce of December 1914, when German and British soldiers stopped fighting along the front. Soldiers from opposing sides shook hands, exchanged cigarettes and in some cases even enjoyed a game of football. This was in direct opposition to

The last known British survivor of World War one, Harry Patch, said that he did not want young people to go through what he and others went through all those years ago. He was deeply saddened to see young men and women being sent out to Iraq to kill and be killed. We could all learn a great deal from the experiences of men like Harry.

Since World

Nightmare In T

This year it’s the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War, and Bolton Octagon is remembering the horrors with two plays, Early One Morning and Journey’s End…

E arly One Morning, written by local playwright Les Smith, follows the true and tragic story of James Smith, the only soldier from Bolton to be shot at dawn during the `Great War’.

Born in 1891, brought up in Great Lever and sent around the world after joining the army to escape poverty in his home town, James took part in some of the fiercest battles of WW1, winning two good conduct badges for his bravery. In 1915, he joined the Lancashire

landing on W beach at Gallipoli, when half his battalion were killed storming a cliff bristling with Turkish machine guns, and in France in 1916 was almost blown up when a massive German artillery shell buried him alive on the Transloy Ridge. The bomb’s shrapnel caused a wound on his shoulder the size of a fist and James was brought home to recover at Townleys Hospital. But he didn’t recover. The physical injury healed but the mental scars never did. However, shell

The Trenches

shocked and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder - conditions that were unrecognised in the `Great War’ - he was sent back to fight. Three times within seven months of returning to the front line James found himself before a court martial. On the third time he was seen five miles from the front, wandering about in the town of Poperinghe, where he was arrested, declared fit to serve by a doctor, charged with desertion and sentenced to be shot at dawn, aged 26. The Bolton Octagon play is set at that trial and dramatises James Smith’s horrific experiences, not only of the War but also at the blood stained hands of the British Army.

Early One Morning was first commissioned by Bolton Octagon in 1998 to mark the 80th anniversary of the armistice. Since then James, along with hundreds of other soldiers shot at dawn, has been officially pardoned with his name finally added to Bolton’s Roll of Honour in 2009. James Smith was as much a victim of WW1 than those who died `going over the top’ of the trenches. Early One Morning 9th October - 1st November Tickets £26.50 - £10, discounts available inc young person’s £5 tickets and special performances and matinees For further details see www.octagon bolton.co.uk

Journey’s End is one of the greatest war plays ever written and is based on RC Sherriff’s own experience of First World War trenches and how it shockingly changed people’s lives. Eighteen-year-old Second Lieutenant Raleigh arrives at the front line to find himself under the command of Captain Stanhope, his boyhood hero and a close family friend. But after three years commanding his company Stanhope is a changed man. The futility of warfare, constant fear, and the death of so many close comrades have driven him to whisky to help him endure the daily horrors. Raleigh’s arrival only serves to remind him of a life that is now long gone – a life when he was young, with hope, a future, and in love. Journey’s End is written with the authenticity and compassion of a soldier who was intimately acquainted with the nightmare of life in the trenches, and the extraordinary courage of those who fought there.

Journey’s End 4th September - 4th October Tickets £26.50 - £10, discounts available inc young person’s £5 tickets and special performances and matinees For further details see www.octagon bolton.co.uk “These two plays will be particularly powerful, and will both have an enormous impact on our audiences” says Bolton Octagon’s Artistic Director, David Thacker “I feel that they will be a fitting tribute to the young soldiers from Bolton and the North West, who fought and lost their lives in the First World War.”

Bolton UNISON Panto Time… As Cinderella comes to The Albert Halls, UNISON is offering its annual top ticket deal… It’s empathy a go-go at The Albert Halls this year with a panto all low paid council workers can identify with. We might not be invited to Cameron and co’s party but we can all enjoy the fable of Cinderella and her happy ending.

The classic panto in Bolton this year sees Aston Dobson, of Twelve Tenors fame, take the role of Prince Karl, while the ever popular Stu Francis makes a welcome return as Buttons. Cinderella is played by Lucia Matisse, who starred as the Princess in the Albert Halls’ pantomime Aladdin a few years ago, while Rob and Darren, who appear as The Harper Brothers, are sons of Bobby Ball. The Ugly Sisters are portrayed by Darrock and Howe. Tickets will go on sale at Bolton UNISON office from Tuesday 4th November at 9am on a first come first served basis for the following showings:Sunday 7th December (200 tickets) and Sunday 14th December (500 tickets) (Both for the1:30 pm matinee performance) £5 per ticket - maximum of 5 tickets per member Please Note: No reservations can be made over the phone.

Fighting for a Living Wage

The Battle in Seattle Earlier this year, Seattle City Council voted unanimously to raise the city’s minimum wage to the highest level of any major US city - $15 (£9) per hour, twice the current US national minimum of $7.25.

This follows a big campaign backed by trade unions and local politicians. Wages of low paid workers are due to rise from next year, ultimately reaching $15 from Washington state’s minimum of $9.32 over the next few years. One councillor said “This vote sends a clear message heard around the world”. Seattle Mayor, Ed Murray had run for election on the issue, and the election of a socialist councillor also provided pressure. “We could learn a lot from the Battle in Seattle here in Bolton” says Kieran Grogan of Bolton UNISON

Keep Volunteering Voluntary UNISON and several charities are opposing the introduction of Government-sanctioned Community Work Placements in its ‘help to work’ scheme which began in April. Government rules make it compulsory for a long term claimant to either do `intensive’ coaching, meet an adviser every day, or do a community work placement. The Community Programme requires participants to take on unpaid communitybased work experience placement of up to 30 hours each week for up to six months. UNISON has pledged its opposition to the use of `workfare’ in the charity sector and has signed up to the Keep Volunteering Voluntary campaign. The Government scheme has faced heavy criticism for not offering real opportunities for the unemployed, and creating a scheme which does nothing more than falsify real unemployment figures. Further details: www.keepvolunteeringvoluntary.net/

Britain Needs A Pay Rise March and Rally 18th October Following on from the July 10th and October 14th strikes, the TUC has planned a huge march and rally for 18th October in London. “Hard-pressed families across the UK must be beginning to wonder when the tough times they are experiencing will ever end” says TUC General Secretary Frances O’ Grady “They keep hearing that the economy is growing and learning of yet another bonus extravaganza in the city, yet their own wages never seem to go far enough. “Worries about money are a big deal for ordinary people” she explains “While their household budgets can just about

stretch to cover everyday essentials, they are likely to have to load up their credit cards to meet the cost of any unexpected items. “During the dark days of recession, workers accepted that their pay might have to be frozen or even cut to save jobs” she adds “But now the economy is picking up – and many employers can afford to pay their staff more – the time has come for Britain to get a pay rise.” For details of transport from Bolton contact the UNISON office or see the website www.unisonbolton.org

International Credit Union Day

International Credit Union Day has

been celebrated since 1948 and this year it’s on 16th October, recognising the movement’s history and achievements, and raising awareness about the great work credit unions do around the world. In 2013 there were 56,904 credit unions in 103 countries with almost 208 million members, holding assets of $1,732,945,830,628. Here in Bolton we’ve got the Hoot Credit Union a not-for-profit financial co-operative, which is owned and controlled by its members. Members can save with Hoot or take out loans at smaller interest rates than many high street banks. Bolton UNISON members can save or pay back loans directly from their wages.

You can change the amount you save or withdraw your money any time you choose, while loans are available from £200 to £15,000 with interest rates starting at 8.7%APR, with no set-up fees or penalties for paying back early. Any profits made by the credit union are kept in the local community and paid back to members, in the form of a dividend. To find out more see Bolton Council intranet for Hoot drop in sessions, visit www.wisewithmoney.org. uk, call direct on 01204 365024, email enquiries@wisewithmoney. org.uk or pop into the office at 60 Ashburner Street – just opposite the Market. There’s also a membership form to fill in on the opposite page.

Care UK Cuts Pay By 50%!!! Care workers in Doncaster have taken a total of 48 days strike action since last September against Care UK, which is proposing to slash carers’ take home pay by up to 50%.

Care UK pays its workers just £7 an hour, and is proposing no extra for nights, weekends or Christmas. Meanwhile, the company is making millions of pounds of profits on the back of its public sector contracts. Now the care workers, with the support of those they care for, have had enough… “We are calling on Care UK to give them a meaningful pay rise and start the minimum pay rate at £7.65” says UNISON Regional Organiser Jim Bell “Care UK makes profits from bidding for publicly owned and tax payer funded public services. It then pays our members so little that they often have to turn to tax payer funded benefits just to survive.

“The company has forced our members to take strike action” he adds “They do this reluctantly and it causes great personal hardship and anxiety. But they are trying to protect the service they provide because if the company will not pay a fair rate, skilled and dedicated staff are forced to seek work elsewhere. It is the vulnerable clients and their families who will suffer terribly.” For further details see Facebook site Doncaster Supported Living Unison Strike

Total Recall - Campaign Grows For New MP laws Hundreds of thousands of people have signed an online petition to give voters recall powers over elected MPs at Westminster. This would mean legislation which helps put voters in the driving seat. A group of MPs have already started an Early Day Motion (EDM) - a petition for MPs which will prove how many are on

side. The more of us that get in touch with our MPs to ask them to sign the EDM, the more likely they are to sign it - and the more likely it will lead to us securing a law that would allow voters to sack MPs who don’t behave properly. Find out more at: https:// secure.38degrees.org.uk/Real-recall-QS

Date For Your Diary… UNISON Bolton Branch Annual General Meeting will be on 5th March 2015 at the Lancaster Suite, Bolton Town Hall. There will be

a free buffet prior to the meeting, a presentation of our Annual Report and all members are welcome to attend and vote.

Changes In Vote Registering Up to now, the head of a household

has been responsible for filling all the forms in for everyone who lives at their address to be put on the electoral register. Now, however, everyone who gets a vote in that household has to register themselves individually. Don’t miss out or you could lose your right to vote in next year’s local elections and the big General Election. When filling out the forms, you’ll note that there are two registers – the electoral register and the open register. Details from the open register can be sold to outside agencies so if you don’t want to be on this you must ask to be removed from it. There are more details at www.bolton.gov.uk/website/Pages/Registeringtovote.aspx

Bolton says - Stop violence against women! The Branch Committee of Bolton UNISON, which is made up of union stewards, convenors and branch officers, recently gave its support to the campaign to stop violence against women. A branch committee resolution noted the case of Pakistani woman, Farzana Parveen, who was stoned to death in May this year. The incident took place outside a courthouse in Lahore for the perceived crime of choosing her own husband – against the wishes of her family. Violence against women is recognised by the United Nations as a worldwide problem… “There is one universal truth, applicable to all countries, cultures and communities: violence against women is never acceptable, never excusable, never tolerable” says UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Austerity Isn’t Working Rally 6th September Manchester There’s a march and rally with the theme Austerity Isn’t Working on Saturday 6th September at the Castlefield Arena in Manchester at 11am. It’s supported by the TUC, UNISON and a host of other trade unions including UCU, GMB NUT and PCS.

Loads Of Top B You Join UNIS

Cheap holidays, legal help, accident payments and more are all available to UNISON members as part of your membership…

here are lots of benefits to being a UNISON member that go beyond being protected at work. Did you know that the union has its own Croyde Bay Holiday Village in North Devon? It’s owned and operated by UNISON and has special discounts for all members, with half price deals for low paid members. The resort even has `Waggy Tail’ accommodation set aside for those with dogs (see www. croydeunison.co.uk or phone 01271 890 890).

There’s also the UNISON Travel Club, an approved partner of the union, which gives exclusive cheap deals to members wanting holidays all over the world (see www.unisontravelclub.co.uk or phone booking hotline 0800 0217190 . Members can also get legal help, not just for work related issues like unfair dismissal, accidents and injuries at work but also for personal and family issues, ranging from making a will to low cost conveyancing and help with immigration

Benefits When SON

issues. The initial legal advice is free (phone 0800 0 857 857 for non-work related issues). Meanwhile, if you’re in an accident and can’t go into work, UNISON will pay you up to £20.25 a week (subject to maximum of £121.50 a year) if you’ve been a member for longer than four weeks. If you’re in a fatal accident UNISON will make a payment to your partner or dependants between £2,165 to £8,660, depending on length of membership at the time of death. And, on death the union will pay you partner or dependants between £123 to £494. There is also UNISON’s confidential welfare assistance charity, There For You, which helps with many issues including emergency grants; family holidays and a range of special needs and issues. You can access this advice

through Bolton branch rep Julie Tudor 01204 338901. UNISON can also help with learning, and runs informal and formal education courses, and can provide bursaries for things like the Open University. For full details on all the benefits of being a UNISON member see www. unison.org.uk/for-members/

Bolton UNISON contacts list 2013

Branch Officers

(01204 336044) Branch Chairperson: Matt Kilsby (07969 511622) Bernie Gallagher Branch Secretary: (07876 146245) Janet Bryan Branch Treasurer: (01204 329744) John Vickers Vice Chair: Assistant Branch (01204 338901) Andrea Egan Secretary: Vacant Equalities Officer: Joan Pritchard-Jones (07775 642640) Education Officer: (01204 338901) Julie Tudor Welfare Officer: Life Long Learning (01204 334447) Sue Vickers Officer: New Technology (01204 338901) Eddie Pilling Officer: Membership Officer: Steve Rigby (01204 403555) Young Members (01204 334450) Andrew Thomas Officer: Communications (01204 337715) Martin Challender Officer: (07984 235474) Community Organiser Kieran Grogan (01204 337715) Labour Link Officer: Martin Challender (01204 331342) International Officer: Jackie Peploe

Convenors

Adult Services: Chief Executives, Joint Convenors: Bolton at Home: Children Services (Schools): (Non-Schools): Environmental Services: Development and Regeneration: Bolton Community College:

Joan Pritchard-Jones (07775 642640)

matthew.kilsby@bolton.gov.uk admin@unisonbolton.org janet.bryan@boltonathome.org.uk john.vickers@boltonathome.org.uk andreae@unisonbolton.org joanpj@unisonbolton.org admin@unisonbolton.org sue.vickers@bolton.gov.uk admin@unisonbolton.org membership@unisonbolton.org andrew.thomas@bolton.gov.uk martin.challender@bolton.gov.uk cvsunison@unison.bolton.org martin.challender@bolton.gov.uk jackie.peploe@bolton.gov.uk

joanpj@unisonbolton.org

lton.gov.uk Jeanette Pemberton-Billing (01204 331039) jeanette.billing@bo cecilia@unisonbolton.org (01204 338901) & Cecilia Costello janet.bryan@boltonathome.org.uk (07876 146245) Janet Bryan Jackie Winstanley Steve Fletcher

(01204 338901) (01204 338901)

Jackie.Winstanley@unisonbolton.org SteveF@unisonbolton.org

Tony Cowell

(01204 338906)

tonyc@unisonbolton.org

Matt Kilsby

(01204 336044)

matthew.kilsby@bolton.gov.uk

Graham Walmsley

(01204 482138)

graham.walmsley@boltoncc.ac.uk

Please contact branch office 01204 338901 or check the branch website for transport details www.unisonbolton.org