October 2013 newsletter

Inside

November: Unison Recruitment Roadshows

'Sustainable Swansea':

Are cuts and

U n i s o n B l a c k M e m b e r s A G M , job-losses D e v e l o p m e n t & T r a i n i n g inevitable?

City and County of Swansea

is needed to stop the cuts

At the time of the Tory conference, there was an indication of the anger in the 50,000 people who marched on the TUC demonstration – a massive turnout for Manchester. It was wilfully ignored by the mainstream media but it should be the platform for the type of strike action that can

Public Service Not Private Profit

“

The Council's public 'consultation' over the planned cuts is a sham. It already accepts there will be cuts and invites us to decide whose throat they will cut.

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"Our economy, our society, welfare, schools all reformed, all rebuilt with one aim, one mission in mind - to make this country at long last, and for the first time ever, a land of opportunity for all." Cameron’s speech to Conservative Party conference last month confirms that he and the Tory Party faithful minority of 137,000 members, live in a parallel universe to the vast majority in society. Britain may be a ‘land of opportunity’ for the super-rich but it has been on the basis of making an increasing number of people endure a living hell. The Tory ‘rebuilding’ is actually code for the welfare state and public sector reverting to the post-war insecurities through privatisation.

50,000 trade-unionists protested at the Tory conference in September

Review Resistance

rock this government. The day culminated with a rally with speakers including PCS vice president Kevin McHugh, TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady and a number of other campaigners and union representatives. Kevin told the crowd, to huge applause: "What we should be doing is striking together, against this government and its policies. Austerity hasn't saved the economy, it's damaged the economy."

Many other unions are already in dispute over the impact of austerity - disputes which would be greatly strengthened if they were coordinated.

There was huge support for FBU fire-fighters when they started recent action, and the new phase of rolling regional NUT/NASUWT strikes was a huge success. The NAPO probation workers have won a ballot against privatisation; Royal mail workers have also had a successful ballot and higher education workers in UCU, Unison and Unite are striking over pay. The PCS is also in dispute over privatisation.

All this should influence the way we

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October 2013

continued from front page respond to the much-publicised planned budget cuts of 42 million over the next three years with similar cuts planned in neighbouring local authorities. The potential cuts - if not fought - will result in a butchery of our services and jobs with axing or privatising of services, sackings of staff and increased workloads for those who remain. Many vulnerable people will not get the support they need. The Council is currently 'consulting' on it's services in the run-up to the next financial year. However, as one Unison steward has put it, "The Councils consultation over the planned cuts is a sham.

It already accepts there will be cuts and invites us to decide whose throat they will cut".

The prospect of the cuts is the most serious situation the branch has ever faced. We have fought over services before - some campaigns have been won and some lost. The branch won the ballot over the privatisation of council-housing some years ago because we connected with Council tenants, local campaigners and won the ballot, ensuring no privatisation for Housing Department to this date.

A significant weakness in other campaigns which failed - around Earlsmoor care-home and Daniel James School - was the low level of involvement of the staff themselves.

It underlines the fact that without serious involvement of those affected services will not be kept. The limited involvement was, to some extent, understandable given that both workplaces were run-down prior to closure demoralising the staff who worked there.

There was also the prospect of redeployment for those that still wanted a job - no such alternative will be there in the future; the choices really will be to fight or lose our services and our jobs.

The exact pattern of cuts is not yet clear but we know it will be huge and we can prepare.

The branch is opposed to privatisation, job-losses and cuts in services but this commitment in principle needs to be backed up by organisation and a willingness to fight. All workplaces and offices should elect union reps if they do not already have them, and all our reps should be organising workplaces meetings to discuss the cuts and how we can resist - not just the 'big' actions like strikes but 'smaller' actions to manage workloads and keep posts.

Tackling increased workloads and the stress from t

much work for too few staff is - and will be - a commo Unison members in Glasgow won the reinstatement o colleague after three days of defying the anti-un unofficial strikes. Ten social workers walked out September after a worker was suspended the worker cover the work of vacant posts.

The dispute quickly spread to involve the whole of service of Glasgow Council social-work services. Th ended after winning the reinstatement. The suspen wider anger about the strain of excessive workload funding and jobs.

One striker said that before the walkout employers “w service to negotiations” over workload. “We didn’t know but then we went to the union. Now we have a voice. W is an example to other workers on what to do when thin much. We’re fighting for a service for vulnerable hom But no one was getting a proper service because of workloads."

An official strike ballot will be organised unless manage with acceptable proposals to manage workloads staffing levels. The union is organising mass meetings in social work to discuss the way forward.

'An injury to one is an injury to all' is not an empty trade-union slogan; it is a statement of fact. All members have to be willing to back each other up in a united fight to defend services, jobs and terms and conditions.

What could Labour do?

The choice facing Labour councillors is to fight the cuts alongside council workers and service users, or do the Tories dirtywork for them. To date, they have chosen the latter with no councillors, even those with a trade-union background, apparently willing to stand on principle.

The Evening Post recently ran a headline with the Council Leader, David Cameron and WG First Minister Carwyn Jones all carrying axes - a striking image, but falsely assuming cuts are inevitable.

Swansea manifesto said "hard-working council employees are the council's most valuable asset...Swansea Labour believes local services are best delivered by local government".

We are a far cry from this now. Instead many press-statements from Labour accept the cuts. Echoing Tory-language, they even see the budget-crisis as an 'opportunity' to 'streamline' the Council and turn it from a 'tanker' into a 'speed-boat'.

Councillors could make a stand; stand Under the title 'Standing up for council shoulder to shoulder with their hard employees' Labour's pre-election working employees and launch a mass

campaign alongside the tr the people of Swansea implement the cuts.

They could campaign in workplaces and our mobilising those who face for their services, to demonstrate. They could r budget, ensuring mass need less hand-wringing fight. If they did this we wou all the way. With or with branch we will need membership to oppose a services and terms and co

Failing to ‘protect’ education When passing on Con-Dem cuts in their Draft Budget, the Labour Welsh Government repeatedly try to spin the cuts by saying that they had protected certain areas. One of these ‘protected’ areas was education.

Any relief workers in education in Wales felt on the day of the announcement of the budget will have quickly evaporated once they looked in more detail.

I work in further education (FE) and that is one area of education that As I member of the City & County of Swansea UNISON branch, I was well definitely was not ‘protected’ in the budget announcement. Towards the aware that the huge cuts in the monies given by the Welsh Government end of the last academic year (annual cycle for most education workers to councils was likely to result in misery for many of my colleagues. is September to August), FE colleges, which had been expecting a 1% increase in funding (still a cut in real terms), got a nasty shock from the I have always held the trade union motto “an injury to one is an injury to Welsh Government in the form of 1.5% cut in funding. Colleges, suddenly all” to be true, which is why I think the only position a union can adopt is having to look around for further savings, then received a reduction of to fight all cuts. Nevertheless, it is still hard sometimes, to not breathe a funding of around 8.5% in the budget. If we allow a combined cut of sigh of relief when you think your own job and workplace is safe. around 10% in 2 years to be implemented it would mean the loss of

the homeless he walkout was nsion ignited a ds, and cuts to

were paying lip w where to look hat we’ve done ngs become too meless people. the intolerable

ement come up and increase of all members

Where are we with

Single Status?

When UNISON members voted to reject the single status package in July we assumed we would continue to negotiate on single status. Instead the Council elected to impose the package. After further discussions and pressure the Council decided to 'meaningfully negotiate' but there is little prospect of a final collective agreement and the Council will still imposing despite the rejection by our members.

The rejection was because the Councils proposal left too many issues unaddressed. There were too many losers, not just the 20% - some 2486 - of staff that the council refers to, which is mainly grade cuts, but the thousands of employees that are suffering other pay cuts such as retainer pay and shift to their earnings which the council is choosing to ignore. This we estimated could affect another 2500, making the number of potential losers an estimated 30 - 40% . Also because of the choice of JE scheme and pay line, staff are losing more than in neighbouring councils.

The additional issues unresolved and over which we were, or are, still negotiating are Car Park Charging; Shift Pay; Stand-By Payments; Relocation Payments; Retainer Pay; Relocation Payments and Adverse Weather Pay.

JE Appeals

he grind of too on problem. of a suspended nion laws with unofficially in r for refusing to

When Single Status is implemented many of you will want to appeal against your grade.

Because of the dated and insufficient consultation that took place by management with you about the job you do, it is even more likely that you were unfairly graded as it is probable that the panels were given unreliable information about your job.

UNISON knows the submitting of an appeal is complex and members will need assistance.

Therefore the branch will do all it can to advise you on the merits of your appeal. We have a lead officer for the Job Evaluation Appeals who is Andrea Thomas assisted by four panel members to guide you.

Also UNISON has formed a specialist group of more than 20 representatives to help you through the process including evaluation of merits, clustering of claims, advice on supportive evidence, presentation of appeal and representation.

These Job Evaluation trained Branch Representatives will be holding members surgeries to discuss your appeals with you.

The lead branch JE officers can be contacted by email at unisonjeappeals@swansea.gov.uk and on internal email at unisonjeappeals.

By telephone on

Many Unison members have either not returned or have indicated rejection as a response to the letters from the Authority asking for volunteers to sign up to single status. At this present stage you do not have to sign. You are still only being asked to volunteer to do so.

You will receive reminders directly and by letter but you will not be facing dismissal until a formal notice is served.

rade unions and a to refuse to

the press, the communities, e the cuts to fight strike and to refuse to set the popularity. We g and far more uld support them hout them, as a mobilise our all cuts to jobs, onditions

07551 154537 Andrea Thomas 07551 154538 Dave Evans 07551 154539 Jane Roper 07551 154540 Sallyanne Taylor 07551 154541 Malcolm Harrington Alternatively you can contact the branch office at;

The important next steps are: the trade unions have received notice from the Authority advising of a 45 day period of consultation following the consultation the Authority will issue 90 day notice of dismissal and re-engagement on the new terms and conditions

UNISON Office, Room 165, The Guild Hall Swansea

Unison members MUST sign these notice of dismissal letters or they could be considered to be tendering their resignation.

You need an updated job description agreed by your manager together with evidence to support your appeal.

Having said the above it has always been our intention to consult and negotiate the best outcome that we can achieve. We will continue to do this over the coming weeks.

If possible tailor your job description to the role profile to which you have the nearest match. Role profiles are available on the intranet.

• •

SA1 4PE Tel 01792 635271 email unison@swansea.gov.uk You should have received letters detailing the procedure if they wish to appeal. Here are a couple of tips in preparation for any Appeal:

by Ronnie Job, UNISON steward, Gower College Swansea hundreds of jobs from colleges around Wales. For potential students it would be a disaster as cuts of this size would mean get rid of whole section of the curriculum. The axe is poised to fall heavier on adult education, which looks set to lose about a fifth of its funding.

Even within City & County of Swansea, the ‘protection’ for education, which councillors are trumpeting, does not extend to all parts of education. As I write this article, the Evening Post has broken the news that ‘looked after children’ are losing their home tuition until March 2014.

This service has been praised for the quality of its provision and yet now the Council is stopping home tuition by the dedicated staff.

Government and by our Council. Education is one of the sectors already most affected by casualisation; widespread use of agency workers, short term contracts, hourly-paid staff, unpaid travel time, zero-hours contracts or no contracts at all – you can find our members and other education workers on the wrong end of all of these.

UNISON members in the Universities and Higher Education colleges are fighting back against casualisation and low pay, by taking strike action alongside their colleagues in UCU and UNITE. The details may be slightly different but we all being hammered by the same cuts. United coordinated strike action, reaching out to the users of the services we all provide, is the only way we can defeat these cuts, win the funding we No, education is not ‘protected’; education workers will suffer along with need from this Con-Dem government and ultimately, bring it down. everybody else, from Con-Dem cuts, passed on by the Welsh

UNISON Recruitment Roadshows 4th - 8th November For UNISON members and non-members alike.

Come and have a chat with us about: Evaluation and the Appeals Process •♦ JE Equal Pay Wage •♦ Living The benefits of being in UNISON and the services we offer involved in UNISON •♦ Getting Any workplace issues and/or concerns

Leisure Centres 8am - 10am, 1pm - 3pm, 6pm - 8pm daily Bishopston Leisure Centre on Monday 4th & Thursday 7th Morriston Leisure Centre on Tuesday 5th & Friday 8th Penlan Leisure Centre on Monday 4th & Wednesday 6th Penyrheol Leisure Centre on Tuesday 5th & Thursday 7th

Main Offices 11am - 3pm

YOUR UNION

These event is open to all members who identify as being part of a Black or Minority Ethnic group and new members are particularly welcome.

UNISON Cymru Wales has an active Black Members’ Self Organised Group who identify and explore issues which affect Black members and seek to find solutions. The group organise their work under the UNISON objectives.

This is an opportunity for those members in the region who wish to become active, to meet with others from across the region and learn more about how UNISON and the Black members group works. This is a welcoming environment and you do not have to be experienced in trade union activities to attend.

All enquiries to the Branch Office or Hugh McDyer, UNISON, Wind Street, Swansea SA1 1DP

County Hall on Tues 5th, Wed 6th & Fri 8th The Guildhall on Mon 4th, Wed 6th, Thurs 7th Penllergaer Civic Centre on Tues 5th, Thurs 7th, Fri 8th Oldway Centre on Mon 4th, Wed 6th, Fri 8th

Contact us:

Unison Cymru/Wales BLACK MEMBERS SELF-ORGANISED GROUP AGM (29th Nov) / Black Members Development Weekend 29th Nov to 1st December - Newport

Email: h.mcdyer@unison.co.uk Tel: 01792 483903

Unison Office The Guildhall Swansea SA1 4PE 01792 635271

unison@swansea.gov.uk

Branch Secretary: Mike Davies / Asst. Secretary: Ian Alexander Unison has over 100 trained union reps throughout the council, schools and FE colleges. We will advise, support and represent you collectively and individually on issues from sickness, disciplinaries to legal matters inside and outside the workplace. If you need advice or representation please contact the Senior Steward(s) for your department below or go to your workplace steward. Alternatively please contact the branch office.

Social Services Alison O'Kane - 07856 641234 Alison Davies - 07941 757853 Martin Chapman - 01792 635271 Education Pat Lopez - 07557 560097 Mark Otten - 07789 485009 Eve Morse - 07532 232873 (after 3.30 pm) Chris Bell - 07967 551025

Sports & Social website: www.suss.me.uk

Regeneration/Housing John Llewellyn - 07557 560093 Roger Owen - 07847 942458 Gower College Ron Job - 07963 454041 Resources Rhydian Prismick - 01792 635803 Housing Sallyanne Taylor - 07825 401711

www.unison.co.uk

This newsletter is produced by the City and County of Swansea Unison Branch. Any letters, comments or suggestions for articles should be posted to the branch address or emailed to Unison@swansea.gov.uk. Correspondence is not guaranteed to be published and contents may not necessarily reflect Unison policy.