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January 2008 |
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Fighting for a fair deal for public service workers
This year, your pay matters more than ever. Through
our Pay Matters campaign, we are determined to
secure decent pay rises for our members. Beating the
government's unjust 2% limit is our priority for
2008.
As UNISON unites for the fight, our new website will
support you:
unison.org.uk/paymatters
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THE WEEK |
Unions urge new government approach to pay
(25/01/08) TUC delegation holds talks with the
chancellor
Traffic Scotland transfer row warning
(25/01/08) Staff leave rather than accept new
pension situation
Energy profit probe demanded
(22/01/08) UNISON backs call for Ofgem action as
research reveals £2.3bn extra profit before recent
price rises
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PAY MATTERS |
Get the campaign rolling
Many public-service pay rises are due in April --
particularly in local government. If we're going to
win fair pay, we need to get working now
Pay squeeze - enough is enough
UNISON leaders held a summit in January to plan the
way ahead on pay
It's not your pay, it's the potatoes
The government is trying to justify its 2% pay limit
by saying it will control inflation. Economists say
that's nonsense
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ORGANISING |
The law and strike pay deductions
The High Court has agreed with UNISON over what pay
employers can deduct from striking workers
Avoiding slips, trips and falls
I read that, last year, more than 14,000 people were
injured because of a slip, trip or fall at work --
is there something that we can do about this?
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IN UNISON |
Equalities and equal pay
What is the current situation on equal pay in the
public and private sectors, and what measures can be
taken to reform the law?
2008 service group executive elections
Nominations need to be submitted by 15 February
The learning agenda
New research on the value of learning for trade
unions and members is available online
News from UNISON Welfare
Tips to beat the credit squeeze, the benefits of
holidays and more
Positively public update
How UNISON won a break-through pay deal for members
in Manchester
Coming
events
Including an IER health and safety seminar on the
quality of working life
Training
Activists' training in your region and nationally
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KEY CAMPAIGNS |
Positively Public
Equal pay
Make local services count
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| 21
January 2008 |
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Prentis warns government over pay
"Don't pick a fight with UNISON members," general secretary
Dave Prentis has warned, rejecting the government's 2% pay
limit for public-sector workers.
UNISON's current pay claims for local government workers
throughout the UK are for one-year deals, designed to make
up lost ground, protect against future inflation and boost
the minimum wage.
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THE WEEK |
Union wins £7.50 minimum wage
(21/01/08) Kingston University support staff will see pay
rise on 1 February
Former employers pay up for asbestosis
(21/01/08) 79 year old UNISON ex-joiner wins compensation of
£25,000
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ORGANISING |
A vital resource needs resourcing
Police community support officers are a key part of keeping
our streets safe - and a key part of the union
Negotiating time for learning
I've recently heard something about negotiating learning
agreements - but what is a learning agreement?
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IN UNISON |
Trustee elections 2008
UNISON Welfare's Board of Trustees is seeking to recruit six
new non-NEC members
Help us secure a better deal for agency workers
Ask your MP to support the new agency and temporary workers
private member's bill
Local Government Conference 2008
The Conference Bulletin and other supporting documents are
now available, including important information on using
UNISON's new online conference system to register and submit
motions for this event
National young members' weekend 2008
Are any young members in your branch interested in
attending? They need to register their interest now
Guidance on year-end audit procedures
Information for honorary branch auditors from UNISON's chief
internal auditor, John Nagle
Coming events
Including UNISON's national employment law courses for 2008
Training
Activists' training in your region
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KEY CAMPAIGNS |
Positively Public
Equal pay
Keep the NHS working
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| 07
January 2008 |
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Union leaders speak up for public services
UNISON
general secretary Dave Prentis joined the leaders of other
public-service unions in the run-up to Christmas to start the
fight-back against the government's 2% public-sector pay limit.
Working in solidarity, under the TUC's umbrella, we will do
everything we can this year to win a fair deal for our members.
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NEWS |
The
importance of taking a break
(04/01/08) Research shows benefits of holidays for low-income
families
Health
students see red
(31/12/07) UNISON survey reveals 'crushing' levels of debt
Police
staff offered 2.5%
(18/12/07) Union recommends England and Wales offer backdated to 1
September
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ORGANISING |
Local services face vast changes
New
government acts will present a new challenge for UNISON as service
providers will be required to get together to plan, deliver and
commission services
Charity begins in the union
What
opportunities are there to get involved with our registered charity,
UNISON Welfare?
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IN
UNISON |
Service group elections 2008
Nominations open today
GO
award (England)
New
opportunity to boost literacy and numeracy skills among local
government workers
Fair
employment for all
UNISON
submission to the Commission on Vulnerable Employment
How to
green your workplace
Lessons
from the Carbon Trust/TUC green workplaces project
Outstanding business from conference
What the
NEC did next
Funding delegates to UNISON conferences
New
guidance for branches
2008
UNISON conferences
More
information is on its way
UNISON calls for global code for recruiting health workers
Push to
protect 'at risk' countries
UNISON international weekend seminar March 2008
Register
now
The
next generation
Recruiting young members
LGPS
campaign news 73 (England, Northern Ireland, Wales)
All the
latest on the local government pension scheme
Coming events
Including the dates and venues for all UNISON conferences in 2008
Training
Activists' training in your region
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KEY
CAMPAIGNS |
Positively Public
Equal pay
Keep the NHS working
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24 December 2007 |
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Dave
Prentis says...
Thank you all for your hard work over the past year. It's been a
year in which we have faced many challenges, but we've faced them
together, as one union. It has made us stronger.
UNISON's collective power has brought us victories we can be
proud of, such as gaining the best pension scheme possible for our
members in local government.
There are more challenges ahead in 2008, particularly over pay.
We need to keep working together to make sure all of our members are
treated decently and properly rewarded for their contribution to our
society.
Let's make sure - every one of us - that the new year sees us
take strides forward in achieving that. Remembering that by standing
firm, shoulder to shoulder, we will make our voices heard; we will
make a difference.
Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2008. |
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GMB
v Allan - EAT overturns decision of Newcastle Tribunal
Preliminary advice for UNISON branches
The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has overturned the
decision of the Newcastle Employment Tribunal of June last
year. This decision was described in detail in News from the
General Secretary number 263.
The EAT, sitting in London, held that the GMB had not
indirectly discriminated against its members in
Middlesbrough during single status negotiations. The EAT
also found that the union had not victimised its members.
Given that the original tribunal decision ran to 150 pages,
the EAT decision is lengthy and for this reason, only a
short summary can be provided at this stage.
The union's actions, according to the EAT, demonstrated that
the balance the union was seeking to strike in negotiations
between back pay, protection and higher future wages
represented a "legitimate aim". The original tribunal had
concluded that "the means used to achieve that objective
were disproportionate" - effectively saying that the GMB
could not strike a balance in negotiations in favour of one
particular group. The EAT agreed with the GMB's counsel that
the tribunal was mistaken in forming the view that the union
was not entitled to fix its own priorities. The judgment
notes:
"There will inevitably be many situations where a union has
to press for the interests of one group of its members at
the expense of another; it cannot possibly always support
members equally, and that is something which would be fully
understood by any union member. Pressing for pay increases
at the risk of redundancy is an obvious example."
The court went on to say that once such a legitimate
objective had been identified, it was then difficult to see
how the means chosen were inappropriate. The union had to
determine priorities and then decide on the objective it
wanted to achieve during negotiations. If it had to adopt a
different means to achieve the objective, as the tribunal
suggested, that would effectively involve changing the
objective. On that basis, they allowed the union's appeal
against the finding of indirect discrimination. In relation
to victimisation, the EAT described the ET's reasoning as
"confusing and inconsistent". They also found that there was
no evidence on which the ET could have concluded that the
GMB members had been victimised.
A note of caution needs to be sounded in relation to this
judgment. The EAT appear to suggest that while unions may
not be liable for indirect discrimination in relation to any
balance struck during negotiations between members'
competing interests, they warn that unions may instead run
the risk of claims for breach of an implied duty of fair
representation or for misrepresentation (Para. 84).
UNISON is continuing to receive new proceedings from the
same No Win No Fee lawyer who sued the GMB in the Allan
case. These claims will be strongly contested and any
branches which receive such proceedings should immediately
contact their regional office.
There have been further legal developments in relation to
the issue of protection. UNISON eFocus of 23 July described
the EAT decision in Surtees v Middlesborough, and also
advised branches that the earlier EAT decision in Bainbridge
v Redcar and Cleveland Council was subject to an appeal
listed in the Court of Appeal for the week commencing 26
July. Surtees has now been appealed. Accordingly, the Redcar
appeal has been postponed and both cases will now be heard
by the Court of Appeal in the week commencing 14 January
2008.
It follows from the comments contained in the Allan judgment
and the other case law developments that until a more
detailed legal analysis has been carried out and the NEC has
had an opportunity to consider the impact of the judgment at
its next meeting, the generic negotiating advice last
updated on 6 July and all other advice issued in relation to
equal pay will continue to apply.
The No Win No Fee lawyer bringing the claim against the GMB
has been allowed six weeks to consider whether or not to
lodge an appeal.
Contact Bronwyn McKenna at b.mckenna@unison.co.uk
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23
July 2007 |
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97.1% say 'YES' to LGPS
UNISON members have overwhelmingly
backed a new and improved local
government pension scheme in England
and Wales.
The ballot saw more than 166,000
members across the union cast their
votes, with 97.1% of them saying Yes
to the new pe | | | | |
