Inside
Unison Branch Elections Stand for office in 2012
Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee Cameron attacks our pensions and Miliband agrees
Unite Against Fascism Conference Stopping the Nazi menace in 2012
City and County of Swansea
Review What's happening to our pension dispute? United strikes on 30 November last year saw millions of publicsector workers take action together. The day showed the potential that exists to stop the Tories’ assault on public sector pensions. But the Tories aren’t backing down yet and are determined to wreck our retirement, our communities and our futures.
branches - including the City and County of Swansea branch opposed this, as well as other national trade unions. UNISON nationally remains in dispute with the Coalition over its attacks on our pensions and the ballot is still ‘live’. We will not have to reballot at the end of negotiations if they fail. Any decision on any final proposals in either the NHS or LGPS will be a decision for members, through an allmember ballot. If proposals are rejected, members will be asked whether they want to take further industrial action.
Over Christmas there was much confusing information from the press of about a final 'deal' being struck. This is not the case. Nevertheless there have been important developments with some national unions rejecting, and some accepting, an outline deal as a basis for negotiation. This outline deal is called the Therefore a debate is ongoing within all unions about where to 'Heads of Agreement'. go next. After a series of pension summits and national meetings Swansea Unison opposed the Unison nationally accepted the 'heads of agreement' for good 'Heads of Agreement' as a basis reason. Firstly, the government for talks. However many was happy with it which
indicated it was no good for us. Danny Alexander, chief secretary to the Treasury, said that the agreement that has been provisionally reached will cut "tens of billions of pounds in decades to come" from pensions. He also said that the proposed deal did not mean any additional money has been made available. In a rebuff to those in government who thought privatisation might be made more difficult by the aggreement, Alexander celebrated that the changes would allow the government to "forge ahead" with its "ambitious plans" for
public sector reforms (i.e. privatisation) since the new pension arrangements will be "substantially more affordable" to alternative providers in the private and voluntary sector bidding for public sector contracts. Secondly the ‘agreement’ only delays the increase in employee contributions that was due to be imposed between 2012 and 2015 to pay the Treasury’s £900 million pensions tax. But it still makes us pay that £900 million by bringing in the new scheme a year earlier – from April 2014 rather than April 2015. The “Heads of Agreement” has no detail in it – but accepts that the Treasury paper issued on 2
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➥ Public Service Not Private Profit
January 2012
continued from front page November will be the basis for negotiating the new scheme This sets out (1) Increased Employee Contributions of on average 3%, up to 9.5% for most members, (2) Ending the Final Salary Scheme – with 1/60 Accrual Rate, which is worth less then 1/60 final salary, (3)Raising the Retirement Age in line with State Retirement Age to at least 68 - in fact George Osborne announced in his Autumn statement that he was speeding up the increase to 67 to 2026 affecting anyone under 52 now. It also announced limited protection for those within 10 years of retirement on 1 April 2012. In Local Government this only covers those born between 1 October 1955 and 31 March 1957 - and it looks like the cost of protection would be taken out of benefits for others. The government say we can negotiate on all these elements - but only within the same “cost envelope” so that any improvement in one element has to be paid by worsening another for example for lower contributions we would have to accept working even longer than proposed or getting even worse pensions when we retire.
at stake to allow the Con Dems to pick off unions one at a time or to seek to isolate others as they are clearly attempting to do. In Unison there is also a proposal to call a special conference on pensions under Unison's rules to reverse the decision to sign up. There are major unions (see box right) that rejected the 'heads of agreement' outright and are committed to further action. In addition Unison's Health Executive did not accept and decided to put signing the agreement to a members vote. A further strike by a million or more would be a powerful boost and if Unite, UCU, PCS and the NUT were to strike and to put picket lines up at hospitals, colleges, schools and council workplaces then many Unison and GMB members will not cross. The Coalition was rocked by our strikes, but has not backed down; and we cannot rely whatsoever on Labour to save us in May or after (see box below). Resistance is the only route open to us. If we give up on the pensions battle it will make it a thousand times harder to win fights on pay and jobs and to defend our services from the Tory onslaught.
We have a right to decent pensions. They are our deferred wages and are accumulated by years of us paying money into them so that we can have a better retirement. It’s our own money that the government wants to snatch Thirdly on 30 November we took away. part in the largest strike action in at least a generation, in an unprecedented display of unity Fighting for pensions will protect generations. The across public sector unions. Dave future Prentis rightly proclaimed it “an government’s current assault is incredible success and one of the bad enough but life will be even proudest moments of my career”. harder for future generations of workers if they get away with It was then a fundamental mistake attacking us today. Stopping them now to sign the agreement and now will also make it harder for allow the government to now play private sector bosses to attack divide and rule with the unions. workers’ pensions. Public sector This can only make it easier for workers aren’t responsible for poor them to push through the cuts in private sector pensions - the our pensions as part of their wider employers and the government austerity programme of real pay are. Private sector bosses are cuts and massive job losses, making working people pay the attacking pensions while the price for a crisis created by government refuses to pass laws bankers’ greed. There is too much that could protect them and a In other words the reason we came out on action - that the attacks mean we will pay more, work longer and get less remains the same.
victory in the public sector would encourage private sector workers to fight for better pensions too. The money is also there. The government says it has to “reform” public sector pensions because they are ‘unaffordable’ which is a lie. The government’s own research shows that the cost of public sector pension schemes is falling and will continue to fall. The Hutton Report published last year estimates the cost of public sector pensions as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). GDP is the value of all goods and services produced in a country over a year. Hutton shows that the cost of public sector pensions has peaked and is now falling. It estimates that public sector pensions will cost just 1.5 percent of GDP by 2060, compared with 1.9 percent today. Research from the NUT union shows that workers have paid much more money into the Teachers Pension Scheme (TPS) than has been paid out.Teachers have paid the equivalent of £46 billion more into the fund than it has paid out since the scheme was set up in 1923. The union adjusted the figures in line with GDP growth. Even if the schemes were in deficit, the government would have no mandate for the cuts it wants to impose.The extra money saved from its pension reforms won’t even go to the pension schemes. It will go to the Treasury to cut the deficit that was caused by bailing out the banks. The reforms are not about making the schemes “affordable” and no one is asking the rich to “work” longer or get lower pensions. We can also win on pensions. The public sector strikes on 30 November were incredibly popular and those on the Swansea march remember being applauded by the public as we marched. There was great enthusiasm for the action among strikers, who mounted big picket lines at many workplaces. We struck because we wanted to stop the Tories and not see our action as a token gesture. With more strikes in the future we can win.
Whats happening with other unions? UCU The lecturers union UCU have now voted to call a strike on 1 March and are calling for other unions to join them. The executive of the UCU voted by 24-8 to reject the government’s “heads of agreement” and to “name a day” for national strike action to defend public sector pensions. The executive voted to instruct the union’s General Secretary to approach other “rejectionist” unions (see below) with an outline programme of regional and rolling action in February and to call on other unions to join the UCU on strike on Thursday 1 March. Unite All three of Unite’s sectors involved in the dispute have voted to reject. That covers workers in health, local government and government departments such as the Ministry of Defence. Members of Unite’s executive have also forced a meeting to be called, set to take place this Wednesday. Teaching unions NUT and NASUWT— the biggest teaching unions by far —have both refused to sign the 'heads of agreement' document. So has EIS in Scotland, Ucac in Wales and Into in Northern Ireland, but no teaching union has yet named a day for further strikes. The NUT executive met recently and unanimously voted to keep up the pensions fight. The ATL has signed up and the NAHT is surveying its members. Civil Service The main civil service union, PCS, rejects the deal and are debating further action. But Prospect and the FDA have signed up.
Miliband's 'slap in the face' to public sector workers UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis has condemned the Labour Party's suggestion that public service workers should accept more pay freezes and pay cuts as "a slap in the face". Labour's misguided statement came at a time when it is predicted that 700,000 jobs will be lost in the public sector by 2017, two thirds of whose workers are women.The majority of Unison members are not part of the Affiliated Political Fund, whose members choose to give some of their subs to Labour. Nevertheless Unison has a close relationship with the party, unlike other union's which are not affiliated. Recent developments will accelerate a debate of why we need any relationship at all, and underlines why it was wrong to put the brake on our dispute and the need to keep fighting with the other unions. "In the past year Labour has struggled to get its message across to show that there is an alternative to the Coalition’s savage cuts in our public services and the attack on the living standards of millions of ordinary working people...(Miliband) has decided to embrace a Tory pay policy that hits millions of public service workers, particularly low paid women - care workers, hospital cleaners and dinner ladies, who have already had two years of pay freezes and job losses. Ed Miliband’s naivety is breathtaking and his ill-thought-through comments will have unintended consequences. At a time when hard working families are struggling to make ends meet, the very party which they look to to stand by them, has chosen instead to play cheap politics with their lives.”
City & County of Swansea UNISON - Branch Officer Nominations 2012 - 13 The The branch branch will will hold hold this this years years AGM AGM on on March March 29th. 29th. You You can can nominate nominate aa member member for for any any branch branch officer officer post post in in 2012 2012 -- please please complete and return it to the branch address on the back of this newsletter. Incorrectly completed forms will not be accepted. complete and return it to the branch address on the back of this newsletter. Incorrectly completed forms will not be accepted. Nominations Nominations must must be be returned returned by by midday midday on on Monday Monday 6th 6th February February 2012 2012
Officer Post and Job Description
Name of Candidate
Chairperson – acts as leader of delegations to meet employers, chairs meetings of branch, or committees, leads representations at UNISON meetings where branch is represented, acts as signatory on branch accounts. Vice Chairperson – assists Chair in carrying out their functions and deputises for chair in their absence. Branch Secretary – receives all correspondence to branch, signatory to all correspondence sent in branch name. Manages affairs of branch on behalf of membership and their committees. Ensures all functions of branch are carried out and timetables for election of stewards, officers and delegates are adhered to. Acts as main representative in collective bargaining meetings Assistant Secretary - to assist the branch secretary in the role above Convener - To coordinate and lead the City and County of Swansea UNISON representatives and to develop and support those stewards and other appropriate representatives Treasurer – acts as custodian of branch accounts, ensures prudent financial management of the branch, prepares regular statements of income and expenditure; prepares annual state- ment of income/ expenditure. Mandatory signatory to all branch accounts. Minutes Secretary – ensures accurate minutes of all officially convened meetings are kept, recorded and collated. Lifelong Learning Coordinator - Co - ordination of Union Learning Reps in the Branch with a view to the provision of learning opportunities for Branch members. Health & Safety Officer – co-ordinates the Health & Safety function of all stewards, represents the branch at any meeting with employers about H&S, and is first choice representative on any UNISON H&S committee. Reports any H&S concerns. Education Coordinator – co-ordinates trades union education of all stewards and officers. Arranges branch courses on Trade Union education, liaises with TUC education and UNI- SON education services to promote education of all representatives. Publicity Officer – prepares and distributes any branch publicity regarding meetings, information or advice; produces a regular newsletter. To prepare press releases and to maintain a directory of members and their locations to assist in the distribution of information. Membership Officer - To organise recruitment amongst stewards and members and monitor recruitment and retention of Unison members within the Branch. Benefits Officer – assists any member needing advice or representation when claiming state benefits, to act as advocate at benefit tribunals. Welfare Officer – assists in administration of National welfare scheme and administers branch welfare function. Equality Officer – assists promotion of equal opportunities; ensures policies of branch and employer are in line with equal opportunity legislation; ensures branch involvement in self organised group conferences and acts as representative on any UNISON equalities committee; help promote fair representation and proportionality in UNISON. International Secretary – acts as point of liaison on matters of international interest.
Young Members Officer – encourages recruitment, promotes involvement of young members. Sports & Social Secretary & Assistant (2 posts)– co-ordinates and arranges branch sporting activities, manages the promotion of a range of branch social activities.
Proposed Proposed By...................... By...................... Tel. Tel. No No ........................ ........................ Seconded Seconded By..............................Tel. By..............................Tel. No.................... No.................... Address...................................................................Address....................................................................... Address...................................................................Address....................................................................... Please Please give give aa telephone telephone number number or or email email address address where where you you can can be be contacted contacted in in case case any any points points need need to to be be clarified clarified PLEASE PLEASE ENSURE ENSURE YOU YOU HAVE HAVE THE THE AGREEMENT AGREEMENT OF OF THE THE PERSON PERSON YOU YOU ARE ARE PROPOSING PROPOSING BEFORE BEFORE YOU YOU NOMINATE NOMINATE THEM THEM
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Conference Fighting Fascism in 2012
Unite Against Fascism Wales 2011 was a mixed year for antifascists. The upside was the continuing decline of the Nazi BNP and the defeat of the EDL in their attempts to march in Wales, London and elsewhere. The downside included Cameron joining in the attack on multi-culturalism, Osborne’s promise of seven years of misery which will provide a breeding ground for fascism and then the link up between the EDL and the socalled British Freedom Party to attempt to provide a new face for British fascism – this time with wellfunded, international anti-Muslim backing. In 2012 we will have to face these challenges – come to our February conference to help discuss how we are going to do this.
Confirmed speakers include:
Saturday 11th February 2012
Transport House, Cathedral Rd, Cardiff 10.30am - 4.30pm Register at: unitewales@live.co.uk
May elections - Keeping the Fascists Out Defend Multiculturalism - Reject Islamophobia
Peter Hain MP; Andy Richards, President of Wales TUC; Zita Holbourne Black Activists Rising Against Cuts; Luke Young, President NUS Wales; Weyman Bennet, Secretary UAF; Derek Vaughan MEP; Zahid Raja, NUS Wales Black Students Officer; Amarjite Singh VP Wales TUC.
YOUR UNION
Supported by: Wales TUC, CWU, NUT, NASUWT, USDAW, UNITE, PCS , UCU
Contact us:
Unison Office The Guildhall Swansea SA1 4PE 01792 635271
unison@swansea.gov.uk
Joint Branch Secretaries: Nicky Symons & Mike Davies 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, discipliners 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.
Environment Ian Alexander - 07584 505793 Tony Dearden - 07971 121533 Pat Lopez - 07584 505792 Social Services Alison Bell - 07941 757853 Bill Williams - 07557 560092 Resources Gareth Parry - 07584 341240
Sports & Social website: www.suss.me.uk
Education Chris Bell - 07967 551025 Karen Verallo - 07771 922985 Regeneration/Housing John Llewellyn - 07557 560093 Roger Owen - 07941819229 Gower College Ron Job - 07963 454041
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.