Inside
Single Status and Job Evaluation: UNISON's position
Pay Offer 2018 2019: Why 2% is not enough
Your UNISON: come to this years Annual General Meetings
City and County of Swansea
Review from #swanseaisculture to #swanseaiscuts
No Privatisation! No Cuts!
Leisure today - YOU tomorrow?
UNISON UNISON press press release: release:
"Leisure Privatisation betrays people of Swansea" UNISON has revealed Swansea council is to privatise leisure services, reneging on a clear promise to staff this would not happen. The trade union said local authority officials have shortlisted three private contractors to run Morriston, Penlan and Penyrheol sports centres.
employee's working conditions. It has said the collapse of Carillion is a stark illustration that private companies undertaking public service contracts is extremely risky and potentially very expensive to the taxpayer.
It is understood the three private contractors are to Damage submit bids in April 2018 with a view to one taking up the UNISON has warned contract in October 2018. privatisation is a terrible error Chris Cooze, UNISON City and which will damage the quality of County of Swansea branch service for the public and secretary has said, p2
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In addition the Council plans to: cut allowances (wages) for Council staff increase charges and extend charging for Council workers to park in Council workplaces target the most vulnerable by charging for day-care cut the sickness bill when it is over-work causing stresslevels to rocket and Council workers to be ill impose compulsory redundancies, including major cuts to counselling support for when staff are bullied or unwell. Enough is enough! If you value Council services and Council workers, if you are a member of the public or a council worker, join the protest at full-Council against the cuts on February 22nd, 4pm, the Guildhall. Bring your friends, family and workmates UNISON’s full press-release is here: http://bit.ly/2BhYDmP
JOIN the Protest - February 22nd, 4pm The Guildhall Public Service Not Private Profit
'Swansea City and County Unison' January 2018
continued from front page "Under pressure from years of austerity cuts, Swansea council has panicked and gone for a short-time economic fix with a privatisation that does not benefit the local community. Pound notes "Outsourcing is never the answer. Private companies are interested in pound notes not quality of service to the public and experience shows when leisure centre are outsourced, charges to users increase and opening hours are reduced. When this happens there is no-one to complain to because there is no democratic accountability if leisure centres are not council run. Local people want a say in how their services operate. "The new company will look to make quick savings by sacking or not replacing staff who leave and by squeezing employees' wages and working conditions. Low paid "That means less money in the pay packets of people in your neighbourhood and less money spent on Swansea high streets. Leisure centre staff are generally low paid young women who work around childcare and UNISON is alarmed that the new companies are likely to make wider use of exploitative zero hours contracts. "We call upon councillors to throw out the proposed privatisation and back an in-house improvement plan which has serving the people of Swansea at its heart and decent employment conditions for leisure staff." Troubled history Outsourcing of leisure facilities has had a troubled history and when the Vale of Glamorgan contracted out services to Parkwood Leisure, one leisure centre closed. The same company also attempted to use the legal process to block pay increases owed to leisure centre staff elsewhere in the UK. UNISON has submitted a comprehensive document to Swansea councillors which undermines the arguments for outsourcing. The trade union has said public services must be delivered by directly employed local authority staff.
Pay: why 2% is not enou UNISON and the other national local government trade unions have received a pay offer from the employers. At the time of going to press this offer is being considered by UNISON nationally, although the view of your stewards committee in Swansea is that this should be rejected. The offer covers the two years from 1 April 2018. It would mean a 2% wage rise next April for the majority of council and school support staff currently earning more than £19,430, and a further 2% in April 2019. The local government employers are also proposing to give lower paid staff a higher wage rise – of up to 16% over the two years. UNISON and the other Local Government unions lodged a pay-claim for next year of 5% across all the pay grades. For the vast majority of workers in local government and schools - last year‟s pay ‘rise’ represents nearly a decade of pay-cuts since 2009. No-one is paid a fair rate for the job they do. A continuation of a low offer represents a further squeeze on our quality of life. The bottom rate of pay in local government £7.78 - is only 28p above the National Living Wage (NLW) and well below the UK Foundation Living Wage rate of £8.45 and £9.75 in London. Inflation is predicted to remain in excess of 3% for the next five years, and is currently 3.1%. This means that the cost of living for all of us
will rise far higher than wages by 2021. In th context, a 2% pay offer for the sector would unacceptable.
If pay is limited at 2% from 2018 - 2019, the average local government wage will fall in value by roughly £1,000. This would be on to of a real terms loss in pay of some 21% sinc 2009. Council workers on the bottom pay point will require a 15.7% increase in pay to reach the currently projected rate for the National Livin Wage of £9 per hour by 2020.
Women are also more than three quarters of the NJC workforce. The gender pay gap has widened in the public sector since the pay ca was introduced, even though it has narrowed in the wider economy. Endemic low pay is a gender issue and represents the undervaluin of women‟s skills, knowledge and experienc in schools and council services.
Most councils are slashing conditions of wor such as unsocial hours payments – alongsid the decline in basic pay. This means workers providing services that require them to work regular overtime, shift work and unsocial hou work are suffering further reductions in pay a additional payments are cut. Slashing
Since June 2010, local government has lost over 750,000 jobs. Those workers left behind face increased workloads, pressure and stre – on top of shrinking pay packets. As a resu
UNISON position on Single Status and J
As a result of questions being raised UNISON Swansea The way the scheme was imple Branch feels that it is important to remind members what should have been asked what dutie is UNISON's position. fed back to evaluate with the involv so the grade could be established. UNISON agreed with the council job grades, terms and The employer decided to arbitrarily conditions needed revising because of potential Equal shortcut this by not asking workers Pay claims. Tis being said UNISON did not agree and what they do but asked managers still does not agree with what has been implemented in instead. This left employees having a arbitrary manner by the council and will continue to to appeal this arbitrary decision contest where appropriate.More particularly UNISON instead. when agreeing to “a Job Evaluation scheme”. UNISON agreed in principle to a Scheme known as the Greater Arbitrary changes have been m London Scheme and a variation of the scheme known from getting grades; a simple exam as the “WAYs” scheme. As said this was only in decided that employees must be d principle and the scheme as finally implemented was day to have the skill of driving reco changed to such a extent UNISON could not agree with UNISON argued that the skill need it. should be recognised, not the perio but the employer unreasonably refu Two examples of areas of longstanding disagreement with the employer are;
How we can win on pay
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local services, and those reliant upon them, suffer. The National Living Wage has been introduced by the Government without any extra funding for councils and schools to pay for it.
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Indeed council budgets have been slashed by at least 40% since 2010. With NJC pay kept low by pay freezes or below-inflation increases, the National Living Wage has become the determinant of the bottom pay rate. This means that fair and transparent pay grades, based on job evaluation, are being squashed together at the bottom of the pay structure.
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Those providing local services in councils and schools are supporting our children‟s education and holding stretched communities together at a time when those services are overwhelmed by public demand and the government is cutting funding.
Unequal Councils face unparalleled financial challenges which have resulted from the harsh and unequal austerity measures imposed on local government by Westminster.
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Many of us are under immense pressure. We are experiencing an unparalleled deterioration in the value of our basic pay and widespread cuts to our conditions of work, such as car urs allowances and unsocial hours payments. as These conditions are also being slashed as councils struggle to fund services. However, they form a crucial part of employees overall earnings.
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home lives which unsocial hours working represents. Meanwhile, job losses have stripped the sector of its workforce on a historic scale, leading to persistent job insecurity, ever-increasing workloads and resulting pressure and stress for those workers left behind to pick up the pieces. The sector is being hit harder than any other part of the public sector.
Many members rely on unsocial hours payments, weekend and night shift enhancements to make ends meet and should be properly paid for the disruption to their
With the dramatic decline in the value of our pay, it is clear that we have remained in local government and schools because we are committed to improving people‟s lives. But we have bills to pay ourselves and families to support and we can‟t keep delivering more and more for less and less. Pressure Against the odds, we have delivered and suffered efficiency 'savings' (cuts) year-onyear, but many have reached the limit of what can be squeezed from an exhausted and demoralised workforce. UNISON believes that only a settlement of at least 5 per cent, with the bottom pay point set at the level of the Foundation Living Wage, would be a fair reward for our endeavours and lost wages over the last eight years.
The Tory crisis continues after the snap-election of 2017 with further ministers resigning from May's government. But though the government seems in permanent crisis they will cling to office until they are forced out. Since 2017 anger at the pay cap has opened up rifts at the top of the Tory party. Theresa May and chancellor Philip Hammond had to fend off calls even from senior ministers to lift the 1% pay cap with May claiming that scrapping it would 'bankrupt Britain'. Now even a 2% offer - derisory though it is - breaks the pay-cap The manoeuvring shows up the scale of the Tory crisis and the unions must use this to organise action to break the pay cap. The 5% demand was backed by Unison, Unite and the GMB. The 2% has been rejected by UNITE, unfortunately accepted by the GMB and UNISON is still deciding nationally. Everybody now knows that the 'magic money tree' is there after the Tories gave £1 billion to the DUP. But the Tories will not go or pay us by magic either. Unions rejecting the pay offer need to match their rhetoric with action. If all the unions acted to fight for the 5%, and fought for £10 an hour with Jeremy Corbyn, we could motivate people to fight for more pay.
Job Evaluation and the City and County of Swansea
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made to debar workers mple is the council riving for 50% of the ognised for the grade. ded to do the job od of using the skill used to budge.
Then we come to Single Status terms and conditions UNISON agreed that changes were unfair but the employer decided to use the opportunity to make financial savings and to force employees to be compliant. Examples are: Hours of Work Various clauses mean that any employees are compelled to work whenever the employer decides i.e. different times, hours, days, weekends, bank holidays, and overtime, additional stand-by at home when required. Employee Requirement to Finish Daily Task An employee not finishing daily task may be compelled to work on to completion of task. Car Payments/Provision The council will pay 45p per mile, the HMRC rate, also
that the employee will be responsible for ensuring that the employee’s car is suitable for business use. The council may expect employees to convey passengers and goods/equipment and the HMRC have additional rates over and above the 45p per mile rate for this purpose but the council are declining to pay this. Also, UNISON regards it as an infringement of employees’ rights to insist on what kind of car they drivePlease note the above list is not exhaustive. What's UNISONs current position? UNISON members have not agreed to the arbitrary forced signing of Council employees to the imposed Single Status and Job evaluation. UNISON does not miss an opportunity to remind council officers of this. UNISON reserves the right to support members who enter into a dispute with the council on the terms of Single Status and Job evaluation.
Worried about privatisation, jobthreats and cuts? Want to discuss what we can to resist them? Come to this years Annual General Meetings.
Stand Up To Racism Trade Union Conference Photo: Lewis Nielsen
Saturday 10 February, 11am-4.30pm Central London • Refugees and migrants welcome • Defend EU nationals rights and freedom of movement • No to racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism • Don’t let the racists divide us
Speakers include: Margaret Greer Unison national equalities officer; Claude Moraes Labour MEP; Mark Rowe FBU North West secretary; Lee Barron Midlands TUC regional secretary; Clare Moseley Care4Calais; Wilf Sullivan TUC race equality officer; Weyman Bennett Stand Up To Racism joint convenor
YOUR UNION
The Tories are trying to use EU nationals as bargaining chips in Brexit negotiations. Migrant workers, refugees and Muslims are constantly being scapegoated by politicians and the right wing press. We are repeatedly told that migrants and refugees are to blame for undermining wages and overstretching public services when in reality austerity is to blame. Black and Asian people face constant discrimination in employment and the everyday reality of institutional racism.
Working class communities must stand united together. But the Tories, much of the media, UKIP and the far right have all set out to divide us. The trade unions are the bedrock of the anti-racist movement. We want to build on the great work that the trade unions are doing. Come to the conference and join in the debate about how we give confidence to anti-racists in every workplace. Contact the branch office for details if you want to attend
Contact us: Unison Office, Rm 153-G, The Guildhall, Swansea SA1 4PE
01792 635271
unison@swansea.gov.uk Branch Secretary: Chris Cooze
Unison has many 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) or Contact for your department below or go to your workplace steward. Alternatively please contact the branch office.
www.ccsunison.org.uk
SENIOR STEWARD SOCIAL SERVICES ALISON DAVIES 01792 636351 / 07941757853 SIMON JONES 637559/ 07858411470 DAVID WHITE 635180/ 07870465697 SENIOR STEWARDS ENVIRONMENT IAN ALEXANDER 07584505793 MARK OTTEN 07789485009 EDUCATION JOHN AUSTIN 07796275039
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.