Inside
Standing up: for FE & Adult Education
Osbourne's Budget: on the side of 'working people'?
Standing up: for children's education
City and County of Swansea
Review Swansea 13th June
Video of demo: http://bit.ly/1fN4mXS London 20th June
We can fight Austerity Over 500 people demonstrated in Swansea against cuts on June 13th - the biggest local demonstration for many years. And over 250,000 people demonstrated in London a week later. Both demonstrations show It showed that there is a real mood in society to resist. Narrow majority Since the election the Tories are intensifying their assault on working class people. The Tories think that they can do as they please. But they only have a narrow majority—and party
Public Service Not Private Profit
squabbles are already breaking out. This government can be beaten if the mood of defiance can be continued. Savage This does not stop the Tories being incredibly savage in their attacks. Osbourne's recent budget will slash the ‘welfare cap’ from £26,000 to £23,000 in London—and is expected to cut it to £20,000 elsewhere. Some of the most savage attacks will target disabled people. Osborne confirmed plans to p2 snatch a further £12 billion from the welfare budget
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July 2015
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Osbourne's Budget: on the side of 'working people'? and admitted some cuts would be The Tories had already announced “controversial”. Osborne claimed his a freeze on most working age budget is for “working people”. He benefits and tax credits for two said the attacks were “a simple years. They plan to snatch housing matter of fairness”. In reality many benefit from unemployed 18–21 year “working people” in jobs are forced olds. Osborne also threatened that to claim benefits because their some people in council and housing wages are already too low. Now association homes would be forced many of these to pay market rents benefits, “if they want to stay including tax Capping wages at a miserly in their homes”. credits, housing one per cent for four more The Tories want to benefit, disability years for public sector benefits and make life harder for income support, workers will hasten the such tenants partly reluctant exit of many look set to be to make the right to slashed. buy scheme more dedicated staff from our hospitals, schools and local attractive. Ultimately Whined this will mean there councils. will be no council or And for all the social housing left for Pay austerity might be over people in the future. talk of an for MPs but it’s set to economic recovery, many Scrapped continue for many more people can’t find years for everyone else in work. Others If the cuts go through the public sector. aren’t well they threaten to drive enough to work. millions more people Osborne whined An hourly rate of £7.20 is into poverty. Cuts to not a living wage. George that it isn’t right tax credits are Osborne’s announcement estimated to push a that benefit claimants can might look attractive at first further half a million receive more children into poverty glance but as tax credits than people in are cruelly snatched away – in Scotland alone. work. But much leaving many workers of the money But the Tories have £1,200 worse off – he’s doesn’t go to a way to deal with simply giving to the lowclaimants—it is this. They have paid with one hand and sucked up by scrapped the target private landlords taking away with the other. to eradicate child who keep hiking poverty by 2020 and Dave Prentis up rents. they will focus less on “material disadvantage” when And if the Tories cared about assessing poverty. workers’ wages they wouldn’t be imposing pay cuts and freezes on Political millions of public sector workers. The reason for the cuts is political. Osborne claimed the budget would Osborne let slip that the Tories want help low-paid workers because a “budget surplus”. So the problem anyone earning £12,500 a year isn’t lack of money to fund services, would pay no tax. But no one should benefits or decent wages. It’s that be earning just £12,500 a year in the the Tories don’t want to spend it. first place.
Resist the To
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At the same time as imposing savage austerity, the To trying to smash trade union resistance to them. They to take away our right to strike and organise. That’s w latest round of anti-trade union laws, introduced by t Secretary of State for Business are all about. They p
! Enforce new ballot thresholds with 50 percent of m balloted having to take part in any strike ballot and in e services 40 percent of all those eligible to vote having yes. ! Criminalise the right to picket. ! Allow employers to use agency workers to strikers, effectively a scabs charter. ! Force unions to renew strike ballots every 4 mon give employers two weeks’ notice of industrial action ! Attack facility time for trade union reps in the public ! Put further restrictions on union political funds.
If you apply the government’s “thresholds” to their ow some 270 Tories wouldn’t have got into parliament. Th got 24 percent! Scared
The Tories are scared that the kind of powerful st London Underground that we saw bring the capita recently could happen elsewhere. That’s why it is goo that unions on London Underground have called t strike date already for 5 August.
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With 4 years more of 1 percent pay rises for public workers, a planned assault on anti-social hours paym the NHS and a raft of other attacks Cameron and his know that they could face resistance.
Young Members
Are you under 27? Want to learn more abo UNISON and what we do? Want to get mor involved? Then your new Young Members Office can help.
A national day of protests saw action in many towns and cities, including Bradford
We are looking to organise a branch Young Membe Forum starting with a social event over the summe The Forum will allow you to discuss experience
ry anti-union laws
EOTAS The Campaign Continues Teachers in the EOTAS service (Education Other Than At School) staged a further three days of strike action recently to save the service. This was followed by a successful public meeting and calls by Welsh Assembly Members for Swansea Council to rethink their approach to EOTAS. The service covers pupil referral units and Home Tuition for children who cannot access mainstream primary and secondary schools through social, emotional, behavioural or medical needs. EOTAS helps many young people carry on their learning and achieve their academic and personal potential. Staff are in dispute with the Council over the planned cuts and at the failure to properly engage with trade unions or to consult them on changes brought to their attention, already announced as firm plans and/or already implemented. A grievance was submitted by staff, but was not upheld. Staff, unions and AMs want the council to call a halt to piecemeal changes to the service and to sit down with parents, staff, key professionals and trade unions. This is to decide on a way forward on the service that will guarantee continued quality and capacity of support for every single child.
Unions on the underground have united to fight austerity
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Anger Some 250,000 people marched on the streets of London against austerity on 20 June with thousands more marching in Glasgow. The Tories know the anger against the cuts could move from the streets into the workplaces. That’s why they are attacking our right to organise and that’s why it’s essential that the trade unions and the whole antiausterity movement respond. We need the biggest possible turnout on the mass demonstration called by the TUC on 4 October at the Tory Party conference in Manchester. Lawful
Unite’s Len McCluskey and Unison’s Dave Prentis and other union leaders have spoken of the need to defy these unjust laws. Every summer there is the Tolpuddle festival in Dorset, where thousands of activists will celebrate the pioneers of the trade union movement. We got trade union rights, we got the vote, we beat the Tory Poll Tax back in the 1990’s, because workers were prepared to defy the law.
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Many may argue we need to be prepared do the same again if we’re going to prevent the new anti-union laws breaking our ability to resist.
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Sign former EOTAS pupil Sorcha Jewell's petition: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/vulnerable-childrendeserve-an-education-too Visit, 'like' and share the Save EOTAS Swansea Facebook page: http://on.fb.me/1HEYCZ8 Visit or write to your Councillors, AMs or MPs: https://www.writetothem.com/ Write to the campaign: saveswanseaeotas@outlook.com
Then we need further demonstrations against the anti-union laws as they pass through parliament. But if, despite the protests, the anti-union legislation becomes law we’re going to have to respond. Unite union members just voted to remove the pledge to only take “lawful” action from their rule book.
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Bethan Jenkins AM said: "I have engaged with parents, pupils and those who work in the sector, and they tell me how disgraceful the obvious lack of consultation on this has been...Fundamental questions for me are what is the point of having a consultation process if people raising concerns aren't even replied to? What is the point of having a scrutiny panel if people are being sent redundancy notices before scrutiny have had a chance to send back their findings?
Has the Council anything to fear from a proper consultation?
LGBT Members within workplaces, share ideas and knowledge and meet other Young Members within the City and County of Swansea. It will also be run by Young Members for Young Members so it is a chance for you to have your own input and ideas for the future. If you are interested please contact Gareth May on gareth.may@swansea.gov.uk to arrange a chat.
The national conference of UNISON's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members selforganised group is on 13 - 15 November 2015, Brighton. Any LGBT members who wish to attend should contact the branch office for details.
DEMONSTRATE! SUN 4 OCTOBER @ the Tory party conference, Manchester tuc.org.uk & peoplesassembly.org.uk
Standing up for FE & Adult Education
by Ron Job, Senior Steward, Gower College
Further education in Wales faces a fight for its very existence. Deep Welsh Government cuts in funding for adult and part-time learning will reduce the opportunities for learning across Wales and are already threatening the jobs of many FE workers. Adult learning cut There is a 50% cut in funding for adult learning for 2015-16, with the remaining 50% due to be cut the following year. In future, outside of a small number of protected areas, FE colleges will be only able to offer courses to adult students who are able to pay much higher fees to cover the full cost of running the courses
YOUR UNION
It wasn't so long ago that the Welsh Government used to talk about 'lifelong learning'. It seems that principle has been sacrificed to the Labour administration in Cardiff's willingness to pass on Tory cuts. Welsh Government ministers try to play
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down the cuts in FE, as if a 50% cut in the cash available for adult learning wasn't a disaster anyway. But that's only one part of the cuts leading to threats to the jobs and conditions of our members in colleges across Wales. They’ve also withdrawn the contingency fund that was worth £14 million to Welsh colleges last year and colleges are also losing out because the Welsh Government insists on awarding a significant proportion of Work Based Learning contracts to the private/third sector.
There was an upbeat atmosphere but a quiet determination to stand up for the broad range of quality learning and training opportunities we provide.
Campaign
Joint industrial action
Trade unionists in Welsh FE colleges have not been passive in the face of these cuts. The Joint Trade Unions representing FE workers in Welsh Colleges kicked off a campaign against these cuts at the end of April with college gate protests. These were well supported all across Wales, as workers and students responded enthusiastically.
There is a growing feeling amongst trade unionists in Welsh colleges that joint industrial action will be required to force the Welsh Government to cough up the funding that further education needs but Further Education is definitely worth fighting for and if that is what’s needed then we have to find a way to make it happen.
Workers and students were clear what they think of Welsh Labour cuts to Further Education, summed up in the placard made by one lecturer - betrayal! The following week we took our protest to the politicians’ own doorstep when we lobbied the Senedd. Unfortunately very few AMs were even willing to come out and talk to us.
Unison Office, Rm 153-G, The Guildhall, Swansea 01792 635271
unison@swansea.gov.uk
Branch Secretary: Mike Davies / Asst. Secretary: Andrea Thomas 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) or Contact for your department below or go to your workplace steward. Alternatively please contact the branch office. SENIOR STEWARD SOCIAL SERVICES ALISON DAVIES 01792 636351 / 07941757853 FINANCE CONTACT RHYDIAN PRISMICK 01792 635803 / 07835757517 SENIOR STEWARD REGENERATION (OUTDOOR LEISURE) JOHN LLEWELLYN 07920560208 SENIOR STEWARD REGENERATION (INDOOR LEISURE) ROGER OWEN 07847942458
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SENIOR STEWARDS ENVIRONMENT IAN ALEXANDER 07584505793 PAUL WATKINS (CLYDACH) 07572153750 PAT LOPEZ (CAVE ST) 07557560097 EDUCATION CONTACT JOHN AUSTIN 07796275039 HOUSING CONTACTS SALLYANNE TAYLOR 07825401711 ALICE GREENLEES 01792 457025 / 07773509299
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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.