Inside
LGBT+: Council sets up new staff group
Social Work: 'on the brink of burn-out'
SUTR Conference: Tories cause austerity, not migrants
n
City and County of Swansea
Review We all need a pay rise
Break the Tory Pay-Freeze UNISON and the other Local Government unions have 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’ actually represented the EIGHTH consecutive annual pay cut since 2009. Pay in local government and schools is one of the lowest in the public sector. Noone is paid a fair rate for the job they do. Squeeze A continuation of the 1 per cent pay cap would represent a further squeeze on our quality of life that is even worse than during the 1980s and 1990s, exacerbating an already desperate situation for many. 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. This means that the cost of living for all of us will rise by nearly 18% by 2021. In that context, a 1% pay offer for the sector would be unacceptable. If pay is capped at 1% from 2018 - 2019, the average local government wage will fall in value by nearly £1,200. This would be on top of a real terms loss in pay of some 21% since 2009.
Public Service Not Private Profit
Part of the large anti-austerity demonstration in London on July 1st which was backed by Unison. More reports and photo's can be found here: https://www.unison.org.uk/news/article/2017/07/1_-july_march/ Council workers on the bottom pay point will require a 15.7% increase in pay to reach the currently projected rate for the National Living Wage of £9 per hour by 2020. Women are more than three quarters of the NJC workforce. The gender pay gap has widened in the public sector since the pay cap was introduced, even though it has narrowed in the wider economy. Endemic low pay is a gender issue and represents the undervaluing of women‟s skills, knowledge and experience in schools and council services. Most councils are slashing conditions of work such as unsocial hours
payments – alongside the decline in basic pay. This means workers providing services that require them to work regular overtime, shift work and unsocial hours work are suffering further reductions in pay as 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 stress – on top of shrinking pay packets. As a result, local services, and those reliant upon them, suffer. The National Living Wage has been introduced by the Government without
➥ p2&3
July 2017
Break the pay-cap: wh LGBT Staff Network In a very welcome development the Council has established a staff network for lesbian, gay , bisexual and transgender staff. Non-LGBT+ staff can also be involved to support their colleagues. The network is open to all staff members whether or not they are in a trade union. The LGBT+ staff network will be an opportunity for staff to meet in a safe environment to discuss any LGBT+ related issues and to act as a voice to raise and share issues with senior managers and other staff generally. The Network will provide information and support to staff, assist with the co-ordination of diversity events and will help the Council to progress equality within the workplace. The network will also help to: Build communication channels – employee networks gives marginalised groups the opportunity to be heard. Provide peer support – LGBT employees can use a formal network to support each other. The group can also speak up for LGBT staff who are experiencing problems at work. Promote career progression – access to role models and mentors through the network will inspire and build staff confidence. Provide confidential support to all staff. Enable staff to report bullying and harassment incidents on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity to the Network co-chairs. Members of the network could meet informally perhaps quarterly or bi-monthly. The network would be open to anyone who is LGBT+, their friends, partners and anyone else with an interest in LGBT+ issues. The network would be led by the members themselves; they would set agendas, terms of reference and timings of the meetings. The network could: be involved in organising social events to raise awareness take part in useful staff engagement on policies or proposed changes to practices/policies contribute to policy development and implementation improve communication around LGBT+ issues have LGBT+ champions. Please contact Access to Services team to get more information and to sign up: Accesstoservices@swansea.gov.uk Tel: 01792 636731 Information on supporting LGBT+ members rights on Unison’s national website is here: https://www.unison.org.uk/about/what-we-do/ fairness-equality/lgbt/
continued from front page any extra funding for councils and schools to pay for it. 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. Unequal This year is pivotal for pay in local government and schools. Councils face unparalleled financial challenges which have resulted from the harsh and unequal austerity measures imposed on local government by Westminster. The changing policy landscape is putting many of us 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 allowances and unsocial hours payments. These conditions are also being slashed as councils struggle to
fund services. However, they form a crucial part of employees overall earnings. 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 home lives which unsocial hours working represents. Insecurity 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. 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. With the dramatic decline in the value of our pay, it is clear that we have
Stand Up To Racism conference
Confronting the rise in racism Saturday 21 October 10.30am-4.30pm Friends Meeting House, Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ
Sessions include:
• Islamophobia, antisemitism & the rise in hate crime • Brexit: Defending EU nationals’ rights and opposing racism • Preaching hate: The right wing media and the rise of racism • After Finsbury Park: The growing threat of far-right terrorism • Love Music Hate Racism
• Justice for Grenfell • Trump and the rise of far-right populism • From Le Pen to Golden Dawn: Opposing fascism in Europe • Austerity & challenging lies on immigration • Black lives matter – No more deaths in police custody
Last year’s speakers include: Jeremy Corbyn Kate Osamor Kevin Courtney Diane Abbott Claude Moraes Talha Ahmad Colette Levy Mark Serwotka Sally Hunt
Photo: Geoff Dexter
hy we all need a rise
Helping Hands Therapy Garden by Peter Ryan, UNISON retired-members and Helping Hands Volunteer
Jeremy Corbyn speaks at Glastonbury: the mood for radical change in Britain needs to be channelled into our fight on pay remained in local government and schools because we are committed to improving people‟s lives, supporting communities and maintain a lasting public sector ethos. We believe too that people are more important than fat salaries and market competition. 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 We face immense pressure – ever increasing workloads, deteriorating pay and conditions, and persistent job insecurity. Against the odds, we have delivered and suffered efficiency 'savings' (usually cuts) year-on-year, but many have reached the limit of what can be squeezed from an exhausted and demoralised workforce. In this context, it is clear that the 1 per cent cap is unsustainable. The cap must not be applied in 2018/19 – or in any future year. Following extensive consultation, the unions believe 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.
How we can win on pay The election result was a shattering disaster for the Tories and Theresa May, and a triumph for Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party. Since the election 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'. The Tories recently confirmed they would keep the cap for teachers. This comes on top of weeks of chaos, which began with a rumoured review of the policy followed by rapid back-tracking. 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 is backed by Unison, Unite and the GMB. The UCU union voted recently to hold a national ballot of its members in further education. The ballot, expected to take place in the autumn, is for a 3 percent pay claim plus inflation. 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. All unions need to match their rhetoric with action. If all the unions acted against the pay cap, and fought for £10 an hour with Jeremy Corbyn, we could motivate people to fight the pay cap, just as the rallies during the election motivated people to go out and vote for a better future.
‘Several years ago the Occupational Health Section asked if I would help run this project. I retired from the council after 37 years service and I am pleased to say I enjoyed every minute of it. This was a great opportunity for me to give something back. Most of my career was with the Parks Dept, hence my involvement in the garden. Many members will have heard of Helping Hands which is supported by the City and County of Swansea Unison Branch. Helping Hands offers one to one support to staff members who may be experiencing problems such as stress in work, and there is a range activities to support staff members well-being. The Therapy Garden is located in the wonderful Educational Gardens in Singleton Park, where along with our vegetable beds you can find one of the most peaceful and beautiful places in Swansea. We meet every Tuesday from 12 till 2pm and along with myself, one of the Occupational Health Team is also available. I remember a few years ago we celebrated our official opening of the garden with several Councillors attending along with the former Chief Executive Jack Straw. What really impressed me was what Jack said about how the authority would support staff with time-off to attend the garden and this commitment still stands today. When you arrive we always enjoy a hot drink and a Welsh cake before we make our way to our garden. Some just like to enjoy the beautiful surroundings while others like to help plant vegetable seeds, weeding and harvesting the crops. Thanks for reading this and thanks to Unison for their financial support and to Andi from Occupational Health and most importantly thanks to you for supporting Helping Hands which is there, after all, for you. Hope to see you in the future, if you wish to find out more about the Therapy Garden you need to contact Occupational Health who will point you in the right direction.
National Demonstration on Sunday 1 October
Best wishes, Peter Ryan.’
Further details about the support Helping Hands can offer is on the Council Intranet or by contacting Occupational Health or the Unison Office
A day in the life of k social wor Research from Care Community and UNISON
Social Work:
Your rights over Corporate Fraud
'on the brink of burn-out' UNISON released the results of it's survey of social workers experience of their profession in March. Jointly done between Unison and Community Care magazine the survey revealed they are struggling with heavy caseloads, working longer hours and going without lunch breaks.
Nearly half (48%) of respondents said the volume of cases they were responsible for left them feeling ‘over the limit,’ and more than half (56%) blamed staff shortages for their heavy workload. The report A Day in the Life of Social Work is based on feedback from more than 2,000 social work professionals including those in child protection and adult mental health. It gives a snapshot of a typical day in their working lives and highlights how cutbacks and staff shortages are taking a toll on the profession. Verbal abuse Nearly two-thirds (60%) of those who completed the survey said cuts had affected their ability to make a difference to the vulnerable people they support. Verbal abuse was another key issue for nearly half (47%) of respondents. A total of 2,032 social work professionals from across the UK were asked to describe their day on 21 September 2016. The majority (85%) of those who took part were employed by a local authority. UNISON head of local government Heather Wakefield said: “This is a profession on the brink of burnout. Staff are working long hours without breaks and having to cope with unprecedented caseloads. Those in need are suffering because social workers have less time to go out and help them.
Employees of the Council are receiving letters from the Council's Corporate Fraud Team on an ad-hoc basis. This includes all employees who work for the Council. Innocent Whilst employees may be innocent of any crime or maladministration, such suspicious fraud mat=y arise from errors in regards to expenses claims, timesheet claims, or accounts that the employee administers. This may lead to an investigation conducted by the Fraud Team. In this investigation the Corporate Fraud Team may need to formally interview employees about possibile offences under the Theft act 1068 and/or the Fraud Act 2006. Solicitor The interview is not an investigatory interview which would form part of the Authorities disciplinary process. Therefore employees are not entitled to union representation at this interview.
The link to A Day in The Life of Social Work can be found here:
However employees are entitled to instruct a solicitor in this matter and can be accompanied by a solicitor. If you are a UNISON member for more than four weeks a UNISON solicitor will be provided for you for free, provided you notify the union as soon as possible.
https://www.unison.org.uk/content/uploads/2017/03/CCSocialWorkWatch_report_web.pdf
If you are not a union member you will have to meet the cost of a solicitor yourself.
YOUR UNION
“All councils should set up a system of monitoring to reduce demands on already over-worked staff. Otherwise not only social workers but those they’re trying to help will suffer.”
Contact us:
Unison Office, Rm 153-G, The Guildhall, Swansea 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. SENIOR STEWARD SOCIAL SERVICES ALISON DAVIES 01792 636351 / 07941757853 SIMON JONES 637559/ 07858411470 DAVID WHITE 635180/ 07870465697
SENIOR STEWARDS ENVIRONMENT IAN ALEXANDER 07584505793 PAT LOPEZ (CAVE ST) 07557560097 MARK OTTEN 07789485009
SENIOR STEWARD REGENERATION (OUTDOOR LEISURE) JOHN LLEWELLYN 07920560208
EDUCATION CONTACT JOHN AUSTIN 07796275039
www.ccsunison.org.uk
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.