Leeds & York Community Health
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health
Annual Report 2016
Annual General Meeting 2017 Wednesday 1st February Moorside TARA, St Catherine’s Drive, Bramley, LS13 2JY 4.30pm for refreshments Meeting starts 5.00pm promptly
2
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
Foreword As the Branch Chair I am pleased to be writing the introduction. 2016 has seen challenges for all trade union activists in UNISON. We spend our time representing, supporting and defending our members on a daily basis. All the stewards and representatives in the Leeds and York Community Health Branch do a fantastic job and as the Branch Chair I am incredibly proud to say I am from this great branch!
Karen Smales Branch Chair
Our accredited representatives are all highly trained, confident and competent. They are the best when it comes to representing UNISON members working across the local community health sector, as they experience the issues our members face daily – after all they are also facing these challenges in their own workplaces.
In 2016 we felt the impact of a Tory government, the impact of cuts to services, the impact on staffing levels and the impact low staff morale has on patient services and care. We in UNISON, particularly in your branch, are actively campaigning locally, regionally and nationally against the AUSTERITY agenda. UNISON believes there is a better way to work with employers to manage the difficulties, to protect jobs, to increase morale and reduce sickness and to protect our NHS and public services. UNISON has over 1.3 million members nationally, we are stronger together be it locally, regionally or nationally. As the late MP Jo Cox famously said “there is more that unites us than divides”. So let’s unite as UNISON members and take the fight to protect out Public Service to the heart of government. 2017 will see more attacks on the NHS and Public Services so let’s stand strong and make our voices count.
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
3
Elected Posts 3 Agenda 5 Minutes of Annual General Meeting 2016 6 The National Executive Council’s four objectives 11 Attendance at UNISON Branch meetings 2016 34
Elected Posts 2016 Chair - Karen Smales Secretary - Dave Syms Black Members Officer - Milton Allen Communications Officer - Nicky Miller Education Officer - Joanne Ward Equalities Officer - Andrew Johnson Health & Safety Officer - Paul Bullivant Labour Link Officer - Gail Bramma Membership Officer - Dave Syms Treasurer - Vince Hitchiner Welfare Officer - Nicky Miller The Following posts remain vacant: Disability Officer Retired Members Officer Voluntary Sector Officer Women’s Officer Young Members Officer
Leeds & York Community Health
4
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
Great deals for work and play
If you’re a member of UNISON, we won’t just look after you at work, we’ll be there for evenings, weekends and holidays too. We’ve chosen a range of fantastic deals to make your down time the best time. For more information on UNISON Living visit benefits.unison.org.uk
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
5
Agenda Annual General Meeting 2017 Wednesday 1st February Moorside TARA, St Catherine’s Drive, Bramley, LS13 2JY 4.30pm for refreshments Meeting starts 5.00pm promptly 1.
Chairperson’s remarks
2.
Guest speaker – Wendy Nichols (Regional Convenor for Yorkshire and Humberside and previous UNISON President)
3.
Apologies and attendance
4.
Appointment of Tellers
5.
Minutes of AGM 2016
6.
Matters arising from the minutes
7.
Motions and resolutions
8.
Treasurer’s Report and Presentation of Accounts •
9.
The accounts for the year ended 31 December 2016
Ratification of Branch Stewards/ Officers •
Election of officers if required
10.
Nominations for NDC Conference
11.
Ratification for Health Conference
12.
•
Karen Smales
•
Vince Hitchiner
•
Jackie Gilbert
Annual Report •
The Annual Report on the work of the branch
•
Questions and Answer session
13.
Branch Secretary’s proposals to the AGM
14.
Any other competent business (This should be advised to chairperson before the start of the meeting)
15.
Close of meeting
6
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
Minutes of Annual General Meeting 2016 3rd February 2016 at Moorside Community Centre Attendees / Apologies Karen Smales (Chair)
Marc Renwick (Stepped down)
David Syms (Branch Secretary)
Milton Allen (Black Members Officer)
Michael Parkinson (Area Organiser)
Neil Keighley (Steward)
Andrew Johnson (Equalities Officer)
Nicky Miller (Steward)
Anne Cherry (Steward)
Paul Bullivant (H & S Rep & Steward)
Anne Szczepanska (H&S & Welfare Officer)
Vince Hitchiner (Branch Treasurer)
Ian McAleer (Steward)
Amanda Jane Moses (Member)
Jackie Gilbert (Steward & H&S Rep)
Denise Lewis (Member)
Jane Jordan (Local Organiser)
Gail Longley (Member)
Joanne Ward (Education Officer) Apologies - Jane Beaumont, Gail Bramma, Gary Cleaver, Angie Dwyer, Barbara Mootu, Kathy Downes, Claudia Waller Minute taker – Jackie Gilbert
No. ITEM 1 Chairperson’s remarks Karen Smales welcomed all to the meeting. Acknowledged it had been a busy year and thanked all activists for their hard work in supporting our members. Anne Cherry retired and returned this year – Acknowledgment and thanks to Anne. Anne Szczepanska is due to retire this month, Anne has given many years of service to the branch and will be sadly missed, huge thank you for years of hard work and dedication. Anne S spoke about her time with the Branch saying winning good compensation was members was most rewarding. Looking forward to her new role going forward. On 29th February in the branch office there will be Tea & Cake to honour Anne’s time with the Branch and wish her good look going forward.
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
7
Apologies and attendance As above. 2
Election of tellers Anne Szczepanska & Denise Lewis agreed to act as tellers if needed.
3
Minutes of the last AGM Agreed as a true and accurate reflection of the meeting. Matters arising from the minutes No Matters arising.
4
Annual Report • Annual report 2015 as per report booklet. • No Q&A’s
5
Ratification of Branch Stewards/Officers All stewards and their nominees were checked for active membership. Health & Safety Joanne Ward, Jackie Gilbert, Paul Bullivant, Gail Bramma Stewards Karen Smales, David Syms, Jackie Gilbert, Andrew Johnson, Gail Bramma, Vince Hitchiner, Milton Allen, Nicky Miller, Anne Cherry, Paul Bullivant, Ian McAleer, Caroline Lloyd Branch Officer Nominations Dave Syms (Branch Secretary), Karen Smales (Chair), Joanne Ward (Education Officer), Milton Allen (Black Members Officer), Andrew Johnson (Equalities Officer), Gail Bramma (Labour Link Officer), Vince Hitchiner (Treasurer), Paul Bullivant (LGBT and H&S Officer), Nicky Miller (Welfare & Communications Officer)
8
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
6
Treasurers report and presentation of accounts Accounts papers circulated to the meeting. Accounts have been audited by UNISON Auditors. Vince talked through the papers - No questions regarding 2015 accounts. Budgets for 2016, paper presented and talked through by Vince, budgets already agreed by executive committee. Proposal was made to not send visitors to conference. Karen Smales spoke as Chair saying she had always supported sending visitors to conference but at this moment in time the branch cannot afford it. This will be readdressed next year. Budgets for 2016 agreed by AGM.
7
Branch Secretary’s proposals to the AGM Employment of 2 more Branch officers @ 15hrs pw each. Anne Szczepanska to take 1 post, the second will be open to a steward and will be 2 days per week at band 3, secondment considered. These posts will be to cover the DOCAS work. Vote – proposal accepted. Improve our image, procure identifiable clothing for activists to wear if they wish and as appropriate. Anne Szczepanska proposed an amendment to include blouses as well as polo shirts, amendment was voted on and agreed. Vote on proposal as amended 15 for 0 against. Vote – proposal accepted.
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
9
Donations made by the branch, proposal is to give full £1000 to one charity rather than give each month.
A discussion took place around what is a donation and what is sponsorship until the branch was satisfied it recognised the difference between the two.
Andy Johnson spoke against the proposal. Marc Renwick spoke against. Nicky Miller spoke in support.
Vote took place on whether we give just one donation – 9 for, 4 against.
Vote – proposal accepted.
A discussion took place around which charity to support, there were suggestions of two charities and a vote took place, the presidents (Wendy Nichols) charity received 2 votes and the UNISON welfare charity ‘There for you’ received 7 votes.
Dave Syms proposed the donation be made in the name of Anne Szczepanska in recognition and appreciation of her hard work and dedication to the charity over many years.
Vote – proposal accepted. Reintroduction of Communications officer, work to be carried out in activists own time and to include the use of all modes of communication, this would be a big role. Nicky Miller volunteered herself for the role if agreed.
Vote – proposal accepted. Those undertaking branch officer roles should chair that sub group meeting and be responsible for local budget, vote 12 for 2 against.
Vote – proposal accepted.
10
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
Send flowers to activists on their birthday, voted 11 for 4 against. Vote – proposal accepted. 8
Nominations for Health and NDC Conference Nominations to health conference (25th – 27th April) are Anne Cherry, Jackie Gilbert and Andrew Johnson. Nominations to NDC (21st – 24th June) are Nicky Miller, Vince Hitchiner. The 3rd nomination has to be a woman. Paul Bullivant wants to go so Jackie Gilbert said she would go in order to allow Paul to go as a sharer.
9
Motions
10
None. Any other competent business Nomination forms have not come in from several activists, if received they will be dealt with at the March branch meeting. Dave Syms reminded activist that if they say they attending a meeting then they must do so, as catering is based on numbers attending.
11
Close of meeting Next branch meeting Wednesday 2nd March 2016 @ Moorside TARA Bramley.
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
11
The National Executive Council agreed four objectives for 2016
Objective 1 Enhance our capability to meet the recruiting, organisational and representational challenges posed by austerity measures including cuts, workforce reductions, reorganisations, attacks on facility time and privatisation. Ensuring the union is relevant to all members who provide public services – including those who work in the private sector – regardless of the economic sector in which they work.
Hello and welcome to the 2016 Branch annual report. I would like to give a big thank you to all the Branch representatives that have worked so tirelessly over the last 12 months. Without these volunteers the Branch would not be able to support its members. We are always looking for new representatives to support our members, so if you feel this is something you would like to explore please contact me.
Dave Syms Branch Secretary
Membership of a trade union is vital as the NHS faces unprecedented attacks from this government. More than ever I would encourage our members to speak to work colleagues and encourage them to join UNISON. It is the membership of the union that gives us the strength to act on your behalf. In 2016 Leeds & York Community Health Branch recruited 404 new members.
Jayne Jordan, local organiser, regularly attended recruitment events and inductions, speaking to potential members, within Leeds Community Healthcare and Leeds & York Partnership Foundation Trust. She also visited many workplaces, making contact with our UNISON members in the community and voluntary sector leaving information as well as application forms for potential new members. Regionally UNISON held three recruitment weeks through 2016 with regional staff attending workplaces to encourage staff to join UNISON. I would like to thank Jayne for all the hard work she has put in over the last year and for the great results she achieved.
Objective 1
12
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
While this represents an excellent recruitment strategy by the branch and Jayne unfortunately this is set against a backdrop of losing almost 400 members. The NHS is paying the price for the lack of investment into the NHS by this Tory government. This has resulted in a lack of student nurses, who no longer consider nursing to be a career of choice due to the lack of real term increases in NHS pay which have resulted in the starting salary being much lower than a comparable career in the private sector. In England the starting salary for a nurse is £8,308 lower than the UK graduate average.* At the beginning of the year our lowest paid staff were reporting that they were having to use food banks on a regular basis. These workers are paid the Living Wage if they work within the NHS, yet this is still not enough. After two years of this new Tory government we are starting to hear reports of staff in higher paid positions, including newly qualified nurses, accessing foodbanks. This has the potential to only get worse with the abolition of the NHS Bursary. Members of our branch have seen an unprecedented amount of reorganisation within their workplaces over the past year. This has led to job losses, unfilled vacancies and staff leaving because they are overworked and feel unappreciated. In some areas staff are reporting that there is a culture of bullying from very senior managers who are themselves under enormous pressure to get things done. These sorts of incidents do not only affect care staff. The recent round of downbanding and reorganisation within admin services across the two main NHS employers has resulted in low morale and highly experienced admin staff leaving the organisations. These staff feel undervalued, underpaid and unappreciated as they are generally perceived as back office staff but without them our great organisations would not be able to function. These people run the NHS as silent heroes, who most of us will not know or ever meet. Whilst our retention figures at first glance could be seen as disappointing, we must bear in mind that across UNISON health branches within Yorkshire & Humberside our branch has actually maintained its level of membership which is an achievement given today’s political climate and anti-union rhetoric. * Higher Flyers Research, The Graduate Market, 2015
Have your say in UNISON
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
13
Karen Smales Branch Chair
Despite this I am proud to say my passion and commitment to ensuring UNISON members are supported and represented in the workplace is still as strong as it was when I first became a lay activist for UNISON.
I am often told by many members going through difficult times in the workplace that without the support of UNISON activists they would not have coped or been able to keep their job. This is what drives us all to be the best we can be and provide the best possible support and representation to all of members working in LCH. As in past years when I sit down to plan what I want to say, I always start with the thought that I haven’t done that much really apart from… and then I realise just how much myself and my other UNISON colleagues achieve for our members. This is often quantified by how much employment related work stewards working in LCH are actually involved on behalf of our members. All the way through 2016 our biggest challenge in LCH has been to support our members through restructures and redesign of services brought around as a direct result of the tory government’s AUSTERITY measures and lack of meaningful funding for the NHS. This has involved stewards and UNISON members actively participating in collective and individual consultations across every directorate and service in the organisation. We have achieved this by supporting our members to become engaged in meaningful consultation processes by commenting and suggesting alternatives and options as part of the organisational restructures of their individual services. This is done to protect jobs and minimise the need for compulsory redundancies in the organisation and is something we can proudly say has been reasonably successful. There have been some redundancies and downgrading during the year and whilst we would not wish to see this, we have protected our pay protection policy and redundancy packages through ongoing partnership working in and out of the trust. We would not have been able to achieve these successes on behalf of our members without the hard work and commitment from UNISON stewards working in LCH, who undertake this role over and above their day jobs.
Objective 1
As the full time trade union convenor for UNISON working in Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust, I am asked to provide an article for the branch annual report to UNISON members of the Leeds & York Community Health Branch that gives an overview of the work we do throughout the year. Each time I write this overview I am amazed by how quickly the last 12 months has gone by. I am never sure if this is either an age thing or a reflection of just how long I have been doing this vital role.
Objective 1
14
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
Despite the large amount of time taken up by restructures UNISON stewards have continued to support and represent members going through their various employment related issues such as disciplinary and grievance matters, sickness and performance issues. But in the great scheme of things when you take into account the number of UNISON members in LCH it represents only a small percentage of our work. I do not see 2017 being any different as UNISON stewards will continue to support members needing our help. UNISON representatives in LCH continue to be heavily involved in partnership working albeit in a challenging financial and political climate across the trust by remaining actively involved in developing new policies and reviewing existing policies, delivering consultation events in partnership with the trust, participating in corporate induction and market place events. The recruitment of new members and activists remains a priority and supporting existing members is high up on our agenda. In early 2014 the organisational message from the trust was around the need to make savings through service transformation which could result in compulsory redundancies, job freezes and down grading. Sadly this message has not changed as we enter 2017. 2017 will be no different and as the new financial year rolls out we will start to feel the impact of funding cuts and marketing testing of services as much needed and valued community services are put up to the cheapest bidder. As a trade union, UNISON has over 1.3 million members across public services, whilst our members working in LCH make up a small number of this figure they, like all other staff working in LCH do an incredible job delivering much needed community health services in difficult circumstances and demanding financial limitations. UNISON stewards remain committed to providing our members with support, advice and representation wherever needed.
TOGETHER WE’RE STRONGER
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
15
The first task I completed was to update the website and remove any old and outdated information. I then created “Your Briefing” the new e-bulletin that is sent out on a regular basis. The electronic newsletter allows us to add in a lot more detail, as we are not limited to the number of pages we have.
Nicky Miller Communications Officer
Communicating electronically means that we can get information out to you quickly, whether it was the information about the Heating Grant or the offer of free tickets to the Sheffield Steelers. If you have not received these emails from us, please contact me to check your details. It could be that we have a missing or incorrect email address or that you initially opted out of emails and now want to change this.
As a branch we have made a decision to move towards electronic newsletters. However, we are happy to post out a printed copy for anyone who requests one, as well as sending out to workplaces for staff rooms, etc. As part of my role I run the Twitter account and throughout the year I have seen the number of followers on Twitter grow, albeit slower than I would have liked. It would be great if you could follow the branch – as this is another way that we can share relevant information with you. UNISON invests in the training of their stewards and branch officers. In May and October I attended training for my role as Communications Officer which I found very useful. It was great to meet other people carrying out the same role in different branches and to share ideas.
Objective 1
I have really enjoyed my first year as the Branch Communications Officer. My aim was to improve the communications that we have with members and to keep members up to date in a timely manner.
16
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
Objective 1
All trade union members are welcome to become Stewards or Health and Safety representatives, its free and you will get the all the training and support you need through the branch. If you would like to chat about this then do not hesitate to ring the Branch Office. Firstly a warm thank you from myself to all my work colleagues for their continuing support and I naturally extend this to my UNISON and Staffside colleagues and to the Trust for continuing to invest and remain open to the benefits of partnership working.
Paul Bullivant
Health & Safety Officer
Health and Safety This has been a challenging year for health and safety in the branch and quite simply we need more Health and Safety representatives in our workplaces. Sometimes l wonder if we think “Oh! Health and safety – it’s overkill, it’s fussy, it’s one of the problems I have with the EU, can’t do this, can’t do that”. However it’s also one of those things which until it happens to us we tend not to think too much about it.
However I would say if all you do is take a minute to glance at the Government’s own Health and Safety Executives statistics by following the link below you will see that accidents, incidents, illness and work related death is still happening to people in the UK and for a number of reasons. http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/overall/hssh1516.pdf?pdf=hssh1516 Because these statistics prove there is still a very real problem in the UK then, as Health and Safety reps, we can make a huge difference influencing these figures through having a visible workplace presence to make people aware of the issues and solutions. We can do this by utilising noticeboards, doing health and safety inspections and reviewing documentation as stakeholders. We can report issues and therefore reduce the likelihood of injury. We can also do this by influencing working practices and procedures - in fact we already do this which is why I think sometimes incidents seem low to us. We can also form or attend Health and Safety Committees. However, against a background of cuts we cannot afford to be complacent with our lives. Personally l continue to expand on my Health and Safety skills in order to inform my practice in the interest of providing a comprehensive and competent service to UNISON representatives and therefore UNISON members. I demonstrate this by keeping up my affiliation with IOSH (Institute of Occupational Health And Safety). For example, IOSH enable professional development to be recorded online and assessed by IOSH professionals. This development is then incorporated into my personal development plan in order to maintain my competencies in the field.
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
17
In order to utilise these skills I attend the LYPFT Health and Safety Committee, Fire Safety Committee etc. on the behalf of Staffside. From this I make reports on behalf of the Staffside Chair to Staffside and to various Trust committees as required. I also act as main liaison for the branch. The loss of the UNISON LYPFT Health and Safety resource last year has meant finding new ways of looking at Health and Safety within the organisation. This means that, as in other organisations, Health and Safety Representatives continue as before to request facility time in order to inspect premises in partnership. But there is no resource now available to complete inspections if there is no representative available. To offset these changes LYPFT Staffside now access monthly the Trusts Health and Safety recording systems in order to scrutinize the information recorded by the Trust. This includes DATIX analysis kindly provided by Andrew Briggs in Risk Management, Fire activation and incidents kindly provided by Ian Patterson the Trusts Fire Officer as well as Health and Safety Inspections and Audit data. Having access to all this information is both a check and a balance which benefits all in the organisation. A Health and Safety rep can help identify, motivate and push through change more quickly - especially if these eyes are trained by UNISON or the TUC as the sheer amount of collected experience in these organisations is evident in the training packages offered free to reps. For instance all LYPFT representatives can produce reports for Staffside and contribute to the Staffside report for the Health and Safety Committee. I have started supervision of branch Health and Safety reps on behalf of the Branch Secretary. This has enabled a clearer picture to be gained of what is going on out there in our Branch. So far my observation is of clear inconsistency of procedure and practice in workplaces which can potentially increase risk. Steward There have been lots of exciting changes in the Branch office this year so I won’t expand upon this as it has most likely been highlighted elsewhere in this report. I now primarily backfill some of our branch secretary’s work and this makes my timetable a busy one. The increase in casework has brought more employment issues including grievances, bullying and harassment cases, mental health in the workplace, disclosure and barring, DSE Assessments and reports etc my way. Other undertakings include Agenda for Change banding and consistency panels, task and finish groups, attending management of change meetings and attending meetings on behalf of the Branch Secretary.
Objective 1
This is augmented by UNISON and TUC training should it be available and other updates in the field including legalities.
18
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
Objective 1
I am pleased to give some insight into my year’s activities providing support and advice to those members who cannot access such a service from others within the branch!
Brian Wheeler UNISON Caseworker
It is important for members to be aware that my ‘work’ for the union has to be fitted around other activities. However, I usually get about three to four referrals a week and I aim to respond as quickly as possible and feel confident that an audit of members would support my assertion. Most of the difficulties being experienced by members initially require some immediate telephone reassurance and advice. Only rarely does it necessitate a personal visit before any grievance or disciplinary hearing. For the most part the members requiring my assistance have been employees in the voluntary, private and charitable sectors where employment practices are quite variable. More recently a number of referrals have emanated from the NHS since the branch have experienced pressure to provide representation.
Throughout the year a small number of cases have had to be referred up to the region to access a higher level of advice or to access the involvement of Thompson’s. One case has been taken up by Thompson’s and in the New Year I may be making my debut as a witness at a tribunal! I continue to enjoy my involvement with the branch and from an outside perspective I think that the service given has greatly improved to members. The branch is prepared to invest both in physical and technical resources with a willingness to keep trying to improve and not rest on its laurels. I appreciate the support given by David and other colleagues at the office and wish everyone a healthy 2017.
UNISON SPEAKING
UP FOR PUBLIC SERVICES AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
19
Anne Szczepanska UNISON Caseworker
I soon learnt that some members do not have the luxury of having an HR department advising managers on policies and that it can be a case of “break or win”. Most of the policies outside of the NHS in my experience have been poor and not as robust as I have previously worked within. In a few minority cases you are unable to make a statement of case as a member can be called to an investigatory meeting usually in a small dental or GP practises and it can turn quickly into a disciplinary hearing you are supporting your member at.
I am now supporting members based in our Voluntary Sector taking invaluable support and advice from Michael, Dave or Gary. I mainly work with Quarry House NHS England, Capita, Servia (NHS BUSINESS) Dentists, GP Practises and Nursing Homes. I have given advice to many members and actively supported members at meetings on a host of issues such as: Disciplinary, Sickness Meetings, Flexible working, Two referrals to Employment Tribunal (one since settled out of court),Grievances, Stress, IG Breach investigation, Workplace Injury, Wages issue, Retraction of notice. It was good to note that I had received positive feedback from members. I hope to continue in the role for a long time yet and look forward to a New Year, and new ways of working for the Branch. Wishing you all a Happy 2017.
I’m proud to be in UNISON
Objective 1
This is my first report in a Staff role working for the Branch as opposed to being a member of the Branch, since retiring from the role of the Health Safety and Welfare Officer in March this year, although I left taking A/L on the 29th February 2016. I started back in my role as UNISON Caseworker on 5th April 2016, I didn’t feel like the “New Girl” as I am working two days a week from the office I have worked in for many years, so all the familiar faces from the Branch around. I am enjoying my role finding its quiet diverse with the different employers I am working with. It is not until you work in other areas that you appreciate how well we worked with LYPFT.
20
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
Objective 1
It has once again been my pleasure to support the Leeds & York Community Health Branch over the past year. The branch and its stewards, officers and staff have always set the highest standards in representation in my experience and looking back at the years that I have supported this branch I have always been impressed with the compassion and care shown by UNISON activists in Leeds & York Community Health.
Michael Parkinson
Area Organiser
Just like in the years gone by, 2016 has been a very challenging year on many different levels, particularly for our members working across the health sector, in the NHS and in the private sector it seems that the powers that be seem to think that health services really can be run efficiently on a shoe string. I expect that in 2017 we will all need to rise to the challenge and we need to be prepared to hold central government to account, they continue to demand that efficiency savings are made across mental health services whilst social care is cut via council funding, as a consequence our members are placed under intolerable pressures.
During 2016 I have been supporting the branch by supporting members in Capita and supporting individual case work in the Leeds Community Health NHS Trust. In 2017 I will continue to support individual members in the LCH Trust and work towards improving relations with the Trust so we can work towards improving conditions for our members. We have a newly trained steward in Captiva, Paul Bell, I am sure that Paul will make a fine contribution towards providing our members with strong support when needed and I wish Paul all the best in his role. I will do my best to support Paul to provide the best service possible at Capita. In LCH Trust we need new stewards to help us to provide the best possible service and support to our members. We can only build the best support if we are taking up the issues that are important to our members. The best stewards are the ones who work with you and understand your daily concerns and experiences. So if you know anyone who would make a good steward, encourage them to come forward and let us know who they are, or if there are concerns or issues in your workplace, let us know about them and we can help you to find solutions to the issues that matter to you.
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
21
Protect and secure fair pay and terms and conditions, high quality employment, and pensions for UNISON members, building confidence for industrial action when required. Promoting equality and challenging all forms of discrimination, including racism, supporting migrant workers, and promoting UNISON’s alternative.
2016 has been a very difficult year personally for me as I have had to struggle through numerous health difficulties. The downside of this is how it in turn has affected my effectiveness as a UNISON representative across the board. It has however highlighted a number of factors that has caused me to think about my role as a rep. More on that subject later.
Milton Allen
Black Members Officer
We have looked at a number of initiatives throughout the year; we have introduced the idea of a Branch Black Members SOG (Self Organised Group) and have had one meeting this year. The initial attendance was small but encouraging enough to show that there is a need for those of us to come together and discuss issues that are affecting our daily working lives. We will continue and of course will get stronger. I would like to take this opportunity to those who came along and without realising it gave me the strength and determination to continue with such a necessary cause thank to you guys.
I have attended the Black Members Conference in Llandudno and two African Migrants Conferences, which were all well attended and gave the opportunity for us to highlight both good and not so good practice in the work place plus strengthened a networking forum all of which was very inspiring. My case load has increased we have a good monitoring system which helps to keep constructive control of my role as a rep. I have written a number of articles for our newsletter and also need to send out a big respect to Nicky Miller who has tirelessly worked in the background and has helped make better sense of what I have needed to say in the articles; thanks Nicky. In closing I want to highlight the challenges of the workplace for those of us in the minority. The lack of respect is stark and obvious. The effects on us are tremendous as it follows us home from the work station. The support is limited and this is my point. I am asking those
Objective 2
Objective 2
Objective 2
22
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
of you who will take the time to read this, the opportunity is there for you to be doing the same and more than me. I cannot share for all so I am appealing for help. I am appealing for those who are prepared to strengthen the voice of the minority within the workplace to contact the Branch and do what you can to help share the load as there is a lot of need out there so come on, you will be welcomed and trained I look forward to hearing from you.
Andrew Johnson Equalities Officer
It’s been a difficult and at times despairing year politically, and the challenges to trade unions and those we represent, defend and support are not going to go away any time soon. As always organisation is key, and UNISON’s successful opposition to the most damaging proposals contained in the government’s Trade Union Act should not be forgotten. We are still here and we are still fighting.
Many of this year’s branch meetings have been notable for the robust and passionate content of discussions around threats and opportunities to the equalities agenda, posed most notably by the appointment of Theresa May as Prime Minister, the direction of the Labour Party and of course, BREXIT. On a personal level, it was an honour to be nominated to be part of the branch delegation attending this year’s UNISON Health Conference in Brighton. I learnt a lot about how conference operates and about the battles that other Yorkshire and Humber branches are facing as threats to public services and terms and conditions of employment continue to escalate. At time of writing however, news is coming through of the sad and unexpected death of UNISON President Eric Roberts, a proud and loyal trade unionist who did so much over those three April days to invigorate and enthuse the conference hall with his ready wit and clear commitment to defending worker’s rights. Looking ahead, the unprecedented challenges facing the health and social care sector in terms of service demands and having the capacity to deliver - many of which are outlined in the recently published West Yorks & Harrogate Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) - demonstrate how important it is for us as a union and you as a member to stay close, to stay united and to stay the course. Pick up the phone if you are a UNISON member and you want to get more involved.
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
23
• Same sex marriage becomes legal in the United Kingdom crown dependency of the Isle of Man. • Canada votes to change the party’s political platform from defining marriage as “a union between one man and one woman” to a neutral stance. • Civil unions and step-child adoption by same-sex couples become legal in Estonia. • India decides to review criminalization of homosexuality. • Step child and joint adoption by same sex couples become legal in Portugal. LGBT • The Italian senate approves a Civil Union bill. Officer • Same sex marriage becomes legal in Greenland. • Columbia votes in favour of legalizing same-sex marriage. • Same sex sexual activity is decriminalized in Nauru. • Same-sex sexual activity is officially decriminalized in Seychelles. • A bill banning the use of conversion therapy on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity takes effect in the state of Vermont. • Same-sex sexual activity is officially decriminalized in Belize. • Northern Ireland lifts the ban on gay men donating blood. However in the UK these are still challenging times for equality and services supporting people who identify as LGBT. Austerity cuts that which have existed since the financial crash in 2008 and generally poor wage increases in the caring profession is possibly to be compounded with the very real possibility that following the triggering of Article 50 and moving forward to Brexit there will be less money available for LGBT services in the UK. We also have Donald Trump about to enter the White House as President and leader of the free world. The US LGBT communities are very concerned about this in relation to aspects of their equality been eroded or even reversed under the Republicans. UNISON LGBT has re-commissioned the following survey by Malen Davies, Helen Porter and Martin Mitchell from NatCen to inform its future planning for campaigning and to identify and promote the results that austerity and cuts are having and the very real impact of this on our communities. https://www.UNISON.org.uk/content/ uploads/2016/11/NatCen-research-report_Implications-of-reductions-to-publicspending-on-LGB-and-T-peocple-and-services_Nov_2016.pdf The conclusions of this report make it very clear what is occurring in the UK and campaigns to maintain our visibility, health needs and access to services have in some ways never been so important. It is with this background that I attended this year’s LGBT Conference in Llandudno.
Objective 2
Amazing things have happened around the world in 2016:
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
Objective 2
24
UNISON LGBT CONFERENCE Llandudno 2016 “Yn gryfach gyda’n gilydd yn UNSAIN” – we are “stronger together in UNISON”
This year’s LGBT conference took place in Llandudno, North Wales and was started with a communication sent by our General Secretary Dave Prentis. The following is an extract from this. ‘I am so proud that this union and our members have been campaigning for equality since the early 1970s. The decades since have seen a great many changes – whether you’re L, G, B or T. As I’ve said before, we’ve gone from criminalisation to celebration. Yet even in an increasingly modern and open Britain – with strong equal rights legislation – UNISON’s LGBT members still face continuing prejudice and discrimination, both at inside and outside of work.’ Some discussions and motions which were debated this year included:• Transitioning To Best Practice - Progressive organisations have a Trans policy or framework which promotes best practice in the workplace. • ILGA - European Solidarity - Right wing organisations are gaining ground in the EU. We will campaign against this. • Zero Tolerance Of Biphobia - Encouraging Involvement - Biphobia is still amongst us. All people have a right to dignity and equality. • End Of Life Care For LGBT People - Highlighting the need for dignified and culturally meaningful services for LGBT people. Hiding who you are in life is not an acceptable way forward.
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
25
Resources Here is a link to the LGBT Annual Report. https://www.UNISON.org.uk/content/uploads/2016/10/LGBT-annual-report-2016.pdf EU Commissioned Equality survey for information regarding the UK in relation to our European Partners. http://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/eu-lgbt-survey-results-at-a-glance_en.pdf Members can contact the LGBT Officer of this branch and discuss any issues that may arise in their workplace.
Objective 2
• LGBT Scrutiny In The Commissioning Process - LGBT people need to be involved in all aspects. • Discrimination in the LGBT Community and Inappropriate Language - Language, inference and hateful words and actions still occur in our work and personal lives. UNISON will campaign to stop the usage of these words. • Marriage Equality In Northern Ireland - Conference encourage equality across the whole of the UK. • Dementia Care For the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Community - The dignity and cultural training around all our needs including meaningful diversity and dementia training. • LGBT Equality In The Commonwealth - Conference wants to support means of assisting our brothers and sisters in their daily struggles to live as themselves without persecution. • Equality Since The 2010 Equality Act - Regression Instead Of Progression Campaigning to implement the Equalities Act in full.
26
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
Objective 2
“There for You” is UNISON’s own charity which recognises that UNISON members experience many pressures in their lives affecting both home and work. They offer a unique confidential advice and support service just for members of UNISON and their dependants. Whether it’s just a chat and a sympathetic ear, advice or more concrete help you’re seeking they may be able to help you. The service is provided by experienced and professional staff.
Nicky Miller Welfare Officer
If you are experiencing personal difficulties such as:
being off work with a long-term illness; domestic violence or abuse; living on the breadline and needing to pay for a major bill or vital item; recovering from surgery;
You can call 020 7121 5620 for support. There for you also provides a free, impartial and confidential debt advice service over the phone in partnership with Payplan, experts in helping people in financial difficulty. You can call on their Freephone advice line - 0800 389 3302. Depending on your circumstances financial assistance / wellbeing breaks may be available to you. Please contact the branch and ask to speak to me and I can support you with applying for these. NHS Credit Union The NHS Credit Union was started in November 1998. Founder member Robert Rae had started the ball rolling about 18 months earlier in his role as UNISON Branch Secretary of the Southern General Hospital Branch. With the support of the trade unions and the employer, Southern General NHS Trust, the original volunteers set about establishing the Credit Union. Since then, the Credit Union has grown steadily, reaching a number of landmarks along the way, from opening their office at the Southern General and employing their first staff member, to developing to cover all NHS employees and their family members across the whole of Scotland and the North of England. At the start of this financial year, they had around 11,500 members; had issued loans totalling more than £50million - and their members’ savings were more than £13m. To find out more and to join click here— http://www.nhscreditunion.com/
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
27
Develop our public service campaigns in support of quality public services, in defence of the NHS, and all public services, building our political influence, forging alliances with unions, appropriate campaigning and community groups to challenge the austerity programme, including challenging the attacks on the welfare state. To campaign for the election of governments in Westminster, and the devolved nations, which value public services and working people, rejecting the arguments of UKIP and other far right parties.
Can I take this opportunity to thank you all and your teams for the dedication and hard work they have shown in 2016 which has been a challenging year on all fronts. We have fought on behalf of our members from the beginning of the year with the TU bill which seriously threatened our ability to organise and represent our members and although it will move in to law in 2017 the concessions we achieved have given us the ability to continue to grow the movement.
Gary Cleaver Regional Organiser
Brexit (regardless of individual views) was a shock to the country and we are now seeing as advised workers’ rights are seriously under threat as a result of our exit from the EU.
On top of this, we are seeing rising amounts of case work and members needing our support which they are receiving thanks to the Branch. We all know the chronic underfunding of the NHS is to blame for the state the NHS is in, not the hard working dedicated staff that keep it alive as the government would have us believe. 2017 will be another challenging year for us, social care funding will be further cut and I believe we will be faced with the issues our colleagues in Local Government have been attacked with for the last 7 years. I am however confident you will rise to the challenges that are thrown at you as you always do.
Objective 3
Objective 3
28
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
Objective 3
EU Referendum 2016 brought forth a referendum on the UK leaving the European Union. 10 years ago this would have been unthinkable, however with the changing political landscape with the UK and its slow move to the right has resulted in the unthinkable happening. UNISON supported the Remain campaign and laid out to its members in a fair and unbiased way the consequences for both remaining and leaving the EU.
Dave Syms Branch Secretary
UNISON knew the EU wasn’t perfect – far from it – but we looked in detail at all the evidence from both sides and came to the view that our members’ interests were best served by remaining part of the European Union. As your trade union, UNISON is here to protect your job, your standard of living, and the public services that we rely on every day. We believed that leaving the EU will make it harder for us to do that.
Democracy on the 23 June 2016 delivered a leave vote. Whilst UNISON is disappointed with this we are a democratic organisation and we recognised that this was a democratic decision and will work with all parties to get the best outcomes for our UNISON members and to protect our public services. Trade Union Act The government’s Trade Union Bill finished its parliamentary journey and is now an Act. We didn’t manage to defeat the entire bill, but UNISON did manage to remove several elements of it that would have irrevocably damaged the trade union movement. The final act looks drastically different from when it was proposed last year. And to achieve that, UNISON ran a campaign to be proud of. UNISON members across the UK took part. There were marches in major cities, members visited their MPs and wrote to their local councillors, others attended Parliament for a mass lobby, there was a week of action in February, and much more. We emphasised that trade unions have a positive impact on the workplace, and that trade union members are the very people who can solve the country’s economic problems. We said that MPs needed to focus on the real problems the country faces and talk to us about how we can work together for a better future. And many people listened. Senior figures on the left and the right came out in opposition to the bill – from human rights groups Amnesty and Liberty condemning it as an attack on civil liberties, to The Regulatory Policy Committee, the independent body appointed by the government to scrutinise regulatory proposals, calling it ‘not fit for purpose,’ to Conservative MP David Davis comparing part of the bill to Franco’s Spain.
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
29
The key changes we won: •
• •
• •
• • • •
Union members can continue to pay their subs via payroll if they wish. The government withdrew plans to ban public sector workers from having their union subs deducted from their wages (check-off); plans to give the Certification Officer (who regulates trade unions) unnecessary power over unions and to charge unions to fund it were watered down; Plans to restrict union political funds (which fund our work with the Labour Party as well as local campaigns, such as saving local hospitals) were watered down. The changes in funding policy will now only apply to new members and the costs and effort will be much reduced; the government agreed to a review of online methods for strike ballots, which would help increase turnouts; Plans to cap union public sector facility time have been watered down. They will now only happen in occasional cases, after at least three years of research and negotiation with ministers. These added to concessions already made to: drop extreme measures to restrict protest, pickets and social media campaigns; abandon plans to make everyone on a picket show personal data to the police, employers or anyone who asks for it; the 40% strike ballot threshold will not apply to union members working in ancillary services that support important public services.
Though this bill is still a damaging and undemocratic piece of legislation, we should be proud of the campaign UNISON have run. UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “Of course we’d rather the bill had never existed, and there is much that is still wrong with it. Even with today’s amendments it still places unnecessary burdens on working people and their unions. “But ministers have sensibly listened to many of the arguments put to them. They have rowed back from many of the proposals that would have placed unbearable restrictions on unions’ ability to function in public sector workplaces across the country.”
Change is possible if we work together. Why don’t you get active in UNISON? Contact the branch for more details.
Objective 3
So what did we achieve?
30
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
Objective 3
Well what a year in the world of politics! The shock vote around Brexit is still having repercussions, with the Government still having no clear plan for triggering Article 50 (the start of the formal process of leaving). At the time of writing, Teresa May is appealing in the High Court against the decision to allow Parliament to vote on when to begin that process.
Gail Bramma Labour Link Officer
We have seen a frightening rise in ‘far right’ groups in Europe winning elections and America shocked everyone by electing Donald Trump as their President! Even though Brexit may have been a ‘protest vote’, against Tory austerity and Labour’s inertia over recent years, there is a real impact on our staff in the NHS. Hate crime is at an all time high, with staff being verbally and physically abused by both patients and their visitors. This is completely unacceptable and I would urge anyone experiencing this or knows of someone who is, to report it to their line manager and their union rep.
The Government has continued to cut our public services, with the poorest and most vulnerable in society bearing the brunt. As this was not bad enough, suicides have increased which can be directly linked to the DWPs sanction regime. We have seen increased privatisation of public services, particularly in the NHS and it looks like this will continue for some time. However, it is not all doom and gloom. You can make a difference: • in the workplace … become a union rep • In the community … become a member of the Labour Party Please contact the Branch for further information on becoming a UNISON rep. 2017 looks set to be even more challenging, but UNISON will continue to be at the forefront of standing up for our members and their families. Wishing you all peaceful 2017.
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
31
Ensure that the union’s structures including organisational, lay member, ICT infrastructure and internal management systems are efficient and effective to meet the changing needs of all sections of the union and its members.
On the 1st of September 2016 the branch office moved into a whole new era. We appointed our first branch administrator. Nicky Miller is on a 12 month secondment from Leeds Community Healthcare to support the branch around its administration systems and processes. At the time of writing this we are four months in and have seen significant improvements in how we handle case referrals.
Dave Syms Branch Secretary
The new case referral system linked to the IT system that the branch installed over the last two years is now starting to pay dividends. Work is divided amongst stewards more evenly and moving forward case referrals will be directly linked to stewards and workplaces, where appropriate. This year saw the branch introduce 1:1 supervision for all branch representatives. Looking to the future the branch will look at implementing an appraisal process for its branch employed staff and those staff on secondment.
In April 2016 Anne Szczepanska, who was our branch health and safety and welfare officer prior to her retirement, joined the team as a branch employed case worker primarily working across the community and voluntary sector, other NHS organisations and supporting Leeds Community Healthcare with their case work. This year we have managed to recruit four new stewards, two working in Leeds Community Healthcare, one in NHS England and one in Capita. This now means that the branch has a wider spread of stewards across the Leeds health economy and enables us to deliver a better service going forward in 2017. This year we have started to communicate on a more regular basis electronically. Communicating electronically means that we can get information out to you quickly. If you have not received these emails from us, please contact us to check your details. It could be that we have a missing or incorrect email address or that you initially opted out of emails and now want to change this. While this is the preferred method of communication between the branch and its members if you require printed material please let us know and we are happy to post this out.
Objective 4
Objective 4
Objective 4
32
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
The branch Chair and Secretary are extremely active at a regional level. Karen Smales, Branch Chair, sits on the National Standing Orders Committee while Dave Syms, Branch Secretary, is Regional Treasurer and Chairs the budget sub-committee. Both Karen and Dave attend Regional Health and as Regional Council representatives sit on Regional Committee and other sub-committees as required. Dave and Karen in their Regional Council officer roles attend the Regional Leadership Team meetings. I also attended, along with other Branch representatives, the Regional Policy weekend held in Sheffield. This weekend looks to bring together representatives from across the Yorkshire and Humberside Region to look at how we deliver our services to members as well as delivering workshops on recruitment, working with the Media and how the work of our partners can deliver benefits to UNISON members.
LYPFT Report
Dave Syms Branch Secretary
Looking back over my activity for the last 12 months one of the things I am most grateful for is that I was able to spend one day a month talking to members. This does not include meetings that I attend with them but is time spent sitting and listening to their issues and discussing ways forward. While it would be easy to sit and list all of the meetings that I attend it is safe to say that the bulk of my days are taken up representing members with employment relations issues or supporting consultation meetings around the huge amounts of change management that are happening within the organisation.
I attend Regional Staffside, this is a UNISON organised meeting with all the trade unions from across the Yorkshire & Humberside patch, I have been fortunate enough to Chair this meeting on two occasions when the Chair was absent. This is a valuable meeting as it enables branches from across the patch to discuss what is happening in their particular organisation as this generally means that at some point other organisations will try to implement these changes. It almost appears as though they are testing the waters at various Trusts to see what they can get away with. The Regional Staffside meeting allows us to stand in solidarity with our colleagues and support them with areas of good practice as well as practical advice as to how we have dealt with similar situations. As Branch Secretary for this branch and Staffside Chair for LYPFT I have been involved the tender process for the Employee Assistance Programme. I was involved in the interviews for the Freedom to Speak up Guardian as well as attending the assessment centre for the new Chief Executive. I attended UNISON’s National Delegates conference in June to support the branch delegation and to network with colleagues from across the country. In Early June I attended the Filipinos Barrio Festival at Ripon Race course.
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
33
As many people reading this report will be aware we recommenced the Admin review which was originally started in December 2015. This review has been one of the most contentious Management of Change processes that I have been involved in. the review has left many members of our admin staff feeling undervalued. While the Trust can always make a case for change, how we effect that change says a lot about how we value our staff……….. Or not as the case may be. Moving forward we will be requesting that the Trust review its Management of Change procedure taking in to account all of the concerns raised around the admin review. On the 3rd October 2016 I attended the Trust awards judging panel. It is worth noting that Paul Bullivant, Staffside Secretary usually performs this role but Paul was away on holiday this year and asked that I substitute for him. I have to say that I found the process extremely difficult as the quality of nominee’s was extremely high. However after much deliberation we were able to make a decision for each of the categories. Congratulations to all the winners. October also saw, for the first time, the Branch set its activity based budgets for the coming year. Activity-based budgeting is a simple process which involves the branch drawing up plans for activity and expenditure in the coming financial year, evaluating the most cost effective methods for delivering these and drawing up budget estimates accordingly. Branches have received help from the region to undertake this exercise, including support in amending budget proposals to take into account previously unforeseen activities or expenditure. I would like to thank Linda Dye from the Regional Office for her invaluable help in this. This has not been an easy task for the Branch but I do believe that we are well on the way to achieving what we set out to do. As part of my role as Staffside chair I was tasked with distributing the staff survey along with some of my Staffside colleagues and senior managers from the Trust. The staff survey provides the trust and Staffside with vital intelligence about how the staff feel about the trust. For many years we have had a poor response rate to the survey as staff do not feel that anyone listens to what they have to say. This year the Trust reached its target of having a 50% response rate. As chair of Staffside I have supported Saeideh Saeidi, vice chair of Staffside to present a report looking at the number of Black staff member who have been through some kind of disciplinary action within the trust and weather this is disproportionate to the number of Black staff we employ. The report did find that there were higher numbers for black staff subject to Disciplinary investigation of action compared to their white counterparts. Further work now needs to be done to understand the detail of this and both Saeideh and I will be working with the Trust over the next few months to see how we can address this.
Objective 4
This event seeks to unite Filipinos around Yorkshire & beyond and is a Cultural Celebration of the Philippine. UNISON Yorkshire and Humberside is a proud sponsor of this event which celebrates the contribution made to the NHS by Filipino nurses.
AP
Milton Allen
AP
AP
AP
X
X
AP AP
X AP
X
AP
AP
AP
AP
AP
AP
AP
AP
AP
AP
Jun
AP
May
AP
AP AP
AP = Apology given Blank = No apology receive
Kathy Downes
Claudia Waller
Started in June
X
AP
Joanne Ward
Paul Bell
AP
Paul Bullivant
Gail Bramma
Vince Hitchiner
Jackie Gilbert
Ian McAleer
AP
AP
Anne Cherry
Apr
AP
Andrew Johnson
Nicky Miller
Karen Smales
AP
Mar
AP
David Syms
Feb
Jan
AP
AP
AP
AP
AP
AP
Jul
AP
AP
AP
AP
Aug
AP
AP
AP
AP
AP
Sep
AP
AP
AP
AP
AP
Oct
AP
AP
AP
AP
AP
AP
Nov
AP
AP
AP
AP
Dec
1
1
4
4
4
6
6
8
8
8
8
8
9
9
10
Total
Attendance at branch meetings 2016
34 UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
UNISON Leeds & York Community Health - Annual Report 2017
Notes
35
Leeds & York Community Health
UNISON Resource Centre & Branch Office St. Mary’s Hospital, Greenhill Road, Armley, Leeds LS12 3QE Branch Telephone: 0113 85 55168 Health & Safety: 0113 85 55120 Website: www.unison-lych.org.uk Email: contact@unison-lych.org.uk Facebook: UNISON Lych Twitter: @UNISONLYCH