Newsletter of UNISON Leeds & York Community Health Branch
March 2016
VOICE
the
Leeds & York Community Health
How the Trade Union Bill affects you U
nions fight for their members but all staff benefit from the negotiations that take place with employers. Trade Unions have brought significant changes to society, including:
The Trade Union Bill is an attack on not only unions and their members, but on ALL employees. Nicky Miller, Branch Communications and Welfare Officer, looks at the positive changes that unions have brought to society and how the Trade Union Bill would put those at risk in the future.
I’m proud to be in UNISON
• a national minimum wage • the abolition of child labour • improved worker safety • improving living standards by reducing the number of hours in the working week and encouraging a healthy work/life balance • improved parental leave • equality legislation • better protection of migrant workers and a reduction in exploitation • minimum holiday and sickness entitlements The Trade Union Bill proposes to: • Introduce balloting thresholds for strike action. In order to be legal an industrial action ballot will have to achieve a turnout of 50%. In the NHS at least 40% of members polled must vote yes for industrial action. In effect an 80% ‘yes’ vote will be required. • Ballot papers must ask what type of industrial action members want to take and there will be a warning reminding members that unofficial industrial action could lead to dismissal. • If the required yes votes are
obtained, unions will be forced to give 14 days’ notice of strike action (currently it is 7) and publish a detailed plan of the strike action. • Agency workers can be used to cover striking workers, and of course the 14 days’ notice gives them a lot more time to arrange this. • Pickets will be singled out, with leading members forced to wear ID armbands. These members will need to provide their personal details to their employers and the police. Failure to do this could lead to arrest. • Paying subscriptions through your wages directly at source will be stopped and all members will be required to use direct debit. • Unions will be charged more money to support the Certification Officer, which regulates trade unions, and which will have new powers to issue fines up to £20,000. This Officer will have new powers to investigate trade unions as and when they choose, as opposed to currently only reacting to complaints. • Trade unionists will have a time limit set on their time spent on trade union activities – this will lead to a reduction in reps being available to attend meetings with members and to negotiation with management. Sign up to the UNISON campaign online and the TUC petitions. See pages 2 & 3 for more on this important issue >
Further information on the Trade Union Bill: Pages 2 & 3
Pay As You Feel – Inside the Armley Junk-tion: Pages 4 & 5
Getting the most from your wages: Page 7
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UNISON Leeds & York Community Health Branch
The proposed Trade Union Bill and its negative impact on equalities The Trade Union Bill seeks to cut off financial support to the Labour Party by changing the law so that union members have to opt in rather than out of supporting the political and campaigning fund. Amongst other damaging measures, it also seeks to impose unrealistic thresholds on industrial balloting and to make it unlawful for employers to continue with long established working practices where union subscriptions can be efficiently deducted directly from wages at source. Targeted measures like these when viewed alongside familiar rhetorical attacks on human rights legislation and the Equality Act (2010), points towards a Conservative government deliberately setting out to make confrontation with trade unions a hallmark of its time in office. With some academics even going so far as to describe the Trade Union bill as an example of ‘naked class war’, it is fair and reasonable of more moderate progressive voices opposed the Bill to ask why this is happening, particularly in light of statistical evidence showing the number of days
lost due to industrial action in the UK has plummeted over recent decades from an average of just over 7 million in the 1980s to 647,000 between 2010 and 2015. What appears clear to all, is that this is an attempt by a Conservative government with a slim majority in the House of Commons, to quickly seize the chance to weaken the Labour Party and its natural allies in the trade union movement, with a piece of rushed and ideologically driven legislation. The Trade Union Bill is unfair, unnecessary and undemocratic. And it is of concern not just to trade unionists, but to all UK citizens who value the distance our society has travelled in recent years along the road to securing the equalities agenda, that David Cameron and his Business Secretary Sajid Javid seem so keen to undermine these proud achievements in favour of narrow party political interests. Trade unions and the Labour movement through use of political campaigning and funding have battled hard to achieve protection from discrimination for women and the disabled, as well as for LGBT
people and those of us from black and minority ethnic communities. Improvements to worker safety, reductions in the working week and minimum holiday and sickness entitlements should not be taken for granted in a poisonous atmosphere of constant criticism, cuts to public services and a blind push towards austerity. The trade union bill is a onesided attack on union funding and does nothing to address the historic disparity of a party funding system that too often results in shady business tycoons, hedge fund millionaires and the super rich having an undue influence over political funding and the lives, prospects, and ambitions of ordinary working people, who rightly look to their trade unions to organise and protect them from injustice in the workplace and fight for a fairer society. Andy Johnson Equalities Officer
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What does the Trade Union Bill mean to staff who identify as LGBT Like most people I had heard of the Trade Union Bill but was unsure how it could affect people like myself who identify as LGBT. Once I started to look into this I was startled at the effect this could have on our everyday lives. Let’s be clear – there may be equality in law but LGBT surveys show that the workplace consists of people with diverse views, belief systems etc who may be all too ready to express these views. Potentially this can have a negative impact upon you and your career.
The Trade Union Bill seeks to gain permission to ‘cap’ representatives time including LGBT representatives rights to represent your needs and struggles at work against people who may still want to voice their displeasure at your equality, the law and your human rights. Potentially these people may seek to belittle you, bully and harass you, ostracise you, potentially out you at work, use unacceptable language in your presence, potentially limit your capabilities, discuss your sexuality and orientation and other peoples inappropriately in front of you etc.
This ‘cap’ can, by limiting representatives time, limit our ability to drive forward an equalities agenda in the workplace, comment on the overlooking of LGBT issues in policies and procedures, limit time to press for better training in the workplace – including for clinical training for staff who work with a diverse population. LGBT rights at work have ultimately been born out of a painful struggle against society’s views. This struggle is not over yet! If you have any LGBT issues ring 0113 3055168
Introducing your Health & Safety Officer At the last Leeds and York Community Health Branch AGM in February Paul Bullivant was elected as the Branch’s Health and Safety Officer. Our well respected UNISON and LYPFT Staffside Health, Safety and Welfare Officer Anne Szczepanska is retiring and unfortunately she is not being replaced by Leeds and York Partnerships Foundation Trust who previously funded this role as a UNISON position. This means we will have to work in a different way and how this role is going to be developed is still under discussion. So! Being a Health and Safety Officer, what does this mean going forward? The Health and Safety Officer’s main role is to aim to prevent accidents, injuries and work-related illnesses in the workplace. They fulfill this role by contributing to health and safety committees and policies in
accordance with the latest legislation and ensure that these policies are implemented by both management and employees. The Health and Safety officer works very closely with management. So this means constant vigilance, responding to requests and issues as quickly as possible, supporting a caseload of members with health, safety, and wellbeing needs including mental health and anxieties as well as giving general advice to members, responding to health, safety and wellbeing queries, writing and taking photographs for reports, attending investigations when necessary, not been afraid to have difficult conversations and always aiming to work in partnership with senior managers and directors of the Trust in order to progress health safety and welfare issues for the benefit of all. I continue to develop my Health and Safety experience and
qualifications – keeping up my affiliation with IOSH (Institute of Occupational Health And Safety) who regularly send a magazine and case information regarding issues in health and industry. IOSH enable professional development to be recorded and assessed by IOSH professionals and this is incorporated into my work PDP (development plan) in order to demonstrate competencies in the field. This is augmented by UNISON and TUC training and updates in the field including legalities. I hold a Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety and IOSH membership. I am also COSHH and DSE assessor. If you have any Health and Safety issues contact your local Health and Safety rep or UNISON on 0113 3055168. Paul Bullivant Health & Safety Officer
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UNISON Leeds & York Community Health Branch
Armley Junk-tion The Real Junk Food Project café We all know from the news how the UK has seen an increase in visitors to food banks. There are now estimated to be more than 1,000 across the country. a Charitable Foundation which has been around for approximately two years; a food activist movement who “divert food destined for waste and use it to create delicious and healthy meals”.
by Nicky Miller
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are professionals can identify people in crisis and issue them with a food bank voucher (some operate differently and a voucher is not required). However, there is a limited amount of food provided – generally three days’ worth of emergency food. That’s why when I heard about Armley Junk-tion it grabbed my attention. I had never heard of a PAYF (Pay As You Feel) café or the Real Junk Food Project before. It sounded a really interesting concept and I immediately thought it was something that could benefit our staff, particularly our lowest paid members. I investigated further and then visited the café to find out more. The Real Junk Food Project is
In Leeds there are other cafés: City Junk-tion (Grand Arcade), ToastLoveCoffee (Roundhay Road), Morley Community Kitchen (The Church of Nazarene), All Hallows’ Café (Headingley) and Veggie Shack (Kirkstall). They receive the food from various sources such as allotments, food banks, restaurants, cafés, food photographers, events and functions. Kirkgate Market stallholders provide a lot of fresh fruit and veg to the café. Pay As You Feel – what exactly does that mean? You can go down to the café and have a drink and/or a meal and you can pay what you ‘feel’ or can afford. No pressure is put on customers and there is simply a donation bucket on the counter. Nobody will judge you or question what you are paying, you can even walk out and pay nothing. It is a
totally inclusive environment where everyone is welcome. Another aspect to the café is the food ‘boutique’ filled with fruit and vegetables, milk, cakes, rice – all sorts. Anyone is welcome to go ‘shopping’ and take what they need. All they ask is that anything you take is to be used for yourself or your family, and not to be sold on. The café wouldn’t be possible without volunteers; people from all backgrounds and age groups volunteer front and back of house, collect food donations, clean and cook. It’s this network of volunteers that help the café provide meals and supplies. Café service is seven days a week 9am-4pm. The boutique is open 9-6 Monday to Saturday, 9-4 on a Sunday. There is also a Best Before Bistro (two sittings) 6pm and 8pm on a Wed – Sat (booking required). Sunday roast 12-4. Additional events: Learn Guitar (Mondays 5-7pm). InnerSense Massage (Tuesdays 5:30-8:30). Awareness and early intervention of addition (Wednesday 9:30-11:30). Lord Barbering haircuts (Sunday 9-4).
find out more www.unison-lych.org.uk
My day as a volunteer After hearing about the volunteer network I signed up myself; there is no point telling you all about it if I haven’t done it myself! A call went out that weekend asking for volunteers, so me and my 14 year old daughter decided to go and give them a hand. We arrived on the Sunday morning at 10am and were directed towards the kitchen. Nigel (one of the CoDirectors) was on as well as another lady, who was volunteering as the chef for the day, and a young man working front of house. My daughter went to help out front and I assisted in the kitchen. My first task… chopping onions! Five minutes and many onions later, I was wishing I hadn’t bothered with mascara and eyeliner as my eyes had been streaming and it was now all over my face. Luckily, that was it for onions for the day and after a quick clean up I moved onto the rest of the veg – marrow, aubergine, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, carrots and parsnips. Soon it was lunch time and orders
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really enjoyed it and she even wants to go again. She said the people were nice and friendly, and she liked the fact that she didn’t have to worry about collecting money or making a mistake.
started coming in thick and fast – roast chicken with veg and roast potatoes, lasagne and salad, beef and pork casserole with mashed potatoes, vegetable tagine. Cheesecake, banana and yoghurt cake, mince pies, Christmas cake and custard for pudding. It was a constant rush of sending out the meals and then washing and drying dishes! There was also a constant stream of people coming back to the boutique to do their shopping. Some required assistance to find certain things, which I was happy to help with, others had been before and knew where the items they wanted would be. After five hours it was time to say our goodbyes, it had been a long and very busy day. My daughter said she had
The atmosphere was very relaxed. She said some people left without paying, whilst others had dropped money into the bucket. So, if you’re ever in the Armley area why not pop down for something to eat or drink at Armley Junk-tion or perhaps give up some of your time and volunteer. I haven’t visited any of the other cafés but I understand they work on the same principle. At the moment at Armley they are building a “Kill them with Kindness wall” outside the café – take what you need, leave what you don’t. This will be for unwanted clothes, books, toys, etc. Armley Junk-tion is at 1 Chapel Lane, Armley, LS12 2DJ. They have a Facebook page for the café and a separate one for volunteers.
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UNISON Leeds & York Community Health Branch
Domestic Abuse for Union Eyes Domestic abuse can go beyond physical violence, here at UNISON Leeds & York Community Health Branch we can help both men and women affected by all kinds of abuse. Domestic abuse can have a huge impact on your work life also, this can include: • Poor punctuality • Increased or unexplained absences • Unexplained bruises or injuries • Changes in behaviour or work performance • Becoming withdrawn from co-workers • Financial difficulties UNISON wishes to make our members aware of the help and support which is available to them. UNISON will do everything possible to protect confidentiality. Please look out for the UNISON guide for members suffering in abusive relationships which will be available at the branch office from March. If you have anything that you wish to discuss in the meantime please contact: j.jordan@unison.co.uk or 07946 555185 Jayne Jordan UNISON Local Organiser
Companies can monitor workers’ private online chats, European court rules
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rivacy concerns dismissed by European court of human rights after Romanian engineer fired for using Yahoo Messenger to communicate with fiancée. The engineer was fired after his company found he was using Yahoo Messenger to chat to his fiancée as well as professional contacts. Employees in Europe might want to think carefully about using the internet to send private messages during office hours after Europe’s top rights court ruled on Tuesday that companies could monitor workers’ online communications. The case revolved around a Romanian engineer who was fired in 2007 after his company discovered he was using Yahoo Messenger to chat not only with his professional contacts but also with his fiancée and brother. Company policy prohibited the use of the messaging app for personal purposes. The European court of human rights (ECHR) dismissed the engineer’s argument that the company had violated his right to confidential correspondence.
The court said it was not “unreasonable that an employer would want to verify that employees were completing their professional tasks during working hours”, adding that the company had accessed the messages in the belief they contained professional communications. The judges also defended the decision by Romania’s courts to allow transcripts of the engineer’s communications be used against him in court, saying: “It proved that he had used the company’s computer for his own private purposes during working hours.” By withholding the identities of the people with whom he had communicated, Romania’s courts struck a “fair balance” between respect for privacy and the interests of the employer, the court in Strasbourg ruled. The ECHR’s judgments are binding on countries that have ratified the European Convention on Human Rights. The Guardian Wednesday 13th January 2016
UNISON: DONCASTER RACEDAY 30 JULY 2016 ESSENTIAL COVER FOR THOSE DELIVERING PUBLIC SERVICES
‘2 for 1’ Grandstand Tickets Total price £13 (2 tickets) Offer closes: 5.00pm on 22 July 2016 To book tickets call 01302 304200 and quote ‘the UNISON raceday offer’, your UNISON membership number or UNISON branch code. Early booking incentive drinks voucher for each of the first 400 ticket sales courtesy of UNISON Plus. Please note: there will be a £2.50 transaction charge per order except for purchases of four or less tickets.
find out more www.unison-lych.org.uk
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Make the most of your wages T
imes are tough for all of us, with wages being stretched more and more. However, there are many benefits to being a UNISON member and of course an NHS employee that could help you reduce your monthly outgoings. As your new Branch Welfare Officer, I wanted to highlight what is out there. UNISON Rewards www.unisonrewards.com Sign up free to UNISON rewards and get cash back on your purchases. You get £10 free cash back for signing up and if you recommend a friend you get an extra £5 for every friend you sign up (and they get the £10 as well). You can refer as many friends as you like – cash back is paid once a total of £25 is met. As well as money off your shopping they also have regular deals, such as 2-for-1 offers on meals. You can buy vouchers to spend in store and earn 5-8% cash back for major outlets such as Argos, Morrisons and Sainsburys. UNISON Prepaid credit card www.unisonprepaid.com Earn up to 6% cash back on your shopping. You can apply for a prepaid credit card and use this to shop online or in store, anywhere you see the MasterCard Acceptance Mark. You can only spend what is on your card,
so there’s little chance of getting carried away or going overdrawn. There is a monthly fee for this card (£1.95). Topping up by debit card, the Post Office or a PayPoint does incur charges so it is best to top up free by monthly via direct debit. I got myself one just over a month ago to use for my food shopping and in one month I earned £9.85 (£7.90 when you take off the monthly card fee). I deposit a set amount that I have allocated for groceries each month and it takes the worry away for the rest of the month, as I know I have the food money banked. UNISON Plus www.unison.org.uk/member-benefits/ exclusive-deals-offers Discounts for home, travel, pet and car insurance, breakdown cover, dental costs, travel, financial advice, Vauxhall cars, energy bills and eye tests. NHS Discounts www.healthservicediscounts.com Shop through the website to get deals. You can also show your NHS ID card or payslip in some stores for instant money off, such as: Cineworld, Nandos, Wallis, Body Shop, Dorothy Perkins, Dominos (state before ordering delivery), Subway, Cafe Rouge, National Express, O2/Vodaphone/Orange and Three.
Clare Robinson won first prize (a Kindle) in a raffle we held during an induction at Shine in Harehills in February 2016 for new UNISON members joining on the day. Clare’s reason for joining UNISON was that she was previously in a management role and was always impressed by the UNISON reps, who represented the staff during a number of various processes be it staff consultations, during tender or in other HR processes.
Blue Light Card www.bluelightcard.co.uk Money off online shopping and special offers such as discounted Alton Towers tickets. You can purchase a Blue Light card (£4.99 for 5 year membership) to get additional in-store discounts. Workplace benefits Your workplace may offer additional benefits for being a member of staff. If you work NHS Leeds, LCH, Health Education England or LYPFT there are a range of benefits including: 20% off Bodyline gym membership, bike to work scheme, discounted annual MetroCard, lease/salary sacrifice car scheme and childcare vouchers. Turn2Us www.turn2us.org.uk Turn2us is a national charity that helps people in financial hardship gain access to welfare benefits, charitable grants and support services. Go to the website to search for grants or to check your entitlement to benefits. PayPlan www.payplan.com/unison/ Debt help for UNISON members. Debt management plans, IVA, bankruptcy and repossession advice. You can also call 020 7760 8980. Leeds Citizens Advice Bureau www.leedscab.org.uk/ Help and advice with eligibility for benefits, school costs, council tax, debts, etc. Leeds City Council website (or alternative council website) – advice on support available for low income families. Nicky Miller Branch Communications and Welfare Officer
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UNISON Leeds & York Community Health Branch
International Women’s Day Tuesday 8 March 2016 I
nternational Women’s Day first emerged from the activities of labour movements in North America and across Europe, with the first National Women’s Day being celebrated in the USA on the 28th of February 1909. The idea was discussed at a conference in Copenhagen the following year, where over 100 women from 17 different countries approved it. They wanted to establish an international day, to honour the movement for women’s rights and to build support for achieving universal suffrage for women. Following this conference the first International Women’s Day (IWD) was held on the 19th of March 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. Over a million women and men attended rallies demanding the right for women to vote, women’s rights to work, to vocational training and to end discrimination on the job. In 1913 Russian women observed their first IWD as part of the peace movement to protest against World War I. On 8 March 1917 Russian women again chose to protest and strike for ‘Bread and Peace’. Four days later the Czar abdicated and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote. In 1918 the 8th of March became an official holiday to celebrate the heroic woman workers, and it is still celebrated
today. However, after the events in 1917 IWD became closely associated with communism and it was not celebrated by many countries until 1975 when the United Nations sponsored it. Different countries, cities and organisations have their own themes for the day; in many countries it is an official holiday. This year the International Women’s Day website urges people to #PledgeForParity; parity being the state of being equal, especially relating to status and pay. Across the world events will be held in celebration of women’s achievements. If you are interested in attending an event there are many happening across Yorkshire, just search for them online. Women in UNISON are holding an event at 11am on Saturday 12th March at UNISON, Commerce House, Wade Lane, LS2 8NJ. The event is free and includes lunch. You need to register your attendance by 4th March by emailing j.turnbull@ unison.co.uk. UNISON works hard to fight for equality for our members across the year, every year. Through its own education services, UNISON has been working hard to help people develop the skills to make them stand out in the workforce, and this has had a significant impact particularly on a number of
“Each of us can be a leader within our own spheres of influence and commit to taking action to accelerate gender parity.”
its women members. UNISON offers a range of free courses to our members, for example: English, maths, money matters, dealing with paperwork, right up to Open University courses. We also have a unique Women’s Lives course, which is particularly suitable for women who have been out of education for a long time and have had few educational opportunities in the past. It has been designed to help women get back into education by boosting their confidence and helping them develop study skills. The course focuses on women’s experiences at work and in their personal lives. If you are interested in learning more about any of the education courses that UNISON offers please get in touch with the branch. Nicky Miller Branch Communications and Welfare Officer
Visit our website: www.unison-lych.org.uk