Issue 3
Your Briefing
August 2016
Welcome to your Leeds & York Community Health Branch briefing
First Black Member SOG Meeting The first Black Members SOG meeting for the LYCH Branch was held on the 15th of June and our desire to continue is great. This group has been needed for a long time, we need to have self-determination. This is the making of history. The purpose of the meeting was to start a self-organised group, in order to create confidence within ourselves and to challenge workplace discrimination. The SOG is a unique voice within trade unions and hopefully over time numbers attending will grow. We want to find out what members want and the branch wants to know what problems the BM members face. The main aims we came away from the meeting with are:
We are here to start to feel confident within ourselves in the workplace. To share experiences and culture with one another. To better understand what our rights are in the workplace. To represent Bank workers who are under represented, face limited training opportunities and mostly have to self-fund. Increase confidence in ourselves and others in their workplace Organise social events, arrange rallies etc. To create a community that helps each other. Share employment Law strategies with the group. Within our work places find out how we can help others, and know our rights and the rights of others.
The biggest question is … What do members want? A special thanks to Sam and Jairos for assisting on the evening. Information for the next meeting will be circulated in due course. Any questions, comments or feedback in the meantime, please email info@unison-lych.org.uk Until then One Love and Peace Milton Allen (Black Members Officer)
Website: http://www.unison-lych.org.uk UNISON LYCH
@UNISONLYCH
UNISON Office, St Mary’s Hospital, Green Hill Road, Leeds, LS12 3QE. Telephone: 0113 305 5168
Victory on public holidays earned on maternity leave The NHS staff handbook has been updated to provide clarity that public holidays are accrued during maternity leave. Previously, the handbook only explicitly stated that annual leave was accrued during maternity leave. Although many employers acted within the spirit of the guidance, others looked to make cuts to terms and conditions by being picky that “public holidays” were not explicitly listed. UNISON took this issue to the NHS Staff Council and an amendment to the handbook has been jointly agreed with employers. The text now reads: “Employees on paid and unpaid maternity leave retain their right to the annual leave and public holidays provided by Section 13.” This should provide the certainty that branches need to challenge where any employee on maternity leave has not received their full entitlement to annual leave.
UNISON launches NHS pay survey 2016 UNISON is campaigning for better pay in the NHS. With your help we can make our case stronger. It’s time to fill in the annual UNISON NHS pay survey for 2016. Filling in the survey will take just 10 minutes and responses will be confidential. UNISON will use responses as evidence as we make the case for better pay for NHS staff and health workers to the Pay Review Body. Please complete the survey via the link:
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/NHSpay2016 If you have any questions about the survey please contact health@unison.co.uk
Labour Leadership Election The Labour Party National Executive Committee has agreed the timetable for the election of the Leader of the Labour Party. The election will conclude with a Leadership Conference on 24 September 2016. The two candidates are Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Smith.
Any eligible Labour Party member who became a member on or before 12 January 2016 will receive a vote without needing to register. If this does not apply to you, you are still able to vote as long as you were a member of UNISON before 12 January 2016 and you are a member of the APF (Affiliated Political Fund). To find out if you are a member of the APF sign into ‘My Unison’ - https:// my.unison.org.uk/ using your membership number. Once you know your status you then need to "activate" your vote by registering on Labour’s website as an “Affiliated Supporter”. This is free to do. http://www.labour.org.uk/pages/ labour-party-leadership-election-2016#affiliated For updates on the election, as well as other relevant news, please follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
Christmas Party - Survey feedback Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the Christmas Party survey that was sent around a number of months ago. Your feedback was very helpful. We received a lot of positive feedback that it would be nice to have a “Christmas treat”, that some teams don’t have Christmas parties and it would be nice to socialise and meet each other, with many members feeling that this was a good idea and something they would like to attend. However, we also received a lot of feedback that members felt a party would be a waste of money or that they did not think they would attend because of the timing. People stated that Nov/Dec is such a busy time of year for them with work nights out and family gatherings. Working shifts was a recurring theme, as well as the location — our branch has members over such a large geographical area. From the overall feedback received from the survey, the decision has therefore been taken not to hold a branch Christmas Party. Many thanks again to everyone who contributed to the survey.
Get active in your workplace UNISON needs you. Did you know that people in workplaces with union reps statistically earn more, get more holidays, get better training and are less likely to be discriminated against? Join UNISON’s large network of people across the UK who tackle problems at work and improve conditions for themselves and their colleagues. Being a member of UNISON is more than just carrying a membership card; it’s about what we build together to become a more powerful union. UNISON relies on its members and their time to run the union. UNISON workplace representatives (reps), stewards and other activists are the most important link between the union and its members. You don’t have to commit a lot of time, or be an expert to get more involved, a little time and a lot of enthusiasm are all that’s needed; give it a try, you’ll be amazed how much you get out of it. There are different role in the branch: Workplace contact Elected workplace steward Health & Safety reps Union learning reps Equality reps To find out more click here or call us on 0113 305 5168
Member Benefits We’re always looking out for you when you’re at work, but there’s much more to life. So UNISON Living is here to help you get the most from your own time too. Maybe you want to head off to the sunshine on a budget, or perhaps you’re looking to upgrade your car and want help from someone you can trust. Or maybe you’re looking for the peace of mind that comes from knowing health and dental bills for your family are taken care of. Whatever you need, UNISON Living can connect you with a trusted partner who can help. We’ve used the huge power of our 1.3 million members to secure some of the best deals exclusively for you. Travel - When it’s time for your holiday, UNISON Living will make sure you get much more for your money.
Family - UNISON Living doesn’t just help you get the most from your own time, we’re here to support your whole family too.
Motoring - Whether it’s your transport to work, or transport to the beach, we’ve got your transport worries covered.
Health & Wellbeing - We care about your health, and we know that health is vital for a good work and personal life.
Money - UNISON Living helps you get the most out of your money.
https://benefits.unison.org.uk/unison-living/
Book your discounted tickets now Email: john.campbell@sth.nhs.uk or call 0114 271 4408