UNISON Leeds & York Community Health Newsletter - May 2017

Issue 9

Your Briefing

May 2017

Welcome to your Leeds & York Community Health Branch briefing

General Election - 8 June 2017 Your vote makes a difference - Make sure you use it in every election

Why vote?

Your vote is important in every election. General elections, local and European polls, elections for a mayor or a police and crime commissioner, are all about issues that affect you and your family.

By using your vote you can make a difference where you live.

Local services, housing, jobs, the economy, health, crime and transport are some of the issues decided by elected politicians at all levels. That’s why everyone who has a vote should use it.

Don’t lose your voice But before you can vote you need to be registered. Under the individual voter registration system some people will no longer be on the register, especially if they have moved home recently. If you are not sure you can check by contacting the electoral services team at your local council.

Voting by post And if you work shifts or find getting to the polling station difficult why not register for a postal vote.

Find out more at aboutmyvote.co.uk.

UNISON Resource Centre, St Mary’s Hospital, Greenhill Road, Armley, Leeds, LS12 3QE Website: www.unison-lych.org.uk Telephone: 0113 855 5168 Facebook: UNISON LYCH Twitter: @UNISONLYCH Email: contact@unison-lych.org.uk

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Back your public service champions From saving the lives of your loved ones, to keeping your neighbourhood safe – our public service champions work around the clock to make your life better. But, there’s another side to the story.

Because of spending cuts, your public services are in crisis. So, if your healthcare, education and safety matter to you, it’s time to do something about it. Tweet, share, vote, petition, say thanks – but whatever you do, do it now.

Public Service Champions seeks to keep real people – service users and workers – at the heart of the campaign. Telling their stories, showing the impact on people’s lives, is what it is all about.

Throughout the campaign we will use the real experience of our members – experts you can trust when you don’t believe politicians or the media.

#backyourchampions

Pledge your support for public services We’re calling for proper funding, the right number of staff and for the voice of public service users and workers to be heard.

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UNISON Consultation on the 1% Pay Award The NHS Pay Review Body (PRB) recommended a 1% consolidated pay increase for all NHS Staff on Agenda for Change contracts. The Government has accepted the recommendation and pay for NHS staff will be increased from 1 April 2017.

We were asked to email all our branch members to find out how they would like UNISON to respond. This email was sent on Friday 21 April asking you to take part in a survey. This was about the focus of national and regional UNISON resources. The Health Service Group Executive (SGE) had not received soundings that there is the level of support necessary for a successful industrial action ballot so formally recommended that our efforts should instead be dedicated to an “earnings maximisation” strategy.

If members chose the “earnings max” strategy, they will dedicate resources to UNISON branches to deliver projects on those lines. They are using “earnings max” as a shorthand for campaigns the Health Group could run to improve member earnings. This could include country -wide work such as pursuing a national approach to reprofiling band 1 jobs into band 2, regional projects to identify and resource high profile rebanding campaigns, as well as training and support for branches to pursue local campaigns in areas such as: living wage claim; local recruitment and retention premiums; challenging downbanding/supporting banding reviews; holiday pay and sick pay based on accurate earnings; and improved shift patterns.

If members chose national industrial action to challenge the 2017/18 pay award, the national resource would be used to provide the administrative and logistical support needed for a national ballot.

Thank you to everyone that took part in the survey. The outcome from this branch was Option B. Option A - Earnings maximisation (40.52%) Option B - Resource a national ballot to challenge the 2017/18 pay award (59.48%) Our branch’s decision was fed back to the national office who collated all the responses they received.

The SGE has now considered the results of the pay consultation: “Across the UK, most branches and regions responding were in favour of Option A (the earnings maximisation strategy). Where branches recommended moving to a pay ballot this was based on very low turnout.”

Given the results, UNISON will be working with regions and branches to pursue the earnings maximisation strategy. This campaign will be focussed on improving members’ earnings and building support to break the government’s pay cap in the NHS. We will be producing information and campaign materials for branches.

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Carers Week 12-18 June 2017 Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK. The campaign is brought to life by thousands of individuals and organisations who come together to organise activities and events throughout the UK, drawing attention to just how important caring is. To find out more click the picture below...

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The theme for Diabetes Week 2017 is Know Diabetes. Fight Diabetes.

The simple fact is, diabetes is serious. There are currently 4.5 million people in the UK living with the condition, and 11.9 million more at increased risk of getting Type 2 diabetes.

Today, 65 people will die early from the condition and hundreds more will face life-changing complications that could have been avoided or delayed if they'd had the right knowledge and support to manage their condition. Some of you have that, and are already doing everything you can to manage your diabetes well.

But this isn't true for everyone and it's our job to change that. Our vision is a world where diabetes can do no harm. Together, we can make that a reality. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/Get_involved/Diabetes-Week/

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MEN'S HEALTH WEEK 12-18 June This year we'll be focusing on belly fat. Why? Because it's the type of fat that's bad for your health and men are more likely to have it.

It's a problem because belly fat lurks not just beneath the surface but also gets down deep and surrounds your vital organs. Regardless of your overall weight, a large amount of belly fat increases your risk of:      

Cardiovascular disease Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes Colorectal cancer Sleep apnea Premature death from any cause High blood pressure

So, men need to get those tape measures out.

Men's Health Week will be a fat lot of good without your participation. So what should we do for June 2017? We're looking for some belly good suggestions. https://www.menshealthforum.org.uk/mhw

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NHS employers tempted to view apprentices as ‘cheap labour’, warns UNISON

UNISON has warned against of the dangers of NHS apprenticeships being used as a means of “cheap labour”, with some paid as little as £3.40 an hour and employers struggling with the NHS funding crisis.

Delegates at the union’s health service conference in Liverpool agreed that UNISON must use Agenda for Change to protect them.

The issue has been created in part by the government scheme that requires employers with an annual wage bill of more than £3m to pay an annual apprenticeship levy. In return, they can access funding for apprentice training.

A composite motion proposed by the service group executive, East Midlands region, South Derbyshire Healthcare and East Lancashire Health supported the use of “high quality” apprenticeships in the NHS. It welcomed the potential for introducing a more diverse workforce, with greater opportunities for disadvantaged groups. However, the motion also raised concerns about the pressures on employers from the levy, the NHS funding crisis and the imposition of targets for apprenticeship starts.

“This combination could lead some employers to view apprenticeships as a means of replacing existing posts with a source of cheap labour,” it states.

This is a particular danger as many employers fail to negotiate or consult with unions on pay and conditions for apprentices, and continue to employ them on non-AfC terms.

The service group executive has now been charged with seeking agreement via the NHS Staff Council on a comprehensive, nationally agreed AfC framework for apprentice pay and conditions.

Among other measures, it will also continue to promote UNISON’s negotiating guidance to branches and organising staff, and monitor the impact of the levy and apprenticeship targets on both staffing and on the resources available for wider training and continuing development.

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