UNISON South West Yorkshire Partnership Health Newsletter - Winter 2018

www.swyp-unison.org.uk

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inside

December 2018

South West Yorkshire Partnership Health Branch

• Annual General Meeting: Thursday 14th March 2019

• How your UNISON subscription rates work

• The Ladywood Strike Victory • Winter Fuel Grant from There for You

Your invite to the Annual General Meeting on Thursday 14th March 2019 at 6.30pm in the Elizabethan Gallery Wakefield

• Our wordsearch Prize Draw Competition

South West Yorkshire Partnership Health

• Letter from the Branch Secretary: Your invitation to the Annual General Meeting

The Ladywood Strike: Victory for UNISON members!

“No ifs, no buts, No Dinner Lady Cuts!”

Make sure your voice is heard.

Each year every UNISON Branch holds an Annual General Meeting, this is a rule book requirement, and the meeting is open to all our members, including retired and unemployed members. The meeting has a number of purposes, such as electing the Branch Officials and Representatives for the year ahead, and reviewing and adopting the Branch Annual Organising Framework, which is basically our annual plan and objectives, including our yearly budget. There are certain functions we have to carry out, which are Rule Book requirements. This can include but is not exclusive to representing members, promoting equality, recruiting new members, and negotiating with the employers.

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You may have already heard about the recent strike involving UNISON members at Ladywood Primary school in Grimethorpe near Barnsley, as it has been featured in the local news a number of times recently. Whilst our own branch is part of the Health Sector and the Ladywood strikers are part of the Local Government Branch, UNISON branches are well known for showing support to one another in times of need. Aside from the fact that we agree with the reasons they took industrial action, we also know that one day it could be our branch appealing to others for support.

We have particularly close links to the UNISON branches in, or close to our own patch and a number of our branch activists have visited the picket line to show support. At the time of writing news is breaking that the strike is now over, and as a direct result of the action taken by the striking UNISON members, the school have changed their position and all the jobs previously lined up to go have been saved – which is a fantastic result for the union and for the Dinner Ladies. It just shows what can be achieved when we stand together and take action in defence of what is right.

@swyp_unison

UNISONnews Annual General Meeting continued from front page...

Tel: 01924 316161 unison@swyt.nhs.uk www.swyp-unison.org.uk

Winter Fuel Grants for low income UNISON members – Get help staying warm this winter

However the main focus of the meeting is for the branch committee to hear member’s feedback and ideas. There are many other activities we can provide, such as our branch trips, our give away’s and training opportunities.

It would be very useful if you could come along to the meeting and let us know what exactly you would like to see from your branch. We are here to provide what you need.

As a thank you to any member who attends the meeting, we invite you to join us at the nearby Chinese Buffet for a free meal and a drink straight after the meeting concludes.

A formal invitation to attend the 2019 AGM, along with information on how to stand as either a Steward or an Officer is on the back page of this newsletter.

Remember voting in the Ballot to change our Branch Rules following our last AGM? We successfully voted YES to the rule change!

With rising fuel costs and another cold winter many members are worried about how they’re going to pay this year’s winter fuel bills. Help is on Hand! ‘There for You’ has set up a limited fund to help UNISON members on low income by way of a one-off payment of up to £60.

To be considered for a grant, you must be able to show that you are either in receipt of housing benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit Or your household net income* is less than £18,000. *By ‘net income’ we mean all salary including your partner’s after tax, national insurance, superannuation and trade union subscriptions only.

Your calculation should include any Tax Credits, Universal Credit or child maintenance received.

This does not include Child Benefit, the childcare element of Working Tax Credit, Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment.

2 Email: unison@swyt.nhs.uk

To apply: Download the application form from unison.org.uk/ thereforyou Call UNISON Direct on 0800 0857 857 or...

Contact the branch on 01924 316161 Return your completed application form along with all supporting paperwork to: There for You (WFG) UNISON Centre, 130 Euston Road, London NW1 2AY Closing Date for receipt of applications at UNISON Head Office is the 15th February 2019.

Applications will then be processed and decisions communicated over the following weeks.

Why not follow us on Twitter @swyp_unison

UNISON Subscription Rates How they work UNISON subscriptions are based on annual pensionable earnings. This does not include overtime or bank but it does include unsocial hours.

If you pay your subs via your salary they are set for a twelve month period starting from 1st October. This is a UNISON rule.

Subscriptions via Payroll Your subscriptions are reassessed automatically every year to take into account changes in your income meaning that your subscription rate may change on the 1st October every year. Increments, changes in working hours and amount of unsocial hours worked will all affect the amount you pay.

The payroll system looks at pensionable income (including unsocial hours) earned from April to September in that year and multiplies it by 2 to arrive at the annual income which will be assessed. Subs are set

Annual Pay £0,000 – £2,000 £2,001 – £5,000 £5,001 – £8,000 £8,001 – £11,000 £11,001 – £14,000 £14,001 – £17,000 £17,001 – £20,000 £20,001 – £25,000 £25,001 – £30,000 £30,001 – £35,000 £35,001 – and over

Subscription £1.30 £3.50 £5.30 £6.60 £7.85 £9.70 £11.50 £14.00 £17.25 £20.30 £22.50

for a 12 month period but we realise some members may have a significant change in income during that year, due to a change of job or hours. If this happens you should call the branch on 01924 316161, to check that you are paying the correct amount. Then if necessary we can ask Payroll to change the amount you are paying to reflect your annual income.

Please remember that you

have an obligation to let us know if you think you should be paying more subscriptions due to an increase in earnings.

If you have not been paying the appropriate subscription then you may not qualify for UNISON support if needed.

Direct Debit Payers If you pay via direct debit the amount you pay will only change if you tell us your salary has increased or decreased.

You have a duty to keep us informed of any changes affecting the subscription rate banding that you pay; again if you have not been paying the appropriate amount of subscriptions then you may not qualify for UNISON support if needed. If you feel you need to check with us whether or not you are paying the correct amount please contact the UNISON office on 01924 316161 and we can discuss this with you.

Prize Draw WORDSEARCH Would you like to win £100, £50 or £25 in our wordsearch prize draw?

We have a trade union related wordsearch for you and we hope you have some fun working it out.

The entries will be put into a prize draw which will take place at the Annual General Meeting on Thursday 14th March 2019 – full details at the end of this newsletter. The closing date is Friday 8th March giving you a good few weeks to get your entry back to us.

Name:

Please complete and post your entry to us at UNISON Office, Fieldhead, Ouchthorpe Lane, Wakefield, WF1 3SP. Remember to send your entries to us by Friday 8th March 2019.

BALLOT BRANCH EQUALITY MEMBERSHIP RULES

SECRETARY TREASURER UNISON VOTE

GOOD LUCK! Workplace:

Contact No:

Website: www.swyp-unison.co.uk

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UNISONnews Dear Member

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2019 You are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting of the Branch to take place at 6.30pm on Thursday 14th March 2019 at the Elizabethan Gallery, Brook Street, Wakefield, WF1 1QW (next to Trinity Walk Shopping Centre). Tea & coffee will be provided from 6pm and there will be a free meal, plus 1 drink, straight afterwards at a nearby restaurant for people attending. We will also pay reasonable travel expenses for all those attending.

The business of the meeting will be as follows: 1 Apologies for absence 2 Minutes of the 2018 AGM (Available at the meeting, or in advance from the Branch Office) 3 Matters Arising 4 Reports from Officers & Groups (Retired Members) for 2018/19 5 Branch Accounts for 2018 and Auditors Report (Available at the meeting, or following it from the Branch Office) 6 Report on the 2019 Budget (Available at the meeting, or following it from the Branch Office) 7 Report on the Branch Organising Framework and Action Plan for 2019 (Available at the meeting, or following it from the Branch Office) 8 Motions & Amendments to Branch Rules (To be received at the Branch Office by 5pm on Thursday 17th January 2019) 9 Election of Officers for 2019/20: • • • • • •

Chairperson Vice Chairperson Branch Secretary Assistant Branch Secretary Treasurer Welfare Officer

• • • • •

Health & Safety Officer Equality Officer Communications Officer Education Coordinator Lifelong Learning Coordinator

• • • • • •

Women’s Officer International Officer Membership Officer LGBTI Officer Young Members Officer Labour-Link (APF) Officer

(Nomination papers are available from the Branch Office or the Branch Website and should be returned to the Branch Office by 5pm on Thursday 17th January 2019) 10 Endorsement of Stewards for 2019/20: • South West Yorkshire Partnership FT • Choice Support

• Spectrum CIC • Other Community (Voluntary) Sector

• NHS Commissioning bodies (CCGs)

(Stewards are nominated by and elected from members within their employer – nomination papers are available from the Branch Office or the Branch Website and should be received at the Branch Office by 5pm on Thursday 17th January) 11 Any Other AGM Business We look forward to seeing you at the meeting.

Yours, Elaine Shelton, Branch Secretary

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SWYPHUNISON