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We have a couple of branch LGBT+ officer and contacts training sessions coming up in March. 

 People can register even if they are just thinking about becoming a branch LGBT+ officer or contact. 

There’s a virtual session on March 23. Members can enrol here: https://learning.unison.org.uk/events/lgbt-branch-officer-virtual/

And there is an in-person session on March 15: https://learning.unison.org.uk/events/lgbt-branch-officer-in-person/ 

Please find the link below for tickets to the evening event for UNISON’s International Women’s Day Celebration in Glasgow.

 All members are welcome

The evening will be a mixture of speeches and musical entertainment including the amazing Soundsational Choir, come along and help us celebrate.  

International Women’s Day – A UNISON Event Tickets, Wed 8 Mar 2023 at 19:30 | Eventbrite

International Women’s Day – A UNISON Event

Please join us for an evening of entertainment to celebrate International Women’s day and recognise all of the work and success of women in UNISON

www.eventbrite.co.uk

UNISON is proud to be the leading trade union for women. Our one million women members are the foundation on which UNISON is built.

UNISON‘s women members have successfully negotiated on key issues such as childcare, equal pay and maternity rights.

We campaign for equality in the workplace and for improvements to women‘s rights in the workplace and in the wider community.

We also support campaigns aimed at improving women‘s lives – for example, to change the law to protect women experiencing domestic abuse or to raise awareness of health issues which mainly affect women.

International Women’s Day 2023 is the perfect time to celebrate and reflect on the vital contributions that women in our union make.

The care workers, librarians, health workers, cleaners, school workers, librarians, administrators and others who sit at the very heart of our public services. Their work is often undervalued.

UNISON knows the contribution each of you makes to your workplaces, your communities and to our union and I want to thank you all for everything you do, day in, day out. Together we are changing women’s lives for the better.

Annual General Meeting

You are invited to the Young Members’ Committee Annual General Meeting (AGM) which will take place at UNISON HQ, West Campbell Street, Glasgow on the 20^th of March from 11am to 5pm.

The AGM is an important meeting for all members. It provides an opportunity for you to ask questions about the work of the union, you can see how committee finances have been used and, help to set policy and agree priorities for the year ahead.

The AGM also provides an opportunity for you to elect officials to lead the committee and represent your interests. A whole range of different roles are available in the committee and each one carries an important set of responsibilities. A list of roles will be circulated for you to consider.

Hold the date

Monday 20^th March @ 11am-5pm

Details for joining the meeting digitally will be sent out nearer the time. Due to UNISON rules, any member joining online will be “spectating” and have no voting rights, therefore we urge you to attend in person if you are able.

Motions and Rule Changes

If you would like to submit a motion for consideration or a change in the rules of the committee, please do so by 27^th February by emailing millie.holroyd@nhs.scot

Access Requirements

We recognise that to ensure all of our members can fully participate it may be necessary to make adjustments, if you require any adjustment, please contact the committee and we will discuss your requirements.

Our joint TU pay claim for 2023 has now been submitted to COSLA.  The full version which contains our detailed argument is here.

In summary, our claim is for:

• A settlement that runs for the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.
• An increase of 12% or £4,000 whichever is the greater to all spinal column points (based on a nominal 35-hour working week).  This would equate to a £2.20 increase in the hourly rate.
• An underpinning minimum rate of pay of £15 per hour.
• An increase to the mileage rate to ensure parity with NHS colleagues.
• A no compulsory redundancy agreement.
• Completion of the review, established as part of our 2021 settlement, of professional fees (beyond the SSSC fees which are now paid for local government workers) incurred by members in the course of their employment.
• Early completion of the review, established as part of our 2021 settlement, on how we achieve a no-detriment reduction in the working week to enable members to achieve a better work-life balance.
• Agreement to change the national calculator for the normal working week to 35 hours.
• No less than parity with other local government bargaining groups.
• Early commencement of negotiations with a clear expectation of settlement implementation by 1 April review date.

The claim is set at a level that we believe recognises the following key points:

• The RPI rate, at the time of writing, is sitting at 13.4%^[1];
• The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which advises the government on its economic plans, forecasts that RPI inflation for 2023 as a whole will be 10.7%;
• Substantial increases in the cost of living over recent years have significantly reduced the value of staff wages and the rise in prices facing workers is now at a 40-year high.
• Appropriate reward is needed to sustain the morale of staff in their crucial role of delivering high-quality services;
• Appropriate reward is needed for the increased workload and stress placed on staff against a background of unprecedented changes in working practices and the demands that were placed on them during the Covid pandemic.

Our right to strike is under attack. We need to show this government we are ready to fight these unjust laws.

Join our day of action – 1 February 

The TUC will coordinate a protect the right to strike day on Wednesday 1 February.

Join an event in your area on Wednesday 1 February

Thousands of UK workers are being forced to take industrial action to protect their pay, standard of living and the services they provide. But rather than helping workers live decent lives and improving the services that millions of people rely on every day, the Westminster government is turning its back on working people.

Rishi Sunak is trying to force his anti-union “sack key workers bill” through parliament in a matter of weeks. It means that when workers democratically vote to strike, they could be forced to work and sacked if they don’t. That’s wrong, unworkable, and almost certainly illegal. We need to stop this bill.

These new laws are a direct attack on working people’s fundamental right to strike to defend their pay, terms and conditions.

Read the full article here