Author: Stirling Websites

UNISON has sent notices to nine councils across Scotland today the
23/08/2022 that school and early years staff will be on strike on the following dates:

6th, 7th and 8th of September,

This is after a lack of progress in talks with COSLA over council pay.

Staff will disrupt schools, early years centres, nurseries and waste and
recycling centres across Scotland, in the largest strike among council workers
since the Trade Union Act was introduced in 2016.

Members in Schools, Early Years and Nurseries will receive additional
communications over the next few days with more details.

No worker wants to take strike action, but the reality is if we don’t get an approved offer many of our members will be pushed into poverty due to the obscene price increases and blatant profiteering of the big energy and fuel companies.

Disaggregated Strike Action

Rather than calling for a full strike of all workers in the council, selecting smaller groups of workers for industrial action will cause disruption within the employers. This is disaggregated action

Our branch has successfully balloted members in Schools, Nurseries, Waste and Recycling for strike action.

Please support us

We are asking all members to support our strikers and even if you are not being asked to take industrial action there is a vital part you can play to secure better pay for all local government staff. Together We Rise In UNISON

• Pin badges will be available for you to wear to show your support for the strike.

Grants of up to £70 per school age child are now available

UNISON is offering financial support to cover the costs of school clothing to members who are experiencing financial difficulties, due to COVID-19, the cost of living crisis or other circumstances.

Grants of up to £70 per school-age child are available. Only one application can be accepted per household.

UNISON head of welfare Abi Coombs said: “We are acutely aware of the increased financial pressures our members are facing due the cost of living crisis. UNISON There for You are pleased to be launching this fund, offering eligible members grants of £70 per child to help towards the cost of school clothing.”

Am I eligible? 

To be eligible, you must meet the following: 

• You are a member for at least four weeks and have paid four weeks’ subscriptions before 24 June 2022;
• You are financially responsible for the child/children and receiving Child Benefit for them;
• You (and your partner if applicable) have savings/rolling bank balance(s) of no more than £1,000. 

And either:

• Your household has a net income of less than £26,000 per annum, or
• You are in receipt of Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, or Tax Credit payments.

Further information and the application link is available on UNISON’s financial assistance page.

UNISON is offering financial support to cover the costs of school clothing to members who are experiencing financial difficulties, due to COVID-19, the cost of living crisis or other circumstances.

Grants of up to £70 per school-age child are available. Only one application can be accepted per household.

UNISON head of welfare Abi Coombs said: “We are acutely aware of the increased financial pressures our members are facing due the cost of living crisis. UNISON There for You are pleased to be launching this fund, offering eligible members grants of £70 per child to help towards the cost of school clothing.”

Am I eligible? 

To be eligible, you must meet the following: 

• You are a member for at least four weeks and have paid four weeks’ subscriptions before 24 June 2022;
• You are financially responsible for the child/children and receiving Child Benefit for them;
• You (and your partner if applicable) have savings/rolling bank balance(s) of no more than £1,000. 

And either:

• Your household has a net income of less than £26,000 per annum, or
• You are in receipt of Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, or Tax Credit payments.

Further information and the application link is available on UNISON’s financial assistance page.

There for You (UNISON Welfare)

Members experiencing financial and emotional difficulties can contact our welfare charity, There for You, which provides a confidential advice and support service for members and their dependants.

Thousands of local government workers overwhelmingly rejected the employers’ 2% offer

Thousands of council workers across Scotland have voted to take industrial action, UNISON announced yesterday. The decision comes after the the largest strike ballot among council workers in over a decade.

The action will disrupt schools, early years centres, nurseries and waste and recycling centres across the country.

UNISON members in all councils across Scotland overwhelmingly voted to reject the final offer of 2% from COSLA – the Scottish local government employers’ association – with nine local authority branches exceeding the required 50% turnout threshold required by the Trade Union Act.

UNISON head of local government in Scotland Johanna Baxter said: “COSLA leaders meet on Friday and must put an improved offer on the table if we are to avoid large-scale disruption to council services across Scotland.

“Council workers south of the border were offered a flat rate uplift of £1,925 [Monday], which for those on the lowest pay equates to a 10.5% increase. You have to wonder why council workers north of the border have only been offered a measly 2% increase when the cost of living continues to spiral.

“UNISON has been calling for a flat rate payment to help those on lower incomes. Most council workers earn less than £25k per year.”

Ms Baxter said that it was clear that local government workers have “had enough and are prepared to strike in the coming weeks unless we see a sensible offer on the table on Friday.

“This is the largest strike ballot by local government workers in over a decade and the first-time workers across Scotland have voted to take strike action in these numbers. It really shouldn’t take this for them to receive the recognition, respect and reward that they deserve.”