Author: Stirling Websites

Local government staff to be balloted on new two-year pay offer, says UNISON

Council staff are to be balloted after unions received a two-year pay offer from local government employers Cosla, says UNISON today (Friday).

The new offer is for 4% this year and 3.5% for next (2026/27). UNISON’s local government committee has met to discuss the offer and has decided to recommend to members that they vote to accept.

UNISON Scotland head of local government, David O’Connor said: “The threat of possible strikes by council employees has forced Cosla back to the table.

“But it should not have taken the possibility of staff walkouts closing services to get Cosla and the Scottish government to listen to the workforce.

“Local authority workers were due a pay rise in April. Despite the delay, this is a sensible offer. The union will be putting the new amount to council staff over next few weeks, recommending that they accept.”

for more information see https://unison-scotland.org/local-government-staff-to-be-balloted-on-new-two-year-pay-offer-says-unison/

School Uniforms

UNISON’s charity, There for You, is offering help for members on a low income with a one-off, non-repayable grant of £75 per school-aged child which will be paid in the form of a voucher. We want to make this limited fund go as far as possible and help as many members as we can. Please only apply if you are in financial difficulty.

Applications will be made online and a link to apply will be added to this webpage when the grant is live.

The grant will be open for 24 hours from 12 noon on Wednesday 28 May 2025 and close at 12 noon on 29 May 2025.

School Uniform Grant | There for You (UNISON Welfare) | UNISON National 

Am I eligible to apply?

Please ensure that you read the below to check you are eligible for the grant, as well as the further information you will need to hand to be able to apply.

Applicants must:   

  • Be a UNISON member and have paid at least four weeks’ subscriptions as of 28 May 2025. Subscriptions must be up to date.
  • Not have received a grant from UNISON Welfare since 28 November 2024, excluding the Winter Essentials Grant or the Step into Spring Grant.
  • Be financially responsible for school-aged child(ren) and receiving Child Benefit for them**. By school-aged, we mean children aged between 4 and 17 years old, who will be returning to school in the autumn.

And EITHER:

Be on a low income, meaning a net household income* of no more than £26,413/year (£2,201.08/month).

OR:

Be in receipt of means-tested benefits. This includes:

  • Universal Credit
  • Housing Benefit
  • Child and/or Working Tax Credits
  • Pension Credit
  • Means-tested Jobseekers Allowance
  • Means-tested Employment Support Allowance
  • Income Support

* Net household income includes your monthly take-home pay from work (plus your partner’s, if you have one), any income from child maintenance payments, any income from student finance loans or bursaries, pensions (excluding Pension Credit) and any income from people living with you (e.g. adult children or lodgers). 

** Where members either have no recourse to public funds and their household income is above £26,413/year or have no recourse to public funds and don’t receive Child Benefit; an assessment will be undertaken to see whether they would be eligible for benefits if they did have recourse to public funds. 

How do I apply?

All applications should be made online. Make sure you have your membership number to hand. Eligible members will be chosen at random from the applicant pool and contacted to submit supporting documents. Due to limited funds and in anticipation of high demand, we regret that we will not be able to help all members who apply.

If you are unable to complete the application online due to an accessibility need, please contact us on 28 May 2025, either by email: sug@unison.co.uk or by calling UNISONdirect on 0800 0 857 857.

What if I don’t know my membership number?

We cannot accept applications without a membership number. This can often be found at the bottom of any emails you have received from UNISON. Alternatively, please contact UNISONdirect on 0800 0 857 857.

How will you contact me?

Acknowledgement  

Successful online submissions will receive an automated message confirming your application has been received. If this doesn’t show in your ‘inbox’, please check your ‘junk/spam’ folders.

Processing time  

We will require further evidence to support your application, and we will be in touch via email to request this within a week of your initial application.

You should not expect to receive an immediate decision. It could take up to 12 weeks before your application will be completed. Please do not send chasing emails as we will be unable to respond.

If I have recently received a grant, can I apply?

If you have received a grant from UNISON Welfare since 28 November 2024, excluding the Winter Essentials Grant or the Step into Spring Grant, you will not be eligible to apply for a School Uniform Grant.

The grant will open at 12 noon on Wednesday 28 May 2025 for 24 hours.

If you have any questions, please contact us via email: sug@unison.co.uk

Enable Strikes

There will be a bus for members from Glasgow to Parliament on 12 June, Pick up at 8:30am, 131 West Nile Street, Glasgow, G1 2RX – Return at 3:30pm

DateLocationServices
May 29, 8amMelisa House, GlasgowEast Renfrewshire
June 3, 8amMilltown, ArbuthnottAberdeen City and Shire, Moray
June 6, 8am Tannock Street, KilmarnockAyrshire
June 10, 8amInspire House, EurocentralNorth Lanarkshire and Head Office
June 12, 10amScottish Parliament (assemble Tron Kirk, Highstreet Edinburgh)Glasgow, Edinburgh and Lothians

International Workers’ Memorial Day

Stirling Council Trade Unions, Elected Members and staff gathered at the memorial tree in the grounds of Old Viewforth this morning (Fri) to lay wreaths ahead of International Workers’ Memorial Day on Monday 28 April. The day is to remember all those around the world who have lost their lives at work, or from work-related injury or disease.

In speeches at today’s wreath-laying, Tony Caleary from Unison and Pat Egan from Unite said that remembering those lost was not enough, and the occasion should be used to reaffirm our commitment to creating safe environments for all.

Tony said: “I think that everyone needs to be reminded that Health and Safety is everyone’s responsibility and that responsibility extends beyond the workplace.” In a particularly poignant moment, he reminded people of the very real impact of workplace accidents, where lives could have been saved had proper health and safety been observed. This included Bhopal in India, where the Union Carbide plant spewed deadly gas into the air after a series of catastrophic health and safety failures. Tony visited the plant for the 30th anniversary and spoke to survivors, recalling one victim who only knew something was wrong when birds started falling from the sky. “It’s an image I will never forget,” said Tony.

Pat Egan said IWMD was a day of profound significance and should be seen as a call to action. “We must act. We must advocate for stricter safety standards, foster a culture where health and well-being are paramount, and ensure employers take their responsibility to protect workers seriously. Every workplace must be safe – safe from harm, exploitation and neglect.”

On Monday, the Council participated in the national one-minute silence at 12:00.

Unison Stirling sponsored the Wallace Monument to be lit up purple on Monday 28 April. This is in support of the Hazards campaign, in which the colour purple is used to remember and honour those killed or injured at work.