Category: UNISON Updates

Waste services will undertake industrial action

This week our colleagues in Waste services will undertake industrial action, this action is on behalf of every Local Government worker to let the employer know that a derisory pay offer is not acceptable.

UNISON is the largest Trade Union representing Local Government workers and has already served notice of strike action in eight local authorities.

The notices of action were served to Aberdeenshire, Clackmannanshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow City, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, Stirling and South Lanarkshire councils for the first wave of strike action to take place on the following dates:

26th, 27th, 28th and 29th August and the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th September

UNISON has also sent notices to nine councils across Scotland today the 23/08/2022 that school and early years staff will be on strike on the 6th, 7th and 8th of September, after a lack of progress in talks with COSLA over council pay.

The Branch Executive are very proud that our members have stepped up to take on this fight and we will be doing everything we can to promote this campaign and force the employers back to the negotiating table to reach a fair settlement.

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 Action – What is it?

UNISON, on this occasion, have balloted selected services for industrial action. This is called Disaggregated 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.

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

It’s important to highlight again that these colleagues will be taking this action on behalf of all workers in the Council. 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.
  • Attend the STUC “Scotland Demands a Pay Rise” Demonstration. More info on transport for those that need it will follow.

Thursday 8th September

Assemble 10:30am:
Johnson Terrace,
Edinburgh

EH1 2PW

March off: 11am

  • Our colleagues in waste services will picket from 6am till 1pm – Drop by and give them hello or give them a wave or a toot of the horn if you’re driving past the waste and recycling sites.
  • Be sure to look out for posts on our branch Facebook and ensure you, your family and your friends share them. It’s important for the public to know how dire the situation in local government has become. Show us your support in the comments.

Keep up to date on the pay campaign including our UNISON Pay FAQs at https://unison-scotland.org/local-government-pay-2022/

LG Pay Update

First set of strike dates confirmed

UNISON have this morning served notice on 8 local authorities of strike dates for waste and recycling members. These dates align with the dates also notified to authorities this morning by the GMB.  It is unfortunate that they do not align with the dates Unite have already notified but that was not for the want of trying to achieve an agreed approach.


Please see press release on link below

Strike dates for waste workers confirmed

Strike dates for schools/early years will be confirmed in due course.

We are holding an online general meeting on Thursday 18th August at 6p.m and all members are required to attend. Please see the following brief agenda below for the meeting. If members able to attend please contact the branch on the following e-mail address thomsonl34s@stirling.gov.uk and a link will be forwarded to you prior to the meeting.

Agenda

  • Pay update
  • Motion to transfer monies to IA account

The UNISON Scotland LG leads will be meeting branches with a strike mandate on Monday to discuss preparation for action.

We are also working on supporting materials/advice to members taking action and resources for those who are not so they can demonstrate their support for those Workers taking action on their behalf. 

Further information on all of that will follow asap – you will appreciate that things are moving at pace at the moment but we will, as always we will communicate any developments as soon as we have more detail.

Social Work and the National Care Service

Social work e briefing

This briefing looks at what the National Care Service Bill means for UNISON’s social work members. The government is clear in its view that who provides social work and social care services makes no difference in terms of the quality of services provided to citizens and therefore no difference whether services are provided by the public, private or the voluntary sector. The changes discussed here are intended to be in place by 2025/26.

Statutory duties for social work are being transferred from local authorities to Scottish Ministers but will sit with the local Care Boards, who will also hold the funding. Once their statutory duties are removed, local authorities will have no reason to employ any social workers or provide any social work services. The Bill addresses this by introducing a clear legal basis for them to continue doing so.

The possibility that the NCS could directly deliver social care and social work services is the single most significant difference between the Bill and the proposals put out to Consultation.

The National Care Service Bill has profound implications for social work staff and for the future delivery of social work services.  It creates risks for social workers’ conditions and security of employment and branches need to urgently discuss what this means for members.

Happy Pride season

‘While there is lots to celebrate and be proud of, we can’t forget the discrimination and harassment LGBT+ people continue to face’

Happy Pride season to all of UNISON’s LGBT+ members.

As always, UNISON activists will be at many Prides across the UK, being on stalls, marching and promoting our LGBT+ equality work in workplaces and branches. And after the last two years, we have even more reason to celebrate coming together this year.

While there is lots to celebrate and be proud of, we can’t forget the discrimination and harassment LGBT+ people continue to face.

From failures to progress with reforms to the Gender Recognition Act, to excluding trans people from proposed legislation banning conversion therapy, the UK government has constantly attacked trans rights.

With the recent comments by the attorney general, about schools not having to accommodate children who want to change gender under current legislation, this is a clear attack on trans children’s rights and a dog whistle to transphobes. This is also illegal under the 2010 Equalities Act.

I made it clear at last year’s LGBT+ conference and I’ll say it again: I have never felt, as a woman, that my rights were threatened by giving rights to trans women.

I am happy that our national LGBT+ committee is making trans equality a priority campaign, which we are officially launching at our UNISON centre on Friday 15 July. If you’re interested in getting involved, please email our LGBT+ national team on out@unison.co.uk.

Meanwhile, our national trans ally training has been a major success, with over 100 UNISON members benefiting from going through the training. It’s activities like these, that make our workplaces more inclusive for everyone and I urge all UNISON members to take up the training.

Let’s be proud of our achievements over the years on LGBT+ inclusion, and keep equality at the heart of everything UNISON does.

Be safe, and enjoy Pride season.