Tag: News

Forth Valley College Rally

You will no doubt be aware from recent local and national press that Forth Valley College announced last week that they are taking proposals on the future of their Alloa Campus to their Board of Management on the 26th of September 2025.

While it may feel like this issue isn’t pertinent locally Forth Valley College is a 3-campus college, with sites in Stirling, Falkirk and Alloa – what affects one, affects them all. UNISON is calling for your support to ensure this valuable local education resource remains open for the benefit all residents of Forth Valley.

UNISON Scotland Further Education Branch is holding a demonstration on the 26th of September from 8.30am at the Stirling Campus – as this is the time, date and location of the Board meeting where the future of Alloa campus will be decided. We ask that if members have the time and can that they support and attend this lobby and join UNISON in sending a message to the Board to delay the decision to allow for proper consultation and full consideration of all options with all stakeholders involved.

The work that Forth Valley College does in the local area is invaluable for students, including some who are vulnerable, and people from all walks of life who are working towards a better future through education. It is so vital that this campus be saved from closure so that it can continue to help build and rebuild the lives of local residents in one of Scotland’s worst areas of socio/economic deprivation.

Recent closures of long-established companies like INEOS and there is still the potential for job loss at Alexander Dennis as well as the on-going potential for job losses across our Local Authorities year in year out mean that the local communities will be crying out for opportunities to retrain and the Alloa campus is ideally located to provide local access to a more hopeful future.

UNISON are seeking full details of the proposals and supporting business cases so that full and proper consultation can commence, this was unable to be provided as the college has not yet finalised its options paper on the possibilities for the future of the college, despite asking the Board of Management to take a decision on the 26th of September 25. However, what UNISON have been able to glean was that the two options that remain viable for the future of FVC’s Alloa Campus will have effects that will ripple throughout the whole of Forth Valley.

Stirling Council Organisational Change Policy

UNISON Slams Stirling Council’s Redundancy Plan: “Race to the Bottom” That erodes Workers Terms and Conditions

STIRLING, SCOTLAND – 27th June  2025 – UNISON today vehemently disputes Stirling Council’s now agreed Managements proposed changes to its Organisational Change Policy, warning they will pave the way for redundancies and strip vital employee protections. The union condemns the plans as a “race to the bottom,” prioritising cost-cutting over service delivery and workforce well-being.

UNISON highlights a severe lack of meaningful consultation, with critical concerns raised since February 2025 consistently ignored. The Council has failed to provide essential data or rationale, crippling UNISON’s ability to engage in informed collective bargaining.

“Stirling Council’s approach is an insult to its dedicated workforce,” said Lorraine Thomson, UNISON Branch Secretary. “They’re pushing drastic changes that make it easier to cut jobs and force loyal employees out, all while refusing basic information.”

“We are in no doubt given the on-going lack of fair funding to Local Authorities by Scottish Government that existing staff will be left with further work pressures and will essentially be left to carry the load.  

“There needs to be a viable alternative to statutory redundancy payments should posts be at future risk. However, what’s being proposed here lacks detail and has no financial commitment around funding, which is essential to make it work. Sadly, that seems to have been ignored as it was voted through by the SNP in an unholy coalition with the Conservative elected members, and one Independent elected member. Only Labour and the sole Green elected member voted against this,” said David O’Connor, UNISON Local Government Lead Officer.

David O’Connor continued, “In a bizarre twist, the council also voted through the need for staff to sign a settlement agreement at the cost of £600 to £700 per agreement that waives their rights and includes a gagging clause to receive a statutory payment.”

Staffs Key Concerns:

  • Erodes Retirement Security: Eliminates “up to three added years of pension”, disproportionately affecting women with caregiving career breaks and means that displaced employees of a certain age will leave without any added years to their pension, facing significant challenges in retraining or securing future employment. This outcome is simply unacceptable and demonstrates a complete disregard for the loyalty and experience of long-serving staff.
  • Dismantles Ill Health Protections: Removes conservation for ill health and allowances, a significant step backward for vulnerable staff.
  • Mandatory Severance Barriers: Forces mandatory settlement agreements for Statutory Redundancy Payments, creating unnecessary hurdles and costs.
  • Unsubstantiated Policy: Appears based on speculative future projections, not current needs, deemed “unnecessary” at this time.
  • Crippling Lack of Transparency: Council refused to provide crucial financial data or rationale for “unaffordable financial costs” and anticipated savings.
  • Divisive “Two-Tier” Approach: Creates differing policies for employee groups (e.g., teaching vs. other council staff). Lorraine Thomson states: “It appears some are valued more than others.”
  • Reduced Redundancy Payments: Forces employees out with only statutory minimum, or even no, redundancy payment.
  • The paper that went to Council : references 5 other Local Authorities that have taken this approach, however they declined to reference this when asked the question by the Green party elected member, however suffice to say 26 other Local Authorities have not taken the decision to go down this route. 

UNISON asserts that an effective policy must be transparent and committed to avoiding compulsory redundancies. The current proposal “falls far short,” risking demoralisation and reputational damage.

“We need genuine commitment to the workforce,” added Thomson. “We urge Stirling Council to immediately revisit this flawed policy . Only a collaborative approach benefits both the organization and its vital staff.”

“UNISON have no alternative now but to lodge a formal Grievance/Dispute and consult our members on further action”, say Lorraine Thomson

Contacts:

Lorraine Thomson, UNISON Stirling Branch Secretary, on 07826903559

David O’Connor, UNISON Scotland head of local government, on 07958121861

UNISON represents over 2300 member

Organisational change policy update

Organisational Change Policy – Final Draft

It is with profound sense of disappointment that we are writing to inform you of a significant policy change made  at today’s Stirling Council meeting. The Stirling SNP and Conservative elected members have voted to approve managements revised Organisational Change Policy.
This decision, pushed through despite our serious and well-communicated concerns, clearly shows a council imposing change on its employees without adequate consideration or transparency. Frankly, it makes us question if staff are truly valued.

Over the past few days, we’ve shared our deep reservations, particularly about the lack of meaningful engagement throughout this process. To see for yourselves how your elected representatives voted, you can watch the full debate here: https://stirling.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcasts.

We want to assure all members that we will not accept this decision lightly. We intend to lodge a formal grievance and pursue all available avenues to challenge this outcome. Despite our extensive lobbying efforts and the concerns we raised directly with elected members and various parties, the SNP and Conservatives chose to vote through management’s proposal. This was done without even having sight of crucial details or a budget related to the proposed redeployment and “talent pool” initiatives. This lack of transparency only reinforces the feeling that our concerns are being ignored.

We are especially concerned about the impact on our more experienced staff. This policy change means that displaced employees of a certain age will leave without any added years to their pension, facing significant challenges in retraining or securing future employment. This outcome is simply unacceptable and demonstrates a complete disregard for the loyalty and experience of long-serving staff.

We are in no doubt given the on-going lack of fair funding to Local Authorities by Scottish Government that existing staff will be left with further work pressures and will essentially be left to carry the load without any viable alternative other than statutory redundancy payments should their post be at future risk. Again we reiterate the Redeployment/Talent pool alternative has yet to be backed by funding or detail, yet this was still voted through by the SNP elected members and the Conservative elected members regardless.

We will continue to update you on our progress and the next steps in challenging this detrimental policy. This fight is about ensuring our voices are heard and that staff feel truly valued.

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