Print this pageCommunity e-news: July 2010
UNISON's e-mail newsletter for the Community service group
In this edition: news from the first Service Group Executive meeting on campaign priorities and improving representation for sectors, a reminder about our first conference on 2nd November, news of the new housing occupational group, advice on defending facility time, and the latest on the pay situation in Action for Children.
Service Group Executive - campaign priorities
The first meeting of the fully-elected Service Group Executive (SGE) took place in early July. The SGE is UNISON's senior national committee representing our 60 thousand members in the voluntary sector, charities, and housing associations. The SGE's Chair is Stephen Brown, from Quarriers branch in Scotland.
Among the items discussed were what the union’s campaign priorities should be in the community and voluntary sector, in the light of the general and local election results and the formation of the Liberal-Conservative government. The committee felt that funding in the sector, personalisation of services, two-tier workforce and TUPE issues, volunteering, facility time, job losses, safeguarding, and re-structuring of reward frameworks (such as the removal of increments) should be the priorities for the new service group as it begins to campaign on the issues which affect members’ working lives.
These potential campaigns will be discussed with representatives of the other service groups at the Service Group Liaison Committee in July.
Conference
The SGE also discussed the first Community Service Group conference, which will take place on 2nd November in Telford. There is still time for Community members to register for the conference and get your voice heard!
Any UNISON branch with members in the Community Service Group can send delegates - and that includes Health and Local Government branches. Of course, the delegates have to be members of Community, working in the voluntary sector, housing associations, and so on.
Conference delegates are elected by branches, so if you're interested in attending, please speak to your branch as soon as possible! The deadline for registration is 13 August.
To view the Conference Bulletin, including all the forms you need and lots more information, please go to the main Community homepage.
Sector representation
The SGE hopes that the November Conference will approve proposals to create sectors, devolving more decision-making downwards to groups of members with shared bargaining and workplace interests. The sectors proposed are:
In the meantime, the SGE has the power to co-opt representatives onto the SGE to represent these groups, and it hopes to co-opt some reps at the next SGE meeting on 17 August, as a transitional measure. If you’re interested in such a role, please contact National Officer Mike Short at m.short@unison.co.uk before the end of July.
Action for Children – pay ballot
After several months of talks, pay talks with Action for Children have ended with the employer refusing to move from their initial offer of 1%. The trade unions initially submitted a very reasonable claim, for 2.4%, and even reduced the claim to 1.5% plus two extra days’ annual leave for employees on the employer’s lowest tier of annual leave.
But Action for Children would not shift their position, even when talks moved to ACAS, and they left us with an offer which is so far below the current inflation rate of 5.1% that we have been forced to ballot members and recommend that they reject the pay offer.
Members will also be asked in the ballot whether they would be willing to take either strike action, or industrial action short of a strike. If members reject the offer, and indicate they are prepared to take action, we will initiate formal industrial action ballot proceedings. Contact Mike Short, as above.
Community organising projects
The National Community Unit is keen to work with regions and branches in developing Community organising projects. These may be projects that help strengthen the ability of a branch to organise Community and set up appropriate branch structures to accommodate Community members; or it may be a regional project that seeks to organise around a specific work group, e.g. domiciliary carers; or targets specific types of employers such as housing associations.
If you have an idea for an organising project in your branch or region then contact d.williams@unison.co.uk
Cymru/Wales
Discussions have taken place with the region and branch secretary of Ymlaen/Forward branch, the branch for Community members in Cymru/Wales, regarding the proposed transfer of housing stock out of local authorities across Wales into housing associations and strengthening the branch’s ability to organise, manage and represent the future increase in branch membership. A project plan has been drafted and awaits approval from the branch committee.
Quarriers
Quarriers branch is one of the twelve branches/work groups that are part of UNISON’s National Virtual Branches project: http://www.quarriersunison.org.uk
Members of the branch work mainly across Scotland, but there are also members TUPEd into Quarriers who work in England. Organising members is therefore extremely difficult for the branch and stewards but with the use of the virtual site, activists and members are now in touch with their branch and union.
Eastern region
The Eastern region volunteered to pilot the development of regional structures for Community members in their region. Members’ meetings will be arranged for September in the six counties, for members to discuss regional structures and express their views. Staff from the National Community Unit will be attending the meetings.
For further information contact c.godber@unison.co.uk
Housing occupational group
Last year, UNISON’s National Delegate Conference created a brand new type of group – the occupational group, intended to bring together workers from various service groups and sectors who have similar occupations or job roles, and for whom working together offers a real opportunity to share best practice, network, and work on campaigns.
An occupational group has now been set up for workers in housing – bringing together Community members in housing associations with their fellow UNISON members in local authorities and ALMOs. The group will continue the excellent work of the National Housing Forum, providing an additional housing-specific focus to the work of the union. Contact Mike Short, as above.
Defending trade union facility time
You may have seen recent reports in the press, that the right-wing Taxpayers’ Alliance is calling for trade union facility time agreements to be repealed. The TUC have produced a briefing responding to these attacks, and you may find their arguments helpful if you have any issues with facility time locally.
>> Download the TUC briefing
CALLING ALL ORGANISERS AND STEWARDS!
If you have any news items for inclusion in the next edition of Community e-news, please e-mail cvsector@unison.co.uk
