UNISON Welcome’s the new Clackmannanshire Council

In May of this year a new team of councillors were elected to represent the interests of the people of

Clackmannanshire.

 UNISON would like to welcome both the new faces and the old hands of our Council and we would like to take this opportunity to wish them every success for the coming term.  As you’re probably aware, the election itself was very close and it ended up with a draw between our two main political parties electing 7 Councillors each.  In this instance the SNP were able to come up with the extra votes  which enabled them to form our new administration.  UNISON would like to congratulate them on their victory and we look forward to working closely with them in the coming years. 

 As with any change of control at a Council, a new administration will of course mean changes to both the structure of the Council and in the way it operates.  Change is never easy and rarely welcomed, so we would ask the SNP to ensure that staff are kept informed of any changes coming their way and that they engage in consultation as early as possible with the trade unions to ensure everything goes as smoothly as possible. 

 Recently we were invited to meet with Gary Womersley (Council Leader) to discuss our views on recent events and our hopes for the future.  Branch officers including Pamela Robertson (Branch Secretary) and Andrew Kane (Branch Chair) attended this meeting and were encouraged with the discussion that took place.  Pamela Robertson commented “It was a useful and productive meeting with a very open and honest exchange of views.”  UNISON is greatly encouraged by both the desire of the SNP to start a dialogue with the trade unions and with the speed that they reached out to us following their election.  It can only bode well for all Clackmannanshire employees that we have an administration that is willing and eager to talk.

 n the run up to the May election the SNP manifesto made promises of the implementation of a living wage and a commitment to no compulsory redundancies for SNP run local authorities.  As you’re no doubt aware, the SNP had already announced their intention to implement the living wage of £7.20 per hour as a minimum wage for Clackmannanshire Council employees.  We can report that a working group made up of representatives from HR, management and trade unions has now been setup to put together proposals on how to best to implement this policy.  We are optimistic that the new SNP administration will also keep to their other manifesto commitment of no compulsory redundancies. 

 Facility Time—Under Threat

 Facility Time Agreements are the arrangements between employers and trade unions that allow our officers and stewards time away from their duties in order to

represent our members, negotiate with management and perform the duties required to operate a trade union. 

At a very national level we find facility time to be under threat.  The UK government in particular is coming after this essential agreement because, it argues, it is a waste of tax payers money. 

We at the Clackmannanshire Branch have had a reasonable approach with management who have always understood the vital role UNISON plays in employee management relations and so, for the most part, have been happy to allow UNISON Stewards enough time off to conduct our business.  We unfortunately have to

report that this mutually beneficial agreement seems to be under threat by some managers proposing to cut the allotted hours of Branch Officers to perform these

essential duties.  This will of course mean that we may have to restrict our availability to members at more structured meeting times in the future and we will in all likelihood have to delay meetings with managers and councillors. 

 We would like to assure our members that our meetings with them are of course our clear priority, so we hope that everyone will understand that management and councillor meetings will have to be ‘fit in’ as best we can if these proposals are carried forward.  We will also send out an update as soon as possible if we are forced to restrict our availability.

 Scottish Autism—Management back-off from Nightshift Allowance Cash Grab

 Good news at Scottish

Autism! (Not a statement that we get to make about any of our employers)

 It is with great delight that we can report that the management at Scottish Autism have ‘seen the light’ and have taken a step back from their unwarranted proposal to remove the nightshift allowance from workers. 

 It is a great credit to you, our members, that you responded so well to this issue that

management have sat up, taken notice and have now confirmed that they are no longer pursuing this.  We welcome this decision and we would like to say to those individuals involved that it is a great credit to them that they not only listened to staff concerns, but were gracious enough to acknowledge the problem and do something about it.

UNISON feels that this shows that we CAN work together effectively to resolve issues and hope that Scottish Autism further engages with staff and UNISON when discussing

proposed changes in the future.

UNISON Sponsors Good Causes

 UNISON has a proud history of

sponsoring good causes at a local and national levels.  In recent months we have agreed at our Branch Executive meetings to sponsor several worthy causes.  

 We have always felt that it’s

important to help and encourage individuals who are generous enough to give of their own time in order to help others.  Usually we make a donation of between 50 and 100 pounds.  If you know of a worthy local cause looking for funding, or if you know of a

UNISON member who is involved in raising funds for charitable causes we may be able to help.  Speak to your local steward or the UNISON branch office for more information .

 Equal Pay

 Clacks Unison has been contacted by a lot of our members recently to inform us that they have been offered settlement of their equal pay claims.  At the moment Clackmannanshire Council appears to be making offers on cases that are at the tribunal stage.  We have spoken to Clackmannanshire Council

management about the rest of the outstanding cases and we have been informed that ‘if one gets paid out, they all do’. 

 his essentially means that if one Classroom

Assistant/Supervisory Assistant/Leisure Attendant/Janitor etc is getting an offer then all of them will.

 We have been told that they will all be paid out by the end of October 2012, however we would urge you to consider that as an estimated timescale.  As you are all very much aware, these things have a habit of getting delayed due to unforeseen circumstances, and our members get frustrated when promised deadlines are not met.

 The claims being dealt with at the moment are for the period prior to implementation of Single Status (April 2010).  I have been advised by UNISON Legal that there may be a case for further claims for the post

Single Status period and that members will have to complete a new claim form for this.

 The form can be requested from the UNISON

Scotland website http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/equalpay/index.html

or alternatively if you e-mail us at clacksunison@btconnect.com with a note of your name, address and membership number a form will be sent out to you.  You can also call into the office on 01259 722282 and leave a message with your name, address and membership number.

  Maureen walks the Highland Way

 UNISON would like to congratulate Maureen Watson on completing the West Highland Way in aid of Scottish Autism.  Maureen raised £700 for Scottish Autism and the Clackmannanshire Branch of UNISON is proud to be one of her sponsors. 

 UNION Energy—Switch and Save

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DECIDING SCOTLAND’S FUTURE

 Introduction

 UNISON is giving initial consideration to the constitutional debate and proposals to hold a referendum on independence. There is an immediate requirement to respond to Scottish and UK Government consultation papers on the organisation of any referendum. Then we need to give consideration to the substantive issues of independence or greater devolution or the status quo.

 UNISON has a broad policy position that supports greater devolution of powers to the Scottish Parliament. However, we believe that as the debate develops, UNISON needs to focus our response around what sort of Scotland UNISON members would want to live in. That position will then influence our view on which constitutional settlement would best achieve those aims.

 Independence referendum

The Scottish and UK Governments have published consultation papers on the proposed referendum. They cover similar issues including:

Referendum Question: Scottish Government preference is "Do you agree Scotland should be an independent country?"

             Devolution Question: Scottish Government prepared to consider. UK favour single question for clarity of outcome.

Legality: Different views on legality but recognition that a Section 30 order would minimise risk of legal challenge.

Franchise: Broad agreement that same as for Scottish Parliament elections. Scottish Government wants to extend to 16/17 yr olds.

Timing: Scottish Government want October or November of 2014. UK wants it earlier to remove uncertainty.

Funding: Cost around £10 million. Spending limits in place to keep the contest fair.

Oversight: Agreement seems possible around an Electoral Management Board (EMB) overseen by the Electoral Commission, reporting to the Scottish Parliament.

After the Referendum: If a Yes result, negotiations would take place on transitional arrangements and the transfer of powers, liabilities and assets. Also negotiations on Scotland’s place in wider world. Finally, legislation in both parliaments to enact the negotiated settlement.

What is independence?

Members need to know what sort of independence they are voting for and how it will impact on their jobs, family etc. Issues that have been identified so far include defence, monarchy, welfare benefits, pensions, bank regulation, currency, workers rights and EU membership

The Scottish Government has said it will publish a comprehensive white paper setting out full details of the offer to the people of Scotland after the Referendum Bill receives Royal Assent. That is likely to be November 2013.

The Scottish Affairs Committee at Westminster is also conducting an inquiry into this issue.

Devolution

UNISON Scotland campaigned for a Scottish Parliament. We have not supported federalism or independence. We also supported the Claim of Right that acknowledges the right of the Scottish people to determine the form of government best suited to their needs. We have also argued that a range of further powers should be devolved to the Scottish Parliament. The key principle should be subsidiary, the idea that matters should be handled by the smallest (or, the lowest) competent democratic authority.

There is clearly strong support for further devolution. However, there is not one agreed model or definition of the ‘devo-max’ concept. UNISON will therefore support the development of a devolution question that may be able to be incorporated into the referendum. This requires the coming together of Civic Scotland and early steps have been taken to facilitate this through the STUC.

Vision for Scotland

Important though the constitution questions are UNISON believes that we should focus on the kind of Scotland we would want to live in. Whether independent or devolved, that will be our members’ priority.

UNISON Scotland has a wide range of policies that we believe would make a better Scotland. These focus on democratically accountable public services and sustainable economic growth to support them. We would want a more equal society that ends poverty, improves healthy life expectancy and respects all cultures. A Scotland that is a voice for peace and justice in the world without nuclear weapons.

We will be consulting members on developing our vision for Scotland. This will influence our view on which constitutional settlement would best achieve those aims.

‘There is a Better Way’ — STUC March Against The Cuts

Saturday, 20th of October 2012.

The STUC is organising a mass demonstration on 20th October in Glasgow. The event will coincide with a similar event in London under the banner ‘A future that works’.

The Coalition Government may be in crisis but they are still refusing to change course from their dangerous and damaging programme of cuts and austerity.

On the morning of Saturday 20th October, trade unionists and community activists from across Scotland will gather for a march through Glasgow to play our part in telling the Government that enough is enough.

The labour movement will return triumphantly to George Square on October 20th.

Following protracted negotiations and helpful interventions from elected councillors we are now able to say with confidence that George Square will not be considered a no-go zone for peaceful protest in the future.

Assemble at 11.00am to hear a range of speeches before marching to Glasgow Green with your banners waving! The rally at Glasgow Green will feature speeches, music (original compositions on the theme of social justice from Scottish Schools) and projected scenes from the London march and rally.