LATEST NEWS
MAIN HEADLINES - UPDATE 1 Feb 2012
NEGOTIATIONS ON THE LGPS BEGIN IN EARNEST (27 Jan 12)
UNISON Members back local government pension talks (11 Jan 2012)
Thank You to everyone that took part in the strike on 30th November and also those who joined the march and rally in Nottingham. Photos and letter of thanks from Martin Sleath Joint Branch Secretary
Bob Watt took some great photos on the Rally and March,heres a link Bobs photos 30 Nov March and rally in Nottingham
Also some great photos from Paul Hallford
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/pensionsrallynotts/Branch Pensions Campaign page including a summary of recent proposals
Strike on 30th November - coaches arranged for rally and march in Nottingham - see Pensions Campaign page
UNISON hits back at Pensions strike ballot attacks - 7/11/11
The Pensions Ballot - what you need to knowPensions Ballot result - UNISON Members have overwhelmingly voted YES for industrial action to protect our pensions
There was a 78% majority, with 245,358 in favour and 70,253 against on a 29% turnout. Over 1 million members were balloted.More informationBallot over Pensions cuts
Public service workers are being asked to pay more in pension contributions by an average of over 50% - if you earn above £15,000. It's the equivalent on average of a 3% pay cut.And this extra money isn't being used to improve pension schemes for the future, it's going straight to the Treasury to pay for the bankers' crisis.
NCC BUDGET CUTS - How UNISON will support members at risk by latest budget cuts
On 1 November, Nottinghamshire County Council announced it wanted to make a further £12million of cuts in the 2012/2013 financial year. This means some 382 posts at risk (see http://bigissues.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/index/bigissues/jobs-and-redundancies/). More than 382 people may be affected where posts are actually held by job-sharers or part-time staff of course. The scale of these cuts will clearly impact on essential public services.The council under-estimated the demands of adult and children social care, hence their decision to make additional £12million savings elsewhere.
The council says it will make the job cuts this way:Managing and minimising the impact on council staff will be undertaken through seeking to redeploy those identified as being at risk of redundancy into alternative posts, releasing staff who volunteer for redundancy wherever business needs allow and using other job vacancies which the council will ring–fence through the application of its vacancy protocol. We intend to hold them to account and make sure this happens.
UNISON will of course be central to the 90-day formal consultation process. We will help members consider alternative proposals, or help campaigns against cuts. We will support members who remain at risk when the consultation closes. We have successfully challenged poor decisions taken by NCC in the last restructures (and forced a change to the Enabling Process as a result). Please use the support of your union – if you want to arrange a workplace meeting for your team please call us on 0115 981 0405 to book one.
The council continues to advertise posts externally, knowing it has staff at risk. If you know of any posts being advertised in your department in this way, please contact us on 0115 981 0405 – these jobs should only be filled on a temporary basis to allow for redeployment of staff at risk.
The council is running its public consultation at present at the same time as the 90-day consultation process over staff cuts. We recommend staff take part in the public consultation process if you are local county-council tax payer. Encourage your friends to take part too. Details are here:
http://www3.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/thecouncil/democracy/finance/conversation/
Council to retain Meadow House in Mansfield and Prospect House in Broxtowe
A paper going to full council on 3rd November confirms the council has had to drastically amend its office plans. This is good news for members who thought they would be forcibly relocated elsewhere. But the council reports says the plans are being amended because “The need to accommodate approximately 200 staff that were not identified at the time of preparation of the original business case”. Quite how you can miss 200 staff is astounding. The revised plans will mean more money spent on the project management of the plans. We recall as phrase that the council was to become ‘more business-like’ in future... It never made sense to remove a major presence in Mansfield (the Tories original plans), and we fully welcome the retention of Meadow House.
The full council report and plans to amend the ‘Ways of Working’ plans can be seen here:
UNISON at Labour Party Conference - speech by Dave Prentis
Leaflet re County Hall demo 22nd Sept (download 370kb) - 19/09/11
Outrage at plans to sell off Elderly Persons Homes - 14/09/11
Ballot over plans to cut pensions - 14/09/11
Free two day course for UNISON members facing redundancy - details
UNISON Fighting for your jobs - July NewsletterNews on latest govt plans to cut your pension – see our new Pensions campaign page
UNISON calls on Notts County Council to halt care home sale
Adult day care centres forced to close / Supporting People budgets halved
Join the protest 30th June County Hall 8.30am download leaflet (263k pdf)Advice to members re 30th June strikes (492k pdf)
No Pension Cuts, No Job Cuts, No Cuts to Services (572k pdf)
District Election results show voters disgust at Tories
"In it for the fight -Notts County and Nottm City on the March - 26 March 2011 London"
School JE Information - JE Results info
Following pressure from UNISON, Notts County Council has agreed to extend the deadline for the submission of appeal information to May 31st.
Heads are being sent this information and you will receive a letter from NCC to your home address giving you this information.Open letter to Kay Cutts - future impact of service cuts on council tax
4th May 11 Lobby against Playworkers redundancies and privatisation of Elderly Persons Homes and Learning Centres!
Strike message from Joint Branch Secretary and Branch Chair
Notts County Council Members on strike 24th February - includes letter to members and Q&A re Strike
UNISON calls on Council to reject cuts and protect 1,000 jobs (download 515kb)
Saturday 26th March National Demo in London (download 661k)
Council Members to be balloted on Strike Action to save jobs and services
Ballot now underway 27th Jan 11 Press Release 27th Jan 11
Lobby the Council Budget Meeting 24th February - County Hall
Message to members from Joint Branch Secretary Martin Sleath JAN 2011
MEMBERS SHOULD RESPOND TO COUNCIL CONSULTATION TO SAVE JOBS AND SERVICES – THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO HELP OUR CAMPAIGN.........
Nottinghamshire UNISON is encouraging our 10,000 members to take part in the council’s own consultation on their plans to cut jobs and services. This will help as part of our wider campaign to stop the cuts and to stop massive hikes in fees charged to vulnerable service users.
The council public consultation runs only until 21 January 2011. Full details are at www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/servicereviews <http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/servicereviews> You can use the web site to REJECT plans and provide alternative ways of saving money to protect services. We believe the reliance on using the web to gauge the views of voters is flawed – but we encourage all our members to take part to ensure a more balanced view is heard by Cllr Cutts, not just one-sided comments from the few.Martin Sleath, UNISON Joint Branch Secretary says:
“UNISON continues to lead the fight against the council plans which will see thousands of jobs axed, cuts to vital services, and massive increases in fees to users of council-owned care homes and adult care centres. UNISON members are urged to take part in the consultation as they are local tax payers and service users too.”
UNISON members (and their families!) can further support our campaign by: ·* Put 24 February in your diary and join the UNISON demo – the same day the council meet to set its budget for 2011. We wil be arranging coaches from across the county
* Lobby your own councillor now – tell them why you are against the plans. If you get any commitments from them then let us know!
* Making sure your membership details are up to date. Call us on 0115 9810405 to update your details
* Asking colleagues to join UNISON, and to appoint a contact for your workplace. Call us on 0115 9810405
* Making sure you use council services (such as libraries) on a regular basis, or help neighbours or your families to do so. This will save jobs and keep services open
* Tell UNISON where you think the council is still wasting money. We can use these savings to protect services and jobs.
* Tell your friend to join the national ‘Million Voices for public services campaign’ AGAINST government cuts (they don’t even need to be a UNISON member to do this) by going to www.unison.org.uk/million <http://www.unison.org.uk/million>
* Encourage all County Council workers to join Notts UNISON via the web at www.nottsunison.org.uk/applicationform <http://www.nottsunison.org.uk/applicationform> or by calling 0115 9810405
Open letter to Kay Cutts - an alternative to the cuts - pdf download 62kUNISON pledges £20 million to fight savage cuts
Workplaces meetings arranged to discuss possible industrial action - the branch has arranged a widespread series of meetings over the next few weeks to gain members views on possible industrial action early in the New Year - full details
Letter to members re Industrial Action Indicative Ballot
Branch newsletter - November 2010 - includes lobby report and branch officers/stewards elections nomination forms
Photos from the Council Lobby on 21st October
UNISON Press Release - Outrage at latest proposed cuts- Massive reductions to every area of the Council
21st Oct Council Lobby flyer - 'This isn't budget cutting it's a clearance sale'Coaches to Lobby have now been arranged - full details and how to book your seat
Notts Save Our Services campaign launched to fight the public service cuts
Schools News - INCREASE IN TEACHING ASSISTANT WORKING HOURS AND AN END TO ALL YEAR ROUND PAY IN NOTTINGHAM CITY COUNCIL
Branch Workplace meetings
There are various issues that we need your views on but most importantly over the next 6 weeks or so we need to discuss the proposed Council Budget cuts, staff redundancies and the massive cuts to our local services and how we will be campaigning against them. Please come along to one of the arranged workplace meetings and give us your views on the situation.
We will be building for a mass lobby of the Council meeting on 21st October at County Hall and will provide transport from those workplaces requiring it. The lobby on the 21st will be the day after the Government announce the general spending review and will be the perfect time to show the strength of feeling at the severity of both national and local proposals that will decimate our local communities unless we can show real opposition to them. These meetings are your opportunity to air your views and help build the campaign to defend our jobs and local services. Please do your best to attend. Workplace Meeting detailsNational Campaign to Defeat Coalition Cuts
Schools redundancy notices going out soon - more info here
Previous articles on Redundancies and the cuts
Pay News 2010-11 claim - Unions register formal dispute over pay
(26/7/10) UNISON, GMB and UNITE have registered a formal dispute with the Local Government Employers (LGE) over three measures which will have a detrimental impact on our members providing local services - the pay freeze, the refusal of the employers to pay the £250 announced by the Chancellor to those earning less than £21,000 and the issuing to councils of the document "Reducing Workforce Costs". full details on National website
OUTRAGE at Pay Freeze click here
NCC Job Evaluation - PAY Protection - Are you still facing Pay Protection at the end of the Appeals/Changed, or New Job Process? - If so please complete this form and send into the branch office using the Freepost address provided.
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