Save Our Services - European Day Of Action

The fightback against the cuts is gaining momentum and so as part of the Million Voices For Public Services Campaign UNISON representatives will this week be taking their message to the streets of Reading.

UNISON, along with colleagues from other unions in the area, will be in the centre of Broad Street on Wednesday 29 September from 12pm - 2pm to hand out flyers and talk about the impact swingeing public sector cuts could have on people and communities.

This event has been organised to coincide with the European TUC's Day Of Action and has been arranged in conjunction with the newly reformed Reading Trades Council.

UNISON representatives will be wearing high visibility jackets and hats and will be assempling from midday. Our branch supports the action and encourages members to participate in the event in their own time or during their lunch break.

If you would like to know more please read the latest edition of UNISON's Coalition Cuts Newsletter (South East Edition) or you can contact the branch office in the usual way.

Unions Fighting Acadamies In Reading

You may be aware of the Fighting Academies In Reading (FAIR) campaign which has been set up by unions to urge local schools not to sign up to become academies under the bill rushed through Parliament by the coalition government.

UNISON, along with NUT, NASUWT, UNITE, GMB, and ATL, started the campaign because of a belief that academies will prove expensive, divisive for communities, and bad for pupils, teachers, and school support staff.

Four schools in Reading, namely Highdown, Kendrick, Reading School, and Churchend Primary, have all signalled their intent to become academies so far and more are set to follow.

FAIR has written to the schools involved to urge them to reconsider their plans and the steering group will be meeting on Monday 27 September to plan the next stage of the campaign.

If you are concerned about academies or want to become involved in FAIR please email unison@reading.gov.uk

To find out more about the acadamies plan and why UNISON opposes it visit UNISON: Defend Your School

NJC Pay Claim

Thank you to everyone who responded to the branch consultation on the 2011/12 NJC pay claim; we can report that a clear majority of respondents were in favor of the proposal.

The results of the consultation have now been passed on to our regional office and we will update you on what happens next as the situation evolves.

NJC Pay Claim 2011/12

The time has come for the joint trade unions to submit a pay claim for 2011/12 to the local government employers. The UNISON NJC Committee met earlier this month to discuss what the claim should be and would now like to consult members on the following question.

Do you agree that:

• An increase of at least £250 on all salaries and spinal column points for 2011/12 and
• A joint review of the employment conditions proposals tabled by the trade unions in 2008/9*

should be the NJC pay claim for 2011/12?

Responses need to be received in the branch office by 5pm on Thursday 23 September. You can use the poll on the right of this page or email us at unison@reading.gov.uk. Comments can be left below.

In arriving at the above, the trade union side of the NJC Committee considered a wide range of economic indicators, pay comparisons with other public sector workers, the employers' capacity to pay, the impasse over this year's negotiations, and member' concerns over job security.
 
It is also worth bearing in mind that following this year's freeze, NJC pay has fallen even further behind the rest of the public sector and inflation is predicted to remain at around 3-4%.

If you would like to know more about the details of the claim please contact the branch office or visit http://www.unison.org.uk/localgov/pages_view.asp?did=11763

Robin Hood Tax

If you do one thing this week, UNISON is asking that you add your support to demands for the Robin Hood tax at:

www.robinhoodtax.org.uk

A tax on banking transactions is a key element of UNISON's motion to the Labour Party Conference next week and was the basis for a lively debate at our own National Delegate Conference earlier this year.

Formation Of Reading Trades Union Council

On Saturday 18 September the inaugural meeting of the Reading Trades Union Council (RTUC) was held at UNISON's regional offices on church street.

Over 30 activists from a dozen different unions working in the private, public and voluntary sectors across Reading came together to elect an executive group and begin developing a programme to build a united voice for working people and communities in our town.

Representatives from the branch attended the event because we feel there is an urgent need for a united trades union movement to defend members and promote an alternative to a cuts agenda which could devastate our community.

The next RTUC meeting will be held on Thursday 7 October, and the group will be building towards an AGM next February.We will bring you more news as things develop.

To find out about the RTUC and its history visit readingtuc.blogspot.com

UNISON's Award For Outstanding Social Work

Do you know a social worker who has done outstanding work, supporting adults, families and children, and who deserves special recognition?

Why not nominate them for UNISON's award for outstanding social work, which has been set up to highlight the huge difference that social workers make to people in the UK.

UNISON represents more than 40,000 social workers who work to improve the lives of the most vulnerable in society, often under enormous pressure from underfunding, understaffing, and excessive paperwork.

Despite this, social workers are constantly facing bad press and so UNISON is attempting to redress the balance by highlighting some of the positive contributions made everyday.

The deadline for entries is 1 December 2010 and there will be a prize for the winning social worker in each region.

Visit UNISON Social Work Award to download a
nomination form

Pakistan Flood Appeal

On 23 August UNISON nationally donated £10,000 to the Pakistan Flood Appeal and urged branches to follow suit. UNISON president Angela Lynes commented:

"The recent floods in Pakistan are probably the worst humanitarian disaster in the UN's history because so many millions of people are affected. The international community must respond faster and more generously if more lives are not to be lost ... thousands are dying needlessly from preventable diseases and millions more are without food or shelter."

The Reading Borough UNISON Executive Committee this week approved a motion for our branch to donate £500 to the same Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal to help alleviate the awful human tragedy caused by the flooding.

To find out more about the DEC and the Pakistan flood appeal, or if you would like to make a personal donation, please visit: www.dec.org.uk/

Save NHS Direct!

An online petition has been launched as part of a campaign to save NHS Direct after the coalition government revealed plans to replace it with a cut-price service staffed by non-medical workers.

The coalition plan to roll out the non-emergency "111" service nationally once trials had been completed in Nottingham, Lincolnshire and Luton.

Around 11,600 have signed the petition so far. Cameron has previously promised a Commons debate on any petition that receives 100,000 signatures.

Please sign the petition and encourage others to do so at: www.savenhsdirect.co.uk/