Thursday 6 October 2011

Jarrow Crusade


A symbolic procession is to be held at Jarrow Town Hall (front of the building) at 2:30pm prompt on Sunday, 9th October 2011, where people are asked to assemble at the Town Hall on Sunday and walk across to the Christ church, Jarrow alongside our comrades, community and voluntary groups. Trade Unions are encouraged to take their branch banners and flags.

The commemorative church service will begin at 3pm to mark and celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Jarrow March.  There will also be an unveiling of a commemorative plaque in the Church as a memento of the original march which set off from the Church to London on the 5thOctober 1936, which will be unveiled by the Mayor of South Tyneside, Councillor Jim Sewell at the Service.

Please make every effort to attend this event to mark the Special 75th Anniversary of the Jarrow Crusade

Pension Briefings

UNISON are hosting a series of meetings relating to the up and coming pensions dispute.

See below a list of those meetings arranged for the Northumberland related branches.

All members and non-members are welcome.

Date
Time
Area
Venues
Tuesday, 4 October
12.30 pm to 1.30 pm
Sunderland
1st Floor Meeting Room,
Monkwearmouth Hospital,
Newcastle Road,
Sunderland, SR5 1NB.
Tuesday, 4 October
12 noon to 2pm
Sunderland
Council Chamber,
Sunderland Civic Centre,
Burdon Road,
Sunderland,      SR2 7DN.
Wednesday, 5 October
12.30 pm to 1.30 pm
Morpeth
Board Road,
St George’s Park Hospital
Morpeth,      NE61 2NU.
Wednesday, 5 October
12 noon to 2pm
Sunderland
Meeting Room,
Jack Crawford House,
Commercial Road
Sunderland,      SR2 8QR.
Friday, 7 October
11.30 am to 1.30 pm
Ashington
Park Suite - Institute Building,
Ashington Leisure Centre,
Institute Road,
Ashington,      NE63 8HP.
Friday, 7 October
12.30 pm to 1.30 pm
Morpeth
Modular Building – Large Seminar Room,
Northgate Hospital,
Morpeth
Northumberland, NE61 3BP.
Friday, 7 October
2.00pm to 4.00 pm
Washington
Washington Leisure Centre,
Town Centre,
Washington      NE38 7SS.
Monday, 10 October
11.30 am to 1.30 pm
Alnwick
Northumberland Hall (Assembly Rooms),
Market Street,
Alnwick,      NE66 1HS.
Monday, 10 October
3.30 pm to 5.30 pm
Berwick
Council Chamber,
Wallace Green,
Berwick,     TD15 1ED.
Monday, 10 October
5.00 pm to 6.30 pm
South Shields
Reception Room
Town Hall & Civic Offices
Westoe Road
South Shields,      NE33 2RL.
Monday, 10 October
12 noon to 2.00 pm
Sunderland
Council Chamber,
Sunderland Civic Centre,
Burdon Road,
Sunderland,      SR2 7DN.
Tuesday, 11 October
12.30 pm to 2.00 pm
Blyth
Council Chamber,
Civic Centre,
Renwick Road
Blyth,     NE42 2BX.
Wednesday, 12 October
11.30 am to 1.30 pm
Hexham
Council Chamber,
Prospect House,
Hallgate
Hexham,      NE46 3NH.
Wednesday, 12 October
3.30 pm to 5.30 pm
Blyth
Council Chamber,
Civic Centre,
Renwick Road
Blyth,     NE42 2BX.
Wednesday, 12 October
Evening?
Prudhoe
Prudhoe Labour Club
Thursday, 13 October
12.30 pm to 1.30 pm
Newcastle
Committee Dining Room,
St Nicholas Hospital,
Jubilee Road – Gosforth,
Newcastle,      NE3 3XT.
Friday, 14 October
11.30 am to 1.30 pm
Morpeth
Storey Park Community Centre,
St Mary’s Field,
Morpeth,      NE61 2QF.




Monday, 17 October
12 noon to 2.00 pm
Sunderland
Meeting Room,
Crowtree Leisure Centre,
Crowtree Road
Sunderland,      SR1 3EL.


Tuesday, 18 October
12.30 pm to 1.30 pm
Prudhoe
Skerne House,
Prudhoe Hospital,
Northumberland,      NE42 5NT.
Tuesday, 18 October
6.00 pm to 7.00 pm
Wallsend
Wallsend People’s Centre
10 Frank Street,
Wallsend,       NE28 6RN.
Monday, 24 October
(Half-Term Holidays)
4.00 pm to 6.00 pm
Morpeth
Council Chamber,
County Hall,
Loansdean,
Morpeth,      NE61 2EF.

Get out the Vote


The key task facing the union in the next few weeks is making sure members vote in the pensions industrial action ballot - and making sure there is a massive yes vote for industrial action.

That was the single message from UNISON NEC when it met in London today.

"We've got 10 days to get a massive vote out," the union's lay leadership heard.

The ballot will be "the biggest ballot the county has ever seen," general secretary Dave Prentis told the meeting.

It is key that members do not receive the ballot paper cold, the meeting heard, but that they are aware of the issues and the need to vote before voting papers arrive next week.

Branches have received bulk supplies of leaflets urging a yes vote, enough for every member, and should already be using them to have conversations with members, urging them to vote - as well as recruiting new members.

Negotiations are continuing, Mr Prentis reported, but there has been little or no movement from relevant ministers.

They've got to be serious about negotiating if they want to avoid a strike, added the general secretary: about contributions increases, about the age at which pensions can be paid and about the new schemes they want, where ministers are refusing to even supply basic information on issues such as proposed employers' contributions or accrual rates.

"We need to put pressure on them with a massive turnout in the ballot and a massive yes vote," said Mr Prentis.

If action is necessary, the NEC agreed changes to the protocols to make it easier for branches to set up and fund industrial action funds allowing them to make hardship payments.

Though with more than a million members potentially taking strike action, it will not be possible for the union to pay strike pay.

The NEC was meeting in London as more than 20,000 members in Northern Ireland took part in aone-day strike, the largest action for 30 years.

The meeting sent a message of solidarity to Northern Ireland, as well as to members in Southampton, Birmingham, Barnet, Middlesex University and 20 other branches involved in campaigns of industrial action to protect members and the public services they provide.

The NEC also:
  • thanked Plymouth branch and the South West region for their work in getting the union rerecognised by the city council;
  • congratulated members who had played a leading role in TUC demonstrations;
  • received a report on the use of the union's fighting fund in supporting branches and regions;
  • heard the latest update on organisation and recruitment up to August;
  • received updates on planning for the 2012 UNISON conference, and report from UNISON's contribution to the TUC congress and Labour Party conference;
  • received a report on the union's six-month accounts to June and a verbal update on the accounts to August;
  • discussed ways to counter the threat to union facility time in the public services coming from the Conservatives.http://www.unison.org.uk/news/news_view.asp?did=7264

Tuesday 4 October 2011

Hardest Hit Protest comes to Newcastle

STOP THESE CUTS is the message from disabled people across the North East as people are encouraged to demonstrate, along with their families and friends in the streets of Newcastle on 22 October 2011. The Hardest Hit march will start at 10:30am, from the Bigg Market to the Monument to protest against Government cuts to disability benefits and services.

Join the demonstration and help to make sure all their voices are heard. Speakers include MP for Wansbeck Ian Lavery, Clare Williams from the Norther Public Services Alliance and Kevin Rowan the TUC Regional Secretary who will share their views on the proposed changes. The Demonstration will also be joined by a number of local people who can speak from their own experience about what the proposed cuts to benefits and services will mean to them as disabled people trying to live independent and fulfilling lives!

Please click on map of Newcastle City Centre showing where the Bigg Market and the Monument can be found.

The purpose of the Hardest Hit is to bring together disabled people from across the North East to allow them to stand against the cuts to DLA and unfair changes to Employment Support Allowance.
Whether your disabled or not you can show your support by joining Hardest Hit demonstration and listening to the stories of disabled people and hearing of the support of key local figures from politicians to civil society leaders. Together the North East can show that the people across the city and wider region are very supportive of the Hardest Hit campaign and send a clear message to this government.

Council pensions not gold plated

Evidence that workers in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) get lower pensions than those in private sector final-salary schemes was highlighted by the Trade Unions recently in a report by High Pay Commission showing that private sector final salary pensions pay on average £5,860 compared with £ £4,119 under the LGPS.


The Trade Unions have been saying this for months, but we have also been pointing out that the LGPS currently takes in over £4 billion a year more than it pays out, by increasing member contributions, which effectively reduces costs to employers, may cause many currently in the scheme to leave not that I'm advocating anyone does that but members of the scheme will question the affordability as many are financially pressed through pay freezes and the rising costs to living.


It shouldn't be that those in the public sector have to defend their pensions but the reality is that the media are often against us, the government are against us, so we are left to highlight some of the myths out there about our so called 'Gold Plated Pension'. Pensions busting the myths.


But that isn't the whole picture.


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.


If you work in the Public Sector vote YES to protecting your pension and if your not in a Trade Union sign up today preferably with UNISON of course to make sure your vote counts.

Saturday 1 October 2011

Default Retirement Age Scrapped


The previous regulations allowed employers to set a default retirement age (i.e. force employees to stop work) at 65 or higher.  However, it was unlawful to set a retirement age under 65 or retire an employee who is under 65 (or the employer's alternative selected retirement age if different), unless it was 'objectively justified' .  A default retirement age at which employers could force their employees to stop work is different from a 'normal retirement age' in a pension scheme, which is the age when pension benefits can be taken. 
From 1 October 2011, employers will not be able to compulsorily retire their employees unless the retirement can be 'objectively justified'


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12982824

http://unisonactive.blogspot.com/2011/09/work-till-you-drop-cause-for.html

National Minium Wage Increase

From today 1 October 2011 the National Minium Wage hourly rates will increase as follows;
  • the adult rate, from £5.93 to £6.08 
  •  for 18 to 21 year olds, from £4.92 to £4.98 
  •  for 16 to 17 year olds, from £3.64 to £3.68, and 
  • for apprentices, from £2.50 to £2.60. 
This is a long way off the Living Wage but never the less a slight improvement.

Dave Prentis, UNISON’s General Secretary, said:

“More than ten years on the minimum wage has become a valuable safety net for millions of workers. It is a lasting legacy of the trade union and labour movement

“The rise to £6.08 is a welcome cushion, but, with the price of everyday essentials such as food, gas and electricity going up massively, it won’t lift enough working people out of the poverty trap. We want a more substantial figure and a decent living wage for all - a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work, regardless of age. Good employers should be looking at the mounting pressures on their workforce and paying them more than the absolute minimum.

“The Government must be vigilant in enforcing the minimum wage - those earning the least should not have to suffer the most because of the recession. Without decent pay they will sink further into poverty and the economy will fail to recover.”

*The Living Wage is an hourly rate, set independently, every year. It is calculated according to cost of living and gives the minimum pay rate required for a worker to provide their family with the essentials of life. In London the current rate is £8.30 per hour. Outside of London the current rate is £7.20.



Please click on the video below or for more information goto http://www.livingwage.org.uk/ 


The Living Wage from we are fallon on Vimeo.