UNISON Return to Learn & Women’s Lives Taster Workshops

Return to Learn Taster Workshop – Monday 12 August 2019

at Commerce House, Leeds

Cost to Branches: FREE

Women’s Lives Taster Workshop – Friday 16 August 2019

at Commerce House, Leeds

Cost to Branches: FREE

Both sessions run from 10am – 3pm with lunch

There is no charge to the branch for these Workshops.  The cost of the workshop will be paid by our National Officeand on this occasion the Region has agreed to cover any travel expenses.

 The course is designed for members who want to ease themselves back into learning.  We are offering members the opportunity to attend a one day taster workshop to find out more about the courses, boost your confidence and engage with exciting and fun activities

UNISON Disabled Members Conference

This year’s National Disabled Members Conference takes place in Brighton from 2-4 November. But now is the time to get your branch to agree to send you!

Last year’s conference heard from President Gordon McKay (pictured) and a host of UNISON disabled members from up and down the country. The 2019 conference bulletin has now been published and all the details can be found here.

To attend as a delegate you need to speak to your branch secretary as soon as you can. Delegates are often agreed at the branch AGM – contact your branch now so you don’t miss out. The deadline for your branch to register you as a delegate is 25 July.

Conference is a great place to find out what UNISON is doing about disability equality in the workplace and to make sure your voice is heard as we agree our priorities for the year ahead.  And of course you also get to meet lots of other disabled UNISON members and to enjoy the delights of Brighton!  If your branch wants to submit a motion the deadline is 12 July.

PSOM: Vote of No Confidence Passed Overwhelmingly

UNISON members at Sheffield Hallam back no-confidence motion

UNISON’s vote of no confidence in the implementation of the Professional Services Operating Model (Student & Academic Services and Faculty Central Services phase) was launched on 23rd November and concluded at noon on Wednesday 5th December.

Thank you to all our members who participated: each of you helped deliver a credibly big turnout and made our collective voice louder.  

The result:

In total, 240 members took part, with 95% agreeing with the no confidence motion.

As expected, the majority of members who voted identified as part of SAS/Faculty Services .  Again 95% of voters from this area agreed with the no confidence motion.

We believe that this result demonstrates the depth and strength of feeling among members (which we are sure will be shared by non-members too), that the changes are being rushed in for January without adequate preparation, training or communication.     

On Wednesday afternoon, UNISON’s Branch Committee considered the very clear mandate that this vote has given us, and agreed to request an urgent meeting with Richard Calvert, Chief Operating Officer, and senior management in order to raise members’ concerns in detail.   We expect members’ concerns to be listened to and acted upon to restore damaged morale.

We will keep members informed of progress. 

Dan J Bye, UNISON Branch Secretary

Voluntary Living Wage – a qualified welcome


The National Minimum Wage became law in 1998, taking effect the following year.  It introduced different minimum hourly rates according to age bands. In 2015, George Osborne announced that for over-25s, the minimum wage would be renamed the National Living Wage and increased significantly.  This was primarily a way of outflanking the Labour Party, which had proposed a lower rise in the minimum wage.   The change was introduced from 2016.

 Confusingly, a voluntary “living wage” has been in existence since 2011, arising from campaigning going back to the early 2000s.   The Living Wage Foundation sets the level of the voluntary – or as we prefer to call it, Real Living Wage based on the cost of living.  The aim is to provide a worker with the minimum pay rate required to provide their family with the essentials of life, which the statutory so-called National Living Wage does not do.    Employers signing up to the Voluntary Living Wage undertake to maintain the pay of their lowest paid staff at the independently set level, and are recognised for doing so.

 Here at Sheffield Hallam, UNISON first raised the Real Living Wage issue back in 2012.  We therefore welcomed the University’s decision to pay the Voluntary Living Wage to our lowest paid colleagues from August.  

 This takes the form of a Voluntary Living Wage Supplement, paid to staff on Grade 2 (we do not use Grade 1 here) and the first spinal point of Grade 3 whose hourly rate would otherwise fall below that rate.  There are over 100 people impacted by this move.

 The Voluntary Living Wage was adjusted to £9 per hour in November, and affected staff should see that reflected in their pay packets soon.  

 Our welcome for this move is a qualified one, however, because the University has decided not to become an accredited Voluntary Living Wage employer.  Also, the method chosen to pay the Real Living Wage – a supplement on top of basic pay – flattens out the pay levels for staff on Grade 2.  Nor does the supplement apply to contract staff and casual staff who are not counted as employees, although it does apply to placement students and apprentices.

 Nevertheless, the move is a genuinely progressive move that benefits a large number of workers, and we hope that it will be maintained in the years to come.

PRE-RETIREMENT WORKSHOP

Fri 7 December 2018 (Apply by: 5 November 2018)

Non-residential at UNISON Regional Centre, Commerce House, Leeds

This workshop, run by True Bearing Chartered, will make you aware of your choices and aid you in your decision making around retirement.

Is this workshop for me?

If you are retiring imminently or considering retiring within the next 18 months and want to be informed of the issues affecting your retirement you need to plan for your next phase of life.

By the end of the workshop you will be able to:

• Create your own route path from the world of work to the world of retirement,

• Identify changes in both pensions and financial regulations which will affect your retirement decisions,

• Identify the long term issues affecting your retirement,

• Identify personal and lifestyle actions which will help to improve your retirement,

• Start the process of planning for a successful retirement.

At True Bearing Chartered we can provide you with comprehensive independent financial advice to improve your financial security.

Cost to Branches: £10

If you would like to attend please email unisonadministrator@shu.ac.uk

 

BRANCH WELFARE SCHEME

When a member has been off work due to illness for six weeks or more our branch would like to send a card to wish them well and to remind them of the support services UNISON offer.

As part of the scheme we also offers a welfare gift to the member with the choice of one of the following gifts: chocolates, flowers or a fruit/veg box.

If you know of a UNISON member in your area who is off sick please let us know by  emailing unisonadministrator@shu.ac.uk  with their name and we will get in touch.