Category Archives: News & Comment

PENSIONS UPDATE

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The new Local Government Pension Scheme (in our region known as the South Yorkshire Pension Scheme) comes into being on 1 April 2014.   The Public Service Pensions Act became law in April this year.   This legislation was necessary to allow the existing schemes to be changed, and the detail of how the scheme will work in included in draft regulations currently out for consultation (https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/local-government-pension-scheme-2014).

For more information on the progress of the design of the new scheme, see: http://www.lgps2014.org/.

UNISON has concerns about the extension of “fair deal” protection to LGPS members, which has not yet been finalised.  “Fair deal” means that if a public service is privatised, workers are allowed to maintain membership of the LGPS.   UNISON believes that this protection was built into the agreement on reform of the LGPS and that therefore all scheme members should be covered, and is making representations to that effect.

HIGHER EDUCATION PAY CAMPAIGN – UNISON MEMBERS TO BE BALLOTED FOR INDUSTRIAL ACTION

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The UNISON Higher Education Service Group Executive (HESGE) is urging members to strike for better pay, following the employers’ refusal to improve the 1% offer.

UNISON believes that the money is available for a better pay increase, and that Higher Education employers can afford to improve on their offer.

Over the last 5 years, as a result of pay rises below the cost of living, our lowest paid members have lost the equivalent income of between £663 – £1173. UNISON believes that no employees in higher education should be paid less than the national Living Wage and that it is time for incomes for everyone in the sector to match the rising costs of living.

According to a recent freedom of information request, the median pay of the highest paid members of staff in the higher education sector (including pension contributions and other pay related elements) was £242,000 with the highest paid employee receiving over £500,000 per year! There is money available for some – we believe it should be available for all.

UNISON believes that evidence from the employer’s shows that the financial position of the higher education is healthy and  shows signs of expansion with the number of employees in the HE sector showing an increase for management, academic and support staff by over 4,000 between 1/8/11 and 1/8/12.

Although during the same period some universities have made redundancies, this is not reflected across all HEI’s and we believe that this is further evidence that the sector has the money to make an improved pay offer that fairly reflects the contribution of our members.

The HESGE believe that the only way for an improved pay offer from the employers is for members to take strike action, and show the University employers that enough is enough and that pay matters.

UNISON consulted members on whether the offer should be accepted, and the majority of those responding said they would not accept it.   Therefore the HESGE has decided to ballot members for industrial action in September.   If members vote for action, this would be likely to take place in the autumn.

Remember: your vote does count.

We will be arranging Branch meetings to allow members to discuss the pay offer and campaign for a better deal.

It is important that before the ballot we have accurate contact details for all members.  In our branch we have done a lot of work over recent years to make sure that our records are up to date. However, we know that members are constantly on the move, and so if you have changed your name, phone number, email address or postal address, please make sure you have told us.

You can update your details by emailing Jo, our branch administrator.

Or call UNISONDirect on 0845 355 0845.

Or manage your details online here: http://www.unison.org.uk/my-unison/

Role of the UNISON steward

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We’re also always looking for new UNISON stewards, particularly in areas where we currently have no representation.  Key elements of the role are:

  • Organising – talking to, recruiting and organising members around workplace issues, publicising campaigns and keeping members informed about and involved in local negotiations.
  • Advising – giving advice or acting as a sounding board to members with workplace issues, referring members for assistance where appropriate, or helping them to find out the information they need.
  • Representing – after training, accompanying members in meetings and formal processes, or helping them to raise problems with managers before they get out of hand.  Ensuring that members’ views are represented to the wider union branch.

Stewards are entitled to facility time and undertake training to carry out this role.  They may also act as local Health and Safety representatives.

If you’d like to find out more, contact Dan Bye, Branch Secretary, or you could consider becoming a workplace contact.  Workplace contacts have a more informal role and can act as part of a network supporting elected stewards.

Be a UNISON Branch Officer!

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SHU UNISON branch has a number of vacant officer roles.  These roles are an excellent way to get more involved with the Branch, as well as developing skills that you will find useful in work and wider contexts.  Branch officers are entitled to facility time to carry out their duties, and have access to regional / national training courses as well as advice and support from experienced officers within the Branch and the Region.  Administrative support for all roles is provided by Jo Ward, UNISON Administrator.  Details of vacant roles are below; to find out more or to volunteer for any of these roles please contact Dan Bye, Branch Secretary.

Branch Chair / Vice-Chair

The Branch Chair is responsible for chairing and setting the agendas for branch meetings.  This involves liaising with officers and stewards about the priorities for discussion; encouraging a wide range of contributions to meetings; and ensuring meetings are effective in sharing information and making decisions, while also running to time!

Communications Officer

The Communications Officer will encourage officers, stewards and members to submit articles and information to the branch website/newsletter, and other communications that may be needed from time to time.  They will edit articles submitted to ensure they are suitable for publishing by the branch administrator, and maintain an overview of branch communications, including social media.

Equalities Officer

The Equalities Officer works to promote equal opportunities for members across the University, for example by encouraging the development of Self-Organised Groups, providing feedback on University equality policies and raising issues relevant to members with protected characteristics.  This may involve attending University meetings of groups such as the proposed SHU Equality and Diversity Group.

Treasurer

The Treasurer has oversight of branch finances, including preparation of the annual budget, reporting to branch committee and the AGM on the branch’s financial position, and co-ordinating the salary payments for the branch administrator, using online systems provided by UNISON and HMRC.  While it is by no means necessary to be a qualified accountant to fulfil this role, some confidence around working with budgets and spreadsheets or a calculator is required!

Young Members Officer

Young members are defined by UNISON as being 26 or under.  The Young Members Officer will seek to involve young members within the branch, by identifying recruitment initiatives and providing feedback on policies and raising issues relevant to younger members of staff.

Pay consultation – results

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Thank you to everyone who took part in our consultation over the 1% pay offer – the results are now in!

62% voted to reject the pay offer.  Comments included: “We’ve accepted below inflation rises for too long now” and “We need to fight this, I would strike”.

38% voted to accept the offer, with comments including “In the current climate, 1% sounds good”.

However the turnout was relatively low, with only about 10% of members taking part.

We’ll be submitting the results of our consultation to the Higher Education Service Group Executive, who will take a decision regarding any action in the light of feedback they received from around the sector.

Your Pay in Numbers web lr (2)

National Delegates Conference Report

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By Dan Bye, Branch Secretary

UNISON’s National Delegate Conference is often described as our Union’s “annual parliament”.  Delegates from Branches across the country, representing over a million members, attend to decide UNISON’s policies and priorities.

This year the conference took place between 18th-21st June, in Liverpool, and I attended as this branch’s delegate. Proceedings can seem complicated and intimidating to the first timer, but it is always interesting to listen to the debates on motions, and it doesn’t take long to get the hang of things.

Motions passed included a condemnation of the murder of Lee Rigby in Woolwich, which also expressed concern at the exploitation of the tragedy by the EDL.  Another motion pledged to resist Tory-led coalition attacks on welfare and to build an “alternative vision of welfare provision for the 21st century.  A statement of solidarity with striking Future Directions workers in Rochdale was passed: they are in dispute over huge pay cuts and attacks on their terms and conditions.    There were debates on international issues too, an important element of UNISON’s work.

Conference also approved some rule changes – these needed a two-thirds majority in order to pass.  Branches will now be required to set an annual budget, and to maintain financial records using UNISON’s national online branch accounting system (known as OLBA).   At SHU we are already doing both.  Another rule change means that in future all branch funding will be paid into branch accounts in only one bank – the trade union movement-owned Unity Trust Bank.  Again, at SHU we are already banking with Unity Trust.

Another rule change means that retired members will need to pay the appropriate UNISON subscription rate should they return to work.  If they return to work where UNISON are not organised, then they should join the appropriate union.  They could resume retired membership later.   The previous rule was unclear.

A further change amended the rules on unemployed membership.  The previous rule allowed members dismissed or made redundant to become “unemployed members” for up to two years (so long as they remained unemployed).  The new rule extends that benefit to members who leave their jobs after accepting a compromise agreement as an alternative to dismissal.

Finally, the rule on qualifying periods for legal assistance was changed.  The old rule said that you had to have been a member for 4 weeks before knowing that you needed legal assistance; the new rule simply states that you have to have been a member for 4 weeks.   This makes the situation much clearer and also makes the case for joining the Union straight away much more powerful!

If you want to read more about what happened at conference, you can do so here: http://www.unison.org.uk/about/events-and-conferences/conference-updates/

 

Cycle to Work re-launch

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We are very pleased that the University has decided to re-launch the Cycle to Work scheme.  UNISON reps have pushed for the scheme to be reinstated, for example by raising the issue in Local Information and Consultation Committees.

The scheme allows staff to buy cycling equipment through salary sacrifice and therefore tax-free.  Full details are on the link above.

This year the scheme will close on 5th July, so get your orders in by then!  The scheme will be opened again in the new year.

2013-14 Pay Consultation – your pay in numbers

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Your Pay in Numbers web lr (2)

There are just a few days left to vote in the Higher Education pay consultation; our survey will close on 30th June.

If you have not already voted, please take this opportunity to let the branch know how you feel about the 1% pay offer.   We’ll be reporting the results to the Higher Education Service Group Executive, who will then take a decision on next steps in the pay campaign.

You can find the survey and the guidance issued by UNISON about the pay offer here.

 

New UNISON website

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The UNISON national website has undergone a major overhaul and is now live.

New features include General Secretary Dave Prentis’ blog and UNISON Knowledge, a member-only hub for information on employment rights and key issues affecting people in the workplace.  You will also find details of the many benefits and services that you can access as a UNISON member.

Why not take a look at the new site and check you’re getting all the benefits you are entitled to!

Consultation on Higher Education pay offer

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Please vote above on whether or not to accept the employer’s pay offer of 1%, after reading the following advice from UNISON, by 30th June 2013. This is a consultation exercise – any formal action will require a national ballot of HE members.

We have now received a ‘full and final’ written pay offer from the national employers’ organisation the Universities & Colleges Employers Association (UCEA).

This consists of a 1% increase to all pay points. The offer also includes continuing work on the recommendations of the equalities working group

UNISON believes that this offer does not reflect the increased cost of living and that this is the fifth consecutive year of minimal pay offers. Inflation is still consistently above 2% and we know that members are facing further real cuts in their standards of living.

For most HE staff the last four settlements have amounted to approximately a 2.2% increase in pay. When the annualised inflation increases (Retail Price Index – RPI) over this period are combined with the forecast RPI rate up to July 2013, cumulative inflation will have increased by approximately 15.5%. The result in real terms is a cut of over 13% in the value of take home pay for some of the lowest paid in the sector

In its review of higher education finance HEFCE reported last year that, ‘the majority of the key financial indicators are the best on record, with the sector reporting strong surpluses, large cash balances and healthy reserve levels.’ We believe that this demonstrates that a decent award is affordable for most institutions.

The offer makes no significant concession towards UNISON’s claim for a living wage for all higher education staff. The Living Wage is not addressed fully in this offer with over 4,000 staff still having incomes below the Living Wage.  More and more funding is coming from non-government sources and settlements in the private sector are averaging around 2.5%.

UNISON believes that the offer is simply too low and we recommend that members reject the offer.

The Higher Education Service Group Executive now believes that this is the end of the road for serious national discussions and so is now consulting with you the members to decide on the next steps.

UCU and EIS have rejected the offer and UCU has decided to invoke the New JNCHES dispute resolution procedure. Unite and GMB are currently consulting on the offer.

UNISON has made it clear that we believe that the current pay policy in higher education is unsustainable. Many of the gains achieved by the implementation of the framework agreement are being lost. Members face greater job insecurity with more demands on flexibility and roles are being gradually being privatised across the sector.

Consistently high inflation has eroded the value of members’ earnings. This cannot be ignored indefinitely by the employers. UNISON believes that pay matters to our members in higher education.

Whilst UNISON has opposed the implementation of the higher fees regime, it is estimated that it may result in a real increase in funding to the HE sector of around 10%. UNISON will continue to campaign to ensure that all staff in the sector benefit from any increase in income. It is UNISON members that work hard to provide a positive experience for students in higher education and they deserve to be valued and rewarded.