24 July – stall in the Main University entrance.
31 July – UNISON Advice Surgery 10111 Arundel
14 August – (tbc)
21 August – stall Level 6 above main entrance
28 August – Advice Surgery 10111 Arundel
If you are interested in attending an advice surgery please contact c.hammerton@unsion.co.uk to book an appointment.
Planning is under way for the 999 – Answer the call for your NHS rally which will take place outside the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester on Sunday 29th September. UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis called on the TUC to organise this march at our annual conference in June.
UNISON believes that the Tory health act will result in longer waiting times, a shortage of staff in hospitals and a poorer service that needs more of your taxes. The Tories are pushing the profit motive rather than your health to the heart of the NHS; key treatments are being restricted, services cut and jobs lost.
Our NHS remains the fairest and most cost-effective health service in the world.
Don’t let the Tories ruin it, join us in Manchester on 29th September.
SHU UNISON branch will be discussing whether to arrange transport to the rally (see motion to August branch committee), if you are interested in attending contact your local steward or officer to let us know!
Come along to Wortley Hall on Saturday the 6th July for a great day out for all the Family! Enjoy lots of wonderful stalls brimming with crafts, food and gifts, falconry displays, pony rides, exotic animal handling, brass band, dancers, face painting, coconut shy, bouncy castles, rides and games.
The South Yorkshire Festival is support by the trade union movement.
Saturday 6th July 12noon – 5pm
We are pleased to invite you to the launch of Precarious Lives, a report about refugees and asylum seekers’ experiences of forced labour in England.
We are especially pleased that Klara Skřivánková, Trafficking Programme Coordinator at Anti-Slavery International, Beryl Randall, Manager of the Employability Forum and Lisa Doyle, Advocacy and Influencing Manager at the Refugee Council will join us to be part of a panel to respond to the findings.
We will also hear about the launch of the Platform on Forced Labour and Asylum which will bring together academics, policy-makers and practitioners to take forward the research findings to develop strategies to tackle forced labour among refugees and asylum seekers.
The event is a chance to hear about the research findings and recommendations.
If you would like to attend please confirm your attendance by email to Hannah Lewis h.j.lewis@leeds.ac.uk by Wednesday 26th June.
We look forward to seeing you on the 2nd July, 3-5pm, Hurley House, 1 Dewsbury Rd, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS11 5DQ.
Peter Dwyer, Stuart Hodkinson, Hannah Lewis and Louise Waite
Precarious Lives research team
Self-organisation is an essential part of UNISON’s work; it is one of the key ways in which we promote equality. Self-organisation brings together members from certain under-represented groups – women members, black members, disabled members and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members. These groups help the union identify and challenge discrimination and build equality.
Each Self-Organised Group (SOG) has a national conference every year to bring together members from across the country. Any member of one of our branch’s SOGs is entitled to go to the relevant National Conference and it’s very easy to become a member of a SOG: you just need to express an interest!
The following SOG National Conferences are coming up and it would be great to send delegates from our branch to each.
Disabled Members’ 2013, Sat 26 – Mon 28 October, Manchester Central – link http://www.unison.org.uk/conference/disabled.asp
LGBT 2013, Fri 22 – Sun 24 November, BT Centre, Liverpool – link http://www.unison.org.uk/conference/out2008.asp
Transport and accommodation are paid for by UNISON and delegates are also given a subsistence grant to cover food costs.
If you would be interested in attending either conference or would just like some additional information please feel free to get in touch with me at r.sadler@shu.ac.uk
The next UNISON advice surgeries for members are detailed below. If you are interested in attending please contact Caroline Hammerton to book a space.
Wednesday 31 July 12 – 2pm (room tbc)
Wednesday 28 August 12 – 2pm (room tbc)
UNISON’s ‘Return to Learn’ and ‘Women’s Lives’ courses are a fantastic free opportunity for UNISON members who have been away from learning for a long time.
The courses are run in a friendly and supportive environment with the support of a WEA (Workers’ Educational Association) tutor experienced in working with adults.
UNISON is holding information sessions during the week commencing 8th July 2013. They will last for up to 2 hours.
The information sessions for ‘Return to Learn’ are as follows:
| Doncaster | Weds 10th July6.30 – 8.30 pm | The Point, 16 South Parade, Doncaster DN1 2DR | Sheila Smith01709 894931ssmith@wea.org.uk
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| Rotherham | Tues 9th July6.00 – 8.00 pm | The Unity Centre,St. Leonard’s Road, Rotherham S65 1PD | Gill Lawrence01709 709208/07966 588 482 glawrence@wea.org.uk
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| Wakefield | Monday 8th July6.30 – 8.30 pm | Thornhill Street Centre,Thornhill Street,Wakefield WF1 1NL | Christine Sharman01924 781 637/07966 255 790csharman@wea.org.uk
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The information sessions for ‘Women’s Lives’ are as follows:
| Sheffield | Tues 9th July6.00 – 8.00 pm | The Circle, Conference Room, 33 Rockingham Lane, Sheffield S1 4FW | Sue Taylor0791 7558 736staylor@wea.org.uk
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The courses will then commence in September.
‘Return to Learn’ consists of 16 study group sessions run in the evening for two and a half hours and one residential weekend.
‘Women’s Lives’ consists of 10 two-hour study group sessions and one residential weekend.
If you are interested in finding out more about these courses or would like to attend one of the information sessions please get in touch with our Equality Officer Rosa at r.sadler@shu.ac.uk or the relevant WEA contact listed by the session above.
Sheffield Left Unity will be holding their launch meeting from 1 – 5 pm on Saturday 29th June at the Central United Reform Church on Chapel Walk. The theme of the meeting is Crisis and Austerity – Why We Need Left Unity and speakers include Bianca Todd from the Left Unity Organising Committee and Stefanos Ioannou from Syriza UK.
Film director Ken Loach launched the Left Unity appeal back in March, and local groups are now forming. The text of the Left Unity appeal is below:
The welfare state is being dismantled by the coalition government, bringing great suffering to the most vulnerable in society and eroding the living conditions of millions of ordinary people. Worse still, the Labour Party is not presenting a strong opposition to austerity and instead appears to have wholeheartedly adopted neo-liberal policy, advocating its own brand of austerity and privatisation.
Ken Loach’s The Spirit of ’45 gives us a perspective on the achievements of the post-war generation, transforming the lives of ordinary people by bringing improved health, housing, education and social security to the people of Britain. We need to defend these achievements and continue the tradition of protecting the most vulnerable in society.
Support Ken Loach’s appeal to discuss the formation of a new political party of the Left to bring together those who wish to defend the welfare state and present an economic alternative to austerity:
Useful links:
The People’s Assembly is a national initiative to bring together anti-cuts campaigners, trade unionists and community activists and create a forum for social justice. It is supported by unions including UNISON, Unite, PCS and the NUT, as well as a range of well known activists including Tony Benn, Caroline Lucas, Ken Loach and Owen Jones.
The press launch for the People’s Assembly will be taking place on 22nd June in London. If you would like to attend you can register for the event online, more than 2500 people have booked so far. A coach for delegates is available from Sheffield (£15 waged, £5 unwaged) – to book a space on the coach email Carrie at carrie@burngreave.net or call her on 0751 079268.
One Sheffield Many Cultures and Sheffield Unite Against Fascism have organised another event for Satuday 8th June from 12 noon in Barkers Pool.
“Tommy Robinson”, EDL leader, has threatened to repeat the EDL’s attempted march to the war memorial at Barkers Pool on Saturday.
As Sheffield Central MP Paul Blomfield said: “The appalling murder of Drummer Lee Rigby has united people across communities in shock and condemnation.
“But the EDL are exploiting the tragedy to promote hatred and division. They create tension and violence. They’re not welcome in Sheffield. We should stand united, as Muslim and Christian leaders in the city have, to oppose all extremism.”