Dear Member
Hello Everyone and Happy Monday! We hope you enjoyed a restful weekend and if you were working at the weekend, we hope you have some time off soon.
Wirral Unison AGM
Don’t forget to register for our AGM on Wednesday at 5:30pm.Our guest speaker will be Paula Carlyle from Unison’s National Executive Committee, Paula addressed our first AGM last week and gave a truly inspiring speech that members won’t want to miss. Our new Schools Officer will be speaking on the current position regarding the return to full opening, and the future challenges. So follow the link to register for this week’s meeting.
Wed 3 March 5:30pm until 6:30pm https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0uc-qorTspE9LL2CZYSI8hVjjQO9jSyHum
TUC Online Rally- Call for a Workers Budget
Members can influence the Chancellor's budget this week. On Wednesday, Rishi Sunak will deliver his March budget. But this time things are different. The pandemic is still raging, unemployment is still rising, and thousands are forced to work in unsafe conditions.
Join the Shadow Chancellor and Unison General Secretary Christina McAnea and other union leaders at the TUC's online rally tomorrow to demand a Workers' Budget.
The more people that attend, the more significant our voice will be. Will you join in and stand up for workers’ rights at the TUC rally tomorrow? Sign up now so we can save a space for you:
There is still so much more to do to protect jobs, livelihoods and people's safety at work.
It is now time for a pay rise for all our key workers. For safe workplaces and decent sick pay. For fair funding of the NHS and public services. It is time to stand up for UNISON members and frontline workers across the country.
Together, we can influence this budget. We can protect jobs, livelihoods and improve safety. We can demand a Workers' Budget.
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Unions dismayed by delays on pay rise decision for council and school workers
On Friday 26 February, the three main local government unions called on employers to speed up the pay offer process, so council and school staff don’t have to wait months for the wage rise due in the spring. UNISON, GMB and Unite – which between them represent 1.4 million council and school employees – have called for a substantial increase to redress a decade of cuts and recognise the role played by staff in the pandemic. But along with the GMB and Unite, we have been told a 2021/22 rise will not even be considered until after the local elections on 6 May, despite staff being due a wage increase from 1 April.
In a joint letter to local government employers, the unions have demanded an explanation for the delay, pointing out that all councils already know their budgets for the financial year ahead. The three have also called for discussions to start on the pay offer as soon as possible.
In a jointly written letter, the unions have said “After years of falling real pay, staff urgently need a decent pay increase that begins to reward them fairly for the vital work they do. This delay is simply unfair.”
The three unions have submitted a pay claim for a rise of at least 10% for all council and school support employees in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Under the claim, the pay of the lowest paid workers would go above £10 per hour – lifting them above the real living wage of £9.50 per hour (outside London).
UNISON head of local government Jon Richards said: “There’s no reason for employers to delay. Councils know their budgets so staff who’ve been through the mill over the past year shouldn’t be left waiting months for a wage rise. Many local authority and school workers have faced risks keeping the country running during the pandemic. A prompt, decent pay rise will boost flagging morale, recognise the efforts of those who continue to give everything to keep communities safe and benefit local economies.”
Free Course- Understanding Public Sector Pensions
The Local Government Pension Scheme: A Free, Accredited, Distance Learning Course for Unison members as students of Stockport College. This course aims to help you:
- Understand different types of pension schemes
- Understand state and occupational pension schemes
- Understand your own pension scheme
- Understand how to improve your pension
- Answer your pension questions
The course has two component parts:
- A course book to read (with supporting handouts and internet links)
- A question booklet and a second set of questions to complete within a 2 week period. You work in your own time and at your own pace. There are no online meetings.
To start the course, you will need to complete a number of forms: 1) a College enrolment form 2) a course registration form for the tutor.
The course will be supported on email by DAVE McMONNIES your pension’s tutor and you will be able to ask your own specific questions and get a personalised answer. To enquire about enrolling on the course please email:
pensioneducationtraining@gmail.com
To complete the course, you will need:
a) easy access to a computer and email (not your phone)
b) ability to download Microsoft WORD documents
That’s all for today everyone; we hope that our email updates continue to provide helpful advice and information for members.
As always, please do share our updates on to colleagues and encourage them to JOIN UNISON if they haven’t already.
We’ll be back in touch soon with further updates.
In solidarity!
Your Wirral Unison Team
Central email: unison1@wirral.gov.uk
Telephone: 07899713498 or 07899715085
Published on: March 2, 2021