ISS update

UNISON Lanarkshire Health Branch has issued a consultative ballot to all members employed within ISS at Hairmyres Hospital. This followed on from the plans by ISS at a UK level to cut weekend enhancements from staff’s salary if they are off sick. UNISON believes this is an unacceptable attack on staffs terms and conditions which needs to be resisted. The consultative ballot asks members to confirm whether they would take action short of strike action or strike action in the event that ISS introduce these cuts. The Branch has also issued petitions to stewards and members asking that they urge the wider NHS family in Lanarkshire to sign the petition to demonstrate their support for their fellow workers in ISS. We would urge to sign the petition if you are asked.

THE SWINNEY TAX

John Swinney (SNP Finance Secretary) told the Scottish Parliament last week that the UK Government had confirmed its intention to increase public sector worker pension contributions in the coming year, as part of a move to increase contributions by an average of 3.2% per cent of pensionable pay by 2014-15.

The Scottish Government could choose not to impose the increases however it did impose them in 2012/13 and it is planning to do so again in 2013/14 and 2014/15. The additional contributions do not go towards pensions, they are simply a tax on public sector workers.

Dave Watson, UNISON Scotland Organiser said: “We agree that these pension changes are being driven by Westminster, but Scottish Government ministers could do something different on this if they wanted to – and they have decided not to.”

A special meeting of UNISON Scotland’s Health Committee will take place within the next two weeks to discuss further industrial action.

Updating the Scottish Council on the NHS pensions dispute in Scotland, Tom Waterson told delegates that it is now clear that it is the Scottish Government that is choosing to impose the pensions tax on health workers in Scotland.  Tom described the Scottish Government pensions tax as ‘The Swinney Tax’.

STRIKE AGAINST CUTS IN PAY, JOBS, SERVICES AND PENSIONS

UNISON’s Scottish Council has voted unanimously to step-up its campaign to defend pay, jobs, services and pensions by organising co-ordinated strike action at its meeting held on Saturday 1st December.

The motion approved by the Council stated:

‘This meeting notes that the political parties in the Scottish Parliament and local councils are making the overall level of cuts in public spending asked of them by the UK Government.’

‘Much of the UK Government’s policy programme is a direct or indirect attack on jobs, wages, pensions and services which UNISON can never agree to. The UK Government’s wider austerity measures, attacks on welfare benefits and overall management of the economy represent further attacks on working people and the most vulnerable in our society.’

DEFEND JOBS, WAGES, PENSIONS AND SERVICES

‘The trade union movement must now step-up its campaign to defend jobs, wages, pensions and services by organising co-ordinated strike action across all sectors of the economy.’

ONE-DAY STRIKE ACROSS SCOTLAND

‘This meeting therefore agrees that UNISON Scotland immediately take the necessary steps to promote with all STUC affiliated trade unions and other professional organisations the need for a co-ordinated industrial action strategy beginning with a one-day strike across Scotland, and to co-ordinate the strike with any action by trade unions at a UK level as appropriate.

UNISON protesters lobby Health Minister as Scotland launches further industrial action on pensions

UNISON Scotland will on Monday 5 March launch a further round of industrial action on changed proposed to NHS pensions.

Ayrshire & Arran Health Board will be the first of several Boards in Scotland to receive notice for strike to take place in the week of 12th March. This will involve staff working in the Central Decontamination Unit at Ayrshire Central Hospital.

That facility is on Monday 5 March being officially opened by Cabinet Secretary Nicola Sturgeon. Protesters will make it known that UNISON’s 50,000 members in health expect a Scottish solution to all aspects of pensions changes including the year 1 increases to employee contributions of up to 2.4%.

Mike Kirby, Scottish Secretary of UNISON, said:

“Health workers in Scotland will be the major group to face the brunt of contributions increases which even the Scottish Government says are unwanted and unnecessary.

"Scottish Ministers should delay these changes to allow negotiations in NHS Scotland to find alternatives which don’t involve taking money out of Scottish health workers' pockets to give to the Treasury as a windfall tax.”

Tom Waterson, chair of UNISON Scotland's Health Committee said:

“We had hoped to bring the Scottish Government to the table to negotiate on the pension tax due to start in April 2012.

"It is not too late for further industrial action to be avoided, and for the pension tax increases to be delayed to allow a negotiated settlement.”

PENSION BALLOT SOON

UNISON's Head of Health, Christine McAnea said “This week our health service activists met and voted to finalise negotiations with the employers on the outstanding issues in the Heads of Agreement.”

www.unison.org.uk/acrobat/B5773.pdf

But if negotiations should break down at any point, or if our members vote to reject the offer, our live ballot means we can still take strike action".

“This decision is an important stepping stone to a final agreement. Talks will now enter a final stage, due to conclude in the next few weeks.”

“We will then consult our health service members in a ballot. Pensions are such an important issue to our members and their families, it is only right that they get the final say on their future.”

PENSIONS UPDATE

UNISON’s elected representatives have voted to give the union’s negotiators the

green light to continue negotiations on changes to public sector pensions.

At a pensions summit in London this week, the feedback from every UNISON region was that the majority of branches and members backed continuing negotiations. The summit discussed

the details of the proposals for the Local Government and NHS pension schemes and agreed to the frameworks negotiators have developed with UK Government ministers since November 30.

At the summit, General Secretary Dave Prentis made it clear that UNISON took action for industrial reasons, because negotiations broke down. But the strength of the action brought UK Government ministers back to the table to negotiate properly. He said: “We will carry on negotiating over pensions - because that's what we do as a trade union and because it's what our members want. But at the same time - we are still in dispute and our industrial action ballot is still valid for further action if needed.”

These frameworks cover the schemes in England and Wales although, particularly in the NHS, they have implications for the Scottish pension schemes.

UNISON’s approach to the next stage in Scotland was set out by UNISON Scottish Convener Lillian Macer who said: “As the Scottish Government has the responsibility to address these issues in Scotland we call upon Scottish Government Ministers to explore a distinct Scottish solution for the public service workforce."

www.unison.org.uk/acrobat/B5773.pdf

There is a separate NHS pension scheme in Scotland but it has closely followed the England and Wales scheme because the UK Treasury funds it and therefore has a veto over the scheme regulations.

The NHS Scotland Staff Side Trade Unions have written to the Cabinet Secretary for Health to formally request specific NHS meetings to explore, in the words of the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, “practicable and workable alternatives to the proposed increases”.

This initiative is aimed at exploring the prospects of a Scottish solution. As in local government, the separate Scottish NHS ballot remains live.

The offer known as ‘The Heads of Agreement’ is at: