NHS strike ballot

Delegates at UNISON’s annual health care conference in Brighton have this week given an overwhelming ‘yes’ vote to an industrial action ballot over pay.

Speaker after speaker, angrily condemned the UK Government’s decision not to pay the full Pay Review Body award to NHS staff in England.

The UK government will only allow the pay award to be paid to staff at the top of theirincremental scale. And to add insult to injury, the pay rise will be non-consolidated. All other staff will not receive the pay award. This means

that 60% of NHS staff and 70% of nurses in England will not get any pay award this year.

Christina McAnea, UNISON’s Head of Health, said: “Demand for NHS services is increasing and funding has been cut regardless of what the Westminster Government says and they want you and our members to make up the shortfall by cutting pay and conditions.”

“We face a Government in England deliberately provoking us into a dispute and so no doubt they are already preparing for this. So we must

be prepared.”

The strike ballot will go ahead in England, but talks will be held over UNISON’s position in Scotland because of the different approach being taken by the Scottish Government.

Spanish Civil War Memorial unveiling in Motherwell - Saturday 20th July

On Saturday 20 July at 1pm a memorial to the International Brigaders from Lanarkshire will be unveiled in the Duchess of Hamilton Park in Motherwell. Funds for the memorial have been raised No Pasaran Memorial Committee North Lanarkshire. Contact no.pasarannl@yahoo.co.uk for more details.

Bedroom Tax Conference Saturday 29th June

There have been many comparisons made between the Bedroom Tax and the Poll Tax. Most of these are misplaced. The bedroom tax is much, much, worse than the Poll Tax.  Unlike the Poll Tax it only affects the poor  - and is specifically designed to drive them from their homes.

It is, as the STUC put it, “unfair, immoral and frankly absurd policy that will do nothing to improve the housing crisis that exists in this country”. There are there are steps that Councils and the Scottish Government can take but frankly we can’t rely on them. So the finale of the Austerity Uncovered tour the STUC are calling a Anti Bedroom Tax Conference in Edinburgh this Saturday. Try and be there.

The Spirit of 45'

It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a  time when Britain responded to crippling debts and chronic daily hardship with a decisive move to the left: nationalising industry, building council houses and creating brand new public services from scratch.

The fact that it’s hard to imagine now is exactly why Ken Loach has made ‘The Spirit of ’45’.
The film is at its most emotionally powerful when talking about the foundation of the NHS.
Harry Keen tells of when, as a junior GP, he visited a family on the day the NHS came into being. He had previously left some medicine for a child with a cough. I said, “How’s little Johnny?” And Johnny’s mother said, “Oh he’s fine.”

And I heard a lot of coughing and spluttering at the top of the stairs. I said, “He doesn’t sound terribly good, would you like me to go up and see him?” She said, “No, I’m sorry doctor, we can’t afford it.” And I said “Today, July the fifth, it will cost you nothing.” And I was able to go up, and I’ve never forgotten that moment in my life.

Later we hear about how the NHS is now being privatised in England.

 Extract of an article at:
www.redpepper.org.uk/days-of-hope-the-spirit-of-45
Spirit of 45
Film 4 at 9pm Tonight
www.film4.com/reviews/2013/the-spirit-of-45

1% Pay Rise Delayed

The 1% pay rise awarded to over 155,000 NHS Scotland staff has been hit by further delays.

The pay rise was due to be paid in April but health workers will now have to wait until June for the extra money in their pay packets.

Although the pay rise will be backdated to April staff may have to wait even longer for back payments.

Willie Duffy, Head of Health for UNISON Scotland said: "Clearly this is unacceptable. We signed off a circular instructing health boards to implement the pay rise, three weeks ago.

"I was assured the pay rise would be in the May pay packet. Our members will be angry about this given that they have had the pay rise in England, the North of Ireland and Wales and we are still waiting."

"I am going to be writing to the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Alex Neil, to express my anger at the way the whole process has been handled and the fact we were assured it would be paid in May. I will be asking for an explanation from him as to why it has not been."

Hundreds of health workers win backdated maternity leave public holidays

Women health workers in Scotland are to receive backdated public holidays they were wrongly denied while on maternity leave.

NHS mums, including nurses, physiotherapists, cleaners, midwives, admin workers and other staff, could receive up to seven days if they were in full time posts. Women who have had more than one period of maternity leave since 2008 would be due backdated holidays for each period.

UNISON, the public services union, took up the case after the NHS employees, were told they could not accrue public holidays on top of their annual leave, while they were off on maternity leave.

Willie Duffy, the UNISON lead on the NHS, said that management conceded an argument first raised and won by the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde UNISON branch.

He said: “As a result of UNISON’s efforts, potentially hundreds of women in the NHS will be getting back some backdated annual leave that they were refused previously.

“We knew that we were right to argue this should apply Scotland wide. The employers have agreed we were correct and agreed to implement it from April 2012. However, at first they would not backdate this any further.

“I am pleased that the employers side has now accepted that they made a mistake which they are committed to fixing and will backdate it to April 2008.”

Queen’s Speech

The Queen’s Speech sets out the UK Government’s legislative programme for the coming session. Most Bills do not apply to Scotland to any significant degree. This briefing covers the main points of interest.

Immigration Bill: This bill is designed to make it easier to deport people who do not have the right to stay in the UK, and to prevent immigrants accessing services to which they are not entitled. It covers Scotland and in addition to directly impacting on overseas members it will impact on public service staff who have to make the additional checks. This is more about political positioning post the UKIP electoral success in England last week.

Pension Bill: This will introduce a single-tier state-pension system, replacing the current basic state pension and earnings-related top-up from April 2016. The bill will also bring forward the increase in the retirement age to 67 by eight years, between 2026 and 2028. We have covered these changes in the Scottish Pensions Bulletin and it will involve increases in NI contributions for members and employers.

National Insurance Bill: The cost to small businesses of employing people will be cut through a £2,000 employment allowance. This may also help small voluntary organisations. It also aims to stop the use of offshore companies that are sometimes used by companies to avoid paying their National Insurance contributions.

Consumer Rights Bill: Will update consumer-protection laws (including Scotland) so they cover digital purchases such as downloaded music and e-books. Trading Standards will be granted new powers, such as being able to get a court to order a trader to pay compensation when consumer law is breached.

De-regulation Bill: A further attack on workers rights under the guise of reducing the amount of regulation with which businesses, individuals and public bodies have to comply. Measures include exempting from health-and-safety legislation people who are self-employed and whose work poses no risk of harm to other people, and removing the ability of  employment tribunals to make wider recommendations in successful discrimination cases. A Scottish Bill on de-regulation in devolved areas has recently been introduced in the Scottish Parliament.

Overall there is little in this programme to tackle the big issues facing Scotland or the UK. UNISON General Secretary, Dave Prentis, said: “It’s a typical Tory tactic to distract attention from the real problems we face by fostering a ‘blame immigrants’ culture, instead of tackling the huge divide between the rich and the poor. This government should face facts and accept that its policies are not working for the majority of people.”