London demands that Coalition drop NHS Bill

Last night a packed Central Hall in Westminster demanded that the Con Dem Government drop their pernicious NHS and Social Care Bill. Trade Union leaders, health workers, patients, politicians, celebrities and doctors queued up to give an unequivocal message, that this Bill will destroy the NHS and we may have less than two weeks to save it. http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/mar/07/save-nhs-rally-health-bill

All together to save the NHS

Today thousands of health workers will descend on Central Hall in Westminster for a rally mobilising opposition to the Con Dem NHS & Social Care Bill which the TUC says is 'the biggest threat the NHS has ever seen.' The rally starts at 6PM and speakers include UNISON NEC member Mary Locke and General Secretary Dave Prentis: http://www.tuc.org.uk/
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Thousands rally against cuts at Westminster

Thousands of public sector workers have packed Central Hall to capacity with standing-room only as they protest against the coalition government's plans for huge cuts in public spending. Messages from the rally are giving us updates on events.

Lib Dems crash but we still need to get the message across

YouGov’s daily polling for the Sun has topline figures of CON 40%, LAB 40%, LDEM 9%, Others 10%. It’s the first time YouGov have shown the Lib Dems dropping into single figures, and the first time any pollster has shown them at such a low level since 1997. But the 40% backing for the Tories still means there's a lot of organising work to do.

'No to public service cuts which harm women' - Angela Lynes, UNISON President

The UNISON 2011 Women’s Conference, meeting in Harrogate Yorkshire, yesterday heard a fighting speech from UNISON President Angela Lynes.

Regional pay in the public sector - Westminster Hall debate

Last November Tory Chancellor George Osborne announced a review of public sector pay with a view to introducing regionalised pay bargaining. Yesterday the proposals were debated in Westminster Hall and a number of MP's made impressive interventions including Labour's Chi Onwurah (Newcastle upon Tyne Central) who said 'we should remember that salaries at the lower end of the public sector, as in the private sector, are not those on which a family—or often even an individual—can live.

Now is the time to fight: President's speech in full

#uNDC11 Conference, guests, family and friends – good morning to you and welcome to Manchester. I would like to start by telling you a bit about me, I have worked in Local Government in Glasgow for 24 years, I am married to John and have two children Jack who is 15 and Rachel who is 14. I became involved in Nalgo when I spoke up at a union meeting during a dispute and the next thing I knew I was a steward, the Convenor, who I believe is in the hall said “I wouldn’t take a burst pay packet home to her”.

Cuban solidarity - a two way street‏

It is over four years since the European Trade Union Solidarity Conference with Cuba and Latin America took place in London’s City Hall and over 260 delegates representing more than 70 trade unions from 20 countries came together to participate in a unique event of friendship and solidarity organised by the British Trades Union Congress and Cuba Solidarity Campaign.

NHS reform could bring Government down - Toynbee

The Reclaiming Our NHS conference held in Central London yesterday, was a major success. A packed hall at Friends Meeting House heard keynote addresses from Frances O’Grady, TUC Deputy General Secretary, and Dr Jacky Davis of the BMA. After eight wide ranging break out sessions and report backs, a Question Time panel session was held including Guardian journalist Polly Toynbee who stated that ‘NHS reform could be the issue that brings down the (Con Dem) Government’:
http://www.nhscampaign.org/reclaiming/reclaiming-the-nhs-analysis.html

UNISON members to decide on New LGPS after ultra left routed

#undc12 Yesterday, the local government service group conference decisively backed a composite, moved by Manchester branch (see below), which called for a "an inclusive, thorough and democratic consultation process” on the new LGPS scheme due to be introduced by 2014. Desperate attempts by a sectarian minority to pre-empt member consultation and deliver a UNISON rejection for their political parties, regardless of the merits of the proposals, were seen off in a two hour debate:
http://www.unison.org.uk/news/news_view.asp?did=7866

UNISON up for the fight in Local Government

#uNDC14 At UNISON's local government service group conference, Glen Williams, SGE Chair, gave a wide ranging review of the union's work over the past 12 months: 'If you have had chance to read the Annual Report then you will see how much work goes on in the background by Officers and the Members that you elect. I cannot possibly do justice to the daily resistance that goes on in Local Government and have tried only to give you a flavour of the challenge but a sense we are also up for the fight and there is so much great work going on in Regions and Branches, far too much to mention in this report'.
   Full speech below.

Future Directions - a strategy of expansion through exploitation

#TUC13 Congress delegates were alerted to the important UNISON dispute at Rochdale during yesterday's debate on local government services. Angela Rayner moving UNISON's motion said: "in the North West, there is ongoing industrial action in Rochdale where UNISON members have come face to face with the consequences of employers using outsourcing to lower costs by paying workers less. Through the Future Directions social enterprise, the local foundation trust can pay care workers less than they would be entitled to as direct health trust or local authority employees. Staff are having their employment transferred to inferior terms and conditions – a strategy of expansion through exploitation'
http://www.unison.org.uk/news/tuc-save-local-government
Full speech below:

Report of UNISON FE Seminar held 8-9 April 2011

I attended my first FE and 6th Form College Seminar the following is a personal account of the inspiring and well organised event in Leeds over two days.

Outsourcing in the era of austerity - diminishing returns?

The FT today carries an interesting report on ‘growing scepticism’ in central and local government over the potential savings to be achieved by outsourcing of services, despite the worst efforts of the public sector industrial complex. David Hall, director of the Public Services International Research Unit at Greenwich University, says: “What is interesting is that despite the biggest austerity package in postwar history the outsourcing route has not been seen as a way of delivering significant cost savings. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b01353c2-27d0-11e1-9433-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1kOo6dZTF

UNISON members resist Barnet Council's attempt to break strike

The long running dispute in Barnet reached a new low yesterday when the Tory Council threatened financial detriment to 400 UNISON members taking part in today’s half day strike against a large scale programme of privatisation: www.barnetunison.
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Save our NHS - all roads lead to MCR on 29 September!

#undc13 The Con Dem coalition poses the biggest threat to the existence of the NHS in its 65 year history - a theme which ran through many debates at conference and was fully addressed by Composite D on NHS Campaigning. The motion was moved by Debra Turner (pictured) of Central Lancashire health branch who called on members to 'work with other trade unions, patient groups, community organisations to fight for the future of the NHS. We need to take our message and our vision to our communities'.  Debra's full speech can be read below...
http://www.unison.org.uk/news/news-articles/conference-says-nhs-privatisation-gravy-train-must-be-stopped