Scottish Women's Convention Survey on Women's Health

Please click the link below to complete a survey on part of the SWC's overall work on women's health in Scotland.  They want to build a comprehensive overview of diagnosis, treatment and support for a range of health issues which are specific to women.

Scottish Women's Convention Survey on Women's Health

2018 PAY AWARD UPDATE

Your Branch is concerned that our members are seeing many reports, and comments on, current movements on NHS pay from other sources. We have therefore compiled this brief update to ensure that you are fully aware of the actual facts in relation to pay discussions:
         

• The Framework Agreement on pay and proposed reform of Agenda for Change dated March 21st 2018 applies to England only. It does NOT apply to Scotland
•  UNISON is the only trade union that has lodged a specific pay claim with the Scottish Government.
• UNISON’s pay claim remains to be one that is higher than inflation and not only is a real pay increase for our members but begins to reclaim money not paid to our members over the past seven years.
• UNISON have met with the Scottish Government twice in the last week to discuss our Scottish pay claim and we will be meeting them again on March 26th.
• It was less than nine months ago that the Government was saying that their policy of a 1% public sector pay cap would remain in place until at least 2020. The last pay offer for this year pay had increased the offer to 3%, proof that UNISON’s ‘Pay Up Now’ campaign was proving a major success.
• The Scottish Government promised hard working staff that the pay award would be in people’s pockets by April 1st but have now reneged on that. When final agreement is reached the pay award will be backdated to April 1st but we know our members need that money now, not when the Government can be bothered to get around to paying it.
• UNISON is led by our members and it is our members who will decide the way forward. Therefore when UNISON has concluded negotiations with the Scottish Government members will then decide whether they accept an offer or not.
• It is UNISON who have forced the Scottish Government to triple their original pay offer this year, it is UNISON who will continue to fight for and campaign for Fair Pay in the NHS.

If you want to be a member of the trade union that drives up pay in Scotland and the trade union that the Scottish Government know they have to listen to and negotiate with, then UNISON is the trade union for you.

Contact the Orkney Health branch on: Ork-hb.unison@nhs.net or 07887414409

Young Members are NOT 'the future'

November is officially Young Workers’ Month. Though we know many UNISON members will always be young at heart, in UNISON members count as ‘young’ if they are 27 or under.

So to celebrate Young Workers’ Month, we caught up with 27 members who are under 27.

Young workers are not ‘the future.’ They’re here right now. All too often young workers’ views are overlooked, their development neglected, and their pay and conditions worse than older workers, even if they do exactly the same job.

UNISON is working for a better deal for young workers...

To read more please see the link below:

https://medium.com/@UNISON/meet-the-young-members-of-the-trade-union-movement-a52663d18bab

Healthy Workplaces for all Ages

In association with Health & Safety Week which runs from 23rd-29th October please find below a link to an interactive guide for Health Workplaces for all ages:

https://worker.eguides.osha.europa.eu/UK_en/list-themes

UNISON supports the campaign for safer and healthier work, so promotes the European Health and Safety Week and the UK National Inspection Day on the Wednesday of the Week.

This year’s theme remains  “Healthy workplaces for all ages” and good workplace design and well managed health and safety benefit all of those at work; whether young, old, or in-between.

Changes in life expectancy and pension provision means that more workers will stay at work as they age.  Apprenticeship schemes as an alternative to schooling may see more young people at work.

Employers must look after the health and safety of all employees; but particularly consider vulnerable groups such as older or younger workers, or women of child-bearing age.  Working for longer, and the fact that children now grow up with computers, may also result in longer exposure to risks (musculoskeletal or otherwise).

Older workers are more likely to suffer disabilities and long term health problems so measures such as rehabilitation and return to work will become more important.

So UNISON encourages employers and branches to work together.

Pay Up Now! – Scrap the pay cap and give public servants a meaningful pay rise

UNISON have set up a petition to be presented to the UK Government and Parliament asking them to "Scrap the Pay Cap" and give public servants a meaningful pay rise. 

Every single person who works in public services needs and deserve a pay rise. It’s time for the pay cap to be scrapped, for the government to provide additional funding for public sector pay and for employers to put public sector workers pay up now.

For more than seven years, everyone who works in public services has seen their pay decline, thanks to the public sector pay cap. Inflation is currently at 2.9%, meaning that the cap is a significant annual pay cut for those public service champions – nurses, care workers, teaching assistants, social workers and so many others - who work for all of us. Public sector pay has risen by just 4.4% between 2010 and 2016 while the cost of living rose by 22%.

Sign this petition

SCRAP THE CAP CAMPAIGN

UNISON have launched a summer of campaign activity calling on the Scottish government to scrap the cap on NHS pay rises, which will include the union and members lobbying Scottish Government Ministers on pay as they carry out their annual round of NHS Board Reviews.

UNISON branches and members across Scotland will be using the summer and autumn to secure a fair deal for NHS workers.

We are the NHS union. We represent almost 60,000 NHS workers across Scotland. And we have been critical of governments and the Independent Pay Review Body after a series of below inflation pay rises awarded to NHS workers across the UK.

The UK government’s continued austerity has lead to another real terms cut in the pay of NHS workers. Too many politicians are always happy to praise the work of our loyal and dedicated NHS staff, yet they refuse to deliver a fair deal on pay.

UNISON welcome the Scottish government’s recognition that the pay cap is hurting NHS workers and cannot continue. However, it is now time for that recognition to be turned into positive action.

SCRAP THE CAP CAMPAIGN DATES AROUND SCOTLAND:

• 3 July NHS Ayrshire and Arran
• 6 July NHS Fife
• 20 July NHS Border for Pay Review Board evidence gathering session
• 21 August NHS Shetland
• 31 August NHS Highland
• 8 September NHS Lanarkshire
• 29 September NHS Lothian
• 2 October NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
• 16 October NHS Tayside

Tomorrow - help get the vote out

Our members and public services need everyone to use their vote Tomorrow is election day: a vital day for the future of our country and our public services. Please help in making sure that as many union members as possible have their say through the ballot box – and use your vote yourself! As general secretary Dave Prentis wrote this week: “Every single vote is going to matter. “It is not for me to tell you how you should vote. I am well aware that UNISON members will have their own opinions and you’ll be making up your own mind. “But as UNISON’s general secretary, my priority is to protect jobs and to fight for our public services. “That’s why I’ll be voting Labour.”