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The union branch representing over
9,000 members working for the City
of Edinburgh Council, related bodies
and the voluntary sector.
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Geoff Mitchell
Geoff Mitchell, Unite
the union Vice Convenor in Edinburgh,
passed away on the 22 August after a brave
and dignified fight against illness. He
was a steward in the Refuse section of
the Council and was respected by members,
trade union colleagues and management
as a dedicated, levelheaded and principled
man. We pass on our condolences to Geoff's
family, friends and his colleagues in
Unite who will miss him greatly.
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BUDGET
CUTS – UNISON STATEMENT
18 Aug: UNISON has expressed its
anger at the City of Edinburgh Council’s
announcement today to cut a further 16 million
with 300 jobs to go. It has called for an
emergency meeting with the council today.
Read full
statement |
|
 UNISON
is supporting a range of film events by
Take One Action over the next six weeks.
Click
here for details
|
 Countering
the cuts myths: As a growing number
of respected economists are saying public
service cuts are ideologically, not financially
driven, Red
Pepper magazine publishes a useful
guide to debunking the myths used to push
cuts to jobs and public services. |
| 6
Aug: Make Edinburgh
a safer place to work. Become a health and
safety rep. click here... |
| 3
Aug:
UNISON Evening News pay coverage | and
UNISON quoted in banking feature article. |
| 2
Aug:
Overwhelming rejection of local government
pay offer |
| 29
July:
Our City's Not for Sale: "Cuts
we face are ideological, not financial",
says UNISON in letter to Evening News >more... |
| 14
July: MODERNISING PAY: Some members
have been raising queries about the dismissal
and re-engagement letters. Click here for
more advice on completing them (pdf) |
| 5
July:
MODERNISING PAY: Letters
going out from Council today about dismissal
and re-engagement. If you have not signed
up voluntarily, you must sign this time.
Click here for more... |
 24
June: Branch
tells councillors "you cannot hide
from the responsibility for the disaster
privatisation will bring" |
|
UNISON City
of Edinburgh at National Conference 15-18
June Branch
sets national policy in five key areas.
Click here for details of policies and
speakers....
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'MODERNISING
PAY'
EMERGENCY GENERAL MEETING WEDNESDAY 9 JUNE
2010 6PM TO 8PM (at the latest) QUEENS HALL
85-89 Clerk Street Edinburgh - Open to all
members. |
 MODERNISING
PAY: As the council tries to get
you to volunteer to give up your contract,
UNISON says 'Don't Sign First Time' to keep
your legal rights. Special
UNISON News May 2010 (pdf)
3 June: PLEASE NOTE:
Council letters now coming out with two
questions, 'Accept' or 'Do Not Accept'.
'Don't Sign First
Time' means you should choose
the 'Do Not Accept'
option. |
 Newspaper
adverts step up 'Our City's Not For Sale'
campaign. Half page adverts are appearing
in the Evening News on 18 May and
the Metro on 19 May. Click
here to see the ad. |
|
 VOTE
in the General Secretary Election:
The general secretary
is the principal officer of our union,
the face of UNISON in the wider world
and the voice that speaks up for you.
That's why it is so important that you
have your say in electing our leader.
|
 16
March: BBC
1 Big Questions from Telford College.
Branch President backs public services versus
Cameron's £6 billion cuts and 'Big
Society smokescreen'. Click
here to see on BBC iplayer for the next
7 days. |
|
|
 Edinburgh
joins thousands from across Scotland in
Glasgow rally against cuts in public services.
Click
here for story and more pics |
 DON'T
SIGN FIRST TIME
New UNISONNews
Modernising Pay Update |
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Threatened
Staff Win UK Award
If It Ain’t Broke – Don’t Fix It:
Staff at the City of Edinburgh Council,
who face wholesale privatisation, have just
received a UK award for delivering efficiencies
that are unrivalled across the UK. (25 March) |
PRIVATE
CONSULTANTS COST COUNCILS £42 MILLION
Edinburgh
tops Scotland, spending £6.4 million
on consultants, including firm that endorsed
Lehman Brothers’ methods - leading to world
recession (23 March). |
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|
 Edinburgh
takes to streets to isolate racists: Thousands
of people demonstrated in Edinburgh peacefully
under the 'Scotland United' banner to further
humiliate the so-called English/Scottish
Defence League's attempt to bring its message
of hate to the city. |
Care
tender fiasco shows need to halt outsourcing
plans till Council can justify figures
3 Feb: In the wake of the £250,000
wasted on the flawed bid to re-tender care
services for vulnerable people, UNISON's
Edinburgh Branch has called on the Council
to halt it's 'new business model' outsourcing
plans and open up the books on its figures.
>>more
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| Union
fury at slap in face for low paid - unions
react with anger at 'CoSLA’s high-handed
dismissal of their pay claim'. |
 COME
TO YOUR AGM - Wed 10 Feb 2010
The year ahead:
‘Modernising Pay’, Outsourcing, Redundancies?,
Pay Cuts? - It has never been more important
that you attend your AGM! Click
here for details and a poster for your workplace |
|
20 Jan: EQUAL
PAY - EDINBURGH COUNCIL COMPENSATION
OFFERS: If you are being represented
by Thomsons Solicitors via UNISON, check
back here for further advce in the next
few days before going to any meeting.
You may be signing away your rights.
|
 UNISON
urges council to negotiate, not impose
Special briefing issued on Modernising Pay:
Up to date advice on what happens next..
(pdf) |
 UNISON
condemns redundancy and reduced hours plan
as Council faces biggest cuts ever
16 Jan: UNISON has reacted to a City
of Edinburgh Council memo to staff asking
them to take unpaid leave or shorter hours
while announcing up to 700 redundancies. |
| UNISON
calls for real talks as council serves notice
on 'Modernising Pay'. Instead
of imposing, the council should be talking
and finding ways to stop staff becoming
among lowest paid in Scotland (6 Jan) |
Unions
urge Edinburgh Council to save local economy
from unprecedented cuts
As the City of Edinburgh Council meets on
17 December to decide on a huge raft of
service cuts, unions will call on the council
to ‘work with them to save the local economy,
keep jobs in Edinburgh and stop local taxes
being exported into the private coffers
of big business.’ more..
|
| UNISON
Edinburgh's International Officer Matthew
Crighton reports on a Solidarity Delegation
to Venezuela August 2009 (pdf) (UNISON
Scotland site) |
 UNISON
mounts funeral procession for lost Community
Learning posts:
7 Dec: Edinburgh UNISON Branch members staged
a mock funeral procession in memory of community
learning services that have been cut and
are in danger of being cut further by the
City of Edinburgh Council. |
Work
together to save services or face biggest
dispute Edinburgh has ever seen, warns UNISON.
UNISON's John Ross warns that 'bad faith'
in consultation about cuts could lead to
huge disruption as the union fights to save
Edinburgh's local services.
 Council
staff are "not highly paid - some are
already the lowest paid in Scotland and
under the council's pay plans that would
get worse. They get no big bonuses, no cheap
mortgages and, at an average of £3,800 a
year across the UK, no 'gold-plated' pensions.
The very jobs that hold the city together
are under threat".
 "These
cuts will affect everyone. Those who depend
on the services, the staff that provide
them and the private companies that depend
on council contracts. These cuts are no
way to build out of a recession", warns
John Stevenson. >>more |
 BRANCH
IN ACTION AT THREE DEMONSTRATIONS
- G20 St Andrews, Jobs, Justice, Climate
- Scotland UNITED Rally against Fascism
and Racism
- No to NATO Demonstration
Click here for summaries
and photos |
'Modernising Pay': Branch
rejects proposals
1 Nov 09: Following
a lengthy and wide ranging consultation
throughout August and September including
nearly 40 meetings of members, online
enquiry forms and telephone queries, the
Branch gave a detailed response to Council
rejecting the package as its stands. A
formal response has just been received
and is being analysed. A full briefing
on the consultation and the issues involved
has gone out to members. Click
here for more details
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|
|
 Cuts
in home carers' pay will end up as profit
for private care directors - Labour
MSP Sarah Boyack backs Edinburgh Home Care
staff in parliament. She called for action
on Equal Pay and against hiving off jobs. |
| YOUR
Learning at Risk - Sign the Community Learning
and Development e-petition against cuts!
|
Dispute lodged as Council tears up agreements
and docks members' wages
REFUSE COLLECTION
ISSUE NOW AFFECTS ALL STAFF
7/9/09: While UNISON is not party to the
Refuse dispute, it is raising a formal
dispute due to management 'tearing up
agreements and procedures' and docking
the pay of UNISON members in that service.
UNISON members have had wages docked
due to alleged partial performance or
when legitimately on sick leave. UNISON
believes this is 'unlawful deduction of
wages' under Employment Law. It is also
contrary to all the agreed procedures
on disciplinary issues, sickness absence
and health and safety.
"This is no longer just an issue
for Refuse Collection staff but for all
council staff", said UNISON's
Kevin Duguid. "The Council
cannot be allowed to tear up agreed policies
and procedures. This aggressive action
can only make industrial relations worse
and casts doubts over whether the Council
will engage constructively on the whole
Single Status issue".
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| UNISON
makes voice heard on new Children’s Hearings
Bill (UNISON Scotland site) |
| Council
plans 'fail to meet equality criteria':
UNISON is taking further advice as specialist
reports suggest 'Modernising Pay' will not
deliver on equality >>more |
'Modernising
Pay' consultation meetings
 Click
here for pdf and online briefing - click
here for Single Status pages |
| UNISON
slams Edinburgh Council's attack on low
paid workers 9 July: UNISON, the
largest trade union representing Edinburgh
City Council workers, has slammed the council
for grossly underfunding its 'Modernising
Pay' proposals, resulting in 'an attack
on low paid workers'. |
Single Status/Modernising
Pay: City of Edinburgh Council
|
| Edinburgh's
Telford College: Photos
from demonstration 29 June |
|
National Conference
Reports: Branch policies on Environment
and Pensions carried
|
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Message
to FBU following death of Edinburgh firefighter
|
| 3
June: Unions react angrily to Edinburgh
'back to the future' threat of cuts and
privatisation The
main unions representing City of Edinburgh
Council workers, UNISON, Unite, GMB and
UCATT, have reacted angrily to a leaked
document outlining cuts, job losses and
privatisation as the council faces a £92
million shortfall. |
| Telford
College UNISON members vote to fight job
cuts as college bosses get big rises.
98% voted for possible
action in consultative ballot |
| 2
June: Single Status (Modernising Pay) talks
up and running again: The
Branch is preparing a full briefing for
members. Check back here and look out for
it in your workplace. |
BRANCH
AGM 2009 - Decisions
Check here for all
the decisions made at the 2009 AGM. Thanks
to all the members who attended. |
Evening
News 14 Feb: Job
cut fears as firms invited to bid for contracts
"If the work goes into private hands
then you are losing control which the council
should have", John Ross |
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