Branch News
15 October:
Edinburgh Council censors critical report as UNISON
launches privatisation pledge
In response UNISON has launched a Privatisation
Pledge - the union will be asking elected
politicians to oppose privatisation of services
until there has been full public consultation
and proper scrutiny
PRIVATISATION:
ACT NOW!
Public
Meeting 7pm Mon 24 October, Appleton Tower,
Edinburgh University
Lobby the
Council: 08.30-10.00 Thurs 27 October,
City Chambers, High Street
Subs:
Click here for forms if your subscriptions
are wrong after the Council's yearly review
20
September 2011: Suspended staff statement
10 Sept: Edinburgh United
The branch banner joined a march and rally today
by Unite Againt Fascism, trade unions, students,
faith groups, political parties and politicians
which dwarfed a static demonstration by the so-called
Scottish Defence League and other far right group
Pics..>>
We've
moved! From 26 August 2011
UNISON City of Edinburgh Branch has moved to 10
Infirmary Street, Edinburgh EH1 1LT Phone: 0131
558 7488 Fax: 0131 558 7041
Click here for details.
14 August 2011:
Edinburgh citizens to get 'long overdue' chance
to quiz politicians on privatisation:
Edinburgh citizens will get a 'long overdue' chance
to quiz politicians about the council's privatisation
plans at a public meeting called by unions on
Monday 15 August.
1 August 2011: Edinburgh
privatisation 'worse than the trams' say unions
as communities take action Unions have
warned that the fall-out from Edinburgh council's
£1billion privatisation plans could be 'worse
than the trams', as citizens take things into
their own hands by organising public meetings
across the city to demand answers from the council.
28 June 2011: Edinburgh
must delay privatisation decision until public
have their say: A packed public consultation
organised by UNISON last night (27 June) heard
calls for Edinburgh's Lib Dem/ SNP council to
delay its £1 billion privatisation plans until
the public is properly consulted.
16 May 2011: Suspended
staff statement As a trade union we do
not comment on the details of disciplinary matters
but such has been the publicity created by the
recent suspensions in a council department (Seven
more suspended in fraud probe, News, May 11),
we feel there is a need to set some of the record
straight
8 March 2011: Save
Edinburgh's Jobless Services Campaign takes the
message to Holyrood: 'Save services that help
jobless into work'
19 Feb 2011: Cuts
debate (and tourist tax) goes global
MayDay
March and Rally 7 May, Couldn't make
it to London on 26 March? Then you had another
chance to show your opposition to cuts in services
and jobs: Organised
by Edinburgh People's Festival. Click here for
video and pics of the March and Rally.
Unions
back temperature survey at Waverley Court and
Chesser House
See
Health and Safety Pages for details
International
Workers Memorial Day Edinburgh 28 April 2011
The Edinburgh event took place at 12 O'clock on
28 April 2011 at the Memorial Tree, West Princes
Street Gardens, Edinburgh. Click
here for photos and speech by Branch President
Ayr
2011 Reports on all the UNISON speakers
Edinburgh
motions on 26
March Rally - What next?, Stop the Cuts
and
UAF passed
by Scottish Council 16 April
UNISON
launches safety guide for social workers:
The new guide – Keeping
Safe in the Workplace – aims to help social
workers recognise when they are becoming overloaded
at work and to seek support from their employers,
trade union or professional association when needed.>>more
Attack on Our Pensions: Government
will use Hutton report to raid our pensions
Click here for full details
8 March 2011: Save Edinburgh's Jobless
Services Campaign takes the message to Holyrood:
'Save services that help
jobless into work' Update:
Campaign success staves off cuts
- Click here for press
release
Cuts debate
(and tourist tax) goes global
Evening News opinion piece and over 150 google
hits for branch call to save services 19 Feb
2011 >>more..
11 Feb 2011: UNISON
says fight goes on after Blindcraft closure
More than 200 years of emloyment opportunities
for people with disabilities has ended with the
closure of Blindcraft in Edinburgh
10 Feb 2011:
ABANDON PRIVATISATION AND SAVE SERVICES, UNISON
TELLS EDINBURGH COUNCIL ON BUDGET DAY
Members of UNISON's Edinburgh branch to urge the
council to protect front line services, avoid
compulsory redundancies and abandon 'wasteful'
privatisation plans.
10 Feb: 17.15: Edinburgh budget
goes through despite protests
The Edinburgh Lib Dem/ SNP budget, threatening
1,200 jobs, has been voted through on the casting
vote of the Lord Provost. Labour's alternative
budget which would have avoided compulsory redundancies,
protected services to the most vulnerable and
set a living wage of at least £7.15 for the lowest
paid, was beaten. More
to follow on blog
If
the need hasn't gone away, why should the services?
Lobby against the cuts: Thurs 10 February City
Chambers, High Street.
Click
here for the Branch's briefing for councillors.
7 Feb 2011:
UNISON
to meet with Joint Trade Unions to discuss a pay
claim to tackle low pay
The proposed claim, for a single year, would focus
on a flat rate to benefit lower paid workers and
would press for employers to introduce a Living
Wage. Click
here for more details on UNISON Scotland
15 December 2010: UNISON
TO CHALLENGE EDINBURGH COUNCIL ON CUTS AND NEW
DAMNING EVIDENCE ON PRIVATISATION PLANS
UNISON will call for an immediate halt to privatisation
at Edinburgh City Council at a lobby of the Council
tomorrow (16th December) after it was revealed
that two of the private bidders had not revealed
criminal convictions arising from fatal workplace
accidents.
16 November 2010:
UNISON VOWS TO FIGHT CLOSURE OF BLINDCRAFT
UNISON and the other trades unions at Blindcraft
have vowed to fight the closure of its renowned
beds factory in Edinburgh as they join with workers
to lobby the City of Edinburgh Council meeting
on 18 November. more>>
21 October 2010: Unions'
fury as Edinburgh Council reneges on pay protection
promise The joint unions representing
Edinburgh Council staff have condemned the Council
for reneging on its promises to staff about three-year
pay protection if they lost out under ‘Modernising
Pay’. more>>
30 September 2010: Council
must listen to public on saving services
With the revelation in today's Evening News
that 7 out of 10 of Edinburgh residents would
rather pay more in tax than lose services, UNISON
has called on the Council to listen to the public
properly and abandon the 'fixed' consultation.
more>>
14 September 2010: EDINBURGH
CUTS SAVAGE AND UNNECESSARY has slammed
cuts to be announced by the City Council as 'savage
and unnecessary'. The union has also criticised
the release of details to the press before unions
and the workers whose jobs are affected are told.
18 August 2010:
BUDGET CUTS – UNISON STATEMENT
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.
29 July 2010:
Selling Edinburgh off will come at great cost
to us all
Letter in Evening News 29/7/10
24 June 2010:"You
cannot hide from the responsibility for the disaster
privatisation will bring"
Branch Officers told councillors on 24 June
that they 'cannot hide from the responsibility
for the disaster privatisation will bring', as
they outlined UNISON's concerns about plans to
move to the next stage of the process to outsource
up to 3,500 jobs.
25 March 2010: 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.
24 March 2010: 'Our
City's Not For Sale' campaign launched
5 March 2010: GMB
ballot joint statement: (5/3/10) As there
are significant factual inaccuracies within the
GMB's communication, the Council, UNISON and
Unite the Union have decided to take the unusual
step of issuing this joint
Modernising Pay update to all Council
staff ....more>>
10 Feb 2010:
No council worker gambled millions on the stock
exchange. Why should they have to pay the price
of cuts in Edinburgh? - UNISON
3 Feb 2010:
Care tender fiasco shows need to halt outsourcing
plans till Council can justify figures - UNISON
16 Jan 2010: UNISON
condemns redundancy and reduced hours plan as
Council faces biggest cuts ever
6 Jan 2010: UNISON
calls for real talks as council serves notice
on 'Modernising Pay'
2009
17 Dec 09:
Unions urge Edinburgh Council to save local economy
from unprecedented cuts
7 Dec 09: UNISON
mounts funeral procession for lost Community Learning
posts
23 Nov 09: Work
together to save services or face biggest dispute
Edinburgh has ever seen
1 Nov 09:
'Modernising Pay': Branch rejects proposals
1 Oct 09: Cuts
in home carers' pay will end up as profit for
private care directors - Boyack.
7 Sept 09: Dispute
lodged as Council tears up agreements and docks
members' wages
Council
plans 'fail to meet equality criteria': UNISON
is taking further advice as specialist reports
suggest 'Modernising Pay' will not deliver on
equality >>more
9 June 2009: UNISON
slams Edinburgh Council's attack on low paid workers
3 June
2009: Unions react angrily to Edinburgh 'back
to the future' threat of cuts and privatisation
1 June
2009: Telford UNISON members vote to fight job
cuts as college bosses get big rises
1 May 2009:
MayDay Address: Night for Gaza – Newtongrange
Miners Club 1 May 2009
1
Feb 09: UNISON slams press reports on adoption
case: UNISON slams press
attack on social work staff and urges members
and public to keep 'open mind' on 'unfair' adoption
reports because confidentiality rules means those
attacked cannot respond.
2008
30 Nov: Branch
thanks members as council set to pay out back
money before Christmas
11 Nov: Edinburgh
home help takes equal pay lawyer to court:
04 Sept:
Edinburgh's social work managers call for action
against 'unsafe' cuts
03 Sept:
Union disbelief as Edinburgh replaces child protection
jobs with finance managers
25 Aug:
UNISON slams cuts in Edinburgh's childrens services
20 Aug:
Action will go on for fair pay, Dave Prentis tells
Edinburgh pickets
29 July:
Members call for 'unsafe' Social Work cuts to
be exposed and warn action inevitable if staff
and clients not protected
28 July
08: Edinburgh Children's Social Work risks meltdown
warns UNISON
20
May 08: Single Status talks - Update and Joint
Trade Union Briefing
9
May 2008: BRANCH CONSULTATION REJECTS PAY OFFER
but "disappointing number of members responding"
30
April 08: Crunch talks for single status
Talks expected to bring the long saga of Single
Status negotiations to a head, will start on 6
May 2008
28
April: EQUAL PAY COMPENSATION OFFERS: Click here
for more details
21 April:
HAVE YOUR SAY ON PAY! "The union
is recommending rejection of the 2.5% three year
offer. We will be consulting via stewards and
meetings as to whether you accept or reject the
offer. Or you can respond
here online before 9 May"
11
April 08: Social Work Inspection Edinburgh - Initial
UNISON Response: Resources are the key
to decent services.
9
April 08: Pay Offer Rejected "Negotiators
managed improve the offer from 2.2%, then to 2.3%
and now to 2.5%. But 2.5% in each of the next
three years is still not good enough."
20
March 08: UNISON response to Children & Families
Organisational Review "The union
does not believe that an exercise so strongly
driven by the need to make cuts can arrive at
best considered decisions about service delivery
and meeting the needs of children and families.
19
Feb 2008: Pay Offer Rejected "It
doesn't approach the current rate of inflation,
let alone begin to catch up the loss staff have
suffered over recent years"
19 Feb
2008: UNISON slams Edinburgh 'stealth cuts'
and warns of crisis for front line services
21 Dec:
UNISON makes up for Council residential home Scrooges
Union steps in after reports that Council budget
cuts will scrap the traditional Christmas Day
after-dinner chocolates in homes for the elderly
and young people this year.
20 Dec:
Leafletting starts against home care cuts
29 Nov:
UNISON fury at Council's shared services spin.
800 jobs at risk. Union warns it will strike against
redundancies
Edinburgh
Burma motion passed by LGBT Conference
Equal
Pay: 'Quick fix' deal with lawyers won't resolve
problem. UNISON fights on for fair pay and
compensation for all staff.
Child
Protection Inspection: UNISON welcomes praise
for work of frontline staff and calls for national
debate on the crisis in resources for vulnerable
children
Cuts:
Talks bring some movement but still no guarantees
on redundancies.
16 Aug:
Edinburgh workers vote for strike against cuts
and redundancies
23 July
2007: Strike ballot as UNISON mounts action
against Edinburgh cuts
11 April
2007: Edinburgh's local government union warns
council income tax could hit services and democracy
Don't
sign away your rights! Advice for members
being made equal pay compromise offers - Plus
equal pay: Your questions answered.
>>
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