Facing up to 'Best Value'
The branch has set up a task group to face the challenge of the new "Best Value" regime.
Introduced to replace compulsory tendering, Best Value claims to ensure council services are delivered appropriately, ensuring both quality and value for money.
"But the worry is that cost rather than quality will be the focus rather than fair comparisons and real best value", said joint branch secretary Morag Stevenson.
Branch officers are worried that some elements in the Labour group may view this as a perfect opportunity to outsource and privatise jobs, while focusing the blame on the Scottish Office.
Service conditions officer Tracy Gilbert will co-ordinate the task group involving branch officers and the full time official.
Their first task will be to set up regular meetings with management and make sure Best Value officers are appointed at departmental stewards level.
Training and briefing sessions will be set up for stewards to lift the level of knowledge and ensure a united 'corporate' approach.
Co-ordinator Tracy Gilbert said "As a new branch officer I am amazed at the pace in which the Council are developing their strategy. We have a lot to do in a very short time".
The branch has taken the view that 'burying our heads in the sand' with blind opposition to Best Value will not defend our members and our services.
"There is a need to get in there, get briefed and challenge the Council", said John Mulgrew, service conditions co-ordinator.
Regional officer Billy McAllister added; "All branches in Scotland are being challenged by the effects of Best Value. The constructive approach being developed by the branch offers the best protection for our members at this time".
See Conference 98 Best Value decision
Edinburgh demands new deal not raw deal.
Conference backed Edinburgh's John Stevenson's call to "ensure unemployed people get a new deal and not a raw deal".
Our branch motion, with an NEC amendment to update it, was overwhelmingly carried.
The motion welcomed the government's decision to tax excess profits of the privatised utilities to fund its New Deal for the unemployed, but stressed that compulsory participation through the threat of benefit losses would disrupt programmes for the majority and waste public money.
"We must ensure that participants get the rate for the job, that they are real jobs and that they get proper training," said John, branch vice-chair.
The motion stated that there should be no New Deal placements in areas with long-term vacancies.
"The deal is not perfect and we have to be on our guard. But properly implemented, it can do something to address social exclusion", concluded John.
NOTE: The framework of John's speech was developed by John Mulgrew, service conditions co-ordinator, who had to leave early due to travel arrangements.
-
UNISONNews wins again
Edinburgh's branch magazine won 'best entry using a computer' in this year's national magazine competition (see the award on the masthead).
This follows our runner-up success last year. The judges commented on the range of news and views covered, the writing (with an aside about occasional grammatical slips) and the use of graphics and photographs.
The win brought a £250 prize which was spent on upgrading one of the computers.
Sport and leisure pay disaster
Despite giving no formal notification to pull away from national conditions, Edinburgh leisure has decided it will not pay this year's 3% pay award
Instead, they intend to pay 1.5% now, with another 1.5% almost a year later next March.
John Mulgrew, service conditions co-ordinator was furious with the organisation's stance.
"This is a clear breach of contract and we will pursue every avenue including industrial tribunals to ensure our members get the full award", he said.
This whole affair bodes ill for future discussions on issues like overtime rates, bonus payments and so on.
Partnership for 'New Deal'
The branch has agreed safeguards for participants and existing staff in Edinburgh's involvement in the 'New Deal' for the unemployed.
Through hard negotiation branch officers ensured that participants:-
- will not be used as cheap labour
- will be paid the rate for the job
- will not substitute for permanent jobs.
In addition, those involved will enjoy the same conditions as other staff and will be able to look forward to permanent employment.
"Our aim was to make sure that the authority were providing real jobs for those involved", said APT&C convener John Ross.
"The strongest aspect of the scheme is the excellent training that should be on offer to participants".
Agreement on work experience and work placements was also allied to these negotiations.
There are now written guarantees that those involved will not be used to cover vacancies.
Theatre trust set to attack conditions
Members in the Kings theatre officially transferred to the Festival City Theatre Trust on 6 July, and already face possible cuts in hours, leave and family care provision.
"We well remember councillors telling us nothing would change except they would save a fortune. So much for loyalty to staff", said John Ross, APT&C convener.
The Trust has signed a single union deal with BECTU, forcing our members to leave UNISON. Such was the opposition from staff that only five ended up transferring, with the rest negotiating early retirement or redeployment.
-
Early retirement changes
The government have changed the regulations covering early retirement schemes with the result that many packages will be reduced.
This is a complex area and there will be a fuller report next issue.
In the meantime, since these things are always very individual, always check out entitlement with the superannuation section before making any decisions.
Historic age of consent decision
June 22 was a historic day for lesbian and gay men in our fight towards equality as parliament equalised the age of consent.
Murray Forgie and I (Tracy Gilbert) were the two delegates from this branch's lesbian and gay self organised group who lobbied Scottish and UNISON link MPs prior to the vote to ensure the correct result.
Anne Keen MP moved the amendment equalising the age of consent to 16 for gay men to align it with what is already law for heterosexual men. The vote was carried by a majority of 207.
This is the first step toward Stonewalls Equality 2000 campaign which is supported by UNISON. The campaign target is to gain equality for lesbian and gay men within the workplace, parenting, partnership, law, and education by the year 2000.
Please support these aims by returning your Equality 2000 campaign postcards, available soon.
Pride Scotland
Pride Scotland took place on 13 June in Glasgow Green. We sent seven delegates, two of whom were drumming and the unlucky other five carried the banner and staffed the stall!
The UNISON stall was well visited and a lot of lesbian and gay men signed up from all over Scotland. Not only will this increase UNISON's membership but it will hopefully promote and encourage attendance at our lesbian and gay self organised group.
Should you require any further information about the lesbian and gay self organised group please contact the branch on 0131 469 3880/1.
You said it, but now it's mine and you cannae see it!
Branch officers are baffled by the latest antics of management in one department.
As part of an investigation on a harassment claim, staff were interviewed with notes taken.
Several days later they were invited to their manager;'s room to sign the text of their statements as a correct record, which they did.
However, management then refused to give them a copy, because now they had signed it, it belonged to the department!
"All very suspicious. Hopefully Big Brother has not completely taken over and sense will prevail", said John Ross (again?).
The concern is that, if this is what the Council is going to do in investigations, they will quickly find that the union and its members will be reticent to take part in the future. Watch this space!
Relocation
UNISON's John Mulgrew will be looking after member's interests on a relocation working party set up because of the move from George IV Bridge and St Giles Street to Waterloo Place.
John is famous for not finding Glasgow City Chambers in George Square, oops!
On the Negotiating Line...
Negotiations with the council affect council employed staff only. But many policies are automatically applied by related sector employers. It is important that related sector stewards keep an eye on how these are being implemented locally.
Overtime above AP4
A new agreement on honoraria for staff above AP4 doing overtime is in the pipeline.
Under national conditions, overtime payments stop at AP4, "seemingly on the basis that senior staff should be prepared to work for nothing", said John Ross, APT&C convener.
Now the council has got it right by continuing the practice of both the District and the Region in allowing for payments.
This will be for planned overtime, emergencies and attending meetings outwith normal hours.
In general, payments will be based on a notional salary of the top of AP5, but up to S03, the actual rate can be paid in exceptional circumstances.
A major improvement is the extension of this to job sharers and part time workers who previously had to work 35 hours 45 minutes before honoraria or overtime would apply.
Staff should be aware that there is a level of discretion. So if asked to do overtime, check what is on offer. If you don't like it, don't do it.
Talks are under way to address current local deals on overtime payments to ensure no-one loses out.
Car Leasing/ Assisted Car Purchase
A new assisted car purchase scheme is in the offing from the end of July with the following conditions:-
- open to essential users only
- up to £7,000 (including trade-in). Depending on the balance in the pot each quarter, this could vary.
- if petrol, maximum 1800cc with catalytic converter
- can be diesel or other more environmentally friendly fuel
- local talks on 'essential' designation.
Car Leasing: The car leasing scheme remains unattractive and members should shop around.Sickness absence policy
As reported last month, this agreement is almost concluded and, although not perfect, should shift the focus to helping staff rather than 'punishing' them for being sick.
Private Finance Initiative will sell off schools and the staff
The branch has condemned plans to sell off Edinburgh schools as part of a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract.
The schools would go to a private consortium along with janitorial, cleaning and grounds maintenance staff.
In a whole page article in a recent Evening News, branch vice chair John Stevenson outlined the dangers of PFI:l PFI privatises. Profit comes before public need.
l PFI privatises staff, cutting jobs, wages and conditions
- PFI substitutes for public investment, it is not an extra.
- PFI set up costs can be five times more than public borrowing projects
- PFI hits your pocket. You'll pay more through taxes for tens of years because it is more expensive than public borrowing.
A recent £60 million hospital in Barnet will cost £500 million over 30 years.
One of the main savings will come from closing schools, something the council could have done anyway.
The schools would be hived off (some even given away it seems) and then rented back - but at the end of the 30 years, the private consortium will still own them.
"The lesson from the health service is that PFI is dearer, other services suffer because private sector payments are protected and jobs and conditions are cut", said Agnes Petkevicius, service conditions officer co-ordinating the issue in Education.
- National Conference overwhelmingly backed a national demonstration and the possibility of industrial action to oppose sell-off schemes.
Rumours abound in Housing
(so what's new?)Rumours are rife that public contact staff are to get uniforms and a friend of a reliable informant has a cousin who is close to a source that tells us the uniform will be tartan.
The source thinks this is in anticipation of a possible change in administration at the next election.
Seriously though, this is such an ill-thought out waste of money when we are facing so many cuts.
A day in the life...
A run through the diary of John Ross, branch APT&C convener, on a not too untypical day.
08.30 Branch office, check mail, check phone messages (this morning they look like a bunch of lire), read paperwork for 10.00 meeting about harassment in Social Work.
10.00 Get down to Shrubhill, meet member and management. Case resolved, one happy member.
11.30 catch bus back to office, check messages (another fistful), diary meetings for next three weeks, get casework updates from officers.
12.00 Meet Housing member and agree claim strategy (why is it always Housing?).
12.30 Upset member demands we murder her boss. Sexist pig refuses to give her job share - focus case into more constructive intervention and settle for maiming him. Two phone calls later, job share agreed, boss unharmed.
13.00 Meet member who was victim of botched review. Transferred with no job description and no idea who his manager is. Phoned department, they don't know who our member is! Meeting arranged for tomorrow.
14.00 Having drafted responses to letters and inquiries (only scratching the surface of the pile), meet stewards committee about progress on a review. 101 implications to be followed up. Agree to spread workload among stewards and other officers.
15.00 What do managers do it? Another attempt to downgrade a member. Easily sorted out but a nuisance. Council should pay us a management consultant fee!
15.30 More phone calls and more letters including two consultative ballots.
15.45 Call from irate member I didn't have time to get back to.
16.00 Install TV in office for Italy v Austria. More letters, more documents.
18.00 Meet communications officer to discuss service conditions issues for branch mag.
19.30 Take communications officer to pub (he's skint again). Scotland v Morocco.
22.00 Bid tearful farewell. After all tomorrow's another day - now who did I forget to get back to? Damn it, forgot tea again. Oh, well I was going on a diet.
The views expressed in UNISON News are not necessarily those of UNISON City of Edinburgh Branch or the union.
All articles/comments to John Stevenson, Communications Officer at 0131 469 3660
What is National Conference?
Joint branch secretary MORAG STEVENSON looks at how the delegation worked and what the main issues were.
National Delegate Conference is UNISON's supreme policy making forum. Decisions made by representatives from branches across the UK are binding on the union.
That makes it a very important week in the life of the union, affecting every member.
The branch was represented this year by Morag Stevenson (delegation leader), Gail Park (deputy delegation leader), Maureen Christie, Tracy Gilbert, George Lee, Charlie McInally, John Mulgrew, Eileen Penman and John Stevenson.
As one of the larger delegations, Edinburgh is expected play a significant role at conference, and that we did, taking part in many of the debates, as well as 'off stage' discussions.We also had Maureen as the Scottish Region's teller, with the onerous task of counting all the card votes (of which there were many).
John Stevenson co-ordinated the Scottish Region's Briefing Team, producing briefing bulletins on some of the major issues facing delegates, explaining some of the more complicated policy issues and occasionally cheering us up when things got too turgid..
The major debates were on the Minimum Wage, Best Value, Privatisation, Public Services Funding, 'Fairness at Work' White Paper, the Right to Organise and Campaign in UNISON, Welfare Benefits and the Economy.
Stories are run separately on these issues and where the branch has had an input to debate, that will be covered.
Many more policies were debated and set at conference, on such important issues as Tuition Fees, Stress at Work, the New Deal, the Asylum and Immigration Act, Disability Discrimination, Pension Policy, Civil Rights, to name but a few.
As well as taking part in conference proper to such a high level, Edinburgh's delegates worked well as a team.
A lot of time and effort was put in by the delegation before conference, as well as holding meetings nearly every evening after conference, to ensure that our branch's policy was carried whenever possible.
Everybody played their part in one way or another, be it delivering high powered speeches, preparing "Great Speeches That Were Never Delivered", doing background research on policy, or convincing other branches to support our line.
The delegation also got on well after hours and that is an important aspect to what is otherwise a heavy week.
A full report will be issued to the Branch Committee on how the branch voted and what decisions were taken and there is also a full report given in UNISONfocus.
Any member who would like more information should contact Morag Stevenson, Joint Branch Secretary, at the Branch Office (tel 469 3880/1)
Edinburgh demands new deal not raw deal.
Conference backed Edinburgh's John Stevenson's call to "ensure unemployed people get a new deal and not a raw deal".
Our branch motion, with an NEC amendment to update it, was overwhelmingly carried.
The motion welcomed the government's decision to tax excess profits of the privatised utilities to fund its New Deal for the unemployed, but stressed that compulsory participation through the threat of benefit losses would disrupt programmes for the majority and waste public money.
"We must ensure that participants get the rate for the job, that they are real jobs and that they get proper training," said John, branch vice-chair.
The motion stated that there should be no New Deal placements in areas with long-term vacancies.
"The deal is not perfect and we have to be on our guard. But properly implemented, it can do something to address social exclusion", concluded John.
NOTE: The framework of John's speech was developed by John Mulgrew, service conditions co-ordinator, who had to leave early due to travel arrangements.
A view from a first time delegate
Impressions from Tracy Gilbert of her first conference
My experience as a first time delegate to national conference was stressful, hectic, extremely busy but enjoyable.
The conference started off on an emotional footing with John McFadden giving a 'from the heart' speech about his year as President. This was followed by a speech from Rodney Bickerstaffe during which he read out a letter of support to conference from Nelson Mandela.
To top it all we then had a visit from Mo Mowlam who spoke about UNISON's involvement with the peace process.
The level of debate was amazing. Our branch seemed to have been cursed as almost every time one of us were about to speak within a debate, the question would be put! So much so that our catch phrase of the week was 'there goes another great unspoken speech!'
There were many international guests and many visitors to conference. Two women from the Tameside carers addressed conference to seek support for their struggle and the Onibiyo family, whom UNISON supported through their successful fight against deportation from the UK, were also present.
Our branch delegation was very mixed from the very experienced/older delegates, to the newer/younger delegates (I shall classify myself as younger and also take this opportunity to apologise to John Stevenson, in advance, should anyone consider him to be very ...ehmm ... experienced!)
It was a brilliant week and personally I have learnt a lot from everyone who participated. I have brought back with me many memorable moments which occurred not only in the conference hall but inevitably from the 'after hours' delegates meetings.
I conclude by way of thanks to all my colleagues who made my conference so memorable.
Special thanks to John Mulgrew for 'first hand' experience of allowing me to watch him 'negotiate' with British Airways staff a replacement flight ticket, for the one he 'misplaced' to allow him his own seat on the return flight! Madeleine Allbright - watch out!
Edinburgh adds bite to economy motion
Morag Stevenson called for all the resources of the union, including the political fund to be brought to bear to campaign for a greater investment in public services.
After initial confusion, the movers, Glasgow City, supported the amendment to a motion calling for increased taxation to pay for services, the use of the GGFD instead of PSBR (see PFI page 2), and a major UNISON campaign.
"The motion points the way forward. We need to maximise our funds and our influence to deliver it", said Morag.
Council finance review needed urgently
The Local Government Conference urged the Labour government to act quickly to adopt a four-point action plan to reform local government finance.
The four main demands were
- an end to capping;
- the return of the business rate to local control;
- the release of all capital receipts;
- the reform of council tax bandings;
Moving the motion on behalf of the local government service group executive, Edinburgh's Dougie Black said,
"When new Labour took over, we believed that local government was in sympathetic and understanding hands.
"Our expectations have been sadly misplaced and while the Labour Party says it needs time to plan and review, our members are left to flounder around in an increasingly hostile environment."
What about Best Value for Private Finance?
The government is failing to use Best Value principles when it comes to the Private Finance Initiative (PFI - see page 3 for PFI in Edinburgh schools).
The local government service group executive set out a seven-point programme for the campaign against PFI, with pressure on the government and councils to apply "positive Best Value principles" to PFI schemes.
UNISON will also push for the resources for councils to let them develop their own capital schemes - a cheaper and more accountable form of investment.
The motion demanded reforms to PFI to keep services in-house even if the capital is provided through private finance.
And secrecy was attacked in demands that regulations on commercial confidentiality should be changed to remove this secrecy once a bidder is selected.
A successful motion from South West region looked to minimise the impact of PFI by pushing for law changes to safeguard pay, conditions and job security.
Right to organise but no cash for 'outside groups'
Conference reaffirmed the right of branches, regions, service groups and self organised groups to campaign to change union policy, but outlawed the funding of 'outside' political groups.
The motion from Scotland was mainly there to call the National Executive to account - but amendments seeking to fund "organisations consisting of UNISON members campaigning to support change or initiate policy" brought the "clearing-the-air" debate.
They were defeated and the motion reaffirmed rights but also responsibilities to act within and unite around democratically set policies.
Responding to the amendments, Scottish convener Mike Kirby said,
"I won't have outside political organisations using this union as a meal ticket". Such organisations should not be proscribed, "but by the same token, they should not be bankrolled by the union".
Grace Dorrian from Downe and Lisburn Health, said their successful strike against a multi-national had been undermined by actions of "this kind of elitist, arrogant crowd who arrived in Northern Ireland".
"They caused some of us to be arrested but they had gone back to their so-called member-led democracy. We picked up the pieces, UNISON stood by us. We fought for a further four months and we won".
General Secretary Rodney Bickerstaffe roused Conference with his passionate contribution.
"We are not talking here just about UNISON members campaigning within our own democratic structures.
We are talking about the CFDU (Campaign for a Fighting and Democratic UNISON), about a national organisation with a national secretary a national chair, a national treasurer, a national committee, a motion based annual conference, a national constitution, its own aims and objectives, its own regional committees and its own so called branch structure.
"It funds its own candidates in union elections, in our union elections. That by any stretch of the imagination is a union within a union, and it cannot and it should not be allowed and our members resources should not be used for it ".
"We are the most democratic union in Europe. We have got committees, we've got conferences coming out of our ears. Yet some people can't get through that way, they want to go through another way.
"People organise demonstrations, rallies, lobbies and conferences then won't carry UNISON placards. They carry other people's placards and I'm sick and fed up of that.".
And to those who had demanded a definition of a faction, he said,
"What's a faction? If it looks like a duck and it walks like a duck and it quacks like a bloody duck, it is a duck. I know what a faction is. You know what a faction is."
A successful Manchester amendment helped by clarifying the 'organised groups' issue, allaying any fears about interpretation.
Edinburgh supported the Scottish motion in line with branch policy.
Plan to simplify disciplinary rules and bring them closer to branches and regions is lost
Conference fails to grasp harassment nettle
The NEC responded to Edinburgh's call last year for better disciplinary procedures to deal with harassment in the union, by bringing forward rule changes this year.
But Conference threw out the rule change and opted for technical changes from Doncaster branch which it felt would protect some activists but, according to Edinburgh speaker John Stevenson, "lost the opportunity to have simplified procedures which will effectively tackle harassment and protect victims".
John rounded on a Bromley amendment that tried to introduce new unrealistic timescales.
In a powerful speech, John outlined how the Edinburgh branch had gone through 11 months of trying to discipline members for harassment, discrimination and impeding access of other members, before there was a guilty finding.
"But if these new timescales had been in place, people in our branch who were bullied and discriminated against would have had no recourse because the case would have been thrown out - thrown out because people, with backing we have yet to clarify, tried to tie the union up in the courts to avoid facing up to what they had done", said John.
Conference then threw out the Bromley amendment but also failed to support the NEC changes.
John had appealed for procedures that allowed disciplinary procedures to be less cumbersome and start more locally at branch and Regional level while still having access to appeal structures up to the NEC.
But Conference was clearly more concerned that the new change may infringe the rights of some accused people and threw out the rule change.
Edinburgh supported the NEC rule change and opposed the amendments.
Gearing up for minimum wage demonstration
The fight for the minimum wage has been won, but UNISON will campaign on to have the wage set at a decent level and to ensure it is applied to all workers.
And delegates called for a national demonstration this autumn to underline UNISON's campaign.
Despite pleas by general secretary Rodney Bickerstaffe and the NEC that now was not the right time for the union to go it alone in demonstrating against government policy, delegates voted for the demonstration by 562,789 to 394,475 in a card vote.
Rodney had pledged that he would take the union's case to the TUC in September.
"We will ask them to organise a demonstration of all trade union affiliates that perhaps will make the government think again - not us, arrogantly, on our own leading it forward," he argued unsuccessfully.
Earlier in the week delegates reaffirmed the union's commitment to UNISON policy which calls for the minimum wage to apply to any person and resistance to exemptions for young workers.
On the Wednesday Conference passed amendment after amendment to the NEC's minimum wage emergency motion, then throw out the main motion by 20,000 votes, leaving the existing policy against the £3.60 and for a minimum wage of half male median earnings.
The view from many quarters was that Conference had voted with its heart on some pretty extraordinary and unworkable amendments, but with its mind on the main motion.
Edinburgh's policy was to support the motion and oppose most of the amendments. The branch view was that the demo was the wrong tactic, but if it was to happen it should be a broad based action with the TUC.
Now that the demo is on, it is up to all of us to work to make it a success.
IRELAND
Proud of UNISON's role in peace processNorthern Ireland Secretary Mo Mowlam paid tribute to UNISON's role in the Ireland peace process.
She thanked Northern Ireland UNISON members for "what you have done as a union to get us where we are in the process today".
It was not just what UNISON members had done, it was also how they had done it,.
"The way you work... through inclusion made a great difference as to how people work".
Inez McCormack, UNISON Regional Secretary, Northern Ireland, also paid tribute to those who had worked through the hard times when terms like "equality and justice were epithets of abuse".
She was proud of how the Northern Ireland regional committee took the brave decision not just to go for a Yes vote, but to take the lead.
Fighting stress and illness at work
George Lee won Conference backing for Edinburgh's motion calling for a strategy to challenge workplace stress and illness.
Cuts, fewer staff, longer hours and bullying have all been causing more and more stress for workers.
It was now time to turn the tide by demanding:-
- information from employers about sickness levels, its causes and any increases
- a campaign to highlight the effects of stress and point out the link with cuts and increased pressures
- resist employers' attempts to tighten up absence monitoring policies as a way of dealing with increased sickness
- support members suffering from work related stress and illness and give advice on legal action for compensation
- promote the recruitment of more health & safety reps and to include stress risk factors in risk assessments.
Moving the motion, George Lee, Edinburgh's manual convener, said, "I am sick fed up of employers causing members to become ill and then sacking them for it".
George outlined that this was, "A very simple motion which was not asking for too much, just the truth about stress at work."
Edinburgh was happy to accept an amendment from Durham which included the effects of workplace bullying.
Yes to real Best Value: No to privatisation
Edinburgh's amendment, to commit the union to go on the offensive in fighting for "properly funded, democratically controlled and accountable public services", was passed as part of a wider composite motion on Best Value and Privatisation.
The amended motion called for
- properly funded and accountable services
- more UNISON information on Best Value
- support for branches involved in Best Value schemes
- campaigns against privatisation
- support for branches taking action where Best Value is used to attack jobs, conditions or the services UNISON members provide.
UNISON members back measures that will mean quality public services. But not measures which mean "competition, competition, competition. We know what that's done to our services under CCT", said Jane Carolan, Glasgow City, speaking for the NEC.
Industrial action could not be ruled out, but to protect members but we had to get into the debate.
Days of action against funding cuts
High profile publicity, rallies, demonstrations and, if necessary, industrial action will all form part of the fight against local government cuts and for adequate funding for services.
Delegates condemned the government for sticking to Tory spending plans but stopped short of calls for a one day strike.
Instead they called for:
- a campaign to oppose cuts imposed on local authorities, publicity in the union and the media highlighting the effects of cuts and building support for a national rally;
- campaigning with regions and branches for a programme of national days of action and coordinating the efforts of branches and regions who are fighting to oppose cuts;
Moving the motion, Oxford's Martin Gregory said the decision to continue Tory spending plans was "an utter disgrace" and "a kick in the teeth to all local government workers."
Opposing calls for a one-day strike, local government service group chair Jean Geldart said: "We need to find ways of changing government policy that will win rather than sloganising about a national strike."
Edinburgh backed the main motion and opposed the national one-day strike as "unrealistic and ineffective".
Fairness at work: Fight for basic rights
The government's white paper 'Fairness at Work' was welcomed by conference but it was recognised that there were fundamental gaps in the legislation for rights at work.
UNISON will lobby the government on four key issues which would improve the white paper.
The branch was successful in getting our name added to an amendment which, as John Stevenson told Conference, recognised the need to secure these as 'basic' rights at work and. We were still far from the as 'comprehensive' rights the motion referred to.
John also berated the 40% rule for workers voting for union representation.
"We in Scotland saw the unfairness of that formula in the 70's referendum", he told Conference.
In Brief...
Welfare Benefits
As the only union to formally oppose the removal of lone parent benefit, UNISON is at the forefront of the fight for welfare improvements.
A motion was carried for the fight to continue for the right to education, health, dignity, housing and justice.
Edinburgh had a motion on the agenda which was not included in the composite, however the main aims were what we had been calling for and we therefore supported them.
Edinburgh's Eileen Penman had been ready to speak on this but was beaten by a whisker as Conference rushed through business on the last day.
'Spouse-only' clause attacked
The local government service group executive was instructed to renegotiate the section on death and disability payments in the single status agreements, because it only refers to spouses not partners, excluding partners of lesbian or gay members and unmarried heterosexual partners.