Nottingham City UNISON

The residential care system is failing the elderly, says UNISON

Elderly and vulnerable people in residential care homes are being left in re-used continence pads, denied trips to the toilet and kept indoors for days on end because of severe staff shortages, according to a survey published by UNISON.

The vast majority (83 per cent) of care workers say they are so rushed they are compromising the dignity and well-being of the people they look after. This is despite many staff (80 per cent) regularly working through their breaks.

The findings are based on survey responses from more than 1,000 care staff working in private and local authority care homes across the UK.

Further information on the survey can be found here

Government must scrap the pay cap says UNISON, as survey shows public service employees are struggling

Staff providing public services are being forced to cut back on groceries,borrow money from friends or family, and even go without meals to feed their children because the government has capped their pay, according to a survey from UNISON.

The survey is released to coincide with the first day of UNISON's national conference in Brighton. Dave Prentis, General secretary, will call upon the government to lift the pay cap, and undo the damage its pay policies are causing.

The research is based on responses from more than 6,500 employees including paramedics, teaching assistants, council workers and police staff across the UK. The survey highlights how years of wage restraint have left many struggling through to the next pay day.

For further information please see the full article here

 

Save Glenfield Children's Heart Centre

Attached is a flyer for a Public Meeting on Glenfield Heart Unit which Notts Trades Council is jointly hosting with
Leicester Trades Council.  Public meeting on Glenfield Heart Unit June 24 2017

The meeting will be at the Mechanics, North Sherwood Street, NG1 4EZ, on Saturday, June 24 at 2pm

More details of the event can be found on Facebook at:https://www.facebook.com/events/114292552507394/

Dying to Work Charter

Nottingham City UNISON is really pleased to have signed the TUC Dying to Work Charter alongside colleagues from Unite and GMB, and the City Council. It will mean that our members will be treated with the dignity, care and respect they deserve when they are diagnosed with a terminal illness. Knowing that they will have employment, and death in service benefit protection will give them peace of mind and avoid needless stress and worry.

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Jane Wheat, Steward for Strategy & Resources and Christina Sanna, Branch Secretary at the signing of the Charter

 

Changes to Working Patterns

Following the issuing of new contracts to staff in May many UNISON members have complained about a change to their working pattern, specifically a change from Monday to Friday 6am – 8pm,    to 24 hours Monday to Sunday. I have advised those members affected not to sign their contract and to raise their objection in writing to their Manager and Internal Engagement.

UNISON has also collectively raised objections to the changes and together with GMB and Unite  met with management on 12 June to resolve the issue. The council has agreed that they will re-issue new contracts to those employees who have had a change to their working pattern as described above. They will be sending an all colleague e-mail to all staff and those staff without e-mail access should receive a hard copy of the communication from their line manager, together with a FAQ, advising employees how to raise objection to a change to their working pattern. They will also send advice about how to register errors regarding continuous service dates.

Read more: Changes to Working Patterns

Changes to Working Pattern Update

A bulk e-mail was recently sent to members about changes to working patterns and advised you that if your working pattern has changed from a 6am-8pm Monday to Friday pattern to a 24/7 working pattern then you SHOULD NOT sign and return your contract yet.

If this applies to you we have advised that you write to your manager and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. stating that you object to the change and you ask that your working pattern prior to the 1st April 2017 should be re-instated in line with 11.3 of the collective agreement which reads....

"Employees will be assimilated onto the most appropriate working pattern to reflect their working pattern immediately prior to the Implementation Date"

I have already received a high volume of emails from members in various service areas across the council and have raised the issue corporately with management at a meeting last Thursday 18th May. In this meeting I stated that they should apply the terms of the collective agreement and made it clear that the changes that were made to working patterns had not been subject to consultation or agreement with the Trade Unions. In addition I have requested an extension to the deadline for returning contracts which has been granted.

Therefore UNISON advice is to continue to object to the change to your working pattern if this applies to you.

Please copy me into any correspondence you have with internal engagement This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Christina Sanna

Nottingham City UNISON Branch Secretary