It is now clearer than ever that public services and jobs are the target for a concerted attack from politicians floundering in the effects of the bankers’ crisis.

General Secretary Dave Prentis has warned public sector managers that they should not think they can get away with “daylight robbery” without UNISON and the other public sector unions taking action to protect members.

Bradford Council’s Leader Kris Hopkins has announced a Council Tax rise this year of 0.9 per cent. In common with other local authorities, this below-inflation increase is designed to attract voters just before the local and general elections, in which Bradford Council’s leader hopes to become an MP.

But in the following two financial years there will be growing pressures on the budget to meet demand and service the growing repayments on capital projects from the revenue budget.

The management in Public Affairs and Communications (Chief Executive’s Office) have given UNISON an assurance that the cuts needed for the 2010/11 budget will be achieved without job losses.

They have also agreed to a joint management/UNISON monitoring process to make sure this target is achieved.

In Corporate Services and in Regeneration, UNISON is satisfied that management is making every effort to avert job losses and we will be tracking the process throughout the year.

More cuts are on the way and it is obviously unfair that public sector workers should pay with their jobs because of the irresponsible gambles of a poorly-regulated financial services industry.

Branch Secretary Linda Crowther said: “Councils are competing with each other to settle the lowest Council Tax rises possible and this will obviously impact on services and jobs.
“But low Council Tax rises benefit only the relatively well-off. The vast majority of people will only benefit by paying a few pence a week less but end up paying out more in service charges and suffering a loss of services.
“At a time when communities are even more dependent than ever on front-line services to survive the effects of the recession, it is a disastrous policy to make cuts in public spending.

“UNISON will be carefully monitoring the Council’s plans for the next three financial years, and will continue to campaign for fair wages and proper investment in services, which is vital to helping the district through the on-going recession.”

The Branch has overwhelmingly supported the candidature of current General Secretary Dave Prentis in the election for General Secretary.

Activists felt that at a time of unprecedented pressure on public sector budgets and members’ jobs, pay and conditions, Dave’s record and experience made him the best person to take on the challenges.

Branch Chair Idris Bashir said: “The meeting was very supportive of the General Secretary’s candidature and felt that with his leadership the union can continue to grow to protect our members from the concerted attacks on the public sector during the recession.”
The Branch’s nomination follows Regional Council’s nomination of Dave at its annual meeting in February.

Regional Convenor Wendy Nichols told delegates that serious times called for serious leadership and that Dave was the only candidate with the profile and experience to take on future challenges.

Wendy said his proven track record in campaigning for fair pay, workplace equality and social justice would equip him to continue leading a growing union with power and influence at every level of government.

General Secretary ballot papers posted May 17
Helpline opens May 24, closes June 8
Voting ends June 11
Result announced June 22

At a packed meeting of the Branch in January, members decided to nominate the following people for election to the Service Group Executive:

Women’s Seat –
Linda Crowther
General Seat –
Glenn Pickersgill, Leeds Local Government Branch
General Seat – Community Sector
Gary Firth, Calderdale Local Government Branch
Bradford Branch Chair Idris Bashir welcomed the decision to nominate Branch Secretary Linda Crowther, saying her election would further raise the Branch’s profile as the fastest growing in the region.
Linda was recently elected to the General Seat on the SEG following a by-election and has gained a great deal of experience in the role.
Idris said: “The Women’s Seat is a very important and influential post at Regional Level.
“If Linda is elected she will be able to make our views and priorities known at regional and national level and I sincerely hope our members will support her wholeheartedly when they receive their ballot papers.”
Ballot papers will be posted on April 12
Ballot helpline opens on April 20 and closes on May 11
Voting ends May 15, 5pm. Results announced on June 9.

Welcome to the latest edition of UNISON News, and, after one of the longest winters for many years, let’s hope we have a decent Spring and Summer to make up for all the severe weather.

As you will see from the newsletter, your Branch is growing in numbers and influence - thanks to all the effort people are putting in to explain to Council workers the crucial importance of unity in the current economic climate.

No-one who reads and listens to the media will be in any doubt that the knives are out for the public sector. To distract attention from the greed and failures, the bankers and politicians (and their allies in such organisations as the “Taxpayers’ Alliance”) are trying to shift the blame onto people who provide essential public services.

This is an enormous challenge to our strength, organisation and solidarity. We are building our membership and focusing our attention on each and every attack aimed against our members and their families.

Any attack on public services is an attack on the communities we serve and a direct attack on our members who work and live in those communities.

But we are ready for the challenges and, as I think you will agree when you read the paper, we are doing our utmost to keep a close eye on all that is happening in the local authority.
You will also see that there are two important elections coming up and I hope you will all use you democratic right to influence the way the union is progressing when you get your ballot papers.

Our social calendar is also looking very exciting so please join in if you can so we can build our solidarity and friendships away from the daily stresses and strains of doing the job!
Thanks again to all you recruiters and to everyone who is working so hard to achieve fairness and justice in the workplace, for our members, and also for all those potential members out there who need us far more than some of them currently realise.

Linda Crowther - Branch Secretary

Bradford Council has decided to take back “in-house” staff who were transferred to SERCO when the Education service was privatised in 2001.

The experiment has failed to deliver any improvements to schools in the district despite the huge costs paid to them by Council tax payers to transform the service.

Now UNISON is working hard in partnership with all the teaching unions to discover precise details of how the transfer of staff back to the Council will work.

UNISON Corporate Convenor Sue Easton said: “We were against the transfer to Serco from the outset and warned it would be an ineffective waste of money and we have been proved right.

“Now our objective is to protect members’ jobs, pay and conditions during the transfer back in-house.

“It is not yet clear whether it is going to be a comprehensive transfer back to the Council or some other arrangement.

“At the moment we haven’t been told but the trade unions are involved in the process through the joint management/trade union board and we will be watching any developments very closely and keeping our members fully informed.”

More than half the staff in Bradford Libraries Service have for years been on temporary contracts – even though an existing agreement says they should be automatically made permanent after two years.

The unstable staffing policy was unpopular with members, as steward John Giles discovered when he spoke to them about the arrangement.

The staff said they wanted to be on permanent contracts so they could organise their lives and careers with more confidence and security.

UNISON took up the issue and arranged a Level 3 meeting with management to raise their concerns.

John Giles said: “We have looked at the situation a bit deeper than we have in the past and although there is a statutory requirement to make temporary staff permanent after four years, the local agreement said that should happen after two years.
“We have now got proposals to recognise there is no advantage for management to have temporary contracts above two years because people accrue the rights of a permanent post holder after two years.

“It has made me realise that if you don’t think something is fair you have to ask the right questions. Through UNISON you can get the right support and advice to do this.
“You can’t do it on your own – you need that pool of information behind you and the management will listen. If we do it together we can get important results for our members.”

Angry Bradford Careers staff across the district were out on the streets in March protesting about their “grossly unfair” treatment by a private company.

The staff – who provide essential advice and guidance for young people trying to build a future career – have been told that “Prospect”, the new private owner of the former Council-run service, will abolish the existing pension rights of more than 40 employees.
Now their union UNISON is taking legal advice about how to challenge the private company’s actions through the courts.

Linda Crowther, Branch Secretary of the Bradford Local Government Branch of UNISON, said members were angry about what they see as “grossly unfair” treatment.
She said: “This service used to be run by Bradford Council. Staff were transferred to a private company called “Aspire-i” who are now transferring their ownership to “Prospect”.
“Under the initial transfer from the Council, staff stayed in the Local Government (final) Pension Scheme.

“But this new private company which has now got the contract thinks it can take the opportunity of depriving those staff (who joined the company after the initial transfer) their current membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme.

“They intend to force them to transfer to a “Prospect” pension scheme, which is not a final salary scheme.

“It will create a two-tier work force where half of the Careers staff are on significantly worse pension schemes than the colleagues with whom they work side by side, year in, year out.

“It is divisive, and it is immoral. We will do everything in our power to stop this happening.”