We all need good mental health and well-being – it's essential to living happy and healthy lives and can help us sleep better, feel better, do the things we want to do and have more positive relationships. It can also help us deal with difficult times in the future.
Try this quick Mind Plan quiz to get personalised suggestions now, or find other tips, advice and support to help boost your mental well-being.
Click here for more info and support
We all have mental health, and life is full of ups and downs for us all.
Here you will find expert advice, practical tips, and plenty of help and support if you're stressed, anxious, low or struggling to sleep – or get Your Mind Plan and discover what works for you.
Click here for more information and support
Loneliness can affect us all, at any time of our lives. We might live in a busy city or a rural location, on our own or with others and still feel isolated.
Understanding our own reasons for feeling lonely and how to manage it can make a big difference to our mental well-being. And although it can be difficult to talk about, sharing our feelings of loneliness can encourage others to talk too.
To find out about possible signs of loneliness, reasons we feel lonely and ways to manage it, click here There are also links to more support if you or someone else needs it.
The Oxford Living Wage increases to £11.35 per hour!!
This is great news for the employees of the 100+ Living Wage employers in the city.
www.oxford.gov.uk/info/20027/welfare_reform/1011/the_oxford_living_wage
With temperatures soaring again and amber warnings across the country, what are the rules around working in the heat?
Read latest advice from UNISON 👉 https://www.unison.org.uk/unison-health-and-safety/amber-and-red-heat-warnings/ including outdoor working
#heatwave #ukemplaw #rightsatwork #outdoorworking #legalrights #unions #ukheatwave #heatwaveuk #toohot #working
People in Oxfordshire are being reminded to remember simple COVID precautions in response to the county, and country as a whole, currently going through another phase of rising cases.
During the last two to three weeks case numbers in the county have doubled, with a new sub-variant of Omicron thought to be one of the chief drivers of the rises being seen in Oxfordshire and elsewhere.
Ansaf Azhar, Oxfordshire County Council’s Director for Public Health, said: “It’s been great for everyone to relax after the difficult last couple of years we’ve had with rules of varying kinds meaning restrictions on our lives.
“Currently there are no restrictions but there is still good, solid guidance that people are advised to observe to protect themselves and their families, particularly vulnerable and elderly people.
“The main bit of advice is to stay at home if you feel unwell – but it’s also worth reminding people of all those things that we learned during the height of the pandemic to reduce the risk of COVID spreading.
“This includes ventilating indoor spaces and washing your hands. During periods of good weather being outdoors rather than indoors also helps reduce risks.
“We expect to see fluctuations in cases and it remains the case we need to learn to live with COVID, but we need to strike a sensible balance and I would ask people to take precautions while cases are on the rise. Let’s enjoy the summer and our regained freedoms but keep in mind that COVID-19 hasn’t gone away and we all need to play our part to live safely.”
IMPORTANT UPDATE 28 Jan 2022: Unconfirmed reports in the Telegraph suggest the Treasury may close the working-from-home tax rebate microsite, so employees can no longer claim a whole year's rebate if they've worked from home at any point, even for just a day in this or the last tax year – similar changes would likely affect self-assessment claims too. While there’s no date attached, for safety, if you haven't claimed yet and are eligible, read below and do it now...
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If you are requires you to work from home, you've always been able to claim for
increased costs, eg, heat or electricity, for the specific time at home. Yet during
the 2020 lockdown,
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) launched a 'microservice' which, even if you only
needed to work from home for a day, allowed you to get a WHOLE year's tax relief.
More information can be found here
Viedo explaining how to claim below
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Young Black members on why they joined UNISON – and the many benefits
For a start, unions stopped child labour. Unionised workplaces are safer, with 50% fewer accidents. Every year unions train 10,000 safety reps. Union members earn, on average, 12.5 per cent more than non-members. They have better job security and stay in their jobs for an average of five years longer than non-members. Unionised workplaces have higher productivity and fewer industrial tribunals.
Apart from that, though, trade unions have only gained us paid holidays, maternity and paternity leave, paid sick leave, equal pay legislation, pensions, and workplace anti-discrimination laws. Oh, and the weekend. It was unions that fought for a five-day working week.
And, of course, furlough was a result of unions negotiating with the government. We’ve all benefited by keeping the economy afloat.
The good news is that trade union membership is rising – with a net increase of 200,000 over the past three years. If you want to join a union, click here to join UNISON today.
If you are not sure who you should contact for help, or where to find the information that you need.
There for You (UNISON Welfare) www.unison.org.uk/get-help/services-support/there-for-you/
Members experiencing financial and emotional difficulties can contact our welfare charity, There for You, which provides a confidential advice and support service for members and their dependents.
Help from your rep email us office@oxfordcityunison.com
As a UNISON member you have direct access to representatives, or reps, who are available to support you. There are different kinds of workplace reps and they can each help you in different ways.
Legal services www.unison.org.uk/get-help/services-support/legal-services/
UNISON provides quality legal services for employment-related and non-work issues at no extra cost to members and their families. In fact, UNISON provides the broadest range of legal help to union members in the UK.
Professional registration www.unison.org.uk/get-help/services-support/professional-registration/
Our professional services unit (PSU) represents members who are registered professionals and have their fitness to practise in their profession called into question. We can represent any eligible member who is registered with a regulatory body in order to hold their professional title.
Trade unions are groups of working people who join together to defend and improve their working conditions.
Trade unions believe that ‘unity is strength’, because it is by standing together and speaking with one voice that unions can fight and win for members.
Trade unions are democratic, member-led bodies, grounded in the workplace, with reps elected to fight for members at work, and represent them in the union. The union’s priorities, campaigns and policies are decided by members and elected reps through each union’s individual structures.
Wellbeing breaks can provide welcome relief from stress and respite from difficult circumstances – this can include assisting with recovery from illness to help prepare for a return to work.
There for You may be able to help you towards the costs of a break, depending on your financial situation.
For more information contact us on 020 7121 5620 or email thereforyou@unison.co.uk or contact your branch welfare officer.
How has mental health changed?
Mental health problems have worsened across all age-groups in the past year.
In adults, the proportion of individuals showing symptoms of depression has almost doubled since the start of the pandemic, according to the Office for National Statistics.
UNISON has successfully reached an agreement with the
Council following several negotiation meetings with Branch Secretaries, on a
new collective agreement which will come into effect from 1st April 2021.
The current three-year local pay collective agreement is due
to finish next year, at the end of March 2021. In the midst of this, members
have worked hard and tirelessly throughout one of the most difficult periods in
living memory. We felt that this could not go unrecognised.
It has never been a more important time to be a member of
UNISON.
The significant challenges that COVID-19 has placed on all of us also presents a challenge on the medium-term financial plans of both Oxford City Council and ODS.
In spite of this, Oxford City Branch of UNISON on behalf of its members, have negotiated a one-year agreement following a meeting with the Council and ODS on 25 November 2020.
This one-year pay deal is effective from 1 April 2021 and
will give members:
● A one-off
consolidated ‘Recognition’ payment of £400.00 to all staff on permanent or
fixed-term contracts of not less than six months at 1 April 2021;
● Which will
be paid on 1 April 2021;
● With no
conditions attached to the payment.
A number of areas were also touched upon by UNISON during
these negotiations, such as:
● Organisational
change/ re-deployment;
● Flexible
working – including the homeworking allowance;
● And
grading arrangements for senior roles.
This modest offer precedes ongoing and future negotiations
on a more comprehensive pay deal for 2022 – 2023 that UNISON will have with the
Council and ODS on your behalf.
UNISON’s strength is through its members.
We welcome and encourage others to join a growing family of
more than 1.4 million people across the UK.
On behalf of UNISON Branch Committee
