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2021 PAY DEAL CONSULTATION

NOTICE TO MEMBERS

2021 PAY DEAL CONSULTATION

Our current pay deal expires at the end of March 2021, therefore this year UNISON and Unite officers will be starting to negotiate a new pay deal for Oxford City Council and Oxford Direct Services colleagues to be effective from April 2021.

We, therefore, need to have input from all Trade Union members, via this survey, to guide us in the negotiations. Please complete the survey online using via this LINK  or using a paper copy available from your steward which can then be returned to your workplace reps/steward or via the ballot boxes or to the UNISON office in the Town Hall or the Unite office at Horspath

We kindly ask all Oxford City Council and Oxford Direct Services trade Union, members to take part in this survey as the results will help your Unions to shape the deal going forward.

Colleagues who are not a member of either of the Unions, Unite and UNISON cannot take part in this consultation, however joining either of the unions will enable those colleagues to have their say.

Just as a reminder the final year of the existing pay deal will see an increase in salary as from April this year 2020

When we stick together in UNISON

In the UK today, 900,000 people are on zero-hours contracts. 8 million people from working households are living in poverty. And the number of people going to food banks has sky-rocketed.

People are working hard but struggling to get by. That’s why we need new rights so workers can bargain through their unions for fair pay and conditions across industries.

Stress Warning Signs

Tips to reduce workplace stress

'No More Dirty Money' campaign

Oxford City Branch of UNISON is inviting staff to vote in the 'No More Dirty Money' campaign. Should we divest our pension scheme from fossil fuels? Ballots in the kitchen areas at St Aldate's Chambers.

Stop Climate Change

UNISON local government's workers

UNISON local government's workers at there best

What are mental health problems?

In many ways, mental health is just like physical health: everybody has it and we need to take care of it.

Good mental health means being generally able to think, feel and react in the ways that you need and want to live your life. But if you go through a period of poor mental health you might find the ways you're frequently thinking, feeling or reacting become difficult, or even impossible, to cope with. This can feel just as bad as a physical illness, or even worse.

Mental health problems affect around one in four people in any given year. They range from common problems, such as depression and anxiety, to rarer problems such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

I now know that if I felt there was something wrong, it's because there was, but I didn't understand mental health fully... it's a spectrum and you should feel able to decide where and when you [are] on that spectrum.

Am I the only one who feels this way?

Experiencing a mental health problem is often upsetting, confusing and frightening – particularly at first. If you become unwell, you may feel that it's a sign of weakness, or that you are 'losing your mind'.

These fears are often reinforced by the negative (and often unrealistic) way that people experiencing mental health problems are shown on TV, in films and by the media. This may stop you from talking about your problems, or seeking help. This, in turn, is likely to increase your distress and sense of isolation.

However, in reality, mental health problems are a common human experience.

Most people know someone who has experienced a mental health problem. They can happen to all kinds of people from all walks of life. And it's likely that, when you find a combination of self-care, treatment and support that works for you, you will get better.

It wasn't until I had a breakdown that I felt my condition was 'serious enough' to qualify as an issue. I could have got help much earlier but I didn't because of this – it's never too early to seek advice.

More info and help can be found at https://www.mind.org.uk/

We won't be silenced over threats to Oxon's cancer care

 PUBLIC MEETING: 

7.00pm Thursday June 20th, Oxford Town Hall

Lawyers for NHS England have issued a warning that publicly raising concerns about the impact on patients of their proposal to contract out Oxford's PET-CT scanning service could result in a defamation claim.

We say we have the right and the duty to speak out and to report well-founded concerns.

The Oxford NUJ has invited three speakers from the worlds of cancer care, defamation law and journalism to address the urgent issues raised by NHS England's warning.

How can we work together to prevent threats and intimidation from closing down informed debate about the future of vital public services? Is a change in the law required?

Speakers:
Tamsin Allen @tamsinallen1, a Partner at Bindmans solicitors who specialises in defamation and representing whistleblowers. She has recently acted for Christopher Wylie, the Cambridge Analytica whistleblower.

Professor Adrian Harris, A consultant medical oncologist at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust who continues to raise concerns over the impact that contracting out the PET-CT services will have on the quality and safety of patient care

Seamus Dooley @Seamusdo, the Deputy General Secretary of the National Union of Journalists , who has spent his career as a journalist and NUJ official defending the independence of the press and public service journalism

Join the discussion; Register to attend at Eventbrite

This is why oxford City Branch of UNISON stands out from the rest, with look at problems from all angles and are not scared to try something new.

Not all trade unison are the same.

Workers’ Memorial Day 2019

Workers' Memorial Day is held on 28 April every year, all over the world workers and their reps conduct events, demonstrations, vigils and a whole host of other activities to mark the day.

The theme for this year is “dangerous substances – get them out of the workplace”. The focus will mainly be on carcinogens but you can adapt the theme to whatever is most relevant in your workplace or area, as many substances can also cause illnesses such as asthma or dermatitis.

Find out about events in your area

UNISON PREPAID PLUS CASHBACK CARD

Introducing the UNISON Prepaid Plus Cashback card – the contactless plastic with added ‘fantastic’

Whether you shop online or in-store, you’ll get the most from your everyday shopping with the UNISON Prepaid Plus Cashback card. You’ll earn between 2.5% and 6% cashback at over 50 major retailers°. Plus, the cashback is unlimited, so there’s no minimum or maximum spend requirement nor any restriction on how much cashback you can earn.

It’s not a credit or debit card – it’s a prepaid card. It works just like a pay-as-you-go card – you top it up with money and you can only spend what you’ve loaded to your prepaid card, so there’s less chance of getting carried away. It’s a handy budgeting tool.

No credit checks – just a small £2.95 monthly admin fee*.

It’s cold outside, we are here if you need help

Brrrrr! ❄️ It's absolutely freezing, and snow's forecast in some areas.

If you're a UNISON member living on a low income, apply now for a £60 grant to help with your winter fuel bills Click here for more info

Get help with winter fuel bills

UNISON members living on a low income constantly struggle to make ends meet – and this can be particularly acute in the winter when the cost of heating homes rises as the outside temperature falls.

But it’s not all bad news – help IS available. The union’s welfare charity There for You has once more set up a limited fund to help members on low incomes towards the cost of their winter fuel bill through a one-off payment of £60.

The process is very similar to previous years and an amount of money has been ring-fenced to support this initiative. However, once it’s gone it’s gone! 

So don’t miss out. Apply early and send your form and supporting paperwork in as soon as possible. All the information you need can be found below. Alternatively, contact UNISON Direct on 0800 0857 857 for a form to be sent to you. 

Just one more thing: please don’t keep details of this grant a secret. Help us to help even more members and let your work colleagues know that help is at hand. There will be many, like you, worrying about how they will cope this winter. 

Completed applications need to be sent to There for You, (WFG) UNISON Centre, 130 Euston Road, London, NW1 2AY by Friday 15 February 2019 at the latest.

Winter Fuel Grant application form

Winter Fuel Grant Q&A

UNISON in numbers

• UNISON has more than 1.3 million members and activists, making us one of Europe’s largest unions
• More than 70% of our members are women.
• UNISON is spread over 12 UK regions.
• There are more than 1,000 UNISON branches around the UK

We are so proud of all our members.

We're proud to represent people employed in all areas of local government – from libraries to parks, from schools to housing, from youth workers to care workers and everyone in between! They work for our communities in difficult circumstances

Merry Christmas from Oxford City Branch of UNISON

We need your help

We need UNISON members to talk about their experiences of low pay in Local Government, if you can help please email communicationsteam@unison.co.uk

What have the Trade Unions done for us?