Pre-ordered 2018 UNISON diaries  will be available for collection at the UNISON Christmas Social on Thursday  7 December between 12-2 pm.

2018 desk calendars are available for all members.

UNISON Vauxhall Partners programme – view the deal

 November is Young Workers’ Month – a time to celebrate the contribution that young workers make to public services and to UNISON.

Though we know many UNISON members will always be young at heart, in UNISON members count as ‘young’ if they are 27 or under.

What’s happening?

At national level, the national young members’ forum is prioritising work around raising awareness of issues faced by young workers, and in particular:

• the need for a real living wage – a minimum of £10 per hour – to combat the low level of the minimum wage and the age discrimination enshrined in legislation;
• the importance of recruiting and organising young members

UNISON are launching our ’27 under 27′ project, a set of portraits of young members, with some biographical information, showing the range of work and contribution they make, and the interests they have.

The personal finance newsletter for UNISON members published by Lighthouse Financial Advice –UNSON-MoneyTalk-Newsletter

UNISON who led the legal challenge to scrap Employment Tribunal fees, won a landmark court victory yesterday against the government – which benefits all workers.

The Supreme Court has ruled that the introduction of Employment Tribunal fees in July 2013 was unlawful.

Fees were introduced by the Government in 2013 with a view to weeding out malicious and unmeritorious cases. However, they didn’t just weed out the weak cases they stopped genuine cases as well. This resulted in most cases requiring the Claimant to pay the £1200 in fees and a 79% reduction of cases being brought forward over the last 3 years.

What does the ruling mean?

Anyone who:

• has been treated illegally or unfairly at work will no longer have to pay to take their employers to court.
• paid the Employment Tribunal fees will be able to claim it back from the Government (BBC have reported it will cost an estimated £32 million). However, it is anticipated that rather than the fees regime being completely abolished, an alternative fees regime may be brought in.
• did not lodge claims over the last 4 years, due to the fee, may seek to issue claims now, arguing that time should be extended to allow the claim as it was not reasonably practicable for them to have done so earlier, in view of the fees regime. Whether Tribunals will allow such claims remains to be seen.

 Full story on the UNISON website

Friday 28 – Sunday 30 July 2017

Saturday 05 August 2017 (12 Noon – 15.00 hours)

Centenary Square, Bradford

Saturday 05 & Sunday 06 August 2017

South Yorkshire Festival

Saturday 13 August 2017 (12 Noon – 17.00 hours)

Wortley Hall, Wortley, Sheffield S35 7DB

Queens Gardens, Hull

Saturday 10 & Sunday 11 September 2017

Clifton Park, Clifton Lane, Rotherham S65 2AA

If you need a new car, with UNISON Living you’ll have access to exclusive discounts for you and family members, and great discounts on car insurance.  Read more

Please fill out the 2017 UNISON Equality Survey if you have ten minutes to spare.  It will be really useful for UNISON in working to make your workplace more equal.

Click here to complete the survey.

Pay negotiations between the higher education trade unions (UNISON, UCU, Unite, GMB and EIS) and the employers (via their negotiating body the Universities and Colleges Employers Association, UCEA) have concluded.

The full and final offer tabled by UCEA on 27 April 2017 is a 1.7% increase on all points on the pay spine, with additional payments for those at the lower end as tabled below.

This is effective from August 2017.

UNISON’s Higher Education Service Group Executive (HESGE) decided at its meeting on 4 May 2017 that this offer is the best to be achieved by negotiation, and that if members vote to reject the offer, sustained and prolonged industrial action would be required.

In line with UNISON policy, the final offer is first of all subject to a Branch consultation exercise, which will end on 3 July 2017. This Branch will therefore be putting in place arrangements to consult with members in order to report back to HESGE, and so please look out for further communications and information.

If, based on the results of this consultation, HESGE decides on a course of action including industrial action, then this would be put to members in a further, centrally conducted, ballot. In accordance with the Trade Union Act, a turnout of at least 40% would be required in order to make a vote for industrial action legally valid.

Rejection of the pay offer in an industrial action ballot would initiate a campaign of industrial action in line with UNISON rules and conference policy. UNISON would endeavour to work alongside other unions wherever possible on joint action.