Here is the newsletter mentioned above and there is also a letter for you to download and send to your MP in support of Early Day Motion 697.
A special meeting of the union's national executive council held on 20 January 2010, agreed that an election for UNISON general secretary be held before the national delegate conference.
Electoral Reform Services will act as scrutineer and returning officer for this election. The timetable for this election has been agreed with them. Contact details are:
ERS
Independence House
33 Clarendon Rd
London
N8 0NW
Telephone 020 8365 8909
Fax 020 865 7013
email unison@electoralreform.co.uk
The nomination period will run from 4 February to 1 April 2010. The following UNISON bodies can nominate for this post:
In the event of an election, the ballot will start on 17 May 2010. The ballot will include all members, including retired members, listed on the union's membership system on 17 February 2010. Members who are not on the membership system on that date will not be entitled to vote.
The full procedures for this election including candidate and nomination forms are available on the union's website at http://www.unison.org.uk/elections/gselections.asp
Any branch that does not subscribe to efocus will receive a paper copy of the procedures.
Any other queries about the operation of this election please contact elections@unison.co.uk
As per the news item below, this news came through on 11th January:-
All unions have now accepted this year’s pay offer. EIS the academic union in Scotland finally agreed to note the agreement last week after declaring a late dispute in December. Apart from minor tidying up amendments it is the same offer put to the unions last summer, which UNISON members correctly recognised was a final offer and overwhelmingly accepted in the Autumn. The official Unison website has downloads of the final pay agreement and the circular, which provide more detailed information.
Colleagues,
EIS the small Scottish Academic union has become the final union to accept the end of pay negotiations for 2009/10. All unions have now finally recognised the inevitable that the employers were not going to increase their offer of 0.5%, which UNISON members recognised in the Autumn.
As you are no doubt aware alongside the pay offer all the unions have been trying to negotiate a joint national agreement on redundancies. The employers have consistently refused to have a national agreement and even initially refused to have their names on a joint document. However after long negotiations, including a series of meetings facilitated by ACAS, we were able to reach agreement on a “Digest for job security – a reference document for Higher Education Institutions’”, which will be on ACAS paper but has significant input from the HE unions and employers. This is an improvement on general ACAS guidance on redundancies, however does not go as far as the draft national agreement we proposed, which will remain our starting point for local negotiations. UNISON has written a commentary to go alongside the ACAS document and has offered this as a basis for joint union guidance.
The delay to agreeing this years pay has meant that plans for the 2010/11 claim have been delayed and we have not yet been able to start the national joint HE unions pay campaign for 2010/11 as we had hoped. However the joint HE unions’ national negotiating teams are due to meet next week to plan a strategy and start the ground work for a pay claim under the 5 unions 1 demand defend HE banner. UNISON’s national HE Service Group Executive is due to meet on the 20th January and has set up a pay and redundancies working group which will meet the same afternoon to work on UNISON’s input.
A UNISON HE branch circular giving more details and copy of the final pay agreement will be circulated next week.
A big THANK YOU to our UCU colleagues, Karen and Gary, who have drawn the lucky winners out of the hat. These are as follows:
Debbie Hirst (School of Life Sciences): McMillan Cancer
Pat Wilson (Social Sciences): Bosom Buddies
The charities above will each receive a cheque for £50 together with the name of the member of staff who nominated them.
The Christmas goodie draw winner is:
Pat Henshaw (JBP Library)
A few goodies will be heading your way in the early new year.
Festive cheer to all.
As you all know, the University has been looking at potential collaborative working with other public sector organisations in Bradford, namely Bradford Council, West Yorkshire Police, and Bradford and Airedale PCT. KPMG were appointed as the consultants and they have now issued their final, advisory report.
Basically, the report has highlighted what are called ‘quick-wins’ which will enable all the four partners to make “significant and tangible financial savings”; and several, more complex opportunities for collaboration which will require more investigation by unified senior leadership.
You can view the report here. The report is still at the Advisory stage but it will give you a clear indication of the challenges which could, potentially, face us. The University are keen to investigate some of the ‘quick-wins’ identified, particularly those relating to print services, room bookings, internal audit and procurement, as well as investigating further potential collaboration in facilities and estate management.
The University will be considering this report, and making decisions on it, with the sure knowledge that the financial situation of the University is worsening, and funding for all public sector services will be reduced in the foreseeable future. “Saving money and making money” will be the mantra for the next few years and this will have a considerable impact upon staff.
Check your emails for news of events which will be organised, where you can find out more and share your views. The first one is on Monday 30 November at 1.00pm.
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Feedback always welcome. Please email Kevin Jeeps at k.d.jeeps@bradford.ac.uk |
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