Commenting on research published by the TUC today (Monday) that shows that councils in the South West are spending £370m a year less on key services than in 2010, UNISON regional secretary Joanne Kaye said: “Local council-run services hold communities together but nine years of Westminster-imposed austerity has put an immense strain on their ability to do […]
News
Official figures for NHS waiting times in Bristol show services are at “breaking point”, says UNISON
New figures show patients across Bristol are waiting longer to be treated in A&E than many other parts of the country, while the number who leave without treatment is over double the national average.
UNISON is celebrating the valuable work of NHS support staff during its One Team week of action this week.
Commenting on the decision of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) today (Thursday) not to proceed with disciplinary hearings against two Devon and Cornwall detention officers, UNISON South West regional secretary Joanne Kaye said: “This was a wise decision taken by an independent body, which carried out a robust examination of all the facts […]
Commenting on the judgment from the High Court today (Thursday) over the raising of the state pension age and the impact this had on women born in the 1950s, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “This is a terrible blow for the millions of women who will have been hoping for a very different outcome today. “The […]
Carers, catering staff and domestic support staff in eight Sirona care & health-run residential facilities in Bath and North East Somerset were today informed that Sirona has given notice to terminate its contract to run the services.
Devon’s beaches look a little bit tidier this week after UNISON members took the fight against plastic pollution into their own hands. Several volunteers from UNISON’s Torbay Local Government Branch took to the sandy shores on Saturday armed with equipment kindly supplied by Surfers Against Sewage. UNISON local organiser Joanna Wallace said: “The local Branch […]
UNISON will receive compensation of £674,000 after the union settled an employment tribunal case against Somerset County Council. UNISON argued the council had flouted the law by failing to properly inform and consult with union officials about the impact on 1,100 employees of privatising the county’s learning disability services. When specialist company Discovery (part of […]
Livewell Group has accredited as a Living Wage Employer. The Living Wage commitment will see everyone working at Livewell Group receive a minimum hourly wage of £9.00 in the UK. In the South West over a fifth of all jobs (23.4%) pay less than the real Living Wage – around 529,000 jobs. Despite this, Livewell […]
Porters, cleaners and caterers in hospitals across Cornwall are to be balloted for strike action after pay negotiations with NHS contractor Mitie stalled. UNISON has been in discussions with the employer since December 2017 to bring staff up to the same rates of pay awarded to colleagues working directly for their NHS Trust. A consultative […]
Livewell Southwest has today (Wednesday) added its name to a charter aimed at helping employees who become terminally ill at work. The social care organisation is the latest employer to sign up to the Dying to Work Voluntary Charter, following in the footsteps of employers such as Rolls Royce, Royal Mail and the Co-op. The […]
Plans to review admin services at Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership Trust have been withdrawn today following a successful campaign by UNISON. The announcement from the Trust’s new Chief Executive Dominic Hardisty followed 18 months of talks, lunchtime walkouts and a formal strike ballot which saw over 95% of affected staff voting for strike action. Wiltshire […]
Somerset County Council has signed a local apprenticeship agreement with UNISON. The agreement ensures that apprentices will receive the correct rate for the job they are doing, high quality training, and a safe and healthy working environment. UNISON South West Regional Secretary Joanne Kaye said: “We are delighted the council has decided to sign a […]
A message from Mark Everden, Regional Education Organiser: “Due to unforeseen circumstances we have made the difficult decision to postpone our inaugural Black Members Get Active event which was due to take place next month. “We have written to everyone who had registered to attend the residential weekend. “Following the success of our Black Members […]
The Bristol Branch of UNISON has today, Friday, announced a £2,000 donation to the Bristol Zero Tolerance Summer Appeal. Bristol Zero Tolerance, launched in 2015, is an initiative managed by Bristol Women’s Voice and aims to have gender-based harassment recognised as a serious issue and treated as a hate crime. The overall objective is to […]
