Building a stronger union - UNISON€¦ · Objective 3: Campaigning and developing our political influence 21 Objective 4: Developing systems to meet the challenge 32 Appendix 1 NEC

Building a stronger unionUNISON annual report 2012/13

21517_cover_2.indd 2 30/04/2013 14:53

21517_cover_2.indd 3 30/04/2013 14:53

UN

ISO

N A

nnua

l Rep

ort 2

012/

13

1

Contents

Building a stronger union – building an alternative 2

UNISON – year in view 4

UNISON objectives 2013 8

Objective 1: Growing and strengthening our union through recruitment and organising 9

Objective 2: Negotiations, bargaining and equality 14

Objective 3: Campaigning and developing our political influence 21

Objective 4: Developing systems to meet the challenge 32

Appendix 1 NEC review of self-organisation in UNISON 36

Appendix 2 Monitoring Information 39

21517_insidepages_.indd 1 30/04/2013 14:46

BU

ILD

ING

A S

TRO

NG

ER

UN

ION

2

Building a stronger union – building the case for an alternative

Marcus Rose

Over the last year we have passed the mid-point in what we are told will be a full five year term of office for the UK coalition government. And as such, for our members and those that rely on the services that they provide, the second half of 2012 and the beginning of 2013 has felt more than a little like being in the middle of a storm.

Funding has been cut across all public service budgets, including the money provided to the devolved nations, leading to harmful cuts to care homes, children’s centres, libraries, leisure facilities and youth services to name but a few and continue to inflict untold damage to the social fabric that binds communities together. Those who normally speak in measured tones have warned about the end of local government as we know it with collaboration and shared services increasing by the day.

In England, the NHS, with more competition piled on top of the legacy of PFI poses serious questions about what kind of health service England will be left with by 2015. In Wales, the current review of health services comes with benefits – but risks too. All these proposals put pressure on UNISON members and communities as the fight to survive reform and possible closures takes hold.

At the same time, more members are losing their jobs – each adding to the grim tally that gives away the utter callousness of this UK government. But each too, of itself, a personal tragedy. A household, a family, losing a wage and facing an uncertain future. Not knowing how they will pay their mortgage or rent. Looking at the unemployment figures and wondering how they will survive.

And then there is the growing squeeze on living standards and a UK government intent

on pursuing a pay policy which, as with last year’s pensions dispute, is all about dividing public from private sector and the pursuit of a race to the bottom. But the statistics give the game away and tell us what we have felt to be true for years – that most ordinary working people have been seeing their standard of living steadily eroded, whilst those at the top have never had it so good.

For our activists the challenges are stark. Addressing members fears’ and problems, responding to redundancies and cuts-led reorganisations and restructuring is not for the faint hearted. It is important therefore that we take this opportunity to place on record thanks to all our representatives and activists for the work they have done – and will continue to do in the period ahead. For what marks out this mid-point, and what should give us a sense of mission for the period ahead, is that it is now increasingly clear that the UK coalition government’s plan has failed and there is space for an alternative.

The public were told that austerity would save the economy. But practically every major forecast shows the recovery receding ever further over the horizon. The consequences for public services and the welfare state


UN

ISO

N A

nnua

l Rep

ort 2

012/

13

3

are chilling. People increasingly get that. In this context our priorities are clear. We have to build a stronger union – recruit and organise so that we are better able to resist the coalition government’s attacks in our workplaces and communities. And we have to go out and win the case for the alternative to austerity that puts people, jobs and public services first.

As this report shows we are building momentum all the time. Our members are standing up and saying enough is enough by taking strike action to save jobs and protect pay. Our organisers are out there addressing the organisational challenge in ever more fragmented public services. And our spring recruitment campaign showed clearly that we can demonstrate that being a member of UNISON is the right choice for public service workers in difficult times. We have successfully resisted plans for regional pay

Marcus Rose

and pushed plans for police privatisation off track. We have battled on the ground in hundreds of local campaigns and disputes. And on the streets of Belfast, Glasgow and London hundreds of thousands of UNISON members sent a very clear message that austerity wasn’t working and that we needed a future that works. We have made the case to politicians at UK level – and in our communities too. All UNISON members can be proud of the difference we are making together.

History won’t judge this UK government kindly. Half way through its term of office more and more people are standing up and saying that it is wrong to sacrifice our public services and the jobs of hard working people for a failed economic plan. So, together we are fighting back – building a stronger union and leading the movement for a fair alternative to austerity.

Dave PrentisGeneral secretary

Chris TansleyPresident


BU

ILD

ING

A S

TRO

NG

ER

UN

ION

4

UNISON – year in view

May 2012 “Please don’t vote for cuts to public services” was UNISON’s message in a hard hitting GPF-funded ad campaign in the run up to local elections. And the campaigning paid off when Southampton’s Tory council was kicked out after a year-long battle with the unions over cuts to pay and services and Birmingham council returned to Labour.

In Airedale members launched a petition to keep their local hospital laundry in-house, cleaners at Addenbrookes hospital in Cambridge protested against their employers’ plans to give them a 21% paycut and workers at Northumbria healthcare prepared to ballot for industrial action to defend their terms and conditions.

Come fair weather or foul UNISON members took the union’s campaigning

message to the public at a series of summer events.

From the Cambridge Folk Festival to the National Eisteddfod of Wales there was an enthusiastic response to

UNISON’s publicity for the upcoming TUC march against austerity on 20 October.

A Tale of Two Barnets, an anti-cuts film made with the support of UNISON’s Barnet branch took the Edinburgh Festival by storm after receiving plaudits from film director Ken Loach.

Members voted 90.2% in favour of accepting changes to the local government pension scheme.

UNISON celebrated a partial victory in the campaign against police privatisation. Surrey police, which had been leading the change to ‘business partnerships’ alongside West Midlands police, announced it was shelving its involvement in the project.

A new front developed in the battle to save the NHS as a cartel of 20 rogue trusts in the South West threatened to disregard the Agenda for Change national agreement and impose their own terms and conditions.

And in Swindon members lobbied over the threats to facility time by the Tory council.

July 2012 August 2012

Peter Everard Smith


UN

ISO

N A

nnua

l Rep

ort 2

012/

13

5

UNISON – year in view

June 2012Chris Tansley, a childcare social worker from Nottingham, was elected as the new UNISON president with vice presidents Maureen Le Marinel and Lucia McKeever.

In Sutton care workers and their children took to the streets to campaign against a threatened 40% pay cut. The workers, who look after disabled clients, lobbied Sutton council’s adult services committee and handed a letter to the committee chair.

And in Haringey, north London, school support staff members staged a one-day strike against attempts by education secretary Michael Gove to force the school to become an academy.

October 2012

150,000 people marched in London, Glasgow and Belfast on 20 October. They were taking part in the TUC’s March for a Future that Works. In London UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis told the huge crowd gathered in Hyde Park: “Today we march, tomorrow we march on.”

The Workforce Partnership Agreement in Wales is finalised confirming the process by which social partners (employers and trade unions) work in partnership to manage change as a fundamental part of how we improve the delivery of public services in Wales.

Steve Forrest workers’ photos

UNISON and Unite achieved a restoration of controversial pay cuts enforced by Southampton council which had led to months of industrial action in the city. The dispute started when the Tory council sacked and rehired its entire workforce on lower pay. The progress came after months of union campaigning and after the Labour party took control of the council in April’s elections.

Dave Prentis urged the TUC to renew its fight against the austerity agenda. He warned that pushing workers closer and closer to economic oblivion while the rich remained untouched made industrial action inevitable.

September 2012


BU

ILD

ING

A S

TRO

NG

ER

UN

ION

6

November 2012

UNISON’s campaign for a living wage paid off as employers at Aberdeenshire, Cardiff and Caerphilly councils and Sunderland college amongst others agreed to pay their staff the wage which rose to £8.55 an hour in London and £7.45 outside the capital. Cardiff cleaner Gail Wilby who received the payrise said “every little helps, especially with bills like gas, petrol and food going up.”

And the union urged people to vote in the police and crime commissioner elections across England and Wales (except London) and to vote for the candidate who supported keeping the police service public.

Paul Box Report digital

February 2013 March 2013

General secretary Dave Prentis joined Mid-Yorkshire Health workers on the picket line at Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield. “The message today is that these wonderful Yorkshire lasses are staying strong and standing together – and by doing that, we can defeat these proposals,” he declared. Clerical and administration staff working at three West Yorkshire hospitals were staging a five-day strike over proposed changes to their pay and jobs.

UNISON welcomed Central Scotland Police’s move to become the first police force in the UK to be an accredited living wage employer. UNISON proposed the move to boost pay levels of low-paid staff and celebrated a success after the police board backed the policy.

General secretary Dave Prentis launched the union’s new recruitment campaign, urging members and activists to get involved. “With 1.3million members UNISON is already a union to reckon with – but there are still hundreds of thousands of public service workers out there who don’t have the essential cover that

UNISON provides,” he said. An army of organisers hit the ground for a two week campaign blitz, backed up by a TV, press and social media ad campaign.


UN

ISO

N A

nnua

l Rep

ort 2

012/

13

7

December 2012

“We are one NHS!” declared marchers in Bristol on 1 December as UNISON along with other

unions and members of the public ratcheted up the campaign against the South West pay cartel that was trying to cut pay and conditions for health workers across the region.

Angry Manchester ambulance crews took their fight against privatisation to Westminster, delivering a petition signed by over 14,000 people calling for a halt to the transfer of patient transport to a bus company.

January 2013

The new year got off to a rallying start as, in Glasgow, carers and service users lobbied against cuts to disability services, in Darlington members and parents demonstrated against nursery cuts and in Lewisham hundreds turned out to protest against threats to close the local hospital’s maternity and A&E departments.

April 2013

“It’s time to take a stand” was the union’s message as the campaign for a fair deal on local government pay hotted up.

Local government workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland haven’t received a pay rise for three years and haven’t even received the £250 promised by the government, paid to other public sector workers in 2011 and 2012.

In Scotland the campaign also grew after the union recommended members reject a 1% offer.


BU

ILD

ING

A S

TRO

NG

ER

UN

ION

8

UNISON objectives 2013

In 2013, at the midpoint in the coalition government’s period of office, the political attack upon public services and living standards for working people is unrelenting.

It is becoming increasingly clear that, not only are these attacks harmful to UNISON members, their families and communities, they are counterproductive. Each fresh economic forecast throws this into sharper focus. That’s why our priorities are to defend our members and the public services they provide and build the case for an alternative to the government’s austerity agenda.

Our objectives to achieve this are: ● Enhance our capability to meet the recruiting, organisational and representational

challenges posed by austerity measures including cuts, workforce reductions, reorganisations, attacks on facility time and privatisation – for all members who provide public services.

● Protect and secure decent employment, and pensions for UNISON members, promoting equality and challenging discrimination

● Develop our public service campaigns in support of quality public services, in defence of the NHS and all public services, building our political influence, forging alliances with unions and community groups to challenge the austerity programme, including challenging the attacks on the welfare state.

● Ensure that the union’s essential information, communications and technology (ICT) infrastructure and internal management systems are efficient and effective to meet the changing needs of our branches and membership


UN

ISO

N A

nnua

l Rep

ort 2

012/

13

9

Objective 1: Growing and strengthening our union through recruitment and organising1. UNISON is one of the best recruiting unions in Europe. However, the continued attacks by the coalition government on public service jobs meant that we continued, like other unions, to face challenges in retaining membership levels during the last year.

2. Around 127,000 new members joined UNISON last year which, on its own, would have created the 10th largest union in the TUC. As in previous years, members, activists and staff, in branches, regions and the national centre, have worked together to raise the profile of UNISON in the workplace to recruit new members and to organise them so that we can continue to be effective in standing up for public services delivered directly by public service workers. Our recruitment effort this year was boosted by the spring recruitment campaign.

Spring recruitment campaign3. This year, the national executive council (NEC) agreed that the union’s most urgent priority was to take action to turn the tide and boost the union’s membership and strength.

4. The NEC agreed a plan to unite the whole union around a recruitment campaign in March 2013 – bringing together our organising agenda with recruitment and advertising.

5. The General Political Fund agreed to finance the advertising that would support the recruitment activity.

6. The campaign started with a period of independent research where the union identified key strategic target areas and audiences, consulted non-union members about their concerns and what would appeal to them about joining a union and developed and tested messages to appeal to this group.

7. For a two week period starting on 11 March, every regional office emptied out as organisers and other staff headed out into workplaces and communities to recruit

like never before. Organisers worked with branches to develop recruitment targets and plans and head office staff volunteered to go out and join the campaign. A phonebank was set up at the UNISON Centre to ring all branches to ensure they had recruitment plans in place and had the materials they needed to recruit.

8. The activity was launched with our new television advert and a range of local and national newspaper adverts along with a set of new recruitment and workplace materials based around the message – Essential Cover if You Work in Public Services.

9. All advertising activity is being closely tracked so that we can learn which routes work best and use any future allocated funds to best effect.

10. This is a long term campaign, however, the results from the first phase are encouraging. From 11 March to 14 April recruitment rose by 44% on the previous year’s figures.

11. The NEC will be reviewing the campaign and looking at how the union can sustain this successful focus on recruitment to build our union’s strength during the attack on jobs and services.

Organising our membership12. Recording accurate membership figures is a complex process for all unions and other membership based organisations. UNISON is no exception to this. In UNISON we record joiners throughout the year and then during September an annual line count uses information received from employers about paying members and compares it with a manual count of our membership. Regular data cleansing exercises are also carried out. On that basis in September 2012, our membership stood at 1,306,500.


BU

ILD

ING

A S

TRO

NG

ER

UN

ION

10

13. The coalition government continues its ideological attack on public services by cutting jobs and services and also by restructuring the way that services are delivered to the public and the way that work is arranged. This presents enormous organising challenges for the union. The privatisation of large parts of our public services, the increased use of the community and voluntary sector and the growing fragmention of services through, for example, the establishment of academies in schools and the break-up of the health service means that the union is having to adapt our organising techniques and strategies.

14. We remain wholly committed to building membership and growing our organisation in the traditional public sector, but we are recognising the urgent need to recruit and organise workers who deliver public services while being employed by private, community or voluntary sector employers. We know that without this recognition, UNISON’s influence and strength will be weakened and the threat of greater fragmentation of public services and further attacks on the workers that deliver those services increased.

15. It is because of this that, in addition to the day-to-day recruiting and organising that takes place in branches and regions, particularly in core areas, the NEC has identified the fragmented workforce, reaching and staying in touch with workers in privatised areas, as an organising priority.

16. UNISON is already one of the largest private sector unions in the country with in excess of 110,000 members working for private companies and more than 60,000 employed in the community and voluntary sector. This means that more than 10% of our membership is already outside of the directly-employed public service workforce. Key areas of the fragmented workforce identified by the NEC as strategically important to the future of the union are social care, schools and the community and voluntary sector.

17. During the last year, strategic organising campaigns were supported in Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Fife, Oxfordshire, Sheffield and Staffordshire. Additionally, organising campaigns were supported in areas considered by the NEC to have strategic organising importance outside the categories described above. These were in the London Borough of Barnet Council, to support the work against the mass privatisation of council services, and Plymouth City Council, to help to build a branch that was threatened with de-recognition last year. The NEC also agreed to support a campaign to organise personal assistants in Yorkshire.

18. UNISON is also working with organisers from Citizens UK to develop community organising strategies to support our campaigns against austerity and to develop our organising capacity. The Strategic Organising Unit (SOU) is helping to coordinate this activity across the union. Community organising campaigns are already underway in Birmingham and Nottingham with others under development in other parts of the UK.

19. This is why it has become one of the key challenges for UNISON to reach workers in the fragmented workforce and to stay in touch with them. A number of strategies for achieving this goal are being used in each of the organising campaigns supported by the NEC. Various new media tools are being utilised to supplement our organising strategies. While never surpassing the importance of face to face contact with members and non-members, new tools such as email, Twitter, Facebook and other collaborative media offer opportunities to connect with workers in fragmented or isolated working environments.

20. This is also one of the reasons why UNISON has launched a smartphone app. The union’s first app, acclaimed by the technology media, provides another gateway to the union and to union activity. Again, while technology will never be an alternative to organisers in


UN

ISO

N A

nnua

l Rep

ort 2

012/

13

11

the workplace, it does allow us to take our message out to the more than 50% of the UK population that now use smartphones and will be a handy tool for organisers as we continue to develop this platform.

21. The NEC continues to work to develop the UNISON activist base. A new major initiative aims to identify routes into union activity at all levels and to ensure that activists are supported.

22. Over the last year the SOU has continued to work closely to ensure that we have a coordinated approach to recruitment and organising. This work focuses on making crucial links between organising, recruitment, campaigning and bargaining. This approach will be decisive in ensuring that organising resources are effectively targeted.

23. One of the central aims is to ensure that organising resources are deployed in the quickest time possible and targeted to where they are most needed. We are taking this work forward with regions to set up rapid response organising teams, trained in the latest organising, recruitment and campaigning techniques, which can get support into areas of need at the earliest opportunity. This rapid response approach was successfully used to support the branch at Rotherham hospital trust when they were threatened with 700 redundancies.

24. A key goal is to ensure that organising practice and intelligence is shared to and between organisers. An easy to use organising toolkit, that works alongside the smartphone app, is under development to facilitate the exchange of good practice.

Supporting learning and organising 25. In response to the increasing need to respond quickly to issues in the workplace and to be able to organise and recruit around them, Learning and Organising Services (LAOS) developed new organising training materials, including short workshops designed to be run flexibly and ‘just in time’, to help branches organise and campaign around a real issue or as part of branch development. In addition we continue to promote Trained and Active approaches to developing and supporting new reps. Workshops include planning, one-to-one conversations, developing stewards and contacts, and preparing for street campaigning.

26. New materials have also been developed to support branches facing privatisation and outsourcing. These cover the procurement process and TUPE or Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment). The aim is that where TUPE is inevitable, branches are able to ensure the best possible protections under the regulations. Another short workshop has been developed looking at how branches can protect existing facility time and try to increase it.

27. Training and organising materials have been developed with service groups for priority areas, including social care and local government cuts. In health, materials have covered defending Agenda for Change, campaigning against the South West pay cartel and training for organisers and branch activists on the imperative of “duty of care” for all staff working in health and social care.

28. An awareness campaign has been developed in partnership with NHS Employers to increase take up of workplace learning, particularly for staff in bands 1-4, and to promote the role of trade unions and in particular union learning reps (ULRs) in developing a culture of lifelong learning in NHS workplaces.


BU

ILD

ING

A S

TRO

NG

ER

UN

ION

12

29. In partnership with the Open University and the Workers Education Association learning opportunities for school support staff have been offered in a number of schools. LAOS has facilitated a workshop at the FE and sixth form conference in Bolton using the Boom, Bust, Fightback wall charts to raise awareness of the economic crisis and impact on cuts to public services.

30. We continue to deliver Return to Learn, now in its 25th year, Women’s Lives and our English for You ESOL programme, supporting some of our lowest paid and most vulnerable members, many of whom go on to activist roles. In 2012 400 learners took part in these programmes and half of all participants were women.

31. During 2012 over 500 people participated in UNISON’s new Flexi Learn scheme, run in partnership with the Open University. The new scheme provides short continuing professional development workshops for members across the public sector.

32. In February the Inspiring Learning: the power of the ULR event was attended by over 60 UNISON ULRs. It showed ULRs practical activities they could take back to the workplace to engage learners in English and maths.

33. A Using Technology for Learning toolkit has been developed for ULRs who support learners with new technologies and using IT. The toolkit includes a guide to running computer sessions, a learning websites directory, iPad for learning guide and an introduction to using e-readers in learning.

34. In Scotland funding has been secured for another learning development project worker. Work has begun with the WEA and the Scottish Government on a learning programme for personal assistants.

35. In Wales four Union Learning Fund projects have received Assembly support, covering local government, health, community

and emergency services across every part of Wales. There are now seven projects in total, each in partnership with a host employer. One exciting new project, ‘Digiskills Cymru’, aims to support the work of the other projects in extending opportunities for e-learning, widening access to ICT and participation, establishing ‘community hubs’ and recruiting digital ULR champions.

36. The English Union Learning Fund project, Inclusive Learning for Communities, has supported 70 branch and regional-based projects this year. Key themes have included supporting apprentices in high quality apprenticeship schemes, such as the highly successful St Edmondsbury project funded through the national project. As well as concluding several apprenticeship agreements with major employers, the project has provided training to representatives and other members to help them mentor apprenticeships in the workplace.

37. A number of regions have been supported to reach out to non-unionised workplaces with some successful pilots helping to inform our engagement around learning with care homes and domiciliary care companies.

Political Education38. As part of UNISON’s political education project, a women’s history wall chart was produced and launched at national delegate conference 2012. It looks at the role of women in society and unions over the last 150 years and is accompanied by workshop activities which encourage learners to make connections between past campaigns and current activism and organisation.

39. Support was provided for a Trades Unions for Labour Organisation weekend for union members interested in selection as parliamentary candidates. A total of 16 UNISON members took part in this initiative.


UN

ISO

N A

nnua

l Rep

ort 2

012/

13

13

A further event was held with the LGA Labour Group for would-be Labour councillors. In addition LAOS helped to organise mock “husting” sessions for UNISON members who were planning to apply for the MP selection process.

Activist training40. National committee training, covering areas including chairing skills, speaking with confidence and leadership skills was attended by 124 participants this year, and 48 activists and staff attended the fourth annual leadership school in Warwick.

41. A total of 4,237 new stewards were appointed in 2012 of which 54% were women. Of these stewards, 932 took part in the Organising Steward training course during 2012. The total number who attended steward induction training during 2012, including reps appointed prior to 2012, was 2,769 and 53% of these were women. In the last year approximately 11,000 members have participated in learning activity.


BU

ILD

ING

A S

TRO

NG

ER

UN

ION

14

42. In his 2013 budget statement, Chancellor George Osborne stated “The government will extend the restraint on public sector pay for a further year by limiting increases to an average of up to 1 per cent in 2015-16. This will apply to the civil service and workforces with Pay Review Bodies. Local government and devolved administration budgets will be adjusted accordingly in the spending round.”

43. The accumulated impact of the pay freeze and the pay cap on public sector workers has already been punitive. For example, for local government workers in England and Wales the value of their pay has dropped by 16% since 2009, after inflation is taken into account.

44. At UNISON’s pay seminar in November 2012,General Secretary Dave Prentis attacked the coalition’s wrong-headed economic policy which had removed spending power from the economy and was “trapping families in a downward spiral of debt and despair.” He highlighted the hardships that many public sector workers were experiencing as a result of frozen pay levels and rising prices.

45. Pay campaigning work continues to be co-ordinated by the service group liaison committee. Maximum pressure is being brought to bear across all service groups to prevent public sector workers enduring yet more real terms pay cuts.In particular, UNISON is engaging in a long-term campaign to change public attitudes to public sector pay and emphasise the common difficulties which low pay causes for workers across the whole economy.

46. Over the past year each UNISON service group has responded to the situation with targeted advice to members, hard negotiations with employers and specific campaigns. UNISON remains committed to a strategy of resisting the real-terms pay cuts being imposed by the government and to defending national pay bargaining.

47. Much of the justification for the pay freeze and cap has been based on the argument that public sector workers enjoy a “pay premium” over their private sector counterparts. However, in March 2013 Incomes Data Services published a report commissioned by UNISON which fundamentally undermines the “pay premium” argument.

48. The report is a systematic investigation of the pay premium, and shows definitively that it simply does not exist. The report identifies serious problems with the source data used by the IFS and the Office of National Statistics who had supported the idea. It demonstrates that their methodology (known as ‘regression analysis’) is a fundamentally inaccurate way of making this comparison and that that the IFS and ONS fail to consider a full range of factors which affect pay.

Living wage 49. UNISON campaigners and negotiators have continued to have numerous successes in delivering a Living Wage for public service workers, including those whose jobs have been contracted out. Campaigns in the further and higher education sectors, often in alliance with the National Union of Students have had considerable success.

50. Agreement on the Scottish Living Wage has been reached in most devolved bodies. There are just a few local authorities left and they are expected to come into line in the coming year. UNISON Scotland is also pressing the Scottish Government to extend the benefits, including our members in the Community Service Group, through the Procurement (Scotland) Bill. The NHS Scottish Terms and Conditions Committee have negotiated an agreement to remove the bottom point of Agenda for Change which is an HSGE policy objective. NHS Scotland Living Wage Agreement, provides for new equality proofed arrangement for On-Call

Objective 2: Negotiations, bargaining and equality


UN

ISO

N A

nnua

l Rep

ort 2

012/

13

15

Payments, and payment being met by the employer for PVG registrations.

51. In May 2012 the Welsh Labour Government confirmed its commitment to exploring ways of ensuring a living wage for every worker in Wales by encouraging all employers to implement it. This is being actively pursued by UNISON across all public services in Wales.

52. UNISON has recognised that local campaigns for the Living Wage can be extremely effective. The union has responded to concerns that local campaigns must comply with UNISON policy on national pay agreements and opposing cuts to public services. All branches have been issued with a document, UNISON Principles of Living Wage Campaigning and Negotiating. This is a flexible and practical guide to campaigning and negotiating for the living wage which explains how issues such as equal pay and national agreements should be considered when looking to implement a living wage locally.

Regional pay53. UNISON campaigned successfully in 2012-13 to partially block the threat of regional and local pay in public services. UNISON-commissioned research formed a central part of the evidence base which convinced policy makers that dismantling national pay bargaining would be wasteful, inefficient and unfair. Reports produced for UNISON by Incomes Data Services addressed two arguments in favour of localising pay: that large private sector organisations practiced local pay bargaining and that higher public sector pay was “crowding out” private sector investment and jobs in the regional economy.

54. The first, Location Based Pay in the Private Sector, showed conclusively that large, multi-site private sector employers which operate across the UK do not practice local pay bargaining. This finding seriously

undermined Chancellor George Osborne’s claim that the public sector needed to be forced to take up best practice in pay bargaining from the private sector.

55. Crowding out: Fact or Fiction,disproved the claim that public sector pay was crowding out jobs and investment. The report found that “the hypothesis that public sector pay levels crowd out private sector jobs and investment is highly flawed”. Both of these reports were quoted extensively in Parliament, the press and, most significantly of all, in the responses of the pay review bodies to the Chancellor’s consultation.

56. Despite our campaign success, the threat of regional pay in some parts of the public sector remains. In the South West, a cartel of NHS Trusts maintain the possibility of breaking away from the national Agenda for Change agreement. UNISON health group, the south west region and local branches have worked together to deliver a brilliant campaign in defence of Agenda for Change. A huge amount of pressure has been put on the diminishing number of Trusts who remain in the cartel and the campaign continues. In local government a number of councils have broken away from sector-wide bargaining, largely through frustration with the NJC’s failure to make reasonable pay offers. Others are threatening to leave the Local Government Association and therefore the NJC, while some councils have paid the Living Wage but are refusing to fund an NJC pay award for all staff. The future of bargaining in local government is an issue at the top of the NJC Committee’s agenda.

Pay developments57. In education, UNISON is working hard to rebuild nationally-negotiated pay settlements in an increasingly fragmented sector of public service. The union now has national recognition agreements with all of the major academy chains and continues to negotiate with new chains as they become national


BU

ILD

ING

A S

TRO

NG

ER

UN

ION

16

entities. While national negotiations continue in higher and further education, the employers are increasingly looking to hold down pay and undermine terms and conditions.

58. As the annual report went to press UNISON’s key negotiating committee for local government workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland was due to meet to consider the union’s response to the latest pay offer from employers.

59. UNISON members had rejected previous options – for a 1% pay rise with changes to terms and condition or a lower increase with no strings – put forward by the local government employers.

60. Councils had come back with a final offer of 1% on all pay points from 1 April 2013, deleting the bottom pay point (scale point 4) from 1 October 2013. There are around 28,000 local government workers – mainly women working part-time – on the bottom pay point. Under the offer, they would get a 1% pay rise between April and 30 September and a further 1.4% increase on 1 October. Overall they would move from £6.30 an hour to £6.45 – a 2.4% increase.

61. At the time of writing, UNISON is preparing to ballot members in Scottish Local Government on a 1% pay offer.

62. Government implemented the NHS pay review body’s recommended across- the-board uplift of 1% to all pay points of the Agenda for Change scales from 1 April 2013. In recommending the uplift, the PRB rejected calls from employers to freeze pay on the basis of affordability; acknowledged the downward pressure on NHS pay caused by high inflation; and made clear that falling morale and staff engagement held risks in relation to future recruitment and retention of staff. At the time of writing UNISON was consulting branches on how they wanted the union to react to this pay settlement, which fails to address the 8-12% drop in the real-terms value of NHS pay since the coalition

came into power.

63. Social care employers have often used the excuse of public sector commissioners slashing their costs, often in mid-contract, to “harmonise” pay downwards leading to a freeze for the lucky, and cuts of 30% to 40% for the unlucky. Sick pay, pension provision, overtime and other pay supplements have also been eroded, and there has been a significant shift away from incremental scales to market-based “spot salaries”. The weak rays of a pale winter sun have cast some limited warmth on housing association staff, who have registered awards in the region of 2% to 2.5%.

64. In the water industry negotiated pay increases are higher than those workers in the public sector. In Severn Trent the increase was 2.5% increase in basic pay from 1 July 2013. In Scottish Water negotiations are ongoing with a proposed offer of 2-4% to be linked to performance related pay. A continuing concern is the separation of pay and conditions within companies using wholly owned subsidiaries. This feature has appeared within both South-West Water and Welsh Water for customer retail operations and is very much to the disadvantage of our members working in those functions many of whom are women.

65. The Environment Agency emerged from the government-imposed public sector pay freeze in 2012. Although it was published government policy that 1% would be all that was allowed, it still took months to get clarification about performance-related progression (PRP) payment, and it was January 2013 before the rise was implemented – 1% on scales plus any PRP due. UNISON did press for a 2-year deal, to avoid going through this lengthy process again for the July 2013 pay claim, but the Agency was not allowed to commit to this.


UN

ISO

N A

nnua

l Rep

ort 2

012/

13

17

66. In April 2013 passenger transport employers offered a 1% increase in pay, with no strings attached in line with the 1% remit for public sector workers.

67. In energy the trend is towards the use of industry market rates to establish base pay and the development of job families as a result. This has not been helpful to members and at an extreme level, raises potential threats to collective bargaining.

Procurement68. An extensive procurement resource has now been established to assist branches and regions. The central resource of expertise, practical advice, and training has proved invaluable to an increasing number of branches. The resource will continue to be developed. We continue to develop the support we provide to members working for a new employer when privatisation and outsourcing do occur. There have been numerous examples of branches standing up for members and public services in the face of potential privatisation – real examples of where the union can make a difference for our members in difficult times.

69. In September 2012 new guidance was issued on TUPE to ensure all of our branches had the information they need to support members through the process of a staff transfer to a new employer. Local government has issued a new suite of procurement guidance and further work is being done to ensure full and up-to-date cross-service group guidance is available.

70. Importantly, a new contract alerts system is being developed which will enable branches across all service groups to receive information about forthcoming procurement activity which impacts on their members. The new system will also confirm contract awards and store information on all contracts issued in an easily searchable database. The IT

contractor for this work has been appointed and, at the time of writing, is developing a system which should be operational by June 2013.

Facility time71. In 2012/13 organisations such as the Taxpayers Alliance, the Trade Union Reform Campaign and Conservative MPs have continued with their efforts to undermine the practice of allowing lay trade union officials facility time to carry out their duties in the workplace. Their anti-union campaign has now moved to the next level with the Cabinet Office issuing instructions to Civil Service departments demanding that they limit paid time-off to a set percentage of the overall pay bill. This lead has been followed by Eric Pickles whose Department for Communities and Local Government has issued similar guidance to all councils.

72. Cross-service group guidance on defending facility time has been issued to all branches covering both legal entitlements and advice on how to deal with attacks at a local level. UNISON learning and organising services has developed a short workshop for branch reps on how to deal with attacks on facility time. This is available as part of the campaign to defend facility time and is delivered by organisers or branch officers with small groups of members and activists, at branch meetings, activist training sessions and other events.

73. UNISON has now published a report written by independent research organisation NatCen looking at the benefits that trade union facility time in the public sector brings to employers and the taxpayer. NatCen convened a series of seminars at which UNISON reps and employers gave their views on how facility time operates. The report has received a significant amount of attention both in the media and political circles.


BU

ILD

ING

A S

TRO

NG

ER

UN

ION

18

74. The report found that facility time arrangements put in place a ready-made structure for the resolution of disputes and the management of large scale organisational change. It also found that organisations saved significant amounts of money through the early and informal resolution of workplace issues facilitated by readily available trade union representatives.

Job losses75. Between 2010 and 2012, the number of people employed in the public sector fell by 300,000, or 5% of the overall workforce according to The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). The OBR has forecast that employment across central and local government would fall by 900,000 between 2010/11 and 2017/18 as a result of cuts. Overall, public sector employment fell by 20,000 to 5.72m in the fourth quarter of 2012, the13th consecutive quarter in which it has dropped. These statistics reflect what George Osborne described in his 2013 budget statement as “...the unavoidable task of reducing the size of the public sector workforce.”

76. Office for National Statistics figures show local government has been the hardest hit sector with 32,000 job losses in the fourth quarter of 2012. Councils have now lost more than 160,000 jobs over the past year.

77. The NHS workforce has fallen by almost 21,000 since the coalition government came to power. This includes a loss of more than 6,000 qualified nursing posts – from a total of 312,000 nursing posts. Just one example of the job losses being faced in the NHS is the 750 jobs which were lost at Rotherham Hospital in November 2012 – a devastating blow for families in the run up to Christmas. The job losses hit admin and clerical workers, nursing staff and allied health professionals such as physiotherapists. The growing pressure on hospital budgets is making

these kind of job-cut announcements all the more regular.

78. At every level of UNISON the focus is on how we address the threat to jobs. We have produced detailed guidance for sectors and branches, along with providing campaign guides and resource packs covering everything activists need to help run a successful anti-cuts campaign, from planning, to delivery and including how to deal with the media, use social networking sites and new media and access UNISON resources.

79. At local level, the union is working to fight cuts and redundancies through a range of techniques including researching and providing councils with detailed, costed alternatives to job losses, working with councils, where they will engage, to avoid or mitigate job losses, organising members and taking industrial action.

Equal Pay80. Equal pay continues to be a significant feature of the union’s campaigning, parliamentary, negotiating and legal activities. UNISON continues to work closely with the Fawcett Society and the TUC in campaigning about the growing gender pay gap.

81. UNISON is pursuing thousands of equal pay claims on behalf of members. Employers are still resisting these claims with appeals causing delay, denying our members the compensation they have waited so long for and greatly adding to the union’s legal costs. However, UNISON continues to achieve favourable financial settlements for its members in many large equal pay claims, especially in health and local government.

82. During the past year, the union has continued to fight many important points of law in the higher courts. The question of whether an equal pay claim could be brought in civil courts was decided by the Supreme Court. This case involved a number of retired


UN

ISO

N A

nnua

l Rep

ort 2

012/

13

19

UNISON members who had been too late to bring tribunal claims. The court found in the claimants’ favour and the claims can now go ahead in the High Court. UNISON’s solicitors are now investigating the merits of any new requests by members who think they might have a civil court equal pay claim.

Under pressure: making sure fairness is not squeezed out83. We have continued to campaign against the coalition government’s attack on our hard-won equality and human rights protections. A number of 2010 Equality Act provisions including third party harassment, tribunal discrimination questionnaires and tribunal powers to make wider recommendations are threatened with repeal.

84. The new public sector equality duty has been pilloried as bureaucratic red tape and subject to review far too early for there to be any meaningful findings. The government have slashed the remit, funding and services of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the body charged with advising on and enforcing the duty.

85. We have campaigned and lobbied against these attacks on the public sector equality duty at every opportunity. UNISON has robustly defended the public sector equality duty. Dave Prentis wrote to the Minister questioning the timing and process. We have liaised closely with sister unions and partner organisations in the community and voluntary sector, have supported the TUC and the Equality and Diversity Forum in framing their responses and submitted our own evidence to the review body on why the equality duty is more important than ever and needs strengthening rather than further undermining and weakening.

86. Devastating public spending cuts continue to impact disproportionately on those who already face discrimination, including women, Black, disabled, young,

older, LGBT and migrant workers. We continue to expose the true cost on our members’ lives and make sure equality is at the heart of all our negotiations, demanding that employers consider the equality impact of cuts. We campaign to defend our welfare system, ethical care and universal benefits for older people, such as the winter fuel allowance.

87. Challenging racism in the workplace continues to be core to our work on achieving race equality. The persistent patterns of workplace race discrimination were a key driver for UNISON’s freedom of information requests in local government and our joint work with the Runnymede Trust to map the equality impact of the cuts across public services. We know that tackling deep-seated discrimination takes a collective approach.

88. Even in these hard times, there are victories: we have successfully challenged unfair cuts on equality grounds, saving many members’ jobs. UNISON has lobbied government on proposed changes to maternity and parental provisions and won adoption leave provisions equivalent to maternity leave. We have pursued the right of a member to surrogacy leave through the UK and European courts. Now, intended parents in a surrogacy arrangement will have the same rights as adoptive parents. We persist in our push for apprenticeship schemes. Local negotiations based on national UNISON advice are securing new agreements, including on apprenticeships, disability leave and equality for transgender workers.

89. All our equality groups have lent their intelligence to UNISON’s pensions and pay campaigns and built support for UNISON’s anti-austerity policies in our communities, including at scores of LGBT pride events across the UK.

90. We continue to campaign for same-sex marriage, countering misinformation and prejudice. Our robust responses to Westminster and Scottish consultations has


BU

ILD

ING

A S

TRO

NG

ER

UN

ION

20

been backed up by written evidence to the parliamentary committee considering the Westminster Bill, detailing the need for full equality in surviving partner pensions and no opt out for civil registrars.

91. There has been systematic work on the next phase of UNISON’s equality scheme, which provides a straightforward approach to assessing the equality impact of our work. Updated unit and regional action plans cover the period 20013-2016.

Review of self organisation in UNISON92. The final report of the review of self organisation is appended to this annual report and commended to the 2013 conference. The report sets out the work carried out by the review steering group and its recommendations.

93. Self-organisation is vital to UNISON. It strengthens the union and helps UNISON’s recruiting, negotiating, campaigning and equality objectives. It can be central to the revitalisation of UNISON’s membership and in enabling the union to adopt a strategic approach to equality, within the union’s agreed objectives and priorities.

94. It is hoped that the report and the rule changes on the agenda for NDC 2013 will be a catalyst to stimulate organising in the workplace and to re-invigorate the work of self organisation in the union; refresh the union’s equality agenda in the workplace; defend jobs, terms and conditions and provide a stronger and more solid basis on which to build the union density, recruitment and membership participation to have a strong and dynamic presence in the workplace.

95. The NEC intends to implement the work programme set out in its key actions. We believe that there is a huge wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise within the self-organised groups which should

be used to build the union’s capacity and strength to forge ahead in our pursuit for better rights and protection for workers in general and public sector workers in particular.

Health and safety96. In March 2013 UNISON held its fourth national health and safety seminar. This focussed on campaigning against the government’s attacks on health and safety, and strengthening health and safety bargaining and recruitment tools.

97. UNISON has successfully campaigned against government legislative proposals (in the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill) that would make it harder for its members to claim compensation from their employers for injuries incurred through their work. It also responded to and argued against a series of Health & Safety Executive proposals to reduce the level of health and safety enforcement.

98. UNISON has continued to successfully represent members who have been injured at work. UNISON has also set up the asbestos exposure register, the comprehensive legal assistance scheme that protects members and their family following an accident or injury involving asbestos.

99. UNISON has also provided materials to help branches campaign and recruit around health and safety. In the last year we have launched a monthly electronic bulletin with the aim of keeping safety reps informed of the latest campaigning developments on health and safety, alongside a new Safety in Numbers quarterly newsletter to be used by safety reps as a campaigning and recruitment tool.

100. UNISON has continued to produce bargaining advice and new health and safety guides on gender and age and updated its guidance on risk assessment.


UN

ISO

N A

nnua

l Rep

ort 2

012/

13

21

A Million Voices for Public Services101. UNISON’s anti-austerity and pro-public services campaign, a Million Voices for Public Services has continued to be our central campaign over the last year.

102. The goal is to provide an overarching, one-union, profile for our advertising, press work, political lobbying and activism aimed at defending public services and the jobs and terms and conditions of our members. We have sought to do this in a way which highlights to politicians, media and opinion formers across the UK the effects of austerity on our communities, in terms of both reduced services and the wider economic impacts of unemployment, job insecurity and reduced incomes of public service workers.

103. The key campaign event of the year was the TUC’s March for A Future that Works demonstrations in London, Glasgow and Belfast on 20th October. Hundreds of thousands of UNISON members, their families and other trade unionists marched and attended rallies in order to send a very clear demand that the government change direction and adopt an alternative to the failed policy of austerity.

104. The political backdrop for the campaign over the last year has been one of unrelenting attacks on public services, the jobs of those that provide them and the communities who rely on them.

105. The forecast for total public sector jobs losses has, once again, been revised upwards. The government’s own figures suggest the total could potentially reach 1.1 million by 2018.

106. A huge range of services that our communities depend upon have been seriously pared back and damaged. These include adult social care, youth support, NHS, education, libraries, counselling, meals on wheels, leisure facilities and children’s centres

107. The most recent budget in March indicated a further significant round of cuts to spending on public services after the next election in 2015.

108. At the same time the government has continued to pursue its policy of outsourcing and privatisation, with estimates now suggesting that the market for public services will soon reach £89 billion a year, with more than 1.2 million people delivering public services employed by the private or community and voluntary sector organisations.

109. In this context our campaign has continued to emphasise two important lines of argument. First, that the coalition government’s policies are not only causing massive damage in their own terms, but that they are also counterproductive, resulting in continuing economic stagnation and higher debt. Secondly, that a policy that puts jobs and services first would be a credible alternative to austerity.

110. As with previous years, we have used the UNISON alternative budget to set out our arguments. Published to coincide with the government’s own budget in March, UNISON’s alternative budget set out credible and costed options that would save public sector jobs, maintain services and invest in economic recovery.

111. Additional fact sheets have been produced as tools for activists. Topics covered include why cuts don’t work, privatisation and outsourcing, why public services matter and the political and economic case for higher pay.

112. UNISON has continued to work with partners in alliances at national and local level as a key means of broadening the campaign to defend public services, members and their communities. When organising for the March for a Future that Works we were able to work with and mobilise the support of a range of community groups and public service users, as well as other major civil

Objective 3: Campaigning and developing our political influence


BU

ILD

ING

A S

TRO

NG

ER

UN

ION

22

society organisations. As shown in the range of activities set out below, on health, welfare and housing, where we have worked with wider campaign alliances we have been able demonstrate that our very grave concerns about cuts, austerity and the decline in living standards are not merely narrow sectional interests.

113. Part of Wales’ Million Voices campaign was to influence the political make up of local councils when 21 out of the 22 local authorities had all out elections in May 2012. We promoted a ‘use your vote for public services’ message funded by the General Political Fund, throughout the election campaign culminating in eight Labour gains including overall control in ten local authorities and coalition in a number of others.

Public Works114. Public Works is UNISON Scotland’s contribution to the Million Voices campaign and it’s been a busy year with activity everywhere from the streets to the Scottish Parliament. We mobilised a strong UNISON on a range of marches and demonstrations – the stand-out contributions being the Glasgow March For a Future that Works and the Scottish TUC march and rally against youth unemployment in Troon. This coincided with The Scottish Conservative Conference and led to the possibly unique occurrence of delegates to a tory conference being kettled by police.

115. We published The Front Line Starts Here which provided branches with ideas, suggestions and arguments to counter cuts disguised as ‘reform’, with proposals aimed at real improvement through service redesign involving users and staff. In a similar vein we updated our report into c ivilianisation of police in Scotland in response to the centralisation ofpolice services into a single national service and the adherence by the Scottish government to a numerical target for

uniformed police numbers to the detriment of both effectiveness and the interests of police staffs.

116. In advance of May 2012’s Scottish local government elections we drew up our own manifesto - outlined a vision for councils based on properly funded, publicly provided, accountable services and used this as the basis to test aspiring councillors’ commitment to public services.

117. Our high profile engagement with the Scottish parliament continues providing responses to many and diverse legislative consultations and Inquiries. On care integration, leisure trusts, procurement, freedom of information, children in care, police reform and a host of others.

118. UNISON is taking part in the ongoing debate on the future of Scotland with a document called For a Fairer Scotland. In this, stressing that constitutional and social change are not the same thing and the former without latter is of little consequence, we are challenging all sides on the referendum debate to explain how their scheme matches our vision. We have also outlined a UNISON view of what additional powers a Scottish parliament could have short of independence–making it clear that there is little point in additional powers if there is no additional political will to create a more equal society.

Pensions119. Pension provision has once again been a dominant factor in our campaigning and political influencing activity this year with the Public Sector Pensions Bill, auto enrolment and the proposed changes to state pension all on the agenda.


UN

ISO

N A

nnua

l Rep

ort 2

012/

13

23

Public sector pensions120. Following the successful industrial action last year and after the hard work of our members, activists and negotiators in securing the final agreements for each scheme, the process of passing the primary and secondary legislation, enacting the final agreements, has been far from straightforward. Our central concern when the Public Sector Pensions Bill was initially published was that it didn’t reflect the agreements reached. As the bill progressed through the many stages of parliamentary process to becoming fixed in legislation, we have worked with the TUC, LGA, the shadow Treasury team, MP’s and Lords to seek to influence the bill in the main areas of priority to our members. We gained some notable victories such as; clearer delineation between the role of the scheme board and scheme manager, the removal of the provision to allow the government to apply negative revaluation to benefits, introducing more rigour before any future adverse changes can be pushed through parliament and, most importantly, we managed to go from no specified member representatives on pension boards to 50% member/trade union representation.

121. Unfortunately, there were three areas where progress was stymied. Our attempts to allow Working Longer Review Groups (such as the one in the NHS) to recommend groups of workers that could have lower retirement ages were fought off. Attempts to delay implementation in Scotland and give more power over regulations to the devolved countries were also not achieved, with UK government blaming lack of engagement from the Scottish government. And the government preferred to legislate on Fair Deal within scheme specific regulations rather than in primary legislation. Work continues on all these areas.

122. Work is now beginning on setting up the LGPS Scheme Advisory Board, which oversee the funds and report to the relevant Minister

at the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).

Proposed changes to a flat rate state pension123. On its own, the contributory state pension cannot provide a standard of living above the poverty line. While supporting moves to reduce those on means tested benefits, the changes are cost neutral and the qualifying period to get the full single tier pension will actually increase from 30 to 35 years. Many would have been better off if they had been able to remain in the second state pension so there are winners and losers. It should also be seen against the Secretary of State reviewing state pension age again by 2017 and then every 5 years.

124. We have many concerns about the transition and implementation of the proposals and, along with the TUC, we are actively participating in the legislative process seeking to gain influence on the final legislation expected later this year.

125. One key area of concern for our members is the higher employee national insurance contributions (NICs) for those no longer contracted out. This will cause hardship following a long period of wage stagnation, and alongside higher occupational pension contributions in the public sector. Higher employer NICs in the public sector could have negative consequences for jobs, pay, and public services, despite the apparent commitment to fiscal neutrality. We are pushing for the government to commit to using the additional revenue to fund the single tier state pension reforms and mitigate these adverse consequences.


BU

ILD

ING

A S

TRO

NG

ER

UN

ION

24

Auto enrolment into occupational pension schemes126. From October 2012 the largest employers began automatically enrolling eligible staff into qualifying pension schemes. By the end of 2018 all employers will have completed their first auto enrolment of staff into an occupational pension scheme.

127. UNISON supports auto enrolment in principle as extending pensions coverage is a positive step towards all workers having access to a decent pension in retirement. However, UNISON does have a number of concerns about the current scheme such as the low level of contribution from employers which will not provide adequate pensions on retirement and the impact on commissioning public services (this additional cost needs to be factored into the commissioning process so that it does not end up impacting on the quality of services, or the terms and conditions of staff employed to provide the service).

128. UNISON is also campaigning to amend the scheme to meet the National Association of Pension Funds’ Pensions Quality Mark (PQM), requiring a minimum 6% employer pension contribution to be awarded the lower Mark and 10% for the higher mark called PQM Plus. We believe that all employers that offer defined contribution pension schemes should look to seek PQM recognition.

Our NHS Our Future129. Following the passage of the Health and Social Care Act in March 2012, UNISON moved quickly to ensure that the union’s campaigning against privatisation did not lose momentum.

130. In June 2012, immediately after national delegate conference UNISON was the major sponsor of the Reclaiming Our NHS conference in London that brought together

hundreds of people from unions, campaign groups and patient organisations to show a united front in fighting for the NHS in the wake of the act having been passed.

131. Also in June, UNISON supported the Netroots UK event which brought together online campaigners with a special focus on keeping up the pressure on NHS campaigning.

132. With funding from the general political fund, UNISON expanded its work with the NHS Support Federation’s NHS Unlimited project to monitor and publicise the extent of privatisation following the passage of the act and with the “any qualified provider” policy coming to prominence. The project has published a list of the top private healthcare providers to help give campaigners background information about the companies interested in running NHS services in their area.

133. As part of this project, a new NHS For Sale website has been set up to track emerging evidence of privatisation. Using creative info-graphics and maps to portray the data, the aim is to explain how private companies are taking over services and have growing influence of how the NHS operates.

134. In September 2012, funded by the general political fund, the union produced Stronger Together: A UNISON guide to influencing the new NHS. The guide included a brief description of the new system and then detailed sections on the various ways in which members and others can get involved in new structures to try to help hold back the tide of privatisation and cuts. Dedicated sections were included on foundation trusts, clinical commissioning groups, HealthWatch and local authorities. In January 2013 the guide was given unwitting extra coverage by a right-wing attack in the Daily Telegraph on the “guerrilla warfare” embodied by UNISON’s guide.

135. Further work was undertaken involving events, speeches and presentations at


UN

ISO

N A

nnua

l Rep

ort 2

012/

13

25

a number of UNISON committees, self-organised group conferences and other meetings inside and outside the union.

136. UNISON worked with the Smith Institute to organise a series of events entitled Where Next for Health and Social Care? These were held in Bristol in November 2012, Leeds in February 2013 and Manchester in April 2013. These events aimed to build up alternative approaches to the market and to influence NHS policy in the run-up to the next election.

137. UNISON also expanded its work on cuts to the NHS, with a new online resource launched in April 2013 for health conference.

Police privatisation138. The threat of privatisation continues to hang over UNISON members working in police and probation, but the success of the Stop Police Privatisation campaign in 2012 has shown that campaigning against privatisation does work and that public opinion is on our side and not on the side of the privateers in government.

139. Launched in May 2012, the campaign raised the profile of UNISON’s opposition to privatisation with key stakeholders and the press, provided briefing materials for branches to engage with politicians and made privatisation a key issue for the 2012 police and crime commissioner elections.

140. The campaign was featured in the UNIZONE at the 2012 national delegate conference, a fringe meeting was held with LabourLink on the risks of privatising the police and the campaign received very public support from Neville Lawrence from the conference platform. All involved in the campaign worked hard to make sure that our key message went out loud and clear to Labour candidates for police and crime commissioner seats. A successful campaign bid to the GPF provided funds for some research by the Association for

Public Sector Excellence into how to oppose police privatisation and an opinion poll which showed that two thirds of people opposed handing policing over to private companies.

141. The campaign provided a magnificent example of co-ordinated campaign activity, with the East Midlands police branch, supported strongly by their region and service group, engaging directly with the public through a petition taken out onto the streets of the West Midlands to shame the police authority over its failure to consult the public. They also worked through Labour Link with West Midlands MPs and members of the West Midlands Police Authority to challenge the proposals at every key meeting and successfully used the media to win the public relations battle. They worked with their region and the service group to ensure seamless campaign activity throughout the union. As a result of their efforts, when Labour won the contest for police and crime commissioner for the West Midlands force, one of the first actions of the new commissioner Bob Jones was to scrap the privatisation proposals.

142. In similar style, the campaign run by the police branches in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire to oppose their forces signing up to the three-force privatisation proposals to join the Lincolnshire Police G4S contract ended in success when these plans collapsed following the police and crime commissioner elections. The branches and their region commissioned expert analysis of the forces’ privatisation proposals from the Association of Public Sector Excellence (APSE) to challenge the business case for privatisation. They lobbied their police authorities and police and crime commissioner candidates and made a real impact in the local and regional press. Again the success of the Labour candidate in the election for police and crime commissioner for Bedfordshire was decisive.

143. The threat of privatisation has not gone away from the police service, but these


BU

ILD

ING

A S

TRO

NG

ER

UN

ION

26

examples of successful local and regional campaigning serve as a reminder that we can win this argument.

Education144. The fabric of the English school system continues to be threatened by the rush to create, and indeed force, academies and free schools upon local communities. UNISON, though the Anti-Academies Alliance (which also benefits from a GPF grant), continues to campaign on these issues as well as bargain with academy chains. UNISON continues to promote the value of school support staff to decision makers and remains the leading union promoting healthy school meals and the staff who make them.

145. UNISON continues to raise the cuts to local authority education and childrens specialist services, and in particular the cuts to the careers service and its replacement by an unfunded school responsibility. These cuts are particularly damaging in light of record youth unemployment and contradict a government ambition to both lessen inequality and increase take up of vocational training. UNISON has worked well with the Labour Party to highlight the cuts to Sure Start Centres and in addition in April 2013 launched our positive manifesto to reverse youth service cuts.

146. In higher and further education UNISON has been leading campaigns against cuts, outsourcing, shared services and for a living wage for all staff.

Energy and WET147. UNISON has campaigned around priority issues for members in water,environment, transport and energy. Work was undertaken with MPs to put down an early day motion on cuts to the Environment Agency and highlighting their implications for flood

defences. A study has been undertaken around ownership of water companies, the state of the industry and its sustainability going forward. Plans are being developed on how this can be used to influence policy makers.

148. Against a backdrop of escalating energy bills, UNISON has also continued to support the activities of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition and the National Right to Fuel campaign. We are co-sponsors of the Energy Bill Revolution and we continue to lobby for a sustainable national energy minimisation policy.

149. In the context of further major cuts to bus services over the last year, UNISON has continued to engage with and give support to the high profile Save Our Buses campaign.

Employment rights150. In 2012 the coalition government started to make serious moves to severely restrict employment rights, health and safety and equalities, in addition to the April 2012 extension of the service for unfair dismissal claims from one year to two. UNISON has worked with the TUC, TULO and the Institute of Employment Rights to respond to consultations, brief MPs and peers and organise petitions for fair employment practises. Based on a report from venture capitalist Adrian Beecroft, they have been rushing through multiple technical changes to weaken employment rights across three different parliamentary bills. There are at least 13 major changes proposed and in the pipe line.

151. UNISON campaigning has made clear that the majority are aimed at making it easier to sack workers and harder for them to receive, or claim, any form of compensation. We have had success in briefing peers to reject the health and safety and employee shareholder contracts and are waiting to see if they try to re-introduce them again.


UN

ISO

N A

nnua

l Rep

ort 2

012/

13

27

152. In addition to this legislative onslaught, UNISON continues to maintain its profile in standing up for low paid and vulnerable workers, through bargaining and legal cases, and campaigning against the use of zero hours contracts and travel time abuse in home care.

Welfare reform and benefit cuts153. Since the government set out its welfare reform plans in 2011 UNISON has played a lead role within a national umbrella group, representative of over 30 welfare expert organisations, known as the Welfare Reform Consortium (WRC). The main aim of the WRC has been to lobby the government, MPs and Lords, senior civil servants in the DWP, HMRC and local government organisations.

154. The WRC represents welfare, low income and housing experts from a wide range of campaign groups with specific professional expertise able to show how welfare reforms will negatively affect certain groups and vulnerable people in society. These include Gingerbread, Barnardos, Child Poverty Action Group, Scope, Mind, Citizen Advice Bureau, Campaign for Economic and Social Inclusion, Low Income Group, Women’s Aid, Shelter and the Chartered Institute of Housing.

155. UNISON also led the campaign against the Benefits Uprating Bill 2012, which caps the increase on benefits and tax credits at 1 per cent. UNISON was one of the key organisations highlighting, in parliamentary briefs and media activity, that the cap would penalise mostly low paid in-work families in receipt of top-up benefits, such as working tax credits and child tax credits.

156. UNISON has also campaigned in 2012 to ensure that the regulations of the Welfare Reform Act, that govern the processes and procedures for implementing universal credit between 2013 - 2017, are improved to ensure a more fair, accessible and workable welfare system. As part of this campaign

UNISON provided evidence to a number of parliamentary and advisory committees highlighting the impact of reforms on low paid and part-time workers and their families.

157. As a result of UNISONs continuous campaigns and co-ordinated efforts with the WRC alliance the government has begun to backtrack on a few of the regulation processes to help soften the impact the new welfare reforms will have on families and vulnerable people. They have now produced a local government Universal Credit: Local Support Services Framework along with extra resources to help fund local support services needed to deal with the new system and they have revised the “one size fits all model” to allow for variations of how benefits claimants can receive their benefits.

158. UNISON will continue to campaign for further concessions nationally as part of the WRC Alliance as we now move on to the next phase of our campaign focussing on the national role out of the welfare reform regulations, the implementation of universal credit and regional local campaigns. The next phase will combine our national campaign work with supporting local community campaigning:

● supporting regional local community welfare and housing campaigns such as the ‘bedroom tax’ - where people in social housing with ‘surplus to need’ bedrooms are being penalised through housing benefit cuts

● working with our regional welfare officers and activists to understand the changes that may affect our members needing UNISON welfare support

● advising branches on new welfare guidance that emerges

● advising branches on employment in work conditionality benefits issues that may affect low paid and part time members and families or unpaid carers


BU

ILD

ING

A S

TRO

NG

ER

UN

ION

28

● Working with our women and disabled members and committees who are disproportionally affected by the reduction or removal of much needed child support credits and living support payments by replacing Disability Living Allowance (DLA) with Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

Labour Link159. UNISON’s affiliated political fund, UNISON Labour Link, has continued to play a strategic role in fighting against the coalition government’s attack our public services and on UNISON members.

160. In the Westminster parliament and in local constituencies, UNISON has worked closely with Labour to oppose government legislation and expose the dire effects on services and communities.

161. UNISON Labour Link has worked closely with the health service group to show the effects of the Health and Social Care Act in promoting competition and privatisation of our NHS. We have also campaigned with the MPs to oppose regional pay and the south west cartel and to defend national bargaining.

162. Labour Link has also worked closely with Labour’s shadow ministers in amending the Public Service Pensions Bill and opposing the attacks on employment rights and equalities in other legislation.

163. Labour Link has provided support and briefings for MPs to challenge the coalition government on a range of other issues including welfare reform, cuts to sure start and the savage attacks on local government budgets and services which have hit the poorest communities the hardest.

164. Labour Link has used parliamentary by-elections and local elections to provide a major opportunity for UNISON to highlight the importance of public services and the

work of our members. We campaigned widely with our Police and Justice service group against police staff privatisation in the run up to the police and crime commissioner elections in November. Several successful Labour candidates have stopped a number of the major privatisation proposals going ahead such as those in the West Midlands and Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire.

165. The Labour Party has launched its revised policy making process Your Britain – Agenda 2015 and we have been promoting UNISON’s key policies.

166. In Scotland and Wales, UNISON Labour Link continues to promote UNISON policies within the party in the different political landscapes that exist there. Our work in the local elections in May 2012 helped to change the political landscape of Wales.

General political fund167. Over the last year the priority for union’s general political fund (GPF) has been how we support campaign work that defends our members against the austerity agenda, and how we recruit members to maintain and build our organisation.

168. The GPF committee agreed funding towards the television and press advertising that accompanied the spring recruitment campaign. Funding was also provided for important campaigns related to police privatisation, academies and aspects of NHS reform.

169. The Housing Voice campaign, established with the support of the GPF during 2011, issued the report of its inquiry into the shortage of affordable homes. This made a series of recommendations around how more help could be provided to house people on low to middle incomes, including the building of more council and housing association homes, and better regulation of


UN

ISO

N A

nnua

l Rep

ort 2

012/

13

29

the private rented sector. The findings were presented in the House of Commons and at Liberal Democrat and Labour Party conferences.

170. The GPF has continued to fund the provision of materials and promotional items to support local campaigning on public services. This aims to ensure that local campaigns are professional and give the union a high profile.

171. UNISON presence at a range of equality related activities including local Prides and Melas has been supported by the GPF.

172. The GPF has supported activities aimed at combating the far right, including Show Racism the Red Card and community oriented campaigns such as We Are Waltham Forest.

173. The GPF has continued to fund a major programme of parliamentary activity providing political advice and monitoring for the union.

Campaigning against the far right174. Disillusionment with politics and the economic situation continue to encourage the activities of the far right, despite their current fragmentation. The successive defeats experienced by the BNP over the last three years have led to internal rifts, splinter groups and the formation of new far-right parties, including the English Democrats, the British Democratic party, Britain First and the British Freedom party. The activities of the English, Scottish and Welsh defence leagues also continue to pose a threat to local communities. UNISON has continued its strong challenge to the far right both at the ballot box and beyond, working effectively with a range of anti-far right groups.

175. Last year, the British National Party once again experienced electoral defeat. All of its 136 candidates failed to win in the recent local elections. This includes the six BNP

councillors up for re-election and three seats which were contested by ‘independents’ who had only recently left the BNP.

176. Building on the effective strategies used in recent years, UNISON sponsored Hope not Hate materials targeting women voters and supported their work in building up regional networks, which were instrumental in developing campaign strategies, producing and delivering anti-far right materials and turning out the anti-racist vote. UNISON also continued to put an emphasis on getting our members to turn out to vote through targeted local campaigns promoting a positive public services message.

177. Opposing fascism and racism and promoting equality is at the heart of UNISON’s organisation and ethos. At National Delegate conference 2012, the following rule change was passed

Rule C5.2:

A member of a political party or organisation, whose constitution, aims or objectives is/are expressly or impliedly contrary to the equality objectives of UNISON set out in Rules A.3 and/or B1.2 and/or B1.3 of the UNISON Rule Book, shall not be eligible for membership of the Union. This specifically includes the British National Party, the National Front and similar parties or organisations as decided from time to time by the National Executive Council.

International campaigning178. As austerity measures around the world persist, UNISON continues to make the economic and moral case for public services, the people that use them and the people that provide them. Solidarity with sister unions – facing similar attacks that we face in the UK – is an essential component of the fight against those that would destroy the public services that so many people across the world rely on.

179. The threat we are facing has clear


BU

ILD

ING

A S

TRO

NG

ER

UN

ION

30

international dimensions and just as government and business line up together, so must trade unionists.

180. Public Services International (PSI) held its five yearly Congress in Durban, South Africa, in November 2012. Members of the UNISON delegation argued passionately in favour of strengthening PSI’s commitment to bring unions across the world closer together in defence of public services and against the dangers of privatisation. Dave Prentis was re-elected as PSI President and Rosa Pavanelli was overwhelmingly elected as the first woman PSI General Secretary.

181. UNISON continued to be active on the Middle East and North Africa. UNISON tabled a successful motion to the congress of PSI supporting the PGFTU call for recognition of Palestinian statehood by the United Nations and supported another motion giving PSI the most progressive policy on Palestine of all the global union federations. UNISON funded a major lobbying exercise by the Western Sahara Campaign around the renewal of the human rights mandate of the United Nations’ monitors in the occupied territories. We have strengthened our solidarity with public services unions in Swaziland. An assessment visit in May enabled us to agree a 3 year project to build the capacity of the two public services trade unions, funded by UNISON and sister union Abvakabo, from The Netherlands. As part of our wider work in southern Africa we were proud to receive delegations from sister unions the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (NEHAWU) of South Africa; the Democratic Nurses of South Africa (DENOSA) and the National Public Service and Allied Workers Union of Swaziland (NAPSAWU).

182. As global sanctions on Burma were relaxed following the so-called transition to democracy, UNISON supported the position of the international trade union movement and that of Burma Campaign UK in calling for benchmarks to be set for any companies

wishing to trade with, and invest in, Burma. UNISON supported the work of the new ITUC office in Rangoon, and continued to offer support to the federal union in Karen state which has developed strong links with several branches and regions/nations.

183. UNISON’s work in Latin America has developed with support for a project run by Justice for Colombia and UNISON Northern Ireland which is seeking to assist the recently initiated Colombian Peace Process by using the experiences of Northern Ireland, especially in relation to the role of trade unions and wider civil society.. Work also continues on Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba as well as countries like Guatemala where the situation for trade unionists, especially in the public sector, is becoming increasingly dangerous.

184. UNISON increased its support for workers in the Philippines by supporting a project to build the capacity of public service unions in the country. We continued to encourage Filipinos to join and become active in our union, and used our work in the Philippines to reach out to Filipinos in this country. UNISON continued to campaign, through the European Federation of Public Service Unions, to defend public services and the rights of public service workers as they increasingly came under attack across Europe. In addition to sending solidarity messages to sister unions across Europe when they took action, UNISON hosted a joint seminar in London with CGIL-FP (Italy) and ver.di (Germany) on the need to build common strategies to fight austerity.

185. UNISON played an active part in the campaign for a tax on financial transactions. In January 2013, two decades of campaigning paid off with 11 EU countries agreeing to implement a coordinated Robin Hood Tax, worth an estimated €27 billion per country, per year. The UK government chose not to be part of this initiative.

186. We used our international work as an organising tool, including encouraging migrant


UN

ISO

N A

nnua

l Rep

ort 2

012/

13

31

groups from our priority countries and activists who are interested in UNISON’s priority issues to engage with and join UNISON.

187. Through the UNISON International Development Fund, we continued our practical support for a number of unions including those in Colombia, Nicaragua, Peru, Philippines and Swaziland. Two regions – Northern and West Midlands – were supported through the UIDF in their project work.

188. UNISON continued to work alongside a number of key support groups such as the Cuba, Venezuela and Palestine Solidarity Campaigns, Justice for Colombia, Burma Campaign, and the Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines.


BU

ILD

ING

A S

TRO

NG

ER

UN

ION

32

189. UNISON’s membership and subscription income system, the RMS, continues to support the union in its core activities and campaigns.

190. The ability to join UNISON online has continued to be very successful for potential members, partly due to being available 24 hours a day. Almost 200,000 applicants have applied to join UNISON this way. Given the increase in smart phones in the UK population, we have also launched a mobile-friendly version of our join online pages. As of late February UNISON also takes joiners into membership directly over the phone and this too is proving a popular option for new joiners.

191. We have recently changed our campaigning materials that promote UNISON online services for members. UNISON has provided access for all members via My Details on the UNISON website; giving members the ability to maintain their own membership details online. The number of members who access this service continues to grow and is another platform for members to engage with UNISON when their membership details need to be updated quickly and efficiently.

192. Over 80% of our membership is now covered by branches that have access to our current membership system. UNISON is about to deliver in 2013, via its website, a new secure web-based membership system for branches called WARMS. It will be made available to all branch secretaries who in turn can provide access to branch officers and administrators. Training for this system will be provided by using a modern and sophisticated e-learning platform as this allows users to learn at their own pace whilst being able to access this resource for refresher training. This intuitive system will benefit branches by providing immediate access to vital organising information and will enable branches to communicate with their members more effectively.

Developing our online services193. UNISON continues to develop our online services to members and activists, including developing our use of email, new media, enabling online campaign actions, introducing an organising smartphone app and developing a new website.

194. The union’s new website was launched in May 2013 and provides a secure 24 hour gateway to the union’s knowledge, resources and services. Members will log onto the site and create a user profile which will then store information about their online activity, allowing them to build a personalised library of articles and actions.

195. We continue to develop our use of email with some 28,000 registered activists now receiving our weekly activist email bulletin eFocus.

196. Use of social media is becoming a standard part of the campaigning toolkit with 17,098 people following the UNISON twitterfeed @unisontweets and 5,293 liking the UNISON facebook page. Increasingly bespoke twitter and facebook pages are one element of our campaigns.

Legal help for branches197. Branch activists told us they were struggling to deal with legal queries in the current climate and were looking for quick access to help with employment rights law. To address this a legal helpline was launched in May. This has been designed to provide speedy and efficient preliminary advice to branch officers and accredited stewards where advice is needed urgently, and to signpost next steps. The helpline is being monitored and will be reviewed after three months to ensure it is providing and effective and efficient service.

Objective 4: Developing systems to meet the challenge


UN

ISO

N A

nnua

l Rep

ort 2

012/

13

33

Fighting Fund198. The General Fighting Fund (GFF) was established in January 2012 as a resource to support branches in managing the effects of, and responding to, the coalition’s attacks on public services.

199. The fund was created to place additional organising resources on the front line and was open to branches and regions to bid against to support representation and recruitment.

200. At the end of the 2012 financial year, over the two years that the fund has been operational an additional £8 million has been available for branches and regions to access.

201. The criteria for the fund requires that bids are developed in partnership between regional staff and branch activists. Prior to a bid being approved, it must be endorsed by a regional lay body.

202. During 2012, bids were essentially focused upon recruitment with the deployment of fighting fund organisers to assist with recruitment and organising strategies. In certain areas, branches requested support with representation work and this was responded to by the allocation of fighting fund area organisers.

203. An additional development was added in 2012 in that support was also given to service groups specifically to facilitate a branch briefing for Agenda for Change and the NHS Cartel initiative in the South West region.

204. The fund has made a significant contribution to our ability to maintain our membership levels in the face of a massive attack on public sector jobs. During 2012, each organiser recruited sufficient new members to meet the funding of the posts together with a slight surplus of income. Unfortunately, this is not enough to offset our slight decline in members and income but without the fund it is probable that we would have sustained even greater losses.

205. 2012 saw a total of 238 fighting fund organisers funded through the fund and from branch financial contributions. Branch contributions at the end of 2012 totalled £1.4 million in either cash or resource contribution.

206. The fund continues in 2013 supporting major recruitment and organising initiatives.

UNISON finances207. UNISON’s detailed and audited financial statements are produced and published separately from the annual report.

208. For 2012 they show that despite the continued attack on public service jobs and our members, UNISON continued its planned approach of ensuring both long term viability and continuing to meet future demands by means of:

● continuing to maintain reserves

● operating within budgets to ensure reserves are maintained

● ensuring sufficient cash is available to meet our objectives and capital requirements

● general fund reserves effectively remained flat at £190 million compared to 2011 despite subscription income falling to just over £170 million.

209. In the current economic climate, like so many other defined benefit pension schemes, there remains a deficit in the staff pension schemes as shown in the financial statements. The figures reported are calculated under Financial Reporting Standard 17 and although they fluctuate year to year, the recovery plan agreed and put in place in 2009 and reaffirmed in 2012 following the latest actuarial valuation, is expected to reduce the deficit over the long term as envisaged.

210. The union continues to have a solid financial platform to deliver the planned work


BU

ILD

ING

A S

TRO

NG

ER

UN

ION

34

and to meet the challenges it faces going forward.

211. The outlook for 2013 is challenging with subscription income budgeted to fall as a result of continued attacks on public sector finances. Clearly in the long term raising income must be the direction to be taken and the initiatives of a fighting fund and recruitment campaign are crucial to this. In the shorter term, as a result of reducing income, expenditure must continue to be reviewed at all levels of the union to ensure it is in line with planned income. Looking to shift the total resources the union has between differing parts of the union will not address the pressures all levels are, or will start to, experience. The approach has to be to look to continue to use the resources that are available more effectively and to look to share these wherever possible.

Branch resources review212. Conference 2011 called on the NEC to review branch funding and report back in 2013. A report of the work undertaken has been published highlighting nine key proposals being recommended to conference. The work has been extensive and these proposals are those around which some consensus has been reached. Some of the proposals require rule changes and these are included on the conference agenda. In addition a motion is included endorsing the work to date and confirming ongoing work in what is a large, complex and emotive area of activity.

213. The development of an online accounting system for branches is one of the key proposals and this continues with over 300 branches now live and reporting back positively on the success of the development. Branches using this approach had no difficulty at year end with cut off dates as the system delivered the necessary data to comply with rule. Migration of branches not using the system is continuing through the year.

214. As part of the review, an undertaking was given that branches would receive earlier details of the outturn of funding for 2012. This was delivered through the year end annual financial return system. This change has been welcomed in assisting branches to better understand their financial position for 2012 and also to adjust funding for 2013 where necessary at a much earlier stage in the process.

Financial governance of the union215. The NEC continues to ensure that there is good and robust governance of the union’s finances at all levels. UNISON external auditors have, over the last few years, commented on the need to ensure that the union constantly reviews and upgrades its approach to this. The work around the branch resources review assists in strengthening good governance. In addition changes to the planning and follow up of recommendations from internal audit visits will mean improved regular reviewing during the year. UNISON will continue to deal robustly with any attempt by anyone to defraud the union including reporting such matters to the police.

Completion of UNISON Centre 216. Following the move into the UNISON Centre, the NEC reviewed the options for the future of the old head office at Mabledon Place. The building was marketed extensively


UN

ISO

N A

nnua

l Rep

ort 2

012/

13

35

to ensure that the full value of the building could be realised and a preferred developer chosen.

217. Planning consent was obtained at the end of 2011 to allow a complete refurbishment of the building to provide up to date and more efficient office accommodation. Some changes will be made to the external appearance of the building, and energy consumption will be reduced by including a range of energy efficient systems.

218. While UNISON will retain the residual freehold interest, the building has been sold to the developer on a 153 year lease. They will fund the modernisation works, which are now being carried out, then market the building to prospective tenants. Once the building is let, UNISON will receive a share of the rental income for the length of the lease, while the developer will continue to manage and maintain the property and fund all outgoing expenditure including rates. The building should be ready for occupation by the beginning of 2015.

219. Income from the sale of the lease on Mabledon Place will allow us to pay off the balance of the loan outstanding on the UNISON Centre during 2014. This will successfully complete the strategy for funding the new building.

Investors in People220. UNISON’s re-assessment as an Investor in People is due in July 2013. This re-assessment will provide feedback from the full wider standard for the first time. We received a bronze award in 2010. Since then a programme of activities has been maintained, including our annual staff survey and detailed action plans for improvement. The outcome will be publicised as soon as it becomes available.


BU

ILD

ING

A S

TRO

NG

ER

UN

ION

36

IntroductionThis is the final report of the NEC’s review of self-organisation in UNISON.

Motions and amendments to national delegate conference 2010 called for increasing participation in UNISON’s self-organised structures. Although these motions were not reached on the agenda, the NEC agreed to a review under a steering group consisting of members of the NEC development and organisation committee and chairs of the national self-organised groups (SOGs).

Purpose of the projectThe purpose of the project was to review and strengthen the work of self-organised groups in UNISON; to ensure that the arrangements for self-organisation are fit for purpose and are able to meet the challenges faced by the union in a time of austerity and public spending cuts; and to ensure that SOGs are located at the heart of union organising. It is vital that SOGs play a prominent role in supporting branches to promote the union’s equality and bargaining agenda; defend jobs, terms and conditions and services; assist the union to build its density and have a strong and dynamic presence in the workplace.

Steering group terms of reference The role of the steering group was to undertake a comprehensive review of self-organisation within UNISON at branch, regional and national levels.

The steering group looked at how the union could build on the excellent work already undertaken: how to further improve self-organisation and ensure the widest possible participation.

Its terms of reference were:

● to identify areas of good practise via consultation with regions, branches and SOGs

● to commission research into models of self-organisation nationally and internationally

● to review the arrangements for self-organisation

● to produce best practice guidelines to support the reinvigoration of self-organisation

● to review and restate the role and purpose of SOGs.

MappingWe carried out a mapping exercise across the union to assess views of the role and function of self organisation. This included:

● an electronic survey to regions on funding, support and organisation of regional SOGs

● in-depth visits to two regions – Cymru/Wales and West Midlands

● a members survey at 2011 national delegate conference to gauge activists’ knowledge and understanding of self-organisation

● a follow-up online branch survey summer of 2012 on strengthening self-organisation.

Key findings: This investigation into the state of self-organisation was encouraging. There is much that is going right in branches, regionally and nationally. However there is room for growth and it is rare for branches to have four functioning self-organised groups. Branches are seeking support from regions, from each other and from national guidance in order to strengthen self-organisation.

Appendix 1NEC review of self-organisation in UNISON


UN

ISO

N A

nnua

l Rep

ort 2

012/

13

37

ResearchThe Working Lives Research Institute was commissioned to carry out literature review on self-organisation nationally and internationally, to identify successful models and examples of good practice on union organising and campaigning strategies.

Key findings: Self-organisation can be central to the revitalisation of trade union membership and organisation as it provides channels for members of previously marginalised groups of workers to become involved. However it alone cannot advance equality, it must be combined with the integration of equality issues and responsibilities into the wider union. SOGs have a key role in campaigning and building alliances across unions, nationally and internationally.

Steering group SWOT analysisThe steering group conducted a SWOT analysis to gauge the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of UNISON’s current arrangements for self-organisation. This analysis identified three priorities:

● accountability

● increasing participation

● expectations.

Sub-groups investigated these priorities and made recommendations to the full steering group.

Key findings on accountability: There was a strong view that accountability - both for individuals elected to representative positions and for groups who act on behalf of members - is integral and fundamental to UNISON’s functioning. The principle of accountability for representatives of SOGs is the same as that for the rest of the union. The guiding principle is that representatives are accountable to the group that elected them to that position. Linked to accountability are collective

responsibility, the responsibility to report back and the right to appropriate finance.

The sub-group did not find any lack of accountability in self-organisation but rather some lack of clarity on how the accountability operated. In self-organisation, lines of accountability are not always directly from workplace to branch, to region and to national. For example, some regional SOG AGMs are only attended by branch delegates; others are open to any member who identifies as part of the SOG in the region. National caucus meetings eg for Black disabled members or for transgender members are organised to address issues of under-representation. Members attending these meetings apply directly to national and are not elected by their branch or region.

Key findings on increasing participation: Self-organisation is vital to UNISON. It strengthens the union and helps UNISON’s recruiting, negotiating, campaigning and equality objectives. Many leading activists started off in UNISON’s self organised structures. The sub-group affirmed that UNISON’s self organised structures were a model for the trade union movement.

While participation levels are not bad, they could always be better. There are real barriers to participation – similar to the barriers to all union organising. These include the history of discrimination at work and in society; fear of being identified or pigeon-holed and no/little access to facility time. In some cases, greater resources to support participation are required. As it can be easier for members to initially get involved at regional level, regions are encouraged to hold at least one meeting a year open to any member of the SOG.

Key findings on expectations: Some expectations about self-organisation and from within self-organisation are unrealistic, which impacts on participation and on the perception of democracy. The sub-group reasserted the role of self-organisation in enabling the union to adopt a strategic

Appendix 1NEC review of self-organisation in UNISON


BU

ILD

ING

A S

TRO

NG

ER

UN

ION

38

approach to equality, within the unions’s agreed objectives and priorities. The NEC guidelines on self-organisation should make this clear.

The findings of the three sub-groups were endorsed by the steering group and shaped its recommendations to the NEC which are set out in the key actions.

The NEC intends to proceed with the following key actions to ensure that the outcomes from the steering group’s review are implemented.

Key actions

● The NEC’s Guidelines on Self-Organisation and the Code of Good Branch Practice are to be revised together so that the advice is consistent and coherent.

● New materials to be produced on branch SOG organising, including guidance for delegates to national SOG conferences.

● Where no branch SOG group exists, branches will be encouraged to develop a plan of action; this could include co-option of individual members to the branch committee as a step towards a functioning group.

● To build participation, regions are encouraged to hold at least one meeting a year open to any member of the SOG.

● All costs of delegates attending caucus meetings should be met nationally and not split between branch and national. The Finance Resources and Management Committee considered this recommendation and confirmed that costs are expected to be met by existing SOGs budgets.

● The NEC has submitted an amendment to Rule D 4.2 on the purpose of self-organisation so that it better reflects the place of self-organisation in UNISON.


UN

ISO

N A

nnua

l Rep

ort 2

012/

13

39

Since its foundation, UNISON has pursued a policy of proportionality and fair representation to ensure that our members are properly represented at all levels of the union. UNISON monitors participation and membership of all national and regional conferences and committees.

We remain committed to ensuring that our organisation remains relevant and reflects our membership. This includes our local lay representatives as well as our members on national bodies.

Of UNISON members, the percentage of women (proportionality) is:

Membership 75%

Accredited stewards 51%

Non-accredited stewards 51%

Health and safety reps 43%

Every effort is made to ensure that every new member recruited to UNISON completes full monitoring information. We continue to work to ensure that our RMS records are up to date.

2012 National Delegate Conference – information on delegatesMonitoring identified the following levels of participation at last year’s conference;

Female 59%

Part-time workers 18%

Black members 10%

Disabled members 14%

Young members (under 27) 5%

Service Group breakdown:

Local government 50%

Water, environment, transport 3%

Health care 29%

Energy 3%

Police and justice 6%

Community 3%

Higher education 6%

Subscription band:

A Up to 2,000 1%

B 2,001 – 5,000 1%

C 5,001 – 8,000 2%

D 8,001 – 11,000 4%

E 11,001 – 14,000 6%

F 14,001 – 17,000 11%

G 17,001 – 20,000 15%

H 20,001 – 25,000 20%

I 25,001 – 30,000 18%

J 30,001 – 35,000 12%

K Over 35,000 9%

Member in education/apprenticeship or on unpaid leave

1%

Appendix 2 Monitoring Information


BU

ILD

ING

A S

TRO

NG

ER

UN

ION

40

National Executive Council 2011 – 2012

Female 64%

Male 36%

Ethnicity

Asian other 2%

Black African 4%

Black Caribbean 2%

Black UK 2%

Irish 4%

White UK 63%

Other 8%

Not answered 15%

Disabled

Yes 20%

No 60%

Not answered 20%

Service Group

Local government 40%

Health care 29%

Community 6%

Police and justice 6%

Water, environment, transport

2%

Energy 2%

Not answered 25%

Subs band

A – D (up to £11k) 4%

E – G (£11,001 - £20k) 18%

H – K (above £20k) 55%

Member in education/apprenticeship

2%

Not answered 21%

Age

16-26 2%

27-39 4%

40-49 27%

50+ 45%

Not answered 22%


21517_cover_2.indd 4 30/04/2013 14:53

A Million Voices for Public ServicesUNISON is Britain’s largest public service trade union and represents more than a million voices delivering essential services to the public. Services that protect, enrich and change lives. But our members don’t just work in public services – they and their families rely on them too.

We believe that cutting back public service spending and putting our services in the hands of private companies through more privatisation puts all our communities at risk.

UNISON is speaking up for public services and for the people who provide them. That’s why we are campaigning at a national, regional and local community level to make the case for properly-funded, publicly-provided local services.

Find out more at: unison.org.uk/million

To join UNISON online today, go to: unison.org.uk/join

Publ

ishe

d by

UNI

SON,

UNI

SON

Cent

re, 1

30 E

usto

n Ro

ad, L

ondo

n NW

1 2A

Y. Pr

inte

d by

Mas

terc

olou

r. C

U/AP

ril20

13/2

1517

/500

0.

Chris Taylor

21517_cover_2.indd 1 30/04/2013 14:53

Documents

Building a stronger union - UNISON€¦ · Objective 3: Campaigning and developing our political influence 21 Objective 4: Developing systems to meet the challenge 32 Appendix 1 NEC