Summer 2011 - UNISON Yorkshire and Humberside · General Secretary Dave Prentis Regional Secretary John Cafferty Regional Convenor Wendy Nichols UNISON Yorkshire & Humberside Commerce

P9 MISTER 100 PER CENTNew regional secretary John Caffertyexplains why he’s a trade unionist

SUMMER 2011 | ISSUE 9 | £3WWW.UNISON-YORKS.ORG.UK

P20 SHEILA SHOWS THE WAYHow a determined shop stewardfought for mental health centres

THE MAGAZINE FOR MEMBERS IN YORKSHIRE AND HUMBERSIDE

UNISON

WENDY’S WAR One woman’s fight for the NHS - withthe backing of her family p22-24

P6 SAVING LIVES AT GUNPOINTRay Gray reveals what it is like to bea member of International Rescue

NEWSLETTER

WINNER

P.4

ACTIVE!

General SecretaryDave Prentis

Regional SecretaryJohn Cafferty

Regional ConvenorWendy Nichols

UNISON Yorkshire & HumbersideCommerce House, Wade Lane, Leeds LS2 8NJ T: 0845 355 0845 or freephone

textphone 08000 967 968 W: www.unison-yorks.org.uk

Lines are open 6am-midnightMonday-Friday and 9am-4pm Saturdays

EditorBarrie Clement

Consulting EditorMary Maguire

Chief PhotographerJim Varney

ContributorsMarion Batten, Peter Carroll, RobDemaine, Alan Hughes, Mary Maguire,Wendy Nichols, Dave Prentis, PaulRoutledge, Margaret Thomas

Cover ImageRobert Boardman

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© UNISON 2011

SUMMER 2011 UNISON ACTIVE! 03

WELCOME

We are about toenter the mostcritical period

in our union’s history.Our public services areunder threat as neverbefore. Jobs are goingby the thousand, pay isfrozen and ourpensions are deemedtoo good so they mustbe cut.

The attack on publicsector pensions hasnever really goneaway. Envy iswhipped up by theestablishment whohave the most, butwant to pay the least.Most of the self-righteous rage aboutpublic sector “gold-plated” pensionscomes from those whohave done pretty well

for themselves.The government is

happy to go alongwith this pensionsfrenzy and wants tocut public sectorprovision, regardlessof the evidence thatthey are sustainableand affordable.

If we have to takeaction to defend ourpensions, our resolvewill be tested to thelimit. And if I thoughtthat a one-day strike,a march and a rallywould change thegovernment’sposition, we’d havedone it by now.

Make no mistake,this will be a long-drawn out battle. Wewill have to use smartaction, remain

disciplined andunited and workclosely with otherpublic sector unions.I have been leadingthe talks on behalf ofthe unions with thegovernment andhoping for the best.But as generalsecretary of UNISON,I have been planningfor the worst.

We will have toballot more than onemillion members, wewill have to use allthe resources of theunion to back them.If we are forced toballot for strikeaction, we must workall-out to get amassive turn-out andan overwhelming yesvote.

OurUnion

PREPARE FOR BATTLE

DAVEPRENTISGENERALSECRETARY

They’re depending on usIn every area of our publicservices we are now seeing thereal human cost of the savagegovernment spending cuts.

And as we have warnedsince the general election, it isthe most vulnerable who are on

the coalition government’s hit list.In this edition of UNISON Active! we

once again see how services to youngpeople who are neither in work noreducation are being slashed.

These young people are beingabandoned. As our members whowork with them tell us, we arecreating a “lost generation” whowill undoubtedly be at greater riskof falling into a life of crime, drugsand misery.

Our health service has never beenat greater risk of destruction. Thegovernment says it believes in the

principles of the NHS but is busyopening it up for wholesaleprivatisation.

While the government’s so-called“listening” exercise on the NHS has been taking place, real wards in realhospitals have been closing. The pausein the NHS re-organisation has beennothing more than a public relationsexercise.

Sheffield University is leading thecharge on our members’ pensions byending the final salary scheme andforcing the lowest paid workers tocontribute much more for a far lowerpension at the end of their workinglives. Others will follow suit.

But in UNISON we are prepared forwhatever it takes to protect jobs andessential services aganst thisunprecedented attack. The communitieswe live and work in are depending on us.

WENDYNICHOLSREGIONALCONVENOR

W.Nichols

04 UNISON ACTIVE! SUMMER 2011

NEWS

The judges were spoiled for choice

Thanks very mucheveryone for yourentries to ournewslettercompetition (Active!Spring edition).

It was extremelydifficult to decidewho should be thewinner. In fact wedecided to choosejoint winners whowill each receive£350 in high streetvouchers.

Equal first wereBradford localgovernment branchand the City ofSheffield localgovernment branch.Congratulations!

The judges feltthat these two wereinseparable in termsof overall quality.The articles wereinformative andmainly “home-grown” – notrelying on nationalmaterial.

But if choosing asingle winner wasimpossible, so wasdeciding on arunner-up. So, weducked out of thatone as well!

Equal secondwere SheffieldNorthern Generalhealth branch andDoncaster District &Bassettlaw healthbranch, each ofwhich will receive£150 in vouchers.

Mind you, thesetwo weren’t farbehind the winners.They were justpipped at the postbecause of theslightly bettercontent of the jointwinners.

The newsletters ofanother threebranches deserve aspecial mention.Leeds communityhealth branch whosenewsletter just lost

out to the tworunners-up andAiredale health andHarrogate localgovernmentbranches whoseentries alsoimpressed thejudges. In thesecases the judges feltthe newsletterscould benefit frommore local articles -and in the case ofAiredale - morecontent. Howeverthe judges wereimpressed by thebranches’ efforts.

So, keep up thegood work and ifever you feel thatone of yournewsletter storiescould do with aregional airing, sendit to Active! editorBarrie Clement [email protected] or callhim on 07917 881787.

Leeds-born PamJohnson has joinedUNISON’s regionalmanagement teamin Yorkshire andHumberside.

Pam is takingover responsibilityfor health fromJohn Cafferty, thenew regionalsecretary.

Her first job inthe unionmovement waswith the Y&Hoffice of NUPE inthe 80s. Since 1993Pam has worked inLondon, first forNUPE and thenUNISON. For thelast eight years shehas been head oflearning andorganising.

“I’ve loveddoing the job inLondon, but thiswas an opportunityI couldn’t afford tomiss. The mainpart of my job aspart of the regionalmanagement team

will be to take theunion forward inthe face of cuts andto lead the healthteam in protectingthe NHS andbuildingmembership.

“I’m veryfortunate in thatI’m coming into awell-establishedteam, some ofwhom I’ve knownfor a long time,”she says.

A keen walkerwho enjoys theYorkshire Dalesand openmoorland aroundher Haworth home,Pam is a LeedsUnited supporter.

Pam joins the team

Pam Johnson

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LETTER

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FEATURE INTERNATIONAL RESCUE

He has beenthreatened atgunpoint manytimes, risked lifeand limb

tunnelling under collapsingbuildings, and saved manyhundreds of lives.

UNISON regionalorganiser Ray Gray hastravelled the world with theInternational Rescue Corpsfor over 20 years, helpingstricken communities copewith natural and man-madedisasters. Life is precarious,he says, and thereforeprecious.

There’s a scene inSpielberg’s Schindler’s Listwhere the hero is handed aring which is inscribed: “Save one life and you savethe world.”

HIGHLY SKILLEDRay Gray has more reasonsthan most to grasp the powerof that sentiment.

As a team leader for the

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SAVING LIVESAT GUNPOINTUNISON regional organiser Ray Gray has rescued strickenpeople in desperate circumstances all over the world. Onone occasion he had to bury the victims of a vicious civilwar in a mass grave. Here he tells Peter Carroll what itmeans to be a member of the International Rescue Corps

International Rescue Corps,he has been part of anextremely close-knit group ofpeople (“they are my family,really”), all highly skilled inrescuing victims of the mostappalling devastationimaginable.

They carry bleepers at alltimes and within hours ofthem going off they will be inIndonesia, Pakistan, Rwanda,Japan, or wherever in theworld people need their

expert help to save lives.Ray and his team made

international headlines inMarch when the BritishEmbassy in Tokyo failed toprovide the necessarypaperwork authorising them tohelp victims of the earthquakeand subsequent tsunami.

They had to fly homebecause of the bureaucraticblunder, but not beforedonating their supplies toJapanese relief workers.

Above: Armedand brutalised –children at war

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UNITED NATIONSBut most of the timeInternational Rescue isenthusiastically welcomedacross the globe.

Ray said: “I have beenquestioned at gunpoint on anumber of occasions by rebelswanting to know why we arethere. It is very scary to have achild of 12 or 13 years old whois armed, brutalised andangry, pointing a gun at you.

“That is why the badges wewear on our uniforms are onvelcro. Many places arehostile to the union jack soyou just take it off and replaceit with a United Nationsbadge. Anything it takes to getto where the people need ourhelp.”

Ironically, the child soldierscaught up in international warzones and disaster sites arethe same age as most of thosewhom International Rescueare able to save. Children arenaturally more resilient whenit comes to survival.

DEAD BROTHERIn 2005 a 7.6 magnitudeearthquake hit Kashmir. Withthe help of UN Land Roversand helicopters, InternationalRescue arrived at a schoolwhich had completelycollapsed.

The head teacher wasstanding beside the collapsedbuilding, unable to accountfor more than 200 of his 700pupils.

So the team crawled in,using their specialist sonicequipment, after voiceshad beenheard fromdeepwithintherubble.

IT IS VERYSCARY TOHAVE ACHILD OF12 OR 13POINTINGA GUN AT YOU

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Eventually, in the bowels ofthe ruined building, theyfound three boys lying on abed sheltered by an angle ofcollapsed wall. One wasdead, but two were still alive.

The younger boy was a 14-year-old called Imran, theolder a 16-year-old, Maqbool.They got the two boys towriggle towards them andhauled them out. Both weredehydrated and traumatised,especially Maqbool, who wascovered in his dead brother’sblood.

MOTORBIKE CRASHThose who feel they couldcontribute to this most heroicof voluntary services have toundergo a three year trainingprogramme before they areeven allowed to go overseas.It is gruelling, and some havecompleted it only to find thatin real-life they do not havethe psychological strength tocope with death anddestruction and have toleave.

Ray says the organisation isdependent on absolutelytrustworthy teamwork, and itis not at all surprising thatmany of the InternationalRescue volunteers areUNISON members.

Some years ago Ray lost histeenage son in a motorbikecrash. He was on his own atthe time and two members ofhis team, his “family”, movedin with him for weeks to helphim cope with the tragedy.

Ray is one of the fewregistered caffeine

addicts in the country.Tunnelling and winching fordays on end without sleeprequires regular stimulation.

And he has nightmares.Bulldozing thousands ofthose murdered - in theRwandan civil war of 1995 -into lime pits was a life-changing experience.

He said: “I couldn’t believepeople could do that to eachother. My heart told me it waswrong to bulldoze thosecorpses but it had to be doneto stop fatal diseasesspreading to the living.”

BRAVE MANThe loss of his son broughtdevastating pain, but amongthe ways Ray survived wasby helping to save other livesaround the world.

He said: “All this hasconvinced me that life isprecious and precarious and Itry to savour every minutewith my loved ones.”

But how do they copepsychologically with suchharrowing and heartbreakingexperiences?

“We cry a lot when we arenot doing our work. Crying isa natural, necessary responseto such terrible events. It isessential to keep us going, alltogether.” Brave man. n

The International Rescue Corps needs fund-raisers to keep it going and welcomes interest from people who feel they could train to be a part of the team.

If you think you can help them, go to website www.intrescue.org, or e-mail on [email protected]

YouCanHelp


MEDIA REVIEW

You can’t beat a poshwedding, a visit froman American touristand lurid details ofthe sex lives of the

famous to get the mediasalivating. Aah, if it weren’tfor those superinjunctions,how many more pages couldthey fill with those “ten times anight” raunchy tales. That’senough of that.

Just in case this column getssuperinjuncted, I won’t namethe news organisation thatwaited until it was firmly inthe dock on illegal phonehacking, to suddenly shine thespotlight on a famousfootballer. That organisationhas several newspapers, asatellite TV channel and isowned by an Australianmagnate who became a UScitizen in order to make evenmore money.

That wedding – the Royalone - captivated the nation.Wall-to-wall coverage, thepomp, the splendour, thecircumstance, the extra bankholiday, the dress, Pippa – ithad it all. Yorkshire andHumberside papers foundtheir own angles.

The Yorkshire Post reportedhow tourism leaders woulduse the wedding to lure peopleto Yorkshire. AndScarborough News milked itstraining courses on how tothrow street parties.

Shortly after the festivities,the ash cloud attempted acome-back. The Americantourist who was looking for an

apostrophe in Ireland, wasn’tgoing to be beaten. Heclimbed aboard Air Force Oneout-running the ash cloud,like something out of aHollywood movie, to landsafely in England.

Like a true Americantourist, he had his picturetaken at all the tourist spots:House of Commons,Buckingham Palace, DowningStreet. Keen to get a Yorkshirelink, the Doncaster Free Presspictured Barack Obamaholding a Yorkshire Terrier.

But beneath all this showycelebration, you find acres ofprint and hours of airtimedevoted to the cuts. The truestate of the nation.

Hull hit the headlines asBBC Look North reported thatthe council was accused ofcausing chaos. With 1700 jobsgoing, UNISON made itsmark on Radio Humberside,Yorkshire North, CalendarNews, Hull D Mail et al.UNISON warned of theimpact of police cuts (Radio

York,) and strikes on the cardsin Doncaster (Free Press,Yorks Post).

Patient care hit by NHSstaff cuts (Telegraph & Argus,Dewsbury reporter) was thetypical headline voicing theunion’s concerns. And aUNISON petition againstNHS cuts got support fromthe Scunthorpe Tel, KeighleyNews, Craven Herald andmany others.

The Spenborough Guardiantold us of the Kirkleescampaign to save the crèche.And thanks to Scunthorpehospital branch sec JulianCorlett for warning, throughthe Scunthorpe Tel, that theNHS would end up littlemore than a brand name withprivateers making hugeprofits.

But I leave you with thefollowing headline from theScarborough Evening News:

“Unison celebrates bestquarter ever”. Well done tothe Yorkshire-basedmachinery manufacturer. n

The papers went absolutely potty over the royal wedding, but there was plenty ofcoverage of planet earth too. Mary Maguire casts an expert eye over the media

NOW FOR THE REAL STORY

HOURS OFAIRTIMEWERE ALSODEVOTEDTO STORIESOF THECUTS ANDTHEIRIMPACT

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Mary Maguire –UNISON’s headof press andbroadcasting

Local angles on the wedding

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Most activists inthe region willhave seen JohnCafferty atconferences,

meetings and socialgatherings.

But what is the new regionalsecretary really like?

Well, what you see is whatyou get.

John eats, sleeps andbreathes the labour movement.Most other considerations –with the notable exception ofhis family – are set to one side.

The former head of health inYorkshire and Humberside,who became regional secretaryon April 4 keeps a weather eyeon the fortunes of Celtic FC,but his abiding passion is the

trade union movement andhis mission to do well byworking people.

That means a 60 to 70 hourweek, although he points outthat his work and his sociallife are sometimes difficult totell apart. “If you’re having apint with colleagues andtalking about importantpolitical issues, is that workor leisure?” John has alwayscombined his trade unionactivities with work for thelabour movement. “I want todo the best for our membersand one of the best ways ofdoing that is through politics– especially in the publicsector where national andlocal politicians can have avery direct impact on our

members’ working lives.“I want to make life better

for working people – and Ithink the best way to do thatis by combining into a singleunited voice and that’s got tobe within the Labour Party. Ifworking people think Labourisn’t representing theirinterests, then they shouldjoin it, change it and make itreflect working people’sviews.”

SOCIAL HUBBut he also believes UNISONshould be the voice of thecommunity as a whole, withthe union’s memberscombining with the users ofpublic services to form thesocial hub of a locality.

Newly-appointed regional secretary John Cafferty tells Active! editor Barrie Clementabout his family, his Scottish roots and what makes him a convinced trade unionist

MR 100 PER CENTAbove: John’s

a Scot with rootsin England

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REGIONAL SECRETARY FEATURE

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FEATURE REGIONAL SECRETARY

Among his politicalheroes are Aneurin Bevan,Keir Hardie and EmmanuelShinwell– all of whom wereinvolved in titanic strugglesfor what they believed in. Hebelieves that the HaroldWilson Government’scontribution was greatlyunder-estimated- especiallythe creation of the OpenUniversity and the majorimprovements in access tohigher education.

MAJOR SUCCESSThe new regional secretarylearned his trade unionism atthe knee of his maternalgrandfather Pat Conlan.

Pat’s parent’s had migratedfrom Ireland in the late 1800sand Pat who was born inGlasgow, became a “pupilteacher” in that city in histeens – an older pupil whowas bright enough to teachyounger children inpreparation for becoming ateacher himself.

But this was not to last.Pat’s mother, andsubsequently father, died -and Pat was forced to findwork in Glasgow to feed andkeep himself - in those daysthere were no grants orstudent loans.

Soon he moved to Alloa,near Stirling, where hebecame a production workerin the glass works and endedup as the union convenor, apost he held for decades. Oneof his major successes was theestablishment of a widows’fund at the company, whichmade a death payment to thewidows of workers, whetherthey died at work or not.

“One of my first memoriesas a young kid - probablyabout four or five years old –

was talking to my grandfather.He would tell me aboutworking conditions at theplant, especially how hot itwas there.

“He was highly educatedand one of the best-read men Iever came across. He was avery powerful singer whosang many of the old Scottishand Irish folk songs. He wasextremely highly-regarded atthe works.

“He never tried to cut anydeals to improve his own lot.He was concerned about thepeople he represented. Thatestablished values and beliefsin my mind at a very earlyage.”

John’s father Michaelcontinued the trade uniontradition. Michael had servedduring the Second World Waras an RAF technician workingon secret aircraft instrumentsin India.

When he was demobbed hejoined National Cash Registeras a technician, which tookhim all over Scotland. As afamily man Michael craved amore settled existence andtook a job as a schoolcaretaker. Within a year or twohe founded the Alloa branchof NUPE which becameresponsible for most of theunion’s members in centralScotland.

Michael became a seniorfigure in NUPE north of theborder and as a teenager hisson John came into contactwith large numbers of theunion’s officials, lay and fulltime.

CAREER CHOICEJohn remembers conversationsin the late 60s, in which hisfather talked of the need for anational minimum wage and

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the necessity of establishing asingle union for the publicservice. It took until 1993 to setup UNISON and 1999 toestablish the minimum wage.

So John grew up in anatmosphere which made hischoice of career almostinevitable. Less predictablewas his interest in chemistryand geology which he pursuedas a degree course at Paisleycollege of Technology, nowpart of the University of theWest of Scotland.

In fact he failed to completehis final year. “I hadn’t donethe work. I scraped throughtwo exams, but hadn’t donethe work for the others. Theplan was to go back and do theother two.”

SECURITY GUARDAfter a spell as a securityguard, he followed in hisfather’s footsteps and got atemporary job as a schoolcaretaker in Alloa. “Theoriginal intention was to workat the school for six or ninemonths, but I ended upstaying there for 11 years and Inever went back to completemy degree.”

He was drawn into thelabour movement, developinghis education through uniontraining courses. “It wasalmost as if I woke up onemorning and said to myself,this is what I wanted to do allalong,” he says. John became afull-time official with NUPE in1991.

CARE ASSISTANTJohn has three children. Theoldest is Lianne, 31, whogained a first in biology atYork University and now livesin Wootton Bassett with herson Connor and husband

IF WORKINGPEOPLEDON’T LIKELABOUR, THEYSHOULDJOIN IT ANDCHANGE IT

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Andy who has just returnedfrom a six-month tour of dutywith the RAF in Afghanistan.Donna Marie, 26, is a healthcare assistant in the A&Edepartment at a Leedshospital and wants to becomea nurse. Brendan, 23, is at HullUniversity in the final year ofa philosophy degree.

John met his wife Linda at aparty while he was at Paisleycollege and a few years laterthey were married. Linda hasretired from nursing and liveswith John in York.

When the children wereyoung John and Linda wouldgo caravanning and York wasone of their favouritedestinations south of theborder. So when he wasappointed a full-time NUPEofficial, he chose northYorkshire as his patch ratherthan the West Midlands orLondon.

LONG HOURSHe has now lived in Yorkshirefor more than 20 years. “WhenI first came to work here I haddifficulty with the accents andI know they had difficultywith mine. But these dayswhen I go back to Scotland,believe it or not, I havedifficulty with some of theiraccents. The kids have gotstrong ties here now andwe’ve put down roots, so it’sdifficult to see us going back.”

So what did he put down ashis nationality when he filledin the census – given that hehas been known to wear a kilton special occasions? “Myethnicity is Scottish, but Iwrote down British becausethat’s my nationality. You cansafely sayI’m not afan of

Scottish nationalism, or indeedEnglish nationalism. I thinkthere’s a case for devolvingdecision-making, but I thinkthe nationalist approach andthe breaking up of the UK isheading in the wrongdirection.”

So does he have anyweaknesses as a regionalsecretary? “One of myweaknesses is the long hours Iwork. I’ve got to address that,given that the union is alwaysarguing for a proper work-lifebalance for its members. But Iwould say that it’s difficult todo in my job because I’ve metmany of my friends throughthe labour movement and thesame goes for Linda. So, as Isay, it’s often difficult toseparate the two.” n

John Cafferty, UNISON’s new regional secretary, has been a full time organiser for UNISON andpreviously NUPE. Before that he was a branch secretary and political activist in Scotland.

John previously managed UNISON’s regional health, political, recruitment and organising, and print and communication teams.

In his capacity as UNISON’s regional head of health, John was also the chair of the Yorkshire & Humber staff side of the NHS regional social partnership forum.

Over the 20 year period that John has worked for UNISON, he has been involved in all aspects of the union’s representational work having covered higher and further education, utilities, local government and health. John was responsible for health for seven years.

CurriculumVitae

FEATURE PENSIONS12 UNISON ACTIVE! SUMMER 2011

DAYLIGHT ROBBERYAlan Hughes reveals how the ConDem government is stealing huge sums ofmoney from public sector workers, driving many into a poverty-stricken retirement

The Tory Press,cheered on by theTaxpayers Alliance,has been running aconsistently nasty

campaign against publicsector pensions for severalyears.

Regular headlines about“gold-plated pensions”appear in the Daily Mail andDaily Express decrying thepensions enjoyed by “publicsector fat cats”.

Let’s for the moment ignorethe hypocrisy of newspapereditors who take homesalaries far higher than anyemployee in local governmentor the NHS and have multi-million pound pension pots.

Let’s instead look at howthe government is in theprocess of robbing millions ofemployees of the pensionsthey have been paying into foryears.

LIVING LONGERIn 2006 the Labourgovernment negotiatedsignificant changes to the localgovernment and NHS pensionschemes following industrialaction led by UNISON. Thechanges were in response tothe fact that we are livinglonger and, therefore,pensions require morefunding.

The ConDem government,immediately it was elected,announced its intention toreview public sector pensions.The job of overseeing thereview was handed to Lord

Hutton, an ex-Labourminister who had happilyaccepted his generous ex-MP’s pension before movingto the House of Lords.

Not surprisingly, hisappointment and the HuttonReport which was publishedin March 2011 were warmlywelcomed by the CBI and theInstitute of Directors. TheHutton Report, in brief,recommends that workersshould work longer, pay moreand get a worse pension.

CAREER AVERAGEThe major conclusion ofHutton was that final salarypension schemes should notcontinue and pensions after2015 should be based on acareer average. For many

people, who stay in the samejob on roughly the samesalary throughout theircareers, this will not makemuch difference. Thosepeople who progress throughthe ranks and move intosenior positions will findthemselves paying highercontributions for lowerpensions than they wouldunder the current schemes.

PRESS MYTHSSo are the pension reformsnecessary?

For UNISON members thetwo main schemes are thelocal government pensionscheme (LGPS) and the NHSscheme. Both of these schemesare cash rich.

Contrary to the myths

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peddled by the press, these are schemes to whichmembers contribute. Forexample, contributions to theNHS scheme last year were £2billion more than pensionspaid out. The largest localgovernment fund in theregion - West Yorkshire - hasreserves of over £7 billion andits annual return oninvestments easily exceeds thesums it has to pay topensioners.

UNISON believes that these schemes are sustainableand that the governmentshould continue to honour the2006 agreements.

STEALTH TAXESOther public sector schemessuch as those for teachers,police, civil servants and thearmed forces face even biggerchanges as they have lowercontribution rates.

The teaching unions andPCS were due to take strikeaction on June 30. UNISON isawaiting the outcome ofnegotiations with thegovernment, but Dave Prentis,UNISON general secretaryhas warned that the HuttonReport brings industrialaction “one step closer”.

And then of course, we have Osborne’s stealth taxes.Even before consultation hasended, Chancellor GeorgeOsborne, has slipped in twomeasures which penalisepublic sector workers andreduce pensions.

MONEY RAISEDThe first measure, which wasincluded in the 2011 Budget,was to increase public sectorworkers’ pensioncontributions by three per centin order to raise £1.8 billion.

MILLIONSARE BEINGROBBED OF THEPENSIONSTHEY HAVEBEENPAYING INTO FORYEARS

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This is a direct tax on publicsector workers. The moneyraised will not go into thepension funds, but intoTreasury coffers.

The average workercurrently pays £24 a week inpension contributions. Thiswill rise to £36 per week forno extra benefit.

The second change is thatannual pension increases willbe based on the ConsumerPrice Index (CPI) rather thanthe Retail Price Index (RPI).This will reduce the increaseby about 15 per cent a year.

These changes to thecontributions and benefitsarising out of the HuttonReport and the Budgetthreaten to undermine thefuture of pension funds.Surveys undertaken byunions suggest that up to 50per cent of members couldleave the local governmentscheme.

STRIDENT CRITICThe consequences ofwidespread withdrawals fromthe LGPS are potentiallydisastrous for the schemes,the members who remain inthem and the economy. TheLGPS invests £40 billion everyyear in British stocks andshares as well as providingventure capital for newbusinesses. If these fundswere to dry up the Britisheconomy would be badly hitand the already fragilerecovery would be threatened.

The Daily Mail has been themost strident critic ofpublic sector pensions,yet its own websitehas revealed the realpensions crisis.Most firmsare closing

down final salary schemesand replacing them withdefined contribution schemes.

The problem is that finalsalary schemes currentlyprovide an average annualpension of about £7500 whiledefined contribution schemesonly return about £1300 ayear.

The Mail estimates that upto 15 million pensioners willbe forced into near poverty.This means pensioners suffermore health problems as theyare forced to cut backspending on food andheating.

The real pensions scandal is that millions of olderpeople face a difficult future.UNISON is leading thecampaign to maintain decent pensions for itsmembers. This is a fight wecannot afford to lose. n

In March hundreds of thousands of people stood up for public servicesat the TUC march in London. Now we must mobilise many more to defend our pensions. The government's strategy on pensions is clear.

They want us to: n pay more n work longer n get less when we retire.

The key threats are: n Higher pension contributions n Increases in retirement age n Closing the current schemes

and creating new ones n The end of pension protection

if you face privatisation n Annual pension increases will be

cut because they will be based on CPI, not RPI

Pay more, get less

ANALYSIS RUGBY14 UNISON ACTIVE! SUMMER 2011

The link between rugby league and UNISON is growing. Barrie Clement examinesour relationship with a community-minded sport and finds it benefits both partners

Of all the team sportsin Britain, rugbyleague has alwayshad the reputationfor being the most

open-minded and progressive.When the great winger Billy

Boston was left out of theWelsh rugby union sidebecause of the colour of hisskin, he was welcomed byleague and went on to play forGreat Britain.

When the Germansinvaded France during theSecond World War, it was therugby union hierarchy whichacquiesced in - andsometimes supported - thepro-Nazi Vichy regime insouthern France. Seniorrugby union officialsdenounced their colleaguesin league for their “pro-resistance” sympathies. As aresult, the collaborationist

government allowed theunion game to take overleague grounds.

And it was the highnumber of working classplayers in the north ofEngland which led to theoriginal split in the game ofrugby. Leaders of whatbecame league clubs in thenorth wanted to pay theirplayers for missing shifts,whereas the moneyed middle

The Eagles arecarrying themessage

LEAGUE HAS MANY WORKING CLASS PLAYERS... RUGBY SPLIT OVER PAYMENTS...

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LEAGUE OF ITS OWN


class rugby officials in thesouth insisted on strictamateurism. So there is astrong political narrative inthe development of the game.

BRAVE DECISIONMore recently rugby leaguehas developed links withtrade unions led by UNISON.Our union helps to attractpeople to the game and thegame helps promote ourmessage. It is a virtuous circle.

But the game is not withoutits problems. While rugbyleague crowds these days arerarely accused of racism, therewas a particularly nasty caseof homophobia last year whenCastleford Tigers were athome to the Wrexham-basedCeltic Crusaders.

The Crusaders’ wingerGareth Thomas, a formerWelsh rugby union star, wassubjected to a barrage ofhomophobic abuse. He is theonly rugby league player tohave “come out” as gay.

The Tigers were fined£40,000 by the Rugby FootballLeague for the behaviour oftheir fans. Such a sum wouldbe a flea bite to a leadingfootball team, but it was bigmoney for Castleford.

UNISON was keen toensure that the North ofEngland’s own game shouldremain free of homophobiaand so the region sponsored agroundbreaking match onMarch 13th at Bramall Lane,Sheffield which sent a clearmessage to the public thathomophobia had no place inthe sport.

UNISON teamed up withthe Sheffield Eagles RLFC tosponsor the “Tackling

TIGERS CROWD ACCUSED OF HOMOPHOBIA... THE CLUB WAS FINED £40,000...

UNISONHELPSATTRACTPEOPLETO THEGAMEAND THEGAMEPROMOTESOURMESSAGE

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Homophobia Day” matchagainst the Widnes Vikings.

Regional Convenor WendyNichols, and Sheffield Eagleshead coach and chiefexecutive Mark Aston, bothfelt there was an urgent needto make it clear thathomophobic chants andinsults would not betolerated in rugby league.

Mark said he wasdelighted that UNISON hadchosen his club to highlightthe issue. “We want to showthat the doors in rugbyleague are open to everybodyregardless of their sexuality,race or religion. GarethThomas has put this issue inthe spotlight and it is greatthat he has made such abrave and progressivedecision.

Rugby League is all abouthonesty, respect and integrity.There is absolutely no placefor any form of prejudiceagainst individuals in thissport – as there should not bein any other walk of life.

Wendy pointed out thatUNISON had always stoodup against any form ofprejudice and bigotry. “I amdelighted that the club hastaken this principled standagainst homophobia.

UNISON is always proudto be part of the communitiesin which our members liveand work and to take a leadon challenging and changingoffensive, outdated attitudesto minorities.”

The union has alsoestablished a firmrelationship with amateurrugby league, through theregional office and throughbranches. UNISON sponsors

teams fielded by the BritishAmateur Rugby LeagueAssociation for instance.

SAFE SPORT Chris Jenkinson, a regionalorganiser and a Leeds Rhinosfan, said the administration ofrugby league had its faults,but it was a game which wascontinually trying to reach outto the community.

“It’s a safe sport forspectators. I’ve always feltcomfortable about my safety -and the safety of my partner –when I’ve been watching thegame. It’s always been afamily-friendly sport. Youcouldn’t always say thatabout football.”

Reaffirming the linkbetween UNISON and rugbyleague, the union alsosponsored a match on May 15between the Eagles and LeighCenturions as part of the “OurNHS, Our Future” campaign.

Rob Demaine, UNISON’sregional head of health, saidthe sponsorship was part of aconcerted campaign to informthe public of the threat toabolish comprehensive healthcare and to ask for theirsupport in opposing the SocialCare Bill.

He said sponsoring theSheffield Eagles game was ahighly effective way of gettingthe campaign message acrossto thousands of people whowould all be negativelyaffected if the Bill is passed.

UNISON is now lookingforward to the 2013 rugbyleague world cup, hosted byEngland and Wales. Chrisbelieves there could be furtheropportunities for getting ourmessage across. n

Wendy Nichols -The Eaglestook a stand

FEATURE JOBS AND SERVICES16 UNISON ACTIVE! SUMMER 2011

Deep spending cutsare beginning to hitservices and jobsacross Yorkshireand Humberside,

particularly in localgovernment and health.

In Hull, over 1,000 jobshave been lost this year.Thankfully the new Labour-controlled council has given acommitment to in-houseservices, protecting jobs andprotecting the people whodepend on UNISONmembers.

Women and young peopleare bearing the brunt of thebankers’ recession. Almostone million youngsters areunemployed.

Some 70 per cent of ourmembers are women, many ofthem low paid, part-timeworkers, who have either seentheir pay frozen or receivedan increase below the inflationrate. Prices are still rising soour members are strugglingmore and more.

LOST GENERATIONCuts to the Connexionsservice are also set to have adevastating impact onvulnerable young people whoare currently not in education,employment or training.There is a real danger that as aresult of the ConDemgovernment policies, themistakes of the 1980s, whichled to a lost generation ofyoung people, will berepeated. We are activelyseeking meetings withemployers in an attempt tosecure funding to minimisethe impact of the cuts.

It’s been a difficult timeacross the region. Around £20billion of cuts have alreadybeen announced to NHSbudgets. In Yorkshire and

Government spending cuts arestarting to bite. Regional managerMargaret Thomas urges activiststo step up recruitment as part ofthe battle to save public services

WOMEN HITHARDEST

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financial cuts even moredifficult to manage.

That’s why at all levelsUNISON needs to speak upfor public services and thepeople who provide them anduse them. Most job losses todate have been managedthrough voluntary measures.But this is going to provemore difficult as time goes on.

If compulsory redundanciesare announced we willconsult our members in thatarea on potential industrialaction. UNISON willcontinue to fight vigorously tosave jobs and services in theregion. Our door is alwaysopen for discussions withemployers and we are willingto work with them tomaintain high level servicesdelivered by a committedworkforce for the benefit ofour society. The sooner talksstart the better for allconcerned.

BADLY AFFECTEDIn Leeds, UNISON workedclosely with service-users andtheir families to stop theclosure of its mental healthday centres. Well done Leeds!But other areas are still badlyaffected. There are massivecuts in voluntary sector socialhousing for instance. Andthere are redundancies incolleges and attacks onpensions in some universities.All this despite a proposedhike of £6,000 a year instudent tuition fees. Staff onlower salary grades willsuffer, while theircolleagues on highersalaries are unaffected.What an example of atwo tier system!Those that have andthose that havenot!


Humberside we expect to lose2,500 jobs across the healthservice through cuts,reorganisation and thewithdrawal of funding. Ontop of that, the ConDemgovernment is planning togive £80 billion to GPs so thatthey can commission services- potentially leading to thebreak-up and privatisation ofthe NHS.

NEGATIVE IMPACTWe have been activelycampaigning against theseproposals across towns andcities, showing a DVD ‘OurNHS Our Future’ to highlightthe magnitude of thegovernment’s proposals. Theregion and health branchesare continuing to hold NHSroadshow events to take ourmessage to the public. We areemphasising what damagethe government proposalswill do to the NHS. Watchout for it in your town or city!Copies of the DVD areavailable by contactingMaureen Hilley at theregional office, on 01132182344.

UNISON members andactivists are having a toughtime, sometimes sharing thiswith Labour councils who arechallenged with deliveringservices with a much reducedbudget.

Local authorities in theregion are currently facingcuts of over £500 million and23,000 job losses. This canonly have a negative impacton services. We will not sitback and allow theoutsourcing of serviceswithout a fight. They know -and we know - that once aservice is outsourced thecouncil has limited controlover it, making any future

Community and voluntarysector organisations will bebadly hit by the withdrawalof local grants and thereduction in donations as therecession bites harder.

The only organisations thatappear to be safe at themoment are the privatecontractors who deliver“public services” on behalf ofeither central or localgovernment with guaranteedcontract payments. Thesecontractors are not havingtheir budgets slashed. InSheffield where the council,like others, is facing almost a30 per cent budget cut, thechief executive asked theprivately-run companies toabsorb the same financial cutsas them. None agreed!

The rally and march inLondon on March 26th - andthe outcome of the localelections in this region -showed the level of feelingtowards the ConDemgovernment’s ideologicallydriven ‘Big Society’.

We will continue tocampaign and demonstrateacross the region to make ourvoices heard to protectservices and members’ jobs.Visit our national and regionalwebsites to check out what’shappening.

Remember, the moremembers we have, the

stronger our influence.Recruit a colleague! Build

our organisation! n

l For more informationabout the fight-back, visit

www.unison.org.ukand www.unison-

yorks.org.uk

WOMENANDYOUNGPEOPLEARE BEARINGTHE BRUNTOF THEBANKERS’RECESSION

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Left: It’s atough time, saysMargaret

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Below: Health service suffers£20bn cutback

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FEATURE YOUTH WORK

As councils slashservices to youngpeople, long-serving and skilledUNISON members

are losing their jobs. AnthonyFenwick was made redundantafter 17 years at Prospects inRotherham. His incomeplummeted from £600 a weekto just £65 a week in benefits.

He says it is like Thatcher’sclosure of the steel industryall over again, with youngpeople and their youthworkers seen as soft targets inthe short-sighted pursuit ofgreed.

ENORMOUS RISKThe warnings are comingfrom every part of thecountry: disadvantagedyoung people are beingsystematically left to fend forthemselves in the “BigSociety”.

Anthony is 51 and has

helped thousands of youngpeople in Rotherham find away out of the hopelessnessof unemployment and make adecent life for themselves.

As a personal advisor forConnexions (which laterbecame Prospects) inRotherham for 17 years hewas on the front-line.

HIGHLY SKILLED Young people who are neitherin work nor full-timeeducation are at enormousrisk of falling prey to crime,drugs and despair.

Anthony is highly skilled inassessing the needs of theseyoungsters and has helpedcountless numbers of themescape the unemploymenttrap.

Now he is having to cometo terms with the loss of hisown job, and firmly believesthat councils and privatisedyouth services are using the

cuts to get rid of vocal andactive UNISON members –and experienced andrelatively well paidprofessional staff.

Anthony said: “WhenConnexions was taken overby Prospects in Rotherhamwe went through TUPE andall negotiations withmanagement seemed to begoing well.

“Then the general electioncame and the coalitiongovernment got in. Thewhole tone of thenegotiations changed fromthat point.

“We had an inkling thatsomething was coming alongbefore the election.”

The something that camealong was the announcementthat the managementintended to cut 15 of their 42front-line staff throughcompulsory redundancies.

The announcement led to a

Anthony nowhas to surviveon £65 a week

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No work, nomoney and nofuture

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Councils and private firms are allegedlytargeting UNISON activists as they cut back on a vital service to young people.Peter Carroll reports

WHAT PROSPECTS?

Peter Carroll

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series of meetings betweenUNISON and themanagement.

Anthony said: “With ourregional organiser AndyFreeman we met Prospects’area manager and theirnational human resourcesdirector who said they weregoing to make redundancies.

“We offered up changes toworking hours and suggestedvolunteer job shares or term-time working only so that jobswould not have to go and, ofcourse, the service would bepartly preserved.

“But we got nowhere withthat. They didn’t want to hearconstructive alternatives.”

The staff all received an e-mail telling them not to talk tothe press. Later they were toldthat “some money had comealong” and only eight jobshad to go.

All eight people selectedappealed against theirredundancy and all eightfailed.

“All through the processhuman resources set out tofrustrate negotiations,” saidAnthony.

“I believe they haveselected UNISON stewardsand vocal members forredundancy. The reasons forthat are not difficult to find.”

ADDICTION In the last issue ofUNISON Active!Janet Richley told ofher shock at beingmade redundant,along with all of hercolleagues, byConnexions inScarborough.

She warned thatcutting services tothese vulnerable

people would breed “a sub-culture where they enter acycle of crime, drugs andunemployment.”

And she believes, likeAnthony, that thegovernment’s savage cuts arebeing used to smash theunions.

She said: “We are changinglives but these sorts of cutswill help to turn the clockback to Victorian times of lowwages, tyrannical employersand an easily manipulated,non-unionised workforce.”

Anthony holds the samefears for the future.

“I was a steel worker in the1980s and I saw the lostgeneration under Thatcher’sGovernment,” says Anthony.

“I have friends and familywho since the 1980s have hada lifetime of agency jobs,grabbing what they can.Whole communities havenever recovered from themass unemployment theycreated then.

“I never thought that Iwould see this happenagain. They wasted thoseyoung people in the1980s and the young arebeing wasted again.“They talk about the Big

Society but it’smeaningless. It’s

just greed andThatcherismand thecreation ofcheap anddispensablelabour.”

Theservice inRotherhamis now less

personal andintensive – inother words less


YOUNGPEOPLEAND THEIRYOUTHWORKERSARE SEENAS SOFTTARGETS

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effective.And that is alongside cuts

to funding for the probationservice which is also vital inhelping young people escapea life of crime or addiction.

FIRING LINEAnthony has been speakingto former colleagues inRotherham. They are allsaying their caseloads haveexpanded massively and theyare under enormous stresstrying to carry out theirduties. UNISON is takingAnthony’s employers to anemployment tribunal.

The employers used amatrix to decide who to makeredundant which the unionwill argue ignored relevantevidence and failed to make afair assessment.

The reasons for that arequite clear as far as Anthonyis concerned. The job cutswere to be made at all costs –and active UNISONmembers were always in thefiring line.

Meanwhile he has to copewith paying his mortgageand bills on just £65 a week.

For his benefit, and otherslike him, let’s hope histribunal is successful. n

UNISON represents more than15,000 members in youth andcommunity work throughout theUK. We know the services offer avital way for young people to growand tackle the challenges ofapproaching adulthood. They alsoform an essential part of localcouncils’ strategies for tacklingpoverty, inequality and the causesof crime.

VitalService

FEATURE MENTAL HEALTH20 UNISON ACTIVE! SUMMER 2011

It’s amazing what can bedone with a bit ofintelligence anddetermination – orgumption, as it used to be

called. The battle to save twovital mental health centres inLeeds is a case in point.

They were scheduled toclose leaving around 300people without a lifeline, someof them extremely vulnerable.But on April 13 after aconcerted campaign byUNISON together with thecentres’ users, Leeds citycouncil rowed back on its plan.

Instead of an immediateshutdown, the council haspromised a period of“genuine consultation”, whichwill probably take untilSeptember.

That doesn’t mean that thebattle has been won, but itdoes mean that the council isbeing forced to listen toUNISON and the serviceusers.

It may just be possible thatthe whole project has beenkicked into the long grass. Butif it does rear its ugly head,the council will have to face

the redoubtable UNISONshop steward Sheila Spoonerwho, along with hercolleagues, fought the planevery inch of the way.

“We’ve stopped themrailroading this through. Itmeans they can’t just do asthey like. But we will bescrutinising the consultationin great detail,” she says.

“The centres are extremelyimportant to those who usethem. The word constantlyrepeated is that it is a lifeline.”

The centres’ users have awide range of problems. Some

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UNISON has achieved a major success in its battle to keep two vital mental healthcentres open. Barrie Clement interviews the woman at the heart of the fight

SHEILA SHOWS HOW

Above: Sheilafought everyinch of the way

Opposite: Thecentres provide art classes

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would fit most people’s imageof “normality”, says regionalorganiser Tony Pearson. Tonybelieves their “normality” –always a difficult concept atthe best of times - may leadsome Leeds councillors tothink that they don’t needhelp. But there are often deep-seated emotional problems,some of which would gounrecognised and untreated ifthe centres were shut. Manyhave had nervousbreakdowns.

Some of the service usershave more obvious illnessesafter years in the asylumsystem. They are often thebutt of abuse in their owncommunities. The centres area refuge where they can talkto specialist staff and meetpeople with similar problems.

OBJECT LESSONOne of the allegations levelledagainst the centres was thatthey were making their users“institutionalised”. But Sheilapoints out that some use thecentres three times a week,others every couple of weeks.“How can you becomeinstitutionalised when youvisit a centre three times aweek? You still have yourown accommodation, you stillhave to look after yourselfand do your own shopping.”

The centres are equippedwith specialist art facilitiessuch as pottery kilns and allhave disabled access. “Youcan’t just transplant theservice to a church hall,” shesays.

“Some people might justcome for art classes, others forfurther education provided bytutors from colleges withspecial links to the service.”The Citizens’ Advice Bureauholds surgeries at the centres.

They are used as a “gatewayfor help”, says Sheila.

The report which arguedfor the closure of the StocksHill and The Vale centresmisrepresented the service. “Italso misrepresented theservice users,” says Sheila. “Itclaimed that they thoughteverything was hunky doryand that they couldn’t waitfor it all to happen. Thecouncil says there would bealternative services, but wedon’t have any clear ideawhat they would be. It’s allabout privatisation. They’vemade that much very clear.”

The reaction of the Leedslocal government branch tothe threatened closure is alesson in how to deal with thecuts. Sheila found out aboutthe draft report at 9.30am onDecember 8 last year. At 12.30there was a branch meetingwhich carried an emergencymotion sent to the council thatafternoon. “You have to bevigilant,” she says. Suchvigilance requires a great dealof detailed work. Massivereports up to 900 pages longgo to the executive boardevery month.

LEGAL OPINIONSheila, a former teacherwho has worked asa day centreofficer since2008, has ledthe campaign tokeep the centresopen, using all themeans at her disposalshort of industrialaction.

A shop steward since2009, Sheila recruited the helpof the region to publicise theclosure threat. Legal opinionwas sought which cast doubton the project’s legitimacy

and political pressure wasexerted through the union’slink with the Labour Partywhich has been in control ofthe council since May lastyear.

GREAT EXAMPLEDemonstrations involvingUNISON and the service usershave added to the pressure oncouncillors. In one demo,service users held up a bannerreferring to John Lennon, thename of a chief officer in thecouncil’s adult social caredepartment, declaring: “Atleast the real John Lennonwould give us a chance.”

Tony pointed out thatdefence of the 30 jobs at thecentres wasn’t an issue – thecouncil promised there wouldbe no compulsoryredundancies. “There isabsolutely no self-interestinvolved here. Our membersare faced with people inextreme distress and theyhave stood up for them. It’s agreat example of how we canwork with the communitiesour members serve.” n

AT LEASTTHE REALJOHNLENNONWOULDGIVE USA CHANCE

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THE INTERVIEW WENDY WALL22 UNISON ACTIVE! SUMMER 2011

Wendy Wall has lived with cancer for over a decade. Three years ago a youngdoctor told her that she was a DNR patient –Do Not Resuscitate. With threeteenage girls to bring up and jobs with the Labour Party and later UNISON tohold down, she could not accept the doctor’s expectation that she was goingto die. Here she tells her story to Peter Carroll in the hope that it will bringsome comfort to others suffering from the disease. And she urges people toget involved in unions and the Labour Party and ignore the “false idols” ofconsumerism and celebrity, and to find their heroes among those around them

WENDY’S A WARRIOR

Wendy and her girls- from the left Millie, Catherine and Sarah

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The year 2001 wasWendy Wall’s“annus horribilis”.She was diagnosedwith breast cancer,

her 13-year marriage hadcome to an end and then herparents-in-law both died in acar crash.

Surgeons performed alumpectomy on Wendy andremoved her lymph nodes.Then she startedchemotherapy andradiotherapy.

She recalls the pain shesuffered when her youngestdaughter asked her not totake her into school. Thetreatment caused her to loseher hair and she had to weara wig.

But her prognosis wasgood and she had started anew relationship with herhusband-to-be and movedfrom Sheffield to Haworth.

“Life was great for a while.I got a job at Airedalehospital organisingappointments and becameUNISON’s branch chair andmembership secretary,” shesays.

“Then we went with ananti-fascist contingent fromKeighley trades council for aMayday march in Berlin. Istarted to feel ill and couldn’tdo the walk.

“I thought I might haveinjured myself while outwalking in the hills – oroverdone the white wine.”

Her GP did an ultrasoundscan and as she was drivinghome the hospital rang andasked her to go for a CT scanimmediately. She did a u-turnand went straight to Airedalehospital.

“It was horrible. I was bymyself and they told me theywere really sorry but the

I STARTED TO FEEL ILL AND COULDN’T GO ON THE MARCH

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cancer had come back andthey could see it in my liver,spine and pelvis. It was like,Bang!” she says.

“The only thing I askedhim about waschemotherapy. I think hethought I was frightened of itbut actually I was frightenedthey wouldn’t give me thetreatment. My mother diedof cancer when she was 40and they couldn’t use chemoto help her.”

Then she had to break thenews to her devastatedfamily “How the hell do youtell loved ones somethinglike that? It is very, veryhard.”

PAINFUL YEARSThis was the start of threepainful years ofchemotherapy and she tookill-health retirement from herjob.

But after six monthsfighting the “massivetemptation to give in todespair” she got a job withformer Labour MP forKeighley, Ann Cryer as a caseworker.

“It was a blessing for me. Irespect her as a politicianand love her as a person. Ittook me two hours to getready every morning,taking painkillers andtrying to make myself lookrespectable,” says Wendy.

“I loved the peopleand I loved workingfor the Labour Party.It gave me a reasonto get out of bed, tokeep going.”

FAITH One morning shewent out to buysandwiches forthe office and

collapsed on her return,unable to speak or breathe.

One of her colleagues,Linda,(“the most wonderfulperson I’ve ever met”) saidshe would pray for her.

“I thought, forget thef****ng prayers, get me anambulance, but I couldn’tspeak”, she says.

“I do not have religiousfaith but Linda firmlybelieves her prayer helpedme. And if there is a god,and prayers that can beanswered, she is the personwho could do it. She radiateslove.”

TERRIBLE NIGHTThe cancer had spread to herlungs and she was veryseriously ill. One terriblenight Wendy was convincedshe was going to die. She layon the sofa downstairsclutching her mobile phonewhile her husband sleptupstairs with his phone nextto him.

“I didn’t want Tony to gothrough the shock of wakingup to find me dead besidehim so I stayed downstairs,”Wendy recalls.

“I had been treatedwith all the

differentchemotherapies

and I thoughtI had come to

the end.“But then my

wonderfulconsultant put me

on hormone therapyand I started to get better.

I am still responding well tothe treatment and I am ableto work and look after the

family (herteenagedaughters

Sarah and

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Catherine and teenage step-daughter Millie).

“I regard myself as beingvery, very lucky.”She’s now working asUNISON’s branchadministrator at AiredaleHospital and spends herdays recruiting members andworking in a team ofUNISON colleagues to fightplanned cuts of £11 millionwhich will lead toredundancies and wardclosures.

Currently 80 staff facelosing their jobs at the same

time as the non-executiveboard members at Airedalehave awarded themselves100 per cent pay rises.UNISON members are alsoenduring wage freezes andare being forced to payincreased charges in thecanteen and for parkingtheir cars. Management isacting like Robin Hood inreverse.

“I get my socialism frommy father and grandfather.They used to get the DailyWorker delivered and I usedto read it as a child,” shesays.

“While ever I have breathin my body I will do what Ican to protect publicservices. I am activelyinvolved in the LabourParty and the trades councilas well as UNISON.

“I genuinely fear that thefantastic treatment I havereceived may not beavailable to people in futurebecause it is expensive. Wemust fight these cuts inevery way we can for thesake of everybody.”

She sees her politics as asort of secular religion. Takeaway the supernatural, shesays, and what is left issome sort of socialism.

“Do unto others as youwould have done toyourself, embraceacceptance and forgiveness– it’s all there,” she says.

IRON RESOLVEAt the start of her longillness she recalls twoMacmillan nursesexplaining that, whiledoctors say there is nomedical evidence for it,people’s attitude andoutlook have a bearing on

FIND YOURHEROESFROM THE PEOPLEAROUNDYOU

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- fighting cutsof £11 million

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who survives the diseaseand for how long.

She says you have to fightto achieve a decent quality oflife.

But some things aresometimes beyond even herdrive and iron resolve.

In March she was bookedto go on the TUC rally inLondon but realised she wasnot strong enough to copewith the walking and, to hergreat regret anddisappointment, had to stayat home.

And she admits that she isnot, as she expected,becoming mellower withage, sometimes speaking outwhen she should have kepther mouth shut.

“I would say to the kids,tune in, look at what’shappening around you. Stopbelieving in false idols likecelebrity and consumerism.

“Get involved in theunions and the Labour Partyand find out what is reallyimportant.

“It is the love of familyand friends that we cannotlive without. That is reallywhat helps me to do what Ido and deal with this illness.

“I would say to everyone,find your heroes from thepeople around you. Andlook after each other.”

DEVOTED FAMILYAlways practical andprepared, she has organiseda humanist funeral forherself.

Her devoted family andher many loving friends arefervently hoping – some,undoubtedly, praying – thatit will be a very long timebefore that event takes place. n

THE INTERVIEW WENDY WALLIm

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Regional leader on health Rob Demaine believes we are fighting for the very survivalof the NHS in the face of a government hell-bent on privatisation. Here he looks athow the service is being cut back and undermined in Yorkshire and Humberside

Death by a thousandcuts is the realityfor the NHS inYorkshire andHumberside.

The Tory-led governmentseems hell-bent on chippingaway at local services andhoping no-one will notice.Well, we notice and we’ll fightthem all the way.

Among the worst cuts arein Hull and the east coastwhich announced the closureof two wards a year for thenext five years in an attemptto save £95 million on theirbudget. It will mean amassive 20 per cent cut in theworkforce and the loss ofmore than 1000 jobs.

The primary care trustalone has lost more than 100staff in variousreorganisations and theimpact of the “Transforming

Community Services”initiative. Hull addictionservices have been privatisedand notice has been givencovering 10 jobs across theservice.

UNDER ATTACKNorth Yorkshire has now beensplit up among other NHStrusts including privateproviders, with 40 jobs goneso far and more redundanciespredicted.

The York hospitals NHStrust is putting its cateringservices out to tender andYorkshire ambulance is doingthe same with maintenanceand repair. There’s no doubtthat this will have an impacton both jobs and safety.

At Leeds teaching hospitals700 jobs are to go throughnatural wastage and a freezeon vacancies. Terms andconditions are clearly underconcerted attack. Leedspartnerships is attempting tomove from national terms andto cut down on sick pay andincremental progression.

Airedale is £11 million over-spent which has resulted in 80jobs to go and the possibilityof ward closures. There areattempts to move away fromthe nationally-agreed Agendafor Change terms such as ontravel payments. Staff atAiredale are quite rightlyangry over the decision ofnon-executive members of thetrust board to award

themselves a 100 per cent payrise. Needless to say theirtravel to and from meetings atthe trust are paid for.

Parents of young childrenworking in the NHS inDoncaster will find it far moredifficult to work after thedecision to close nursery careprovision. Proposals to cutmanagement costs atDoncaster to save a proposedmillion pounds will also leadto substantial job losses.Meanwhile Grimsby Health isto cut 300 staff by voluntaryredundancies.

Two homes for the elderlyare to close in Sheffield withthe loss of 100 vital respitecare beds. There are moves toreduce the pay of nursingstaff by moving them downthe grade and skillrequirements as part ofSheffield teaching hospitals’£100 million in budgetreductions over three years.

FIRST WAVEKirklees Trust is underminingterms and conditions bymoving to social enterprisestaff who will no longer workfor the NHS .

Trusts throughoutYorkshire are not replacingvacant posts and areattempting to reduce payprotection for reorganisations.

This is the first wave of thecutbacks with most of thepain absorbed by economiesor natural wastage, a job

A THOUSAND CUTS


FEATURE NHS

Health Minister Anne Milton haseffectively caved in to a UNISONcampaign against the privatisationof the NHS blood and transplantservice (NHSBT). In her letter toKaren Jennings, UNISON assistantgeneral secretary, the minister allbut admits a climb-down, stating areview only is to be undertaken andthe outcome of this will be handedback to NHSBT to decide whataction, if any, is required.Campaigning works!

Thegoodnews

Rob Demaine

THEHEALTHBILL ISCLEARLY AIMED ATCARVINGUP ANDDESTROYINGTHE NHS

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vacancy freeze and cuts toterms and payments.

In some areas the NHS hasbecome the largest employerwith whole families workingfor the service. So where joblosses occur, they will have adevastating knock-on effecton the local economy. Theywill also leave some of ourmost vulnerable people at real risk.

All this gives the lie to theTory-led government’s claimsthat front-line services will beprotected. And as to DeputyPrime Minister Nick Clegg, henow supports the Health andSocial Care Bill, but inopposition promisedprotection for the service.

UNISON remainsfundamentally opposed to thegovernment’s plans to bringabout a massive top-downreorganisation that favoursmarkets and competition overthe provision of reliable,expert and unending qualitypatient care.

UNISON therefore ismaking it clear that theunion’s engagement in the“listening exercise” shouldnot be taken as a sign ofsupport for the Bill orassociated plans. It is rather asign that we intend tocampaign against - and togive clear alternatives to - theplans being presented.

FALSE ECONOMYThe Health and Social CareBill will be the biggest reformsince the NHS was set up in1948 and it is clearly aimed atcarving it up and destroyingit.

UNISON is already activelyengaged across the region infighting for members’ jobsand negotiating damage

limitationagreementsthrough, forexample,voluntaryredundanciesand agreedresignations. Weare defendingnational terms andconditions, such astravel allowance andunsocial hourspayments. Althoughthe use of compulsoryredundancies has beenrare so far, the use ofvoluntaryredundancies andMARS (the MutuallyAgreed ResignationScheme) has beenwidespread in theloss of front linejobs.

A recent surveyby the union-funded websiteFalse Economy,represents themost up-to-datepicture of theeffects ofefficiencysavings in theNHS and revealsthat in Englandalone, 24,000 postswill be lost in hospitals,another 10,000 will go inprimary care trusts and 6,000will disappear from mentalhealth trusts struggling tosave a collective £20bn fromtheir budgets. More damning

THE TORIES SEEMHELL-BENT ON CHIPPINGAWAY AT SERVICES, HOPINGNO-ONE WILL NOTICE

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facts can be found atwww.falseeconomy.org.uk.

If the Tory-led coalitiongets its way, the first thinghealth professionals willcheck in the event of a healthemergency will be theirtrust’s credit limit, not theirpatients’ vital signs. If youhaven’t already done so, signup to UNISON’S “A MillionVoices” and support “NHS

Our Future” viawww.unison.co.uk .We

are fighting for thevery survival of

the NHS. n


FEATURE STEREOTYPES28 UNISON ACTIVE! SUMMER 2011

On top of therevulsion millionsof people feeltowards the Tories’every media

utterance, in Yorkshire thereis also a nagging sense ofshame.

Every time they paradetheir attack dogs as beingYorkshire born and bred, likeat Crufts, it is hard to resist asense of shared liability.

Take Communities ministerEric Pickles (please, take EricPickles etc, etc.) – the currentBest of Breed in the ToryTykes Class.

We are encouraged tobelieve that the formerBradford council leader,busily savaging localgovernment in the Northfrom his safe seat in affluentBrentwood and Ongar,embodies all the stoutcharacteristics which we aresupposedly born to.

You know what they are:hard-headed, careful withbrass, plain speaking,unsentimental, insensitive,hard but fair.

Pickles is sold as anarchetypal Yorkshiremanwho would happily drown

his own whippets if theybecame economicallyunviable. No bones about it.

GROTESQUE LIEThe Old Etonian elite haveonce again got their handsround the throats of thecountry. Dutifully, theirYorkshire “lads” on the frontbench drawl out their flatvowels to give credibility tothe grotesque lie that “we areall in this together”.

William Hague, the “14-pint-a day” former drayman,is a fine example of the breed.

He was known briefly to

Above: ‘Seeall, hear all and say nowt’

Right: MinisterEric Pickles asJabba The Cut

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‘IF THA EVERDOES OWT FOR NOWT, DO IT FOR THISSEN’

Following our article on Eric Pickles in the last edition of Active! UNISON journalistPeter Carroll demolishes the idea of a Yorkshire stereotype and derides the PrimeMinister’s ‘quaint provincial bag carriers’ who have built their political careers on it

William Hague

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the amused publicans ofRotherham as “Billy Fizz”because he delivered pop tothem in his holidays fromOxford University – and laterannounced that he drank apint at every stop, every day.

Absurdly claiming themantle of the hard-working,hard-playing miners andfactory workers of industrialYorkshire, Hague went on tohigh office and humiliatedhimself in several wellpublicised Foreign Officecock-ups.

His only saving Yorkshiregrace, perhaps, was beingcareful with his tight ForeignOffice budget by sharinghotel rooms with hisresearcher.

FRONT PAGEBut, really, there is no need tofeel ashamed of ourselvesbecause of them. The truth is,regional stereotyping isnonsense, just like any othersort of stereotyping.

The following story mayhelp to make my point.

A Yorkshireman and aScotsman meet up inGlasgow to do a businessdeal, then go to a restaurantto celebrate.

After many courses anddrinks, the waiter comes withthe bill.

“I’ll be more than happy topick up the tab, laddie, give itto me,” says the Scot.

The front page headline inthe Glasgow Herald next dayread: “Yorkshire ventriloquistfound strangled to death inalleyway”.

You see? There aren’tenough distinctcharacteristics for everyregion to have a unique one,just for themselves. Scotlandand Yorkshire must fight it

out for supremacy in thePremier League of who is themeanest.

Southerners are unfriendly,the Irish are stupid, people inYorkshire, but also inScotland, are mean, Scousersare light-fingered, the Welshare untrustworthy, Brummiesare dull, and so on.

So have you ever met aScot who would share his lastfiver with you? Or a Cockneywho is kind and thoughtful,not a Ray Winston gangsterspiv caricature? Or aYorkshireman who cries atfilms like “Brassed Off” andcalls everyone he meets“love”, and means it?

Of course. And here’s thething. It’s usually men whotry to peddle this regionalidentity myth. Women rarelyfeel the need.

They understand whatpeople have in common; ashared humanity, a sharedstruggle for justice andequality. Not all of them,obviously, that would be astereotype in itself.

But in my experience,women are not that interestedin where you are from. Theyare far more interested inwhat you do and say - in whoyou are.

VITAL SERVICESThe taxpayer forked outcountless millions ofpounds for thecarnival of falseconsciousnesswhich was theRoyalWedding,

TheRomanEmpire’sshrewdstrategy ofgiving the

masses bread and circuses isalive and well.

We were given the bigcircus just as vital services tothe weakest and mostvulnerable are beingdestroyed, some of themforever.

In 1990, a TV interviewersaid to Eric Pickles that inembracing hard-lineThatcherism at that timemade him like the man whobought a pair of flared jeanson the very day they wentout of fashion. Almost asquick as a flash, he repliedthat flares were coming backinto fashion among variousManchester Indie bands. Ha!

NATIVE COUNTYNow, he is squeezing himselfback into his old ideologicalWranglers (no offence meant– we all experience some“thickening of the waist” inmiddle age) and slashingservices in his native county.

There’s a Yorkshire mottowhich emblazons many amug and tea-towel: “See all,hear all, say nowt, eat all,sup all, pay nowt, and if thaever does owt for nowt, do it

for thissen”.Wilfully,Pickles and

Hague haveconfused a self-

deprecating jokefor a political

blueprint. HowCameron and hisBullingdonClub palsmust belaughing attheir quaint,provincialbagcarriers. n

PICKLES IS SOLD ASSOMEONEWHO WOULD DROWN HIS OWNWHIPPETSIF THEYBECAMEUNVIABLE

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It was a night toremember in Yorkshire.And not just for Labour,but for UNISON too.

One of the mostspectacular victories on May 5was Labour’s thrilling captureof Hull city council. The icingon the cake was the triumphof UNISON activist DannyBrown who ousted CarlMinns, Lib Dem leader of thecity, from his supposedly safeseat.

Months of hard work byUNISON members climaxedin defeat for Nick Clegg’shenchman in the Guildhall

who invoked redundancy lawto sack 1,700 council workers.

And Danny was just one ofthe union’s “magnificentseven” UNISON memberswho took seats from the LibDems in a well-orchestratedfightback against governmentspending cuts.

VOTES TSUNAMIDave Craker, a formerUNISON shop steward whotook early retirement from thecouncil on the eve of theelection, now sits on thecouncillors’ benches, alongwith fellow union members

Julia Conner, Andy Dorton,Alan Gardiner, Dean Kirk andPeter Clark.

UNISON official SteveTorrance who organised theHumber votes tsunami, toldme: “They say if you want tobe heard, speak in UNISON.Well, we did, and in Hull theylistened.”

Dozens of Lib Dem andTory councillors across thecounty were given the heave-ho by voters on May 5.Labour scored impressivegains, taking control in Leeds,Hull , Sheffield and York .

Ed Miliband’s long march

MAGNIFICENT SEVEN

Above: The‘UNISON seven’at Hull council

s

Mirror man Paul Routledge casts his expert eye over the May 5 election results. Hefinds a lot for Labour to cheer – including the victory of seven UNISON activists whotook seats from Lib Dem councillors in Hull giving the Labour Party an overall majority

FEATURE ELECTIONS30 UNISON ACTIVE! SUMMER 2011

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back to power might just havebegun in Yorkshire. Given apopular mandate by voters,Labour is now looking at howbest it can minimise theimpact of ConDem cuts.

Unpopular LiberalDemocrats sufferedwidespread losses, and thefar-Right BNP took a pasting,often coming bottom of thepoll and winning only oneseat out of more than fiftywhere they stood.

Cleggmania was well andtruly ended in hisconstituency city of Sheffield ,where Labour clobbered theLib Dems, taking nine of theirseats to take control of “steelcity.”

Julie Dore, new leader ofthe council, said nationalpolitics had an impact butthey weren’t the only issue.“It’s the cuts, which havebeen too far and too fast inSheffield.”

Labour’s gains throughoutYorkshire would have beeneven more spectacular if allthe seats in every councilwere up for grabs. But in mosttowns and cities, only a thirdof councillors were up for re-election.

Even so, Labour tookoutright control of Leeds,taking five seats from the LibDems, two from the Toriesand one from the so-calledMorley Independents.Council leader KeithWakefield commented: “Thissends a clear message to thecoalition government thattheir unprecedented fundingcuts have gone too far, toofast.

He warned that on top oflast year’s £90 millionsavings, a further £47 millionwould have to be found thisyear. “However, this Labour

administration remainscommitted to doing all we canto protect front line services.”

DRAMATIC RESULTIn Bradford, Labour won fiveseats from the Tories and LibDems, confirming veteran IanGreenwood as leader of aminority administration. With44 seats, he’s only two short ofcomplete control and lookscertain to win that next year.

York was another dramaticresult, with Labour takingoverall control after gainingeight seats – mostly at theexpense of the Lib Dems whohave ruled the city since 2003.At 29 years of age, new Labourleader James Alexander is oneof the youngest council chiefsin the country.

In Wakefield , Labourremains in control with anincreased overall majority of15 after taking five seats.Barnsley remains securely inLabour hands after the partygained five seats to take itsmajority to 23. The BNP putup 18 candidates in theborough, but none of themwere elected and theyreceived a paltry average of250 votes each – half thenumber of three years ago.

It’s worth looking in somedetail at the performance ofthe far-Right. In 2008, the BNPput up 117 candidates acrossthe county, and they polledaround 75,000 votes. Thisyear, they could only muster52 candidates, who gotaround 17,000 votes. Theyheld one seat in Bradford, butin Leeds they practicallydisappeared: down from 33candidates to two.

Everywhere they stood,their vote was down.Infighting within the BNP ispartly to blame for their

GAINS HELDKingston upon Hull BarnsleyLeeds DoncasterSheffield RotherhamYork Wakefield

Labour2011

THEY SAYIF YOUWANT TOBE HEARDSPEAK INUNISON.WELL WEDID ANDIN HULLTHEYLISTENED

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Paul Routledge

electoral collapse, but it’s clearthat Yorkshire voters haveseen through their racistmessage. Other hard-Rightparties fared even worse. InHull, five National Fronterstook only 700 votes betweenthem, and the so-calledEnglish Democrats were alsotrounced.

In Doncaster mayor PeterDavies’s English Democratcronies failed to win any ofthe 12 seats it contested, whileLabour won seven to becomeeasily the largest party with 43.

SMART ENOUGHThe BNP also suffered totaldefeat in Rotherham, wheresix candidates took only 2,700votes whereas Labour won 20of the 21 seats up for election,increasing its majority by four.

In Calderdale, Labour is inequal-first position with theLib Dems after winning threeseats and in Kirklees, Clegg’sParty dropped to third placeas Labour gained three seatsto remain leaders of aminority administration.

The quote of the electionhas to be that from Andrew deFreitas, the outgoing Lib Demleader of Lincolnshire NorthEast council just over theHumber, who said: “I’m notsurprised. The electorate isnot that sophisticated.”

Oh no? Smart enough to getrid of five of your six Lib Demmates and take the council offyou, Mr Sophisticated! n

s

PAUL ROUTLEDGEPolitical columnist on The Mirror

The Conservatives are trying to stir up trouble by claiming that public sector workers in Yorkshire earn up to 20 per cent morethan their colleagues in the private sector. It’s all based on a conjuring trick by a Right-wing think tank and it’s a dirty fraud

Don’t let Tories divide and conquer

This is how the Tories do it. First,they get biased “evidence” fromtheir so-called think tanks to plantin the friendly media. Then, their business pals join in the

noisy campaign. Finally, they do what theyalways intended to, while claiming torespond to “public demand”.

It’s a neat stunt, this Conservativeconjuring trick, and often it works. But likeall their black arts, it’s a dirty fraud.

The latest scam involves two Right hooks- another attack on public sector wages,linked to a campaign for reduced rights atwork.

Policy Exchange, a Right-wing think tankset up by Tory Cabinet minister FrancisMaude (and son of a previous Right-wingTory minister) claimed that pay in the publicservice is higher than the private sector. Upto 20 per cent more in Yorkshire forexample.

It isn’t true, but that doesn’t stop ConDempoliticians claiming that public sector pay is“out of control.” They demand yet moresacrifices from hospital staff and councilworkers already hit by a two-year wage

freeze and massive redundancies.Right hook two: Chancellor

George Osborne isreviewingemployment law,claiming it stopspeople getting jobs.

He wants to make iteasier for people to

be sacked, maderedundant, or put on

lower wages by theabolition of TUPE

regulations.

Fat cat bosses in the Institute of Directorsand the CBI cheered him to the rafters, andhe urged them to “get stuck in.”

This deceitful attack on pay and rights atwork is just what you expect from a Tory-led government. It’s in their DNA. They’retrying to divide private and public sectorworkers, but as TUC general secretaryBrendan Barber says: “The truth is thatboth are having a terrible time.”

Amen to that. Public or private, a P45looks just the same.

RIPON RIPOFFPolice in Ripon are using the full weight oftheir investigative skills to hunt down twomen who allegedly stole a chicken.Meanwhile their North Yorkshire chiefconstable remains in post despite admitting“gross misconduct” after helping a relativegain an unfair advantage in a policerecruitment campaign. Am I mad, or is itjust the rest of the world?

DONNY’S DAFT LADDoncaster is bidding for city status, butdon’t hold your breath. This is the third tryin ten years, and oddball mayor PeterDavies isn’t exactly breaking the bank.

The town wants to be ranked alongsidethe likes of York, Leeds and Wakefield , andits public-private bid including the counciland the NHS has attracted celebritysupport. Actor Brian Blessed, who hailsfrom Mexborough, and local Afghan warhero Ben Parkinson, back the idea.

Doncaster, once famous for its railwayengineering and coal mines, has in recentyears been notorious for its “Donnygate”political scandal and child care failures.

Supporters believe the Queen’s grant of

WHETHERYOU’RE INTHE PUBLICOR PRIVATE SECTOR -A P45LOOKSJUSTTHE SAME

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THE COLUMN A TYKE’S EYE VIEW

Below: Toriesget their figures from a book of black magic

The Olympic torch will be carried through Yorkshire for sixdays next June by those who’ve done something for theircommunity.

Once upon a time, this would invariably have included ayoung trade unionist who’d shown real commitment tofellow workers. I wonder if 2012 will revive that custom?

I certainly hope that UNISON will enter some of its likelylads and lasses for the draw to choose Olympic flame-bearers. After all, the union has carried a torch for workingpeople in the county for decades.

TorchCarrier

city status would give Donny a huge boost.I’m not sure that it would do all that muchto revive the town’s fortunes, but the biddeserves better than the mayor’s penny-pinching attitude.

Scrooge Davies is in favour as long as itisn’t a drain on public finances “andproviding it doesn’t cost a lot of money.” Hethinks the town speaks for itself. Hmm. Itdid that in 2000 and 2002, and Her Majestydidn’t quite hear.

Next year, Donny will be up against thelikes of Blackpool, Gateshead, MiltonKeynes, Southend, Bolton and a dozenothers who will vastly outspend Yorkshire’sbest chance of success. For want of aha’porth a tar, the ship was lost…

BIN AND GONEBest gag about America ’s execution of theAl-Qaeda leader in Pakistan, heard in theBrookside club, South Elmsall : “Who saysyou can’t put the bin out on a BankHoliday?”

THEY KNOW NOWTWe all have our best-loved street inYorkshire, but we don’t always share thechoice of tourism chiefs trying to sell God’sown county to visitors.

Nominations for the Google Street Viewawards for 2011 are Montpellier Hill,Harrogate and New Road, Robin Hood’sBay as “most romantic” with Petergate,York and High Street, Skipton as best forshopping. Call Lane, Leeds and QuayRoad, Whitby are our “hippest” streets –whatever that means when it’s at home.

These are the choice of tourism bossesand travel writers. Obviously, they knownowt about Yorkshire, or us Tykes, becausethese are honeypots for day trippers, notplaces where real people live.

My favourite street is Railway Terrace,Normanton, where I was born in the frontroom of No 15. Or it would be, if the councilhadn’t knocked it down in the late sixties

just because it hadoutside lavs andno bathrooms.

Skipton is all very well, but it’schocker with tourists. I prefer a walk roundKeighley. And you can’t beat Dewsbury orDoncaster markets for shopping. If you wantromance, try Arncliffe in Littondale, with apint at the Falcon.

As for “hip” – well, hip, hip hooray thatmost of Yorkshire is more like Bradford orBarnsley. Sound and sensible. For us, not forthe bloody goggle-eyed tourists glued to aguide book written by travel writers who’venever lived ‘ere. And with great goodfortune, never will.

STAN’S MAGIC BOOTSAs he got older in the 1950s, soccer starStanley Matthews had to have a new pair oflightweight boots every week. They extendedhis playing life by several years, and weremade from kangaroo skin by Donald Ward,chief bootmaker at the Co-op Boot Factory inHeckmondwike. No wonder he hopped hisway through the defence. Matthews, that is,not the bootmaker, who died t’other dayaged 83.

Not many people know this fact, andmaybe even fewer wish to know it. n


Image: Carolina K. Smith, M.D. / Shutterstock.com

s Above: TerroristBin Laden evengets a mention in South Elmsall


KNOW YOUR RIGHTS PATERNITY LEAVE

Fathers of youngbabies qualify forenhanced rightsunder rules passed bythe previous Labour

government.Those with young children

born or “matched foradoption” from 3 Aprilonwards have the right totake up to 26 weeks’ leave -instead of the previous two -to care for the baby.

To qualify for the newright, the father must be anemployee (someone who hasan employment contract), andmust have worked for thesame employer for at least sixmonths at the start of the 15thweek before the child is bornor matched for adoption.

Before he can start hisleave, however, the baby hasto be at least 20 weeks oldand the mother has to havereturned to work from hermaternity leave. And it has tofinish at the end of the 52ndweek after the child's birth orplacement for adoption.

The baby’s mother must beentitled to statutorymaternity leave or pay,maternity allowance orstatutory adoption leave orpay, for the father to benefitfrom the new rights.

The father will only getpaternity pay during the timehis partner would havereceived maternity oradoption pay (currently£128.73) or maternityallowance.

For example if a womangoes on leave in mid-February,has her baby at the end ofApril and returns to work inmid-September, having taken30 weeks of her 39-week paidleave entitlement, the fatherwill only be entitled to afurther nine weeks’ paid leave.

ENHANCED AMOUNTUnder the new rules, he cango on leave in mid-Septemberand receive the statutory payuntil mid-Novemberapproximately. He can remainon leave for a further 13 weeksuntil mid-February (the end ofthe full maternity leaveentitlement), but cannot claimstatutory maternity payduring that time.

This allows the mother totake 30 weeks’ leave (all paid)and the father 22 weeks, 11 ofwhich are paid.

If the mother is entitled toan enhanced amount ofmaternity pay under hercontract, the father cannotclaim that sum unless he canclaim enhanced additionalpaternity pay under hiscontract.

CIVIL PARTNERFathers have to give eightweeks’ written notice beforetaking the leave which mustbe taken in multiples ofcomplete weeks - a minimumof two and a maximum of 26.

The leave is also available toemployees who are not thefather of the baby but who

NEW DEAL FOR DADFathers can now take advantage of paternity leave rights which significantlyincrease the amount of time they can take off work. Marion Batten reports

MINISTERSWILL LEAVELABOUR’SNEW RULESIN PLACEFOR THETIME BEING

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Marion Batten,Thompsonsemploymentrights managerin Yorkshire

will be responsible forbringing up the child and aremarried to, or are the same sexcivil partner of, the child'smother.

SPLIT LEAVEAlthough the coalitiongovernment recently labelledthe new rules (introduced byLabour in 2010) “inflexible”and not supportive of “sharedparenting”, it has decided toleave them in place for thetime being while it exploresthe options for a more“flexible” system.

This, it says, should besimple to administer andallow mothers and fathers tosplit the leave in whateverway suits them best, whiletaking into account the needsof employers. n

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Documents

Summer 2011 - UNISON Yorkshire and Humberside · General Secretary Dave Prentis Regional Secretary John Cafferty Regional Convenor Wendy Nichols UNISON Yorkshire & Humberside Commerce