All the union news that's fit to blog...
UNISON members are being urged
to help make Scotland’s new Climate Change Act as strong as possible.
With other members of Stop
Climate Chaos Scotland (SCCS), we are disappointed that the Scottish
Government’s proposals for the new Bill are not ambitious enough.
The SCCS Act for our Future
campaign has an easy online E Action. You can click here to email First Minister Nicola SturgeonRead more…
This is Pat Rowland’s, UNISON Scotland, speech at Scottish Labour Party Conference on Early Education and childcare.
"Early Education and childcare has become a political football over the years with publicly
provided provision becoming a hostage to fortune at the whim of councils trying
to manage SNP and Tory cuts to Local Authorities.
Early years establishments follow educationRead more…
Please find below a list of training courses where we still have availability. If you have any activists who are interested in attending any of these courses please go to http://www.unison-scotland.org/learning/ for an application form Please note that all of the courses are subject to numbers.
• Employment Law Discrimination – 14 March – Edinburgh closing date extended to 1 March asRead more…
UNISON Scotland branches joined the trade union lobby of the Scottish Parliament today. Calling for a budget that defends public services.Mark Ferguson, Chair of UNISON Scotland’s Local Government Committee addresses the lobby.Read more…
Please find below a list of upcoming training courses where we still have availability. If you have any activists who are interested in attending any of these courses please arrange for the booking form to be completed and then forward to activisteducationscotland@unison.co.uk or post to Activist Education (Scotland), UNISON, 53 Shore Street, Inverness, IV1 1NF as soon as possible:-
Conference reports; Education plan: Support staff role ignored; FE ballot and Pride report.
The union’s briefing on the Scottish Government Education Plan: says: “…the absence of any recognition of the wider education team is very disappointing. It also warns of plans to to remove schools from local democratic control. Please note: The print version of this issue referred to school staff as ‘Read more…
UNISON Scotland is supporting the Stop Climate Chaos Scotland mass lobby of MSPs at the Scottish Parliament on 29 September. Full details from SCCS are below, including how to register for the limited number of places, and how to send support if you can’t attend.
And if you’re a member interested in action on climate change, do join our Green Network. At our September meeting, we will beRead more…
#WED2016 It is World Environment Day on Sunday 5 June. A good day for the Scottish Government to cancel plans to cut Air Passenger Duty.
UNISON Scotland today urged the Scottish Government to prioritise protecting public services by axing its plans to first cut APD by 50%, then eventually abolish the tax.
In our response to the Scottish Government consultation on APD, closing today, weRead more…
From Lilian Macer, Convener, UNISON Scotland and Clare Williams, Convener, UNISON Northern, Paula Barker, Convener, UNISON North West
President of the Republic of Colombia
Juan Manuel Santos Calderón
Casa de Nariño – Carrera 8 No.7-26
Bogotá – Colombia
Friday, 27 May 2016
Dear President Santos,
We are writing to express our support and solidarity with the Colombian peoples who have comeRead more…
Reports of all the main UNISON speakers at the STUC Congress 2016 in Dundee
– Politicians must be bold in opposing austerity
– STUC to fight for fair and Social Europe
– Framework sets out vision for fair work in Scotland
– UNISON wins call to defend human rights
– Post election – where do the unions stand now? – Mike Kirby
– North Lanarkshire beats off privatisation
– Zero hours – bad forRead more…
Calling all UNISON members interested in climate change!Come to our next Green Network meeting in Glasgow – this Saturday, 21 May.We have a guest speaker – Jim Densham from Stop Climate Chaos Scotland. Come and find out the latest on tackling global warming and campaigning for a low carbon Scotland.
Tell us what you think we should be doing and/or what you are doing where you are.And join inRead more…
UNISON is calling on all employers to pay the living wage to care workers and all councils to adopt UNISON’s Ethical Care Charter in its Social care manifesto for Scotland to improve working conditions for some of the worst paid public workers in Scotland.
UNISON manifesto Social Care in Scotland is launched today (Monday 2 May) (See on website)
Improving the quality of care means seriouslyRead more…
Convener Lilian Macer visits a Welfare Officer session at UNISON Scotland’s annual new branch officer training weekend in Glasgow.Read more…
#STUC16 The last business in a rushed afternoon was the emergency motion on abortion. Because of the time restriction, UNISON’s Davena Rankin limited her speech to just one aspect of the motion. Here we print her short but powerful speech in full.
“The 1967 Abortion Act was never applied to Northern Ireland – something we must fight to change.
“I recently attended the Irish Congress of TradeRead more…
#STUC16 The STUC sent out a clear message today that we should be backing democratically elected governments in South America against a ‘corporate-wealth’ right wing backlash.
Moving UNISON’s emergency motion, Sam Macartney told delegates: “Over the last couple of decades we have seen huge advances for working people in South America.
“The victory of the Lula led Workers Party in Brazil wasRead more…
#STUC16 The STUC Congress sent congratulations today to Glasgow CCTV UNISON members who have won a deal bringing up to a 24% pay rise, after twelve days of strike action over six weeks.
The 19 members of UNISON are employed by Community Safety Glasgow, an ALEO of Glasgow City Council, and were taking strike action over the employer’s failure to pay shift allowances. The dispute was aboutRead more…
#STUC16 The STUC will continue to oppose the “Prevent” strategy amidst concerns that it could criminalise Muslim communities and has called on the Scottish Parliament to ensure that it doesn’t divide our communities as it is implemented in Scotland.
Delegates heard that it will force workers in the health service, the prison service, local authorities, school , further and higher education andRead more…
#STUC16 The STUC will seek talks with Scottish Universities Support Palestinian Students (SUSPS) with a view to giving active support to a revised initiative and encourage unions to back the project financially and in any other ways possible.
The Edinburgh TUC motion reminded delegates that last year’s Congress in Ayr gave a generous welcome to the first recipient of a SUSPS award who is fromRead more…
7.30 pm Thursday 21 April White Horse bar, 266 Canongate, Edinburgh EH8 8AA with Lilian Macer, Convenor of UNISON Scottish Council reporting on her visit to the country and her meetings with trade unionists, human rights activists, politicians and the mothers of young victims of extrajudicial killings by the army. She will also report on the peace process between the Colombian government andRead more…