Features in this issue include:- Unions help to support the families of Bosley Mill Christmas Celebration Charity Bake Off 10 December 2015 AGM 2016 – diary date Unison Campaigning Across Stoke-On-Trent Why Join A Union? December 2015Read more…
Personal Injury Settlements October 2015
For October 2015, members in the West Midlands Region received £248,273.36 in settlement for personal injury claims. Nothing this time for members of this branch but it still pays to be a Unison member.Read more…
WOWPetition to assess full impact of all cuts to support & social care for disabled people
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Local government workers in firing line of tax credit cuts
The outrage at Harriet Harman’s refusal to oppose outright the Tory £4.5bn raid on tax credits is in contrast to the muted response to Labour front bench’s equally unprincipled support for George…Read more…
Lighthouse Financial Advice Surgery 10 June 2015
The branch has organised a free financial advice surgery on 10 June 2015. Private 30 minute slot appointments are available which need to be made direct with Lighthouse Financial Services – details on the flyer. If you can’t attend on … Continue reading →Read more…
Personal Injury Settlements March 2015
For March 2015, Unison members in the West Midlands Region received £246,000 in compensation payments for Personal Injury Claims. Members of this branch received £19,000. If you have a potential personal injury claim, please contact Unison Direct on 0800 0857 … Continue reading →Read more…
Help With School Uniform Costs
Unison’s Welfare Charity There For You is once again offering support to Unison members on a low income with school uniform costs by way of a one off payment of up to £120. Conditions and criteria apply. The closing date … Continue reading →Read more…
How many hours should parents be expected to work?
How many hours should parents be expected to work in order not to be poor? New research published last week by Child Poverty Action Group explores this tricky question. Round the clock: In work poverty and the ‘hours question’ recognises from the outset that there are multiple factors which shape…Read more…
End 1 in 5 children living in poverty in Scotland
#stuc15 is appalled that 100,000 children live in poverty in Scotland and called on both the UK and Scottish Governments to adopt polices that will tackle the scourge the of child poverty across Scotland.
The STUC called for a review of the benefit system to ensure that it acts as a genuine safety net against poverty; and a wider provision of good quality, affordable childcare to improveRead more…
Personal Injury Settlements February 2015
During February 2015, members of the West Midlands region received £98,603.43 in compensation for personal injury payments. Members of this branch received £3,650. It always pays to be a Unison member.Read more…
Universal Credit: its impact on women experiencing financial abuse
This afternoon at TUC Women’s Conference, Women’s Aid CEO, Polly Neate, will launch a new TUC and Women’s Aid report on women’s experiences of financial abuse and how the introduction of Universal Credit will affect women in abusive relationships. We can’t say for sure how prevalent financial abuse…Read more…
100 claimants with mental health problems have their benefits stopped every day
Figures obtained by the Methodist Church from the Department of Work and Pensions have revealed that claimants thought to be unfit for work due to mental health problems are disproportionately and increasingly likely to have their benefits stopped under sanctions. The DWP’s own figures show that in…Read more…
Winter Fuel Grant 2014 From There For You
There For You have launched their Winter Fuel Grant application for winter 2014/2015. There is one application per household and the maximum grant is £40. There is a limited amount of funds available for the grant and once exhausted no … Continue reading →Read more…
Cross-party MPs say benefit delays cause hunger
A cross-party group of MPs have been conducting a wide ranging inquiry into hunger in the UK, and their report is out today.Read more…
Saving Our Safety Net Fact of the Week: Jobseekeer’s Allowance costs 0.3% of GDP
Why does George Osborne emphasise the government’s benefit cuts? As The Economist noted after the Conservative Party conference, even when his cuts are a comparatively small element of his plans, he still talks them up. Mr Osborne is a notoriously ‘political’ Chancellor, and he knows that polls…Read more…
Tens of thousands of single parents face wrongful sanctions
Sanctions have been a key plank in welfare policy for both Labour and the coalition government. They are designed to make sure that claimants looking, or preparing, for work comply with the requirements the job centre places on them in return for their…Read more…