General Election Day

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On the day of the General Election tomorrow, myself as an NHS worker and UNITE Workplace Rep will be at work for yet another consultation launch on reorganisation

For me, this is the 9th reorganisation in 9 years

I work for an NHS organisation that came about as a direct consequence of the Tories Health & Social Care Act and a part of the NHS most affected by change since the ConDem coalition in 2010

No top down organisation of the NHS, Cameron said yet we have seen nothing but every year since

Multiple redundancies every time losing mostly the good people with the skills and knowledge

I would prefer to be out campaigning to get the vote out for Labour instead however I need to be there for my members and support them through this pain, this time also at risk myself being in a ringfenced competition which means I will have to apply for my own job

I also have moderate anxiety and depression which make these situations even more difficult for me to cope with even with tons of support available

This is why I am voting Labour on 12th December to put an end to all this misery by Labour getting into government and standing by the Labour manifesto to repeal the terrible Health & Social Care Act once and for all

Victory for health workers in Lincolnshire

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The long-running Lincolnshire health visitors’ dispute is coming to an end with a pay victory that sees the vast majority of the workforce being upgraded.

Unite, Britain and Ireland’s largest union, today (Thursday 5 December) hailed the victory, which will see most of the union’s members move onto the grade 10 pay scale, as ‘highly significant’.

Unite regional officer Steve Syson said: “Thanks to the tremendous solidarity that our members have shown since this dispute started in the summer, we have achieved a highly significant and welcome victory.

“The health visitors’ determination against what they considered as a gross pay injustice was buttressed by the firm backing from the people of Lincolnshire and from supporters across the UK.”

The dispute had centred on the council’s insistence on different contracts for grade 9 and grade 10 health visitors, while Unite has consistently argued that as all health visitors have the same qualifications they should be paid the same.

The health visitors have now suspended their month-long strike action while the authority upgrades the health visitors; however, Unite reserves the right to reinstitute strike action if the council does not abide with the agreement. Besides the grade 10 job roles, the health visitors will receive between £2,000- £6,000 in a one-off transitional payment.

More than 70 Unite health visitors voted for the month-long, now suspended, strike that started on 18 November. Of those about 58 will now be fast tracked to the grade 10 posts with 16 further Agenda for Change AfC) staff awaiting confirmation; about 13 have left or are departing to take up alternative employment within nursing, which leaves a handful of relatively new health visitors on grade 9.

Unite pledged today that it would explore every avenue to get those still on grade 9 uplifted to grade 10 as soon as possible.

Unite regional secretary for the East Midlands Paresh Patel added: “I think that a number of factors contributed to this positive outcome, including the fact that the council was, and even now, is continuing to lose highly skilled health visitors at the rate of knots, as our members are offered alternative roles elsewhere in recognition of their experience.

“There was also the stark realisation by council bosses that our members were prepared to take further strike action on top of what they had already taken in the summer, after a second ballot confirmed they were prepared to continue on with further industrial action.

“This victory should be seen in the context of a broader campaign for a fully-resourced health visiting service across England – that fight will continue across the country in 2020.”

Unite National Industrial Sector Conferences 2019

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Unite Rank and File supporters will be gathering in Brighton next week for Unite National Industrial Sector Conferences 2019

There will not be a leaflet from Unite Rank and File

Thanks to all those who volunteered to help with leafleting

We will still however be meeting up

On Monday 18th November, we will be in the Fiddler’s Elbow post conference

On Tuesday 19th November, we will be meeting in The Bright Helm from 6.30pm onwards for discussion and food before moving on to the Fiddler’s Elbow

Come and join us there

Unite National Industrial Sector Conferences 2019

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UNITE National Industrial Sector Conferences 2019 are fast approaching starting Monday 18th November 2019 in Brighton

If you are going to be in Brighton in any capacity, please do get in contact

I will be there as a delegate along with a few others from Unite Rank and File

We are hoping to meet up in the evening of Tuesday 19th November

It will be an opportunity for UNITE Rank and File supporters to meet each other and do some planning for the socialist revolution, so if you are interested, please do come along and meet us

Some of us will be here later that night
https://www.fiddlerselbow.pub/

Please also email us if you would like to contribute to or have ideas for our latest leaflet and / or if you are able to help us in Brighton with leafleting

In solidarity!

Nicola Redwood
Co-Chair
Unite Rank and File Committee

Unite Executive Council timetable

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The term of office of the current Executive Council comes to an end on 30th April 2020, it is therefore necessary to hold an election to elect the new council to hold office from 1st May 2020 to 30th April 2023.

The timetable for the election was agreed as follows:

Invite branches to submit candidates contact details/statements w/c 21st October 2019

Deadline for receipt of candidate details/statements 12 noon Monday 18th November 2019

Despatch of Nomination Forms w/c 16th December 2019

Christmas – office closure 24th December 2019 – 1st January 2020

Eligibility to vote cut-off date 31st December 2019

Nominations Period Thursday 2nd January – Friday 7th February 2020

Deadline for Receipt of Nominations 12 noon Wednesday 12th February 2020

Deadline for Acceptance and Receipt of Election Address 12 noon Wednesday 19th February 2020

Voting Period 30th March to 28th April.

Voting Papers Despatched 30th March to 1st April 2020

Easter – office closure 10th April – 13th April 2020

Deadline for Voting papers to be returned to the Independent Scrutineer 12 noon Tuesday 28th April

Verification of count 29th and 30th April.

New EC takes office 1st May 2020

New EC Meets 1st to 5th June 2020

Key Unite Dates

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* Tue 31 March – Thur 2 April; Unite equalities conferences in Bournemouth

* Sun 28 June – Fri 3 July; Unite policy conference in Liverpool

NHS Biomedical Scientists vote to go on strike

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NHS Biomedical Scientists at Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust vote to go on strike

http://unitelive.org/pathologists-vote-to-strike-over-shifts-system/

6th Unite Policy Conference 2020

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The Unite Executive Council have agreed that the 6th Unite Policy Conference will be held in the ACC, Liverpool, on Monday 29th June to Friday 3rd July 2020.

In accordance with Rule 12.2 and 12.7 motions are invited from all branches and committees entitled to submit them i.e. Regional Committees, Regional Industrial Sector Committees, Area Activist Committees, Regional Equalities Committees, National Industrial Sector Committees and National Equalities Committees. In accordance with Rule 12.7.1 the National Retired Members Committee and Regional Retired Members Co-ordinating Committees may submit one motion each to Policy Conference on matters solely pertaining to members in retirement.

Who can submit a motion?
Branch Secretaries and Fulltime Officials with responsibility for committees entitled to submit motions are requested to bring this communication to the notice of their respective branch or committee as early as possible; in order to afford them an opportunity to submit a motion for inclusion in the agenda of the Conference. (Retired Member and Community branches may not submit motions to this conference)
What a motion should look like
It is not necessary to re-affirm existing union policy for it to remain in place. Once agreed policy is only altered by motions which explicitly seek to do so. To assist your members when determining your motion, you will find a record of the policies agreed at previous Policy Conferences on the Unite Website.

We have also drawn up the enclosed guidelines to assist your branch or committee when writing your motion. When considering a motion, you should also note the following:

  • Each branch or committee may submit 1 motion only;
  • Motions should be on general items of policy only;
  • Motions must be limited to one subject only;
  • Motions to amend the rules are not permissible;
  • Motions which are specific to the business of a particular industrial sector will not be placed on the agenda but may be referred to the relevant National Industrial Sector Committee.


Sending in your motion
Motions must be sent by e-mail in Word format (instructions and form attached) to conference@unitetheunion.org stating clearly the name of the branch or committee submitting the motion and the name and contact details of the relevant branch secretary or fulltime official (in the case of a committee) and the date of the meeting at which the motion was agreed. For verification purposes the enclosed motion form duly completed and signed should be scanned and sent by e-mail or sent by post to, General Secretary (Policy Conference/7th floor), Unite the Union, Unite House, 128 Theobalds Road, London WC1X 8TN to arrive no later than 12 noon on 31st January 2020 with the text of the motion attached. Motions arriving after that date will not be placed upon the Agenda.

London Rank & File meeting Thursday 7 November

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Site icon, reads Unite rank & file - solidarity across our union

Members of Unite Rank & File in London are next meeting at the following time and place:

7 pm Thursday 7th November at The Dame Alice Owen in Clerkenwell The Pearl & Feather, 360 St John Street, Clerkenwell

This follows a successful meeting earlier this month at which decisions were taken to work with trade union activists involved in the current Extinction Rebellion protests and plan for solidarity around a possible strike by Royal Mail over the autumn.

The forthcoming meeting will allow people to review progress so far and think through the next steps.

We look forward to seeing you there!

As we are meeting in a pub, food (slightly pricey) and drink will be available. If you are planning to attend please email londonurf@gmail.com to let us know you are coming.

Extinction Rebellion from October 7th

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Extinction Rebellion has invited Unite Rank and File activists to join the rebellion against climate change planned for two weeks starting 7th October.

Extinction Rebellion is the fastest growing environmental non-violent civil disobedience movement in history. It launched on 31st October last year and already has established 485 groups across 473 cities in 72 countries.

From the 7th October, they are planning to launch an International Rebellion that will peacefully take action against criminal inaction on the environmental and ecological crisis of those in power.  They are calling on activists to blockade large sections of London in what they intend to be the biggest act of non-violent civil disobedience in British history.

Extinction Rebellion have in particular gained a profile through asking supporters to risk arrest. They ask this because they believe the urgency of the threat of climate change and ecological collapse requires that some people sacrifice their liberty to disrupt the status quo and draw attention to the urgency of this existential threat.

Irrespective of views on this tactic, Unite Rank & File have previously made the struggle against climate change a key priority, so supporting this campaign fits in with that context.

More information can be found on the XR website: https://rebellion.earth/