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ELECTION NOTICE 2020

To:      All members of Cardiff and Vale HEALTH Branch

ALL UNISON Representatives are re-elected every 12 months and nominations are now invited for the following Officer positions for 2020

Any 2 UNISON members may nominate any UNISON member for the above positions.

It should be noted that these are not paid positions, although reasonable expenses are paid in accordance with Branch rules.  Nominations must be signed by a proposer and then seconded, as well as the nominee having to confirm their consent to nomination.  All shall provide their UNISON membership number and contact details (work or home)

Written nominations using the official form to be sent to:

UNISON Branch Office, Cardiff and Vale Health Branch

University Hospital of Wales

Residential Road, Cardiff,    CF14 4XW

*Please mark the envelope ‘NOMINATION FORM’

 Closing date for Nominations:     Monday 25^th November, 2019

If there is only one nomination for any of the above positions, that person shall be elected automatically.  If necessary, ballot papers and election addresses will be sent out to every UNISON member around 16^th December, 2019. If for any reason you do not receive a ballot paper by 

20^th December, 2019 please contact the UNISON Branch Office on 029 20748280.  The deadline for return of ballot papers would be 30^th December (mid-day).

Successful Officer Positions and if need be the result of the ballot will be announced at our series of Annual General Meetings as per the schedule below: 

Nomination forms can be obtained from the Unison Branch Office or via the UHB Intranet   Tel:  UHW 029 20748280

or download the form below.

AGM

2020

Topic for discussion

Honoraria will be discussed for

 Treasurer / Assistant Treasurer / Welfare Officer

 All Unison Members welcome

Please note these will be 30 minute meetings and 2 will be held on each date

This will be followed by an APF meeting

• Find out more

Friday 6 December 2019
For immediate release

Mission to see a GP is no laughing matter, says UNISON

The stress and anxiety of trying to get a GP appointment is at the heart of a new short film from UNISON.

Join the queue takes a tongue-in-cheek look at a situation that’s all too familiar – frantically trying to contact the surgery the moment the lines open.

As a clock counts down and the tension builds, a family is poised over landlines, mobile phones and online booking systems trying to be among the lucky few to get an appointment.

With their young daughter feeling ill and the clock finally striking 8am, there’s a brief moment of hope as the call connects. Moments later, crushing disappointment fills the room as a recorded message tells them they’re number 57 in the queue.

Although the film is humorous, it does touch on a truth that for many getting a GP appointment is increasingly difficult.

Almost a decade of funding cuts to the health service are to blame, says UNISON.

The video is launched as the UK prepares to vote in a general election with the future of the NHS in the balance.

UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “Nine years of Tory cuts have ravaged the NHS, with decisions made in Westminster affecting families’ daily lives across the country.

"Hospitals with ambulances stacked up outside have huge staff vacancies and hard-working employees are frazzled trying to fill the gaps, while patients face long waiting times in A&E when they can’t get a GP appointment. Everyone who works for and uses the NHS can see how the government has squeezed our health service. 

"When walking into polling stations next week, people should think about the NHS and the improvements that are desperately needed.” 

Notes to editors:
- The film is available on YouTube.
- UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services – in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in both the public and private sectors. 

Media contacts:
Garfield Myrie T: 0207 121 5546 M: 07432 741565 E: g.myrie@unison.co.uk
Anthony Barnes T: 0207 121 5255 M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk

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The new UK living wage

NHS pay agreement in England and Wales falls short

The new UK living wage was announced by the Living Wage Foundation this week.

It will be £9.30 across the UK and £10.75 in London. Employers registered as Living Wage employers have until May 2020 to implement the changes.

The Foundation Living Wage is distinct from the legal minimum wages which are £8.21 for workers aged 25 or over with lower rates for younger workers and apprentices.

Both Labour and the Conservatives have announced minimum wage policies ahead of the general election. The Conservative pledge is to reach a minimum wage of £10.50 by 2024 for workers aged 21 or over. Labour’s pledge is for £10 for all workers, regardless of age in 2020.

In 2018 NHS unions led by UNISON broke the Conservative government’s hated public sector pay cap with a three-year pay deal that won the living wage for over 100,000 NHS staff – the largest group of workers to ever win that in one go. The pay deals in England, Wales and Scotland gave rises of £2,000-£2,600 for the lowest paid NHS staff, which at the time took them above the Living Wage rate.

However, the new Living Wage rate means the NHS pay agreement in England and Wales falls short, as the lowest rate for Band 1 and 2 will be £9.21 from April 2020. The lowest rate in Scotland will be £9.45. Staff in Northern Ireland are still fighting for the full pay deal.

Work is underway to prepare for when the current deals end in 2021. Going into the next pay round measures to continue bearing down on low pay and ensure that the NHS exceeds the Living Wage will be a high priority for us.

We continue to campaign for the NHS pay deal for all health workers.

What have unions ever done for us?

In 2018 NHS unions led by UNISON broke the Conservative government’s hated public sector pay cap with a three-year pay deal that won the living wage for over 100,000 NHS staff – the largest group of workers to ever win that in one go. The pay deals in England, Wales and Scotland gave rises of £2,000-£2,600 for the lowest paid NHS staff, which at the time took them above the Living Wage rate.

Cardiff and Vale UHB to offer free nextbike membership to its staff

Friday, 8 November 2019

 

Cardiff and Vale UHB has been a keen champion of Cardiff’s bicycle sharing scheme, nextbike, since its launch in May 2018. 

 

Now, the health board is taking the next step in its partnership with nextbike by offering its staff free membership to the scheme thanks to part-funding from UNISON’s Cardiff and Vale Health Branch.

 

The mission of Cardiff and Vale UHB is simple: “caring for people, keeping people well.” It means that the UHB considers it to be its responsibility to not only treat people when they’re ill but also do everything it can to help people stay as healthy as they can for as long as possible.

 

This ambition extends to its staff and the UHB, strives to ensure that staff are looked after and empowered to make healthy choices wherever possible. A variety of projects, from the Employee Well-being Service to ensuring that healthy options are available in the hospital restaurants, are constantly being developed to help staff be as healthy as they can.

 

 

Staff members at Cardiff and Vale UHB are not immune from the wider determinants of health that affect the rest of our population and issues such as air pollution and sedentary lifestyles are key amongst them.

 

By working with nextbike, the UHB can address both of these issues by encouraging staff to travel actively to and from work, which will in turn reduce the total amount of emissions that it, and its staff, produces.

 

In April 2019, Cardiff and Vale UHB was one of fourteen public sector organisations in Cardiff to sign the Healthy Travel Charter and offering its staff free membership to nextbike is just one of a number of actions that will be taken to promote active travel and reduce emissions.

 

The health board is able to offer 1,500 members of staff free membership thanks to the generosity of UNISON’s Cardiff and Vale Health Branch, who provided half the funding, while the UHB provided the other half.

 

Memberships will be offered to staff in gradual tranches, on a first-come-first-serve basis. The first cohort of 130 memberships will be available soon as a pilot, in order to ensure that the process for staff to use the scheme is smooth and without any barriers.

 

Abigail Harris, Executive Director of Strategic Planning at Cardiff and Vale UHB, said, “This is a significant step towards a more sustainable future for the UHB. By encouraging our staff to cycle to and from work, and to meetings on different sites during the day, we’re working to reduce the amount of congestion and air pollution on our hospital sites as well as keeping our staff active and healthy.”

 

“I would like to sincerely thank UNISON for their generous contribution and to the UHB’s Capital, Estates and Facilities Team for securing nextbike stations at our University Hospital of Wales and Woodland House sites.”

 

Stuart Egan, Lead Health And Safety Representative (Trade Unions) for Cardiff and Vale UHB,  said, “The Cardiff & Vale Health Branch are proud to have provided half of the funding for this project to ensure that staff members are supported to make healthy choices such as cycling to work. I look forward to seeing many more of the UHB’s staff members cycling to work in the near future but I would encourage them to be safe and wear a helmet and high visibility gear, especially when riding on the roads.”

 

Sam Coldham, nextbike Business Development Manager, said: "We're always keen to speak with organisations large and small to see how working with nextbike could benefit their workforce, so we're delighted to be partnering with Cardiff and Vale University Health Board to deliver this scheme.

 

"The Health Board has been a vocal nextbike supporter since the scheme launched, so it's great that so many of its workforce will be able to enjoy nextbike membership for free. By cycling instead of taking the car, staff will not only improve their personal health but will also help with the important challenges of reducing carbon emissions and congestion across the city."

 

Staff can apply for free nextbike membership here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CavuhbNextbike

 

Teams are encourgaed to print this poster and display in staff areas so that all staff can access the scheme.

 

Cardiff & Vale UHB Nurse Recruitment​ Event

Steve and Geraldine gave away lots of Unison freebies at Cardiff & Vale UHB Nurse Recruitment event on Saturday 22nd September.

The 'Save Barry Hospital Ward' petition is live on the Welsh Government website. Please take a moment to sign and join our campaign to defend the Hospital ward."

 

https://www.assembly.wales/en/gethome/e-petitions/Pages/petitiondetail.aspx?PetitionID=1601

Labour’s insourcing plans are a welcome first step, says UNISON

Commenting on the Labour Party’s plans to reverse the trend of public services being outsourced to private contractors and bring services back in-house, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said:

“This report is a welcome first step on the road to ending the scourge of public service privatisation. For the first time in 20 years we’re seeing positive signs that Labour understands the damage that outsourcing has caused – and is developing a plan to reverse it.

“I’m looking forward to working with the Shadow Chancellor and other members of the shadow cabinet to deliver on Labour’s conference policy – an end to all privatisation in the public sector in the first term of the next Labour government.”

Notes to editors:
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services – in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in both the public and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Garfield Myrie T: 0207 121 5546 M: 07432 741565 E: g.myrie@unison.co.uk

Liz Chinchen T: 0207 121 5463 M: 07778 158175 E: l.chinchen@unison.co.uk

Nationalise the big six and create a 'green army' to help the UK hit net zero, says UNISON

Nationalising the retail arms of the big six energy firms would significantly boost the UK's bid to become carbon neutral by 2050, says UNISON in a report published today (Monday).

Power to the People calls on a future government to bring into public ownership the parts of British Gas (Centrica), SSE, E.ON, EDF Energy, Npower (Innogy) and Scottish Power (Iberdrola) that sell consumers energy.

This would instantly create a new 'green army' of workers dedicated to helping businesses and the public become more energy efficient, cut their bills and save the planet, says the report. 

Power to the People says this vision could be achieved for between £6bn and £9bn, and the workforce created from the big six firms could:

• help ensure security of energy supply and ‘keep the lights on’
• keep energy costs affordable for consumers and businesses
• ensure the UK meets its climate change targets and moves to a low-carbon economy
• make UK homes and businesses more energy efficient 
• win over the public to achieve the net zero target by 2050 which the UK committed to last week.

The report compares the need for a rapid decarbonisation programme with the successful conversion of millions of homes from town gas to natural gas in the 1960s. 

This huge logistical operation, which was achieved by a public corporation with the national interest at heart, could happen again, according to Power to the People.

Commenting on the report UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “The climate crisis is a fundamental threat to the future of the planet, but the UK won’t get to net zero emissions on a hope and a prayer. Proper action is required and quickly.

“Public ownership of the retail energy sector is affordable – it could be done at a fraction of the cost of nationalising the energy networks.

"It would also provide job security to thousands of workers currently employed by the big six energy firms, help deliver the government’s carbon neutral target, make us all more energy efficient and mean cheaper bills for everyone.

“In an instant a green army of thousands of workers could begin helping consumers reduce their energy consumption, bills and the country’s emissions. Solar panels and greener hydrogen boilers could soon become the norm.

“The inconvenient truth though is we must act now. The warning sirens are sounding and piecemeal action isn’t enough. We'll have sleepwalked into an entirely preventable catastrophe If we fail to achieve net zero by 2050.”

Power to the People highlights how the debate so far has focused on ownership of the UK’s energy networks – the wires, pipes and production.

But it argues, bringing the retail arm of the energy sector into public ownership would enable the government to sign up millions of homes and businesses to the necessary green conversion. It could also start a decarbonisation programme immediately and at a lower cost than many alternatives. 

Notes to editors:
- UNISON’s report Power to the People is available here.
- Rebecca Long-Bailey, shadow business, energy and industrial strategy secretary, will address UNISON’s national energy conference at 10.30am today (Monday) at the ACC in Liverpool.
- The Committee on Climate Change report’s Net Zero is available here.
- UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services – in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in both the public and private sectors.

Media contacts:
Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk

Unison Wales opposing two health trust plans to privatise pharmaceutical services, Paul again quoted, Morning Star

Politicians must get a grip on social care and council services, says UNISON

Commenting on the Institute for Fiscal Studies report on council funding and tonight’s BBC1 Panorama programme on social care, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said:

“After years of relentless cuts, council budgets are stripped to the bone. This is starkly illustrated by the perilous state of social care. 

“Delivering a solution that protects services and provides proper care is perhaps the nation’s biggest challenge. But Brexit paralysis at Westminster means it won't be any time soon.

“It’s simply reckless government to expect councils to look after all elderly and vulnerable people on their patch while funding disappears.

“Sadly, it’s often low-paid care workers picking up the pieces. Spending their own money so an elderly person can have tea, working many extra hours to provide the care needed or being the only friendly face a lonely person may chat to all week. This is a shocking state of affairs.

“Politicians must get a grip and quickly. That means ministers publishing their long-awaited green paper so we can at least see they have a plan, even if they’re incapable of implementing it.”

Notes to editors:
- UNISON is the UK’s largest union, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services – in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in both the public and private sectors. 

Media contacts:
Anthony Barnes T: 0207 121 5255 M: 07834 864794E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk
Liz Chinchen T: 0207 121 5463 M: 07778 158175 E: l.chinchen@unison.co.uk

This year's Merthyr Rising Festival Trade Union March

Unison is a main sponsor of Merthyr Rising Festival

Ten Y Fan Challenge

completed

Well done Team Mike!

£525 raised so far. There is still time to make a donatioin, see link below.

Hi all,

Many of you may already know my son Michael and myself are doing a sponsored walk ten times up Pen Y Fan within 24 hours to raise money for a children’s charity. We would very much appreciate if you are able to sponsor us and any donation would be greatly received. Please right click on the donate link below.

Donate now

Many thanks in anticipation,

Mike

_____________

Mike Jones

Branch Secretary

BRANCH WEBSITE:    www.cavunison.co.uk

Tel:           029 2074 8280

Fax:          029 2074 8279

E.Mail:     Unison.office.uhw@wales.nhs.uk

Mark Drakeford calls for

Robin Hood Tax

Mark Drakeford AM with UNISON Cymru Wales regional secretary Stephanie Thomas

Welsh Labour leadership candidate Mark Drakeford AM, has called upon the UK Government to introduce a Robin Hood Tax to provide much-needed funds for vital community services.

The innovative tax on business financial transactions could deliver millions of pounds for cash-strapped Welsh councils. It could raise £5bn of additional revenue a year from a tiny tax of about 0.05% on transactions carried out by financial institutions – not ordinary individuals.

Public services union, UNISON and the Robin Hood Tax Campaign, together wrote to the three Welsh Labour leadership candidates urging them to endorse the campaign to introduce a Financial Transactions Tax, popularly known as a Robin Hood Tax. The trade union says:

• Four months of a Robin Hood Tax could reverse all cuts to total Welsh government spending since austerity began2
• Two weeks of a Robin Hood Tax could prevent the need for further cuts to Welsh Government spending on public services over the next few years3
• Ten days of a Robin Hood Tax could return the services for each vulnerable older person in Wales to the level provided before austerity began4
• Six weeks of a Robin Hood Tax could replace all funding currently provided by the EU for development in rural and deprived parts of Wales5

Mark Drakeford AM said,

“I have always been a supporter of the Robin Hood Tax and I’m very happy to support UNISON’s drive encouraging politicians to sign up to the campaign. A Robin Hood Tax is so effective because it collects small amounts of money on millions of transactions, which all add up to a significant contribution overall from those who can best afford it, to be shared out to those who need help the most.”

Stephanie Thomas, UNISON Cymru Wales regional secretary said,

“Public services such as libraries, youth services, parks and leisure services and environmental and food hygiene services have been damaged by UK Conservative government austerity and are in danger of withering away completely unless urgent investment is found.

“Time is running out to save services and protect our communities. A Robin Hood Tax would provide potentially huge sums for local authorities. This is sensible economics for our times and the Tax is supported by the likes of Bill Gates and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Well done to Mark Drakeford for signing up. UNISON calls on all Welsh politicians to do the same.”

Notes to editors:

• The Robin Hood Tax is also known as the Financial Transactions Tax

• Currently, there is a tax on the purchase of shares which delivers nearly £4bn to the UK exchequer each year. The Robin Hood Tax would close current loopholes on the Stamp Duty on shares and extend the tax to derivatives. This could raise £25 billion1 of additional revenue every five year parliament, potentially providing a new source of funding for local councils.

• The Robin Hood Tax is endorsed by a thousand economists, Bill Gates, Angela Merkel, Desmond Tutu, Michael Moore, Bill Nighy, Sienna Miller and Emma Thompson. It is official policy of the UK Labour Party and the Democrat Party in the USA.

• UNISON has been urging councillors to endorse the Robin Hood Campaign. To date, thirteen Welsh local authorities have no policy on the Robin Hood Tax. Nine councils have signed up to the campaign for a Robin Hood Tax:  Bridgend; Caerphilly; Cardiff; Ceredigion; Denbighshire; Neath Port Talbot; Newport; Swansea; Torfaen

• Find out more about the Financial Transactions Tax from the Robin Hood Tax campaign

Notes on calculations

1 Intelligence Capital, Improving Resilience, Increasing Revenue: The Case for Modernising the UK’s

Stamp Duty on Shares (2017), via https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2908464

2 £1.7bn cuts between 2010/11 TME of £15.8bn (£18.6bn in 2016 prices) and 2017/18 TME of £16.9bn (2016 prices) (TME includes RDEL, CDEL and AME)

3 £175m cuts projected between 2017-19 to Welsh Government RDEL and CDEL spending (AME not

included) (2017 prices)

4 £130m to return per capita social care spending levels for over 65s to 2010 levels:

http://www.walespublicservices2025.org.uk/files/2017/03/Waleshealthandsocialcarefinal_amended_042 017.pdf

5 £500m cost to replace all EU funding for rural and regional development schemes after Brexit:

https://www.ifs.org.uk/uploads/publications/docs/IFS%20report%20R120.pdf

Contact

Alastair Gittins, UNISON Press Officer on 07816 53 83 97



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Robin Hood tax would deliver millions for Welsh councils

An innovative tax on business financial transactions could deliver millions of pounds for cash-strapped Welsh councils.

Public services such as libraries, youth services, parks and leisure services and environmental and food hygiene services have been damaged by UK Conservative government austerity and are in danger of withering away completely unless urgent investment is found. The Robin Hood Tax, a small tax paid on financial trading, would provide enormous funds for Welsh public services at no financial cost to the overwhelming majority of the population.

• Four months of a Robin Hood Tax could reverse all cuts to total Welsh government spending since austerity began
• Two weeks of a Robin Hood Tax could prevent the need for further cuts to Welsh Government spending on public services over the next few years
• Ten days of a Robin Hood Tax could return the services for each vulnerable older person in Wales to the level provided before austerity began
• Six weeks of a Robin Hood Tax could replace all funding currently provided by the EU for development in rural and deprived parts of Wales

What can you do to help?

We want you to write to your Assembly Member and MP urging them to support an end to austerity; the introduction of a Robin Hood Tax and fair funding for Wales.

Download our Fair Funding for Wales model letter here.

Download our Robin Hood Tax briefing here.

Watch UNISON branch officers talking about why we need an end to austerity and a Robin Hood Tax

Watch head of local government Dominic MacAskill on our fair funding for Wales campaign

Visit the Robin Hood Tax campaign website