Welcome to Gateshead UNISON Local Government Branch
Welcome to our website which has been specifically designed for Gateshead UNISON Local Government branch members and includes staff within Gateshead Council, Gateshead College, Baltic, Gateshead Housing Company and the voluntary sector. UNISON negotiates for better pay and conditions, helps members in trouble and campaigns for a safer and fairer society.
We aim to cover all issues that affect us in Gateshead and need your views to keep the website regularly updated.
Let us know if you have any comments, good or bad, so we can improve the site. We hope you like it!!
Have Your Say
UNISON has a clear structure to make sure all members can have their say. As a UNISON member the Branch is your main source of advice and support. It is the most important link between the union and members like yourself. Please contact your shop steward or branch office for more information.
Date of last input
| 17 May 2012 | Affecting |
update of "Latest from Branch Secretary" (Gateshead College),
Latest Newsletter ( as issued 16 May 2012),
LG Pensions
Latest Gateshead Unison Newsletter
Click on this link
Current Newsletter so as to see the last issue of this document
Previous Versions of Newsletter are available via this link
Latest on changes to "Local Government Pensions"
A document on this topic was recently issued giving the latest on New Pensions
LGPS issue 19 dated 10 May 2012
Anyone wishing to view the new conditions that are to issued to the Civil Service - that may or not be similar to those that will be issued to Local Government scheme can view them on this link
Changes to those members in receipt of a pension
Change from CPI to RPI - view this link
2012 Annual increase for those members retired less than 12 months
everyone does NOT receive the full 5.2% increase - see this link
Latest from Branch Secretary ( Terry Edwards)
Latest on Redundancies
The latest number of compulsory redundancies has fallen from
the initial 178 to 77 and we are working with Human Resources and managers to reduce this even
further.
The appeals have started and members are being represented by UNISON Regional
Officer.
Employment Costs Review
The Council hopes to make savings of £3m by reviewing employment costs and will
include:
Car Allowances – reducing the mileage rate to 36.9p per
mile.
Reducing the Essential Car user lump sum allowance to
£846.00.
Review who is in receipt of Essential Car User status.
Review who is in receipt of car parking passes.
Introduce car parking charges of £300.00 per year for
staff to use Council car parks.
End operation of the lease car scheme by 2015.
Employee business travel to be changed to 2nd
class travel only.
Close Offices between Christmas and New Year
Overtime working and shift patterns are to be reviewed as part of this process including "Time worked over contracted hours to be paid at "plain time" only, Call out and standby payments to be equalised across the Council, Shift Workingf that forms part of employee's normal week should be paid in "plain time", loss of bus fare payments for changes in workplaces, potential loss of shift allowances
UNISON have not agreed
any proposals.
We will be consulting with our members for
their views and this will form the basis of our response
Gateshead College
UNISON and UCU were invited to a meeting on 29th March 2012 with
College management at which we were presented with proposals to transform the
delivery of the College’s curriculum by introducing a new staffing structure for
the teaching workforce. The rationale for this was presented in terms that the
current teaching staff job roles and associated terms are outdated,
concentrating on teacher input rather than learner outcomes.
Four new job roles were proposed: Lead Practitioner, Curriculum Leader, Teacher
and Learning Facilitator.
The outcome of this appears that this will effectively be downgrading in excess
of 75 staff by up to £10,000.00 per year.
There is a 90 day consultation period which started on 29th March and
further meetings have been arranged during this period. The next meeting is on 1st
May at which the College will respond to our comments and we will update you
with the position at that time.
Forty
days into the consultation process and following lengthy and robust discussions,
the College, UCU and Unison met today and we made considerable progress in our
discussions; as such I would like to inform you of our position.
The
College presented a proposal under which a safeguard on workload protection
would be included in contracts of employment. A re-definition of contact
time and the activities included in the cap will be determined by a working
party which would be formed week commencing 21st
May. The working party will include members from the Curriculum Management
Team, Heads of Group, representatives from our teaching workforce, HR and our
trade unions.
The
College also committed to implement this proposal in such a way that no staff
member would experience a reduction in salary, this means that if a member of
staff is appointed to a role which has a salary scale lower than their current
pay they are protected. We propose that these people will have all the
support they need to be reskilled/retrained to put them in a position whereby
any future vacancy at a higher level can be ring-fenced to those eligible to
apply.
Those
staff due an increment in August 2012 would still receive this and any pay award
agreed by the Board of Governors for 1st August
2012 would be made to all staff, including those in the scope of this proposal.
The next
consultation meeting will take place on 22nd May
and detailed discussions on the above will continue.
We would like to hear your views on any matters and ask that you contact the branch office on
0191 4776638 or via email at
info@gatesheadunison.co.uk
© Gateshead UNISON 2009
