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Staff express concerns at proposed shift upheaval

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Written by Ian Mckendrick

UNISON stewards in Oxford Health have been made aware of staff concerns regarding management proposals to change nursing shifts on inpatient wards, including but not exclusively:

  • Impact of increased breaks on staffing levels and increased workload over longer break times
  • Impact of part time staff hours on staffing levels due to non-standard start finishing times
  • loss of family contact time,
  • disruption of child/parent/home care arrangements,
  • loss of unsocial hours pay,
  • health and safety and fatigue risks associated with overlong shifts,
  • unnecessarily long night breaks and reduction in cover for extended period.
  • lack of clarity about how twilight shifts will be used
  • review of staff complements,
  • lack of guarantee about flexible working arrangements,
  • reduction of shift requests to maximum 4/month for full time staff (less for part time)
  • reduced early/late handover for training and business meetings etc
  • implicit assumption staff will stay on beyond normal working times to attend meetings currently planned into working day
  • Inadequate reason for causing massive upheaval to staff and patients
  • this shift pattern is causing problems at the JRII hospital

Read more: Staff express concerns at proposed shift upheaval

UNISON pensions ballot April 2012 - vote to defend our pensions

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Written by Ian Mckendrick

The UNISON ballot over the government’s final NHS pension proposal  started on 11th April.  Please use your vote to help decide the future of all NHS workers’ pensions.  The ballot closes on 27th April.

Oxfordshire unison Health branch has previously met and discussed the changes to the scheme that will see many NHS staff forced to pay more, work longer and get a smaller pension.

We are very concerned that this is an inadequate settlement and that by agreeing it we would undermine the public sector unity essential to defend our pensions, jobs and pay.

The Branch Committee feels that we have no choice but recommend strongly a vote  to reject and continued industrial action with our fellow trade unionists in health and the public services generally.

We will be holding meetings to discuss this position and provide members further opportunity to discuss the implications of the proposed new NHS pension scheme that will replace the current ones plus the new contribution rates that come into effect in the next pay for staff  earning over £26,558, and next year for everyone earning over £15,000.  Contribution rates are set to increase over the coming years.

Read more: UNISON pensions ballot April 2012 - vote to defend our pensions

Pay survey 2012

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Written by Ian Mckendrick

The government is continuing it's policy of holding NHS pay rises below inflation for the third year running.

The proposed pay settlement for 2012 for NHS staff is that staff earning less than £21,000 will get a flat rate £250 (equivalent of 1.66% for someone earning £15,000 and 1.2% for someone earning earning £21,000).

Everyone else will get no pay rise this year.

UNISON wants to know what you think of the pay offer.

You can help us decide our response by completing the survey here.

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Pension campaign survey - should we strike again

Key pension facts

The government wants to impose changes to public sector pensions that would mean we:

  • PAY MORE - an increase of NHS pension contributions by 25% - 70%
  • WORK LONGER - an increase the normal retirement age by up to 8 years (and longer if people live longer)
  • GET LESS - reduce the rate of growth of pensions in relation to inflation (up to 12% reduction in value of pension)
  • Public sector pensions ARE AFFORDABLE - the NHS scheme has a £2 billion surplus.  This money goes to the government not pensions.
  • The £10 billion raised through INCREASED CONTRIBTUIONS WILL NOT GO TO FUND NHS PENSIONS - the money will be taken to pay off the cost of bailing out the banks.  The extra contributions are AN UNFAIR TAX on public sector workers.
  • WAGES HAVE ALREADY SHRUNK by around 5% due to the wage freeze and rapidly rising prices.
  • Bankers GAVE THEMSELVES £7 billion in bonuses in January 2011 with billions more in jan 2012
  • PENSIONS ARE DEFERRED WAGES.  They are not an unfair perk, but part of our terms and conditions our unions fought for.  Cutting our pensions is no  different from cutting our wages.
  • WE WANT DECENT PENSIONS FOR ALL - including private sector workers whose pensions have been shrunken by employers reducing their contributions.  SAY NO TO DIVIDE AND RULE - don't be fooled by attempts to play off private sector workers against the public sector.
  • Millions of public sector workers united to strike on Nov 30.  NUT, PCS, UNITE and NASUWT unions are all prepared to strike again to defend our pensions.
  • We will provide emergency cover if we strike again

Rule Book Benefits

Conditions of qualification

  • Benefits are available as an entitlement to all members who are not in arrears with their
    subscriptions and satisfy the qualifications for benefit detailed below but are otherwise
    available at the absolute discretion of the National Executive Council. Members receiving
    benefit shall continue to pay subscriptions to the Union, unless otherwise decided by the
    National Executive Council.
  • For the purpose of establishing qualifications for benefit, completed continuous years of
    membership of either COHSE, NALGO or NUPE as well as UNISON shall be counted as
    reckonable membership.
  • Only one rule book benefit will be paid in respect of any one accident, illness or death. This
    will be the rule book benefit with the highest monetary value.
  • Other conditions may apply for specific benefits.  Please see National Rule Book under steward resources

Accident Benefit

The accident must happen in the course of the member’s employment, or whilst travelling to or from work or upon Union business.

£3.60 per day, £18.00 per week maximum during the whole period in which the member is unable to work by reason of the accident up to a maximum of 30 days or £108.00 in any calendar year.

Fatal Accident Benefit

The fatal accident must happen in the course of the member’s employment, or whilst travelling to or from work or upon Union business and the member must be survived by a partner, or at least one dependant.

Completed years of continued membership

Under 5 years

£1,925

Over 5 and less than 15

 £3,850

Over 15 and less than 25

£5,775

Over 25

£7,700

Death Benefit

As from 1st July 2010 the death benefit shall be:

Completed years of continued membership

Under 5 years

£110

Over 5 and less than 15

£220

Over 15 and less than 25

£330

Over 25

£440