NEWS
From all of us in the Branch Office –
We would like to wish all our members a very Merry Christmas and a
Happy New Year
The Branch Office will be closed from Monday 24th
December until Wednesday 2nd January 2008
Have a great break!
PAY 2007
It’s now
been confirmed that the vast majority of staff will get the backdated increase
in with their December pay.
The only
exceptions to this are those who are downgraded by the Single Status process
(because they will be on “mark time” protection, meaning they won’t get the pay
award this year) and those for whom the Job Evaluation process hasn’t been
completed, who will receive the increase once their grading has been finally
determined.
SINGLE STATUS
For our latest update
and details of the Appeals Procedure please click here.
PAY 2008
The NJC
Committee have now asked branches to consult with their members on the basis of
a claim next year for a 6% increase, with a “substantial increase” for the lowest
paid. The Branch Executive Committee has
agreed to recommend to members that we support a claim for a flat rate increase
of £1200 per annum.
Your
Steward should be contacting you within the next week to seek your views. If you haven’t got a Steward and wish to make
your view known, please email us at branchoffice@croydonunison.co.uk
I would
urge all members to support a flat rate claim, not a percentage increase. This
is the only way to truly address low pay.
DATE FOR YOUR DIARY
Dates have been set for the Branch Annual General Meeting. We will be holding the first meeting in The
Council Chamber on Wednesday 20th February at 12.30 pm and the
second on Thursday 21st February, in the Friends Meeting House
(opposite Taberner House) at 4.30 pm.
You will only need to attend one of these meetings and an hour’s paid
time off to attend is permitted for members employed by
VICTIMISATION OF UNISON ACTIVISTS
Michael Gavan
and Karen Reissmann (UNISON activists in Newham and
A meeting
was held on Tuesday 11th December in support of Michael, Karen and
the Fremantle workers. A full report
regarding this will follow shortly.
PENSIONS
The Government Regulations on the Scheme can
be found on the Pension Update Page
You can also log-on to
the UNISON National Website www.unison.co.uk for more up to
date information.
SOCIAL CLUB
Progress
on the new Club has been slower than hoped but discussions are still ongoing.
It is hoped that it will be located in the Central Complex, possibly in the
With
respect to Chatsworth Hall, the snooker and pool tables are shortly to go into
storage. The Council will be refurbishing the premises for other uses. In the
meantime there is still some furniture such as tables and chairs and sundry
glasses in the building – if you are interested in any of them please let Phil
Young, the Club Secretary, know.
In the
meantime we are embarking on a programme of fund raising in order that we are
ready for the new Club once it becomes a reality. We are holding our usual
Christmas Raffle for a hamper and a variety of smaller prizes.
Tickets
(50p each) are available from the UNISON Office, through Shop Stewards and we
intend selling tickets in Taberner House over the next few days.
We are
currently planning to organise a ‘100 Club’, Quiz Nights and possibly a party
in the New Year - further details to follow.
In order
for the club to be a success it is important that we can rely on all for your
support so please support our efforts!
You can
contact the Club Secretary, Phil Young, at phil.young@croydon.gov.uk.
ANNUAL REPORT
You can
still read the Annual Report here.
CALLING ALL DISABLED MEMBERS…….
If you would like more information please
contact our Disabled Members Officers, Kay Kakad at kaushalya.kakad@croydon.gov.uk
CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS………
We are always looking for more members to get actively
involved in the Branch. There are many areas where members don't have a local
Steward.
So - if you would like to get more involved in the Branch
and its decision making, take part in negotiations with management and
represent members, why not become a Steward or Health and Safety Rep?
We won't throw you in at the deep end. There are many
courses available that are organised through the TUC or UNISON and they run
throughout the year. You will also have the support of the Branch Office. Time
off for full training is available, please contact the Branch Office for more
details or e-mail branchoffice@croydonunison.co.uk
ARE YOU GETTING IT?
Please let us know in the Branch Office if you have
changed your address, either by phone on 8760-5435 or via e-mail to branchoffice@croydonunison.co.uk
it’s important we keep your records up to date so that you are fully informed
on matters that could affect you.
If you are prepared to be a workplace contact for us,
which involves handing out UNISON information, Newsletters etc to your fellow
UNISON members again please let us know in the Branch Office.
We want to make sure all our members are informed
on what's happening in the Branch.