UNISON receives information from many varied sources, one of these is the Church Action on Poverty who are running a campaign called 'Closing the Gap'. The 'Close the Gap' campaign encourages individuals to participate in the campaign against the ever widening pay gap between rich and poor in the UK which is greater now than at any time in the past 40 years. We need your help to tell those in power that it's time to Close the Gap.
Please read the information below, we would encourage all members involved in faith-based organisations to raise the issue of the living wage within those organisations and seek that they adopt the living wage if they have employees.
Each year, the level of the Living Wage gets reviewed and updated. It has now gone up from £7.14 an hour to £7.60. In London it is now £7.85 and in Scotland £7.15.
It is a sad fact that pay below this level is poverty wages. We believe that work should pay enough to lift people out of poverty. Thousands of hard-working families are still in poverty because people are paid just the National Minimum Wage. For Christians, this denigrates the fundamental dignity of humanity. It is an important issue of social justice to stand with people and families who are working hard but still in poverty.
Take action to stop this:
1. Make sure the administrators and cleaners at your church or employer are paid the Living Wage.
2. Ask your church leaders if they plan to implement the updated Living Wage across your area.
More information about the Living Wage is available on the Church Action on Poverty website.
Cranking up the campaign - Methodists lead the way
This summer's Methodist Conference saw them agree to require all Methodist churches and projects to pay the Living Wage by the end of this financial year, except in very exceptional circumstances. This has already lifted a significant number of lay workers out of 'in-work poverty'. This is the culmination of almost 10 years of work by Church Action on Poverty, and we pass on our congratulations to the Methodists. There is still a big job ahead to make sure the many churches and 600 Circuits adopt it.
Not far behind, the Baptists, the United Reformed Church, the Church of Scotland, and the Quakers are all publicly committed to the principle.
However, neither of the two largest denominations - the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England – has taken serious steps towards respecting their low-paid workers with a Living Wage. We will be in touch soon asking you to contact the Anglican or Roman Catholic bishops in your diocese.
Friday, 3 September 2010
Monday, 23 August 2010
DEFEND GLASGOW SERVICES
The DEFEND GLASGOW SERVICES campaign has called a PUBLIC meeting on
Who is the Defend Glasgow Services (DGS) Campaign
The DGS campaign unites public sector trade unions, public services workers and community organisations. Glasgow City Council and its Arms Length Organisations intend to make significant cuts to services over the next three years. Our NHS is under attack. Support to the unemployed and disabled is threatened. Grants to community organisations are being slashed. The citizens of Glasgow should not be asked to pay for the bail out of the banks and the mistakes of greedy bankers.
The campaign is co-ordinated by UNISON Glasgow City Branch, Public Services Trade Union
Tel 0141.552.7069 email
Campaign aims
• Defend Public Sector jobs & services
• No to cuts in public spending
• Oppose the privatisation of public services.
• Tax the banks and financial institutions that caused the crisis. End tax avoidance by the super-rich and make them pay their fair share.
• For a united campaign of public services workers, community/ voluntary organisations and service user groups to defend Glasgow’s services.
THURSDAY 9TH SEPTEMBER
7.30 PM
Glasgow city UNISON branch office
4th Floor
18 Albion Street
Candleriggs
Glasgow
ALL WELCOME
Who is the Defend Glasgow Services (DGS) Campaign
The DGS campaign unites public sector trade unions, public services workers and community organisations. Glasgow City Council and its Arms Length Organisations intend to make significant cuts to services over the next three years. Our NHS is under attack. Support to the unemployed and disabled is threatened. Grants to community organisations are being slashed. The citizens of Glasgow should not be asked to pay for the bail out of the banks and the mistakes of greedy bankers.
The campaign is co-ordinated by UNISON Glasgow City Branch, Public Services Trade Union
Tel 0141.552.7069 email
Campaign aims
• Defend Public Sector jobs & services
• No to cuts in public spending
• Oppose the privatisation of public services.
• Tax the banks and financial institutions that caused the crisis. End tax avoidance by the super-rich and make them pay their fair share.
• For a united campaign of public services workers, community/ voluntary organisations and service user groups to defend Glasgow’s services.
Wednesday, 28 July 2010
Families to bail out banks
"The government has decided that women, families and children will bear the brunt of cutting the deficit," Ruth Lister, head of social policy at Loughborough University told a TUC forum on 22nd July 2010
Although the government claims that the emergency budget is fair, the combined effect of changes to benefits and service cuts is hitting the poorest hardest, especially low paid women workers and their families.
The Chancellor has claimed that the budget will "have no adverse impact on child poverty".
But, according to research by Ms Lister, the government is asking families with children to make an additional contribution that others are not paying.
"Gender and family friendliness are vitally important when we're talking about passing the fairness test," said Ms Lister.
"The conservative manifesto promised to 'make Britain the most family-friendly country in Europe'," she said, "yet there seems to have been no assessment of how the budget will affect the coalition's family-friendly agenda".
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has recently advised the Treasury of its legal obligation to carry out an equality impact assessment of the budget.
"We need to remind the government of its duties to do an equality impact assessment of the emergency budget, and the spending review expected later this year," said Ms Lister.
Cuts to services announced in the budget, and housing benefit changes, will also hit women hardest. Research commissioned by UNISON, shows that service cuts will mean the poorest tenth of households will lose the equivalent of 20.5% of their household income, whilst the richest tenth will lose just 1.6%.
Service cuts will be particularly harsh for low-paid women, who make up most of the public sector workforce, and their families and children.
Low paid workers, who already face pay freezes and job cuts, will now also see their services and household income cut.
The government is planning to cap and put restrictions on housing benefit, which many hard-working low-income families depend on to meet rising housing costs.
Freezing of child benefit, and focusing on Child Tax Credits, which will be reduced and withdrawn from many families also indicates a shift in government policy from universal to means-tested benefits for families and children, warned Ms Lister.
Ruth Lister's blog
Women's budget group - Gender impact assessment of the coalition government budget
UNISON's Million Voices for Public Services campaign
Although the government claims that the emergency budget is fair, the combined effect of changes to benefits and service cuts is hitting the poorest hardest, especially low paid women workers and their families.
The Chancellor has claimed that the budget will "have no adverse impact on child poverty".
But, according to research by Ms Lister, the government is asking families with children to make an additional contribution that others are not paying.
"Gender and family friendliness are vitally important when we're talking about passing the fairness test," said Ms Lister.
"The conservative manifesto promised to 'make Britain the most family-friendly country in Europe'," she said, "yet there seems to have been no assessment of how the budget will affect the coalition's family-friendly agenda".
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has recently advised the Treasury of its legal obligation to carry out an equality impact assessment of the budget.
"We need to remind the government of its duties to do an equality impact assessment of the emergency budget, and the spending review expected later this year," said Ms Lister.
Cuts to services announced in the budget, and housing benefit changes, will also hit women hardest. Research commissioned by UNISON, shows that service cuts will mean the poorest tenth of households will lose the equivalent of 20.5% of their household income, whilst the richest tenth will lose just 1.6%.
Service cuts will be particularly harsh for low-paid women, who make up most of the public sector workforce, and their families and children.
Low paid workers, who already face pay freezes and job cuts, will now also see their services and household income cut.
The government is planning to cap and put restrictions on housing benefit, which many hard-working low-income families depend on to meet rising housing costs.
Freezing of child benefit, and focusing on Child Tax Credits, which will be reduced and withdrawn from many families also indicates a shift in government policy from universal to means-tested benefits for families and children, warned Ms Lister.
Ruth Lister's blog
Women's budget group - Gender impact assessment of the coalition government budget
UNISON's Million Voices for Public Services campaign
Friday, 9 July 2010
UNISON visit to Enable HQ
Following on from a meeting with UNISON members in the Enable HQ today, it was suggested that access to some of the information below would be useful to members.
Thursday, 8 July 2010
An in-depth study, published by UNISON, explores the complex relationship between working, juggling childcare responsibilities and low pay, a relationship that traps people into low wage jobs, with little chance of progression.
The knock-on effect to families is huge. From working two jobs, taking shifts on the weekend, or feeling too tired to discipline their children or help out with homework, many parents on low wages fear their kids are missing out on vital care and support.
Working alongside researchers from the Working Lives Research Institute from London Metropolitan University, UNISON members discussed and documented the effects of low pay, long and unsocial hours and/or multiple jobs on their own lives and those of their children.
The Impact of Low Pay on UNISON’s Families is available here
The knock-on effect to families is huge. From working two jobs, taking shifts on the weekend, or feeling too tired to discipline their children or help out with homework, many parents on low wages fear their kids are missing out on vital care and support.
Working alongside researchers from the Working Lives Research Institute from London Metropolitan University, UNISON members discussed and documented the effects of low pay, long and unsocial hours and/or multiple jobs on their own lives and those of their children.
The Impact of Low Pay on UNISON’s Families is available here
'Here's how you can cut the deficit' - Mr Cameron
UNISON had a message for David Cameron today, in response to his invitation for public service workers to suggest ways of cutting the deficit.
A letter to the prime minister made our ideas quite clear. It said:
"Dear Dave,
"You asked us how we could cut the deficit. We believe you can do this without devastating public services. Here's how:
"Stop cutting vital public services.
"Stop cutting public service jobs.
"Cut bankers' bonuses and bring in a Robin Hood tax.
"Keep services in-house, instead of paying consultants.
"Cut out the privatisation profiteers.
"Thanks for listening,
"From 1.3 million public service workers in UNISON."
General secretary Dave Prentis said: "Our members didn't cause the recession. It wasn't a nurse or a social worker or a teaching assistant that gambled millions on the stock exchange and almost brought the economy down.
"So our members should not have to pay. It's time that those who created the crisis paid for it
In our alternative budget and here, UNISON has shown how it can be done without making public services workers and our communities suffer."
There's still time to let the prime minister get the message by clicking here and leaving your comments. And let us know what you've said by emailing millionvoices@unison.co.uk.
You can find more ideas in UNISON's alternative budget here.
Click here to join our Million Voices campaign to defend public services.
A letter to the prime minister made our ideas quite clear. It said:
"Dear Dave,
"You asked us how we could cut the deficit. We believe you can do this without devastating public services. Here's how:
"Stop cutting vital public services.
"Stop cutting public service jobs.
"Cut bankers' bonuses and bring in a Robin Hood tax.
"Keep services in-house, instead of paying consultants.
"Cut out the privatisation profiteers.
"Thanks for listening,
"From 1.3 million public service workers in UNISON."
General secretary Dave Prentis said: "Our members didn't cause the recession. It wasn't a nurse or a social worker or a teaching assistant that gambled millions on the stock exchange and almost brought the economy down.
"So our members should not have to pay. It's time that those who created the crisis paid for it
In our alternative budget and here, UNISON has shown how it can be done without making public services workers and our communities suffer."
There's still time to let the prime minister get the message by clicking here and leaving your comments. And let us know what you've said by emailing millionvoices@unison.co.uk.
You can find more ideas in UNISON's alternative budget here.
Click here to join our Million Voices campaign to defend public services.
Friday, 2 July 2010
National Office UNISON stall
Please come along to the Boardroom on 2nd Floor between 12.00 and 2.00 on Friday 9th July 2010.
This will be a chance to find out more about UNISON and discuss the changes at National Office.
Find out how UNISON can help you, all the benefits of membership and join on the day.
Drop in for 5 minutes or longer.
All welcome.
For further information contact Robert Rae
This will be a chance to find out more about UNISON and discuss the changes at National Office.
Find out how UNISON can help you, all the benefits of membership and join on the day.
Drop in for 5 minutes or longer.
All welcome.
For further information contact Robert Rae
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