Edinburgh budget response: Defending services or administering austerity?

UNISON's Tom Connolly made the following submission to Edinburgh City Council's budget meeting today as Joint Trade Unions Staff Side Secretary.  

As we come towards the end of the organisational review processes associated with the Transformation programme, we have witnessed the loss of over 1400 jobs.

We have real concerns of the current and future impact on our member’s terms and conditions, their lack of resources and excessive workloads and the negative impact that this has on the services provided to the most vulnerable and deprived.

Job opportunity at UNISON Edinburgh

We're looking for an Organiser/Caseworker, £34,624 pro rata 17.5 hours per week for 11 months. Closing date extended to 17 July. Click here for full details on our website.

Job at UNISON Edinburgh

We're looking for an Organiser/Caseworker, £34,624 17.5 hours per week pro rata for 11 months. Closing date 3 July. Click here for full details on our website.

Cleaning staff don't sign your rights away

Some Edinburgh Council cleaning staff will have recently been approached by their line manager asking them to reduce their hours or take voluntary early release (VERA). Further consultation is required over this with management but in the meantime only note your interest and do not sign your
rights away. Click here for a briefing

Edinburgh Budget: Services and living wage best way to help local economy

UNISON has called on today’s Edinburgh Council meeting to protect services and pay a living wage to help boost the local economy out of recession.

The union has also called on Holyrood and Westminster to stop starving local authorities of funding and take positive action to invest in services and jobs.

“We don’t doubt that the Council faces difficult challenges from huge cuts in central government funding in the next three years. But it is now time to take a different approach and abandon costly consultants and privatisations and get on with engaging their own workers in protecting everyone’s local services”, said John Stevenson, Edinburgh UNISON President.

“There is an alternative to the slash and burn that is getting the whole economy deeper and deeper into trouble”, said Mr Stevenson, calling on national government to fund local councils properly and “abandon the failed policies of austerity which are creating more unemployment, more poverty and fatally undermining the services we all rely on.”

“The best way to deal with the deficit is to create employment, not cut it. Rebuilding public services benefits both the public sector and the private sector. The more people there are in work, the more there is in taxes to deal with the deficit and the more there is to put back into the economy.

“One way to do that in Edinburgh would be to pay a living wage of at least £7.20 an hour and encourage other employers to do the same. Unlike the very rich, low paid public service workers spend most of what they earn in the local economy.That money would go into Edinburgh businesses at a time when they need it most.

“Overall, the best way to use the undoubted wealth that exists in the UK is to put it to work for everyone rather than being hoarded by the few.”

UNISON VOWS TO FIGHT CLOSURE OF BLINDCRAFT

UNISON and the other trades unions at Blindcraft have vowed to fight the closure of its renowned beds factory in Edinburgh as they join with workers to lobby the City of Edinburgh Council meeting on 18 November.

UNISON understands the City of Edinburgh Council's Lib Dem /SNP Administration is to push for the closure of Blindcraft at the meeting.

Kevin Duguid, UNISON lead negotiator, said: "The closure plans are being pushed through despite the unions positively engaging with the Council over Blindcraft's future and coming up with proposals, including a reduced working week, which would hugely reduce the deficit the organization faces".

Many of those losing their jobs are people with disabilities who will find it incredibly difficult to get another job and to cope with a huge upheaval to their daily life.

"These are skilled staff who make a quality product that is more than a match for its competitors", added Mr Duguid.

"Unions and council officials met last week with the Minister for Enterprise, Jim Mather but this failed to address the reality of the position Blindcraft is in and concentrated more on nice words and platitudes than any help that could be offered.

"Nothing constructive emerged from that meeting, but if the Scottish Government are serious about supporting people with disabilities to be part of mainstream society they must put their money where their mouth is and support places like Blindcraft", said Mr Duguid.

There will be a lobby of the Council Meeting on Thursday at 9.30am which Blindcraft Staff will attend and the unions will be calling for the Council to reject closure and work with all stakeholders including the Scottish Government to safeguard the future of Blindcraft .

Check out the website for full details http://www.unison-edinburgh.org.uk/