UNISON lobby against ‘silent slaughter’ of council services

Edinburgh UNISON will lobby the City of Edinburgh Council budget meeting on Thursday 21 January 2016 from 08.45-9.45 against 2,000 job losses and £160 million in cuts to services over four years.

Tom Connolly, UNISON Edinburgh lead negotiator, said: “On top of the existing quest to find £150 million in cuts, the recent Scottish Government financial settlement means Edinburgh has to find another £10 million in cuts to jobs and services.

“2,000 jobs are being lost – that’s seven times the number lost at Tata Steel in Scotland. The Scottish Government have rightly set up a task force on steel jobs but they say nothing about local government. It has become the silent slaughter of council jobs and services.”

Cuts on top of cuts - January newsletter

Come to the lobby on 21 January; UNISON fights off increment cut; more must be done to stop compulsory redundancies and keeping bosses to procedures. Click here for a PDF

Exposing myth of need to rush to redundancy

There is a spin being played by the senior officials that the world ends on 1 April 2016 if 2,000 staff are not made redundant by that date. The greatest concern is that our 'Member Led' council appear to be accepting the myth.

Lobby against cuts Thurs 29 Oct. 08.45 - 09.45 City Chambers, High Street

They say that if there are 50 or 250 people still in the redeployment pool or still in post, the council’s financial position will worsen and more cuts will be required.

Senior officials claim that staff are under too much anxiety and that staff would rather go now. To ease your worries they are moving a five year program to six months. This is not beneficial to staff or to the services that you provide.

UNISON tells council: Keep your no compulsory redundancy pledge

UNISON is urging members to turn out in force on 29 October to lobby councillors to keep their no compulsory redundancy pledge. See the pdf of the briefing at www.unison-edinburgh.org.uk/un/unoctober15.pdf

And in a show of unity, our colleagues in the Glasgow City Branch will be lobbying their council on the same day.

The Council’s Capital Coalition (Labour/SNP) made 53 pledges when it was elected in 2012. In the latest update to Pledge 26, the Council said: “We have a policy of no compulsory redundancies. There have not been any since we made the pledge.

“All efforts have been made to redeploy surplus staff. We are monitoring the policy on a case by case basis, to make sure it is still business and cost effective.”

The officials have a report going to the Finance and Resource committee on 29 October requesting that the councillors drop this pledge and leave it to the officials to decide how many staff are made compulsory redundant.

Lobby postponed as UNISON campaign brings Edinburgh council re-think

UNISON has postponed its lobby of Edinburgh Council’s Finance and Resources Committee on 24 September following assurances from senior councillors that privatisation plans will be dropped and redundancies delayed for further talks.

Amanda Kerr, Edinburgh UNISON branch secretary, said: “Following concerted UNISON pressure, we welcome this re-think and the dropping of privatisation plans. We also welcome the delay on redundancies, however we still have a long way to go and we will be building for a lobby of the next Finance and Resources Committee on 29 October.

“Our campaign has brought this to the public eye and that campaign will continue. We warned that the level of cuts envisaged would be devastating for services. After years and years of cut after cut, no council can sustain even more massive cuts.”

Lead negotiator Tom Connolly added: “This is an important victory. The damage privatisation would have caused cannot be overestimated. The union will focus on protecting jobs and conditions, engaging with our members and building towards the lobby on 29 October.”

“Our mandate from our members remains. Industrial action remains a real possibility in the event of compulsory redundancies.”

Thanks to all who joined the lobby

A big thank you from UNISON Edinburgh to all those who turned out to lobby against council cuts this morning.

Lobby against the cuts 12 Feb

UNISON members will lobby Edinburgh Council on 12 Feb at 08.30 at the City Chambers against cuts that could mean the loss of 1200 jobs.

Edinburgh Council faces even more cuts this year on top of the millions already cut year after year. Our local services can’t survive any more of this.

40,000 jobs have been lost in local government across Scotland in recent years. In any other industry that would bring political calls for a rescue package.

These jobs are people. It is people that provide council services like cleansing, home care, public safety, roads, trading standards, child protection, residential homes and much much more.

The cuts also affect workers in the voluntary sector who provide services for the public. In fact the cuts affect everyone in Edinburgh. The vicious circle of cuts, less money in the economy and less tax coming in leads to even more cuts.

Everyone is worse off. Council workers, the people that rely on council services and local businesses.

The cuts are dressed up as a reorganisation but they are still cuts. Nobody is against better ways of providing public services but the nature of local services is that they need people to provide them.

A computer can’t deliver home care. The internet won’t collect the bins. That takes people and 1,200 of them could go with those left behind under intolerable pressure to carry on trying to deliver your services.

UNISON represents the people who deliver your services. Join us now to tell the council that we support Edinburgh’s services and we want them to do the same!

UNISON to lobby Edinburgh Council against cuts Thurs 13 Feb 08.30 City Chambers

UNISON, the union representing most Edinburgh Council workers, will lobby the council budget meeting on Thursday 13 February from 08.30 to 09.30 to expose the effects of austerity cuts on jobs and services.

“Edinburgh Council plans to put through £36 million in cuts. This is on top of £90 million since 2011, and £175 million since 2007. Services just cannot survive with this kind of attack year on year”, said John Stevenson, the union’s Edinburgh Branch President.

Lobby against Edinburgh Council Cuts Thurs 13 Feb 08.30 - 09.30 City Chambers

Edinburgh Council plans to put through £36 million in cuts on 13 February. This is on top of £90 million since 2011, and £175 million since 2007. Services just cannot survive with this kind of attack year on year.

We know the cuts are driven by Westminster. We know that Holyrood has just passed these cuts on, singling out local government for the lion's share. But we want to hear our politicians standing up for our local services, not just passing the cuts on.

As UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said: "No school cleaner gambled billions on the stock exchange - No home carer, no social worker, no librarian. None of them created this recession. Why should they be expected to pay for it?"

Council services are about people. People provide them and people rely on them. Every service is affected. These cuts have a real human cost. A human cost like...

Edinburgh In House: Up For Change, Realistic Fair Efficient

Rally at the Council 08.30 tomorrow. Get your button badge to back the best value in-house option. #citynotforsale

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

PRIVATISATION: ACT NOW!

Public Meeting 7pm Mon 24 October, Appleton Tower, Edinburgh University

Lobby the Council: 08.30-10.00 Thurs 27 October, City Chambers, High Street

"Privatisation and pensions attacks are wrecking services and fleecing public service workers. But there is an alternative if we are prepared to fight for it", John Stevenson, Branch President.

Get more info, leaflets and posters on the branch website at http://www.unison-edinburgh.org.uk/

Save Edinburgh's Jobless Services Campaign takes the message to Holyrood: 'Save services that help jobless into work'

Campaigners will be at the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday to press home the message that the Scottish Government's cuts of funding for employment programmes in Edinburgh will hurt people who most need help at this time of economic difficulties.

Lobby against the cuts 10 Feb

If the need hasn't gone away, why should the services? LOBBY AGAINST THE CUTS: 08.30-09.30 Thurs 10 February City Chambers, High Street. Come and show the Council we will stand up for public services. Click here for a poster for your workplace.
Check out the website for full details http://www.unison-edinburgh.org.uk/