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.

UNISON has ‘grave concerns’ over Edinburgh budget cuts

UNISON, the biggest union representing workers at The City of Edinburgh Council, has issued a statement announcing “grave concerns” about service cuts highlighted in the draft budget proposals produced by the council.

“While we have some sympathy for the cuts being forced on the council by Westminster and Holyrood, our members have grave concerns that the proposals would see a scathing reduction in all the essential services the council provides, and as a result will affect every Edinburgh resident”, said Tom Connolly, UNISON City of Edinburgh Branch service conditions officer.

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.”

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/

Edinburgh privatisation 'worse than the trams' say unions as communities take action

Unions have warned that the fall-out from Edinburgh council's £1billion privatisation plans could be 'worse than the trams', as citizens take things into their own hands by organising public meetings across the city to demand answers from the council.

Edinburgh must delay privatisation decision until public have their say

A packed public consultation organised by UNISON last night (27 June) heard calls for Edinburgh's Lib Dem/ SNP council to delay its £1 billion privatisation plans until the public is properly consulted.

Privatisation public consultation 27 June 6pm Augustine Church

The City of Edinburgh Council is considering bids for the privatisation of large swathes of local council services. The largest ever single privatisation of services in Scotland.

We appreciate your work - even if the council doesn't

While Edinburgh council workers struggle through the snow to deliver essential services, the best the Council's Head of HR can do is email managers telling them how staff will lose money or have to make up time if they are late or have to go home early.

With stories from all parts of the council of staff taking hours to get to work and fighting through the snow to deliver home care, protect children or ensure public safety - not to mention the gritters working round the clock - the head of HR might have been better offering a smidgeon of thanks instead of a headmasterly lecture on how to dock wages.

Thanks perhaps to the home carers and the Pentland Rangers helping them get to clients. Thanks perhaps to the social workers walking miles to visit children. Thanks perhaps to the road workers and cleansing workers working long shifts to try to keep the roads clear. Thanks maybe also to the staff managing to get into the central offices to keep systems working. And perhaps a hint of recognition might have been in order for the people who just could not get in, many of whom will have been working at home.

UNISON members deliver services but also rely on them too, like any other citizen. So if the council can't bring itself to value the efforts of its workers through the blizzards, we at least can.

Thanks to you all.

PS: We hear the Head of HR didn't manage in today because of the snow!

NOTE: Later this afternoon, the Chief Executive issued a thankyou to staff. It was justified and appreciated.

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

Suicide bids stopped by award-winning council scheme

UNISON members at City of Edinburgh Council, who have successfully prevented potential suicides at a social housing block, have been recognised at the Guardian Public Services Awards 2010. http://www.unison.org.uk/asppresspack/pressrelease_view.asp?id=2064

Staff on one of the council’s high-rise estates had been struggling to cope with at-risk tenants until a suicide prevention initiative was set up. More than 200 people in the frontline team have now been trained to spot signs of mental illness and a multi-agency mental health awareness group, including police, social services and NHS members, has been formed.

The initiative was launched after the Edinburgh Tenants Federation raised serious concerns with council landlords about the risk of suicides and the scheme has prevented at least four deaths since.

Personal information on residents and their support needs is now available to staff and information leaflets on mental health services have been delivered to all the council’s high-rise blocks.

The City of Edinburgh Council received the award for Skills Development in the Innovation and Progress category.

UNISON member Michael McCrossan, senior officer for services for communities, said:

“We are over the moon to have received the Guardian award and believe that the initiative has had a huge effect on the lives of council tenants.

“Mental health awareness is extremely important, especially for those living in high-rise buildings, which can be very isolating and lonely.

“It is vital to keep talking to local people, who can raise concerns and help develop the scheme.

“We hope to continue with the good work and prevent many more tragedies.”

Dave Prentis, UNISON’s General Secretary, said:

“It is a huge honour for the team to win this award, as it is such a ground-breaking initiative.

“Training staff to identify problems and have the confidence to deal with them, can clearly help save lives.

“This scheme shows how important it is to empower workers through training.”



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

"You can't cut half-a-million jobs and think services and people using them won't suffer,"

"You can't cut half-a-million jobs and think services and people using them won't suffer," Kisten Hey tells today's Scotsman newspaper. Spending review: Case study: In the firing line - people whose lives will be affected by the changes http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/spendingreview/Spending-review-Case-study-In.6591996.jp

Demo 20 October: There is a Better Way

The Edinburgh Anti-Cuts Alliance is holding a demo on Wednesday 20 October at 5.30 at the Mound Precinct in protest at the cuts in the Comprehensive Spending Review that day in parliament. All members are urged to attend.

October 23 - Tell them There is a Better Way

There is Better Way and UNISON is urging all members to turn out on 23 October - in Edinburgh - for a national demonstration for decent public services, public and private sector jobs, fair taxation and a living wage. The cuts are politically, not financially based. They risk even more recession.
Use the leaflets and posters on this link and see more on the truth about the crisis at...
 http://www.unison-edinburgh.org.uk/publicworks/index.html

An air of madness in being asked where the axe should fall

Edinburgh Council cuts meetings: "Like many in the hall, I began to question the wisdom of this whole exercise. Cutting jobs on this scale – at a time of recession or near recession – is just what a government is not supposed to do, according to conventional economic theory", writes John Knox on Caledonian Mercury. http://politics.caledonianmercury.com/2010/10/01/an-air-of-madness-in-being-asked-where-the-axe-should-fall/

Council must listen to public on saving services

With the revelation in today's Evening News (http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Big-backing-for-higher-council.6558389.jp ) that 7 out of 10 of Edinburgh residents would rather pay more in tax than lose services, UNISON has called on the Council to listen to the public properly and abandon the 'fixed' consultation.