Recent pay deals across the public sector have fallen behind any measure of the rise in the cost of living. This means that in real terms the pay of public service workers has been cut - something that UNISON should never accept.

In addition, there are considerable discrepancies in the actual cost of living, particularly housing, between different parts of the country, but this is largely only recognised in London, where weighting allowances have been paid for many years. This means that the pay of a public sector worker in a high-cost area is actually less, in real terms, than that of a similar worker in a low-cost area.

Conference determines that no pay offers below the rate of inflation should be recommended for acceptance in any future pay negotiations. Conference also calls for the actual cost of living in different areas to be taken into account when determining whether an appropriate supplement should be negotiated for that area.

Article added 2008-02-04 14:46:29

Branch Motions to the 2008 Unison Healthcare Conference

The following motions were accepted at the November meeting of the Branch Committee (see minutes in Branch Committee section) and delegates from our Branch will be going to conference to present them. Please note they do not become policy until (and if) approved at the conference

Motion 1: Support hospital cleaning staff!

CONFERENCE notes the attention given to hospital infection rates, and the resulting government campaign for cleaner hospitals.

We also note that in the vast majority of hospitals, those responsible for cleaning the hospitals are amongst the lowest-paid, least-trained and least-equipped staff in the establishment, frequently working for private contractors who are inadequately monitored and whose over-riding motive is making profits, not providing a service.

We welcome UNISON’s campaigning on support for hospital cleaning staff; at the same time we feel that the publicity surrounding hospital infections means that this campaign needs a much higher profile. This should centre on:

• The need for adequate staffing levels, which in turn means addressing the chronically low pay rates of cleaning staff. The abolition of Band 1, together with the development of good career pathways, should start to address this
• The need for good equipment: too often cleaning staff have to struggle by on inferior or insufficient quantities of equipment, because their employers are more concerned about costs than quality.
• The need for good training, to ensure staff are working to the best standards, and that they feel rewarded for taking responsibility for the jobs they do.
• The need to redouble our efforts to stop cleaning services being privatised, to r and bring privatised services in-house, and in the meantime to ensure that all private contractors provide at least as good pay, training, equipment and working conditions as NHS employers.

Conference calls on the SGE to publicise these objectives, to call on branches and regions to work to achieve them, and to report back to the 2009 Health Group Conference on progress.

Motion 2: Provision of Professional Information & Resources

Conference recognises Unison’s commitment to providing assistance to its members throughout their working career, and within health the application of the Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) as a tool for the development of our members.

Conference notes with concern however the current lack of up to date resources within the health service unions on day to day practise of health professionals, which place it at a disadvantage when compared with professional bodies when used for the purposes of recruitment and retention by branch activists.

Conference believes it is the duty of the union to provide advice where possible on best practise in healthcare and calls on the Union through the Service Group Executive to ensure that the following occurs:

• Produce a new version of the “Duty of Care” guide by January 2009, available as both electronic and hard copy
• Through consultation within the union, prepare and report to the 2009 National Health Group Conference on the current status of non-registered healthcare practitioners, e.g. healthcare assistants, supported living service workers, and therapy assistants within the health service, including the unions recommendations on the future of these practitioners.
• In consultation with regions and branches provide pocket professional advice guides on best practise for clinical and non-clinical settings in areas such as wound-care & prevention, discharge planning and prevention of community/ hospital acquired infections by Health Group Conference 2009

Article added 2007-12-19 18:34:16

Support the National Blood Service

The Save Our Blood Service facebook group has gathered a massive number of members and is growing all the time. We have a paper petition with 7000 signatures from around the West Mids which we will be presenting to the council (and getting the media to cover) very soon. We are also contacting patient groups around the country.

* We are now asking for your valuable help with a quick and easy action that you can all do, to build mounting pressure on the Board of Directors not to reduce local processing and testing labs.

The NBS Board is appointed by the Health Minister and is ultimately responsible to the government. We need volunteers to email councillors in the affected cities telling them you are opposed to the NBS cuts and expressing your anger. This is not glamorous, but it will build pressure on local councils to adopt stances against the closure, which is strategically vital for the campaign at the moment.

* Why is this necessary? Flooding of lazy councillors inboxes with queries about the NBS cuts will make them pay attention and make them more likely to look into the restructuring plans.

The response of Sheffield and Birmingham councils has shown that the board of directors has not bothered to properly inform the local authorities about the mad scheme and what it will mean for the health service. We hope to make the directors sweat by grassing them up and raising the interest in the strategy from their political masters. They don't think they have to answer to the staff or the public, but they do have to answer to the government!

* The campaign has developed detailed lists of all the local councillors in all of the affected areas to make life easier. You can find the list here:

http://secouncillors.wordp ​ress.com/

(see tabs at the top of the page for different cities/areas) and use them to select who you write to.

* Also to save you time we have a few model/example emails that you can use - see end of message.

We need to do this mass lobby on a massive and co-ordinated scale to
make it properly effective, so we are asking for every supporter of the campaign to make that extra effort. Please take a minute to contact councillors using these templates, and let us know who you have hit, along with any response you get from them, at the campaign email address:
nbs.sos@googlemail.com, so that we can keep tabs on how much volume we are bombarding these guys with.

Thanks for your support!
NBS SOS

------------------------

COUNCILLOR EMAILS HERE: http://secouncillors.wordp​ress.com/

SUGGESTED SAMPLE EMAILS:-

1) Dear Councillor,

It has recently come to my attention that the national blood service,
which filters, sorts and supplies England's stocks of blood to the NHS
is facing major restructuring.

I am very concerned and saddened to see this is the case, and I am
worried it may affect patient care. We are always hearing on the
radio and in the media that stocks of blood are low, and now there are
plans to shut down ten of the country's thirteen blood processing
centres. That could mean that blood supplies will not reach hospitals
and patients in time when they are most needed.

I'd urge you as a councillor for this area, which I gather is one of
those affected, to look into the matter, as I feel in one way or
another we may all be affected if these cuts to the service go ahead.

Yours,

2) Dear Councillor,

Yesterday I received a leaflet about the planned closure of ten blood
processing centres throughout England, as part of measures to
restructure the national blood service. I am very concerned about
this, and this city is one of the areas which is going to be affected.
I'm worried about what might happen if blood supplies to hospitals are
affected, and it's concerning to know that the public have not been
consulted about these measures. I'd like to know whether the council
have been notified about these plans and what guarantees you
have been given that this won't affect patient care.

Yours,

3) Dear Councillor,

I recently joined a facebook group called "Save Our National Blood
Service" after I heard about planned closures of many blood processing
plants across England. I'm sure you'll agree that the NBS is vital
for smooth running of much of the NHS and safe readily available blood
supplies are an extremely important part of modern healthcare.

I am extremely angry that yet again a backward step is being taken in
healthcare in this country. Not only will many skilled jobs that are
important to the economy be lost in cities from Birmingham, to
Newcastle to Southampton and elsewhere, but we are about to lose a
working part of the NHS that currently makes a profit. It's to be
replaced with an unnecessary scheme that has no proven track record,
which is not justified, and which may end up costing us all a lot
more.

I'd urge you to look into this matter. Apparently those in charge of
the restructuring didn't get around to telling Sheffield City Council
about their plans to axe the centre in that city, and that local
authority has now adopted a policy of opposing the closure plans.
It's high time the same strong stance was adopted in <INSERT COUNCIL X>.

Yours,

Article added 2007-12-15 20:28:27

Know your reps, and perhaps become one

Keep tabs on your Branch Committee representatives and also find out whats currently on our agendas

Across the patch we cover over 2,500 members so it is important that we touch base and make sure we all know about issues that are going on within our employers or professional groups - that's why it is so important to have a local rep.

Members can elect their own local workplace representive at any time, all a potential rep has to have is membership, an open mind and a willing to train up, we then help them to do the rest - look at our Branch Guide "What does it mean to become active in Unison" found under organising members of you are interested.

You will also find the latest minutes of the Branch all Activists Committee are now posted in the help section - if members want more detailed information on issues raised, such as finances or the campiagns then please use the contact page or ring the office.

Article added 2007-12-13 22:13:59

Reinstate Karen Resissmann

Karen was told yesterday that her Appeal was "turned down" and her sacking upheld - to refresh your memories, Karen was dismissed for speaking out against cuts in services and then telling people that she was facing disciplinary action for the above by her Employer. All unions are seeing this as a direct attack on an individual performing their union duties - breaching employment Law.

Manchester Community & Mental Health Branch have released the follwoing statement:

Protest in Manchester Tuesday 11th December as Karen Reissmann, nurse and union rep, loses appeal against sacking

Article added 2007-12-11 09:19:01

National March for Karen Reissman

Over a thousand people turned up in Manchester on November 24th for a march and rally in defence of mental health nurse and UNISON activist Karen Reissman. Karen was sacked in October for the 'crime' of publicly criticising cutbacks in services made by her employer - an act which was considered to be 'bringing the Trust into disrepute'. Many feel her real 'crime' was to organise a successful campaign of industrial action against her Trust's cutbacks.

Article added 2007-12-05 13:02:32

Campaign to defend the NHS goes National

Highlights of the report, availiable on the Campaigns page include:

• A coachload from Cambridge joined the event, attended by officially sevennthousand people but with almost certainly at least twice that taking part in the march itself
• The fighting theme was certainly dominant at two important local events in October
• the highlights of the regional conference of NHS together including a particularly entertaining speech by broadcaster and GP Phil Hammon,
• Three weeks later on October 27th, Cambridge Health UNISON members took part in a protest picket at BrookfieldsHospital in Cambridge, where rehabilitation beds for the elderly are under threat.

Article added 2007-12-05 11:50:11

AfC Protected Hours

TODAY’S NEWS

If your Standard Hours are 37 hours per week, which was protected for three years under Agenda for Change, please note this protection comes off on 1^st December this year. Your Standard Hours will then be 37½ hours a week. This does not affect the amount of leave you get, as that increases proportionally as well. Staff on Part-Time hours have a choice as to whether they keep the same hours for less pay, or increase the hours to maintain the same pay. The change is marginal, in that it works out as 6 minutes per day.

Article added 2007-10-11 08:48:45

Agenda for Change Protected Hours

If your Standard Hours are 37 hours per week, which was protected for three years under Agenda for Change, please note this protection comes off on 1^st December this year. Your Standard Hours will then be 37½ hours a week. This does not affect the amount of leave you get, as that increases proportionally as well. Staff on Part-Time hours have a choice as to whether they keep the same hours for less pay, or increase the hours to maintain the same pay. The change is marginal, in that it works out as 6 minutes per day. Other protected hours less than 37 hours per week are set to reduce by 30 minutes on the same day.

Article added 2007-10-09 08:17:45

Compass (Medirest) & Unison sign national framework agreement

For the most part the agreement seeks identical terms and conditions to those applied in the NHS. The exceptions are:

1. Reckonable Service: This will now include all continuous service to any contractor providing the same job for the NHS as long as TUPE was applied to the transfer, ie at Addenbrooke’s it would include anyone transferred over from the Trust originally in the late 90’s up to the present day.

1. Sickness & Absence: Staff will get sick pay for the first time, as the NHS sick pay agreement will apply, but Compass’ own absence procedures will be used to monitor. This breaks down as:

• Up to 1 year service = 1 month full pay, 2 months ½ pay
• 1 up to 2 years = 2 months full pay, 2 months ½ pay
• 2 up to 3 years = 4 months full pay, 4 months ½ pay
• 3 up to 6 years = 5 months full pay, 5 months ½ pay
• 6 years and over = 6 months full pay, 6 months ½ pay

1. Hours of Work: The new hours are agreed at 37.5 same as the NHS. Transition arrangements will depend on the level of staff working over, or under these hours.

1. Job Evaluation: Compass has produced job profiles nationally in line with the NHS profiles, these will be circulated and then agreed locally.

1. Unsocial Hours: Current arrangements will apply, until an NHS agreement is signed off and then it will apply

1. KSF: Similar agreement to the NHS, full details from the office

1. Employee relations: Commits Medirest to working with Trade Unions and ensuring that agreements are signed off locally

1. Pay: Based on the AfC banding, Compass will honour all pay rates, including any rises to the NHS agreements, and all progression through the bands will occur every October.

1. Others: All other agreements such as Maternity & Paternity pay as per the relevant sections of the Agenda for Change Handbook.

The Full agreement will be available for download as soon as possible, please keep checking the site for more details.

Article added 2007-10-08 18:58:56

UNISON sends prescription to new Health Secretary

In a letter to the new Health Secretary, UNISON has called for early talks over health services

UNISON has welcomed the appointment of Alan Johnson as Health Secretary who has given assurances that there will be no further centrally dictated top down restructuring of PCTs and strategic health authorities for the foreseeable future. In a letter to the new Health Secretary, UNISON has called for early talks over health services and outlined a prescription of treatments to inject a fresh approach to UK health services and reverse sliding morale among NHS staff and patients.

UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said: “We do hope that the new minister seizes this golden opportunity to listen much more to the real experts in the NHS: staff and patients. NHS leaders need to urgently switch the focus from endless and costly reorganisations and privatisation to more compassionate, patient-centred health care.”

The prescription being sent from UNISON to the new Health Secretary will read:

• FAIR PAY: Pay to reflect living cost rises; move away from poverty pay
• LISTEN AND LEARN: Listen and respect patients and staffs views
• NO NHS VIOLENCE: Prosecute and punish violent cases against staff
• PUBLIC FIRST: Put patients and value-for-money before profits and value-for-shareholders
• END WASTE: Stop squandering taxpayers’ cash on endless change and management consultants

Article added 2007-10-08 18:57:58

Personal Injury Settlements in June

Over Two million pounds in compensation won for Unison's members in June.

Unison working with Thompson’ s solicitors managed to negotiate over two million pounds in compensation for it’s members in June this year.

In Eastern region alone 22 members received a share of £202,996.54 after taking up their case with Unison’s backing.

If you think you have a case and are a member of Unison, please contact the Unison office, or download a copy of the P1 (work related) form from our documents database and send it to the Branch office.

Article added 2007-10-08 18:18:59

Transport for the London Rally

The Coach will be picking up people from Ely Market street at 0800, and then going on to Cambridge to pick up from Parkside (opposite police station) at 0900.

You need to book in advance if you want a place as we need to know numbers of people attending, so please email us via the contact page telling us the name of everyone you are bringing along, and whether you are to be picked up in Ely or Cambridge

The Coach will arrive at London enbankment at 1100 for the start of the March, which will be followed by a Rally and Entertainment, and then the coach will pick people up at 1700 for the return journeys

Article added 2007-10-08 18:17:36

TUC Rally goes ahead

On Saturday october 6th the organisation "NHS Together" is holding an activists confernce to organise and campaign around cuts and threats of privatisation to the NHS within the Eastern region.

Following this event there will be a rally at 14:00 (2pm) from Shire Hall (Cambridge County Council's main offices) down towards the Guildhall in market square.

Any and all comers are welcome on the march and rally which is being organised by Cambridge TUC

For more information please use the contact form on this site, or speak to your local union representative (of any union)

Article added 2007-10-07 08:26:54

AGM election details

Prior to the Annual General Meeting in February, members who wish to stand for election as activists or officers of our Branch need to be elected by either their workplace (activists) or nominated by two members (officers).

The forms to do this are in the branch organisation section of the website (Click here to go to this page) and for more information about each position we recomend you read the 'Unison Members Resource Pack' or the 'How to become active in Unison' guides on the same page

If you need any help identifying members in your area to be elected, or to hold the workplace meeting then please email/ ring the office to arrange support from the duty officer

Article added 2007-10-02 14:38:09

New Holiday entitlement

From 1st October 2007 the minimum leave entitlement yhas increased to 4.8 weks PAID leave each year for all workers and employees under the working Time Reguations 1998 (amended). They also still maintain the right to take any unpaid leave as payment when the contract is terminated.

This will increase further to 5.6 weeks in April 2009, with a cap of 28 days (20 days and 8 bank holidays), though where agreement has been reached for a higher amount, ie Agenda for Change in the NHS, this will nor be affected.

If you wish more detailed information, ACAS has produced a new guidance leaflet, which can be found at http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=806

Article added 2007-10-01 11:58:25

NHS pension update

The Final draft would appear to be broadly the same as the consultation document published last year and the NHS Employers have kindly issued a press statement (http://www.nhsemployers.org/aboutus/mediacentre-listing.cfm/pressrelease/659) which includes the primary points and explanatory detail.

The statement says that:

Existing scheme members will:

• keep a normal pension age of 60 (or 55 for staff with special rights) and the right to take a pension after the age of 50
• keep a final salary pension with a 1/80^th accrual rate and a 3/80^th lump sum for each year of service based on the best of the last three years of work before the age of 60
• have a new option to take a larger lump sum, up to 25 percent of the value of the pension, in return for giving up some of their pension
• have survivor pensions extended to partners in addition to widows, widowers and civil partners
• be able to continue paying into their pension beyond their current normal pension age and build up their pension up to a total of 45 years regardless of age

New scheme members will have:

• a normal pension age of 65 and the right to take a pension after the age of 55
• a final salary pension with a 1/60^th accrual rate for each year of service based on the average of the best three consecutive years of membership in the ten years before retirement (allowing staff to take a lower paid job in the run up to retirement but have their salary calculated on the higher salary they had before stepping down)
• the choice between converting up to 25 percent of the pension into a lump sum, foregoing a lump sum in favour of a larger annual pension or they can choose anything in between the two options
• a more flexible pension with the ability to take all or part of the pension while continuing to work and build up more pension.

If you wish more information, or would like to contibute to the discussions, please use the contact form on this website

Article added 2007-09-26 12:08:51

Women Members News

Branch Women’s Officers Event – Friday 28^th September at CPDC. This event is for Branch Women’s Officers or those women considering becoming a Branch Women’s Officer. We currently only have 49 branch women’s officers across the region, so it would be a good opportunity to encourage prospective branch womens officers to attend, so we can explain the role and enthuse them to become involved. (£15 per delegate)

Unison as part of its promotion of the right to equalty in the workplace has several self organised groups within its structure that include Womens, Black and Ethnic Minority, and Lesbian/ Gay/ Bi and Transexual members.

Regionally there are meetings and courses run specifically for these member groups that any member of the union that falls into the apropriate category may attend - and the Womens officer in our region is runnig the following courses.

Womens History – Saturday 13^th October at Cambridge Professional Development Centre (CPDC). This womens development and training day is for any woman member interested in womens history, understanding the major events and legislative changes that have shaped women’s progress in society. (£15 per delegate)

Black and Minority Ethnic Womens Event – Saturday 20^th October. This event is for BME women only, at the Moller Centre in Cambridge. This event is being facilitated by Angela Ishmael, (previously Head of Dignity and Equality at the Industrial Society). We have also direct mailed all BME women (according to RMS records) to invite them to attend, subject to funding of travel expenses from their branch. (The event itself is free to delegates)

International Women’s Issues – Thursday 15^th November at CPDC. This womens development and training day is for any woman member interested in increasing their knowledge and understanding of international issues and campaigns of concern to women. This event will also focus on the work undertaken by UNISON via its international department. (£15 per delegate)

If you are interested in attending the courses, please email us and we can send you the application form - if you go sponsored by the Branch we will pay for your travel and course fees, in return for a written report or article for the website.

If you want to set up a Self organised Group in our Branch - check the rulebook found in the help files, and then contact us and we can help you do this

Article added 2007-09-18 16:47:01

2007 Pay Offer Accepted

The consultation Ballot over the 2007 pay offer for Unison members who are NHS staff closed last week, and the results were announced over the weekend,

The turnout was unfortunatley low at 20.4 percent (1 in 5 members having voted) with a collective accept vote of 68.8 percent, and to reject 31.2 percent.

This means that Unison negotiators on behalf of its membership will now propose acceptance of the pay offer to the next national staffside council, where it is assumed the deal (with reluctance) will be accepted and then implemented across the NHS in England only.

NHS establishments in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales will still recieve the improved pay offer of the full 2.5%, although this still falls short of the current rate of inflation which at last check was over 4.5 percent.

There were some concerns amongst actvivsts regarding the seemingly high number of members who said that they did not recieve a ballot paper. And to prevent this happening again Cambridge Health urges its members to remember to update us when you move address - currently there are 150 (out of 2,500) people we were not able to mail either ballot papers or newlsetters to.

If you didn't get a ballot paper please use either the query form on the website to update us, including in it that you did not receive a ballot paper, or contact Unison direct on 0845 355 0845.

Article added 2007-09-18 16:36:00

Local Discount for members

Sta's Brasserie in the Frank Lee Centre at Addenbrooke's hospital has teamed up with Unison to provide a disount to all members of the union

From August 2007, all Unison members who show Sta and his team their membership card will receive a 10 % discount on Food purchased from the Brasserie. This deal is partly due to our successfull work together at AGM meetings over the years. For more information please contact Andie Graham at the union office.

Remember, to get to Sta's you must already be a member of the Frank Lee Centre, or a guest

Article added 2007-09-02 08:27:53

Should we reject the new NHS pay offer and fight for a decent pay rise?

All the health unions condemned the original offer, which saw a 2.5 percent pay rise (around 2 percent less than the annual rise in the cost of living) cut in value by the decision to pay it in stages - 1.5 percent from April and another 1 percent from November. UNISON had decided to ballot members for industrial action unless there was an improved offer. The RCN were consulting their members to decide whether to follow suit; this has resulted in an unprecedented 95 per cent vote to reject the offer and take some form of action.

Now the Government have made a number of additions to the original offer, hoping to convince us that the new deal is worth more than the old one. But the new deal is still not even worth as much as 2.5 percent would have been if we'd been paid it in one go back in April. Given that health workers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have already been told they'll get that, there is a strong feeling from some in the union that this latest offer still goes nowhere near far enough. You need to decide whether to fight for decent pay, and UNISON is giving you the chance to do this in the ballot of members in the NHS, which is now under way.

How much is the new pay offer worth?

.

1. Basic pay

The new offer - like the original one - is staged in England, which means we only get 1.5 percent back dated to April. From November 1st, we would get a further 1 percent or (for those on bands 1 and 2) a little extra to lift their pay scale by £400. But that includes the April pay rise, meaning that those staff would only get the full value of the rise next year.

2. Professional registration fees

Lots of NHS staff now have to pay a fee to a professional body, with nurses recently having the Nursing and Midwifery Council put their registration fee up by nearly double. The new deal includes a payment of £38 to all NHS staff who need to pay a professional registration fee. It should be pointed out this is only half the NMC fee, it will be taxed, and there is no commitment to increase it in future years.

3. Training allowance

For staff who do not need to be registered with a professional body, the Government is proposing a £25 NHS training allowance. This is supposed to make up for the fact that NHS employers have been slashing training budgets left, right and centre in their efforts to balance their books . Whilst any support for training is welcome, it has been pointed out £25 would scarcely buy one hour’s training.

4. Future terms and conditions

The employers and the Government will agree to talk about the unions' claims on terms and conditions - things like reducing the working week, reducing the number of incremental points within each band, and job security. There are, of course, no guarantees that such talks would lead to anything, and if the unions were threatening serious action on the pay rise then the employers would be forced to negotiate on these issues as well.

What is it worth to me?

In terms of cash in your pay packet, the new offer is worth between £270 (for those at the very bottom of band 1) and £393 (at the top of band 4 or the bottom of band 5). That's between £5 and £7.50 per week extra, less tax and NI. If we won our original demand for a pay rise in line with inflation, we would get between £556 and £946 - or between £11 and £18 per week. Even just getting the government to drop the staging of the pay award, and paying 2.5 percent in full from April 1st would be worth more than this new offer. If we got that, staff on the bottom of band 1 would get £295, or £6 per week, while those on the top of band 4 would get £493, or £9.50 per week .

Health workers are not the only ones facing a pay cut.

All public sector workers will, according to Gordon Brown, have to make do with pay rises worth no more than 2 percent - that's less than half the rate of inflation. That's why the NHS rise was split into two stages , so it cost the Government only 1.9 percent extra this year even while they claimed we were getting 2.5 percent . And this limit on pay rises is set to stay for the next two years as well, unless public sector workers unite to get something better.

Postal workers are already taking strike action to win a decent pay rise this year. UNISON and other unions are consulting workers in local government over the possibility of industrial action to win a pay rise of more than 2 percent, and civil servants and teachers are also both considering action. If we all fought together we would win!

What can we do?

Cambridge Health UNISON urges its members to participate in the pay offer in the consultation ballot taking place between 20 August and 13 September. The union is not recommending to you whether or not to accept – that is your choice.

If you do vote to reject the offer, you need to be prepared to take industrial action to get an improved offer.

If you are a UNISON member and you don't receive a ballot paper by August 27th call UNISON on 0845 355 0845.

The branch is organising a series of meetings with members between now and the close of the ballot to discuss the issues; for details keep looking on the news & events pages.

Article added 2007-08-29 08:57:42

2007 Pay offer update

Unison's consultation ballot on the 2007 pay offer has started yesterday

People wishing to join Unison so as to have a vote must do so before September 10th, as the Ballot ends 1 week later.

The Ballot is either to accept the pay offer "as the best we can get through negotaiation" or to reject and look for alternative methods of increasing the offer, including possibility of industrial action.

Unison has chosen not to issue a recomendation at this time, so that members can have the final say

Article added 2007-08-21 09:55:56

New NMC Guidance for Registered Staff

This is in responce to the issues raised at both hearings and in phone discussions with the NMC by rurses and other registered professionals. ALthough the NMC does not cover them, such guidance should also be considered good practise guides for other registered professionals such as occupational therapsists

Please follow the link below for the advice sheet

http://www.nmc-uk.org/aFrameDisplay.aspx?DocumentID=3076

Article added 2007-08-21 09:38:04

Join In: Consulting and Negotiating

Currently there are several reps from Unison, the nursing bodies RCN and RCM, and the physio union CSP who are able to attend the majority of sub groups (see boxes), however to ensure that every member is represented we are calling on Addenbrooke’s members to join us on some of these groups.

Catering:

Attended by the Trust, staffside and Medirest discuss’ and arranges provision of food to staff onsite.