Monday, 8 August 2022
Thursday, 4 August 2022
Clarification
Dear Members,
You will have seen by now the latest Staff Comms from LJMU, with regard to the Higher Education Pay Award for 2022/23.
UNISON and UNISON@LJMU are still in dispute with UCEA and LJMU regarding this issue, we are still urging members to participate in the ballot for industrial action. Just because the pay award offered will be imposed on staff from the 1st August, doesn’t mean the issue is concluded.
The large increase in the pay for lower grades is only due to changes for the National Minimum Wage. All other grades will only receive around 3%, you are all worth a lot more than this.
Please remember to take part in the Industrial Action Ballot. UNISON in Higher Education is asking you to vote YES!
The choice is entirely yours and the ballot is confidential. No matter how you vote, we urge members to return your ballot paper in the pre-paid envelope in the post by no later than the 24th August, so it arrives in time for the noon deadline on the 26th.
Thank you for your continuing support.
UNISON@LJMU
More information can be found at:
www.unison.org.uk/wereworthmore
Tuesday, 2 August 2022
Monday, 1 August 2022
Friday, 29 July 2022
Strike Pay - UPDATE
Dear
Members,
We are at last able to release some important information to you that may help with your decision to support the Industrial Action Ballot over the Higher Education Pay Claim 2022/23.
Here is a short quote from the Chair of the UNISON Industrial Action Committee:
"On behalf of the Industrial Action Committee, I can confirm our standing policy is to pay £50 per day strike pay (or full take home pay if this is less) from day one of any properly authorised strike action (subject to sufficient resources being available in the national UNISON Industrial Action Fund)".
Sandy
Nicoll, IAC Chair”
Just to expand on this:
Previously strike pay was only £25 per day, and you could only start claiming it on the 3rd day of prolonged Industrial Action (not one day actions). This means there will be less of a financial burden on you each day you participate in the strike. First we need you to vote YES! so that our branch meets the voting threshold. We know it’s a difficult time to lose some money out of your pay, that is why this change has been pushed forward at the highest levels of UNISON to assist you our members.
Everyone is feeling the pinch of the current financial climate. The Retail Price Index is currently at 10%+ and is ever-increasing. Our current Pay offer is 3%, well below the RPI.
If we work together shoulder to shoulder to fight for an improved pay offer that is not in real terms another pay cut. Then together we can make a difference. It’s been 13 years since the Higher Education sector has had a real pay rise. Together, it’s time to make a stand and say no more. If not now, then when?
Vote YES for Industrial Action. Return your ballot paper in the free post envelope ahead of the deadline of 26th August.
Just for information, no date has yet to be set, but this ballot is taking place now so that if we meet the threshold the industrial action will take place at the start of the term.
For more information visit:
www.unison.org.uk/wereworthmore
Thank you for your continuing support.
UNISON@LJMU
Monday, 25 July 2022
Ballot 2022
#UNISONtheUnion #HigherEducation #PayBallot Keep your 
open for your #Ballot envelope in the post.#UNISONinHE Is asking you to vote #YES!
If you don't receive your envelope by 28th July call 0800 0 857 857
#UNISONljmu Please support the proposed action.
Thursday, 21 July 2022
Join UNISON for Pride in Liverpool 2022
UNISON@PRIDE - YES!!! Liverpool Pride is back and UNISON will be there supporting our LGBT+ Members, Allys and the local community. Come along and join the fun and show support in flying the flags. For further information please contact the Branch LGBT+ Officer - Contact Details
Monday, 18 July 2022
Don't believe the noise
With the recent rail strikes and the TUC ‘Demand Better’ demonstration, unions are in the news a lot, and it's not always positive. But don't believe the noise.
Join us. Stand Together. Because we know it can be better than this.
Thursday, 14 July 2022
Final Pay Dispute Meeting
Dear UNISON Members,
At the final dispute meeting this morning the employers failed to make an improved offer on pay. This mean the offer remains the same as previous emails which is 3% from spinal point 20 and above. In real terms is a pay cut given that this fails to match any measure of inflation.
Realistically, this means the only way we are going to get anything near a decent pay award, is to force the employers back to the negotiating table. That means voting YES, for strike action in the forthcoming industrial action ballot which opens on Friday 22nd of July.
We
as a branch will be sending out information and asking members to look out for
the ballot papers arriving on or after the 22nd. We need you, our members to get
out and use your vote.
By law we need to get above the 50% threshold of members to participate in the ballot. Then we need to get above the 50% voting threshold for the YES vote, in order to get lawful industrial action.
Please use your vote. Vote for strike action. We're worth more, we can't afford less.
Wednesday, 13 July 2022
Monday, 11 July 2022
Tuesday, 5 July 2022
WEBINAR - HE Pay Campaign 2022 – Branch Briefing
Dear Members, We would like to invite you to a branch briefing webinar regarding the up-and-coming Pay Campaign. UNISON HQ will be holding a webinar to brief branches on the HE pay dispute and campaign plan to get out the vote on the strike ballot. The webinar will take place on Thursday 7th July from 12:30-13:30 and will be held on Zoom. All branch activists from higher education branches or other branches with higher education members are welcome. | |||||
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Mandela Week 20th - 23rd July
Mandela8 will be hosting a series of events for Mandela week. This includes guest speakers (including the Mandela family), a dinner, live music and more.
all tickets can be purchased at https://linktr.ee/mandela8
Saturday, 25 June 2022
A message from Jess Barnard
GET INVOLVED:
Retweet me here
Register here
As resistance to the Tories and their handling of the crisis grows - with massive support again for the RMT strike today - now is the time for the Left to come together, raise our game and meet the challenges ahead.
The stark choice we face is that we massively resist the Tory offensive, or everyone suffers – and that means the movement as a whole needs to go fully behind, and amplify the voices of, all those taking industrial action to protect their jobs and livelihoods.
And that means Labour MPs should stand with working people facing the massive Tory cost-of-living crisis, and not follow Keir Starmer’s anti-trade union edict.
On Wednesday June 29 I am pleased to be joining one of those MPs who is on the side of working people, and joined a RMT picket line this week, to discuss these issues our next steps as socialists and open the online Arise Festival (full details below.) Please join Richard Burgon, Secretary of the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs, & myself in conversation on the Crisis, Resistance & the Struggle for Socialism.
Yours in solidarity,
Jess Barnard, Young Labour Chair, on behalf of Arise Festival.
Friday, 24 June 2022
School Clothing Grant 2022
There for You School Clothing Grant
To apply for the grant, please download and complete a Word or PDF application form below.
What is the fund for?
- A Grant has been put in place that will assist our most vulnerable members with the cost of providing school clothing. This is in response to the growing difficulties many members on low incomes face, especially with the cost-of-living crisis.
- How much are the Grants?
- They are one-off non repayable grants of £70 per school age child.
- Only one application can be accepted per household.
Am I eligible?
- To be eligible, you must meet the following:
- You are a member for at least 4 weeks and have paid 4 weeks subscriptions before 24 June 2022.
- You are financially responsible for the child/children and receiving Child Benefit for them.
- You have total combined (you and your partner if applicable) savings/rolling bank balance(s) of less than £1,000
And either:
- Your household has a net income of less than £26,000 per anum
or
- You are in receipt of Universal Credit or Housing Benefit or Tax Credit payments.
Important information:
Please note that the date of application will be taken as the date we receive the form, and all required supporting documents.
As this is a limited fund, we cannot guarantee you will receive a payment even if you meet the eligibility criteria. It is therefore important that you apply as early as possible.
We will need the following supporting documentation from you with your application form:
- Most recent payslip for you, and your partner (if applicable)
- Most recent 30-day bank statement for all bank accounts held by you, and your partner (if applicable) Your bank statement must show all income and transactions for a complete month including Child Benefit Payments.
Please note we cannot consider applications without a membership number and all supporting documents.
How do I send my form with supporting documents?
Complete the form and email to (please ensure this is password protected): grants.schoolclothing@unison.co.uk
Alternatively post to:
FREEPOST UNISON
2022 School Clothing Grant
There for You
How will you contact me?
All contact will either be by email or phone. We may need to contact you to request further information.
Please remember to check your junk/spam folders
Plus (if applicable):
- Proof of Universal Credit or Housing Benefit payments or Tax Credit payments.
Sunday, 19 June 2022
UNISON National Delegate Conference 2022
The excitement has been building for months prior to conference with the publication of the preliminary agenda. The first UNDC since 2019 it was expected to be magnificent affair. Finally coming together again to debate submitted motions, amendments and rule changes, that will set the UNISON agenda for the forthcoming year and beyond.
This year we seen over 200 submissions for business, to fit into four days of activity. It is with great sadness that the delegates where forced to act and stand up to defend our union from within instead of getting on and dealing with the important business.
Members of the elected body the National Executive Council (NEC) illegally changed the rules of the union for one person. Members our rules are there for the better of everyone. The rule was changed to let a member who had been dismissed from employment stay not only as a member of UNISON but also as an elected official. No ordinary elected official of the union but the President.
This fiasco took up the whole day of business on Tuesday and also the whole of Friday morning. Taking away valuable debates and time for delegates to get on with issues that matter to their members.
The conference passed a vote of no confidence in the NEC. The NEC should have done the honourable action and should have resigned, but they didn’t.
The conference passed a motion that unemployed members can no longer hold a place in the union. The President should have stepped aside, but he didn’t.
The NEC continued and dragged their heels on these motions and on Friday morning was taken up by forcing the NEC to respond by means of an Emergency Motion.
Delegates did manage to get some business and some vital important motions passed. Check out the @UNISONljmu Twitter feed with the #UNISONljmu #UNDC22
For more information on this check out Roger McKenzie’s reporting of the conference in the Morning Star.
Saturday, 11 June 2022
Friday, 10 June 2022
We are in Dispute!
Higher Education members vote to reject pay offer
The union has given notification of a formal dispute to the Higher Education employers, the University and Colleges Employers Association, after 83% say ‘no’ to 3% offer
UNISON has given notification of a formal dispute with the higher education employer, the University and Colleges Employers Association, after a consultative ballot of members showed that 83% of members across the UK reject the 3% pay offer and wish to move forward into an industrial action ballot.
The national turnout was 36.2%, but 11 branches had a turnout of over 50%, with 17 others managing between 40 and 50%.
The next steps will see branches have the opportunity to opt out of an industrial action ballot, with that ballot opening on 22 July. It will close for Scotland on 19 August and for England and Wales on 26 August, with potential industrial action in Scotland from 9 September and in England and Wales, from 19 September at the start of university term during student welcome weeks.
The union believes that the results of the consultative ballot reflects the widespread worry and anger of relatively low-paid members who are struggling in the face of rising bills.
Pay rises in higher education over the last 13 years have all been below inflation, so the purchasing power of members’ earnings has fallen over that period, and the current cost of living crisis has brought this to a head.
NB: Members at the University of Leeds will be out on strike again from 20-24 June as part of our continuing national dispute over last year’s national pay rise, which was only 1.5%.
UNISON@LJMU are in Dispute with LJMU over the 2022/23 pay award. Formal written notice of the dispute was submitted to Vice Chancellor Mark Power on Monday 6th June 2022. Both letters are below.
Wednesday, 8 June 2022
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