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.
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.”
Showing posts with label Edinburgh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Edinburgh. Show all posts
Friday, November 26, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
UNISON's Better Way - some of the first 20,000 reasons to Mobilise
UNISON Scotland members and supporters formed a main part of the STUC's 20,000-strong There is a Better Way march and rally in Edinburgh on Saturday 23 October 2010. Here are some of the reasons why they were demonstrating against the ConDem cuts and for a Better Way to fund our vital public services. And here are reasons for members to get involved in UNISON Scotland campaigns - Public Works: and the Mobilise 2010 campaigning event on 19-21 November in Glasgow.
(See UNISON Scotland site http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/ for more info)
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Sunday, October 24, 2010
Sunday Mail: 20,000 Scots take to streets of Edinburgh to protest against spending cuts
Oct 24 2010 Mark Aitken, Sunday Mail
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More than 20,000 joined a rally in Edinburgh to oppose the spending review announced by the Con Dem coalition on Wednesday.
Union leaders warned of strike action over the slashing of public services, which will see Scotland lose around £3billion over the next four years.
Up to 50,000 of the 500,000 public service jobs under threat will be lost in Scotland and the same number could go in the private sector.
The Scottish Trades Union Congress organised the rally and general secretary Grahame Smith said: "If members decide that the best way is to take industrial action then they will do that. I'm not saying that as a threat, but as a fact.
"We want to work constructively with employers but if they are not willing to do that then members will take action to protect their rights."
Full story at Sunday Mail website
More UNISON pics and story to follow here on this blog and on UNISON Scotland website.
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Wednesday, August 18, 2010
UNISON anger at Edinburgh cuts announcement
UNISON has expressed its anger at the City of Edinburgh Council’s announcement today to cut a further 16 million with 300 jobs to go. It has called for an emergency meeting with the council today.
John Stevenson, Branch President, said: “UNISON is angry for three reasons. Firstly to hear about these cuts through the media is a disgrace. Only yesterday union negotiators met the council leader Jenny Dawe and no mention was made of these cuts.
“Secondly, despite what the council’s press release says, unions were not being briefed on these unnecessary cuts.
“And thirdly, we are not convinced by the crocodile tears of the council leader. It is her coalition government that is forcing through cuts that the economists who actually predicted the crisis say are not needed and will put the economy into an even bigger mess. These cuts have nothing to do with the deficit, they are purely and simply an ideological attack on public services and the people who rely on them”.
Our members have delivered up to £90m in savings in the last four years. They have helped the council win award after award including being shortlisted for ‘council of the year’. This is a disgraceful way to treat them.
John Stevenson, Branch President, said: “UNISON is angry for three reasons. Firstly to hear about these cuts through the media is a disgrace. Only yesterday union negotiators met the council leader Jenny Dawe and no mention was made of these cuts.
“Secondly, despite what the council’s press release says, unions were not being briefed on these unnecessary cuts.
“And thirdly, we are not convinced by the crocodile tears of the council leader. It is her coalition government that is forcing through cuts that the economists who actually predicted the crisis say are not needed and will put the economy into an even bigger mess. These cuts have nothing to do with the deficit, they are purely and simply an ideological attack on public services and the people who rely on them”.
Our members have delivered up to £90m in savings in the last four years. They have helped the council win award after award including being shortlisted for ‘council of the year’. This is a disgraceful way to treat them.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
You cannot hide from the responsibility for the disaster privatisation will bring
Edinburgh UNISON Branch Officers told councillors on 24 June that they 'cannot hide from the responsibility for the disaster privatisation will bring', as they outlined UNISON's concerns about plans to move to the next stage of the process to outsource up to 3,500 jobs.UNISON condemned the risk posed to local services and jobs created by the plans to privatise key sections of the council. The scale of the threat is significant - catering, cleaning, security, property, refuse, cleansing, finance, benefits and many other services are at risk.
We believe the private sector will increase service costs including service charges to you, while offering a poorer quality service - not to mention the real risks to jobs, pay and conditions.
In addition, three out of five of the companies known to be shortlisted for the facilities contract, and the parent company of one shortlisted for the environment contract, were fined by the Office of Fair Trading in 2009 for ‘illegal bid-rigging’ . They were fined a total of around £40million (see http://www.oft.gov.uk/news-andupdates/%20press/2009/114-09) This goes alongside concerns about health and safety breaches by some.
While 1.5 million is being spent on trying to privatise services, only one tenth of that is being offered to delivering an 'in-house' option.
At this morning's rally, UNISON's Kevin Duguid told members, "The councillors are burying their heads in the sand hoping that when it all goes wrong, they can blame the officials. We are going to be telling them that you cannot hide from the responsibility for the disaster privatisation will bring".
"These services will run to over £100 million for 7-12 year contracts. That would put the trams shamble into the shade", warned Kevin.
"The public is not getting to know about this shambles, about the companies that will bid for our services and about the costs - but if the Council won't tell them, UNISON will make sure they know".
We have excellent services in Edinburgh and we need another Tram fiasco like a hole in the head. So join our campaign, distribute the petition, display a poster and come to our meetings to help us develop an alternative vision for local jobs and services.
The Labour Group has put forward an amendment which would have made for a meaningful in-house bid and demanded real figures from the council rather than the current guesses on possible savings.
See 10 REASONS WHY WE MUST KEEP EDINBURGH PUBLIC UNISON damning analysis of the Council's plans for more details.
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Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Edinburgh: Rally & march against budget cuts 6pm The Mound Tue 22 June 2010
Edinburgh Rally & March against the Budget Cuts
Tuesday 22 June 2010
6:00pm The Mound(Info from Scottish TUC)
· Rally at 6.00pm at the Mound (Princes Street) with a broad platform of major trade union speakers and community campaign representatives.
· March from the Mound to Charlotte Square
· Rally at Charlotte Square, with further speakers.
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Tuesday 22 June 2010
6:00pm The Mound(Info from Scottish TUC)
· Rally at 6.00pm at the Mound (Princes Street) with a broad platform of major trade union speakers and community campaign representatives.
· March from the Mound to Charlotte Square
· Rally at Charlotte Square, with further speakers.
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Thursday, May 20, 2010
UNISON wins landmark equal pay ruling in Edinburgh
Date: Thu 20 May 2010
Thousands of low paid council workers took a step closer to equal pay today thanks to a landmark decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal.
While many manual workers, such as cleaners, cooks and carers, have already received compensation, previous decisions of the EAT removed the right to compensation from thousands of administrators, clerical workers, learning assistants and library staff.
In the absence of a proper explanation for the pay differences between women and men, local authorities developed a technical argument that women and men only deserved equal pay if they were based at the same premises, or had the same pay and conditions - this argument has now failed.
UNISON General Secretary, Dave Prentis, said:
“I am delighted that UNISON has opened up this route to justice for so many of our members. There is now no place for employers to run or hide.
“UNISON’s equal pay campaign has defeated every contrived defence their lawyers have hidden behind.
“This charade has gone on too long. We want full compensation for all our members and that money must be paid now.”
One of UNISON’s largest group of winners from the decision are classroom assistants, many of whom earn as little as £10,000 a year.
Elaine North, a UNISON claimant from Dumfries, said:
“I was devastated when the court said I wasn’t entitled to equal pay. My colleagues do one-to-one education work with learning-disabled kids and while we love them it is such hard work.
“No harm to refuse collectors and gardeners, but fair pay is long overdue for us. We’ve worked hard for this.”
Jackie Gilchrist, who chairs the UNISON campaign for Fair Pay, said:
“This is a magnificent decision for us. Our pay has been formally investigated by the EOC and still the employers refuse to recognise the value of our jobs.
“We have gathered so much evidence about the demands of learning support work, but the courts have refused to look at it until now. They’ve got some reading to catch up on, I can tell you.
“There’s only one conclusion to reach at the end – our wages are going up.”
UNISON estimates that this Edinburgh decision will affect up to 70,000 workers across the UK and, while claim values will vary from person to person, some will exceed £30,000
Ends
Notes to editors:
1. With over 40,000 live claims UNISON is the UK’s leading provider of legal assistance on equal pay issues.
2. In the UNISON test case of Dumfries & Galloway Council v North & Others, the EAT in Scotland accepted the employer argument that equal pay claims could only succeed if women and men shared common terms and conditions, or were working at the same premises. Given the way that the work of women and men is segregated this was a major barrier to justice for tens of thousands of women.
3. UNISON is pursuing the same issue for 1,400 women in Edinburgh and, in the Edinburgh appeal decision, Lady Smith of Scotland’s Court of Session and the EAT took the highly unusual step or revisiting and reversing her previous decision.
4. The transcript can be downloaded or read in full at
http://www.employmentappeals.gov.uk/Public/Upload/
UKEATS000209BI(Revised)EDINCCvMsWilkinsonothersFINAL.doc
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Thousands of low paid council workers took a step closer to equal pay today thanks to a landmark decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal.
While many manual workers, such as cleaners, cooks and carers, have already received compensation, previous decisions of the EAT removed the right to compensation from thousands of administrators, clerical workers, learning assistants and library staff.
In the absence of a proper explanation for the pay differences between women and men, local authorities developed a technical argument that women and men only deserved equal pay if they were based at the same premises, or had the same pay and conditions - this argument has now failed.
UNISON General Secretary, Dave Prentis, said:
“I am delighted that UNISON has opened up this route to justice for so many of our members. There is now no place for employers to run or hide.
“UNISON’s equal pay campaign has defeated every contrived defence their lawyers have hidden behind.
“This charade has gone on too long. We want full compensation for all our members and that money must be paid now.”
One of UNISON’s largest group of winners from the decision are classroom assistants, many of whom earn as little as £10,000 a year.
Elaine North, a UNISON claimant from Dumfries, said:
“I was devastated when the court said I wasn’t entitled to equal pay. My colleagues do one-to-one education work with learning-disabled kids and while we love them it is such hard work.
“No harm to refuse collectors and gardeners, but fair pay is long overdue for us. We’ve worked hard for this.”
Jackie Gilchrist, who chairs the UNISON campaign for Fair Pay, said:
“This is a magnificent decision for us. Our pay has been formally investigated by the EOC and still the employers refuse to recognise the value of our jobs.
“We have gathered so much evidence about the demands of learning support work, but the courts have refused to look at it until now. They’ve got some reading to catch up on, I can tell you.
“There’s only one conclusion to reach at the end – our wages are going up.”
UNISON estimates that this Edinburgh decision will affect up to 70,000 workers across the UK and, while claim values will vary from person to person, some will exceed £30,000
Ends
Notes to editors:
1. With over 40,000 live claims UNISON is the UK’s leading provider of legal assistance on equal pay issues.
2. In the UNISON test case of Dumfries & Galloway Council v North & Others, the EAT in Scotland accepted the employer argument that equal pay claims could only succeed if women and men shared common terms and conditions, or were working at the same premises. Given the way that the work of women and men is segregated this was a major barrier to justice for tens of thousands of women.
3. UNISON is pursuing the same issue for 1,400 women in Edinburgh and, in the Edinburgh appeal decision, Lady Smith of Scotland’s Court of Session and the EAT took the highly unusual step or revisiting and reversing her previous decision.
4. The transcript can be downloaded or read in full at
http://www.employmentappeals.gov.uk/Public/Upload/
UKEATS000209BI(Revised)EDINCCvMsWilkinsonothersFINAL.doc
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Tuesday, April 20, 2010
STUC: Alliance to challenge local government cuts: 'Service users pay three times as Edinburgh Council prepares for sell-off Proposals', says UNISON
UNISON's John Stevenson pledges that, standing up for jobs and services, the union would make sure that the public knew exactly what is happening. "Edinburgh is Not for Sale", he said. Read more at http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/stuc2010/7.html
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Thursday, March 25, 2010
Threatened Edinburgh Staff Win UK Award
Staff at the City of Edinburgh Council, who face wholesale privatisation, have just received a UK award for delivering efficiencies that are unrivalled across the UK. The Government Business Awards cover a variety of categories and Edinburgh is the outright winner of the Financial Performance Award.
The City Council recently announced the intention to bring the private sector in to run a whole range of council services in the hope of delivering efficiencies and savings.
Reports to council expressed concern at the ability of existing managers to deliver budget savings and highlighted English examples of privatisation as an alternative way forward for Edinburgh. However, the Government Business Award for Financial Performance places a serious massive question mark against the benefit to be gained from breaking up a winning team.
Commenting on the award Kevin Duguid said: “We share the council’s aspiration to be the best and to provide efficient services to the tax payers of Edinburgh. What this award shows is that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence. UNISON has always had faith in the work of our members and we’re delighted that this dedication and efficiency has been recognised and rewarded at the highest level. And the people of Edinburgh share this view – 89% voted against privatisation in a recent poll. Its just a pity that the council sits alone in failing to see that when it comes to council services in Edinburgh – “Public Works”. Our message to the leader of the administration is simple “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”
More details and 10 points from UNISON's damning analysis of the council plans is at http://www.unison-edinburgh.org.uk/citynotforsale
The City Council recently announced the intention to bring the private sector in to run a whole range of council services in the hope of delivering efficiencies and savings.
Reports to council expressed concern at the ability of existing managers to deliver budget savings and highlighted English examples of privatisation as an alternative way forward for Edinburgh. However, the Government Business Award for Financial Performance places a serious massive question mark against the benefit to be gained from breaking up a winning team.
Commenting on the award Kevin Duguid said: “We share the council’s aspiration to be the best and to provide efficient services to the tax payers of Edinburgh. What this award shows is that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence. UNISON has always had faith in the work of our members and we’re delighted that this dedication and efficiency has been recognised and rewarded at the highest level. And the people of Edinburgh share this view – 89% voted against privatisation in a recent poll. Its just a pity that the council sits alone in failing to see that when it comes to council services in Edinburgh – “Public Works”. Our message to the leader of the administration is simple “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”
More details and 10 points from UNISON's damning analysis of the council plans is at http://www.unison-edinburgh.org.uk/citynotforsale
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Campaign against sell-off starts in Edinburgh
UNISON has launched a campaign against 'reckless' council plans to sell-off services and over 3,000 jobs.
The "Our City's Not For Sale" campaign will work with other unions, community groups and the public to expose the dangers of the council's 'alternative business models'.
"Services like front line customer contact, revenue and benefits, catering, cleaning, security, cleansing and vehicle and grounds maintenance, along with HR are all up for grabs with cultural services, transport and legal services also being primed for outsourcing through multi-million pound 'strategic partnerships' or 'joint ventures' - privatisation, to you and me", said Agnes Petkevicius, UNISON Edinburgh Branch Secretary.
"UNISON's own studies have revealed that, at best, council claims about savings are wishful thinking. No credible evidence exists to support them. Worse still, the evidence that does exist points to failures, worse services, increased costs and huge bills to bring failed services back in-house.
"To go ahead with this, in an exercise likely to top £1million wasted on consultants, without learning the lessons of the social care tendering fiasco is nothing short of reckless".
"If services are delivered in-house with no need to make a profit, how can they be delivered more cheaply while making a profit on top? Something has to give and that is usually the quality of the service or indeed the whole service - along with any decency in the pay and conditions of those delivering the service", added Branch President John Stevenson.
"You still pay your taxes but instead of the money going on the service and those who deliver it, it goes to company profits. Like the banks, or even perhaps the trams contract, these companies will become 'too big to fail' and will have the council over a barrel. It is time for the council to abandon these plans and concentrate on efficient and quality services in-house".
UNISON lead negotiator Kevin Duguid said, "The union has stressed that it is always ready to fully engage with the council on better and more efficient ways of delivering quality services. "However, the refusal to seriously look at in-house options means there is no real attempt to look at improving services, just a headlong drive to privatise".
"Nowhere is this more evident than the council leaving key issues out of the tendering advert like bidders having to comply with legal requirements such as the equalities duty, Climate Change Act etc, in case it deters them from applying".
"Staff are demoralised at how they are being treated with their jobs being sold from under them to the lowest bidder who will cut their terms and conditions to deliver profits for their shareholders first, with service delivery coming second."
More details and 10 points from UNISON's damning analysis of the council plans is at http://www.unison-edinburgh.org.uk/citynotforsale/10points.html
The "Our City's Not For Sale" campaign will work with other unions, community groups and the public to expose the dangers of the council's 'alternative business models'.
"Services like front line customer contact, revenue and benefits, catering, cleaning, security, cleansing and vehicle and grounds maintenance, along with HR are all up for grabs with cultural services, transport and legal services also being primed for outsourcing through multi-million pound 'strategic partnerships' or 'joint ventures' - privatisation, to you and me", said Agnes Petkevicius, UNISON Edinburgh Branch Secretary.
"UNISON's own studies have revealed that, at best, council claims about savings are wishful thinking. No credible evidence exists to support them. Worse still, the evidence that does exist points to failures, worse services, increased costs and huge bills to bring failed services back in-house.
"To go ahead with this, in an exercise likely to top £1million wasted on consultants, without learning the lessons of the social care tendering fiasco is nothing short of reckless".
"If services are delivered in-house with no need to make a profit, how can they be delivered more cheaply while making a profit on top? Something has to give and that is usually the quality of the service or indeed the whole service - along with any decency in the pay and conditions of those delivering the service", added Branch President John Stevenson.
"You still pay your taxes but instead of the money going on the service and those who deliver it, it goes to company profits. Like the banks, or even perhaps the trams contract, these companies will become 'too big to fail' and will have the council over a barrel. It is time for the council to abandon these plans and concentrate on efficient and quality services in-house".
UNISON lead negotiator Kevin Duguid said, "The union has stressed that it is always ready to fully engage with the council on better and more efficient ways of delivering quality services. "However, the refusal to seriously look at in-house options means there is no real attempt to look at improving services, just a headlong drive to privatise".
"Nowhere is this more evident than the council leaving key issues out of the tendering advert like bidders having to comply with legal requirements such as the equalities duty, Climate Change Act etc, in case it deters them from applying".
"Staff are demoralised at how they are being treated with their jobs being sold from under them to the lowest bidder who will cut their terms and conditions to deliver profits for their shareholders first, with service delivery coming second."
More details and 10 points from UNISON's damning analysis of the council plans is at http://www.unison-edinburgh.org.uk/citynotforsale/10points.html
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Scotland United against racists and fascists - demo Edinburgh 20 April
Scotland United Rally
Saturday 20 February 2010: Assemble at 11.30am Ross Bandstand ~ Princes St Gardens Edinburgh
‘Scotland United’ is a coming together of trade unionists, anti-racists, and faith groups for one purpose - to hold a rally & march to celebrate multicultural Edinburgh on Saturday 20th February.
This is in response to the anti-Muslim protest planned by racist bigots of the Scottish & English Defence League who wish to march on the same day.
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Saturday, January 16, 2010
UNISON condemns redundancy and reduced hours plan as Council faces biggest cuts ever
16 January 2010
http://www.unison-edinburgh.org.uk/news/2010/1601.html
UNISON has reacted to a City of Edinburgh Council memo to staff asking them to take unpaid leave or shorter hours while announcing up to 700 redundancies.
The union is having a series of meetings with the Council and has urged it to join them in lobbying the Scottish Government for more money to stave off the biggest cuts Edinburgh has ever seen.
It has also warned against 'cuts by stealth' and urged the Council own up to what this would really mean for services.
Branch President John Stevenson said: “Local services are provided by people. Cut the people and you cut the services. Services provided by people like home helps, social workers, road workers, environmental staff and workers in trading standards, education, early years and public safety.
"The Scottish Government cannot just stand by while the Capital grinds to a halt. They need to make cash available now".
“The whole local economy will be affected. For every £1 a council worker earns, they spend 70p in their local community. Job losses and pay squeezes will put a stranglehold on local businesses and services, cutting off much needed income. Service cuts will affect local contractors and suppliers. These cuts will affect everyone. It is no way to build out of a recession”, he added
"We are astonished that this e-mail has gone out. We don't know where it will apply, or how the work that goes on normally will continue if people accept it..
"While UNISON will work hard with the council to avoid redundancies, there is a range of issues that have not been thought through and that they have not talked to us about. Some people might be quite keen to take a career break but it is what it means for those that are left over that we are worried about."
"Our concern is that if some staff do this, what happens to the ones that are left and how their workload is managed.
"We don't want this to be cuts by stealth. We wouldn't oppose any flexibility for staff. We just want honesty about cuts in services. For instance, we wouldn't see this as being an option for frontline social workers who currently have unfilled vacancies in all their teams."
"What is enraging our members is the complete dislocation of the people from the service they provide. There is no indication or reassurance how services, especially those to vulnerable people, are to continue if posts are cut."
UNISON re-confirmed its long-standing position that members would be balloted on action against any compulsory redundancies.
See also
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Edinburgh-council-to-axe-700.5985840.jp
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/8461390.stm
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland/Edinburgh-to-cut-700-council.5987879.jp
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http://www.unison-edinburgh.org.uk/news/2010/1601.html
UNISON has reacted to a City of Edinburgh Council memo to staff asking them to take unpaid leave or shorter hours while announcing up to 700 redundancies.
The union is having a series of meetings with the Council and has urged it to join them in lobbying the Scottish Government for more money to stave off the biggest cuts Edinburgh has ever seen.
It has also warned against 'cuts by stealth' and urged the Council own up to what this would really mean for services.
Branch President John Stevenson said: “Local services are provided by people. Cut the people and you cut the services. Services provided by people like home helps, social workers, road workers, environmental staff and workers in trading standards, education, early years and public safety.
"The Scottish Government cannot just stand by while the Capital grinds to a halt. They need to make cash available now".
“The whole local economy will be affected. For every £1 a council worker earns, they spend 70p in their local community. Job losses and pay squeezes will put a stranglehold on local businesses and services, cutting off much needed income. Service cuts will affect local contractors and suppliers. These cuts will affect everyone. It is no way to build out of a recession”, he added
"We are astonished that this e-mail has gone out. We don't know where it will apply, or how the work that goes on normally will continue if people accept it..
"While UNISON will work hard with the council to avoid redundancies, there is a range of issues that have not been thought through and that they have not talked to us about. Some people might be quite keen to take a career break but it is what it means for those that are left over that we are worried about."
"Our concern is that if some staff do this, what happens to the ones that are left and how their workload is managed.
"We don't want this to be cuts by stealth. We wouldn't oppose any flexibility for staff. We just want honesty about cuts in services. For instance, we wouldn't see this as being an option for frontline social workers who currently have unfilled vacancies in all their teams."
"What is enraging our members is the complete dislocation of the people from the service they provide. There is no indication or reassurance how services, especially those to vulnerable people, are to continue if posts are cut."
UNISON re-confirmed its long-standing position that members would be balloted on action against any compulsory redundancies.
See also
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Edinburgh-council-to-axe-700.5985840.jp
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/8461390.stm
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland/Edinburgh-to-cut-700-council.5987879.jp
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Friday, May 22, 2009
Opening up public contracts is key to building justice around the world
Friday 22 May 2009
A Scots public health expert will today say that transparency of public service contracts and public accountability at all levels is vital to delivering justice for the world’s most vulnerable people.
Professor Allyson Pollock will also demand international action to prioritise health and social issues alongside trade deals.
As one of the key speakers at a conference at the Edinburgh World Justice Festival, Professor Pollock will say public service contracts must be placed in the public domain to allow public scrutiny and ensure accountability for tax payers money.
She said yesterday:
"You can’t have access to justice if you don’t have access to information and data and if you don’t have systems to ensure strong public accountability for decision making at all levels."
International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander is opening the Festival at today’s ‘Building Justice Out of Crisis’ event in the City Chambers Business Centre.
The other speakers are Benedict Southworth, Director of the World Development Movement, and Iain Macwhirter, the Herald and Sunday Herald political columnist and Edinburgh University Rector.
Professor Pollock, Director of the Centre for International Public Health Policy, added:
"The mandate of the WTO and EU is trade, and public health and social welfare are increasingly marginalised in the international policy arena unless they facilitate trade. A new economic movement is required which will put health for all at the centre of policy making."
Mike Kirby, UNISON Scotland convener, is chairing the event, which will focus on the global economic crisis, climate change and how to build a new world order delivering justice and sustainability.
He said:
"The Edinburgh World Justice Festival (EWJF) was inspired by the massive Make Poverty History demonstration and the G8 alternative conference, held in Edinburgh in early July 2005. Four years on we have a backdrop of global economic crisis and the threat of catastrophic runaway climate change. We need to build justice in ways that put people first."
Douglas Alexander said:
"Millions of people in Britain campaigned four years ago to make poverty history, but millions worldwide face a future of poverty if the world fails to tackle climate change. We have to move to a low-carbon future if we’re going to create a better life for all - here and around the world."
ENDS
Notes for Editors
1. The Building Justice Out of Crisis event takes place on Friday 22 May at Edinburgh City Chambers Business Centre, High Street, from 12.30pm -3.30pm. Douglas Alexander is due to speak at 12.35pm, with a question session at 1pm.
2. Other EWJF highlights include: a European Election hustings, a film by Dalkeith High School pupils on the injustice of climate change; a discussion on Mordechai Vanunu, human rights, arms sales and nuclear disarmament; and a debate on what is needed from the UN Climate Change talks in Copenhagen.
3. Contributing groups include African HIV Policy Network, Amnesty International St. Mark's Group, Bookmarks, Christian Aid, Depletion Scotland, Edinburgh Campaign Against the Arms Trade, Edinburgh Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre, Edinburgh Stop The War, Friends of the Earth, Hadeel/Palcraft, HIV Scotland, Impact Aids, Jubilee Scotland, Medecins Sans Frontieres, Sanctuary, Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund, Shakti Womens Aid, Stop Climate Chaos, Unison, Waverley Care, World Development Movement.
4. The full programme is at www.ewjf.org.uk
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A Scots public health expert will today say that transparency of public service contracts and public accountability at all levels is vital to delivering justice for the world’s most vulnerable people.
Professor Allyson Pollock will also demand international action to prioritise health and social issues alongside trade deals.
As one of the key speakers at a conference at the Edinburgh World Justice Festival, Professor Pollock will say public service contracts must be placed in the public domain to allow public scrutiny and ensure accountability for tax payers money.
She said yesterday:
"You can’t have access to justice if you don’t have access to information and data and if you don’t have systems to ensure strong public accountability for decision making at all levels."
International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander is opening the Festival at today’s ‘Building Justice Out of Crisis’ event in the City Chambers Business Centre.
The other speakers are Benedict Southworth, Director of the World Development Movement, and Iain Macwhirter, the Herald and Sunday Herald political columnist and Edinburgh University Rector.
Professor Pollock, Director of the Centre for International Public Health Policy, added:
"The mandate of the WTO and EU is trade, and public health and social welfare are increasingly marginalised in the international policy arena unless they facilitate trade. A new economic movement is required which will put health for all at the centre of policy making."
Mike Kirby, UNISON Scotland convener, is chairing the event, which will focus on the global economic crisis, climate change and how to build a new world order delivering justice and sustainability.
He said:
"The Edinburgh World Justice Festival (EWJF) was inspired by the massive Make Poverty History demonstration and the G8 alternative conference, held in Edinburgh in early July 2005. Four years on we have a backdrop of global economic crisis and the threat of catastrophic runaway climate change. We need to build justice in ways that put people first."
Douglas Alexander said:
"Millions of people in Britain campaigned four years ago to make poverty history, but millions worldwide face a future of poverty if the world fails to tackle climate change. We have to move to a low-carbon future if we’re going to create a better life for all - here and around the world."
ENDS
Notes for Editors
1. The Building Justice Out of Crisis event takes place on Friday 22 May at Edinburgh City Chambers Business Centre, High Street, from 12.30pm -3.30pm. Douglas Alexander is due to speak at 12.35pm, with a question session at 1pm.
2. Other EWJF highlights include: a European Election hustings, a film by Dalkeith High School pupils on the injustice of climate change; a discussion on Mordechai Vanunu, human rights, arms sales and nuclear disarmament; and a debate on what is needed from the UN Climate Change talks in Copenhagen.
3. Contributing groups include African HIV Policy Network, Amnesty International St. Mark's Group, Bookmarks, Christian Aid, Depletion Scotland, Edinburgh Campaign Against the Arms Trade, Edinburgh Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Edinburgh Peace and Justice Centre, Edinburgh Stop The War, Friends of the Earth, Hadeel/Palcraft, HIV Scotland, Impact Aids, Jubilee Scotland, Medecins Sans Frontieres, Sanctuary, Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund, Shakti Womens Aid, Stop Climate Chaos, Unison, Waverley Care, World Development Movement.
4. The full programme is at www.ewjf.org.uk
.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Resource lesson needs to be learned from child protection inspections - UNISON
Date: Friday 27 March
The social work inspection system is failing to address the chronic shortage of resources in child protection services, UNISON, the union representing the vast majority of Scotland's social services staff, will tell a Child Protection Conference in Edinburgh today (27 March).
"While it is right that high standards are expected in child protection, they cannot be achieved without the tools to do the job", said John Stevenson, a member of UNISON Scotland's Social Work Issues Group who will be a panel member in one of the conference sessions.
In the wake of the 'Baby P' tragedy and inspection reports in Scotland, the Holyrood conference, The future of child protection in Scotland - the role of social services will discuss the 'systemic' changes needed throughout Scotland's children's services.
"It is right that we look at systems. It is right that we inspect and improve practice to make children safer. But it misses the point totally if we do not address the root problem of too few resources to match too many children at risk", said Mr Stevenson.
"You only have to divide the number of children assessed as being in need with the number of social workers available across Scotland to see where the problem lies. Our members want to work to high standards. They want to be accountable and most of all they want to protect children. But they tell us that too often they are being asked to do this with one hand tied behind their back".
"Inspections rightly point to practice and leadership issues but they never explicitly address resources. To ignore the fact that there are too few people to achieve the standards we all want just covers up the problem", he added.
A UNISON UK-wide survey of social work staff, published in January 2009, identified reduced resources, staff vacancies, increased caseloads, inadequate supervision, remote leadership, lack of focus on the rights of the child, agencies passing the buck to social work and excessive bureaucracy with a lack of admin support as issues making things worse than they were six years ago.
ENDS
Notes for Editors:
1) the Holyrood Conference takes place in The Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh.
2) The UNISON survey is announced on http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/news/2009/janfeb/2601.htm , and available on http://www.unison.org.uk/acrobat/B4416.pdf
.
The social work inspection system is failing to address the chronic shortage of resources in child protection services, UNISON, the union representing the vast majority of Scotland's social services staff, will tell a Child Protection Conference in Edinburgh today (27 March).
"While it is right that high standards are expected in child protection, they cannot be achieved without the tools to do the job", said John Stevenson, a member of UNISON Scotland's Social Work Issues Group who will be a panel member in one of the conference sessions.
In the wake of the 'Baby P' tragedy and inspection reports in Scotland, the Holyrood conference, The future of child protection in Scotland - the role of social services will discuss the 'systemic' changes needed throughout Scotland's children's services.
"It is right that we look at systems. It is right that we inspect and improve practice to make children safer. But it misses the point totally if we do not address the root problem of too few resources to match too many children at risk", said Mr Stevenson.
"You only have to divide the number of children assessed as being in need with the number of social workers available across Scotland to see where the problem lies. Our members want to work to high standards. They want to be accountable and most of all they want to protect children. But they tell us that too often they are being asked to do this with one hand tied behind their back".
"Inspections rightly point to practice and leadership issues but they never explicitly address resources. To ignore the fact that there are too few people to achieve the standards we all want just covers up the problem", he added.
A UNISON UK-wide survey of social work staff, published in January 2009, identified reduced resources, staff vacancies, increased caseloads, inadequate supervision, remote leadership, lack of focus on the rights of the child, agencies passing the buck to social work and excessive bureaucracy with a lack of admin support as issues making things worse than they were six years ago.
ENDS
Notes for Editors:
1) the Holyrood Conference takes place in The Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh.
2) The UNISON survey is announced on http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/news/2009/janfeb/2601.htm , and available on http://www.unison.org.uk/acrobat/B4416.pdf
.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Thanks for making CVS lobby of Parliament a success
From: Macfarlane, SimonSent: 19 March 2009 12:20
Subject: CVS Lobby of Scottish Parliament and presentation to Petitions Committee - 17th March 2009
Hello
Thanks to all who took part in our activities on Tuesday at the Scottish Parliament and to all who signed the petition and helped with our campaign. The day was a huge success with us getting our message over to many MSPs, we were given the longest slot in front of the Petitions Committee under the current Convenor and we attracted widespread publicity for the issues around fair funding for the voluntary sector and the attacks on our members jobs and conditions.
I attach a number of links below, a couple of which have video clips of our mock funeral, including a link to watch the whole presentation to the Committee should you so wish.
The Convenor said 10 years in to devolution "the next big project, one of them, has to be what we do about this constant anomaly of the voluntary sector". The Committee has agreed to write to a number of bodies including the Scottish Government and will decide in May how to progress it further.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7947039.stm
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/other/display.var.2496164.0.Care_workers_stage_mock_funeral_in_protest_at_wage_cuts.php video clip
http://deadlinescotland.wordpress.com/2009/03/17/trade-unions-stage-dramatic-mock-funeral-outside-scottish-parliament-738/ video clip
http://news.scotsman.com/uk/Protest-mourns-loss-of-jobs.5081361.jp
http://news.stv.tv/home/82806-unions-stage-mock-funeral-outside-scottish-parliament/
http://www.teletext.co.uk/regionalnews/centscotborders/730fdd4429ebad701b6d4d582b324745/Workers+stage+mock+funeral.aspx
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/britain/activists_mourn_job_losses_in_mock_funeral_procession
Finally you can watch the whole presentation to the Committee via this website:
http://www.holyrood.tv/library.asp?iPid=3§ion=43&title=Public+Petitions
Many thanks again and I look forward to working with you to continue to take forward our campaign.
Simon
.
Friday, March 6, 2009
PFI car parking contractors in line for £170,000 windfall - UNISON
Date: 6 March 2009
The parking contractors that run the car parking at Edinburgh’s Royal Infirmary, are set to make around an extra £170,000 profit because of government actions to tackle the credit crunch, according to Scotland’s healthcare union, UNISON today.
Speaking at the Scottish Labour Party Conference in Dundee this morning, UNISON delegate, Morag Houston said:
“Our Lothian Health Branch has just found out that the private contractors who run the car parking at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary are cashing it in on the back of the government’s decision to reduce VAT by 2.5% this year. Because this has not been included in the contractual details – either with the parking sub-contractors Meteor, or with the main contractor, Consort – they are charging £70,000 to recalibrate their parking machines to take off that 2.5%, and will charge a further £70K to change them back when the VAT reverts to 17.5%! And that is after they have already made an extra £29,000 because they haven’t already changed the machines to reduce the extra 2.5%.”
UNISON, was backing a motion giving support to the private member’s bill proposed by Paul Martin MSP, which, if successful, would make charging for car parking illegal throughout Scotland’s NHS, including in PFI funded facilities.
Tam Waterson, Chair of UNISON’s Lothian Health Branch said:
“It is exactly this kind of contractual inflexibility and profiteering at the expense of our NHS, which UNISON has campaigned against from the first days of PFI. We need to get behind Paul Martin’s bill to deal with the scandal of car parking charges imposed on those who are sick, their families and friends and the staff who care for them, but more than that – we need to continue to fight to get rid of this expensive, inflexible and inefficient way of funding our vital public works – whether it is called, PFI, PPP or SFT.”
The motion was passed.
ENDS
Note for editors:
You can see video footage of Paul Martin MSP launching his bill in January with the support of UNISON members at http://www.youtube.com/user/UNISONScotland.
For Further Information Please Contact:
Malcolm Burns (Information Dev Officer) 07876 566 978(m)
Chris Bartter (Communications Officer) 0771 558 3729(m)
Morag Houston (UNISON Delegate – LP Conference)- please contact Chris Bartter
Tom Waterston (UNISON Lothian Health Branch Chair) 07753 627 575(m)
.
The parking contractors that run the car parking at Edinburgh’s Royal Infirmary, are set to make around an extra £170,000 profit because of government actions to tackle the credit crunch, according to Scotland’s healthcare union, UNISON today.
Speaking at the Scottish Labour Party Conference in Dundee this morning, UNISON delegate, Morag Houston said:
“Our Lothian Health Branch has just found out that the private contractors who run the car parking at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary are cashing it in on the back of the government’s decision to reduce VAT by 2.5% this year. Because this has not been included in the contractual details – either with the parking sub-contractors Meteor, or with the main contractor, Consort – they are charging £70,000 to recalibrate their parking machines to take off that 2.5%, and will charge a further £70K to change them back when the VAT reverts to 17.5%! And that is after they have already made an extra £29,000 because they haven’t already changed the machines to reduce the extra 2.5%.”
UNISON, was backing a motion giving support to the private member’s bill proposed by Paul Martin MSP, which, if successful, would make charging for car parking illegal throughout Scotland’s NHS, including in PFI funded facilities.
Tam Waterson, Chair of UNISON’s Lothian Health Branch said:
“It is exactly this kind of contractual inflexibility and profiteering at the expense of our NHS, which UNISON has campaigned against from the first days of PFI. We need to get behind Paul Martin’s bill to deal with the scandal of car parking charges imposed on those who are sick, their families and friends and the staff who care for them, but more than that – we need to continue to fight to get rid of this expensive, inflexible and inefficient way of funding our vital public works – whether it is called, PFI, PPP or SFT.”
The motion was passed.
ENDS
Note for editors:
You can see video footage of Paul Martin MSP launching his bill in January with the support of UNISON members at http://www.youtube.com/user/UNISONScotland.
For Further Information Please Contact:
Malcolm Burns (Information Dev Officer) 07876 566 978(m)
Chris Bartter (Communications Officer) 0771 558 3729(m)
Morag Houston (UNISON Delegate – LP Conference)- please contact Chris Bartter
Tom Waterston (UNISON Lothian Health Branch Chair) 07753 627 575(m)
.
Monday, January 12, 2009
UNISON pledges support for Paul Martin's bill to abolish hospital parking charges
Monday 12 January 2009
For immediate release
Labour MSP Paul Martin has launched a members' bill to scrap all charges in NHS car parks. His bill would apply across the Scottish NHS estate, including hospitals such as Ninewells and Glasgow & Edinburgh Royal Infirmaries, which continue to levy charges.
Paul Martin's bill was officially launched at a photocall with NHS staff unions at Glasgow Royal Infirmary this morning (Monday 12 January). See video of the event on our YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/UNISONScotland or pictures at the UNISON Scotland Picasa gallery
Paul Martin said:
"My bill will make it illegal for a health board to levy parking charges on patients, visitors or staff – or anyone who has to visit a site for whatever reason.
"If commercial sites like Braehead and the Fort can provide free parking, it is a sad reflection that people who are being cared for in hospital and their families have to pay to park.
"It is an extra hassle that patients and their families do not need at what is already a stressful enough time."
UNISON Regional Organiser Matt McLaughlin said:
"We need a comprehensive solution to car parking across the NHS in Scotland. UNISON is backing this bill to ensure that the needs of patients, visitors and staff are met, in Glasgow and across Scotland."
Ends
For further information please contact:
Andrew McFadyen on 07824 694 677 (for Paul Martin MSP)
Matt McLaughlin on 0790 434 1979 (for UNISON Scotland)
UNISON Scotland news releases:
Stay in touch with UNISON Scotland's latest news releases on our website http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/news/index.html
Get frequent updates on this blog http://unison-scotland.blogspot.com/ and our UNISON Scotland YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/UNISONScotland
For immediate release
Labour MSP Paul Martin has launched a members' bill to scrap all charges in NHS car parks. His bill would apply across the Scottish NHS estate, including hospitals such as Ninewells and Glasgow & Edinburgh Royal Infirmaries, which continue to levy charges.Paul Martin's bill was officially launched at a photocall with NHS staff unions at Glasgow Royal Infirmary this morning (Monday 12 January). See video of the event on our YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/UNISONScotland or pictures at the UNISON Scotland Picasa gallery
Paul Martin said:
"My bill will make it illegal for a health board to levy parking charges on patients, visitors or staff – or anyone who has to visit a site for whatever reason.
"If commercial sites like Braehead and the Fort can provide free parking, it is a sad reflection that people who are being cared for in hospital and their families have to pay to park.
"It is an extra hassle that patients and their families do not need at what is already a stressful enough time."
UNISON Regional Organiser Matt McLaughlin said:
"We need a comprehensive solution to car parking across the NHS in Scotland. UNISON is backing this bill to ensure that the needs of patients, visitors and staff are met, in Glasgow and across Scotland."
Ends
For further information please contact:
Andrew McFadyen on 07824 694 677 (for Paul Martin MSP)
Matt McLaughlin on 0790 434 1979 (for UNISON Scotland)
UNISON Scotland news releases:
Stay in touch with UNISON Scotland's latest news releases on our website http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/news/index.html
Get frequent updates on this blog http://unison-scotland.blogspot.com/ and our UNISON Scotland YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/UNISONScotland
Friday, December 19, 2008
UNISON member wins case against lawyer
Date: 19 December 2008
Thousands of council and NHS workers in Scotland who signed up with an English lawyer to fight their equal pay claims are in line for windfall payments after a home help took him to court and won.
The Court of Session ruled yesterday that Newcastle-based Stefan Cross’s contract with Edinburgh council worker Jacqueline Quinn is unlawful and unenforceable in Scotland, and banned him for pursuing her for his bill of £500.
But the real winners could be low-paid health and local authority workers all over Scotland who can now reclaim the 10% plus VAT that Mr Cross routinely deducted from their equal pay settlements – some of which were in excess of £10,000.
UNISON’s Scottish secretary Matt Smith said: "Having your own contract with your clients declared unlawful by the Courts must be the ultimate humiliation for a lawyer.
"The unions have always warned against the false allure of commercial solicitors who claim that they can deliver compensation more effectively or quickly than a trade union.
"We urge all our members to claim back the thousands of pounds Mr Cross has unlawfully deducted from their settlements.
"We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to Mrs Quinn for exposing the flaws in these contracts.”
Home help Jacqueline Quinn, from Edinburgh, said:"I thought Mr Cross would get me a quick settlement of my equal pay claim, but I didn't realise there was a horrific penalty clause in his contract.
"When I got fed up waiting for him to do something and went back to the union lawyers, he started demanding £500 and that made me really angry – especially since he had done nothing.
"I am delighted to have won my case and will be even more pleased if it means colleagues can keep all of their hard-earned equal pay settlements."
Syd Smith of Thompsons Solicitors, who fought the case on the union’s behalf, explained: "The Court of Session ruled against Mr Cross because his contract gives him a financial interest in the outcome of the case, but the Scottish Courts have held that, for the protection of clients, such contracts are unlawful and therefore unenforceable.
"Nor can solicitors in Scotland charge blanket fees regardless of the work involved as Mr Cross tried to do in Mrs Quinn's case.
"Mr Cross chose not to defend Mrs Quinn's action."
See: Home help takes equal pay lawyer to court
Also: UNISON UK News
Thousands of council and NHS workers in Scotland who signed up with an English lawyer to fight their equal pay claims are in line for windfall payments after a home help took him to court and won.
The Court of Session ruled yesterday that Newcastle-based Stefan Cross’s contract with Edinburgh council worker Jacqueline Quinn is unlawful and unenforceable in Scotland, and banned him for pursuing her for his bill of £500.
But the real winners could be low-paid health and local authority workers all over Scotland who can now reclaim the 10% plus VAT that Mr Cross routinely deducted from their equal pay settlements – some of which were in excess of £10,000.
UNISON’s Scottish secretary Matt Smith said: "Having your own contract with your clients declared unlawful by the Courts must be the ultimate humiliation for a lawyer.
"The unions have always warned against the false allure of commercial solicitors who claim that they can deliver compensation more effectively or quickly than a trade union.
"We urge all our members to claim back the thousands of pounds Mr Cross has unlawfully deducted from their settlements.
"We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to Mrs Quinn for exposing the flaws in these contracts.”
Home help Jacqueline Quinn, from Edinburgh, said:"I thought Mr Cross would get me a quick settlement of my equal pay claim, but I didn't realise there was a horrific penalty clause in his contract.
"When I got fed up waiting for him to do something and went back to the union lawyers, he started demanding £500 and that made me really angry – especially since he had done nothing.
"I am delighted to have won my case and will be even more pleased if it means colleagues can keep all of their hard-earned equal pay settlements."
Syd Smith of Thompsons Solicitors, who fought the case on the union’s behalf, explained: "The Court of Session ruled against Mr Cross because his contract gives him a financial interest in the outcome of the case, but the Scottish Courts have held that, for the protection of clients, such contracts are unlawful and therefore unenforceable.
"Nor can solicitors in Scotland charge blanket fees regardless of the work involved as Mr Cross tried to do in Mrs Quinn's case.
"Mr Cross chose not to defend Mrs Quinn's action."
See: Home help takes equal pay lawyer to court
Also: UNISON UK News
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Home help takes equal pay lawyer to court
Embargo: For immediate Release
Date: Tues 11 November 2008
Home Help Jacqueline Quinn is taking equal pay lawyer Stefan Cross to court after he charged her £500 for taking her case to another lawyer.
And last night Jacqueline, who works for Edinburgh City Council: “I think his bill is out of order and I am determined not to pay.
“But goodness knows how many other Scots workers are in the same position."
Newcastle based Cross shot to prominence by persuading thousands of local authority workers up and down the country to let him pursue their equal pay claims, rather than rely on their trade unions.
Jacqueline, 51, of Hutchison Avenue, Edinburgh, said: “I thought Mr Cross would get me a quick settlement of my equal pay claim, but I didn’t realise there was a horrific penalty clause in the contract.
“The clause says that if I end the agreement or change lawyers before the case is settled I have to pay him £500 for every six months I was on his books…and if I go on to win the case I still have to pay him 100% of his costs on top of the £500.
“But that’s not all. If I accept an offer to settle the case, he still gets 10% of my compensation.”
Jacqueline who has worked for the council for 22 years added: “It’s absolutely outrageous and my new lawyers think it’s illegal.
“I went back to UNISON, my trade union, when I hadn’t heard a word from Mr Cross for three months.
“But then I started getting letters threatening to take me to an English County Court if I did not pay him. to recover his so-called debt, and I was terrified I would end up with a huge legal bill.
“Now UNISON has gone to court to stop him hassling me.”
UNISON’s Scottish Organiser Glyn Hawker said: “Stefan Cross portrays himself as the people’s champion but we’ve been warning our members for years that it will cost them if they instruct him.
“If he persuades a couple of thousand council workers to sign up with him, he only has to win one case, and the local authority will end up paying all the outstanding claims and he gets 10% of all their compensation.
“That’s a huge return.
“And it does not stop there, he can still charge our members £1,000 a year for the privilege of having signed up with him should they decide to take their case elsewhere.”
Syd Smith, Senior Partner with Thompsons Solicitors in Scotland who represent UNISON said:
“This case has huge implications for thousands of workers who may have signed up with Mr Cross and believe that they cannot go to another solicitor, no matter how dissatisfied they may be, for fear of crippling penalty charges.
“We believe Mr Cross is wrong on three points of law. Solicitors in Scotland cannot charge flat rate contingency fees. In other words, they cannot take a percentage cut from a persons money no matter what work was done. If we wanted to make a charge in these circumstances we would have to submit a detailed bill for all the work we had done.
“He cannot put penalties into these contracts.
“Mr Cross must also know perfectly well that he cannot go to an English County Court to try and enforce a contract he signed with a Scottish client in Scotland.
“That’s why we are seeking an interdict to stop his threats of action against Mrs Quinn."
Ends
For further information please contact:
Glyn Hawker, Scottish Organiser, UNISON 07876 441 237(m)
Syd Smith, Senior Partner, Thompsons 0131 225 4297
John Scott, John Scott Communications, for Thompsons 07917 729 201(m)
Fiona Montgomery, Information Development Officer, 0141 342 2852
Date: Tues 11 November 2008
Home Help Jacqueline Quinn is taking equal pay lawyer Stefan Cross to court after he charged her £500 for taking her case to another lawyer.
And last night Jacqueline, who works for Edinburgh City Council: “I think his bill is out of order and I am determined not to pay.
“But goodness knows how many other Scots workers are in the same position."
Newcastle based Cross shot to prominence by persuading thousands of local authority workers up and down the country to let him pursue their equal pay claims, rather than rely on their trade unions.
Jacqueline, 51, of Hutchison Avenue, Edinburgh, said: “I thought Mr Cross would get me a quick settlement of my equal pay claim, but I didn’t realise there was a horrific penalty clause in the contract.
“The clause says that if I end the agreement or change lawyers before the case is settled I have to pay him £500 for every six months I was on his books…and if I go on to win the case I still have to pay him 100% of his costs on top of the £500.
“But that’s not all. If I accept an offer to settle the case, he still gets 10% of my compensation.”
Jacqueline who has worked for the council for 22 years added: “It’s absolutely outrageous and my new lawyers think it’s illegal.
“I went back to UNISON, my trade union, when I hadn’t heard a word from Mr Cross for three months.
“But then I started getting letters threatening to take me to an English County Court if I did not pay him. to recover his so-called debt, and I was terrified I would end up with a huge legal bill.
“Now UNISON has gone to court to stop him hassling me.”
UNISON’s Scottish Organiser Glyn Hawker said: “Stefan Cross portrays himself as the people’s champion but we’ve been warning our members for years that it will cost them if they instruct him.
“If he persuades a couple of thousand council workers to sign up with him, he only has to win one case, and the local authority will end up paying all the outstanding claims and he gets 10% of all their compensation.
“That’s a huge return.
“And it does not stop there, he can still charge our members £1,000 a year for the privilege of having signed up with him should they decide to take their case elsewhere.”
Syd Smith, Senior Partner with Thompsons Solicitors in Scotland who represent UNISON said:
“This case has huge implications for thousands of workers who may have signed up with Mr Cross and believe that they cannot go to another solicitor, no matter how dissatisfied they may be, for fear of crippling penalty charges.
“We believe Mr Cross is wrong on three points of law. Solicitors in Scotland cannot charge flat rate contingency fees. In other words, they cannot take a percentage cut from a persons money no matter what work was done. If we wanted to make a charge in these circumstances we would have to submit a detailed bill for all the work we had done.
“He cannot put penalties into these contracts.
“Mr Cross must also know perfectly well that he cannot go to an English County Court to try and enforce a contract he signed with a Scottish client in Scotland.
“That’s why we are seeking an interdict to stop his threats of action against Mrs Quinn."
Ends
For further information please contact:
Glyn Hawker, Scottish Organiser, UNISON 07876 441 237(m)
Syd Smith, Senior Partner, Thompsons 0131 225 4297
John Scott, John Scott Communications, for Thompsons 07917 729 201(m)
Fiona Montgomery, Information Development Officer, 0141 342 2852
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Comment from UNISON on today's announcement in the Scottish Parliament of a review into Scotland's secure accommodation
Press Release: Thurs 9 October 2008
UNISON - the union that represents staff working in child protection - said it was concerned that there was a danger that a simplistic look at numbers of vacancies could be used merely to cut provision and save money.
John Stevenson, a spokesperson for the union's Social Work Issues Group said "While it is true that secure accommodation is not full at the moment it is also the case that there are children waiting for appropriate places.
"What we need is to deliver on the recommendations of the Edinburgh Inquiry* so there is sufficient capacity across Scotland to allow a choice of placements to meet the needs of young people. It is not just an issue of providing any place for any child, there needs to be slack in the system to choose the best matched place for that child.
"UNISON will want to make that view heard strongly during this review"
ENDS
NOTE for Editors *(Edinburgh's Children - The Edinburgh Inquiry into Abuse and Protection of Children in Care; Kathleen Marshall, Cathy Jamieson and Alan Finlayson January 1999) said:- "Recommendation 4: Provision of residential units must be at such a level as to allow a genuine choice of placements to best meet the needs of young people. In implementing this recommendation, the Council must accept that this will require units to operate at times at less than maximum capacity."
UNISON - the union that represents staff working in child protection - said it was concerned that there was a danger that a simplistic look at numbers of vacancies could be used merely to cut provision and save money.
John Stevenson, a spokesperson for the union's Social Work Issues Group said "While it is true that secure accommodation is not full at the moment it is also the case that there are children waiting for appropriate places.
"What we need is to deliver on the recommendations of the Edinburgh Inquiry* so there is sufficient capacity across Scotland to allow a choice of placements to meet the needs of young people. It is not just an issue of providing any place for any child, there needs to be slack in the system to choose the best matched place for that child.
"UNISON will want to make that view heard strongly during this review"
ENDS
NOTE for Editors *(Edinburgh's Children - The Edinburgh Inquiry into Abuse and Protection of Children in Care; Kathleen Marshall, Cathy Jamieson and Alan Finlayson January 1999) said:- "Recommendation 4: Provision of residential units must be at such a level as to allow a genuine choice of placements to best meet the needs of young people. In implementing this recommendation, the Council must accept that this will require units to operate at times at less than maximum capacity."
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