End the pay crisis or we will rise

 

further cuts of £18 billion to public services.

 

This week, Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng confirmed further cuts of £18 billion to public services. As cold weather sets in - and hard-working people across the country struggle to heat homes, stock kitchen cupboards and travel to work - it’s clear Kwarteng thinks oil company profits are more important than your wellbeing. Together, we’re going to change that. We’re building a movement to rise up against the cost of living crisis. And demand those in power fix it. That means pay rises for people who truly keep this country running, not cuts to public services.

I will demand an end to this pay crisis

Together, we’re calling for an end to the pay crisis. That means raising the minimum wage to £15 an hour and giving public sector workers inflation-busting pay rises. Nearly 80,000 people have already signed. Can you help us reach 100,000? Once we reach that goal, we’ll deliver the petition to Downing Street, so Kwarteng will see that you - and so many others - need and deserve a pay rise.

Because we know when people doing it tough rise up and demand what they deserve, good things happen. Like Manchester NHS workers who recently fought for and got back-pay. Or Scottish local government workers who secured an improved pay offer this September. Or in summer when a teacher got the Supreme Court to pass a judgment guaranteeing minimum paid annual leave. Be a part of this success story. Sign the petition and demand a pay rise, not cuts to public services. Yours in solidarity, UNISON

Martin Lewis: Working from home due to coronavirus, even for a day? Claim TWO years' worth of tax relief

 IMPORTANT UPDATE 28 Jan 2022: Unconfirmed reports in the Telegraph suggest the Treasury may close the working-from-home tax rebate microsite, so employees can no longer claim a whole year's rebate if they've worked from home at any point, even for just a day in this or the last tax year – similar changes would likely affect self-assessment claims too. While there’s no date attached, for safety, if you haven't claimed yet and are eligible, read below and do it now...

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If you are requires you to work from home, you've always been able to claim for

increased costs, eg, heat or electricity, for the specific time at home. Yet during 

the 2020 lockdown, 

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) launched a 'microservice' which, even if you only

needed to work from home for a day, allowed you to get a WHOLE year's tax relief.

More information can be found here

Viedo explaining how to claim below

Show your support for an NHS pay rise

Today, Thursday 1 April is #NHSPayDay. Put a colourful rainbow poster in your window to support a proper pay rise for all NHS workers.

UNISON has commissioned children's illustrators to design some templates to colour in – you can download them here!

People across the country are being asked to put colourful posters in their windows in support of a proper NHS pay rise, in a campaign launched today (Friday) by health unions representing more than a million health workers.

Fourteen unions – including UNISON, the Royal College of Nursing and the Royal College of Midwives – are urging households across the UK to show their appreciation for NHS workers with bright, hand-finished displays on Thursday 1 April.

The unions say this will show the public strength of feeling on the day NHS staff should have received a wage increase and be a welcome ‘thank you’ for all their tireless efforts over the past year to keep everyone safe.

Tax relief for homeworking

You may be able to claim tax relief for some of the bills you have to pay because you have to work at home on a regular basis. You cannot claim tax relief if you choose to work from home.

You can only claim for things to do with your work, for example, business telephone calls or the extra cost of gas and electricity for your work area.

You cannot claim for things that you use for both private and business use, for example, rent or broadband access.

From 6 April 2020, your employer can pay you up to £6 a week (£26 a month) to cover your additional costs if you have to work from home. For previous tax years, the rate is £4 a week (£18 a month).

You will not need to keep any records.

Check if you can claim

2021 PAY DEAL CONSULTATION

NOTICE TO MEMBERS

2021 PAY DEAL CONSULTATION

Our current pay deal expires at the end of March 2021, therefore this year UNISON and Unite officers will be starting to negotiate a new pay deal for Oxford City Council and Oxford Direct Services colleagues to be effective from April 2021.

We, therefore, need to have input from all Trade Union members, via this survey, to guide us in the negotiations. Please complete the survey online using via this LINK  or using a paper copy available from your steward which can then be returned to your workplace reps/steward or via the ballot boxes or to the UNISON office in the Town Hall or the Unite office at Horspath

We kindly ask all Oxford City Council and Oxford Direct Services trade Union, members to take part in this survey as the results will help your Unions to shape the deal going forward.

Colleagues who are not a member of either of the Unions, Unite and UNISON cannot take part in this consultation, however joining either of the unions will enable those colleagues to have their say.

Just as a reminder the final year of the existing pay deal will see an increase in salary as from April this year 2020

UNISON local government's workers

UNISON local government's workers at there best

Update on the Equal Pay Deal in Glasgow

UNISON Scotland is pleased to announce that it has reached an agreement in principle to a package of payments to resolve the historic claims of equal pay with Glasgow City Council. General secretary Dave Prentis said: "Women working for Glasgow City Council are a step closer to equal pay. Some have been owed substantial amounts for more than a decade. Having been to court and out on strike, it looks like the end is now in sight." While the agreement finalises the principles and structure of any payout to thousands of women across Glasgow, it is part of an ongoing negotiation and it will still be many months before individual cases are settled.

Read more about the dispute and the progress made