Oxford's best-performing trade union, supporting workers at Oxford City Council, Oxford Direct Services, Proudly working in partnership with NHS and University branches across Oxford for the benefit of all members and a greater UNISON for all.
During
these unusual times Oxford City Branch of UNISON will be keeping you up-to-date
via email only and to make sure we comply with the GDPR laws this is done via
the UNISON WARMS systems (Web Access RMS) only
If
during the last two weeks if you have not received any emails from us it maybe
because your details are out of date or you do not have an up to date email
address logged on the system, to simply resolve this you can go online at
https://www.unison.org.uk/my-unison/ this site
allows you to manage and update your own personal details or you can send us a
valid email address to office@oxfordcityunison.com and we can update it for you.
Sadly during these times and to support our comrades in the
post room and at Royal Mail, it is not possible to post letters out to you
Wednesday 18 March 2020
Dear all
We would like to reassure you all, that UNISON will be here
for you during these difficult times ahead. The office will still be open but
at reduced times and days, if you do need us the best option is to call or
email first to save you a wasted trip, but your first point of contact should
always be your local steward. Their contact details can be found at www.oxfordcityunison.comif for some reason they are not available then please contact one of us listed
below.
There are going to be many challenges ahead of us all and
you may be asked to do things differently from your normal daily tasks. We know
that you all will rise to the challenge’s that will come. If you are asked to
support another roll or support another area and are or unhappy or concerned
about it then please talk to your manager in the first instance, if you still have concerns please contact us and we will do our best to help.
Oxford City Council staff are well known for great public
service in times of need never has there been a time when we all need to
pull together and support each other.
UNISON has been working with the relevant government departments to help ensure public services and public service workers are prepared and equipped to deal with Covid-19, commonly referred to as coronavirus.
Guidance for hospitals and NHS staff was published this week by NHS employers, UNISON, and other health unions. The aim of this is to ensure staff know exactly what to do with individuals who are concerned they have the virus and how to treat patients, with minimal risk to themselves. The guidance also seeks to reassure both health employees and the public, alerting everyone to be vigilant to prevent the wider spread of the virus.
Advice has also been issued by the Department for Education for schools and school workers. UNISON has issued additional advice for branches and activists should you become aware of any schools closed following suspected instances of Covid-19.
These sensible contingency plans will help reassure staff and the public that public services are fully prepared for any eventuality. Encouraging individuals to take everyday precautions is essential. But so is the need not to panic or feel unduly alarmed. Being fully prepared now could make the world of difference later.
Advice for anyone concerned they have developed symptoms of Covid-19 can be found on the NHS website.
As more advice becomes available for other areas, we will do all we can to make sure branches and activists have the information they need to respond to this fast moving situation.
In the UK today, 900,000 people are on zero-hours contracts. 8 million people from working households are living in poverty. And the number of people going to food banks has sky-rocketed.
People are working hard but struggling to get by. That’s why we need new rights so workers can bargain through their unions for fair pay and conditions across industries.
The Government is currently consulting on plans to allow universities and colleges in England to opt out of offering the local government pension scheme (LGPS) to new non- teaching staff.
The proposal would:
Create a two-tier workforce with new starters offered inferior pensions;
Disproportionately affect women and the lower paid;
Threaten the future sustainability of the whole scheme.
This attack on pension rights is the thin end of the wedge – if these proposals are enacted, the Government won’t stop there. It is vital that we take action.
UNISON has set up a campaign website which explains more about the situation and encourages branches and members to take a range of actions.
Oxford Brookes University is outsourcing its catering staff. From 01 January 2020 over 60 staff will no longer be employed by the university. Workers are worried they will face real reductions to their pay, pensions, terms and conditions. Help support our campaign to keep staff employed by the university by signing our petition.’
We the undersigned call on Oxford Brookes University to revise their current decisions in regard to the provision of catering. In summary we believe that;
1) Catering services should be provided by Oxford Brookes and contracts should in no circumstances be outsourced to a third party.
2) That all staff working in catering should enjoy the same benefits, terms and conditions as other Oxford Brookes staff.
3) Catering staff are a valued and integral part of University life and should be treated with fairness and respect.
4) Catering staff should be properly consulted on their employment and their concerns addressed.
Please sign to show your support to this campaign.
In celebration of National
Table Tennis Day on Thursday, 18th July 2019, with support partners Oxford City Branch of UNISON,
Oxford Table Tennis League, Oxford Community Table Tennis Club and Ping
Oxford and Oxford City Counci is hosting the
abovementioned event !
Come along and show and / or brush up on your table
tennis skills !
The event is open to all
staff and members of the public alike, with multiple tables, robot challenge,
coaching and
As some of you may already be aware, as the result of a burst water main on the Euston Road there was a major a flood at UNISON Centre over the weekend.
The building has been closed to staff since Monday 10 June and the earliest date it may re-open is Wednesday 19 June (although even this is not guaranteed).
The 020 7121 5623telephone number is not currently working.
UNISON Centre departments have not received any post since 7 June.
If members need to contact There for You they should do so by email to thereforyou@unison.co.uk and send any documents as attachments to the email in order for the team to be able to see them now
The UNISON Welfare casework team is currently only able to provide a limited service however are still assessing emergency grant applications at the current time.
The results of the 2019 NEC election are now available from Here.
These members will take office following the end of the national delegate conference 2019. The term of office will run until the end of national delegate conference 2021.
A full copy of the scrutineer’s report is available to members of UNISON on request. To obtain a copy, telephone UNISONdirect on 0800 0 857 857. Lines are open 6 am to midnight, Monday to Friday and 9am to 4pm on Saturdays.
As a member of the UK’s biggest and brightest union you could win a holiday for you and your family –THIS SUMMER! Just from being in UNISON.
You could win a five-night holiday to UNISON’s beautiful Croyde Bay Resort in Devon, this summer, for up to six people, with breakfast included. The prize draw is open to all new and existing members of UNISON. The holiday needs to be taken anytime before October 2019.
But that's not all – our money-saving deals and offers are back. Just in time for you to make the most of your summer. Apart from holidays, days out and trips to the theatre, our UNISON Living partners – including Vision Express, Shepherds Friendly and UIA – are improving their offers to members during May as the union goes for growth.
Investment firms dominate list of worst gender pay gaps of pension companies
JP Morgan Securities has reported the highest gender pay gap of any UK firm working with occupational pension schemes in 2017/18, PP analysis finds.
The UK investment banking arm of JP Morgan Chase recorded the worst gaps on both the mean and median measurements of hourly pay, at 52.8% and 60.0%, when compared with 126 other firms in the occupational pensions and financial sectors.
The figures are significantly above the pensions sector-wide averages of 24.4% and 24.5% respectively, and much higher than the average of investment firms at 30.7% and 28.6% respectively.
Of the 10 largest gaps, many of the spaces were occupied by investment firms, and across the analysis, the mean gap at investment firms worsened on average by 0.3 percentage points.
The mean figure is calculated by finding the difference between the mean hourly pay of a man at the firm and the mean pay of a woman; the median figure is calculated in a similar way. The gaps do not necessarily mean that men and women are paid different wages for the same role.
PP's analysis may not be exhaustive and firms with fewer than 250 members of staff were not required to report. Some firms opted to report voluntarily.
In its supporting narrative, JP Morgan blamed an imbalance in the proportion of men and women in senior roles - a common theme across all organisations with gaps.
The firm said: "We know we have more work to do, not only to increase women's representation at all levels, but to advance more women into management and leadership positions across the firm.
"The business is accountable in driving progress, investing in employees' growth and committed to expanding advancement opportunities for women."
JP Morgan has signed up to a number of initiatives and has, for example, set a target to achieve 30% women in executive director and managing director UK-based roles by 2023.
Across the rest of the analysis of mean hourly gaps, XPS Pensions Consulting recorded the worst figure for consultants, JLT for administrators, Just Group for providers and insurers, Gowling WLG for law firms (a voluntary report), and the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) for firms associated with government.
