Now more than ever, it's important to check-in on your mental health.

We are all dealing with a lot of uncertainty. 

visit Every Mind Matters for tips and advice to look after your mental wellbeing. 

https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/

 

Thank you to all our members

As we start 2021 with another lockdown, we wanted to say thank you to all our members for all the support, kindness and patience you showed us and to fellow colleagues last year. 

It made such a difference.

We also wanted to reassure you that we’re still here for you. Whether it’s online, over the phone, we’ll continue to do all we can to support you, all you need to do is ask.

  

Time for us all to play our part and save our NHS

 

Lets all do our part to protect the NHS

 

Christmas Message

 Dear All Oxford City Unison Members,

We would just like to send you all a message of hope and to wish you all a very happy Christmas in these difficult times! I don’t think any of us have ever seen a time like this, where we have been so restricted in what we do, especially when at this time of year, is the time where friends and family are meant to come together! But remember it’s ONE year! we will make up for it, I know I will !!!

Please do keep to the rules and stay safe, we will come out of this better and stronger together!


On another note!
See below information that went out in Gordon Mitchel’s communication last night regarding the new restrictions and what that means for us all over the Christmas period, make sure you read and understand. If you need any further clarification please contact your stewards or me at office@oxfordcityunison.com

What does Tier 4 mean for the City Council’s work?

Under these new restrictions, the Council will continue to work to maintain its services to residents and businesses across the city, while adjusting its operations and working practices in line with Government guidance.

Leisure and sports facilities such as leisure centres and indoor gyms, indoor swimming pools are to be closed. This includes Council-owned leisure facilities, gyms, and swimming pools.

Our Customer Services will be stopping its face-to-face operations from Friday 25 December to Monday 4 January at St Aldate’s Chambers and Rose Hill Community Centre. But continuing an online and reduced telephone customer service over this period.

From 4 January Customer Services will recommence an appointment based service for those residents that require face to face support. However, we will be encouraging customers to use our online services where they can, through the Council's website where they can talk to officers through the webchat service. Video calls from home are also available by phoning the Customer Contact Centre on 01865 249811.

We will continue operating our Locality Resource Hubs to help people in need of assistance to access food, medicines and essential supplies. The hubs cover Blackbird Leys, East Oxford, Rose Hill, West Oxford, Central Oxford, and North Oxford. 

Support from Customer Services and the Hubs can range from simple information about local support services to providing advice and support to those with financial hardship, housing needs or needing help accessing care services.

Hubs can be contacted by phoning the Council on 01865 249 811 or using the online form

Tier 4 restrictions mean:
 

• Stay at home, except for permitted reasons. This includes shopping for food and other essentials, exercise, education, childcare, collecting prescriptions, medical appointments, essential work, and attending a place of worship.
• Everyone who can work effectively from home should do so.
• You cannot meet other people socially indoors or in a private garden unless you live with them or they are part of your support bubble.
• You can exercise (unlimited) or meet in a public outdoor place with people you live with, your support bubble (or as part of a childcare bubble), or with one other person at a safe social distance.
• Don't travel to other areas – it is not permitted (other than for legally permitted reasons) to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
• Shops selling non-essential goods and market stalls not selling food must close.
• Cafes, restaurants, bars and pubs remain closed but can serve takeaways, click and collect and delivery orders.
• Personal care, hair and beauty salons must close, as should tattoo, massage and spa venues.
• Entertainment venues, indoor attractions and leisure facilities must close.
• Clinically extremely vulnerable people are advised to stay at home as much as possible, except to go outdoors for exercise or to attend health appointments. If they cannot work from home, they are advised not to go to work and claim any support where eligible.

On behalf of your branch, we ask you to follow guidelines and support your friends and colleagues that may be struggling if any of you have any concerns please let us know, we are all available to support you!

Once again

Merry Christmas & Best wishes

Caroline on behalf of your Branch Committee

'Council Matters' – A Poem for Local Council Unsung Heroes

Renowned poet Tony Walsh was commissioned by APSE (Association for Public Service Excellence) to create a very special poem to thank you, the unsung heroes in Local Government who worked on the frontline and behind the scenes to support our communities through the COVID-19 pandemic.

You can click HERE to listen to the poem.

A new collective agreement on 2021 pay for Oxford City staff

To all members of Oxford City Branch of UNISON

UNISON has successfully reached an agreement with the Council following several negotiation meetings with Branch Secretaries, on a new collective agreement which will come into effect from 1st April 2021.

The current three-year local pay collective agreement is due to finish next year, at the end of March 2021. In the midst of this, members have worked hard and tirelessly throughout one of the most difficult periods in living memory. We felt that this could not go unrecognised.

It has never been a more important time to be a member of UNISON.

The significant challenges that COVID-19 has placed on all of us also presents a challenge on the medium-term financial plans of both Oxford City Council and ODS. 

In spite of this, Oxford City Branch of UNISON on behalf of its members, have negotiated a one-year agreement following a meeting with the Council and ODS on 25 November 2020.

This one-year pay deal is effective from 1 April 2021 and will give members:

●            A one-off consolidated ‘Recognition’ payment of £400.00 to all staff on permanent or fixed-term contracts of not less than six months at 1 April 2021;

●            Which will be paid on 1 April 2021;

●            With no conditions attached to the payment.

A number of areas were also touched upon by UNISON during these negotiations, such as:

●            Organisational change/ re-deployment;

●            Flexible working – including the homeworking allowance;

●            And grading arrangements for senior roles.

This modest offer precedes ongoing and future negotiations on a more comprehensive pay deal for 2022 – 2023 that UNISON will have with the Council and ODS on your behalf.

UNISON’s strength is through its members.

We welcome and encourage others to join a growing family of more than 1.4 million people across the UK.

 

On behalf of UNISON Branch Committee

We need your input and views so we can increasing participation

The UNISON South East region is committed to increasing participation in all of its decision making structures. We want all areas of our membership to be fully represented and have their voices heard on the issues that matter to them. In response to a regional policy agreed at this year's AGM, we are consulting with all branches and Self Organised Groups and reviewing our structures and ways of working.

We have developed a questionnaire which allows you to feedback on what the barriers to participation are, and give suggestions to how we may be able to do things differently to make it easier for you and others to get more involved. Please take the time to complete this survey and help us shape the outcome of this review. The findings of the survey will be considered by the working group and will result in recommendations to the Regional Council AGM in 2022.

Here’s the link for the questionnaire, it should take less than 5 minutes to complete. The questionnaire is open for one month, until 6 January 2021. 

Complete the questionnaire

Regional Disabled Members AGM

 

REMINDER

In accordance with national guidance, I am pleased to inform you that the Regional Disabled Members AGM will be taking place this year virtually.

In order to accommodate this and ensure that members in the South East have the opportunity to participate fairly and democratically, we have made some slight changes to the normal processes and timescales.

Everything you need to know, including details on registering to attend, nominating members for election, and submitting motions for debate, can be found  HERE

AGM DETAILS

WHEN: 12.00pm - 1.30pm on Wednesday 9 December 2020 

WHERE: The meeting will be held online using Microsoft Teams. 

Holding our meeting online means that this could potentially be the biggest Disabled Members AGM we've ever held in the region. I very much hope to see a great turnout for this first meeting of it's type on 9 December.

Ballot Papers are due this week

 

Our Branch has nominated Roger McKenzie for UNISON General Secretary, Roger has plans to bring our union closer to members and Branches like ours.

Roger’s campaign has set out how together we can build a strong, powerful union that represents all workers delivering public services, stands up for members and ensures social justice is at the heart of our union.

Roger has said that he will support members taking action over pay, terms and conditions, health and safety and fight to stop local employers and this Government using the public health crisis as an excuse to attack workers.

We've got less than a week to chose the next general secretary

Ballots begin to arrive on Wednesday

Oxford City Branch of UNISON is backing RogerMcKenzie for the next General Secretary of UNISON  - check out his pledges to build a fighting, winning union  roger4gs.co.uk/campaign 

Roger would like to personally thank the branch for nominating him  Your Branch Committee has nominated Roger McKenzie to be the next General Secretary for our Union. We believe Roger will bring about the changes we need to be able to represent you better.  Roger is committed, is a real supporter of our branch he cares. Roger knows we need better resources, more funding to be better organised.

Ballot papers will land on doorsteps this week, don’t ignore, use your vote we want to show that Oxford has a big Turnout!  www.roger4gs.co.uk/support. 

Ballots are sent out next Wednesday and your vote is really important so make sure you spread the word and forward this message. 

Regional LGBT+ AGM

In accordance with national guidance, I am pleased to inform you that the Regional LGBT+ AGM will be taking place this year virtually.

In order to accommodate this and ensure that members in the South East have the opportunity to participate fairly and democratically, we have made some slight changes to the normal processes and timescales.

Everything you need to know, including details on registering to attend, nominating members for election, and submitting motions for debate, can be found below.

AGM DETAILS

WHEN: 11am–12.30am on Saturday 5 December 2020 

WHERE: The meeting will be held online using Microsoft Teams. 

Holding this meeting online means that this could potentially be the biggest LGBT+ AGM we've ever held in the region. We very much hope to see a great turnout for this first meeting of its type on 5 December.

Almost time to have your say on who leads us next

 The following have been confirmed as candidates in the election to choose a new general secretary for UNISON.

Their names are listed below in the order they will appear on the ballot paper and in the election address booklet.

Paul Holmes

Nominated by one service group executive, two regional councils and 99 branches.

Christina McAnea

Nominated by the national executive council (NEC), five service group executives, nine regional councils and 210 branches.

Roger McKenzie

Nominated by one service group executive, one regional council and 104 branches.

Hugo Pierre

Nominated by 31 branches.

Ballot papers will be sent to members’ home or other notified address in writing. Members will be provided with a pre-paid envelope for the return of the ballot paper to the independent scrutineer. All voting will be by post

Your chance to choose who leads UNISON

Dave Prentis, our current general secretary, retires at the end of this year after 20 years leading the UK's biggest union. Soon you'll get a chance to decide who leads the union for the next five years.

The general secretary represents you and 1.3 million members of UNISON, so it's important that you use your vote and have your say.

The ballot opens on 28 October so please look out for your ballot paper, which will be sent by post to your home address.

The ballot is being run on our behalf by an independent organisation called Civica Election Services (CES).

Make sure you post your completed ballot in plenty of time to CES by 5pm on November 27. It will be freepost, so don’t worry about a stamp.

Your election pack will include the ballot paper and the pre-paid return envelope. There will also be information about the candidates who are standing to be general secretary.

If anything is missing from your election pack, or you lose your ballot paper please call our ballot helpline free on 0800 0 857 857 or on textphone 0800 0 967 968. The helpline opens on 10 November and closes on 20 November.

More info and a Q&A can be found HERE

This is why you're in this UNISON

 Recently UNISON had another major victory in the courts. This time it was for homecare workers and concerned how they were paid – or not – for the time it took to travel between visits.

The case means 10 UNISON members have received thousands in backpay – but it could have implications for thousands of other home care workers. 

And behind the headlines, it's been a fascinating four-year battle involving members, branch officers and UNISON's legal team, and it sums up what being in a trade union is all about.

If you would like to read the story behind this click HERE

We are still OPEN and here when you need us

Following the recent announcements from the government – we’d like to reassure you that it’s very much business as usual here.

During these unsettling times, we wanted to let you know that we are open as normal. Our opening hours and the ways in which you can contact us are still the same, so you can rest assured that we're on hand to provide the same great service that you expect from us! 

Like everyone, we’ve found ourselves in a very strange situation over the last six months. But be rest assured we are still fighting for you.

A cold, flu or coronavirus - which one do I have?

A blocked or runny nose, a sore throat and a cough are common, especially in the winter. But how do you know if you have coronavirus? 

Check out the video from the BBC for a little guidance, to watch just click the below link:-

Oxford City Branch of UNISON: A cold, flu or coronavirus - which one do I have?

Disabled and LGBT+ members are invited to remotely attend a series of events organised specifically for them – online and live

Like many other organisations, UNISON has had to cancel many of its conferences and meetings as a result of COVID-19.

But the UK’s biggest union has democracy at its heart and still wants its members to be involved.

With this in mind, UNISON’s disabled and LGBT+ members have organised a series of virtual events in place of their usual conferences – online and live.

We will be holding the following events:

Disability Live! – 19 to 24 October.

LGBT+ Live! – 13 to 15 November.

There will be a variety of online sessions that members can participate in during the events.

These events are only open to UNISON members. To attend Disability Live! you must be a disabled member of UNISON. And to attend LGBT+ Live! you must be an LGBT+ member of UNISON. This is in line with UNISON’s commitment to self-organisation for under-represented groups.

In order to make Disability Live! as accessible as possible, please let us know if there are any adjustments you will need to allow you to take part in a virtual event.

To register your interest in attending either event, please email conferences@unison.co.uk as follows:

Subject heading – the event you would like to attend (if both, please send separate emails)

In your email – please provide:

• Your name
• Your membership number
• Your branch name
• Any reasonable adjustments you need to participate

The registration deadlines are:

Disability Live! –  Thursday 8 October at 5pm

LGBT+ Live! – Thursday 5 November at 5pm

Once you’ve been registered for an event, you will be sent an email giving details of the virtual sessions you can attend, so you can register for these individually. You can attend as many or as few as you like.

So get active! Email conferences@unison.co.uk today to register to attend.

Time for us to do our bit.

 

Time for us all to play our part.

It is critical that everybody observes the following key behaviours:

• HANDS – Wash your hands regularly and for 20 seconds.
• FACE – Wear a face covering in indoor settings where social distancing may be difficult and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet.
• SPACE – Stay 2 metres apart from people you do not live with where possible, or 1 metre with extra precautions in place.

 

Are you facing change or uncertainty at work?

We'll UNISON will be running a series of webinars over the next few months to support members with job applications, interview skills and confidence building. 

Find out more and book your place Click Here

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We all have a responsibility to stop the spread of coronavirus

Make sure your workplace is COVID-19 Secure.

Click HERE for the latest guidance on how to stay safe at work

Want to contribute to research in Oxford?

 

Want to contribute to research in Oxford, and understand if you are currently infected with coronavirus?

If you have experienced symptoms of coronavirus within the past seven days then you are eligible to take part in a new research study.

Click HERE  for more info