Moving to step 4 explained with British Sign Language

 

UNISON member support and services

UNISON can help you in many ways, both at work and at home. 

If you are not sure who you should contact for help, or where to find the information that you need.

There for You (UNISON Welfare) www.unison.org.uk/get-help/services-support/there-for-you/ 

Members experiencing financial and emotional difficulties can contact our welfare charity, There for You, which provides a confidential advice and support service for members and their dependents.

Help from your rep email us office@oxfordcityunison.com 

As a UNISON member you have direct access to representatives, or reps, who are available to support you. There are different kinds of workplace reps and they can each help you in different ways.

Legal services www.unison.org.uk/get-help/services-support/legal-services/

UNISON provides quality legal services for employment-related and non-work issues at no extra cost to members and their families. In fact, UNISON provides the broadest range of legal help to union members in the UK.

Professional registration www.unison.org.uk/get-help/services-support/professional-registration/

Our professional services unit (PSU) represents members who are registered professionals and have their fitness to practise in their profession called into question. We can represent any eligible member who is registered with a regulatory body in order to hold their professional title.

Struggling to make ends meet? Worried about back to school costs. School uniform grants

 

UNISON's very own charity, There for You, has once again set up a fund to help members on low incomes struggling with the cost of school uniforms. Grants of £50 per child are available, up to a maximum of £150 per family. Just one more practical way UNISON is making life better for our members. Applications are to be made via a downloadable form, and are live from today, Thursday 1 July. But act now as this is a limited fund, so once it's gone, it's gone.

Find out more and apply now

Right to disconnect

If you think workers have the right to switch off sign the petition: Introduce a Right to Disconnect for all UK workers.

Research shows that our working days are getting longer, and the conveniences of digital technology mean too many of us have found ourselves in an ‘always on’ work culture. In turn, that is leading to increased stress levels and burnout. 1 in 3 of us say we’re struggling to switch off from work.

Right to Disconnect is becoming a reality in countries from France to the Philippines and Argentina to Ireland – it’s time the UK caught up and now is the time for us to act. Sign petition

Watch and share video: Facebook

Employers will no longer be able to get away with mistreating any employees who take part in union-organised workplace disputes following an important legal decision

 

Employers will no longer be able to mistreat staff who take part in union-organised workplace disputes, following an important legal decision. An employment appeal tribunal heard a case involving a care worker who had been disciplined, suspended and prevented from going into work by her employer, after she took part in a long-running dispute over plans to cut payment for sleep-in shifts. The tribunal found that UK law was not compliant with international human rights law, and has acted to ensure that striking workers are now protected.

Read more

Read the judgment in full

HOW DO TRADE UNIONS WORK?

 Trade unions are groups of working people who join together to defend and improve their working conditions.

Trade unions believe that ‘unity is strength’, because it is by standing together and speaking with one voice that unions can fight and win for members.

Trade unions are democratic, member-led bodies, grounded in the workplace, with reps elected to fight for members at work, and represent them in the union. The union’s priorities, campaigns and policies are decided by members and elected reps through each union’s individual structures.

Lets take care as we go to step 3

 

From 17 May, let's celebrate but protect our new freedom

From the 17th May we can start to enjoy even greater freedom and move a step closer to normality. Socialising indoors in groups of up to six people or two households, overnight stays, and limited international travel are just some of the changes.

Thank you to everyone for pulling together to get to this point. Continuing to follow the hands, face, space, fresh air guidelines, along with testing twice a week, will ensure this is a confident step forward.

Click here to read more info from the OCC

Every mind matters

 

There are things we can all do to look after our mental wellbeing and the Every Mind Matters Mind Plan can provide NHS approved personalised advice on positive steps people can take to help manage anxiety, sleep better and boost your mood. You can share a link to the Every Mind Matters mental health action plan with you networks or embed the Mind Plan on your website – instructions on how to do this can be found here.

Financial assistance From your UNISON

If you are a member and you are experiencing financial difficulties, whether due to coronavirus or other circumstances, There for You can offer you support, including one-off grants.

• COVID-19 response fund
• UNISON benefits calculator
• Help with debt

COVID-19 response fund

The COVID-19 response fund offers grants of up to £500 to help members whose household incomes have been affected by the pandemic.

In addition to There for You funds, we are very grateful to have received generous grants from UNISON and CHSA (the COVID-19 Healthcare Support Appeal) which enable us to support members who are struggling at this time.

Check whether you are eligible and apply online here:

Apply online

By far the quickest way to apply and receive a decision is online.  If you are unable to apply online, please ​check if you are eligible and email covidgrantenquiries@unison.co.uk with your name, membership number and address and we will post a form to you.​ 

 

Other financial assistance

You may have financial difficulties for all sorts of unexpected reasons, such as:

• Loss of income;
• Relationship breakdown;
• Bereavement;
• Suffering from a long illness;
• Needing to buy equipment because of a disability;
• Caring for someone with special needs or an illness.

What we can help with

There for You is proud to support thousands of members and their families every year with things such as:

• general living costs
• household appliances
• urgent repairs
• disability equipment and adaptations
• utility bills
• funeral costs

Check out by clicking HERE to see if your eligible 

International Workers’ Memorial Day

 

Wednesday 28 April is International Workers’ Memorial Day. This is the day when we get together to remember all those who have died through their work, and rededicate ourselves to the fight for the living.

But never has this annual day – and the act of remembrance – felt more important.

Thousands of workers across the UK will be continuing to care for those suffering from COVID-19 or delivering the vital public services that protect us and keep us and our communities going – as they have over the past year of pandemic.

Their health and safety is entwined with everyone’s health and safety. And in working as they have, they’re potentially putting their safety – and possibly even their lives – at risk. UNISON says ‘thank you’ to every single key worker for everything they are doing for our communities during this unprecedented period.

The past year has given a timely reminder that unionised workplaces are safer workplaces. On this International Workers’ Memorial Day UNISON is calling on everyone to hold a minute’s silence, at 11am, specifically to remember those who have died of COVID-19 while carrying out their work.

Other things you can do include:

• Tweet at us – @unisontweets – with your pictures of public service workers, whether of yourselves or colleagues continuing to do the jobs that are keeping us all safe;
• if you are having a problem getting PPE, let us know;
• email any other COVID-19 safety-related issues to healthandsafety@unison.co.uk 

Find out more about health and safety at UNISON 

Become a UNISON safety rep

Key workers offered free cruises with Royal Caribbean - how to get tickets

 Royal Caribbean is offering free cruises to key workers in the UK to thank them for their efforts during the COVID pandemic.

The cruise firm has announced that 999 rooms will be allocated to personnel from the emergency services, NHS, social care sector, and Armed Forces, with the firm’s Anthem of the Seas ship sailing from Southampton from 7 July 2021.

It will operate ocean cruises as well as voyages around the UK coastline visiting destinations such as Liverpool, Belfast and the Orkney Islands.

All crew will be fully vaccinated.

How do I apply?

Workers who want to apply for the voyages must register on the cruise line’s website to enter a ballot.

Royal Caribbean chief executive Michael Bayley said: “The UK is a place we hold near and dear to our heart at Royal Caribbean. We miss our UK guests and are as eager as they are to get back to cruising from Southampton.

“We are delighted with the UK Government’s recent announcements regarding cruising and excited to set sail again with a phenomenal ship and favourite such as Anthem of the Seas,” he added.

“After a tough year, we all need a holiday, but no one more so than the emergency services, NHS, social care sector and armed forces who will have the long-awaited opportunity to get away and relax with total peace of mind.”

Story taken from Oxford mail

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.

Is the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine safe?

There is no evidence linking the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine to an increased risk of blood clots, EU and UK regulators have ruled.

Several European countries have resumed the roll-out of the jab after temporarily pausing it because of concerns.

To read the full story from the BBC click this LINK

Everything you need to know about the Oxford Vaccine Video 

Spring 2021 RoadMap Video Explainer - Public Health England

 

Step 1 and 2 of the government's roadmap

 

2021 Branch AGM

Just remind you that we will be electing our new stewards and officers for the coming year at our AGM on the 30^th March 2021 at 3pm. If you care about your workplace and hate injustices or you want to change the world,  then why not apply to become a Steward or an officer of the Branch.

 

For more details, you can speak to your local steward or contact me for a chat. Nomination forms and further information  can be found on our web site www.oxfordcityunison.com

 

Looking forward to seeing you all there

Wellbeing check-up

Wellbeing breaks can provide welcome relief from stress and respite from difficult circumstances – this can include assisting with recovery from illness to help prepare for a return to work.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently unable to consider applications for wellbeing breaks. We are keeping the situation under review and hope to be able to offer this service in the not too distant future. 

There for You may be able to help you towards the costs of a break, depending on your financial situation.

For more information contact us on 020 7121 5620 or email thereforyou@unison.co.uk or contact your branch welfare officer.

How has coronavirus affected mental health?

 How has mental health changed? 

Mental health problems have worsened across all age-groups in the past year.

In adults, the proportion of individuals showing symptoms of depression has almost doubled since the start of the pandemic, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The full story can be found at the BBC 

Are you covered? Have you got protection?

 

The more of us are in a union, the safer everyone is at work. Tell a friend to Join today 

Have you ever thought about becoming a steward in UNISON

 Getting more involved in UNISON

There are many different ways in which you can become more involved in UNISON. Have a go at our Activate! game, or find out more about some of our popular roles, including:

• steward
• learning rep
• branch welfare officer
• branch treasurer

You'll find them all in this section.

Getting more involved in UNISON: activist roles

Join in a free open conversation about the Covid vaccination

 

We need to hear your views

The government's Disability Unit are conducting a public survey, which will feed in to their upcoming Disability Strategy. 

The Strategy will 'make practical changes to policies which strengthen disabled people’s ability to participate fully in society and will place fairness at the heart of government work on disability, to level up opportunity so everyone can reach their potential and participate in life in this country.'

Complete the survey HERE👇