Pension accounts are going online

The latest edition of Reporting Pensions is now available. 

Please take some time to read it as it contains important information about the Local Government Pension Scheme. 

It includes information about the introduction of My Oxfordshire Pension, providing online access to your pension record. Scheme members will be asked to register and annual benefits statements will be available this way in future. If you cannot access an online system and wish to keep paper as your main method of communication, you need to let Pensions Services know. You can do this by completing and returning a form which is in the booklet. 

The booklet is available here

This issue covers:

• More on your benefit statement
• Cautionary warning about pension scams
• Progress towards My Oxfordshire Pension - the on-line member service
• Reminders on some LGPS topical issues 

Are you currently receiving Universal Credit?

Are you currently receiving Universal Credit? If so we'd like your help.

To show how the government is clawing back much of the money ministers claim is helping workers on low pay, we're looking for case studies of individuals or families who are on the national minimum wage – currently £7.50 an hour – and who also get Universal Credit.

Between October 2015 and April 2018, the national minimum wage will have risen from £6.50 to £7.83 an hour, an hourly increase of £1.33.

But UNISON has worked out for people who are in receipt of Universal Credit, much of that rise will have ended up not in their pockets, but back in the hands of the Treasury.

If this is you, or describes someone you know, please get in touch by emailing UNISON's media team on press@unison.co.uk or Pete Challis, the report's authorp.challis@unison.co.uk

We'd need the following information: whether there are one or two earners on the minimum wage in your household, how many hours you (and they) work, how many children you have (if any), and how much you pay in rent, or how much your mortgage is a month.

If you were happy to be named in the report, and possibly speak to a journalist, it would help UNISON bring the campaign's attention to a wider audience. This would hopefully ensure that a greater proportion of future minimum wage increases end up in the hands of those who need it the most.

But the most important thing is to find some real life stories to illustrate the report, so even if you don't want to be named, please do still get in touch, as an anonymous household would still help us out no end.

Many thanks

Reintroduce Oxford weighting tax.

There is a government registered petition to get an Oxford Weighting Allowance introduced at the local hospitals.  The cost of living is the highest in the UK compared to average salary (even higher than London).   It is really difficult to recruit and retain nurses due to the national standard government pay scales.  The petition is asking for an Oxford Weighting to be added to salaries like the London Weighting.  If 100,000 signatures are reached this will then be debated in parliament. Please pass on the link below:

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/206280

South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils to bring services back in-house

South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils to bring services back in-house after outsourcing deal designed to save up to £18m fails

check out the full story at here 

Want to do something more?

Help your colleagues and other members becoming a UNISON rep or workplace contact. 

Being a UNISON workplace rep gives you the opportunity to:

• make a positive difference to people’s work lives
• learn new skills and meet new people
• help create a fairer society

Get involved in UNISON

No one should suffer in silence

Christmas, for many different reasons, can be a rather lonely time for some.

Below are a few numbers worth sharing:

Childline: 0800 1111
Samaritans: 116 123
Domestic Violence Hotline: 0808 2000 247
Mind: 0300 123 3393
Age UK: 0800 055 6112

No one should suffer in silence.

Merry Christmas from your UNISON

Oxford City Branch of UNISON: Adult Safeguarding at Christmas

Oxford City Branch of UNISON: Adult Safeguarding at Christmas: Age UK Oxfordshire predicts that up to 11,000 older people in the county are facing spending Christmas alone this year. The debilitating ep...

Adult Safeguarding at Christmas

Age UK Oxfordshire predicts that up to 11,000 older people in the county are facing spending Christmas alone this year. The debilitating epidemic of loneliness has a devastating impact on older people in Oxfordshire, the charity has warned.

Read the full article in the Oxford Mail here.

If you’re worried about an older person this Christmas, you can contact the Oxfordshire Adult Social Care Team. An assessment can be requested by an individual, a friend, a neighbour or another agency. They may be entitled to care and support services that could help them:

• develop and maintain family or other personal relationships
• access and engage in work, training, education or volunteering
• make use of necessary facilities or services in the local community, including public transport, and recreational facilities or services.

Details of adult social care in Oxfordshire can be found at https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/public-site/adult-social-care.

If your concerns are about self-neglect, abuse or neglect by a person or agency with care responsibilities, you should use the online Reporting a concern system via the OSAB.

Dealing with stress in the workplace

According to the HSE (Health and Safety Executive), in 2015/16 over 480,000 people in the UK reported that work-related stress was making them ill. This amounts to nearly 40% of all work-related illness.

Yet many employees are reluctant to talk about stress at work. There is still a stigma attached to stress and people still think they will be seen as weak if they admit they are struggling. But stress is not a weakness, and can affect anyone at any level of an organisation.

It is therefore important that an employer takes steps to tackle the work-related causes of stress in its organisation and encourages staff to seek help at the earliest opportunity if they begin to experience stress.

Content

• What is stress?
• What causes stress?
• Why should employers try to reduce the causes of stress at work?
• Taking steps to reduce work-related stress
• Spotting when staff may be experiencing stress
• Talking to a team member who may be experiencing stress
• Supporting a team member experiencing stress
• Monitoring the situation

What is stress?

Stress is defined as the 'adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them'. Most staff benefit from a certain amount of pressure in their work. It can keep them motivated and give a sense of ambition. However, when there is too much pressure placed on them, they can become overloaded. Stress can affect the health of staff, reduce their productivity and lead to performance issues.

Stress is not an illness, but the psychological impact can lead to conditions such as anxiety and depression. Stress, anxiety and depression can also increase the risk of conditions like heart disease, back pain, gastrointestinal illnesses or skin conditions.

What causes stress?

There can be a variety of causes of stress. For example, financial problems, difficulties in personal relationships or moving house can all cause stress. Work can also cause stress. The HSE (Health and Safety Executive) has identified the six primary causes of work-related stress to be:

• The demands of the job - staff can become overloaded if they cannot cope with the amount of work or type of work they are asked to do
• Amount of control over work - staff can feel disaffected and perform poorly if they have no say over how and when they do their work
• Support from managers and colleagues - levels of sickness absence often rise if staff feel they cannot talk to managers about issues troubling them
• Relationships at work - a failure to build relationships based on good behaviour and trust can lead to problems related to discipline, grievances and bullying
• How a role fits within the organisation - staff will feel anxious about their work and the organisation if they don't know what is expected of them and/or understand how their work fits into the objectives of the organisation
• Change and how it is managed - change needs to be managed effectively or it can lead to huge uncertainty and insecurity.

Why should employers try to reduce the causes of stress at work?

Firstly, reducing work-related stress can be hugely beneficial to an employer:

• Making staff healthier and happier at work
• Improving performance and making staff more productive
• Reducing absence levels
• Reducing workplace disputes
• Making the organisation more attractive to job seekers

Secondly, an employer has a legal obligation to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its employees. As part of this, an employer must conduct risk assessments for work-related stress and take actions to prevent staff from experiencing a stress-related illness because of their work.

For more information on how to conduct a risk assessment, go to www.hse.gov.uk/stress.

Taking steps to reduce work-related stress

If a risk assessment identifies areas where the organisation is performing poorly, an employer should work with its staff to agree realistic and practical ways to tackle it.

Any existing consultation and/or negotiating arrangements should be followed so that staff and/or their representatives can contribute their views.

An employer should then develop an action plan that includes:

• what the problem is
• how it was identified
• the proposed solution/s
• actions to be taken to achieve the solution/s
• dates by which each action should be achieved
• how staff will be kept informed on progress
• a date to review the plan and see if it has achieved its aim.

Once solutions have been implemented, the review should check that agreed actions have been done and evaluate how effective these have been. The views of staff, and data collected on employee turnover, sickness absence and productivity, can help compare the organisation against how it was before the action plan was implemented.

An employer will then need to consider what, if any, further action is needed.

Spotting when staff may be experiencing stress

While identifying work-related risks and taking preventative measures should help minimise stress for most staff, it may still affect some team members due to issues inside or outside of the workplace. Managers should be prepared to help and support a team member experiencing stress.

Although training on stress can be very useful, a manager should not be expected to be an expert.

It is important to never make assumptions, but signs that a team member may be stressed include:

• changes in the person's usual behaviour, mood or how they interact with colleagues
• changes in the standard of their work or focus on tasks
• appearing tired, anxious or withdrawn and reduced interest in tasks they previously enjoyed
• changes in appetite and/or increase in smoking and drinking alcohol
• an increase in sickness absences and/or turning up late to work.

Talking to a team member who may be experiencing stress

Where a manager thinks a team member may be experiencing stress, they should approach the matter in the same way set out in the guidance on Managing staff experiencing mental ill health. This is because without talking to the team member, it is impossible to know what is affecting them and therefore a consistent approach should be taken. 

Additionally, organisations should encourage staff to talk to their manager if they think they are becoming unwell. Creating a working environment that proactively supports staff who become unwell will make it easier for staff to tell their manager if they are experiencing stress.

For more information on how to do this, go to Promoting positive mental health in the workplace.

If a team member does approach their manager to advise they are experiencing stress, the manager should:

• move the conversation to a private space, where they will not be disturbed (if not already somewhere appropriate)
• thank the team member for coming to them and letting them know
• be patient and allow them as much time as they need to talk about it
• remain focused on what they say
• be open minded
• try to identify what the cause is
• think about potential solutions.

If the cause of stress relates to their relationship with their manager, or other team members, it may be beneficial to involve Human Resources, if the organisation has one, or a more senior manager and allow the team member to have a companion (such as a work colleague or trade union representative) at any meetings.

Supporting a team member experiencing stress

Where it is possible to identify a work-related problem, a manager (in discussion with the team member) should consider what support or changes would rectify the situation. They could be temporary or permanent.

Usually small, simple changes to working arrangements or responsibilities will help ease pressures affecting the team member.

It may take a number of informal meetings with the team member to agree the best way forward. Some changes may also require authorisation from senior management, HR or the owner of the business. A manager should explain if they believe a potential change may require authorisation and when an answer should be received. If authorisation is refused, a manager should clearly explain the reasons why this was not practicable and try to find an alternative solution.

If changes are agreed and made, a manager should also agree with the team member what their work colleagues will be told.

Even if the cause of stress may not be work-related, changes to the team member's working arrangements may help reduce some of the pressure they are experiencing. For example, temporarily changing their working hours may reduce stress caused by caring responsibilities for an ill-relative.

Monitoring the situation

A manager should regularly check on how a team member experiencing stress is feeling and whether any changes in place are still needed and/or working as required. This could be through planned one-to-one meetings or through informal chats in the workplace.

Even once the team member is able to resume their normal working arrangements, their manager should continue to monitor their health and offer support where necessary.

Acas training and support

We can visit your organisation to help you understand what needs to be done to address a range of issues related to stress management and the identification of critical issues in your workplace and then work with you to develop practical solutions. Find out more from our Workshops, projects and business solutionspage.

We also offer training courses to help managers in your organisation.

View course details and availability.

• Stress in the workplace.
• Managing absence in the workplace.
• Improving supervisor skills.
• Bullying and harassment in the workplace.
• Having difficult conversations.
• Mental health awareness for employers.

Did you know that it will take most of us from 6 to 18 months to pay off our holiday credit card bills?

Read how to avoid a holiday hangover http://ow.ly/mGcA30h0obu.

Our helpline for members is open weekdays 6am-midnight and Saturdays 10am-4pm.

Call us on 0800 0857 857

POLITICAL FUND: Have your say on its future

UNISON is currently in the middle of our second round of consultation into changes to the political fund, as required by the Trade Union Act. Members have until 12 January to have their say.
The Trade Union Act requires unions with political funds to move from an ‘opt-out’ to an ‘opt-in’ arrangement by March 2018.
As a consequence the process of joining UNISON will alter. At the current time the political fund is incorporated into the subscription, with new members indicating which section of the fund they wish to support (Labour Link or General Political Fund) and having an opportunity to ‘opt out’ afterwards.
In the future all new members will have to actively ‘opt in’ to paying the political fund component as an addition to the subscription they pay for core union services.

Information on the UNISON website at https://www.unison.org.uk/about/our-organisation/political-affiliations-and-support/our-political-funds/ 

Download the consultation document here.

Responses to the consultation should be sent to politicalfundreview@unison.co.uk

UNISON Christmas gathering

It that time of year again!!

We will holding a Christmas gathering on Friday 8^th December in the Chequers from 4pm.

Drink tickets will be handed out and we will be doing a raffle again this year.

We really hope all of you can make it, don’t worry if you cannot make 4pm as it is just a starting time and plenty of people will be arriving later.

Merry Christmas everyone!!

UNISON There for You – Winter Fuel Grants 2017-2018

Worried about paying your Winter Fuel Bill?

Get help staying warm this winter

With rising fuel costs and another cold winter many members are worried about how they’re going to pay this year’s winter fuel bills.

Help is on hand

“There for You” has set up a limited fund to help UNISON members on low income by way of a one-off payment of up to £50.

To apply and download the application form:

visit unison.org.uk/thereforyou

or simply contact your local UNISON branch office on office@oxfordcityunison.com or ring UNISON Direct 0800 0857 857for a form to be sent to you

Ever Thought of becoming a UNISON rep?

If you want more info or a informal chat please email office@oxfordcityunison.com, you may be surprised what you can achieve

Did you know that some life changing conditions should be automatically treated as a disability - The Equality Act and Cancer, MS and HIV

When someone is diagnosed with a condition, which may be progressive or life threatening, they might worry about whether or not to tell their employer. Equally an employer (or colleagues) may want to provide support, but worry about doing or saying the wrong thing. An employer can often be an important source of support for the employee trying to manage their condition so it is generally a good idea to discuss issues with them.

The Equality Act can also provide protection for certain illnesses when they are established as a disability.

Under the Equality Act a person is disabled if they have 'a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities'. 

However, there are exceptions to this definition. These exceptions include certain medical diagnoses, progressive and life-threatening conditions. A progressive condition is one that gets worse over time, such as muscular dystrophy and motor neurone disease. Employees with a progressive condition can be classed as disabled. 

Employees will automatically be protected against discrimination under the Equality Act 2010 from the day they are diagnosed if they have Cancer, HIV or Multiple Sclerosis. However, many people with these conditions can work and have an active and fulfilling career.

Key points

• Three potentially progressive and life-threatening conditions - Cancer, HIV and Multiple Sclerosis - are regarded as disabilities from the point of diagnosis.
• The more serious the condition the more likely it may be that a suggested adjustment for the employee would be seen as reasonable by an employment tribunal. The adjustment, though, would need to be reasonable and would be considered against the circumstances of the individual case.
• The law covering sickness absence for these three conditions is the same as for other disabilities. However, it may be more likely that taking what is termed 'disability leave', rather than sick leave, might be seen as a 'reasonable adjustment'.

This web page should be used together with Acas guide  Disability discrimination: key points for the workplace [601kb]. It includes more of the considerations for employers and employees in practically and sensitively dealing with circumstances where an employee has a potentially progressive or life-threatening condition. Also, it signposts to where they can find out more.   

Telling an employer

Generally, in law, an employee does not have to tell their employer about their condition, but it may be more practical for them to do so, so the employer can support them and take their condition into consideration. However, there are some circumstances where an employee must tell their employer if they have MS or HIV.

More info can be found at ACAS or by talking to your local steward.

UNISON is launching a new model trans equality policy

UNISON is launching a new model trans equality policy to help equip people to challenge transphobia in the workplace.

Today is Trans Day of Remembrance, an international day that brings attention to just how much transphobia people face every day. It is why UNISON is launching the new model policy today.

Most employers still don’t have specific policies on trans equality and those who are developing them often consult UNISON on draft policies. These drafts reveal widespread confusion about appropriate language, good practice and even the law.

UNISON has developed a new model trans equality policy that organisations can adapt and use. The policy covers a statement of commitment, definitions of terms, legal protections for trans workers, recruitment, tackling discrimination, transitioning at work, promotion and monitoring of the policy.

The model policy accompanies other UNISON advice on trans workers’ rights, our guide for reps supporting trans members, and our guide on Gender identity: non-binary inclusion.

These can all be found in the resources section at unison.org.uk/out.

'Don’t fall apart': Managing your mind at work

"For the whole eight hour shift you have to pretend you're OK." 

Talking to family or friends is one thing, but speaking about your mental health at work can be really daunting. 

Here on Like Minds we've been finding out who you should tell, and how to make it a bit easier to start the conversation.

Click to watch short video  Produced by Tom Heyden and India Rakusen 

If you - or someone you know - have been affected by mental health issues, the following may be able to help.

Mental Health Foundation

Mental Health Foundation provides a guide to Mental Health problems, topical issues and treatment options via their website.

Visit the Mental Health Foundation website

Mind

Mind provides advice and support on a range of topics including types of mental health problem, legislation and details of local help and support in England and Wales.

Phone: 0300 123 3393 (weekdays 9am - 6pm)

Visit the Mind website

YoungMinds

YoungMinds offers information, support and advice for children and young people.

Help for concerned parents of those under 25 is offered by phone.

Phone: 0808 802 5544 (Mon–Fri 9.30am-4pm)

Visit the YoungMinds website

Inspire

Inspire (Northern Ireland Association for Mental Health) provides local services to support the mental health and wellbeing of people across Northern Ireland.

Phone: 028 9032 8474

Visit the Inspire website

SAMH

SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) can provide general mental health information, advise you on your rights and signpost you to your local services

Visit the SAMH website

Community Advice & Listening Line

Community Advice & Listening Line offers emotional support and information on mental health and related matters to people in Wales.

Phone: 0800 132 737 (24/7) or text "help" to 81066

Visit the Community Advice & Listening Line website

Bullying, harassment, victimisation: What's the difference?

In everyday language, bullying, victimisation and harassment can be used almost interchangeably to mean similar things.

But in the Equality Act 2010, victimisation and harassment have quite specific meanings - while 'bullying' doesn't feature as a legal term at all.

Harassment

Harassment may include bullying behaviour, and it refers to bad treatment that is related to a protected characteristic, such as age, sex, disability, race, gender, religion or sexual orientation.

More specifically, the law defines it as 'unwanted conduct related to a relevant protected characteristic, which has the purpose or effect of violating an individual's dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for that individual.'

It can include behaviour that individuals find offensive even if it's not directed at them, and even if they do not have the relevant protected characteristics themselves.

Victimisation

Victimisation broadly refers to bad treatment directed towards someone who has made or is believed to have made or supported a complaint under the Equality Act.

It includes situations where a complaint hasn't yet been made but someone is victimised because it's suspected they might make one.

If an individual gives false evidence or makes an allegation in bad faith, then they are not protected from victimisation under the Act.

Bullying

Bullying can be defined as offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour, an abuse of misuse of power that undermines, humiliates, denigrates or injures the recipient (emotionally or physically) - but it doesn't have a legal definition in the Equality Act. In fact bullying behaviour is very similar to harassment, but it is not related to a protected characteristic.

That said, the absence of bullying from the statute books doesn't mean that people who are being bullied - rather than harassed - have no protections. Neither does it mean that bullies can get away with doing whatever they like as long as their behaviour is not concerning a protected characteristic.

Employers have a 'duty of care' for their employees. No good firm would want its people working in an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment.

In any case, organisations that don't act on bullying effectively are likely to see lower levels of performance, productivity and engagement, as well as increased absence and high staff turnover - all of which can damage the bottom line.

People who feel they are being bullied are usually advised to raise a formal grievance if the matter cannot be resolved informally.

Dealing with grievances internally can be costly in time and money, and sap morale among staff. A breakdown in mutual trust and confidence at work because of bullying could leave employers open to claims of constructive dismissal at an employment tribunal.

So it's in every employer's interests to promote a safe, healthy and fair environment in which people can work without fear of being bullied, harassed or victimised.

Equally it's also in an employer's interests to try and nip unwanted behaviour in the bud by dealing with matters quickly and informally, where they can, thereby protecting the working relationship.

What constitutes workplace bullying?

What constitutes workplace bullying? The most likely things that come to mind are threatening, abusive or patronising behaviours at work. Increasingly, these behaviours are reinforced by email or online work forums, and may even continue outside of work on social media sites.

Take a look at https://www.hrzone.com/lead/culture/anti-bullying-week-2017-stopping-the-timer-on-workplace-bullying or talk to your local steward as we are here for you.

Equal pay

Key points

Employers must give men and women equal treatment in the terms and conditions of their employment contract if they are employed to do:

• 'like work' - work that is the same or broadly similar
• work rated as equivalent under a job evaluation study (see: Recruitment)
• work found to be of equal value in terms of effort, skill or decision making.

Employees can compare any terms in the contract of employment with the equivalent terms in a comparators contract.  A comparator is an employee of the opposite sex working for the same employer, doing like work of equal value. However, an employer may defend a claim if they show the reason for the difference is due to a genuine factor and not based on the sex of the employee.

Employees are also entitled to know how their pay is made up. For example, if there is a bonus system, everyone should know how to earn bonuses and how they are calculated.

The Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful to prevent employees from having discussions to establish if there are differences in pay. However, an employer can require their employees to keep pay rates confidential from people outside of the workplace.

The gender pay gap

The gender pay gap differs from equal pay as it is concerned with the differences in the average pay between men and women over a period of time no matter what their role is. Equal pay deals with the pay differences between men and women who carry out the same or similar jobs. For information on the gender pay gap and the forthcoming regulations on calculating it, see our Gender pay gap reporting page.

The equal terms can cover all aspects of pay and benefits, including:

• basic pay
• overtime rates
• performance related benefits
• hours of work
• access to pension schemes
• non monetary terms
• annual leave entitlements.

What to do if you think you are not receiving equal pay

An employee who thinks they are not receiving equal pay can write to their employer asking for information that will help them establish whether there is a pay difference and if so the reasons for the difference.

If an employee cannot resolve the problem informally or through the formal grievance procedure, they may complain to an employment tribunal under the Equality Act 2010 while still working in the job or up to six months after leaving the employment to which your claim relates.

Since 1 October 2014 employers who lose equal pay claims could be forced to conduct an equal pay audit and publish the results.

For more on the Equality Act 2010, see our Equality and discrimination section.

One in 10 council workers paid below the living wage

One in 10 council workers paid below the living wage, says UNISON​

One in ten council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are paid below the living wage, according to an analysis from UNISON released today (Friday).

Ahead of the Living Wage Foundation’s living wage week, UNISON is calling on the government to fund councils so they can become living wage employers. If it did, it would lift more than 60,000 cleaners, library assistants, residential and home care workers and other local authority staff out of poverty, says UNISON.

The new living wage rates are due to be announced next week. They are currently £9.75 an hour in London and £8.45 in the rest of the UK. The bottom hourly rate in local government is £7.78.

UNISON head of local government Heather Wakefield said: “Poverty pay should have no place in local government. It is shocking that so many public service workers, who are providing valuable services to communities up and down the country, are paid so little.

“Their work and dedication needs to be recognised. Living wage week is the perfect opportunity for the government to lift staff out of poverty and ensure that work pays fairly.

“Over three-quarters of local government workers are women. Low pay is contributing to the growing gender pay gap.

“The Chancellor must come up with the cash in the Budget to fund a decent, above inflation, pay rise for all public service workers.”

handing out High 5s to safety

UNISON is celebrating European Health and Safety Week (23-29 October) by handing out High 5s to safety reps and branches who are out there doing all sorts of things to deliver healthier, safer workplaces for members. 

Whatever you are doing, no matter how big or small, tell us about it and we will:

• feature it on our Facebook page
• tweet it from our Twitter page (#HSHigh5)
• put it on our health and safety webpage
• feature you in a forthcoming issue of H&S Organiser.

We will also send you one of our ‘not to be missed’ UNISON goodie bags. So come on, tell us what you are doing to celebrate European Health and Safety Week and get a High 5.

Send information and pictures to: healthandsafety@unison.co.uk

Visit the UNISON European Health and Safety Week webpage