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

Supporting members in the uncertain times ahead

 

We are pleased to announce a new 'Time for Change' webinar series aimed at supporting members in the uncertain times ahead. 

There are eight webinars in the series and each one will be focusing on key skills that could help our members through Covid-19 and beyond. As a union, UNISON are committed to helping our members in the workplace and will be fighting for job security and better working conditions in all workplaces. 

• Redundancy support and information | Thursday 2 September | Watch here
• Moving On: The introduction to finding a new job | Thursday 17 September 
• How to write a successful CV and covering letter | Thursday 1 October 
• Interviews | Thursday 15 October
• Understanding debt, borrowing and budgeting | Thursday 29 October | 13:00 - 14:00 
• Facing change and managing stress | Thursday 12 November | 13:00 - 14:00 
• Digital skills | Thursday 26 November | 13:00 - 14:00 
• Power to be You | Thursday 3 December | 13:00 - 14:00 

To find out more information about all of these webinars, please look at our new course programme. Please circulate the above webinar information with your branch. 

If you would like to apply for any of these webinars, please email membereducationse@unison.co.uk with your membership number. 

Best wishes

Abbey Dunn
Regional Learning and Development Organiser | UNISON South East 

Do it for your grandparents

 

Your Covid Recovery.

If you’ve had coronavirus, you may still be experiencing some symptoms. Find out how the new Your Covid Recovery website can help click HERE for help and advise from the NHS.

UNISON Face Coverings

Today Oxford City Branch of UNISON has started rolling our face masks to our members who are having to go out every day delivering essential key services. 

Made from a polyester spandex stretch material our tests have found that their flexibility is helping our members stay safe when delivering their key services.

If you would like one please talk to your local steward or email office@oxfordcityunison.com 

Your see our stewards have been testing out there flexibility 

 

Is COVID-19 affecting Deaf workers

UNISON activists Iain Scott-Burdon and Gill Jeffery look at how the pandemic is affecting Deaf workers in their blog. Read it here or watch the signed version below.

We all need to do our bit

Pride is a protest – get ready for our virtual event

Members of UNISON’s national and regional LGBT+ groups have really missed the opportunity to be out and about at Pride events this summer. We’ve missed working with all the branches that support us at these events, and talking to everyone – members and prospective members.

Given this – and to make sure that the UNISON LGBT+ community is seen this summer – we have organised a virtual Pride is a protest event.

This will take place this Saturday 1 August between 2pm and 5pm and will be on the UNISON  Facebook pages.

There’ll be videos reminding us why it is so important for LGBT+ people to be members of a trade union, videos of why Pride is still a protest, and photos of UNISON’s LGBT+ members at Pride events in previous years.

We’ll also be sharing materials that we would have had on our Pride stalls up and down the country.

And we’d like you to share photos of yourselves at Pride, of your branch or regional banner – and if you’d like us to add a video of why Pride is important to you, please send that video, by whatsapp, to 07961 089665.

We are really looking forward to this – and hope that you will be able to join us at some time during the day.

General Secretary election 2020: timetable agreed

The union's National Executive Council at a meeting on 23 July 2020, agreed a timetable for the election of the post of general secretary. Full details and procedures are available:

Details and Procedures (PDF)

Nomination period

The nomination period will run from 10 August to 25 September 2020. Any meetings held to agree a nomination must take place between these dates. All nominating bodies will receive an email from Civica Election Services on 10 August with details about how nominations can be submitted.

Voting

Any ballot will run from 28 October to 27 November 2020. Any results will be issued on 11 January 2021.

Eligibility to vote

All members, including retired members (but not honorary members), who are on the union's membership register as of 28 July 2020, will be entitled to vote in this election. Members not on the membership register on 28 July 2020 will not be able to vote.

Returning Officer and Scrutineer

The returning officer and scrutineer for this election is Civica Election Services. Email: unison@cesvotes.com Tel: 020 8365 8909

Complaints

Any complaint about the conduct or fairness of this election must be received no later than 5pm on 4 December 2020. Complaints must be in writing and should enclose any supporting documentation. Complaints should be sent to Civica Election Services. Email unison@cesvotes.com Any queries on this information or this election should be directed to the Member Liaison Unit at the UNISON centre. Email: gs20election@unison.co.uk Tel: 020 7121 5399

Tests for coronavirus are free. No one from NHS Test and Trace will ever ask you to pay for a test. You will also NOT be asked to provide:
❌ any passwords
❌ bank account details
❌ pin numbers

Find out more about how NHS Test and Trace works:
➡️ Click here to get a test

Think you have Covid-19?

If you have symptoms of coronavirus, you need to get tested. 

Book your free test here: nhs.uk/coronavirus 

Equality Survey 2020 COVID-19

Tell us about your experiences during the coronavirus pandemic.   The results will be used to direct our work with government, employers and others in keeping workers safe and fighting for better conditions at work. If you complete the survey and give us your email address, you will be entered into a prize draw to win up to £100 worth of shopping vouchers.

Share your experiences

Please sign the £10 billion bailout petition

The government must fund local councils properly to keep communities safe and rebuild the country after the pandemic. Unless ministers fix the council funding shortfall of £10bn, there could be tens of thousands of job losses and catastrophic cuts to local services in England. But in this week's economic statement, the Chancellor failed to offer any support. Join UNISON's urgent call for a £10 billion bailout by signing the petition.

Add your name to the petition

Learning and Organising Services Website

A great resource to find out about all the learning opportunities available to members. You can log in and discover wellbeing, stress management and many more learning opportunities. I cannot list them all here, and it will include everything we are learning about in this session. I usually use the A-Z of learning resources to find what I am looking for.

https://learning.unison.org.uk/

Looking for a way to get started with computers, smartphones and the internet?

Then enrol on the free, user-friendly courses on Learn My Way. Learn My Way is an online learning platform that has helped 2 million people get to grips with IT.

All you need to do to start learning is to register for a free account to save your progress:

•  Log on to: www.learnmyway.com

1. Click Register (top right corner of your screen)
2.  You then fill in four boxes on the next window: 

✚ your name

✚ your address (or phone number if you don’t yet have an email address)

✚ a password for accessing the site

✚ UNISON’s centre number: 8000647.

That’s it! You’re now ready to start. Simply choose the course you want to take and away you go. 

Start learning today at https://www.learnmyway.com

What can I learn?

 You can access any or all of these free online courses using your smartphone, tablet or computer:

✚ Using your computer or device

✚ Online basis

✚ Office programs

✚ More internet skills

✚ Online safety

✚ Finding a job online

✚ Improving your health online

✚ Public services online

✚ You can also undertake initial assessments of your literacy and numeracy skills.

Let’s say thank you to all our key workers

UNISON has become a partner in the /together coalition, which this weekend will unite the country to celebrate the NHS’ birthday and commemorate all those who have died from the coronavirus.

Click HERE for the full story from UNISON 

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

The trades union congress (TUC) needs your help

Help us keep workers safe when they return to work after lockdown by testing our new website. We need your help to ensure employers are acting responsibly and keeping their employees safe by conducting COVID-Secure risk assessments.

Employers should publish their risk asseements on their websites. But so far, very few employers are publishing them, and we fear many are ignoring their duties altogether. 

We want you to help us report employers that are neglecting their responsibility. So please spare some time to check out our new reporting website https://covidsecurecheck.uk/ 

The website lets workers:

• Add a risk assessment they’ve found, or flag an employer that hasn’t published.
• Join a survey panel to help crowdsource safety data on workplaces as more return.
• Get advice on how to address safety concerns in the workplace.

Your thoughts and help will be hugely useful in building this new resource.

If you’ve got time, please

• Check out the website https://covidsecurecheck.uk/, let us know what you think at info@covidsecurecheck.uk
• Add a record for your employer or another in your sector
• Become a COVID-Secure Monitor, and join our survey panel

 Thanks for your help in making our workplaces safer as members go back to work.

http://www.tuc.org.uk

Wellbeing Webinars

Monday 22 June | 11:00 - 12:00
Friday 10 July | 11:00 - 12:00

We are excited to announce a special course for all UNISON members.

What will this course cover?

How to identify and manage stress
Practical ways to improve wellbeing - from exercise to meditation
How to manage exposure to the media
How to manage your inner critic (inner coach debate)
Additional resources and activities to boost wellbeing
This training is provided free to all members.

To apply, please email your membership number, full name and date you would like to attend to educationse@unison.co.uk.

Open University Mental Health Awareness Webinar

This training is provided free to all members. 

Friday 3 July | 10:00 - 13:00

Open University will be delivering this course, open to all members within the South East. 

What will this course cover?

Discuss facts about mental health and mental health problems 

Challenge myths and misconceptions 

Explore public attitudes and stigma 

Understand social and medical responses to medical distress 

Explore what might be helpful to promote mental health 

Focus on some workplace examples

To apply, please email your membership number and full name to educationse@unison.co.uk.

A pause for thought

Stay safe out there

10 Keys to happier living

https://www.twistwest.org/news/10-keys-happier-living-crisis-and-beyond

Lets all stay safe out there