Meeting 1
Wed 28th March 2012
Longmoor Social Club
Longmoor Lane
L9 9EN
7.30 Buffet and Raffle

Meeting 2
Thur 29th March 2012
Main Lecture Theatre
Clinical Sciences Building
Aintree Hospital
1pm 

We know choosing where to go isn’t always easy and as soon as summertime is on the horizon the same annual questions arise… 
Back to where we loved last year or somewhere new?  Stick close to home or head far away?  Maybe try a cruise ship, city break or jungle trek?  One look at a globe can send us into fits of indecision.  Book with UNISON Travel Club and you’ll not only receive the best prices but you’ll experience a one to one service with your own personal travel advisor to help you plan your perfect holiday.
 
ü  NEW ‘WORLD OF HOLIDAYS’ MAGAZINE

Our brand new edition of World of Holidays magazine is out now.  Click here to view the offers – http://bit.ly/zVLtxI
Includes 100’s of new offers with savings as much as 50% - Whether you’re looking for Cornwall or Cuba – We have a deal for you!
 
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Check out our fabulous new UK Hotel deals – Exclusive to UNISON Members - http://bit.ly/AD9jyb

ü  NEW CRUISE & STAY HOLIDAYS

City Stay & Cruise holidays from only £835pp – Exclusive to UNISON Members - http://bit.ly/AmOtua

ü  NEW COMPETITION

Check out our fabulous new UK Hotel deals – Exclusive to UNISON Members - http://bit.ly/zZwOiw

ü  BRANCH LITERATURE

Promote the Travel Club to your members. Order your posters, flyers, adverts and website links here - http://bit.ly/uUkjkq

Take advantage of your exclusive Travel Club benefit and save yourself time and money! 

To celebrate the hard work of your stewards over the last few decades, we have chosen some articles from the past to publicise before the new year. This article was first run in 2006. and

UNISON AND INITIAL HOSPITAL SERVICES REACH PAY AND CONDITIONS AGREEMENT 2006

UNISON is delighted to have reached agreement with Initial Hospital Services on new Rates of Pay and Conditions of Service for staff including Cleaners, Laundry and Catering workers, employed by Initial within the Aintree Hospitals NHS Trust. 

The agreement is based on the Agenda for Change package which operates within the NHS. It means for the first time in many years staff employed by Initial will be on the same pay and conditions of service as those staff directly employed by the NHS.

The main features of the agreement are:-

Basic pay will rise to £6.03 back dated to 1 October 2006. It is hoped that this will be paid as soon as possible.

Annual Pay Increase will be from 1 April each year. (this brings forward the pay settlement date by three months) so members will get their pay increase earlier. This years’ pay rise will be backdated to 1 April 2007.

Recognition of previous service for the purposes of the full Agenda for Change entitlement for holidays, backdated to 1 October 2006. 

Overtime, week end, nights and unsocial hours payments in line with the full Agenda for Change package, backdated to 1 October 2006.

8 Bank Holidays per year. If staff work on these days, double time PLUS time off in lieu.

Full Agenda for Change sick pay entitlement, backdated to 1 April 2007. 

The introduction of annual increment increases in pay to the top of the pay bands – These increases are IN ADDITION TO the April pay increase.  The agreement follows extensive negotiations between UNISON and Initial lasting 2 years.

Peter Ballard Branch Secretary of Sefton Health UNISON said:- "This agreement ends the spectre of the two tier workforce and recognises the valuable contribution that Health Workers such as cleaners, laundry workers and catering staff make to delivering high quality services to patients." 

Vera Kearny UNISON Shop Steward said:- "After a long campaign by UNISON our members will no longer be treated like 2nd class citizens and will enjoy the same pay and conditions as other NHS Staff.

We feel this is a great victory for all UNISON members employed by private contractors.

This victory was hard fought for, but UNISON members stood firm and are delighted with the outcome"

Frank Hont, UNISON North West Regional Secretary said:- “This is a tremendous result for UNISON members and others in Aintree Hospitals.

Thanks to the solidarity and determination shown by trade union members their contribution will be recognised.

We hear a lot about nurses and doctors in the NHS but patient care is a team effort and these staff play a vital part in providing quality care to patients.“

Martin Nelson with Ovacome 2010

Martin is your local young members representative here at Sefton Health Branch, he also works as a steward. Last year he was fettered in the "Next Generation Magazine" Click his picture to read all out it. 

(20/12/11) Health unions, including UNISON, have agreed to consult on government ministers' final pension proposals at the conclusion of negotiations.

The Heads of Agreement document has been given to 16 health unions who will consult with their executives. UNISON service group executives will meet on 10 January to decide on next steps.

The document is not an agreement or a deal. It is the government's final offer to the unions and does include some improvements as a result of union action on 30 November and negotiations. It will be for each union to determine their response through their own democratic processes.

Formal negotiations on the NHS pension scheme in Scotland have not yet started with the Scottish government. The trade unions are aware of the proposals for England and Wales and will be discussing them with the Scottish Health Minister in the New Year.

The key points of the England and Wales proposals are:

• Accrued rights are protected.
• Full protection for those within 10 years of the normal retirement age of their current existing pension scheme, including those with special class status. They will continue to be able to retire at 55, 60 or 65 depending on what scheme they are in. An additional 3.5 years tapered protection.
• The new proposed scheme would come into effect in 2015 and would be a career average scheme with an accrual rate of 1/54 uprated by CPI plus 1.5%, this represents a significant improvement from the outset of the negotiations.
• The government is still proposing contribution increases. In 2012 members will pay between 0 and 2.4% extra. Those with a pensionable salary of less than £26,557 will not pay any extra. This will apply to 48% of the NHS workforce and probably around 70% of UNISON members. There will be further discussions on contributions in years 2 and 3.
• Normal Pension Age (NPA) will remain equal to State Pension Age (SPA). We could not shift the Government on this issue. Unions have proposed a number of alternatives but as yet this remains in the Heads of Agreement.
• Fair Deal will apply in health and anyone being TUPE transferred will be able to keep their NHS pension. They are proposing to review extending access to the NHS scheme for staff working in Any Qualified Provider organisations (AQPs).
• A tripartite review of the impact of the proposed increase in pension ages on certain categories of staff including those in emergency services.

A full analysis of the Heads of Agreement will be published on our website shortly.

Heads of agreement document [pdf file]

 NHS pensions - UNISON press release

Local government unions have issued a joint statement on discussions on a new set of principles and timetable for detailed negotiations on pensions. 

Any outcomes will need to be ratified by the Secretary of State, but if agreed, the unions believe they "lay a positive framework" for full negotiations to start in January. 

The statement stresses that no decisions have been taken over details surrounding contribution increases or the future look of the local government pension scheme. 

Further details will be announced as soon as they are available. 

See the full joint union statement here: 
Local government pensions joint union statement - PDF

2012 Diary's available now from your stewards or branch office