UNISON Derby City Branch
When: Thursday 21st July
Time: 12.15 – 2pm
Where: Irish Club, 11 Becket St, Derby, DE1 1HT
We will be holding a meeting to discuss:-
We will provide cold soft drinks, so please bring your own lunch
We are currently in a position where talks are taking place between UNISON and Derby City Council to try and resolve our current dispute, there are currently no further proposals from Derby City Council being put on the table. However, UNISON is committed to acting in the best interest of it’s members, this includes listening to what you have to say at every opportunity.
At an emergency meeting held in April it was agreed by UNISON members that 3 solutions should be put forward by us if further talks between UNISON and the employer took place. Those were;
In order for us to gauge what really matters to you, please follow the link below to Survey Monkey and rank the above solutions in order of importance to you, this allows us to be better informed about what it actually is that UNISON members are seeking.
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/PTL87SK
We are acutely aware that reinstatement of the Special Classroom Allowance in non-mainstream schools is a big requirement for UNISON members.
If you work with a dedicated child with additional needs and prior to the 1 June 2016 you were in receipt of the Special Classroom Allowance (in a main stream school) then you should be in receipt of this payment.
Your continued action over the last few weeks is having a real impact. Now is the time to try and get stronger in your workplace and try and make the impact greater.
It is essential that we have a comprehensive understanding of what UNISON members are seeking. There are no proposals from the employer side and if at any time that there are any proposals or resolution this would only be agreed after UNISON have fully consulted with all members.
Your Pay – Your Campaign – Strike latest.
You’ve been brilliant.
It has been sad to see that Derby’s Councillors have been willing to cut the pay of school staff. Schools staff pay was hardly high before but councillors willingness to reduce it further still, leaving people who educate our children earning little more than a councillors basic allowance. The response from UNISON members in schools though has been brilliant. We have seen successful strike action across the city which has had a significant impact on school services. Support from parents and indeed from many heads remains high.
We are having an effect. We need to keep going.
Talks
So far UNISON has met with the Chief Executive and other senior officers on 4 occasions to talk about the dispute. We’ve been talking constructively about various options for resolving the dispute but we don’t yet have any breakthrough and there is nothing on the negotiating table that would enable us to call of the industrial action
What next?
UNISON members have said that there may be an opportunity to end the dispute if people are offered 37 hours on a permanent basis and an amount equivalent to Special Classroom Allowance is reinstated. This means that there is the opportunity to suspend strike action in schools where this happens. UNISON are considering the implications of the options which would be available to us, to resolve this, if this becomes something which Derby City are willing to talk about. We will update you once we have fully considered all the options and the implications shortly.
In the Meantime – we strike next week
There is no doubt that the strike action is effective. Up to half of Derby’s schools are closed. No-one wants that to continue. What is crucial though is that we continue with the action until you get the changes you deserve. I am certain that can happen if we continue with the action.
Next week we are striking 12-2pm. Formal notice has been received by the employer in sufficient time to allow for this.
· Tuesday, activity will be to support members of the NUT taking action on the same day
· Wednesday, we will be holding a DEMO outside the Council House, assemble at Royal Oak House. Bring your own banners and placards
· Friday will be at the Rivergardens initially for cake & chip cobs, followed by a further demo outside the council house. Think creatively about what you would like to do on this day.
Any questions?
Please ring the branch office on 01332 643216 or email unison@derby.gov.uk We are committed to responding to all queries as speedily as we can.
Yours sincerely
Adrian Morgan
Regional Organiser