Saturday, January 21, 2023

UNISON Greater London Housing Associations Branch Newsletter – January 2023

 

Welcome to the Branch Newsletter! I hope you had a nice break over the festive period and a good beginning of the year! We start this issue with a positive story about a member employed at Clarion Housing Group. 

As usual, we added information about future events and the opportunity to become a Branch delegate at upcoming conferences. We also wanted to share with you results of pay awards and AGM surveys. Barbara Zagrodniczek Branch Communications Officer 

Good news story for UNISON member just before Xmas A disabled Branch member employed by Clarion Housing Group was reinstated following an appeal against dismissal just 4 days before Christmas. The member was able to get his back pay reinstated before New Year. 

Clarion UNISON Convenor John Gray said “this shows the value of trade union representation at such hearings. Do NOT go to these hearings by yourself, but by law, only trade union stewards have the right to represent you at such hearings. Remember you will not get trade union representation unless you have at least 4 weeks membership. So join BEFORE any issue arises. Join UNISON now" - google Join UNISON online 24/7. 

URGENT NOTICE 

If you are a member of Clarion UNISON and have received an email from HR regarding pensions, please contact the Convenor, John Gray (his details in Microsoft Clarion Outlook). 

AGM 2023 Update In the last issue of the newsletter, we asked you to express your opinion on the way how the meeting should take place (in person, as a hybrid meeting or virtually). All members who took part in the survey responded that they prefer a hybrid meeting. 

We prepared a follow up survey to hear about your experience at the previous AGM and see how we can improve this year’s meeting. Please click on the link to fill in 1-2 mins survey https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/WZ8WKSP 

Opportunity to represent Branch at UNISON 2023 National Delegate Conference Date: Friday, 13 th June 2023 – Sunday, 16th June 2023 Location: Liverpool The Branch would like to send up to four delegates to this conference. The delegation will have to reflect on the proportionality of the Branch and UNISON guidance. 

If you would like to attend, please send your details along with a supporting statement (max. 100 words) to info@hablondon.org by 8:00am on Monday, 6 th February 2023. Travel, accommodation, and meals will be paid for by the Branch in-line with our expenses policy. We look forward to your responses. 

Upcoming Events Community and Voluntary Lunch and Learn: Examining charity accounts to submit pay claims Tuesday, 17 January 2023 at 12:30pm-1:30pm (virtual event) UNISON is running lunch and learn session for anyone involved in drafting a pay claim who want tips and pointers for how best to examine their employer’s accounts before submitting the claim. Please register here. 

Public Procurement Due Diligence | Business and Human Rights Roundtable Wednesday, 1st February 2023 at 6:30pm-8:30pm (hybrid event) On 1st of February there would be an upcoming hybrid roundtable discussion event in collaboration with UNISON-International and Doughty Street Chambers on Public Procurement and the vital importance of due diligence. You can participate via Zoom and in person. Please click here to reserve a spot. 

Branch Officer’s Reports 

(December 2022) Chris Milson – Branch Secretary It’s the festive time of year, which also means it’s time that many employers in the Branch are thinking about pay awards for next year. This year the Branch put together a pay claim survey which went out with the October Newsletter. Hundreds of you responded, and we’ve used the results to inform discussions about pay this year. 

Some of the statistics are startling: 

  • When asked about their financial position relative to this time last year, a huge 72% of respondents said that they were worse off. 
  • 41% of respondents said that they were relying on methods other than their main employment to make ends meet – including taking 2nd jobs, regular overtime, working unsociable hours, taking in lodgers, or using credit cards or loans. 
  • More than half of respondents reported that conditions in their workplaces have become more challenging in the last year, with workloads and service users increasing, while the number of staff and the quality-of-service decreases – all of this causing stress and a negative impact on work-life balance. 
  • 55% of respondents reported that morale at their workplace was either low – or very low – and that this had worsened compared to the previous year, and 
  • 68% of respondents said they had either seriously or very seriously considered leaving their role in the past year. 

All of this illustrates the challenges that have been faced by staff within our sector this year, and the reasons we should all be negotiating with our employers for the best pay awards we can get in 2023. For now, I hope you have a good Christmas break and happy New Year. 

(This communication has been written by a dyslexic person. If you have any trouble with the meaning of any of the sentences or words, please do not be afraid to ask for clarification. Remember that dyslexics are often high-level conceptualisers who provide “out of the box” thinking).

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