December 2010 visit us at: www.coventryunison.co.uk

6th Edition www.unison.org.uk

THE UNION TEAM

Corporate representative Janice Lawrence Local representatives

Paul Hunt David McAteer

Mike Wallace Health & Safety representative

Ravinder Sandhu

Contact representatives Anita Naughton; Richard Wise; Carl Davies; Lyn Salt; Sarb Bahia; Jacqui Connelly; Laura Jackson; Hazel Townsend; Vashanti Lad; Jaz Kelsey; Sonia Germaine-Gordon;

Check out our sister newsletter 'Union Street News' at www.coventryunison.co.uk

the

UNISON

SPOTLIGHT ON

REVENUES AND BENEFITS

CONTENTS The Union Team Unison benefits Editorial Demo against the cuts Unison Legal Services Members Forum Spotlight Recipe

‘Authentic’ Chicken Curry!!

UNISON MEMBER BENEFITS!!!

EDITORIAL ‘SPOTLIGHT COMMENT’

2010 2010 has been a very difficult year for public sector workers and 2011 promises to be just as bad. After the previous

Government bailed out the banks with our money, the current Government is now asking us to pick up the tab, with every section of society being asked to pay for a crisis not of our making. Within our council 1000 jobs are to go and this is surely just the beginning. Documents have also been circulated around Local Authorities asking Councils to think of devious ways to save money, for example, asking people to not take increments, unpaid annual leave and reductions in hours. This is something we will have to closely monitor.

Across Europe, there is a similar pattern emerging and Ireland is a particularly interesting example. They endured massive cuts and then what happened? The financial markets demanded even more cuts in return for a bail out from the circling vultures of the International Monetary Fund.

The fight back

We believe Unison and the trade unions need to organise resistance to these attacks. Once these jobs and services go, they will not be coming back. Locally Unison played a key role in the Coventry against the Cuts demonstration (see pictures), with an excellent turnout from members across Revenues and Benefits. We also provided a strong contingent at the lobby against the cuts in London. We will need to continue to build alliances with other trade unions, students, service users and the public in general to give the Government and Council a run for its money. Unison have produced an alternative budget to show how there does not need to be any cuts. The question is will local politicians sign up to this, not just in words but also in deeds? Certainly, it would be good to see the Labour council administration start to stand up to the Conservative/Lib dem Government rather than implementing their cuts as is happening now. Labour nationally has a duty to oppose these cuts. At present, that opposition is coming mainly from the students! – We call on Labour activists and disaffected liberals to join us in opposing these grossly unfair cuts and join the growing opposition movement in the Country. There will no doubt be local events in the New Year which we will be supporting; however a key date will be the National TUC demonstration on 26th March in London. We have to make sure this is one of the biggest demonstrations in recent British history. There will be free transport from Coventry to this event (or at worst very cheap transport!) and we call on all members and their families to attend this. If you want to put your name down for it now, let us know!

Revenues and Benefits This year we have seen more members get involved in the union, with more stewards and more contact reps. We have also had excellent turnouts from Revenues and Benefits at Unison council wide meetings, and as previously mentioned the Coventry march against the cuts. We have also made a local agreement with the GMB to work together where we can. We are very keen to carry on improving union organisation in the workplace. Remember the union is not just about a few stewards, YOU are the union, and we all have a responsibility to work together collectively.

Please think about how you can help the union. Can you become a steward, a contact rep, or health and safety rep? Can you recruit someone on your team who is not in Unison? If you want any more information on this, please get in touch.

Congratulations!! *A big well done to Dave McAteer on his successful completion of the union stewards training course* *Welcome to Laura Jackson our latest contact rep We wish them both the best of luck in their roles!*

'COVENTRY AGAINST THE CUTS' PROTEST MARCH AND RALLY

MILLENNIUM PLACE, COVENTRY. SATURDAY 4TH

DECEMBER

BELOW: REVENUES AND BENEFITS STAFF LEAD THE WAY ON THE PROTEST MARCH

DID YOU KNOW?

As a UNISON member you receive:

Free legal advice and representation on: Personal injury at work (including assaults)

Personal injury away from work Road traffic accident injury Holiday injury Slips and trips Industrial disease or illness Employment law accessed through your UNISON branch Free legal advice for: Any non-work issues such as landlord disputes, neighbourhood disputes, matrimonial and consumer issues, free wills Criminal law representation (for work-related matters)

For UNISON members and their families we offer:

Free legal advice and representation on: Personal injury away from work Road traffic accident injury, holiday injury Slips and trips away from work Special terms for clinical negligence cases Reduced rates for conveyancing, and family member wills Thompsons Solicitors is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority Over £100 million in compensation recovered for UNISON members and their families in the last 3 years

Contact UNISON direct on:

0845 355 0845

Textphone: 0800 0 967 968 for the hard of hearing Mon-Fri 6am-midnight/Sat 9am-4pm

www.thompsons.law.co.uk

‘MEMBERS FORUM’

Member Question: I am worried about the outcome of the job reductions at the Council. However, I am also very concerned that the issues around the cuts have become ‘too political’. I have no particular political affiliations myself and am worried that the issues may be turned into a ‘political football’ with ordinary working people taking the consequences. Can you reassure me that Unison will not politicise this campaign? Spotlight response: Unfortunately, because these decisions on public sector cutbacks are made in Westminster by the ruling coalition Government, we have no other option (whether we like it or not) to accept that these decisions are ‘political’. However, this does not mean that because the issues are of a political nature this is simply a campaign supported solely by Unions and left wing organisations. On the contrary, if you attended the recent ‘Coventry against the cuts’ demonstration in the City on the 4th December you would have seen a broad coalition of people from many different backgrounds. On the political side, there were supporters of the Labour party, the Socialist party, the Green party and the Socialist workers party. There were also members of six Coventry trade unions, students, teachers and health workers (some disaffected Lib dems & tories???). Also, let us not forget those members of the public, and their families, who came along to speak on such issues as the reductions in disability benefit to the vulnerable and other cuts to the welfare state. You say that that you have no ‘political affiliations’. Many people are not members of political parties and do not consider themselves ‘affiliated’. After the MP expenses scandal this is understandable, but we cannot allow this disillusionment to stop us from acting against these cuts. With the advent of 24 hour news media, there is no excuse for being ‘apolitical’ given the regressive laws being passed now and coming into force in April 2011. They will not only affect us, but our children and grandchildren who will be living in this City long after us. That is why the opposition to these cuts is not simply from Unions, left wing organisations, Council service users and the Coventry public, but also from disaffected Liberal democrats and Conservatives. We know that both these parties had MP’s who either abstained or voted against the Government in the recent passing of the student fees legislation which will have a direct effect on Coventry families.

Unison has been clear from the start that there is an alternative programme that would not result in the wholesale job losses (and loss of services) brought about by the policies of the coalition Government. We have published these in ‘Spotlight 5’ for all our members to see. Ultimately, we cannot be accused of failing to take a lead, or offer a sustainable future that safeguards the vital work carried out by the public sector. Moreover, a knock on effect of saving these jobs would be the protection of those private sector jobs reliant on Councils, Hospitals and Schools. Regretfully, no mainstream party at this point has signed up to our alternative budget. We can only speculate as to why. Of the principal arguments, we have pointed out that a huge loophole around the issue of tax evasion for non-domiciles exists and the Government should be looking at this as a priority. So far, there has been little evidence of this. We have also stated that people earning in excess of £100k should be paying 50% tax. The liberal columnist, Polly Toynbee, has said that middle and high-income families are not paying anything towards reducing the deficit. So much for: ‘were all in this together’. Most bizarre, the financial sector, which caused this travesty, is still not paying a proportionate amount back to the state. To add insult to injury, the high salary and bonus culture has as yet, not diminished. Ironically, back in the dark days of the miner’s strike in the 1980’s, the Mineworkers Union (NUM) were accused among other things of holding the Country to economic ransom. It could be argued that the bankers are doing the same with thinly veiled threats to ‘move abroad’ if the Government were to legislate too severely against the excesses of these institutions. Finally, for all these reasons, we feel that we have to stand up and protect our jobs and services for the wellbeing of Coventry people now and in the future. Failure to stop these cuts will, as you allude to in your question, mean that those at the bottom of the pile will pay the most for a catastrophe created in the financial sector and we will end up taking a step back in time to the ‘Ghost town’ of the 1980’s. The choice is clear. COVENTRY UNISON COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER DAVID KERSEY SPEAKS AT THE ‘COVENTRY AGAINST THE CUTS’ RALLY

SPOTLIGHT RECIPE

‘AUTHENTIC’ EASY & QUICK CHICKEN CURRY

SERVED WITH CORIANDER AND TURMERIC RICE

Ingredients (serves 4 approx)

6 Chicken thighs, or 3 Chicken breast (chopped 1" square pieces)

2 medium onions (red are fine, chopped coarsely) 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped) 1 inch piece of root ginger ( finely chopped)

2 heaped Tablespoons of curry paste (Rogan Josh or similar) Coconut milk (optional)

Handful of Coriander (including stalks) Squeeze of lemon Handful of Garden peas

Salt & Pepper Basmati Rice (half a cup)

Half teaspoon of Turmeric

Method

For this quick and easy chicken curry follow these easy steps! In a deep sided pan, gently fry the onions, garlic and ginger on a low

heat. Once the mixture has caramelised (browned off) and is starting to crisp around the edges (about 15/20 minutes) then you can go on

to the next stage. Add the diced chicken to the Pan (Thighs are tastier and less

expensive!) and fry for 2 -3 minutes until coated with the onion mix.

Stir in the Curry paste (Good quality shop bought is fine, although home made paste can be better!), bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes adding the peas with 10 minutes to go.

Season to taste with Salt, Pepper and a squeeze of lemon, and add the coriander stalks.

As an optional extra, for a creamy coconut finish, you may like to add

half a can of coconut milk which will enrich the sauce. Continue to cook for another 10 minutes until the sauce has reduced.

Serve with easy turmeric rice. Simply cook your rice as per packet instructions and add half teaspoon of turmeric.

Finish off with some coriander leaves as you plate up and serve with Naan bread.

Enjoy!!

From all of the team at Spotlight we wish you a fantastic Christmas and a happy and peaceful new year!!