Leeds Council Bulletin - Issue 3, Feb-Mar 2012

NO MORE CUTS IN LEEDS CITY COUNCIL

Our employer is proposing to cut an estimated 55m from this years budget that could translate to up to 600 job losses. The 90m axed from last years budget is already having a detrimental impact to the services the Council delivers predominantly through its Early Leavers Initiative and even closures to some frontline services.

Leeds Unison
AGM dates & venues
Open to all members

Tuesday 20th March 2012, was overwhelmingly rejected, 12.30 p.m., Leeds Art Gallery, and although there are new Henry Moore proposals regarding Managing Workforce Change our employer Room, The Headrow, Leeds, still intends to reduce the time it LS1 3AA has to redeploy staff and to begin that time much earlier than Thursday 22nd March 2012, we would like. Also, our 12.30 p.m., Belle Isle WMC employer has no intention of implementing phase two of Pay Tuesday 27th March 2012, & Grading re-evaluations and that there are groups of 4.30 p.m., Hough Top Court members still awaiting appeal Thursday 29th March 2012, Up to now, the position of Unison outcomes in phase 1. 5.15 p.m., UNISON Branch has been up to manage the cuts Office. so they impact least on our It is plain to see that further cuts members, and although there w i l l s e e m o r e s e r v i c e s has been no compulsory threatened with closure. union campaign is needed to redundancies the imposition of Cuts in our services have a prepare our members for action the ELI scheme and employment detrimental effect to the social now. This will see an increase in freeze has affected frontline mobility of service users and membership and put us in a services the most leaving many their families. Only those that strong position. As part of a services short staffed, making can afford to will be able to campaign to defend our jobs and our members work harder. This access the better quality services services we must lobby our is particularly acute in both in the private sector. employer to stop and reverse the Childrens and Adults Social cuts by using its millions of Services. pounds it has in reserves to Defend Jobs & Services In the first instance job cuts will invest in jobs and services, and In our consultation ballot last affect trade union density which as part of such a campaign, link year, the employers Managing will make it harder for us to it to youth unemployment and Workforce Change proposals organise to oppose them. involve service users, parents Therefore it is and carers in the widest possible necessary to way. b u i l d a campaign now Unison must now build a to oppose all the campaign for industrial action to cuts a n d defend jobs and services, call for generalise all an all-stewards JTUC and the issues we conduct an indicative ballot of face that has a the all members for industrial d e t r i m e n t a l action to oppose all the cuts effect to jobs, within Leeds City Council. On the pa y a n d basis of a YES vote build for a Saturday joint trade union rally in conditions. conjunction with an industrial UNISON must take action & fight cuts to jobs and services A joint trade action ballot.
Find out more: www.leedssocialistparty.wordpress.com / leedssp@hotmail.co.uk / Twitter: @leedssp

Leeds Council Bulletin - Issue 3

The Socialist Party argues for more than just fighting the cuts. As long as capitalism exists working people will face a future of uncertainly. What we gain today, the bosses will try to take back tomorrow as they are doing with the NHS. We need an alternative way of This issue still affects UNISON running society, a socialist So no doubt many UNISON members up and down the country, society, based on meeting the members were surprised when and many branches, including needs of the many by planning precisely after one day of industrial Leeds UNISON, have passed production in that direction and the government did not change motions calling for an emergency rather than making profits for a their minds about the attacks they local government conference to few at the top. To do this we are imposing upon us, Prentice and discuss the issue. need to take the banks and others in the UNISON leadership the other monopolies that signed up to the Heads of Hopefully, the conference will be dominate our economy into Agreement (HoA) document and able to debate the issue fully and public ownership and run them suspended industrial actions for resolve upon a fighting strategy to democratically. The Socialist negotiations. defeat the attacks on pensions. In Party is made up of ordinary the meantime, UNISON members people like you, so if you The HoA hasn't changed any of the should try to join the demonstration agree then join us in the fundamental issues in the dispute - that will be taking place in Leeds on struggle for socialism.
At last years UNISON conference, General Secretary, Dave Prentice declared that "This won't be the miners' strike. We are going to win... one day of industrial action will not change anyone's mind in government... action would be needed over an indefinite period." health service and local government. PCS (civil service), NUT (teachers) and UCU (lecturers) are now engaging in a consultation process with their members with further planned strike action on the 28th March. work longer, pay more, get less. Other union leaderships have seen through this and have rejected the HoA, including UNITE in both the 28th March to show their anger at the pension attacks and demand that next time UNISON members are out fighting alongside other public sector workers.

Pensions: Battle Not Over

Join the Socialists!

What the cuts mean for you: The Vine

We received this from a union rep at The Vine. We would like to print other info about how the councils cuts are really impacting on services (please send any reports to leedssp@hotmail.co.uk)
The Vine in Leeds provides specialist education provision for young adults with severe and complex learning difficulties. Many of the staff are female Unison members working parttime as Learning Support Assistants (LSAs). But since the beginning of the economic downturn in 2008 they have seen the service contract and deteriorate. students will be funded this way and how much will be provided by our own employer to keep our members in jobs. Overall it is predicted that Leeds City council is to cut another 55 million from its 2012-13 budget. That may mean up to 600 jobs will go! Our members at Vine have lost out in the re-evaluation of our jobs as it failed to account for the 'Special Needs Allowance' for the personal care we provide to the students. Although we qualified for the three-year pay protection that ran out in February 2011, and with no decent national pay increase in years, our members have really felt the pinch.

The students' funding is provided by Leeds City College via the Young We say enough is enough. No more Peoples' Learning Agency but there is cuts. Fair pay now. a question mark as to how many

We campaign for the following: Stop all cuts and closures. Oppose compulsory redundancies and fight for every job No to privatisation and the Public Finance Initiative (PFI). Bring all privatised council services back inhouse. Organise agency and parttime workers. No to a twotier workforce. Defend every service. Fight for the council to set a needs budget rather than doing Camerons dirty work for him. Trade unions to disaffiliate from New Labour, whose councillors are cutting council jobs and services in Leeds, and support candidates opposed to all cuts. Link up with service users, anti-cuts groups and community campaigns to defend all public services.

Find out more: www.leedssocialistparty.wordpress.com / leedssp@hotmail.co.uk / Twitter: @leedssp