Unison Herts

In February every year the Trades Union Congress (TUC) holds a Work Your Proper Hours event to highlight the amount of free work that employees do for their employer.  This event is vital to remind workers that even working 15 minutes a week over your normal contracted hours is free labour.  I have included a link, so that you can try and calculator for how much hours you are not being paid for each week.

 http://www.worksmart.org.uk/overtime_calc.php

 The question obviously is; why are you telling me about this now?

 We are 77 days away from the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games in London.  Along with all of the sporting performances, there is going to be 6,000 musical performers at the opening and closing ceremonies.  Unfortunately, it seems that only 500 of these will be paid.  These talented performers deserve better.  (MU musicians union)

 In 2009 British Airways boss, Willie Walsh requested that his 40,000 employees worked without pay for one month.  The reason for this was because the airline was burning through cash at a rate of £3million a day.  The two main unions, UNITE and GMB gave this request short shrift and encouraged Mr Walsh to work for nothing instead and leave their hardworking members alone.

 Within schools in Hertfordshire, support staffs are being asked to; 

• Start earlier than their contracted start time.
• Work past their contracted finish time.
• Undertake work that is more complex than what their job description describes.
• Undertake work on par with what would be expected for a Teacher.

 All of these requests are being asked of UNISON members by their employer at present.  Every time I talk with members who are being expected to undertake these extra jobs they are putting their earning potential at risk.  They are being taken advantage of and until already hard pressed workers realise this and look to rebalance what is fair or unfair, this practice will continue.

So I would direct you to the title of this article.  Do you work for free? 

Try out the TUC calculator to find out if you do!

Brian Ruggles.

Schools Branch Officer.

As I reported earlier this month, this Government has made changes to the rules concerning claiming Family Tax Credits. This will cost some of our members up to £3870 per year.

At this time, the changes are due to come into force from the beginning of this month. Couples who work 16 hours a week or more and earn less than £17700 pa between them get Tax Credits worth £3870 pa.  From next month they will have to work 24 hours a week between them. This will mean all couples working between 16 and 24 hours a week will lose out even though the need to work a minimum number of hours will be abolished altogether when the planned new Universal Credit is introduced between 2013 and 2014.

UNISON was campaigning for the changes to be reversed in the March budget and any changes until the Universal Credit begins to be phased in. UNISON Labour Link has also been working with the Labour MP's to campaign against these changes.  

As part of the campaign, this Branch is urging all our members to;

• Lobby all Hertfordshire MP's to put pressure on the Government to reverse and delay the changes.
•  Make other members aware of these changes via our website and the National UNISON website.
•  If there is anyone out there that will be affected and wishes to be part of a case study, let the Branch know, so we can show how real families can and will be affected.
•  I have already asked HCC whether they can be more imaginative when employing staff, by offering existing staff additional hours if they need them.
•  Please write to your MP and also your local County Councillor asking them their position on these dire proposals, and inform them your opinions.
•  The Branch Officers of Herts County Branch of UNISON will be going to the House of Commons in May to Lobby MP's regarding the changes.

Keith Price

Branch Secretary

A number of important employment law changes came into effect last week, including an increase in the qualifying period for unfair dismissal for new starters and costs awards to businesses in so-called vexatious Tribunal claims.

The following reflect the most significant changes that came into force on 6 April:

• The qualifying period for claiming unfair dismissal increased from one to two years for employees starting a new job on or after 6 April. The change is not, however, retrospective so employees who started their job before that date are still subject to the one-year period.
•  Judges can now sit alone in unfair dismissal cases (previously they had to sit with lay members), unless they think it is appropriate for the case to be heard by a full panel, for example, where there are significant disputes about the facts.
•  Witness statements can now be provided in writing as opposed to the previous rules when a witness read their own statement out aloud.
•  The maximum level for costs awarded to businesses winning a vexatious Tribunal claim increased from £10,000 to £20,000.
•  Deposit orders required by claimants when a judge determines that a part of claim is unmerited increased from £500 to £1,000.
•  The guidance for Tribunal application and response forms now include the average value of awards and the time taken to reach a hearing so that everyone knows “what to expect from the Tribunal process before they enter the system”.
•  The Lower Earnings Limits for national insurance contributions increased from £102 to £107 per week.
•  The rate for statutory maternity, paternity, adoption pay and maternity allowance increased from £128.73 to £135.45 per week; statutory sick pay increased from £81.60 to £85.85 per week on 1 April.

The Government’s new National Careers Service has a mountain to climb if it is to deliver decent careers services for young people” said Jon Richards, UNISON Head of Education, on the day that the new service is finally launched (5 April). With unemployment among 16-25 year olds at record levels, and more than a million young people struggling to find work, the union is warning that the new service looks to be a flimsy replacement for the now decimated Connexions service.

At a time when youth unemployment is at a record high over 4000 careers professional have already lost their jobs and a further 4000 are at risk over the next year. The Government is intent on cutting public services and has ignored the interests of young people as well as potential employers and educators.

Jon Richards, went on to say:  “The Government has handed over responsibility for providing careers advice to schools, but without the money to make it work. Many schools are totally unprepared and the National Careers Service will not fill the gap that is left.

“To make it worse the decimation of the Connexions service means that current careers advice for young people is a shambles in many areas. Just when our young people need it most, hundreds of thousands across England will have either very limited, or even no access to ‘face-to-face’ career guidance. “The class of 2012 will be the least informed about their career options at a time when they need to know the most.”

Research by UNISON revealed that of 144 local authorities only 15 will maintain what the researchers termed as a "substantial" universal careers service, and at least a third have reduced or removed the universal element of the Connexions service. More than 100 councils have reduced staffing levels and 50 have closed Connexions centres.

There are many different categories of school in Hertfordshire.  These are Community, Foundation, Voluntary aided and Voluntary controlled which now total 481 schools working under or with the Local Education Authority.  Over the last couple of years there have been a huge number of schools withdrawing from the LEA control to become Academies.  There is now prevision for Free Schools and Studio Schools to start in our communities in Hertfordshire and continue this erosion of the LEA.

Academy Schools

An academy is a school that is directly funded by central government and independent of control by local government.  An academy may receive additional support from personal or corporate sponsors, either financially or in kind.  They must meet the National Curriculum core subject requirements and are subject to inspection by Ofsted.  Academies are self-governing and most are constituted as registered charities or operated by other educational charities.  Most are secondary schools, but some cater for children from nursery age upwards.

The Labour government established academies in 2000.  By May 2010 there were 203 academies in England.  The Academies Act 2010 sought to expand the number of academies.  As of 1 March 2012 there are 1635 academies open in England.  The introduction of academy schools is opposed, notably from trade unions and many within the Labour Party.  There are no academies in Wales as education there is controlled by the Welsh Government which has shown no inclination to adopt the academy model.

At present there are 46 academy schools in Hertfordshire.

Free Schools

A Free school is a school in England funded by the taxpayer, non-selective and free to attend but not controlled by a local authority.

Free schools were introduced by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition following the 2010 general election making it possible for parents, teachers, charities and businesses to set up their own schools.  Free schools are an extension of the existing Academies Program.

Free schools are subject to the School Admissions Code of Practice.  To set up a free school, groups submit applications to the Department of Education.  Groups include those run by parents, education charities and religious groups are able to set up free schools.  They are still subject to Ofsted inspections and are expected to comply with standard performance measures.

From September 2012, there will be 3 Free Schools in Hertfordshire

Studio Schools

 Studio Schools are a new type of education for 14-19 year old young people of all abilities.  There approach to learning and the curriculum involve enterprise projects and real work.  Students can apply to join to study at key Stage 4 (year 10) and at Post 16.

 From September 2012, there will be one Studio School

By Brian Ruggles, UNISON Schools Branch Officer