Ground Floor
Howell Croft House
Howell Croft North
Bolton
BL1 1QY
01204 338901
Map

Member Groups

Unison UK

UNISON North West

Bolton Council

Find your Councillor

The Bolton News

Facility Time Sheets

TUC Guide To Inspection

Picture Gallery

Pensions

last updated 20/2/2012

]

Flyer

£18million cuts – in just 20 minutes www.theboltonnews.co.uk

---

Bolton Unison AGM 2012

Membership Application Form
Leaflet

---

NEGOTIATIONS AND DISCUSSIONS OVER THE LGPS

Newsletter number 13 brings you up to date with negotiations and discussions over the LGPS.

How are the talks going?

The Project Team has been meeting every Monday

• Data from the 2010 fund valuations shows that 72% of LGPS members are women and that 60% of all LGPS members are women earning less than £25,000 a year, alongside 16.5% of men – an indication of low pay in local government.

• Unite has re-joined the negotiations on the basis of the agreed Principles.

• There is a separate Governance Working Group looking at how the LGPS can be made more accountable

Timetable....

• 12 March to 20 April has been designated as the consultation period over the new scheme for unions.

• UNISON is committed to an all-member ballot on the final LGPS proposals.

Bernadette Gallagher
Branch Secretary

Pensions Webpage

UNISON joins High Court appeal over pensions
Unions in appeal over switch from RPI to CPI

---

Last week, in Parliament, David Cameron made clear the contempt he has for our rights at work.
David Cameron stood up in the House of Commons, and asked his MPs what we got in return for Britain signing up to the Social Chapter – they obediently chorused “nothing”.
The Social Chapter is an EU agreement to "promote improved working conditions and an improved standard of living for workers".
These are just 3 of the rights that working people in Britain got from the Social Chapter:
* part-time workers have the same rights at work as their full-time colleagues * parents can’t be legally sacked for needing to take time off to care for sick children
* employees have the right to be properly consulted and informed about redundancies and restructures at work.
But Cameron and his MPs think these rights are worth ‘nothing’.

Will you help by sending an email to David Cameron to say that our rights matter? We’re also copying the email to Tory Chairman Sayeeda Warsi, to make sure the message gets through to Tory MPs too. More

---

Swindon moves to end facility time

UNISON is urging members and supporters in the South West to back a lobby of Swindon council next Thursday and urge it to back down from plans to end facility time for union reps. The council claims it is ending paid facility time for joint branch secretaries Bob Cretchley and Karla Bradford as an "efficiency saving", but the move will save less than a fifth of one percent - just 0.167% - of the council budget. More

---

Defend the Public Library Service

As you are probably aware Bolton Council are to close 5 local libraries. Highfield has already closed and Oxford Grove and Castle Hill are scheduled for closure within the next two weeks. A national lobby of parliament has been organised by a coalition of people concerned about the future of this valuable and popular service

Bolton UNISON has agreed to send 6 representatives to this Lobby. Anyone interested please contact the Branch Office admin@unisonbolton.org or telephone x8901. Expenses for the day will be met by the Branch. Please circulate widely.

More here:
http://www.speakupforlibraries.org
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Speak-Up-For-Libraries/346716692029129

---

Bolton Unison Welcomes Council’s Green Efficiency Drive

Unison the biggest trade union within Bolton Council has welcomed an initiative to help the local authority tackle green issues and reduce its energy costs.

Alison Clay the councils Green Liaison Coordinator said “As a council we want to meet the challenge of our environmental responsibilities and be as green as possible. With rising fuel costs and the current financial climate within the council we also have to work harder than ever to reduce our energy costs. We want to work together with staff and the trade unions to meet these goals”.

Alison is encouraging members of staff across the council to become “Green Liaison Officers” or “GLO’s” to help promote a range of simple measures in every workplace including recycling, switching off lights where possible and turning off computers when not in use.

It is currently estimated that every ton of rubbish that goes into landfill costs Bolton Council £161 while for every ton of recycling the council gets back the equivalent of £25. Council officers believe that the council could make significant savings through improving recycling levels within the council.

Matt Kilsby Unison Branch Chair added “We very much welcome the opportunity to work together with council on this issue. It is in everyone’s interest that Bolton Council does everything it can to tackle climate change and reduce its energy costs. This is good for the future of the town and good for the future of the planet”.

There are currently 50 GLOs across Bolton Council, they are staff members who volunteer to help promote and encourage environmentally activities and behaviour change within council workplaces (e.g. around recycling, switching off lights and IT equipment etc.).  There is no defined time commitment required and GLOs are simply asked to do whatever they can to help, this includes displaying posters, sharing information with staff and attending occasional meetings.  Both the council and trade union Unison are encouraging more people to come forward and become GLO’s.

Bolton Unison has 6,000 members most of whom work for Bolton Council, this includes, planning officers, social workers, admin officers, refuse collectors, library workers and social care staff.

Council staff who are interested in finding out more about becoming a Green Liaison Officer can visit
http://portal.bolton.gov.uk/Home/Sustainability/Pages/Bolton%20GLOs.aspx

Martin Challender
Bolton unison
01204 338901

Further information is available from:
Alison Clay
Green Liaison Officer (GLO) Coordinator
Bolton Council
01204 33 2190
alison.clay@bolton.gov.uk

---

Drop the obnoxious ''Health'' Bill Rally

Drop the obnoxious ''Health'' Bill Rally at Ince Town Hall, Wigan, 6.30pm, 2nd March
Speakers:
Andy Burnham ( Health Shadow minister)
Yvonne Fovargue (MP for Makerfield)
Julie Hilling (MP Bolton West). Hope to see you all on Ince Green Lane, Ince, Wigan on the 2nd March.

---

This Wednesday, there's a crunch NHS vote in Parliament. MPs will vote on whether to demand the publication of a secret government report into the risks facing the NHS. That could be another nail in the coffin of Andrew Lansley's plans - so let's pile the pressure on our MPs to vote the right way.

Right now, Andrew Lansley is in a tricky position to defend. He wants MPs and Lords to back his plans for the NHS. But he's refusing to let them find out what the risks are. If we work together to put our MPs under pressure, there's a decent chance they'll refuse to do Lansley's dirty work for him.

This vote could go either way - send your MP an email asking them to back publishing the secret report - it takes two minutes:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/nhs-risk-report

The vote will take place on Wednesday afternoon. That means we've got just over 48 hours to convince enough MPs to vote to publish the secret report. The more of us that email our MPs right now, the more likely we are to succeed.

38 Degrees members, doctors, nurses and academics have all been warning for ages that Lansley's plans put our health service at risk. We know there's a secret report that could prove that we're right - so let's work together to get this report published before it's too late.

Write to your MP and tell them to vote the right way at the risk report debate on Wednesday:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/nhs-risk-report

Thanks for being involved,
David, Johnny, Hannah, Marie, Cian, Becky and the 38 Degrees team

---

Unite the Resistance Greater Manchester

Unite the Resistance Greater Manchester
Public Meeting
Wednesday 29th February
Mechanics Institute, Princess Street, Manchester
Stalls from 6.30pm, 7pm start

From Cairo to Wall Street and from Athens to Barcelona, resistance to austerity is growing. On 30 November, that resistance came to Britain.
On that day, 2.5 million public sector trade unionists in Britain took strike action against the government’s attempts to loot their pensions.
But this was much more than a fight for pensions; it was a chance for everyone to express their anger and resistance to the austerity programme that will see ordinary working people pay for the economic crisis.
It is a struggle everyone should support. The outcome will shape resistance in Britain for years to come.
This is why a group of trade unionists have set up Unite the Resistance. It is an organisation that aims to unite all those in the trade union movement who want to see the resistance of the 30 November strikes grow and deepen; across all unions, public and private sector; employed or unemployed; against austerity in whatever form it takes, whether pension cuts, job losses or pay freezes.
On 29th February Unite the Resistance comes to Manchester. This meeting will bring together trade unionists and anti-cuts activists from across Greater Manchester to debate and discuss the way forward for our movement. Speakers include Mark Serwotka, General Secretary of the PCS civil service union and Karen Reissmann, UNISON activist and NEC member. Come along to the meeting and get involved – let’s unite the resistance in Greater Manchester. MORE

---

Monday 12th March
12.00 - 1.30
Loyals Lounge
(Bolton Town Hall)
LUNCH PROVIDED

Print Flyer

---

More

Cut off date is this coming Friday. If we have not had a significant improvement in bookings by then, we will reluctantly have to postpone the event.
Alan Manning
TUC Regional Secretary

---

---

---

ACADEMY SCHOOLS

Questions parents frequently ask

Can't open it? Download this

Academies are not ‘magic wand’ for better education of our pupils www.theboltonnews.co.uk

---

National anti-Fracking Gathering

Saturday 17th March,
Methodist Central Hall
Oldham Street
Manchester
10.00 am to 6.00 pm

Come and meet people from groups all around the country (and beyond) campaigning against 'hydraulic fracturing' or "fracking".
Regional report session from local anti-fracking campaign groups all around the country.
2 Sessions of workshops on all you need to know about fracking, targeted advice on how to run a local campaign, anti-fracking Direct action ....and more (watch this space for more details about specific workshops...)
Discussion on what we can do to form a broad-based National anti-fracking Coalition or umbrella group (with the local grass-roots residents groups at its core)

For more information http://www.campaigncc.org/fracking

---

PUBLIC TALK AND DISCUSSION THIS THURSDAY
ISRAEL AS AN APARTHEID STATE
AND THE CASE FOR BOYCOTT

‘BIN VEOLIA’ AT MMU CAMPAIGN LAUNCH

6pm Thursday 23rd February 
Manchester Metropolitan University Student Union
99 Oxford Road
3rd Floor, Conference Suite

Free Entry with Q&A, All Welcome

Speakers:
Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, South African activist and student leader working for the global boycott movement against Israeli apartheid connects the ongoing anti-colonialist struggles from Johannesburg to Palestine.
Ewa Jasewicz, journalist and member of the Free Gaza movement. Activist for Palestine who was on the Freedom Flotilla and in Gaza during the Cast Lead attacks
Alexander Fountain, Manchester Metropolitan Students Union Vice-President of Education and human rights worker in the West Bank
Adie Mormech, MMU Masters Graduate and recently back from a year working in the Gaza Strip with the International Solidarity Movement

---

UNISON Retired Members

Life does not stop once you stop working - nor does your role in the union. As a UNISON Member when you reach retirement age, do not give up your membership you can become a Retired Member.
Many branches have retired members group meetings on a regular basis. You can enjoy social events and outings, keep up to date with UNISON campaigns and support issues of concern for older people.
At regional level there is a Regional Retired Members Committee from which there are reps on the National Retired Members Committee, National Conference, Regional Committee, Regional Council, Regional Welfare and Women’s Forum. Each year there is a Retired Members’ Conference to which all Retired Members Sections send delegates.
Don't forget UNISON retired members enjoy all the benefits of UNISON membership including: Legal advice Welfare support Special discounts and offers on a wide range of financial and other services, such as house & contents insurance from UIA, car insurance from Frizzell and special interest rates with Britannia for savings accounts and mortgages. 10% reduction on holidays at Croyde Bay on the North Devon Coast.
In order to become a Life Retired Member, please contact your Branch Secretary. The cost is a one-off fee of £15.

This was an article from

---

UNISON There For You - Winter Fuel Grants Programme‏

With rising fuel costs affecting many UNISON members, There For You starts the new year with the launch of its Winter Fuel Grants programme.
Grants of up to £50 per household are available to members on low income. Apply by completing the attached application form.
You can also request to have a copy of the form posted to you by ringing 020 7121 5620. If you do not have access to a printer, please come along to the Branch Office to obtain a copy.
Please note that this is a limited fund (conditions apply) with grants of up to £50 available to members on low income (net household income less than £18,000pa excluding Child Benefit and Disability Living Allowance). Applications must be received by 29 February 2012, whilst decisions will be made and grants issued between 1st and 31st March.

NB. Completed application forms should be returned to:
UNISON Welfare, UNISON Centre, 130 Euston Road, London, NW1 2AY

Matt Kilsby
Membership Officer
UNISON Bolton Branch

---

Very excitingly the Working Class Movement Library has been shortlisted in the Arts Council-funded Museums at Night competition to win an artist to appear in an event at the Library in May! Details here.

Now we have to rally the public behind us to get our entry into first place of the three contenders to ‘win’ photographer Simon Roberts. We have a month to encourage people to vote for WCML. The venue with the most votes at 5pm on Monday 5th March will win.

Please click here to vote for the Working Class Movement Library, and then send this email to as many people as you can think of to get them to do likewise. lease note that you can only vote once in each category*.

This is a great bit of publicity for the Library whatever the outcome, but getting £500 to put on an event using Simon’s skills to add images to the Library’s millions of words would be the icing on the cake. Please vote for us now.

*The People’s History Museum has also been shortlisted, in a different category to ourselves, to win an artist. To help our friends there, head here to vote for PHM as well.

Regards,
Lynette Cawthra,
Library Manager, Working Class Movement Library, 51 The Crescent, Salford M5 4WX
Tel: 0161 736 3601 Fax: 0161 737 4115
www.wcml.org.uk

The Working Class Movement Library is a charitable trust, and is recognised at home and abroad as one of Britain's most important collections of working class history. We believe that in these turbulent times such history has never been more relevant, and we want as many people as possible to know about and use the Library. We need to find £80,000 each year to keep the Library going - find out more atwww.wcml.org.uk/appeal.

To receive news about the Library subscribe to our free e-bulletins atwww.wcml.org.uk/enewsletters.

---

UNISON International Facebook Page launched‏

UNISON International Facebook Page has now been launched.

Please click the link below to ‘like’ us, hear all the latest international unit news and join in with your comments. http://www.facebook.com/pages/UNISON-International/242756212467900
Please share the Page widely with friends and fellow activists.
In solidarity,
UNISON International

---

New Website

---

Benefits bill backlash is welcome

From

It is good to see the Government face a backlash against the attack on benefits. The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats want to slash the number of people who claim Disabilities Living Allowance by 20 per cent. They also plan to extend humiliating assessments run by private companies to force disabled people to prove they need benefits. Many readers may not realise that as many as 40 per cent of assessments that go to appeal are overturned. Disabled people have been protesting at the Government Welfare Reform Bill. Bishops have spoken against these benefits cuts. The House of Lords recently blocked the coalition’s plans for a universal cut on benefits. A small group of disabled people and carers has also launched an online Petition that readers can support — epetitions. direct.gov.uk/petitions/ 20968 — I’ve added my signature, please add yours.

Joan Pritchard Jones
Adult Services
Convenor Unison Bolton

---

FAO of Female Unison Members

Do you want to take part in a women, work and menopause survey?. The information is arranged with the demographics first, then about your work, how you are feeling and last about your experiences of menopause. The survey will look at women across the menopausal stage, i.e. during and after menopause has occurred.

Here is the link to the survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/H8TJDZT

UNISON is working closely with the TUC who are involved in this area of research

---

Get ready for the 'Save Our NHS' rally on 7 March

On Wednesday 7 March, under the banner of the AllTogether for the NHScampaign, health workers, professionals, experts, patients and campaigners will come together for a rally to Save Our NHS.

The rally will drive home the message to Peers and MPs that the NHS is a treasured institution and the people that own it, work for it and use it, will not stand by whilst it is broken up and privatised. More

Health not wealth must be priority
www.theboltonnews.co.uk

---

Workers' Memorial Day

Every year more people are killed at work than in wars. Most don't die of mystery ailments, or in tragic "accidents". They die because an employer decided their safety just wasn't that important a priority. Workers’ Memorial Day commemorates those workers. Worker’s Memorial Day is held on 28 April every year, all over the world workers and their representatives conduct events, demonstrations, vigils and a whole host of other activities to mark the day. MORE

28 April 2012 a “Day of activity to defend health and safety”

There will be briefing meeting on the campaign for officers, safety reps and activists, on Wednesday 29 February, starting at 1.45pm, in PCS, Jack Jones House, 2 Churchill Way, Liverpool, L3 8EF.
The briefing will open with a plenary session lead by TUC Head of Health and Safety, Hugh Robertson and there will then be focused workshop sessions to discus in more detail plans for the run up to the day of action and activity on the day.

Please contact the branch if you wish to attend.

---

Economic fears forcing one third of staff into work when sick

A third of workers are more likely to go into work ill because of the economic downturn, a survey reveals.
The study of 1,600, found that 30 per cent of workers are now more inclined to go to work sick as a result of the current economic climate.
Around half of those choosing to turn up for duty while sick said the most important factor in their decision was job security.
Overall, nearly three quarters (72 per cent) of those surveyed went into work last year whilst sick.
And more than half (53 per cent) of those questioned went into work with a contagious illness such as the flu or a cold in the past year. More

---

The TUC is conducting an online survey among workers that use Personal Protective Equipment. It wants to find out whether employers are supplying it and who is paying for it. Remember PPE is not just safety boots and hard hats, it can include overalls, aprons, hats, and sunscreen, etc. It will use the information both to increase awareness of the problem and also to try to get the HSE and Local Authorities to take action against employers who are breaking the law.

The survey is very simple to fill in and should not take more than a couple of minutes.

---

Here, in reverse date order, are our best-read posts of 2011.

• Fighting inequality: our patriotic duty
  Britain's wealth divide highlights the meaningless of government claims that ‘we're all in this together’.
• How to respond when your MP says “I am deeply committed to the NHS”
  Richard Blogger rebuts the claims of pro-NHS bill MPs.
• Exclusive: More than 2,000 charities and community groups face cuts
  Exclusive False Economy research reveals how cuts are choking the Big Society one year on from its launch.
• This is not a pension reform – it is simply a pay cut
  Nigel Stanley demolishes the myths used to justify cuts to public sector pensions.
• Far from cutting debt, Osborne’s plans will make it soar
  Osborne plans to drive down public debt by increasing the household debt that fuelled the crisis in the first place.
• Exclusive: 50,000 NHS job losses uncovered by False Economy
  We can reveal that more than 50,000 NHS staff posts are set for the axe, destroying government claims that the NHS is in safe hands.
• Osborne crowned king of the tax dodgers
  We awarded George Osborne a giant jammy dodger after he was named top tax shirker in our online poll.
• “Too precious to destroy” – Philip Pullman stands up for public libraries
  More than 300 people attended a packed meeting to defend Oxford's libraries, where Philip Pullman gave this inspiring speech
• No money left? UK corporations are sitting on a £600bn surplus
  The Government claims “there is no money left” when making the case for immediate and deep spending cuts. Not true.
• Library closures: the full, infuriating picture
  If this map of cuts and proposed cuts to libraries doesn't make you angry, nothing will.

---

In this Edition

Unions to Resist Regional Pay Claims
Pension 'Heads of Agreement' The Details
Florence Hill Retires
Read All About It

December Edition...
Gold Plated Hypocrites
Pension Tax Relief Scandal
A fantastic Day of Action, what do we do next?
Read It Here

---

---

Training needs survey‏

Bolton Unison’s Life Long Learning Officers, David Milne and Sue Vickers, would like to get the views of Unison Members in Bolton on their Training/Learning needs. follow the link below and answer a few short questions.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/unisonlearningneeds

---

---

Regional Courses 2012
Application Form

---