Aberdeenshire Branch sends best wishes and solidarity to all trade union members taking action for fair pay today

Aberdeenshire Branch sends greetings in solidarity with all our UNISON colleagues in schools and local government in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and with other trade unions colleagues, including the PCS union, taking action across Scotland as well as the rest of the UK.

Click here to see reports from our UNISON colleagues.

Tweet your support at #J10strike#NJCpay14

Members vote for action ballot

The Consultative Ballot on Local Government pay closed on 7th July with members voting by 65% to 35% in favour of moving to a formal industrial action ballot in support of an improved offer.

UNISON's Scottish Local Government Committee meet with Branch Secretaries to plan the next steps to maximise participation and win the ballot.

The Branch Secretaries' meeting will take place before the end of July.

Engaging with Health and Social Care Integration to protect members’ interests and the services they provide

Health and social care integration is both an opportunity and a threat, so it is important that UNISON branches in Health and Local Government are fully engaged in the process, to maximise the benefits for our members and service users, and to address any concerns.

Willie Duffy, Mark Ferguson and Tam Waterson

That was the message from Tam Waterson, Chair of Scottish Health and Mark Ferguson, Chair of Scottish Local Government, as they met with representatives from the Grampian Health Branch and Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire UNISON on Tuesday 1st July. Willie Duffy, Regional Organiser was also in attendance.

Tam and Mark have been charged by the UNISON leadership to visit Health and Local Government branches across Scotland to monitor progress and offer advice on the integration agenda.

Conference slams the austerity agenda and supports Scotland's stance on independence

Like Local Government Conference the focus of National Delegate Conference was again on the pay and conditions of our members, with calls for decent pay rises, an end to zero hours contracts and a proper living wage for all.

There was also a huge focus on the equalities agenda as it is women, especially low paid women, black, disabled, LGBT and young members who have been the hardest hit by this Tory/Lib Dem Government's austerity policies.

Conference backed action, including co-ordinated strike action to win decent wages for our members.

Local Government Conference - Fighting for decent pay

This year's Local Government Conference rightly had a major focus on pay, with UNISON in England and Wales balloting members for strike action on pay, and a consultative ballot in Scotland.

Kate Ramsden

Delegates were reminded that pay freezes and paltry rises over the past few years have led to a 13-17% pay cut for most of our members. With rises in food and energy prices, this has had a big impact on many as they have seen the money in their pockets more and more squeezed.

However, for our low paid members, it has forced many into a choice of eating or heating, reliance on foodbanks to feed their kids and the need to work more than one job.

This has been exacerbated by a steep rise in zero hours contracts, especially (though not exclusively) in the private and voluntary sector, and a failure by many employers to pay the living wage, with more than 5 million out of only 38 million people of working age earning below this level.

And all this at a time when the rich have seen their wealth rise by £190 billion and the levels of income inequality are almost as high as they were in Victorian times.

Aberdeenshire UNISON Pay Meetings - Find out why you should vote in pay ballot

The Branch will be holding two Pay Meetings where members can come along and find out more about the pay campaign and consultation.

• 26th June 2014 12.30-2pm Inverurie Town Hall, Market Place, Inverurie
• 27th June 2014 12.30-2pm Council Chambers, Arbuthnot House, Peterhead

Why is UNISON balloting?
The Scottish Employers have rejected UNISON’s 2014 Pay Claim for £1 per hour and consolidation on of the living wage. It is their view that pay has been settled until April 2015.
This is because, after UNISON members accepted a 1% rise in 2013 in good faith, the employers imposed 1% for 2013 and 2014. The decision to move to a consultative ballot was taken at a meeting of all council branches. UNISON wants all our members to have a say on how we go forward to challenge the erosion of our pay over the past four years.

Inez Teece, Branch secretary said, "Many of our members are low paid and a 1% pay rise, even with the living wage and the Aberdeenshire uplift, is still paltry when you think that we live in one of the most expensive parts of Scotland.
"With the pay freeze, we have taken a 13% pay cut in real terms."

North East Branches host Norwegian trade unionist Kerry

The North East Branches were delighted to welcome Kerry Macallan (centre) from Norwegian trade union Fagforbundet to talk about about working life in Norway and to hear about the challenges facing trade unions in Scotland.

Lyndsey Wallace, local organiser, who had a role in organising the event on Thursday 12th June, at the Aberdeen Resource Centre said,
"Kerry was born in Aberdeen and moved to Norway when she was just 20 years old, so has spent all of her career in Norway.

"She explained there are many similarities between work life and trade unionism here in Scotland and in Norway—namely the fundamental employee rights that trade unions have fought for that are still relevant today—paid annual leave, maternity and paternity rights, a minimum wage,  health & safety standards in a workplace, paid overtime, paid sick leave, equal rights... The list goes on and on!