NHS workers (e.g. Porters, Cleaners, Catering, Security) who are employed by ISS, a private company that is contracted by Calderdale & Huddersfield Foundation Trust to run non-clinical services, want an end to their minimum wage rates, terms and conditions. As NHS workers they are demanding alignment with the NHS “Agenda for Change” contract that would see their pay, terms and conditions significantly improved. Every day since March 2020, our members have put themselves at risk; at risk of getting infected and at risk of infecting their family. We clapped for them, we labelled them heroes and yet these local NHS heroes face the indignity of being treated less than; to be employed as NHS workers, but not paid as NHS workers. The Trust outsourced their responsibility to ISS and in return ISS have raced to the bottom to set these workers on minimum pay. We are simply demanding that this be corrected, that the Trust recognise its responsibility to these NHS heroes and take action to end poverty pay at Calderdale Royal Hospital.

Over the last decade, pay for civil servants and others covered by the pay remit guidance has been under attack and has lagged behind inflation, and pay levels and increases in the private sector. Individual departments have had their hands tied by the Cabinet Office and have been unable to offer fair pay increases for their staff – and it’s gone on for too long. This has been compounded by the absence of pay progression arrangements. Public servants deserve a fair deal – they are always important to our way of life, but their dedication has been crucial in getting us through the pandemic. The least they deserve is for their living standards to be maintained, and their knowledge, skills and experience rewarded. Among staff and employers there is a common recognition that pay systems are broken and in the need of fundamental reform and adequate funding. Please sign this petition for fair pay for those who help defend, protect, support and enhance all of our lives.

We are NHS workers in Lancashire and we urgently need your support. As hospital cleaners and catering staff, we are outsourced to OCS and have worked 24/7 throughout the pandemic to keep staff and patients safe. But while OCS boasts it turned over hundreds of millions during the COVID crisis, it continues to pay us less than our NHS colleagues doing exactly the same jobs. Hospital workers employed by OCS are £2000 worse off than our colleagues working for the NHS. We also have inferior working conditions including 7 days less annual leave and lower sick pay. We submitted a collective grievance about this issue in May 2021, and EIGHT MONTHS on, we finally received a response- which failed to address any of the issues and passed blame to the NHS Trust. We have become increasingly frustrated and have now voted 97.8% in favour of taking strike action to resolve this issue. One OCS worker said: "I work for OCS as a domestic on the hospital wards. When accepted the job I was told the rate of pay was minimum wage, but was not told I would be working alongside work colleagues on a different contract which has a higher rate of hourly pay and full sick pay, they also receive 35 days holidays and we get 28 days including bank holidays. We have all worked through the pandemic, working on Covid 19 wards where some Covid patients have been walking freely around the wards. As a thank you from OCS we received a 2 finger KitKat and told we could also have an extra 10 minute break! We all found this very insulting, we have been fighting our dispute with OCS for 3 years now and we feel that the 2 tier pay system and contracts that OCS have in place are very unfair and causes friction amongst work colleagues, we all do the same job and we should all receive the same rate of pay and terms and conditions." Sadly, OCS still isn’t listening. We think that a great way to get the Chief Executive’s attention is to flood his inbox with emails from all of us. Can you take a few minutes to email Bob Taylor? It’s easy, you just need to add your details and press send. We don’t want to strike if we can avoid it, especially not in the middle of a global pandemic but we will do what it takes to get fair treatment. Health bosses and OCS can still avert a strike by agreeing to pay us the correct rate for the job. Claps don't pay the bills. Key workers demand fair pay. #ONENHS, nobody left behind.

Trade unions estimate that this will result in over 400 job losses and essential public services will be severly impacted, if not lost altogether.

The heritage and wider cultural sector was hit very hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Thousands of jobs were lost as vital income streams dried up. As museums, galleries and other spaces have been able to reopen to the public and tourism has begun to recover there have been some green shoots of recovery. However this can only happen with both a safe workforce and visitors that feel confident about attending Covid-secure venues. This is being put at risk by the failure of the UK government to mandate the wearing of facemasks for visitors to indoor heritage venues in England. Although masks will only be one part of a comprehensive strategy to address the risks posed by Covid the World Health Organisations recommends them as an important part of this comprehensive approach.

Dundee City Council are trying to force through a disruptive restructure of all secondary schools in the area. If the changes were to go ahead, the council would band subjects together under one faculty. The council would remove principal teachers from secondary schools and replace them with a new position – “faculty heads”. The plans mean there would be fewer teachers in our already under-resourced schools and yet more disruption to students’ learning. The changes would significantly increase workload for teachers – that means less one-to-one time with students. And there is no evidence out there to suggest that the faculties model has any educational benefit. This will hit the poorest students, hardest. Dundee is one of the most deprived areas in Scotland. And one in five young people leave school without any qualification at National 5 level. Secondary teachers almost unanimously oppose the changes. 97% have voted to reject the plans, and 96% don’t believe that the changes will improve the attainment gap. Education is in crisis. We need more class teachers, not less. Every young person deserves a qualified and experienced teacher. Every young person deserves a quality education.

PFI BLEEDS THE NHS DRY, TIME’S UP FOR PFI PROFITEERS! Unison Lanarkshire Health Branch has launched a campaign to bring private contracts within NHS Lanarkshire back in house into public ownership. The campaign aims to end the private Serco and ISS contracts within NHS Lanarkshire; which provides catering, portering, domestic and security services at Hairmyres and Wishaw Hospitals back in house to put an end to a two-tier workforce. Once brought back in-house it will allow all NHS Lanarkshire workers at these sites to be employed on equal terms and conditions. Bringing these contracts back in house will also put an end to profit-motivated contractors providing public services at the public’s expense. Unison has produced a letter which we have directly mailed to all Lanarkshire Councillors, MSPs and MPs asking them to support our campaign to bring the staff back in-house where they belong. Let's be clear, PFI contracts are bleeding NHS Lanarkshire and its time to put a stop to private profiteers draining OUR National Health Service. Support our campaign and sign our petition! You can also get more involved in the campaign by: Phone: 01698 754333 Email: [email protected]

Throughout the pandemic, biomedical scientists have been on the frontline of our NHS, analysing patient blood samples and carrying out covid-19 testing. The workers, who have been on strike since May, are owed staggering amounts of back pay. That starts at several hundred pounds up to as much as £8,000, after managers failed to honour a 2019 agreement to upgrade their pay. Send a message to Interim Chief Executive at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, Martin Hodgson, demanding he meet with Unite and settle this unnecessary dispute as soon as possible.

Public transport is the key to decarbonising our region and fighting climate change. But our public transport system won’t be around long if we aren’t willing to fight for it. Privatised bus companies are cutting routes, and ridership is going through the floor. That’s why we’re calling on our local politicians to make bus travel free, for all of us, for the duration of the UN COP26 climate talks in Glasgow this November. The more people use and value our bus network, the harder it is for private interests to take it away from us. Show our buses some love this November, and help us fight for free bus travel during COP26.

Public transport is the key to decarbonising our region and fighting climate change. But our public transport system won’t be around long if we aren’t willing to fight for it. Privatised bus companies are cutting routes, and ridership is going through the floor. That’s why we’re calling on our local politicians to make bus travel free, for all of us, for the duration of the UN COP26 climate talks in Glasgow this November. The more people use and value our bus network, the harder it is for private interests to take it away from us. Show our buses some love this November, and help us fight for free bus travel during COP26.

Public transport is the key to decarbonising our region and fighting climate change. But our public transport system won’t be around long if we aren’t willing to fight for it. Privatised bus companies are cutting routes, and ridership is going through the floor. That’s why we’re calling on our local politicians to make bus travel free, for all of us, for the duration of the UN COP26 climate talks in Glasgow this November. The more people use and value our bus network, the harder it is for private interests to take it away from us. Show our buses some love this November, and help us fight for free bus travel during COP26.

Public transport is the key to decarbonising our region and fighting climate change. But our public transport system won’t be around long if we aren’t willing to fight for it. Privatised bus companies are cutting routes, and ridership is going through the floor. That’s why we’re calling on our local politicians to make bus travel free, for all of us, for the duration of the UN COP26 climate talks in Glasgow this November. The more people use and value our bus network, the harder it is for private interests to take it away from us. Show our buses some love this November, and help us fight for free bus travel during COP26.