Greens and Tories attack workers' rights in Brighton

Local staff working for Eastbourne Borough Council and East Sussex County Council are facing attacks on their jobs from Tory/Lib Dem cuts- but now workers in Brighton face a wholesale downgrade of their employment at the hands of a Green council. Eastbourne trade unionists should stand in solidarity.

GMB members employed by Brighton & Hove City Council are facing massive cuts to their take-home pay following Green Party & Conservative plans to alter their terms and conditions.

At a meeting of Brighton’s Policy and Resources Committee on 24th January 2013, Green and Conservative Councillors forced through a measure which authorised Council officers  to implement a ‘modernised pay and conditions package’. Labour Councillors voted against the proposals.

Council officers will now enter into negotiations with the recognised unions to seek cuts for allowances under part 3 of the NJC terms and conditions. These include measures such as overtime and shift allowances and could affect up to 75% of the Council’s workforce. In the event that agreement is not reached the Green / Conservative measures authorise officers to take ‘all necessary measures’ to implement the changes and e-mail correspondence from the Green Party’s leader of the Council, Jason Kitkat, confirms that he will not rule out instructing officers to impose the changes by dismissing and re-engaging members of staff on new terms and conditions.

Mark Turner, Branch Secretary GMB Sussex Branch said:

‘These proposals could lead to cuts of up to £4000 per annum for low paid workers. This strategy that the Green and Conservative groups are embarking on is unprecedented in Brighton with the potential of dismissing staff and re-engaging them on revised terms and conditions. This has never been done within Brighton & Hove City Council or its predecessors.

To make matters worse, the leader of the Council has decided to delegate responsibility for delivering these changes to Council officers. This is shirking his responsibility and putting officers in the firing line to deliver his bad news. We would have expected this sort of behaviour some other political parties however the greens are now showing their true colours.’

To show your solidarity with workers in Brighton, you can sign the GMB's petition here.

Lobby: Opposing cuts by East Sussex County Council

Lewes Stop the Cuts has vowed to campaign against cuts proposed by East Sussex County Council, starting with a lobby of the council meeting at County Hall in Lewes on Tuesday 12 February.  It is inviting individuals and organisations across the county to join in.

 

The lobby will meet at the entrance to County Hall between 9 am and 9.45 on the 12^th - Can you come?

 

East Sussex is facing huge cuts to services for the most vulnerable: children with special needs, disabled people, victims of domestic violence, older people, young people at risk, young parents and the homeless will all lose support or vital services. An estimated 100 jobs under threat (figures from BBC report),

 

We intend to do all we can to fight these proposals.  The council wants to save £60 million over 3 years.

 

But they are  sitting on £473m in reserves, (as of March 2012) and LSTC argues that some of these reserves should be used to fund any shortfall due to the coalition government’s draconian and unjust cuts. The council has also just committed about £40 million on the polluting Bexhill/Hastings link road.

 

The Cuts in Detail:

 

Adult Social Care: Older People

●     Day services ’decommissioned’, with assessed needs and residential services needs to be met from private sector.

●     End of Handyperson Grant Scheme, a universal grant for over 65s of up to £200.

●     Reduced support for community services and personal care budgets.

 

Adult Social Care: Working Age Adults

●     Community based services to focus on personal care rather than activities of daily living, reducing the range of activities available.

●     Reduced support for personal budgets

 

Universal Services

●     Reduction in training for staff

●     Strategy and Commissioning staff reductions in 2015/16

●     Special Needs Housing Officers to be made redundant

●     Housing support for vulnerable older people cut by 15% by 2015/16

●     Young Parent Services - loss of 1 of 3 accommodation based services. Loss of night services and on site support for individuals in crisis.

●     Young people at Risk - removal of an intensive service for young homeless people or those leaving care

●     Supported Accommodation and Independent Living - cut by 15%

●     Offenders and complex homeless support - cut pilot scheme by 15%

●     Domestic Violence Refuges - cut from 5 to 4

●     Mental health and Homeless Services - closure of 1 accommodation based service.

 

Special Education Needs and Disability

●     Reduction of agency foster care, leading to more residential care and closure of respite unit.

●     Cut after school clubs and play schemes

 

Children’s Social Care

●     Reduced in house capacity for residential care

 

Learning and Schools Effectiveness

●     Reduced universal service in Childrens Centres

●     Reduce Secondary Behaviour Support service

●     Reduce Targeted Youth Service (community group work, 1:1, CAMHS and substance misuse)

●     Reduce number of qualified teachers in Childrens Centres, and services targeted towards supporting vulnerable young parents.

●     Reduce funding for Standards and Learning Effectiveness (SLES) support to schools

●     Remove inclusion bursary to support disabled children to access childcare and early years provision.

●     Reduce Youth Offending team

●     2.5% increase in charges for traded services

●     Removal of transport support for parents of post 16 SEN young people except for nearest school

 

Transport

●     Reduce Road safety education and contribution to Sussex Safer Roads Partnership

 

Community Services

●     Libraries - reduce staffing and  book stock budget.

●     Arts - removal of Grant Aid Budget to match fund external organisations 

 

 

For more information contact:  LSTC media officer Chris Smith 01273 474070 (office hours)   079015 33876 (mobile) or email chris.smith@hbhelp.co.uk

 

Lewes Stop the Cuts is a non party campaign group opposed to cuts in public services affecting Lewes.  It has over 450 supporters who are sent regular updates.  To subscribe visit our website at http://lewesstopthecuts

New Year- New General Secretary !

Click to read the new year message and priorities from the newly elected General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress, Frances O'Grady.

NHS for Beginners- Seminar Friday 18th Jan

The Socialist Health Association (a campaigning group and an affiliated society to the Labour Party) is inviting trade unionists and others to a seminar to explain how we can get more involved in their  NHS.

The NHS For Beginners project is intended to help more people get involved in their local NHS. Most people have very little idea about how the NHS is organised. We plan to run classes across England directed at people who are not currently involved in the NHS.

What is the NHS exactly?
If we want to defend it what are we defending?
How could we defend it?

There are various opportunities for lay people to be involved in the running of the English NHS.

• There is local Healthwatch – to be launched in April 2013.
• You can be a member, or be elected as a Governor, of Foundation Trusts.
• Local councils have increasing involvement in the running of the NHS, taking over Public Health responsibilities in April 2013 and establishing health and wellbeing boards as well as the existing Health Scrutiny arrangements.
• Clinical Commissioning Groups have various arrangements for involving patients and the public, and so increasingly do local GP practises.

This seminar will consider what the possibilities for using these mechanisms to defend the NHS .  It will take place at the Brighthelm Centre, Brighton, from 2-4pm. There is no charge, but you must book.

Click here to learn more and book your place.
More information can also be found by downloading the UNISON guide to influencing the new NHS