Better off in UNISON

Here are some suggestion actions that you can take – don’t forget to let us know of any successes! You can contact Emma Davey.

Potential asks of employers:

• Subsidised childcare/childcare allowance 
• Free school dinners for staff/subsidised hot meals 
• Hybrid working – improved policy if already exists (see templates for bargaining guides)
• Lump sum to WFH  
• All contracts to be in house or on LLW if on a long-term contract 
• Shift allowance 
• Unsocial hours claim 
• Job evaluation – training and upscaling those working above their grade 
• Work with credit unions 
• Working hours regulations 
• Partnership working on functional skills/ESOL training to increase career progression of staff 
• Kitchen facilities  
• Parking permits for carers 
• Overtime to be paid  
• Pay policies in place 
• Sick pay 
• Parity of T&C’s 
• Ancillary benefits  
• Subsidised travel costs /travel card bought in bulk 
• 0% Season ticket loans
• Free uniform
• Wellbeing days 
• Free period products for staff

Things you can do as a branch:

• Promote UNISON College  
• Are you paying the correct subs? campaign
• Campaigns on car park charges 
• Members briefing/training ‘managing your money 
• Promote There for You  
• Food packs for days of strike action  
• Promote membership services such as lighthouse 

Here we’ll post some of the wins our branches have had, or any good initiatives that employers have come up with. Little wins can make a real difference in the long term. We hope this will encourage you to do similar things in your branches.

Well done to Westminster branch who successfully negotiated free period products for their workplaces!

Read more here

Well done to the following branches who have successfully negotiated an increase in mileage payments:

• Hounslow – 45p to 65p
• Bromley Healthcare – 56p to 61p
• Lewisham Healthcare – 56p – 61p (for community staff)

Well done to SOAS who have had their London Weighting upped to £4,900. 

Kings Healthcare branch have successfully negotiated for 70% of band 2 HCA’s to be regraded at Band 3.

Read more here 

North Middlesex Hospital have successfully won an increase in pay for the Medirest staff from £9.65 to £10.37 an hour. Medirest have also agreed – after a request from UNSION – to give all Medirest staff a 50% discount in the canteen and in Costa on site.  They are also now providing a sandwich, bottle of water and bag of crisps to all staff on all shifts.  This is remaining in place until March 2023.

South London and Maudsley branch have successfully negotiated for Healthcare Assistants on band 2 to be regraded at Band 3.

Kingston Hospital won agreement from the trust for:

• Capped nursery fees
• Increase in uniforms for staff from 3 uniforms to 5 as members reported that it was costly having to wash uniforms regularly to ensure they had enough clean
• Increase in mileage rates
• Agreement to reimburse ULEZ charges and use of pool cars for staff that need them
• Free breakfast for staff working nights and a hot meal priced at £2 available daily

These in-depth guides give you the tools you need for effective negotiating and bargaining with employers with issues that can make a real difference to our members:

• Pay
• Hours
• Leave
• Home and hybrid working 
• Working parents’ leave and rights
• Sickness absence 
• Recognition
• Model annual leave agreement
• Model family leave and pay policy (maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental leave, parental leave)
• Model flexible working agreement
• Model homeworking and hybrid working survey and agreement
• Model learning agreement
• Model pay claim
• Model pay survey
• Model recognition agreement
• Model sickness absence agreement

If you have an example of a successful claim you’d like to share then please contact Rosie Sammut.

Visit here