|
|
| THERE FOR YOU LAUNCHES ITS WINTER FUEL GRANTS PROGRAMME 2012
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 ‘Winter Fuel Grants’ application form which is available to download. Alternatively call 020 7 121 5620 if you’d like to receive a form through the post.
Please note that this is a limited fund (conditions apply) with grants of up to £50 available to members on low income.
Applications must be received by 29 February 2012.
Winter_Fuel_Application_2012.pdf
Christmas and New Year BH Guidance 2011-12 Christmas-New Year 2011-12 Staff BH Entitlement Guidance Notes.doc
Governance arrangements for Police and Crime Commissioners Home Secretary Theresa May has announced the publication of a new protocol explaining how the new governance arrangements will work for Police and Crime Commissioners. The protocol clarifies the role and responsibilities of Police & Crime Commissionersm the Mayor's office for Policing & crime, Chief Constables, Police & crime panels and The London Assembly Police & Crime panels. Please click on the links for full reports. Colleagues.doc 2111 - Home Office- The Shadow Strategic Policing Requirement.pdf
Police Staff Council (England and Wales): 2011 Pay Claim - update Please see document for full details, this circular updates members on the progress of our 2011 pay claim to the Police Staff Council Employers for England and Wales. PSC Pay Offer 2011.doc
UNISON FOI REVEALS SHOCKING POLICING PICTURE - 20th October 2011
full report is shown as a link at the end of this article
A Freedom of Information survey by UNISON reveals the shocking picture of policing cuts already made at forces across the UK.
The UK’s largest union is warning that these cuts are the “thin end of the wedge”, with 3,072 jobs already lost in total – 18,000 are to be cut by 2015.
Women workers are the most affected – with 64% of reported redundancies. The police forces with the highest percentage of police staff redundancies are Sussex (12%), South Yorkshire (9%) and West Midlands (9%).
UNISON is currently balloting 1.1million members, including police members, over Government Ministers’ pension plans.
Heather Wakefield, UNISON’s Head of Local Government, said:
“Our figures show the devastation being wrecked across the country, but these cuts are just the thin end of the wedge.
“Forensics officers, PCSOs and 999 call takers are among the police staff carrying out vital roles for community safety. The public are not fooled by the Government’s false claims about protecting frontline policing. If police staff and PCSOs are cut, then police officers will be forced off the beat and back into the office.
“In the rush to clear the deficit, caused by the bankers, the Government has lost sight of protecting communities, it is not thinking about the real cost of the cuts.
“There is real fear and uncertainty among police staff about job cuts. At the same time staff are being hit with changes to their pensions - this is why we are urging police members to vote ‘yes’ in the ballot for action.”
Police Redundancies LRD Report.doc
Police Staff Council (England and Wales): 2011 Pay Claim - update Please see document for full details, this circular updates members on the progress of our 2011 pay claim to the Police Staff Council Employers for England and Wales. POL 27 2011 Pay Claim 2011-13.doc
News from UNISON (from Ben Priestley, National Officer) Please find attached a press release in relation to the Policy Exchange Report which was published today (5th September), raising concerns that police cuts are turning back the clock on workforce modernisation with police officers being used to backfill redundant police staff posts.
POLICY EXCHANGE REPORT – UNISON RESPONSE
UNISON, the UK’s largest union, today called on the government to get to grips with the reality of police cuts. The union is warning that cuts are turning the clock back on efficiency gains made in the service, making it a worse deal for the taxpayer.
A Policy Exchange report, out today, says that millions of pounds could be saved if more police staff did jobs currently filled by more expensively trained officers – a situation that 20% police cuts are making much worse. As police officers cannot be made redundant, cuts are falling disproportionately on police staff, with their jobs increasingly being back-filled by officers – making policing far less efficient.
Ben Priestley, UNISON national officer for police and justice, said;
“Under the last government, investment in policing led to the creation of police staff jobs, taking work over from more expensively trained police officers. Not only did this free up officers to return to front-line policing, it also boosted efficiency, making better use of public money, and contributed to cutting crime.
“As police officers cannot be made redundant, cuts are falling disproportionately onto staff. Their vital jobs do not disappear, so officers are being taken off the beat, to keep this crucial behind the scenes work going.
“UNISON is calling on the Government to stop the drastic cuts, and get a grip on this drift back to the way policing was delivered in the 1990’s. It is a waste of time and money for expensive police officers to be diverted into support roles.”
Information to editors:
Figures released by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in July, show that while the police officer workforce will shrink by 11% by 2015 (as a result of vacancies not being filled), the police staff workforce will contract by 19% over the same period.
| |
|