Friday, February 01, 2013
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
Unfair Dismissal Claims Additional Information
Unfair Dismissal
Claims – Additional Information
Due to the
volume of calls etc regarding the forms that were recently sent out requesting
information on financial losses, please note that we are now asking members to
complete only the following information on the forms. Once this has been provided we will do all
the calculations on your behalf and forward this to Thompsons solicitors.
The
Deadline has been extended to Monday 17th December 2012.
Please provide the
following information:-
Name & Address
Date of Birth
Date Commenced Employment
Date
commenced employment means length of service you can use to calculate a
redundancy payment e.g. If you worked for another Authority immediately prior
to working for DMBC (without a break) this can be included in this date. Your
contract of employment will have this date on.
Dismissal Date
This is the
date the council gave you in your termination letter.
Age at date of dismissal
Length of Notice Period entitled to in
weeks
This is the
number of week’s notice you were given in your termination letter from the
Council.
Gross Weekly Wage
Please
provide a copy of your March & April Payslip and we will calculate other
aspects.
Overtime and Mileage
Please
provide details of any overtime or mileage that you claimed between 1st
May 2012 and the end of your notice period.
** Please
return the requested information by the deadline**
Monday, October 08, 2012
Monday, October 01, 2012
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Friday, August 17, 2012
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Another Government Lie????
This week we
attended the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for Adults and Communities, to
discuss the Governments proposals to set up new boards for the NHS, and the
monitoring by Local Councillors.
Our primary
concern is one of the provisions up for consultation. It states that the NHS
will be tasked with delivering service improvements against a backdrop of needing
to make efficiencies (political speak for cutting the budget), whilst
considering the financial and clinical sustainability of the proposals within
existing resources (i.e. maintaining the current budgets).
Now we can
comprehend cutting budgets, even if we disagree with it, and we can comprehend maximising
services within the same budget. The question is; how is the NHS meant to increase patient
services at the current budget level whilst at the same time cutting those very
same budgets?
Weren’t we
told that NHS budgets would increase in real terms??
To err is
human, but to really mess it up takes the ConDem Coalition.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Friday, August 03, 2012
Monday, July 23, 2012
Can You Put a Price On Justice?
Well it seems as though the Government is intent on doing so!
Not for themselves and for their very wealthy friends who are content to count (or bathe in) their money, happy in the knowledge that when they get caught they will, miraculously, suffer from collective amnesia you understand, but the price of justice for you, me and tens of thousands of people like us seems to be about to be set at £1200.
This is the message from the recently published Government response to consultation on the introduction of, "up-front," fees in Employment Tribunal cases https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/et-fee-charging-regime-cp22-2011/results/employment-tribunal-fees-consultation-response.pdf
What this sets out is simply this - that from some point during late 2013 a new, "two-tier," fee structure will be introduced for those working people wanting to take a case to ET. For claims (including Unfair Dismissal and Discrimination) an initial fee of £250 will be payable just to submit a claim followed by a further payment of £950 to go to a hearing. So, a grand total of £1200, just to secure a shot at securing any kind of justice!
True, your employer may have to foot the bill for this if you win (on top of any compensation awarded) but you still have to find this money in advance of being allowed to proceed.
In some cases the fees are lower - a claim for, "Unauthorised Deductions from Wages," for example will cost £160 to submit and a further £230 to face a hearing. This is peanuts to many employers (and to Cameron's, "Millionaires Boys Club," Cabinet) but to many workers this will hugely restrict any access to justice they might once have enjoyed.
The TUC has, of course, condemned this move http://www.tuc.org.uk/equality/tuc-21213-f0.cfm and other trade unions have mounted a powerful argument against these proposals only to be ignored by government.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission, opposing these changes and the impact on combating discrimination in the workplace argued that,
Trade Unions need to ensure that commitments are given that would see a future Labour government repeal these changes and to begin now to put in place arrangements for determining who should pay these costs. We can not afford to wait and our members deserve clarity - justice is hard enough to come by without doors being slammed in their faces when their time of need is at it's greatest.
Not for themselves and for their very wealthy friends who are content to count (or bathe in) their money, happy in the knowledge that when they get caught they will, miraculously, suffer from collective amnesia you understand, but the price of justice for you, me and tens of thousands of people like us seems to be about to be set at £1200.
This is the message from the recently published Government response to consultation on the introduction of, "up-front," fees in Employment Tribunal cases https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/et-fee-charging-regime-cp22-2011/results/employment-tribunal-fees-consultation-response.pdf
What this sets out is simply this - that from some point during late 2013 a new, "two-tier," fee structure will be introduced for those working people wanting to take a case to ET. For claims (including Unfair Dismissal and Discrimination) an initial fee of £250 will be payable just to submit a claim followed by a further payment of £950 to go to a hearing. So, a grand total of £1200, just to secure a shot at securing any kind of justice!
True, your employer may have to foot the bill for this if you win (on top of any compensation awarded) but you still have to find this money in advance of being allowed to proceed.
In some cases the fees are lower - a claim for, "Unauthorised Deductions from Wages," for example will cost £160 to submit and a further £230 to face a hearing. This is peanuts to many employers (and to Cameron's, "Millionaires Boys Club," Cabinet) but to many workers this will hugely restrict any access to justice they might once have enjoyed.
The TUC has, of course, condemned this move http://www.tuc.org.uk/equality/tuc-21213-f0.cfm and other trade unions have mounted a powerful argument against these proposals only to be ignored by government.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission, opposing these changes and the impact on combating discrimination in the workplace argued that,
- "The Commission believes that requiring payment of a fee to bring a discrimination claim may breach the principle of effectiveness as it will make it difficult for individuals to enforce their EU law rights. We do not believe that the measures...will ensure that no one is denied access to justice through the introduction of a fee."
Trade Unions need to ensure that commitments are given that would see a future Labour government repeal these changes and to begin now to put in place arrangements for determining who should pay these costs. We can not afford to wait and our members deserve clarity - justice is hard enough to come by without doors being slammed in their faces when their time of need is at it's greatest.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Wednesday, July 04, 2012
Friday, June 29, 2012
Staff Car Parking
As you are probably aware, DMBC was intent on introducing Car Parking charges for some Town Centre staff wef 1st July 2012. Due to the fact that an inadequate period of consultation has taken place and the proposals have not been discussed or ratified by the Employee Relations Committe, UNISON have lodged a Formal Trade Dispute with DMBC. Please see letter below:-
Thursday, June 28, 2012
"Up To Standard?" - What should your employer be doing to support Social Workers?
Those Social Workers (and other Social Care staff) struggling to cope with the demands of working under unreasonable caseloads and ridiculous hours might want to take a look at the following link to the UNISON website; www.unison.org.uk/acrobat/20748.pdf
The "Up to Standard?" Branch Guide, provides advice to activists and to Branches on using the, "Standards for Employers of Social Workers in England," to inform negotiations and dispute resolution to supprt UNISON members working at the sharp end in both Children's & Adults Social Care.
Particularly now, with a formal, "Dispute," lodged in support of Social Workers and Social Care Assistants in TFS East (Vermuyden) and TFS West (Martinwells) over the unsustainable workloads and the continuing expectation that UNISON members (and others) will work all the hours God sends to shore up a system creaking under the strain, these, "Standards," are massively important.
The real problem is shortage of staffing and under-resourcing for all teams and, for an increasing number of staff the solution seems to be to look for work elsewhere with less pressure and better support. All of this, taken together with DMBC's arrogance and determination to impose pay cuts to hard-pressed workers and it doesn't take a, "Rocket Scientist," to figure out that recruitment and retention of committed Social Care staff will get more and more difficult.
You might also want to take a glance at the following, "short guide," for Social Workers - your comments would be gratefully received. (just click on the image to enlarge)
We have all heard Children's Services managers "talking up," the progress that has been made since government intervention in 2009 but for many this increasingly seems like an illusion.
Case-loads continue to be at a level which are damaging to personal well-being and professional practice; hours worked continue to creep up with staff members carrying ridiculous and unsustainable TOIL balances - effectively delivering weeks of, "free," work to DMBC; supervision, when it does take place, is more often about case management than real support and the numbers of agency staff continues to be too high and is increasing as permanent workers look elsewhere for greater support and continuity.
Doncaster UNISON believes that urgent steps must be taken in DMBC to stabilise the current situation. Rather than seeing increasing use of Capability and Disciplinary procedures when workers succumb to the pressure we believe that you must be properly supported to do the work you do. We will shortly be bringing together UNISON activists in Children's Services to begin to plan for a campaign around the challenges you face - your input can make all the difference!
The "Up to Standard?" Branch Guide, provides advice to activists and to Branches on using the, "Standards for Employers of Social Workers in England," to inform negotiations and dispute resolution to supprt UNISON members working at the sharp end in both Children's & Adults Social Care.
Particularly now, with a formal, "Dispute," lodged in support of Social Workers and Social Care Assistants in TFS East (Vermuyden) and TFS West (Martinwells) over the unsustainable workloads and the continuing expectation that UNISON members (and others) will work all the hours God sends to shore up a system creaking under the strain, these, "Standards," are massively important.
The real problem is shortage of staffing and under-resourcing for all teams and, for an increasing number of staff the solution seems to be to look for work elsewhere with less pressure and better support. All of this, taken together with DMBC's arrogance and determination to impose pay cuts to hard-pressed workers and it doesn't take a, "Rocket Scientist," to figure out that recruitment and retention of committed Social Care staff will get more and more difficult.
You might also want to take a glance at the following, "short guide," for Social Workers - your comments would be gratefully received. (just click on the image to enlarge)
We have all heard Children's Services managers "talking up," the progress that has been made since government intervention in 2009 but for many this increasingly seems like an illusion.
Case-loads continue to be at a level which are damaging to personal well-being and professional practice; hours worked continue to creep up with staff members carrying ridiculous and unsustainable TOIL balances - effectively delivering weeks of, "free," work to DMBC; supervision, when it does take place, is more often about case management than real support and the numbers of agency staff continues to be too high and is increasing as permanent workers look elsewhere for greater support and continuity.
Doncaster UNISON believes that urgent steps must be taken in DMBC to stabilise the current situation. Rather than seeing increasing use of Capability and Disciplinary procedures when workers succumb to the pressure we believe that you must be properly supported to do the work you do. We will shortly be bringing together UNISON activists in Children's Services to begin to plan for a campaign around the challenges you face - your input can make all the difference!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)