Aberdeenshire UNISON wishes a happy and peaceful festive season to all our members

Nepal Trekking Challenge for UNISON's Sheila

The branch has given its support to UNISON member, Sheila Waterhouse with a donation of £100 towards her ongoing challenge to raise £7000 as part of a major fundraising event in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

You can support her too by going to www.justgiving.com/Two-Fab-Ladies

Sheila and her friend, both from Kennethmont will undertake an intensive 8 day trek in the Annapurna region of the Himalaya.

Sheila said, "I would like to thank UNISON for their generous donation of £100.

"In May this year, Macmillan Cancer Support launched their fundraising challenge for Spring 2015 which will see 30 people from all over the UK travelling to Nepal for the trek."

Austerity isn't working as foodbanks in Aberdeenshire grow - Branch calls on members to do what you can to help

UNISON Scotland's report, "Austerity economics don't add up" showed that last year in Scotland 71,428 people, including 22,387 children needed to use Trussell Trust food banks, up 400% in three years.

In 2012-13, a total of 480,000 working age adults in Scotland were living in relative poverty, more than half in homes where at least one adult was working (classed as in-work poverty). Nearly one in five children - 180,000 - were in relative poverty, 59% in a home with at least one adult working. Charities warn of a scale of poverty and adversity unheard of since Victorian times.

And Aberdeenshire is not immune. There are foodbanks at Ellon, Inverurie, Huntly and Banchory.  People can only use a foodbank if they get a referral from their Doctor, Social Work or Housing Support Services.

Steve Gray, Branch Development Officer, who compiled this report, said, "The branch has highlighted that the rise of in work poverty has created the problem that ordinary working people are not earning enough to provide the basic necessities of life like food.

“It is a disgrace in our wealthy society that people in work don’t earn enough to feed their families.

UNISON members vote to keep Political Fund Ballot

UNISON members have voted YES by a whopping 87% to keep our political fund. This will allow our union to continue its tradition of successful political campaigning at both local and national level.

Dave Prentis

UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said:"Our members have spoken loud and clear that they want UNISON to continue to promote their interests at European, national and local levels.

"This is in spite of the government's cynical 'gagging act' that aims to reduce the lobbying power of trade unions while the Tories happily sit back and pocket millions from corporate and financial elites.

"UNISON campaigns hard to defend jobs and decent employment standards, to promote public services and equality, and to protect the health and safety of our members, and this is possible because of the political fund."