Time to Care - if you work in care are you getting the Scottish Living Wage?

#TimetoCare From 1 October 2016 social care workers should be be paid £8.25 per hour.

Help UNISON enforce the Living Wage and Fair Work. Click here to fill in our Living Wage survey right now!

Are you being paid the Scottish Living Wage?
This is most likely to apply to you if you work for the Community, Voluntary or Private sector.

New Social Care Rights from 1 October as demanded by Scottish Government are:

• The Scottish Living Wage of £8.25
• Fair working conditions
• An effective voice for staff when negotiating with your employer
• Secure working arrangements
• Opportunities to advance your career in social care

All this should be embedded in the revised funding of the organisation you work for.

If you work in social care and are not being paid the Scottish Living Wage – or if your terms and conditions have been altered as a result of receiving the Living Wage – then you need to let us know.

This applies to anyone aged 18 and over.

Click here to tell us about it right now using our fast survey.

And check out our TimeTo Care campaign right here

#TimetoCare

Branch urges members to get along to council meetings about alternative service delivery model for sport and culture

The branch is encouraging all affected members to get along to a series of meetings arranged by Aberdeenshire Council in the run-up to the next EL&L Committee.

This committee will consider a report from the project board which includes a commissioned report from Ernst and Young on an alternative service delivery model for sport, culture and community learning and development. The branch will be represented at all these meetings to hear what you think.

Four alternative models that were considered have been narrowed down by the Project Board to the creation of a charitable trust, which would deliver sport and cultural services on behalf of the council, (also known as an Arms Length External Organisation or ALEO) and the potential of an enhanced status quo model through which those services would continue to be directly delivered by the council.

The meeting dates are as follows:

• North (Fraserburgh CSC) – 11am – 12pm Tuesday, 25 October
• North (Peterhead Community Theatre) – 3 – 4pm Tuesday, 25 October
• Central (Meldrum Academy) – 3.30 – 4.30pm Wednesday, 26 October
• Central (Inverurie Town Hall) – 6 – 7pm Monday, 24 October
• South (PFR Room, Banchory Academy) – 6 – 7pm Tuesday, 25 October
• South (Mearns Community Campus) – 6 – 7pm Wednesday, 26 October

On 27th October EL&L committee members will be presented with a report on the work carried out so far before the preferred option is chosen by all councillors at next month’s full meeting of Aberdeenshire Council on 15th November.

The branch has been pressing the council through the working group, project board and elected members to think very carefully before going down any outsourcing route. We have pointed out that ALEOs in other Local Authorities in Scotland have led to cuts in services as well as in staff, and terms and conditions. Aberdeen City is currently seeing the closure of pools in the City by their ALEO, Sport Aberdeen.

The branch has worked to see CLD services removed from this proposal and welcomes the recommendation that CLD services be removed from the scope of this proposal. If the committee agrees, CLD will remain under the direct management of Aberdeenshire Council. We believe that the best way to protect and deliver public services is to keep them in-house.

Branch supports Graham's half Marathon and fundraising and you can too

Branch steward Graham Wilson will be running in the Fraserburgh half Marathon on the 6th November in support of Oldmeldrum based charity Kayleigh's Wee Stars and the branch delighted to have donated £100 to this very worthwhile cause.

This local charity provides financial support for families where there is a child with a terminal illness, and helps makes memories for these extremely courageous children

We would also encourage members to donate in recognition of Graham's efforts and you can do so by clicking here. Kayleigh's Wee Stars.
 

Graham in training

Graham said, "Whilst I really enjoy running and it provides so much for me in the way of stress relief, I do want some good to come out of it.

"Rather than ask for sponsorship I am encouraging friends and family that maybe would consider sponsoring me to instead make a donation to Kayleigh's Wee Stars.

"The charity continues to receive on average 4 applications for support a month, and by May 2015 had donated almost £250,000 in total. The applications continue to come in and every bit of support is vital," added Graham.

" It doesn't take long to donate, and every little makes a difference, giving me some inspiration to run this half marathon.

"Please make a donation and help to provide a family with a chance of making precious memories together."