Leeds Council Bulletin - Issue 4, July 2012

Say NO to a deterioration of your service conditions!

Reject the Councils latest final offer!
Over recent months activists in Leeds Unison have been debating Leeds City Councils latest final offer as part of its 3 year cuts package and now we will be balloting our members. Last year, the Labour-led Council accepted as much as 90 million worth of cuts, which resulted in over a thousand staff members taking voluntary redundancy through its Early Leavers Initiative. This year, the Council has cut as much as 55 million that will see services cut to the bone. This offer if accepted will affect the most vulnerable amongst our members the lowest paid and those under pressure and demoralised due to working harder. Our members, many of whom are very loyal to the services we provide every day, many to the most vulnerable in our society, have seen many Over the last 3 years the Council changes that are detrimental to has done away with Bank Holiday our working lives less staff Tuesdays. This year staff who means an increasing workload have been affected over this that increases pressure and period will be given a one off sickness levels. 100 payment and receive three The Council are chipping away at extra statutory days holidays. For There are many other cuts that the Managing Workforce Change the remainder of 2012, one day are being carried out all around (MWC) policy; reducing the period will be added to be taken at any us throughout the Council. Many a staff member is in time. essential services particularly in redeployment. This is an Social Services are finding it underhand way of making To encourage greater flexible harder to meet the needs of redundancies. With reduced staff working our employer is offering those that rely on them. Some of pressures on services there will all staff up to 3 planned days our services are faced with be fewer posts to fill. It also unpaid leave. reduced contact time with the wants to erode the pay-protection public, harder access or simply where staff are matched to posts The Labour group on the Council face closure. within a lower pay grade. are wringing their hands about the fact that This offer is divisive and we employees dangerous, asking us to surrender have had no pay and holidays to help the pay rise in 3 council impose the Con Dem cuts. years and are We cannot agree to throw therefore ourselves over the cliff when this offering a one- Council should be standing up to off payment to this government and defending those in Band ALL jobs and services. In a A or prolonged period of economic equivalent uncertainty making a stand now grade of up to by rejecting the offer and uniting 150. to defend our jobs and services is the only way opposing the cuts. UNISON must take action & fight cuts to jobs and services
Find out more: www.leedssocialistparty.wordpress.com / leedssp@hotmail.co.uk / Twitter: @leedssp

Our employer also wants to trial a Christmas closedown in buildings and services where there is little or no contact with the public. They want you to take 3 days of your annual leave over that period whilst offering an additional day annual leave on 24th December.

Leeds Council Bulletin - Issue 4

Unison Backs Tamil Solidarity

The recent Unison conference overwhelmingly supported the resolution to affiliate to the Tamil Solidarity campaign.

Join the Socialists!

The Socialist Party argues for

blood of thousands of Tamil-speaking more than just fighting the people on his hands, Rajapaksa's cuts. As long as capitalism invite to the Jubilee aroused huge exists working people will face anger. Protests were successful in a future of uncertainly. What forcing him to cancel a speaking A historic step forward for building engagement with British big business. we gain today, the bosses will try to take back tomorrow as international working class solidarity, this is believed to be the first time the The excellent meeting discussed the they are doing with the NHS. struggle of the Tamils has been world context of the struggle for We need an alternative way of discussed by a national trade union Tamil rights in Sri Lanka, with reports running society, a socialist conference. of building Tamil Solidarity in society, based on meeting the Malaysia and Tamil Nadu, India. needs of the many by planning The resolution urges Unison branches Further action was planned including production in that direction to invite a speaker from Tamil a meeting against the land grab on Solidarity to address meetings and 30 June, linking up with other rather than making profits for a few at the top. To do this we Unison members should get in touch campaigns and participation of a need to take the banks and with the campaign to arrange this. Tamil Solidarity team in Youth Fight the other monopolies that for Jobs' Austerity Games for the dominate our economy into On Saturday 23 June, Tamil Solidarity Olympics. held a meeting aimed at young public ownership and run them people who had been active in the For more info on Tamil Solidarity see: democratically. The Socialist recent protests against the visit by Sri www.tamilsolidarity.org Party is made up of ordinary Lankan president Rajapaksa. With the people like you, so if you

agree then join us in the struggle for socialism. We campaign for the following: Stop all cuts and closures. Oppose compulsory redundancies and fight for every job No to privatisation and the Public Finance Initiative (PFI). Bring all privatised council services back inhouse. Organise agency and parttime workers. No to a twotier workforce. Defend every service. Fight for the council to set a needs budget rather than doing Camerons dirty work for him. Trade unions to disaffiliate from New Labour, whose councillors are cutting council jobs and services in Leeds, and support candidates opposed to all cuts. Link up with service users, anti-cuts groups and community campaigns to defend all public services.

Young Tenants Fight Back! campaign

Over the summer, Leeds Youth Fight for Jobs will be launching the Young Tenants Fight Back! campaign to fight the Tories attacks on housing, including their most recent announcement that they are looking at scrapping housing benefit for under25s. Although most reportage highlights the increasing cost of housing in London, housing is becoming increasingly unaffordable, especially for young people, across the country. roughly half of what someone working a full time job on the minimum wage would earn, and thats if they are over 21 and before council tax and utilities bills, regardless of things like feeding themselves. Young Tenants Fight back will be highlighting this and other issues as we campaign over the summer. We will be gathering signatures for a petition to Leeds City Council to get them to act on some of the immediate issues as well as back our broader campaigning.

The average rent for a two-bedroom property in Leeds is 620 per month F o r m o r e i n f o s e e compared to 470 per month in www.yorkshireyfj.wordpress.com/ neighbouring Bradford, 150 more a young-tenants-fightback month and a whopping 1,800 more per year just for living in a neighbouring borough. The average rent for a one-bedroom property is 472 per month, about

Find out more: www.leedssocialistparty.wordpress.com / leedssp@hotmail.co.uk / Twitter: @leedssp