Youth Offending Services (YOS) at risk in the face of more job cuts

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The Youth Offending Service (YOS) in Lambeth Council is facing another restructure and more job losses. Currently there are 32 people in the service, only a short while ago it used to be 52, but staff report that the work load means it needs to be more like 70.

Lambeth has a serious problem with child poverty and gang violence. The YOS is on the front line dealing with children with complex needs. The cuts are further damaging the ability to provide the service that is so urgently needed.

In addition the number of agency workers has sky rocketed. Many members of staff only stay for brief periods meaning that vulnerable young people can be seen by as many as six different case workers in the space of a year.

Depleted staff teams has led to casework overload, with too many cases falling on fewer shoulders.

Now YOS faces yet another reorganisation with potentially eight members of staff at risk. This is happening even though there are job vacancies in the teams.

Staff are also concerned that the new structure means there is little chance to job or career progression and won’t make best use of the many skills on the team to deliver the right service. The Council haven’t listened to staff about how to improve the service, ignoring their suggestions and forging ahead with a damaging restructure that is impacting on an already underfunded and over stretched service.

UNISON is arguing for no compulsory redundancies and to ensure the service can not only survive but improve its important provision for young people.

As one UNISON member in YOS explained; “It’s very demoralising. There is work to be done, but these cuts and restructures are making it hard to do it. The Council is not bringing in skilled people to engage with the kids to help them take responsibility for themselves. In seems that some people are being forced out because their faces don’t fit.”

 

Lambeth UNISON AGM – January 2018

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We hold the AGM in three “rolling” sessions to enable more people to take part.

Schools Workers, Tuesday 23rd January 2018, 4.30pm, International House

Lambeth College, 24th January 2018, 3.30pm, Clapham Site

General AGM 25th January 2018, 12.30, Karibu Centre

 

The purpose of the annual general meeting is to bring the branch committee and its officers to account:

  • to report on the branch’s finances;
  • to report on the branch’s activity during the past year ;
  • to receive a report on the annual assessment.

It is also to make decisions for  Lambeth UNISON in 2018:

  • agree policies and plans for the year;
  • to elect branch officers and branch representatives to external bodies for the coming year
  • Elect conference delegates for Local Government Conference and National Delegate Conference

 

If you would like to submit a motion or an agenda point to the AGM, please email the full text of your motion to Ruth Cashman rcashman@lambeth.gov.uk or return to UNISON Office, 1st Floor, International House, Brixton, SW9 7QE by 12 noon on Friday 8 December.

Please see here if you would like to stand as, or nominate a candidate to be an Officer of the Branch. Nominations must be received by 12 noon on Friday 8 December.

If you’d like to apply to be a UNISON Shop Steward please fill out the Stewards nomination form and return to Branch Administrator Juliet Blake, JABlake@lambeth.gov.uk or to UNISON Office, 1st Floor, International House, Brixton, SW9 7QE on Friday 12 December. A shop is a team or group of teams, if you are unsure which Shop you belong to, please contact Ruth Cashman. If more than one person wants to be a Shop Steward for a Shop, the Branch will organise an election taking place at a workplace meeting.

Forms for 2018 AGM nominations

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Interested in getting more active in the union? Fancy helping to organise in your workplace to defend your rights and support your colleagues? Then all you need to do is fill out these forms and return them to us

The following are positions in Lambeth UNISON:

Branch Secretary

Assistant Branch Secretary

Branch Chair

Branch Vice Chair

Branch Treasurer

Deputy Branch Treasurer

Publicity Officer

Membership Officer

Safety Officer##

Environmental Officer

Equality Officer

International Officer

Welfare Officer

Learning Co-ordinator#

Education Officer

Returning Officer

Branch Auditor

Deputy Branch Auditor

Young Members Officer**

Labour Link Officer++

 

** must be under 27 at end of their term of office (25 January 2019)  

++must be a Labour Party member who pays into the Affiliated Political Fund

# must be a trained ULR        

## must be a trained safety rep

All posts are open to job share 

Fill out this form: unison-branch-officer-nomination-form-2018

Want to be a delegate to either UNISON National Delegate Conference delegate, Local Government Conference delegate, UNISON Regional Council delegate, UNISON Regional Local Government Committee delegate then please fill out this form:  unison-delegates-nomination-form

#Metoo – dealing with sexual harrasment at work

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If you’re on social media you may have seen your Facebook, Twitter or Instagram filling with #MeToo over the last few days. The hashtag is being used by women following the widespread coverage of allegations of sexual abuse and harassment allegations against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. It is intended to give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem – sexual harassment and abuse are not rare aberrations but sadly are commonplace in society.

We stand by all the women who shared their experiences as part of the #MeToo awareness campaign. We stand by all the women who have experienced sexual harassments or assault but didn’t feel ready or confident to share those experiences. We stand by those woman who are so frustrated by the fact we still have to have campaigns like this.

The TUC study, Still just a bit of banter?, which was carried out in with the Everyday Sexism Project, found that: 

  • nearly one in three women have been the subject of unwelcome jokes of a sexual nature at work; 
  • more than one in four women have been the subject of comments of a sexual nature about their body or clothes at work;
  • nearly a quarter of women have experienced unwanted touching;
  • a fifth of women have experienced unwanted verbal sexual advances at work;
  • around one in eight women have experienced unwanted sexual touching or attempts to kiss them at work.

UNISON nationally and locally are committed to supporting individuals who are the victims of sexual harassment and abuse. We also are part of a movement challenging a culture which encourages or ignores predatory behaviour at work and beyond.

Following our survey on sexism at work, we will be organising meetings to share the findings and talk about how to identify, name and act on sexist behaviour in the workplace. If you are interested in helping organise these meetings in your workplace, please contact Ruth Cashman, Branch Secretary.

If there is any issue at work which you want to discuss in confidence contact your local steward or UNISON Direct on 0800 085 7857 and a representative will be allocated to you.

Support for a pay increase from Lambeth Councillors

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Lambeth Labour councillors have passed a motion in support of the local govenment pay claim put in by UNISON and other unions.  It is an excellent motion that puts the demand fair and square on the government to lift the pay cap and give workers a decent pay increase. We have lost around 14% of our pay since 2010 and our members are fed up. Job cuts, decimated services, constant reorganisations and low pay to boot – we have our work cut out to give local government the boost it needs to get back on its feet.