SUMMER 2014

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Well here we are well into the Summer, we didn't do well in the world cup but we came out top of the Commonwealth Games medal table. We have had some lovely weather and even Wimbledon didn't get much rain. Unfortunately for our members things have not got any better financially, this can be borne out by the subjects and speakers at this year’s National Seminar and AGM in May ie. Food Banks, Welfare Reforms, Credit Unions etc. Debt can cause a great deal of stress in your life. A small change in circumstances can turn a manageable situation into a debt problem that threatens your home or your family’s wellbeing.

UNISON’s Debtline service is available to all our members to help you manage money and deal with debt. We offer free confidential advice to help you clear your debts.

Debtline can help you deal with:

credit card debt; • mortgage arrears; • home repossession; • county court judgment claims.

UNISON Welfare Debtline freephone 0800 389 3302

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A BAKER’S DOZEN .... attended this year’s welfare forum, OK so numbers were not the highest but the content was very useful, if a bit scary when Debbie Webster, from the St Ann’s Advice Centre, Nottingham, explained how she and her colleagues operate in the community. The workload seemed to us extraordinarily heavy as they cope with the kind of circumstances that would have been familiar to Charles Dickens, when poverty amongst those on the margins of society was so prevalent.

Debbie gave some startling facts and examples of how the current benefits system operates and the picture she painted, based on real-life experience ain’t a pretty one ! It would take up too much space to do justice to Debbie’s portrayal of the state of affairs which covered too many distressing examples of hardship.

Julie Grant Head of UNISON welfare, now known by the more practical title of ‘there for you’. After speaking about the day to day work of the team, Julie spoke at length of recent developments in the way services are delivered, with great emphasis on using new technology, she said that of all UNISONS services, welfare has now reached the pinnacle of success. Indeed, a recent survey amongst new members shows that Welfare tops the polls as being the inspiration for joining UNISON.

Success often goes to the head so we have to live up to this interest in what is provided.

East Midlands Regional Welfare Forum 5 April report by Dennis Sear

Welfare Officers are ambassadors for UNISON so we have to develop our skills and face the challenges constantly heading our way. New training initiatives are in the pipeline and are expected to be rolled out soon so watch this space !

Responding to a query on branches having their own welfare budgets, Julie made it very clear that this was a breach of UNISON protocol! Only UNISON Welfare give members grants. Sums of cash can be authorised for emergencies

over the telephone after call ing head office, (maximum £150) these have to be followed with the completion of the necessary paper-work. Branches can hold a budget for seasonal greetings or get-

well cards/flowers to send to members. CREDIT UNIONS are a tool to help members when it comes to considering ways in which savings and loans are available, without having to resort to pay day loans. UNISON now has an umbrella linkage with credit unions in many parts of the country and virtually all of our regions have coverage. There is plenty of on-line information for those interested, simply log on to the welfare website and search for CREDIT UNIONS.

During the lunch break, there were FREE head, neck and shoulder massage sessions available and very relaxing they were. The Forum ended with the election of the regional welfare committee and a tombola raised just short of £70 for the welfare funds.

23 October 2014

Debt Awareness Training — 10.00am—1.15pm Buffet Lunch Committee Meeting 2.00pm — 4.30pm

This training is for the Welfare Committee and Branch Welfare Officers and will be followed by a meeting of the welfare committee which welfare officers are welcome to attend. Further details to follow.

For more information about the day contact Lesley Bailey on 0115 8475409 or l.bailey@unison.co.uk

East Midlands Committee 2014/15

Georgie Burdett - Chair Fay Mansfield Ivy Carlier Benny Moyle Marie Davey Lorraine Newby—Vice-Chair Brian Gowrie—Link Trustee Dennis Sear Val Graham Chelsea Skervin Tracy Lamy-Edwards Linda Treacy Chris Klus Bob Young

Members in Crisis

Between 2011 and 2013, “There for You” saw a 75% increase in payments to members in crisis, many of whom could not afford to pay for food, bus fares or other daily essentials. In 2013 a total of £12,300 was paid out. Individual payments started from £20.

Registered Charity No. 1023552

National AGM & Seminar 8-10 May report by Dennis Sear

“JEWEL IN THE CROWN” …. was the President's description of UNISON Welfare, 'there for you' , during a wide-ranging speech at the close of the AGM, held at Croyde Bay, North Devon. “All branches, small and large, play a fantastic role in steering their members towards help during times of crisis and there is an ever increasing number of these.” said Maureen as she thanked everyone, including the full-time staff, for their care, compassion and practical help. The AGM this year was really quite exciting for once during an intense debate arising from a Motion submitted by Scotland Region delegates, which called for an increase in the number of branch welfare officers permitted to attend both the AGM and seminar. Currently the number is restricted due to available space at the two main venues used (Croyde Bay and London Head Offices, UNISON).

Eventually, after one grumpy delegate (me) hauled himself to his feet to “Move the Motion be now put to the vote”. A final, impassioned speech by the mover of the original Motion, this was CARRIED by a large majority, leaving the Board of Trustees faced with the difficult task of resolving the logistics of organising future meetings/seminars on a grand scale.

The seminar which preceded the AGM, was dubbed a success, and conducted at frenetic pace by facilitator, Amanda Stott, with much shuffling of seats to create table top presentations, many of them really thought provoking. No time for dozing apart from 10 minutes when we were all treated to a session during which we learned to breathe deeply and imagine blissful scenes in our minds. Did it work ? Don't ask ZZzzzzzz ! Alison Roche, Policy Officer, UNISON, gave a detailed expose of HM Government welfare reforms; their devastating effects and a peek at what lies in store as yet more legislation is put into effect.

Martin Groombridge, London Capital Credit Union, gave a very comprehensive over-view of how credit unions (CU) operate to the benefit of thousands of people. His talk embraced the criteria for joining a CU and the procedures involved. UNISON has now an umbrella network of CUs, covering the greater part of the UK. This was an exceptionally useful slot in the seminar. Allyson Broadhurst, from CHARIS, an independent charity based in Peterborough, provided a lot of very useful information on how her organisation works, in co-operation with a number of similar bodies, in relieving poverty where there is a genuine need for help that cannot be accessed elsewhere. CHARIS can and does, work with several of the BIG SIX energy providers, who will assist customers who are facing huge bills, often during a crisis in the household. Details can be accessed through the EM Regional Centre.

We all took part in a light-heated attempt to produce some newsletter headlines, most of which a bit of a waste of space as few were more than dotty captions.

Was it all worth travelling nearly 300 miles ? YES, it certainly was, if only for the benefits that come from learning from others and the encouragement we gave one another. A task to be dealt with head-on; getting more branches involved in welfare work (many do not have anyone to take on this role), engaging younger UNISON members in welfare operations. We didn't actually define what 'younger' means but I suppose that's really anyone under 50 although if HM Government presses ahead with retirement nigh on 70, the limit will be much higher ! A grand raffle produced £300 plus for 'there for you' whilst donations from delegates helped to stock up enough foodstuff to feed several families, all to be distributed from a Devon branch foodbank – well done everybody !

Credit Unions

Did you know the benefits for UNISON members ? Saving with a credit union As little as £1 may be all you need to open a savings account. This could be a sensible option if you can only afford to save a small amount each week or every now and then. And your reward for saving will be that you receive a dividend each year - often in the region of 2-3% of the amount you have saved.

Which credit union should I join? To be a member you must meet the membership criteria set by the credit union - gen-erally referred to as the common bond. This might be that you live or work in a certain area, belong to a particular organisation or work for a certain employer. Some of the biggest credit unions will be open to members wherever they live in the UK

How straightforward is it to get a loan from a credit union? You will need to be a member. Many are free to join, although some may apply a nominal charge, which is usually no more than £5. Once you have completed a loan application form, this will be assessed by your credit union for affordability. While there is a form of credit scoring, this in itself is not neces-sarily the sole deciding factor. Unlike mainstream banks, credit unions are more flexible and will look at individual circumstances, affordability and whether there is a payroll-deduction scheme in place with your employer. Loans come with no hidden charges and no penalties for early repayment. Generally, loan applications are decided very quickly

How much can I borrow? The amount you can borrow will vary from credit union to credit union. Some will require you to be in a savings scheme for anything up to 12 weeks before being eligible for a loan, while others will offer an instant loan - again, this will be sub-ject to circumstances. As responsible lenders, credit unions generally encourage sav-ing alongside any borrowing. Credit Unions in East Midlands region where UNISON has currently linked up with: 2 Shires Credit Union (North Nottinghamshire) 01909 500575 Email: info@2shires.org.uk Chesterfield and NE Derbyshire Credit Union 01246 278833 Email: webmail@cnedcu.co.uk Clockwise (Leicester) 0116 2423900 Email: enquiries@clockwise.coop Nottingham Credit Union 0115 8283121 Email: info@nottinghamcu.co.uk

Find out more from UNISON welfare 020 7121 5620 or http://www.unison.org.uk/get-help/help-with-problems-at-home/there-for-you/credit-unions/about-credit-unions/

Octopus prize draw

The monthly Octopus lottery is a great way of supporting the vital work of There for You. Not only has the lottery become a valuable source of income for the charity, it also helps spread the word about the important work we do.

Whether you’re a member or a UNISON branch, playing the lottery couldn’t be easier – all you need to do is set up a direct debit and a regular amount will be taken from your bank account each month.

There’s an affordable way to play for everyone – for members it costs from £1 up to a maximum of £10 per month. For UNISON branches, there’s no upper limit. The draw is held monthly and there are 50 cash prizes to win including a top prize of £1,000. Just download the application form from the website.

Glenys Turner Memorial Fun Walk 2014

Our walk this year was held at Carsington Water in Derbyshire and 22 people had a lovely walk on a beautiful day with either a stop for a bevy at the Miners Arms in Carsington village or sitting on the village green having their picnic. We raised £50 for Welfare and three of our walkers won a prize just for coming along and having a great day.

Why not come along next year, watch out for further information or contact your Branch Welfare Officer. We will set the date and

venue at our October meeting.

Food Banks By Tracy Lamy-Edwards

You would be forgiven if you thought, like many others, that food banks were there for people who are on benefits, between claims or the unemployed.

The reality now is that so many people that work are on the poverty line they too need help. UNISON’s young members, retired members, working members, low paid, zero hour contract members etc all access food banks, because they need to.

Find out where your local food bank is from the internet. The best way to collect is to highlight where the drop of points are, so the food is distributed by the food banks in your local area. This is usually a church , village hall or a local supermarket. It saves having to take the collected food to a drop off point. Branches can also ask their local food bank if they can refer members to the service.

So I leave you with my latest food bank campaign. ‘’The buy one, give the free away.’’ Whenever you are shopping and there is a BOGOF offer, give the free one to the food bank, as you did not intend to buy it anyway.

Also when you stay in a hotel donate the toiletries they give you. They are needed just as much as food.