stronger■together

Issue 12 | Spring 2010

Steel: The Heart of Teesside

Community

2  Community Spring 2010

Insurance Services

Travel Insuranceput peace of mind in your hand luggage

Annual Worldwide Multi-trip Travel Insurance

For Community Members we aim to provide the right combination of Service and Price – both are important in ensuring good value for money

Life Assurance – Pure ProtectionWe offer quotations from leading Insurers and in most

cases include discounted premiums for members Could you be paying less?

To find out more, call: 0845 371 0272

www.irvinebrokers.co.uk/community

Wellperson for dental, optical and cancer drug www.irvinebrokers.co.uk/community

0333 321 3203

Standard cover: up to 45 days per trip Premiums correct at date of publishing

Age (inc) up to 64 65-70 71-75 Online Telephone / Post

Single £54 £57 £117 £133 Couple* £64 £67 £135 £154 Family £74 £77 £153 £175

* Single Parent Family = Couple premium

Motor Insurance discount of 5% on standard rate

go on-line to get a quote or call 0800 0113607 Quote Ref:: 5584

Home Insurance discount of 10% from standard rate

go on-line to get a quote or call 0800 876 6225 Quote Ref: 5584

Adventurers Longstay Backpackers Winter Sports Single-Trip

Irvine Insurance Brokers Ltd. Authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Register No. 307635

Post Office Christmas ClubDear Community member,Post Office® Christmas Club: Special Member Offer We’re delighted to make available a special offer to all Community members joining the Post Office® Christmas Club for 2010.Join the Christmas Club at your local Post Office® branch and we’ll top up your Christmas Club Card with an extra £2.50 for Christmas 2010. All club members will also receive a booklet of discount and special offer vouchers in the run up to Christmas, making the money you have put aside go ever further.To take advantage of this offer, sign up to the club at your local Post Office® branch. Counter staff will provide you with an application form. On the application form write the following code – COM10 - to the left of the bar code. Once we’ve received your application we’ll top up your account with an extra £2.50.

The Post Office® Christmas Club represents a great way to put aside money for Christmas; you can sign up with as little as £2. Top up your card, up to a maximum of £1000 per annum, throughout the year and next Christmas you’ll be able to shop at a great range of top retailers including Argos, Sainsbury’s, Boots, WH Smith, Currys, Top Shop and many, many more.Michael Birchall,Product Manager

The Post Office Christmas Club Card is issued by Bank of Ireland- incorporated in Ireland with limited liability. Registered No. C-1. Head Office, Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2, Ireland. Authorised by the Irish Financial Regulator and authorised and subject to limited regulation by the Financial Services Authority. Details about the extent of Bank of Ireland’s authorisation and regulation by the Financial Services Authority are available from Bank of Ireland on request. Post Office Limited is registered in England and Wales. Registered No 2154540. Registered office is 148 Old Street, London EC1V 9HQ.

Community Spring 2010 3

Dear Community memberHello and welcome to the new ‘Stronger Together’. This fresh, modern design will now be arriving in your letterbox quarterly, keeping you up to date with what’s happening in your union.

2009 was a difficult year for many of our members. Community responded by negotiating with management to identify cost savings, training schemes and government stimulus to cut the numbers of forced redundancies. The recession bit deeply but our members have shown their resilience and solidarity.

2010 will also be a difficult year as some businesses recover and recruit staff while others continue to feel the squeeze and cut costs. But as we start to see the first green shoots in the economy, now is the time to ensure that working families are not left behind.

The sacrifices that working people made for their employers over the last year must be recognised and rewarded.

This is a key period for workers across Britain. Workers need to unite to ensure that the jobs created during any recovery are ‘real’ jobs. Too often have we seen big business use any excuse to replace full time positions with temporary or agency jobs. A strong union presence in your workplace is the key to ensuring that you and your colleagues don’t miss out during any economic recovery.

An economic recovery is not guaranteed however. Many workers and businesses around the country require government stimulus while waiting for growth in global demand. Any political party that implements cuts before a recovery has begun would force Britain back into recession.

The 2010 election will offer a stark choice between investment in the people, businesses and the future of Britain, with savage cuts that will force thousands onto the dole queue. While the economy remains weak, government spending, through the car scrappage scheme or investment construction, keeps thousands employed and small and medium sized businesses above water. Cameron’s policies however, would see a Tory government attacking your employment rights, while cutting public services on which we all depend.

The choice is clear and your vote this year will make a difference.

General Secretary Michael J. Leahy OBE

A clear choice – and your vote counts

stronger■together

INSIDE …Climate change 4Unions have a role to play

Justice for Glen Shaw staff 4Community wins justice for 57

Breaking down barriers 4Campaigning for a disability champion in Scotland

Cameron ignores steel 5No reply to Community letter

Teesside 6There is an alternative

Reinstate the Llanwern 3 6Union reps victimised

Supported employment 7Community works to save jobs

Betting shop violence 8High street chains must act

Communitas 9Learning opportunities for you

Your rights at work 10Holidays

Legal advice service 11Dodgy builders; civil proceedings; a stolen caravan

Cover Image by Simon Gaunt (www.smileyouroncamera.co.uk)

If you have any comments or suggestions for the next edition please contact Duncan Harrod on editor@community-tu.org or on 020 7420 4024

Stronger Together. February 2010. Editor: Duncan HarrodEditorial Office: 67/68 Long Acre, Covent Garden, WC2E 9FATel: 020 7420 4000 email: editor@community-tu.org

Printed by The College Hill Press www.collegehillpress.co.uk/

4  Community Spring 2010

news

THE COPENHAGEN Climate Summit last year was a huge event that brought together world leaders, national governments and big business.

Trade Unions also had a part to play, representing over 175 million working people across 155 countries.

This is not a new role for Trade Unions. Trade Unions were among the first groups to champion environmental legislation. From

the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, working people were the first to suffer from industrial pollution near their towns and communities.

Today, Trade Unions are trying to manage the process of moving towards a green economy, balancing the importance of addressing climate change with the need to protect jobs in traditional industries. Your Union Community joined the TUC, European TUC and International TUC at the Copenhagen conference to argue for a ‘Just Transition to a Green Economy’.

The Trade Union delegates came together in the ‘World of Work’ Pavilion.

■ You can find more information about the International Trade Union effort at http://climate.ituc-csi.org/

■ You can find out more about Your Union’s Environmental work at www.community-tu.org/environment

Copenhagen climate summit

Justice for knitwear workersYOUR UNION, Community, won justice for 57 former workers of Glen Shaw Knitwear at Coatbridge in central Scotland. The tribunal agreed that the workers had been unfairly dismissed and applied the protective award.

Community Union Branch Secretary Alison Ferguson said: “We were given only 40 minutes between being told we’d lost our jobs and being locked out of the factory.

“Only the support of the union has allowed us to take this case to the tribunal.

“Without the invaluable support and advice from Our Union, Community, the workers of Glen Shaw would have been thrown onto the street with no recognition of years of loyal service.”

DISABLED WORKERS have suffered during the current recession as local authorities across Britain have cut funding for supported employment. This has a dramatic effect as a supported employment position is not simply a job, but a social outlet for disabled workers.

That is why Your Union, Community, has launched the Breaking Down the Barriers campaign in Scotland. This campaign hopes to pressure the Scottish Government to appoint an ‘Article 19’ champion. A position which would promote the products of Scotland’s supported employment factories and push priority procurement from both public and private workplaces.

■ You can help by asking your family and friends to visit www.community-tu.org/article19

BREAKING DOWN THE BARRIERS

Protesters in Copenhagen demonstrate what a tonne of carbon dioxide looks like

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Community Spring 2010 5

TULIP – Trade Unions Linking Israel and Palestine, has set up a fund to support Israeli and Palestinian Trade Unions undertaking projects of mutual interest, that foster peace and hope in the region. Your Union, Community, helped to found TULIP to promote peace in the region.

Michael J. Leahy OBE, General Secretary of Your Union, Community, hosting the first meeting said: “The real work of unions is not boycotts that would hurt Palestinian workers but bringing people together and making the situation on the ground better in Israel and Palestine. I hope we have started our part of this today.”

Chairing the inaugural meeting of the TULIP Executive, Paul Howes, National Secretary of the Australian Workers’ Union said: “The opportunity to provide practical support to working people in Israel and Palestine should not be missed. We aim to support projects developed by Israeli and Palestinian trade unions to bring progress to a region in need of more action rather than words.”

TULIP is an international organisation that has affiliates in Australia, UK and the USA.

TORY LEADER David Cameron has failed to respond to a letter from Your Union, Community. The letter asked David Cameron to list any policies he supported which would aid the Steel Industry as it faced the most serious threat of the post war years.

David Cameron has ● Opposed the Car Scrappage Scheme which

created demand for cars and therefore steel ● Opposed investment in schools and

hospitals which has retained a demand for steel ● Wished to “refocus” the Train to Gain

budget which would deprive Corus of £2m ● Pledged to abolish the Regional

Development Agencies that provided £3m to Corus

● Declared government subsidy or protection is not ‘the right answer’

David Cameron has failed to list a single policy which would aid the steel industry, failed to say a word as thousands were made redundant and offered no solutions to the closure of Teesside Cast Products.

In addition, not one Tory or Lib Dem has signed a Parliamentary motion in support of Teesside.

All this leaves us to wonder, what is the Tory Policy on Steel?

Hartlepool Learning AgreementYOUR UNION, Community, is proud to have signed a Learning Agreement at Hartlepool’s 20" Pipe Mill. Learning Agreements allow Your Union, Community, to bring Communitas into the workplace and offer all members further education and lifelong learning opportunities.

Whether you want to build basic IT skills or to qualify for an NVQ, Communitas is your pathway to education and training in the workplace.

■ For more information about Communitas visit www.community-tu.org/communitas

TULIP: BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Cameron ignores steel industry

David Cameron features in a series of online posters at mydavidcameron.com

■■ For■more■information■visit■www.community-tu.org/industry

6  Community Spring 2010

Around 3,500 steelworkers, their families and other trade union members marched through Redcar in Cleveland to protest at huge job cuts by Corus in the British steel industry

save our steel

THREE COMMUNITY union reps – Mark Hill, Kevin Mulhall and Gary Stewart – were all unfairly selected for redundancy because of their trade union activity. They worked at Corus Strip Products in Llanwern.

Community has taken their case to an employment tribunal. But rather than doing the right thing Corus are trying to appeal the decision and are still refusing to reinstate the Llanwern 3.

This goes to the heart of what we do as a

Reinstate the Llanwern 3M

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union. Community is built on volunteers like Mark, Kevin and Gary, who give their time to defend the interests of their colleagues. The action that Corus has taken against them is an

attack on all our representatives and all our members within Corus.

Collectively Mark, Kevin and Gary have 70 years membership of Community and its predecessor union. Together they have 40 years of experience as union reps.

Corus must reinstate the Llanwern 3.

TATA CORUS is preparing to mothball Teesside Cast Products at the end of February, a move that would devastate an entire community.

Your Union, Community, has opposed this move at every step of the process. Community believes that the quality of the product, the skill of the workforce and the support of the local community shows that Teesside steel has a future.

Community is still pushing alternatives to mothballing and it is testament to the strong campaign that our fight continues nine months on. Viable alternatives could include

TCP: There is an alternative

HOPING FOR THE BEST, PREPARING FOR THE WORSTWHILE YOUR Union, Community, is hoping and fighting for the best, it is preparing for the worst. Our support arm Communitas is active on-site.

Communitas helps members access the most appropriate training, advice and guidance to find new employment.

■ To access Communitas services, visit www.community-tu.org/communitas

■ To follow the situation at Teesside, visit www. community-tu.org/saveoursteel

new off-takers, new owners or sending slab to Llanwern.

Tata Corus have a moral and social obligation to the Teesside workforce that doesn’t end at the steelworks gate. Tata Corus need to prove that they have exhausted every possibility before they consider mothballing the site.

Community Spring 2010 7

NLBD

Using a jobsearch terminal in a Jobcentre in Newham, East London

Recession hits supported employment

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This recession has taken a terrible toll on disabled workers. As budgets have tightened, supported employment factories have been under increasing pressure. From London to Aberdeen, whether council programmes or charity projects supported employment has been a victim of this recession.

IN ABERDEEN, Your Union, Community, has run a long term campaign to support our members at the Glencraft factory. Glencraft has operated under threat of closure for over a year, since the local SNP council reneged on agreements. The commitment of the workers as well as the support of the community has kept the Glencraft branch strong and forced commitments to guarantee a social enterprise to replace the factory hopefully in March. We want Glencraft 2.0 and other businesses like it to have a secure future – this means implementing the right procurement policies, using Article 19, and maximising opportunities provided by major public projects like the Commonwealth Games. Above all, today’s words must be tomorrow’s action

IN BOLTON, the hard work of Branch Secretary, Charles Rennie won agreements from the local council guaranteeing jobs for all members despite the closure of Bolmoor Industries. The challenge now is to ensure that the council honours its commitments and develops a clear role, not just for the Bolmoor workers, but also for any other disabled people looking to enter the workforce.

IN LONDON, Action for Blind People announced the closure of their supported employment factory in Southwark. This has serious implications, not only for the 34 blind or visually impaired employees but for the future of supported employment in London.

This action comes in the wake of the merger between Action for Blind People and the RNIB. Your Union, Community has been watching this merger closely and is concerned that the RNIB seems to be moving away from front line service provision. The branch is actively fighting this closure and has the full support of their union.

GLENCRAFT

Action required

BOLTON

Jobs guaranteed

SOUTHWARK

Factory closed

THIS YEAR will require dedication and commitment as Community seeks to rollback these trends. The threat of a new government slashing programmes for disabled workers is very real. Your Union, Community, is the only disability organisation with the expertise, experience and dedication to success-fully represent the interests of all disabled workers. On a positive front, membership is growing in the PLUS factories in Exeter, Plymouth, Barnstaple and Torbay. While these factories are growing through a difficult reorganisa-tion at this time, providing the agreements that we are seeking are put in place, Community sees these factories as a successful part of the future.

8  Community Spring 2010

betting shops

COMMUNITY IS proposing new legislation which would introduce additional penalties for people that assault workers in the course of their duties. This legislation would build on new laws that protect emergency service workers.

A new law would allow judges to apply an aggravated sentence (i.e. longer or harsher) where it was shown that the assaulted worker was performing their duty. This could include betting shop workers who have a duty to staff the counter while at work.

However, any law will only make a difference if the high street chains choose to act upon it. Many people will be familiar with successful zero-tolerance campaigns in the transport industry. The transport unions won the support of the employers and working together cut the number of violent incidents towards staff.

The anti-social behaviour around betting shops is a growing problem, up 66% since 2005. A survey of our members found 1 in 10 had been assaulted in the past 3 months.

But the big chains pretend that this is not an issue.

Your union has found time and time again that the big chains misreport incidents to downgrade their severity, fail to report incidents and often refuse to prosecute.

This attitude has given a green light to repeat offenders and persistent trouble makers.

Taking a zero tolerance approach to violent behaviour in the high street chains would have a dramatic effect, as would advertising this policy in shops. It is a disgrace that the big chains will not even place posters in their shops asking customers not to assault staff.

Your union, Community, is working to address this issue with local councils, the big chains and the Minister for Sport and Gaming. Local councils have some regulatory power and the Minister can apply pressure, but the big chains must accept their responsibility to their staff and adopt these policies.

A new law could protect you … if the big chains decide to act

YOUR UNION … YOUR ISSUES … YOUR GOVERNMENTCOMMUNITY UNION Regional Director Christine Hardacre met with Minister for Sport and Gaming Gerry Sutcliffe to share the evidence that we have collected from you – Think21! and single staffing are not working and increasing the number of violent incidents against betting shop staff.

By involving the government, Your Union, Community, is signalling to the high street chains that we are serious about safety in the workplace.

Poster promoting social behaviour towards staff, Euston Station, London: Transport unions won the support of employers to work together to cut the number of violent incidents involving their staff

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Community Spring 2010 9

CommunitasCommunity General

Secretary Michael J. Leahy OBE

(centre) and John Healey (front), MP for the Wentworth

constituency in South Yorkshire , with the

Forging Ahead team

BEYOND THE WORKPLACEYOUR UNION, Community, has won funding from the Union Modernisation Fund (UMF) to run a new project in South Yorkshire and the East Midlands.

Beginning in February, Your Union, Community, will partner with the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations.

The project ‘Beyond the Workplace: Community in the community’ is designed to support our members through the recession and ensure that any member made redundant has access to all the services needed to re-enter the workforce.

■ For more information on this project: visit www.community-tu.org/beyondtheworkplace

Forging ahead

Would you like to learn another language?YOUR UNION, Community, has run a Conversational Spanish Course for a group of members (right) in Scotland. With the help of the Scottish Union Learning Fund, Your Union, Community, organised John Wheatley College to bring the course to our members’ workplace.

THROUGH OUR support provider Communitas, Your Union, Community, has developed a course – Forging Ahead – to help members in Yorkshire deal with redundancy.

The course includes sessions on CV writing and interview techniques, introductory computer skills, and money management, and provides information about training opportunities as well as job openings in the local labour market.

Martin Bramhill, one of the Forging Ahead participants, and a former employee at Brinsworth Strip Mill praised the course, saying: “It opened my eyes to the available help and resources, and my CV looks a lot better now!”

LOOKING FOR A LEARNING OPPORTUNITY?YOUR UNION, Community, has Union Learning reps across the country, as well as our training support arm Communitas. Your Union, Community, can also access the many training courses run by the General Federation of Trade Unions.

■For more infor-mation on lifelong learning and the opportunities you can access, contact your regional office or visit: www.community-tu.org/education

10  Community Spring 2010

your rights at workWelcome to the regular feature that addresses some of our members’ frequently asked questions. While we hope this information is useful, you should always speak to a Community Union rep before taking any action.

WHAT ARE MY BASIC RIGHTS FOR HOLIDAYS?As of 1st April 2009, all workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks paid holiday a year under the Working Time Regulations.

This may include Bank Holidays.

You may have a more generous holiday entitlement from your employer under your contract of employment.

CAN I BE TOLD WHEN TO TAKE TIME OFF?Your employer can specify which weeks are to be taken as holiday. Your employer can also direct you to take holidays, if they require. However, the employer must give notice. The period of notice is twice the length of the period of leave. Therefore two weeks notice must be given before enforcing a one week period of leave.

CAN I BANK ON BANK HOLIDAYS?You have no statutory rights to be off work on a public holiday or bank holiday.

Your contract of employment may give you an entitlement to public holidays and bank holidays, either providing time off or extra pay.

However, you should check your contract.

If public holidays and bank holidays are not recognised and you choose to take them as holiday these will be deducted from your annual holiday entitlement.

CAN EMPLOYER DECIDE MY DATES?You can request when to take

your holiday. Employees should give a

period of notice which is twice

the length of the period of

leave. This will not guarantee

acceptance of the holiday,

however, employers can waive

this period at their discretion.

However, employers can refuse

individual requests by giving you

notice equal to the holiday being

requested not to take the holiday

at a certain time. An employer can

also restrict holidays at certain

times of the year.

HOLIDAY■HASSLES

Community Spring 2010 11

free legal advice service

IT’S NOT JUST FOR ISSUES AT WORK

Building a strong defenceA member in region 5 had employed a builder at his property. The work was unsat-isfactory and our member refused to pay until the builder fixed his mistakes.

The builder took our member to court over this non-payment.

The Community team helped our member draft a defence and lodge a counter claim. Our member was successful, having the builder’s claim dismissed and the court ordering the builder to pay for remedial measures to repair the original work.

Free Legal Advice also covers your family!A member from the North West contacted the Community team earlier this year. Civil proceedings had been commenced against her husband for the alleged theft of £6,000 worth of signed autographs/memorabilia. The Community team assisted the member and her husband to submit supporting

Your Union, Community, operates a Free

Legal Advice Service (FLAS) open to all

members.

FLAS can help members with a wide

range of legal queries, such as consumer

issues, neighbourhood disputes, welfare

benefits and housing matters.

Your Union, Community, has

a team of legal advisors in

our Member Service Centre

waiting to help you. Here

is how we have helped

other members.

HOLIDAY■HASSLES

evidence to the court by way of standard disclosure and also an application to the court submitting extra evidence and calling an additional witness. When the judge reviewed the member and her husband’s supporting evidence she dismissed the whole case against him.

Legal trouble can happen at any timeThe Community team helped a member in Wales who had purchased a caravan some time ago. When he sold the caravan on, the new owner discovered that the caravan was in fact stolen and the caravan was returned to the original owner by the police. Our member had to reimburse the purchase price to the person he had sold the caravan.

The community team then assisted our member in recovering his money from the person who had originally sold him the caravan. Our member was assisted with a small claim through his local county court, but the matter

was eventually resolved in an out of court settlement.

Let our team help youThe Community team recently helped a member with an Industrial Injuries Benefit Appeal for Industrial Deafness and Vibration White Finger. The Community team prepared the papers for the appeal, and sent a

representative to the tribunal. The member’s appeal for Industrial Deafness was successful and his benefit has been backdated.

DO YOU NEED LEGAL ADVICE?Your Union, Community, can help you with a

range of legal matters. Our team aim to resolve

your issue as quickly as possible, but some issues

may require research or referral to a dedicated

outside agency or advisory service will be

appropriate.

If you have an issue, please contact the Member

Service Centre

on Freecall: 0800 389 6332

Or email: servicecentre@community-tu.org

SIGN UP FOR NEWSVisit www. community-tu.org/details

and leave your email to get the latest news, advice and support from your union

FIVE THINGS YOU CAN DO

REGISTER TO VOTEVisit www.aboutmyvote.co.uk

Register to vote and have your voice heard at the next election

SIGN THE PETITION

Visit www.community-tu.org

And sign the petition in support of the Llanwern 3

TAKE A PHOTOTake a photo of your workplace and send it to editor@community-tu.org

Your union is looking for great images to use in our magazine and on our website

SIGN UP A NEW MEMBERHand the membership form that came with this magazine to a family member, friend or colleague

stronger■together