Hard Copy

N O T

S O

Issue 34

Jacqui’s Quick Quiz No time really to set a quiz, I am just unpacking and then packing again between Conference, Holidays in Dorset and the likes. I did manage to sneak a few days away in March. I went skiing, and saw my daughter Vicky. But at which resort did I go skiing. Was it? a) Val Gardena, Italy b) Soll, Austria c) Aviemore, Scotland Please send your answers together with your name and details to Jacqui “I was very good at skiing and hardly fell over once, I’ll have you know” Dunkerley Room 7233 Norcross to arrive no later than Friday 30th September 2011. The winner will receive a mystery prize. Please remember that only members of the Fylde Central Benefits and Services Branch, excluding Branch Executive Committee can enter the quiz. Right go to dash, plane to catch, I’m off to see my daughter again!

Jacqui

Hello and welcome to the Summer Special of the Hard Copy, starting with my Editorial, nice to be asked to be the guest editor for once.

When I say summer special I mean the season as the weather since July has been poor. I took a fair amount of my leave in August as Mick Daniels had said that we were going to have a scorching August this year. Oh well, perhaps I should rely on the seaweed next year.

I hope that you enjoy this edition of the newsletter and we are always looking for ideas of articles. I think that there could be some new ones next edition, so watch this space.

Duncan

Grant’s Easter Quiz Results Grant’s Quick Easter Quiz 1 I think that my name, Grant, is very distinguished. Did you guess who also has the name Grant? It is Duncan Grant Griffiths. Congratulations to Gail Dawson from Norcross for guessing correctly (or knowing). Have an egg! Grant’s Quick Easter Quiz 2 I am sure you were all amazed with the maze. But the person to correctly navigate its perilous paths without falling foul of that dastardly egg-pinching Mick was Gail Dawson from Norcross. Congratulations - Have another egg! Grant’s Quick Easter Quiz 3 Mick had hidden my eggs in box B. It was middle for diddle! Congratulations to Katie Bainbridge from Norcross for guessing correctly. Have an egg! Grant’s Quick Easter Quiz 4 Good Friday was 22nd April on this year Congratulations to Katie Bainbridge from Norcross for knowing such a fine fact, the Eggheads would be proud. Have another egg! Grant’s Quick Easter Quiz 5 Cooper’s Hill in Gloucestershire is the location required where there is an annual cheese rolling competition. Congratulations to Lesley Tague from Warbreck for giving us the correct place. Have an egg! Grant’s Quick Easter Quiz 6 Why did the chicken cross the road at Easter? The best answer was: “To get away from the hot cross bunny” Not only full of geographical knowledge, but brimming with humour too, Lesley Tague from Warbreck submitted that side-splitter. Well done. Have another egg!

TUC News and Information Bullying hits hard as cuts bite Six in ten workers across the UK have been bullied, or witnessed bullying, over the past six months, a survey by the union UNISON has found. The union is warning that government cuts are fuelling workplace bullying and silencing workers fearful for their jobs. One in four workers say staff cutbacks have led to workplace bullying - double the number from two years ago - and around half say they would be too scared to raise concerns during the period of cuts. The union is predicting the amount of workplace bullying 'will rocket further', as the cuts really start to bite. Findings from the survey of more than 6,000 staff, carried out by for the union by the Centre for Organisation Research and Development (CORD) at Portsmouth Business School, reveal that one in three employees are being bullied at work across the UK, with many more witnessing it. Despite reporting bullying related health concerns, more than half of the bullied workers said they would stay in their jobs and suffer in silence - compared to only a quarter of staff in 2009. Dave Prentis, UNISON's general secretary, said: 'Workers are stuck in a living hell, as they are faced with a double whammy of cuts and bullying. Our results show that bosses are failing to clamp down on workplace bullying and staff are too scared to raise concerns in the current climate of staff and job cuts. There is more pressure than ever from management and the levels of stress are soaring.' He concluded: 'The government must rethink its savage cuts agenda, or see workers' health and efficiency deteriorate. It is more important than ever that workers join a union, as this may be their only point of call for help.' Report confirms 'strong' union safety effect Workplace injuries would be slashed 'at a stroke' if all workplaces had a union health and safety rep, a new TUC report has concluded. According TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson, author the 2011 edition of TUC's 'The Union Effect' report, 'the new evidence shows that the union effect is just as strong as ever.' He points to government figures showing 'British industry saved between £181m and £578m each year as a result of lost time reduction from occupational injuries and work-related illnesses of between 286,000 and 616,000 days as a result of trade union representatives.' However, he warns that too many employers are denying union safety reps the time off they need, and only just over a quarter consult automatically with safety reps on a regular basis. The worst problem, however, is in those workplaces that are not unionised, the TUC safety specialist said. 'The facts outlined in this report are indisputable. Trade union health and safety representatives prevent hundreds of thousands of injuries and illnesses every year and, at the same time save employers millions of pounds.

Yet the positive effect this band of volunteers has goes almost totally unrecognised by employers and the government.' He added that the new briefing 'shows that the most effective thing that the government could do to protect workers would be to enforce and strengthen the current consultation regulations. If every workplace had a union safety representative we could cut the number of fatalities and injuries at a stroke.' Employers are failing older workers Older employees are missing out of training and most say employers are failing to make the adjustments necessary to help them do their jobs, according to a new survey. However, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found workers of the age of 65 also reported better physical and mental health than their younger colleagues. CIPD says its findings highlight the need for employers to ensure they are managing the performance of all employees effectively, particularly before the phase out of the Default Retirement Age (DRA) in October. Across the sample of 2,000 employees, older workers were most likely to have noticed a decline in their physical ability to do their jobs, with 28 per cent saying their physical ability has declined a lot and 51 per cent saying their physical ability has declined a little. For those workers who felt their physical ability to do their job has declined as they got older, 76 per cent said their employer had not made any adjustments. Where employers had made adjustments, employees report that access to occupational health services (7 per cent), offering a reduction in hours (7 per cent) and flexible working (6 per cent) were the most common. The survey, however, found 91 per cent of workers aged 65 and above say their mental health is good or very good, compared to a survey average of 74 per cent. And 69 per cent of older workers report their physical health is good or very good compared to 64 per cent for workers across all age groups. CIPD diversity adviser, Dianah Worman, commented: 'The survey shoots down the myth that workers' ability to do their job suddenly declines after they hit 65. However, the survey does show that employers need to do more to provide reasonable adjustments for workers of all ages to enable them to carry on working in light of physical or mental health difficulties, or indeed caring responsibilities, either for children or for an ageing spouse or partner.' MPs echo union warning on coastguard plans Unions are calling on the government to rethink a move to cut coastguard stations and jobs after the plans received withering criticism this week from an influential committee of MPs. cont.

…The Commons transport committee report said the government plans raise 'serious safety concerns'. The government has proposed reducing the number of coastguard centres open 24 hours a day from 18 to three. Committee chair Louise Ellman, said the coastguard proposals were 'seriously flawed'. She added: 'We found little support for the current proposals and we have no confidence that... the coastguard will in future be able to respond to emergencies at sea as well as they do now, let alone in a more effective way.' PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka commented: 'This report could not be any clearer - the government got it wrong and needs to start again from scratch with the full involvement of staff. It's totally unacceptable that the issues - which are often by definition matters of life and death - have been treated in such a high-handed manner by ministers and management.' Steve Todd, national maritime secretary with the union RMT, said: "The committee quite rightly exposes the dangers to the UK coastline posed by the very damaging cutbacks and closures to coastguard centres.' As well as delivering a searing criticism of the plans on coastguard cutbacks, the report from MPs was also highly critical of the government's intention to axe Emergency Towing Vessels (ETVs) and the fire rescue cover provided by the Maritime Incident Report Group. The government's final proposals are due to be published later this summer. Managing presenteeism pays off Employers can save money and improve the health of their staff if they manage presenteeism alongside sickness absence, according to a discussion paper produced by Business in the Community (BITC) and Centre for Mental Health. 'Managing Presenteeism' examines how employers can deal with reduced productivity among people who come to work and are not fully engaged or perform at lower levels as a result of ill-health. The paper says simple, low-cost measures that can cut the costs of presenteeism include training for line managers in recognising the signs of mental ill-health, creating an open atmosphere for staff to talk about health issues, and recording presenteeism through staff surveys. BITC's Workwell Director Louise Aston said managing presenteeism effectively 'not only saves money in both the short and longer term, but also contributes to the development of an engaged and productive workforce. Progressive employers are increasingly recognising the need to actively manage presenteeism.' Centre for Mental Health joint chief executive Professor Bob Grove said: 'Presenteeism from mental ill-health costs the UK economy £15 billion a year. This is almost double the cost of sickness absence due to mental ill-health. And presenteeism is growing as white collar jobs become more common and more people carry on working while unwell.' He added: 'Employers need to manage presenteeism alongside absenteeism. The two are intimately connected and cannot be managed separately.

Bearing down on sickness absence, for example, could simply increase the costs of presenteeism, whereas managing absence more flexibly may help to cut the costs of both.' A German study this year found that presenteeism, where the working wounded labour on despite being ill, costs twice as much as sickness related absence from work Remembering those killed at work Unions and campaigners have marked Workers' Memorial Day this year in record numbers in over 70 countries worldwide. The TUC said the annual 28 April international event is a reminder that around the world more people are killed at work than in wars and conflict. The union body said the annual reminder is necessary as most of the workers killed in the UK die because employers have not made safety and well-being at work enough of a priority. The day was marked by services, rallies and wreath-laying in most major towns and cities up and down the country, with TUC saying the most common activity was the holding of a simple minute's silence in the workplace. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: 'Workers' Memorial Day, when we commemorate the dead and focus on protecting the living, has become a major day in the calendar of many workplaces.' He added: 'This year the TUC is aware of more events than ever before, due partly to increasing awareness of the day - which was officially recognised by the government for the first time last year - but also due to growing concern of the impact that cuts in inspection and enforcement activity will have on the number of deaths caused through work.' It was a sentiment echoed by Hilda Palmer of the grassroots Hazards Campaign. She said the government's 'absolute failure to take into account the burden on the families and friends as well as the state, who pick up the bill of billions when workers are killed or injured... exposes their lack of concern for workers' health.' The TUC encouraged unions to use 28 April to campaign against the cuts in Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and local authority funding and enforcement activity.

MythBusters

Dear Colleagues, It has come to the Branch Executive Committees’ attention that there have been a few myths doing the rounds regarding Industrial Action, so I thought that it was best to bust some of those myths. The myths weren’t new myths in fact they were peddled in the 1980’s when we were involved at that stage in Action to improve Pay and defend Conditions of Service. It is not clear where the myths come from however there are schools of thought that they emanate from those opposed to the Union and from those members who have let themselves and their colleagues down by not supporting Campaigning Action. As a means to try and live with their consciences due to their behaviour, they try and come out with reasons why they let themselves and their colleagues down, so badly. Myth One: “The Union Activists get paid when they are on strike”. Nonsense, this is not the case, we lose pay in the same way that all the members do who take action. Myth Two: “When the Union Activists picket the Overtime they are paid Overtime rates”. Rhubarb! We are neither paid Overtime nor do we receive a time credit for picketing the overtime. We are not paid. Myth Three: “The Union Activists know when strikes are going to be called and book leave”. Poppycock!! This is totally untrue. Those on pre-booked week (s) leave (provided that they are in the area) or who aren’t contracted to work on the day of a strike often picket anyway, effectively losing the benefits of the day off. Why it is important not to be deflected by myths For reasons including potentially those above there may be those who want to undermine the PCS Campaign. Only they truly know their motives. But remember that we are facing pay cuts in real terms (over a five year period, in the region of 20 %), our jobs are being cut, our redundancy compensation is being cut, and we are being expected to pay more for our Pensions, work longer and receive less. So the stakes are high.

The following details have been supplied by the PCS HQ:

Business lobby wants 'race to the bottom' A report from a business lobby group claiming safety regulations are costing business £355m a year has been dismissed by the TUC as being based on 'non-existent burdens.' The news release for the report from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) was headlined: 'Half of businesses tied up in health and safety 'yellow tape'.' But TUC says the report, 'Health and safety: a risky business?', in fact found health and safety legislation is not a major concern to the majority of businesses - over half of the 5,928 employers questioned did not find workplace safety regulations significantly burdensome and one in five didn't find them burdensome at all.

TUC added the figures for the cost of regulations included in the BCC report are based only on what BCC estimates to be the cost of the regulations. There is no mention at all that significant benefits have been ignored by BCC's number-crunchers and that these benefits far outweigh the costs. A TUC spokesperson commented: 'Employers have to get real on health and safety regulation and stop complaining about non-existent burdens on business and instead focus on protecting their staff and the public. The problem for business is not regulation, but the mind-set that sees the need to protect workers as being a 'burden', and it is time that the BCC and the government started addressing that rather than encouraging a race to the bottom.' He added: 'We now have less regulation, less inspection, and less enforcement than we have for the past 35 years, yet far too many workers are being killed and made ill as a result of employers' negligence. Every workplace death is preventable, and we will only reduce the terrible toll of occupational injury and disease if employers are made to accept responsibility for their actions.' He said the BCC report also 'fosters the myth' that most small businesses are 'low risk'. 'They are not. Small businesses have the same occupational injury and illness rates as their larger competitors,' he said. 'They do however often need more help and support and the governments freeze on communications and the closure of the HSE's information line will make it harder for them to get that'

DSA - PCS wins deal on job cuts Workers at the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) won a guarantee of no compulsory redundancies after threatening strike action. Nearly 2,000 PCS members were balloted when their bosses announced a programme of office closures and cuts. The union gave seven days’ notice – as required under UK employment law – of strikes across the agency. Admin workers were planning a two-day stoppage and driving test examiners intended to strike for two hours every day for five consecutive days. Further walkouts had also been agreed but not detailed.

Result shows what can happen if people stick together Dave Cliff, PCS national officer and secretary of the union's transport group, said: "We hadn't informed the management of the further strikes because we didn't have to by law - but I think they knew we were planning serious action with support from the national union so they agreed to talks. "We suspended the strikes and had negotiations at the DSA offices in Nottingham almost every day for two weeks. "Eventually a deal was done which guaranteed no compulsory redundancies notices would be issued until at least the end of this financial year in March 2012." Plans to privatise a call centre in Newcastle were denied by the agency and ruled out as part of the agreement. It was also agreed there would be no driving test centre closures without negotiation and agreement with PCS. In Cardiff the DSA office was earmarked for closure with 80 jobs under threat. But the union negotiated a compromise where 17 people who volunteered for redundancy will leave and the rest of the staff will move to cheaper accommodation potentially provided by the Welsh Assembly. Dave said: "This was an excellent result. It shows that if people are prepared to stick together and fight we can save jobs and stop offices from closing." In the strike ballot PCS members at the agency voted 62% for strike action and 82% for action short of strike on a turnout of 43%.

The following details have been supplied by the PCS DWP Group: Awarding the Disabled Employee’s Consideration Point Promote continued employment Managers are expected to award an increased Consideration Point for disability related absences under the DWP Attendance Management changes introduced from April 11th 2011. DWP has introduced a new Reasonable Adjustment Policy under Attendance Management Policy paragraph 10, a new procedural requirement under Attendance Management Procedure 2.3 and a new Attendance Management Advice Q&A 7. The policy intent is for a broad, inclusive approach to be adopted by managers when deciding to award a Disabled Employee’s Consideration Point. Managers should aim to fully meet the stated purpose of Procedure 2.3:

• To remove any disadvantage disabled employees may face by being expected to meet the same attendance standard as non-disabled employees

• To ensure that disabled employees are clear about the attendance standard they are expected to meet and remove uncertainty about the possible consequences of taking time off as a result of their disability

• To promote the continued employment of disabled employees.

Safeguard future employment Managers are advised under Advice Q&A 7 that, when deciding whether to award a Disabled Employee’s Consideration Point, they are not expected to decide whether an employee is disabled. Employment Tribunals decide under the Equality Act, not Managers.

DWP wants Managers to decide whether this is an appropriate reasonable adjustment which will enable the employee to attend work, be effective and safeguard their future employment. In deciding that, managers will need to form a view (informally and reasonably quickly, on the balance of probability, using available information) on whether the employee is or is likely to be disabled for the purpose of awarding

the Disabled Employee’s Consideration Point. Managers are not expected to initiate formal assessments to form that view and should normally accept a diagnosis by the employee’s GP if it is available. Decisions should be inclusive and broadly applied so that there is no question of a dissatisfied employee having a case to put to an Employment Tribunal. A person would be regarded as disabled if all of the following criteria applied to them:

The employee has a physical or mental impairment - this could cover a wide range of physical or mental impairments, including sensory ones, such as those affecting sight or hearing. The condition may or may not have been diagnosed.

This impairment has substantial adverse effects - substantial means more than a minor or trivial effect. The limitation would go beyond the normal differences in ability that might exist among people and are encountered day to day. For example, someone might be unable to carry out an activity for as long as would normally be expected; or they may be able to carry out the activity but would experience pain or fatigue while doing so.

long-term – long-term means that they have lasted or are likely to last for more than a year, or are permanent.

It is the normal activities associated with day to day living that are adversely affected – normal activities are activities which are carried out by most men or women on a fairly regular and frequent basis. They would include, but are not necessarily limited to, activities such as walking, driving, using public transport, cooking, eating, lifting and carrying everyday objects, going to the toilet, taking part in normal social interaction, nourishing and caring for one’s self. They also encompass the activities which are relevant to working life such as typing, writing, reading, talking and listening to conversations. The term “normal activities” is not intended to include activities which are normal only for a particular person or group of people, such as playing a musical instrument or performing a skilled or specialised task at work.

Some medical conditions (HIV, cancer and multiple sclerosis) are automatically considered to be disabilities from the point of diagnosis.

Ideally managers should decide whether a Disabled Employee’s Consideration Point should be awarded without referring to Employee Services or the Occupational Health Service. DWP Advice expects managers to form a view informally, using available information, such as an OHS Report, Doctors diagnosis or the criteria listed in Q&A 7, that the employee is, or is likely to be disabled for the purpose of awarding the Disabled Employee’s Consideration Point. Only where it is impossible to do so using the information to hand should Employee Services or the OHS be contacted for help.

Examples of disabilities Tribunal rulings have made it clear that the following forms of physical impairment are capable of amounting to a disability: • Abdominal pain; • Asthma; • Bipolar affective disorder; • Cerebral palsy; • Colitis; • Congenital myotonic dystrophy; • Deafness; • Emphysema; • ME (chronic fatigue syndrome); • Migraine; • Mobility impairment; • Multiple sclerosis; • Photo sensitive epilepsy; and • Visual impairment. Mental impairments that come within the definition include: Dyslexia; Paranoid schizophrenia; Post-traumatic stress disorder; and (potentially) Depression. Also progressive conditions and those that fluctuate or recur can amount to disabilities. Advice for Managers Managers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled employees and should:

Take a broad inclusive approach when awarding an adjustment to every employee who is, or is likely to be disabled, to protect their continued and future employment in DWP

Discuss the level of the adjustment with the

employee (Advice Q&A 8) who may have a PCS Representative, or colleague, present as a formal decision is being considered at this discussion.

The following details have been supplied by the PCS HQ: Our Mutual Friend? -The government is putting the administration of more than 1.5 million civil service pensions at risk, by attempting to drive through a privatisation of My Civil Service Pension (MyCSP) the body within the Department for Work and Pensions that currently delivers civil service pensions.

Civil service pensions used to be run by the Approved Pensions Administrations Centres (APACs) within several different departments. After a review by PricewaterhouseCoopers which concluded that privatisation was the least desirable option, the APACs were brought together under the DWP in 2010. But in January this year Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude MP announced that MyCSP was to be privatised as a ‘Mutual Joint Venture’ (MJV).

When Francis Maude MP first launched the idea of ‘mutualism’ as a way of delivering public services, he claimed that mutuals would be ‘employee-led’ non profit-making organisations. But he has since backtracked, and said that newly-established ‘Mutual Joint Ventures’ will have to bid for contracts with companies such as Serco, Capita and A4E.

The new ‘mutuals’ will have to demonstrate ‘efficiency’ savings and will ‘innovate to cut costs’. One way to innovate to cut costs is for newly-recruited staff to be offered worse terms and conditions than transferred staff, easily done as the only obstacle to the establishment of such a ‘two-tier workforce’ – the two-tier workforce code – was recently abolished by the government.

Privatisation by another name In April PCS had still been given very little detail of the operating model the government had in mind – probably because ministers did not know themselves – and were initially denied the opportunity to meet the ‘transaction team’ overseeing the transfer, or the team leader Stephen Kelly, brought in from the private sector to manage the process. To make matters worse, MyCSP management was adamant that the new mutual would launch in June despite management having no clear idea about its structure, governance model or funding.

After intense pressure from PCS, and despite assertions that the time for talking to ministers ‘had passed’, Francis Maude agreed to talk to the union. A delegation led by assistant general secretary Chris Baugh met him on 31 March, and put to him serious concerns about lack of consultation, lack of clarity about the operational model and governance structures of the ‘mutual’, and the unrealistic timescale for such radical changes. Chris Baugh also made it clear that the overwhelming majority of MyCSP staff did not wish to go down this route.

As a result, the minister conceded that PCS should meet Stephen Kelly and put our case to him. At the same time we organised more MyCSP members’ meetings to keep members informed and prepare for whatever actions were necessary to keep MyCSP in the civil service. To keep the issue in the public eye, the PCS parliamentary group put down parliamentary questions and Early Day Motions raising our concerns.

PCS continues to press the Cabinet Office and MyCSP management hard to reconsider the move to a ‘mutual’, which we consider to be simply privatisation by another name, and to retain the function within the civil service.

The following details have been supplied by the PCS DWP Group:

LEAN – COSTS AND BENEFITS

DWP continues to use LEAN tools and techniques as a major part of its cost reduction measures. PCS has consistently challenged the almost evangelical attitude adopted by many managers to LEAN and its supposed savings and improvements.

LEAN is and always has been an efficiency tool taught in business schools and sold by consultants to gullible businesses. Most experts will tell you that these business process re-engineering theories come into fashion and then disappear. Sadly DWP along with many other government departments have bought the consultant’s spell.

LEAN devolved to businesses

At the outset LEAN was managed as part of the DWP Change Programme but has subsequently been devolved to the businesses. Each business has its own LEAN organisation but is being taken forward in quite different ways. Jobcentre Plus, for example, has introduced development centres for specific areas of work.

Management claim that the savings arising from LEAN amount to £582 million. They say these savings come from a variety of sources including reductions in consumables such as stationery, postage, printing, office equipment, along with estates efficiencies.

PCS challenges LEAN efficiencies

We have continually challenged the savings figures quoted and demanded to see a full and detailed breakdown of staff and non staff related savings. These figures sadly are never produced. It does, however, seem difficult to justify any staff savings when the DWP total staffing is 5,637 higher now than in March 2008.

What PCS has objected to particularly is the massive cost of introducing LEAN. Management now admit the cost is £104.6 million. However, we believe this is a huge underestimate as it is unlikely to include the cost of pointless buzz meetings and staff being taken away from the front line on a regular basis.

More Pay less LEAN Management say over the coming years these savings will continue to roll forward and it is expected that by 2018/19 they will have reached savings amounting to £2.2 billion. If such savings really existed PCS believes that should be used making the FTAs permanent, opening rather than closing offices and giving all staff a proper pay rise.

PCS does not object to efficiency as a principle. However, this needs to be justified in terms of improved customer service and better job design and satisfaction. We do not believe either or both of those are necessarily satisfied by many LEAN initiatives. We also believe any savings should be invested back into the department by way of improved pay, terms and conditions and extra staff to reduce stress.

Without the detailed figures particularly on staff savings it is difficult to mount a sophisticated response. Nevertheless, we will continue to engage with each business to ensure that the worst excesses of ‘guerilla’ LEAN are not used to arbitrarily reduce staffing numbers or detrimentally impact on customer service.

PCS will continue to challenge the concept and application of LEAN.

Jon says:

“Keep clean and keep those white’s bright this Summer, with me. Jon Calgon*”

Minstrel Mick’s Music Quiz

Let me bring you songs from the wood. Yes it’s Minstrel Mick here with a new quiz about music, the type of music that I like. As you can see I am very good with money, as I have a lute.

Here are the questions:

Question 1 Let me bring you song from the wood, was a song by which band was it? a) Yes b) Pink Floyd c) The Beatles d) Jethro Tull e) Judas Priest

Question 2 Who had a hit in the 80’s with 19. Was it Paul? a) Hardcastle b) Simon c) Sandcastle d) McCartney e) Daniels Question 3 Who was the UK entry in this year (2011) Eurovision Song Contest. Was it? a) Pink b) Green c) Yellow d) Simply Red e) Blue Question 4 Talking of Yello, what was their 80’s hit. Was it? a) The Run b) The Walk c) The Race d) The Amble e) The Stroll

Question 5 Who had their senses working overtime, trying to taste the difference between lemon and lime. Was it? a) JLS b) INXS c) KLF d) QOTSA e) XTC Question 6 Who sang “She sells sanctuary”, was it? a) The Cure b) The Cult c) The Beatles d) The Beat e) The Rolling Stones Please send your answers together with your name and details to Jacqui “I think that 80’s music was the best, I was a New Romantic, I’ll have you know” Dunkerley, Room 7233 Norcross, to arrive no later than Friday 30th September 2011. The winner will receive a mystery prize. Please remember that only members of the Fylde Central Benefits and Services Branch, excluding Branch Executive Committee can enter the quiz.

Minstrel Mick

TUC concern over sharp rise in deaths at work There has been a dramatic upturn in the number of workplace fatalities, new official statistics show. Figures published this week by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reveal the number of workers killed in Britain in 2010/11 was over 16 per cent up on the previous year. The provisional data for the year April 2010 to March 2011 shows 171 workers died, compared to the record low of 147 in 2009/10. The fatality rate increased from 0.5 fatalities per 100,000 workers to 0.6/100,000. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber expressed concern at the reversal in the recent downward trend in workplace fatalities and stressed the need for official inspections and enforcement. 'The responsibility for the increase in deaths this year must be placed at the door of negligent employers, but more needs to be done to ensure that all employers protect their workers from harm,' he said. 'The government's recent decision to reduce workplace inspections and the budget cuts for both the HSE and local authorities make it more far less likely that problems will be identified before something goes wrong. Traditionally injury rates increase as we come out of a recession. If we are going

to stop this year's increase becoming a long-term trend we need more inspections in the workplace - not less.' Cuts mean there could be worse to come. The sharp increase in workplace fatalities show the government must reverse its attack on workplace regulation and enforcement, unions have said. Prospect, whose members include staff in the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), said the government must now rethink plans to cut the safety body's budget by 35 per cent. Prospect negotiator Mike Macdonald said: 'The increase revealed by these figures is even more alarming given that economic output has remained stagnant over the past 12 months. We fear that as the economy recovers and the workforce grows the number of workplace deaths and serious accident rates will rise even further.' He added: 'Not only does HSE's work save lives and reduce the misery felt by friends and family following the death of a loved one, it saves industry and the taxpayer hundreds of millions of pounds in lost working days and medical bills. Therefore we have to question how appropriate it is for the government to make cuts of 35 per cent which will result in fewer frontline inspectors.' Macdonald said members were particularly concerned by the withdrawal of up to 11,000 'proactive inspections' normally undertaken by HSE but axed in a bid to meet budgetary restrictions. Unite general secretary Len McCluskey also expressed concern. He said: 'The reality is that 171 people went to work and did not come home again. From Potters Bar to Piper Alpha the lesson to be learned is that strong and effective enforcement of health and safety legislation is vital, not the cuts and deregulatory agenda being pursued by the

government.' He added: 'The only way to stop deaths at work is more inspections, more enforcement and no cuts.' CBI finds sickness absence stays low Sickness absence in 2010 remained close to the previous year's record low, employers' organisation CBI has found. The CBI/Pfizer Absence and Workplace Health Survey reports there were 190 million working days to sickness absence last year, with each employee taking an average of 6.5 days off sick. This compared to 6.4 sick days in 2009, the lowest rate since the survey began in 1987. CBI claimed this year's total included 30.4 million days of non-genuine sickness absence, or 'sickies'. Katja Hall, CBI chief policy director, said: 'Sadly, more days were lost to non-genuine absence than in 2009 and the cost of these bogus sick days is over £2.7bn a year. Sickies are unfair on colleagues and damage employers' competitiveness at a critical point in the recovery.' Commenting on the CBI findings, TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson said: 'The report confirms that sickness absence is still close to the lowest level ever. It does not however address the growing problem of presenteeism where workers are coming in while ill. This has grown during the recession and is now a major problem.' He added: 'The report also seems to put responsibility for sickness absence onto everyone but the employer who is responsible for managing it. As is the case every year, the CBI makes unsupported claims of levels of 'non-genuine' sickness absence. These are based, not on evidence, but on managers' perceptions, and should be taken with a pinch of salt.' The TUC health and

safety expert concluded: 'The answer to managing sickness is to have a good sickness absence policy which supports, rather than punishes those that go off sick, and access to good professional occupational health advice.' Accident reports go (mostly) online Businesses will still be able to notify fatal and major incidents and injuries by phone, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has said, but changes mean other officially reportable incidents will soon have to be reported online. The safety watchdog says from 12 September 2011, all but the most serious work-related injuries and incidents reportable under RIDDOR (the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995) will move to the online system. Trevor Carlile, HSE's director of strategy, said: 'More than half of reportable injuries are already notified to HSE through the website and this proportion has been increasing steadily over the past seven years. Taking advantage of the growing use of the internet allows HSE to be more efficient in the way it works. We do recognise, however, that people reporting a traumatic event still need that personal interaction so the notification of fatal and major incidents and injuries will still take place by phone.' HSE adds that 'in a move to improve efficiency further and deliver value for taxpayers' HSE's Infoline telephone service will end on 30 September 2011. The service last year dealt with over 200,000 enquiries. HSE says the public can instead obtain information from its website, which currently receives 26 million visits every year, and which provides free downloads and interactive web

tools. A TUC spokesperson expressed concern over the effect that the removal of the helpline would have stating 'The HSE Infoline has, for many years provided an invaluable service to both health and safety representatives and to small businesses. You cannot replace a human interface with a website and expect the same results. The government claims to want to help small businesses but it is them who will be affected most by the closure of the service as they are far less likely to have access to other advice and support. This change will make it much harder for them to get the information they need when they need it.' Businesses overlook injury and illness costs British businesses are losing their competitive edge because of a failure to tackle the risks of injury and illness in the workplace, a report from the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has concluded. Survey findings from the safety professionals' organisation published last week show employers are underestimating the economic benefits of worker protection and are placing it low on their list of priorities. IOSH says work-related accidents and ill health cost businesses nearly £8 billion a year, with absenteeism, low productivity and legal bills among the 'financial hits'. It adds the overall cost of health and safety failures to the British economy, including welfare and health bills, is estimated at a 'staggering' £22 billion. In a new 'Life Savings' campaign illustrated by examples of employers saving millions by making work safer, IOSH argues 'good, proportionate health and safety' is not a burden on business, but 'is

being used by forward-thinking CEOs and managing directors as a driver for growth.' It wants ministers to make sure that their austerity measures, and the 'blitz on red tape', do not damage people's health or lead to accidents. IOSH also echoes the union call on the government to reverse the decision to axe the Health and Safety Executive's infoline. IOSH President Steve Granger said: 'It's frankly wrong for ministers and business leaders to talk about health and safety as 'red tape' and a burden on business.' He added: 'As well as the primary aim of saving people's lives and livelihoods, good occupational health and safety can also deliver vital cost savings and help your business to grow.' One company, E.ON, saved nearly £12 million in one year by improving its safety performance and Rolls Royce saved £11 million over three years. Proposals could hurt accident reporting Government proposals to reduce injury reporting requirements on firms could make workplaces less safe and could increase the burdens on business, a safety body has warned. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), in its response to a consultation on the future of the RIDDOR accident reporting regulations, is calling for a different, more radical approach to encourage improved reporting. It says a consultation proposal on moving the trigger for reporting injuries from those leading to absences of more than three consecutive days to absences of seven days plus would be counterproductive. Roger Bibbings, RoSPA's occupational safety adviser, calculated that if the scheme was relaxed in line with the government proposals some

firms would be required to scarcely ever report any injuries or dangerous occurrence. They would, 'in all probability' be so ignorant of the requirements that incidents 'would go unreported altogether.' He said 'a much more radical approach' was required, adding: 'While always mindful of the need to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy, RoSPA would suggest that efforts to reduce burdens on business in this area should focus on helping organisations to improve their management of health and safety and thus avoid the heavy costs to which accidents and incidents usually give rise.' LA inspector oppose relaxed injury reporting Plans to increase the threshold for reporting workplace injuries from more than three days to more than seven days off work will make it harder to gather evidence on workplace safety, local authority-based workplace safety enforcers have warned. In a submission to a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) consultation on proposals to change the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) - the organisation representing the environmental health officers responsible for workplace health and safety inspection in the local authority enforced sectors - said the current system, while flawed, produces a 'beneficial evidence base' for regulators. 'The CIEH believes that the extension of the reporting period to seven days will not contribute to worker or consumer safety, nor will it have a meaningful effect on reducing any perceived burdens on business,' the submission notes. It adds that 'a fresh and more

comprehensive approach' to address under-reporting and to ensure businesses investigate and 'learn lessons' from accidents. 'It is generally considered that much of the under-reporting is concentrated in the small and medium-sized enterprise sector. Such businesses are in urgent need of clear guidance to improve the level of reporting and to address the fear of attracting unwanted attention from regulators resulting from reporting,' it says. Mental illness and strains top disability list Mental health problems have overtaken musculoskeletal disorders such as back pain as the main reason people claim benefits because they are unable to work, a study has found. Researchers, writing in the journal Occupational Medicine, looked at new incapacity benefit awards for both kinds of conditions in Britain from 1997 to 2007. Claims for musculoskeletal disorders fell by 50 per cent over the 11-year study period, while mental health claims were steady. According to the report, there are 2.6m people of working age in the UK currently claiming incapacity benefit, which is currently being phased out and replaced by Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). The ratio of new claims for mental illness to those for musculoskeletal disorders more than doubled between 1997 and 2007, the Department for Work and Pensions data showed. Mental illness claims remained at around a quarter of a million while musculoskeletal disorders fell from 181,820 in 1997 to 84,420 in 2007. The authors postulate that physical strains may previously have been considered a cause of long-term disability, but over time

has become regarded as treatable, with an expectation sufferers will return to work. Dr Olivia Carlton, president of the Society of Occupational Medicine, commented: 'As occupational health doctors we know that helping people with health problems stay in work is not just about medical treatment; it is much more complex and can need a range of interventions. We also understand how important work is as a determinant for a healthy life.'

Mobiles 'may cause brain cancer' A United Nations agency has said mobile phone use is 'possibly carcinogenic'. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) expert panel this week decided to classify 'radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B), based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer, associated with wireless phone use.' Dr Jonathan Samet of the University of Southern California, the chair of the IARC working group, indicated that 'the evidence, while still accumulating, is strong enough to support a conclusion and the 2B classification. The conclusion means that there could be some risk, and therefore we need to keep a close watch for a link between cell phones and cancer risk.' IARC director Christopher Wild said: 'Given the potential consequences for public health of this classification and findings, it is important that additional research be conducted into the long-term, heavy use of mobile phones. Pending the availability of such information, it is important to take pragmatic measures to reduce exposure such as hands-free devices or texting.' Mobile phones are increasingly becoming a standard piece of workplace kit, particularly for the growing group of workers spending all or a part of their day offsite. The number of mobile phone subscriptions is estimated at 5 billion globally. A summary of the working group's findings on the cancer hazard from radiofrequency electromagnetic fields will be published in the 1 July issue of The Lancet Oncology.

The following details have been supplied by the PCS HQ:

Danger of 'lawlessness at work' The government's new health and safety strategy is propelling the UK towards 'lawlessness' at work, a new report has said. Official figures obtained exclusively by Hazards magazine reveal the number of major injuries even investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has slumped to just 1 in 19. The report says justice has also been a casualty of policy changes and cutbacks, with HSE tailoring its service to a future with a budget slashed by 35 per cent by 2015. According to the report, of the 70,000 major injuries reported to HSE in the two years from 2008/09 to 2009/10, less than 1 in every 50 had as of May 2011 resulted in any official enforcement action. The report is critical of a government strategy to dramatically curtail HSE inspection and enforcement activity, arguing modern workplaces are far from either safe or healthy. 'Even official figures, accepted to include only a minority of injuries, record the crunch of breaking bone in a workplace about 80 times every working day. Eyes or limbs are lost at a rate of two a day.' It adds: 'Every hour of every day around the clock someone dies of occupational cancer, according to HSE's self-confessed 'conservative' estimate.' The report says policy changes, staffing cuts and the imminent closure of HSE's infoline, combined with a government intent on a programme of 'regulatory cleansing', are hobbling the watchdog. It is also critical of the Löfstedt review, which it says has a presumption in favour of deregulation and an inbuilt pro-industry bias. 'HSE can no longer properly enforce or even advise,' the report concludes. 'Government funding cuts have robbed it of the resources. Government strategy has robbed it of the role.'

The following details have been supplied by the PCS HQ: Worse off Families believe they could be £2,500 worse off this year because of the rising cost of living, a survey commissioned by learndirect has disclosed. Half of the 3,000 Britons surveyed think they will have at least £25 a week less to spend, with more than a quarter preparing to be at least £50-a-week worse off. More than half of private-sector companies in the UK say they are not interested in hiring people who have lost their jobs in the public sector. Most private employers say such workers are “not equipped to join their businesses”, according to a survey of 500 companies carried out by Barclays Corporate and the Financial Times.

The following details have been supplied by PCS HQ:

Campaign of threats

PCS members working in the Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission (CMEC) in particular have been coming under increased attack on Facebook through the so-called CSA Hell site. The Department for Work and Pensions group conference in Brighton in May heard members working for the commission, who help lift children out of poverty, have faced a campaign of abuse and intimidation through the site. The names of staff and photographs taken from individual Facebook accounts have been published and the CSA Hell group ran a sickening poll which asked visitors what they would do if they were driving along and saw a CSA case officer crossing the road. PCS has been in negotiations with CSA management and PCS DWP group assistant secretary Dave Richards commented: “Staff in CSA do an important job collecting record amounts of maintenance and helping lift children out of poverty. They should have the right to do so free from harassment and threats of violence. “I am pleased to report that CSA and the security management team are taking the matter very seriously and are having successes in closing the site and having the worst elements removed.” Dave added: “It’s important that any staff with a Facebook account make sure it’s locked and they remove their employment details from their pages. This will stop such anti-CSA sites from getting easy access to your details and putting you on their name and shame list.” Staff within CSA who are concerned about their safety can use a pseudonym and PCS encourages staff who are worried to do so.

Wapping remembered The power of Rupert Murdoch is ever increasing but he took major steps in securing his empire in the UK during the Wapping dispute in 1986. Tim Gopsill of the National Union of Journalists and the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom looks at its legacy 25 years on.

Murdoch monopoly threatens democracy We have just seen his News Corporation get the green light from government to buy up BSkyB, despite media regulator Ofcom ruling that the takeover should go to the Competition Commission.

Ofcom reckons his combined operation would make Murdoch’s the dominant media voice in 51% of households. That is a real threat to democracy. His rise to power got its biggest boost 25 years ago, in one of the most brutal industrial disputes of the 1980s. On January 24, 1986 Murdoch moved his four national papers overnight to a new non-union plant in Wapping, east London, sacking 5,500 workers and pitching them into a bitter year-long strike.

The strikers were attacked by brutal, well-drilled forces of the Metropolitan Police as they and their supporters picketed the factory to stop the trucks roaring out with their strike-breaking copies of the Sun, the Times, the Sunday Times and News of the World.

Print unions NGA and SOGAT faced legal attacks, with the sequestration of their assets under employment laws newly passed by the government. On top of this the print workers faced Murdoch’s military-style planning of the move, the lies he told the union leaders as they tried to negotiate agreements for the new plant and the treachery of the electricians’ union, the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union.

Eric Hammond, leader of the EETPU, connived with Murdoch’s managers to supply and train the strike-breaking workforce. It was a betrayal without parallel in trade union history and the EETPU was forced out of the TUC in 1988.

Print workers fought bravely The outcome was not just the destruction of print trade unionism in national newspapers, but the transformation of the industry. The media was put increasingly at the mercy of corporate power, with Rupert Murdoch top of the pile.

The following details have been supplied by the PCS HQ:

Damaging attacks on human resources Changes to human resources policies through the Next Generation HR programme and spending cuts are combining to damage human resources and learning provision across the civil service.

There are new jobs in the shared expert centres, but for many NGHR means job losses and redeployment. Pressure on remaining HR and learning staff, line managers and employees is increasing. PCS are dealing with more work in supporting members who are affected.

The union’s national executive discusses NGHR regularly and new communication channels are being used to exchange information with groups. A team of NEC members and HQ officers is seeking to influence the way NGHR is developing. Regular meetings with the NGHR programme team and on particular aspects of the project have been set up.

Meetings have focused on:

A new procedural framework for employee relations structures Fair procedures for selection that give the best opportunities for members to apply for the new

jobs in the expert centres Equality impact assessments (EIAs) Civil Service Learning Priorities and principles for negotiating HR policies.

Recruitment to new jobs The three new shared expert service centres began recruiting in February. As part of the consultation process we ensured that members whose jobs have been identified as being at risk of redundancy were included in the pool. A second stage of the recruitment is currently underway. PCS raised objections to an online test which was not mentioned during consultation but was used in the selection process for some of the policy centre posts.

Threats to diversity The equality impact assessment for location and selection aspects of NGHR has been discussed with trade union equality officers. Impacts go much wider than simply the location and selection strategy and there is a serious danger that the diversity of the civil service will be diminished. NGHR has a duty to carry out EIAs to help ensure that policymakers do not further entrench discrimination or create discriminatory outcomes. PCS will not endorse the conclusions of the location and selection strategy assessment until we are satisfied that the equality impacts for the whole NGHR programme have been considered. Groups should inform HQ of any EIAs on departmental HR and learning changes.

The following details have been supplied by the PCS DWP Group: Attendance Management and the definition of disability: Office for Disability Issues Guidance

Disability related sick leave DWP Attendance Management Policy (10), Procedure (2.3 & 2.4) and Advice (Q&A 4 – 9) includes guidance for disability related sick leave. Managers are not expected to decide whether an employee is disabled but are expected to form a view on whether the employee is or is likely to be disabled.

The definition of disability for the purposes of the Equality Act is a legal definition and it is only adjudicating bodies which can determine whether a person meets that definition. The Office for Disability Issues (ODI), which coordinates disability policy across government and leads the government’s work on disability equality, has published guidance on the legal definition.

This ODI guidance is primarily designed for adjudicating bodies, such as Employment Tribunals, which determine cases brought under the Act. However, ODI believes the guidance is also likely to be of value to a range of people and organisations as an explanation of how the definition operates.

ODI also believes that in the vast majority of cases there is unlikely to be any doubt whether or not a person has or has had a disability, but this guidance should prove helpful in cases where the matter is not entirely clear.

General definition of disability The Equality Act 2010 generally defines a disabled person as a person with a disability. The general definition of disability has a number of

elements. A person has a disability for the purposes of the Act if he or she:

has a physical or mental impairment

the impairment has a substantial and

long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out

normal day-to-day activities.

ODI Guidance covers each of these elements in turn. Each section contains an explanation of the relevant provisions of the Act which supplement the basic definition. Guidance and illustrative examples are provided where relevant.

ODI recommends that those using this Guidance for the first time should read it all, as each part of the Guidance builds upon the part(s) preceding it. It is important not to consider any individual element in isolation.

Facts at your fingertips

Poorest hit hardest by inflation A report produced by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) shows that the poorest people endure a far higher inflation rate than the rich. The think tank said that poor families have experienced higher cost of living than the wealthy for the past decade and that this has intensified since the downturn in the economy in 2008.

The IFS said its analysis showed that the poorest fifth of households had faced an inflation rate of 4.3% between 2008 and 2010, compared to 2.7% for the richest fifth of households. Visit ifs.org.uk Single mothers singled out A report – Single mothers: Singled Out by the Fawcett Society has found that tax and benefit

changes will mean single mothers can expect to lose 8.5% of their net annual income, more than a month’s income, each year by 2015. Find out more at fawcettsociety.org.uk Evidence of how recession hits UK households Fewer jobs, higher unemployment, a declining property market, less disposable income and lower levels of migration are a few of the new findings showing the impact on individuals of the recession across the English regions and Wales during 2008 and 2009. This is revealed by the Office for National Statistics in an article using evidence for the English regions and Wales to look at how the recession affects people’s lives.

The key findings show that between early 2008 and throughout most of 2009 the unemployment rate rose sharply in all English regions and Wales, though unemployment levels were adversely affected by the recession at different times in each area. In the majority of areas average gross earnings grew less in the two years to 2010 than in the year to 2008. In the year to 2010 the north west of England saw the smallest increase of all areas, a rise of 1%. The demand for higher education places went up noticeably for entry in 2009 and 2010, with a resultant large increase in the number of applicants who were not accepted for higher education courses between 2008 and 2010. This coincided with a much steeper increase in the unemployment rate for 18 to 24 year-olds than for older age groups. For more see statistics.gov.uk/regionaltrends/edition