As you may remember, the branch arranged a summer day out for our members and their families to the Yorkshire Wildlife Park last summer.  This summer we are hoping to run a similar event on a Saturday in July or August.  Ideas so far are:

• A trip to the National Coal Mining Museum in Wakefield in the morning and on to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in the afternoon.  Entry to both is free and UNISON would provide a free coach.
• A day at Tatton Park in Cheshire – Mansion, Gardens and Farm.  Entry to all 3 is £11  – UNISON may be able to negotiate a discount on this and will pay for the coach travel).
• A show at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre in Haxby Road – note that these are mostly evening shows.

We will also welcome any ideas put forward by members.

Please let j.ripley@yorksj.ac.uk know if you are interested in any of these events or email Unison@yorksj.ac.uk or if viewing this message via the Unison blog then scroll down to respond.

Thanks

Are you aware that UNISON has a welfare fund to help members with a variety of matters, such as:

• Help for members suffering financial hardship
• Advice for those in debt
• Advice on benefit entitlements
• Advice on access to victim support services

The UNISON welfare officer for Yorkshire and Humberside region is Anne Szcepanska.  Anne has recently helped somebody who was off work due to ill health and was receiving half pay.  The member was suddenly unable to pay rent and bills  for gas and electricity and was struggling to buy food.  UNISON was able to help with those bills and pay for some food and clothing to tide the family over until the member could get back to work.

Anne can also put people in touch with relevant agencies and departments for support, advice and benefits.  Wellbeing breaks can be accessed depending on your financial situation.

For more information, please call 020 7121 5620 or email thereforyou@unison.co.uk  or contact York St John branch officers.

See leaflet for further information

Branch Executive

UNISON are celebrating the start of the pride season with Croyde’s LGBT weekend, offering three nights stay (Friday 1 May – Sunday 4 May inclusive) in their holiday resort for £162 per person (plus 17.65% for non-members), including breakfast and dinner. The resort has a pool, a jacuzzi, a steam room, a sauna, a gym and private access to Croyde beach. The weekend will include tribute acts, late discos and late bars. For more information, call 01271 890 890, email croyde@unison.co.uk or see the UNISON Croyde Bay website.

Please note that the UNISON branch AGM will be held on Wednesday, 25 February 2015 at 11am in the De Grey Lecture Theatre (DG017).

An agenda and further details will follow shortly.

13 January 2015

Dear Members

In response to queries from a couple of our members with regard to the change of the salary payment date, the UNISON branch Executive agreed to speak with the Head of HR to clarify how the change came about.

A couple of years ago the University had agreed to alter the January pay date following requests from a number of YSJ UNISON members who were finding it very difficult to manage their finances over the December/January period.

In early 2014 the idea of a set pay date was floated at senior leadership level and discussed with the HR and Finance departments who had no objections.  In the meantime, a number of members contacted the branch asking for the possibility of a set date which was forwarded to HR.  In addition, at feedback meetings from the staff survey, two groups of staff spoke to the Head of HR in favour of a set date.  The matter was discussed further at a Staff Joint Consultative Committee liaison meeting where both UNISON and UCU were represented.  UNISON agreed that some of its members had approached branch officers requesting the change.

Please note that the amount we get paid is a part of our contract of employment but the date on which we get paid is not and would not normally be up for consultation, although some consultation did take place.   We believe that the majority of members think that the change is a positive move, particularly for those on lower incomes who have struggled to manage finances over a 5 week period.   We understand that HR confirmed the 22^nd of each month with payroll which is in line with the date that most companies pay staff (between 19^th and 23^rd of the month).

The decision to start the change in February was to alleviate the problem of another five week period.

Please contact the branch at Unison@yorksj.ac.uk or Jo Thompson from HR if you need advice on changing your direct debits or have other financial issues due to the changed salary date.

Best wishes and Happy New Year

YSJ UNISON Branch Executive

The Unison Christmas party will take place on Tuesday, 23 December 2014 in the Students’ Union.  Doors open at 12.30, food available from 14:00.   There will also be a raffle and a quiz with cash prizes.

We hope to see you there.

Happy Christmas

see xmas poster 2014

YSJ Unison branch invites Unison members and their families for a day out at Yorkshire Wildlife Park on Saturday 6 September 2014.

The ticket prices are: Adults £10.50, OAP/Students £8.50, Children between 3 and 15 years £7.50, Children between 2 and 3 years £1 and Children under 2 free entrance.

Places are limited so please hurry if you wish to book by contacting Jo Ripley (0910 876670) or Gelayol Holme (01904 876923). Payment to be made in cash to Jo or Gelayol by 15 August 2014. Coach travel is free and will leave from YSJ main campus at 9am and return around 5pm.

View the poster advertising the event UNISON YORKSHIRE WILDLIFE POSTER

Yorkshire Wildlife Park Web address: www.yorkshirewildlifepark.com

Thank you to all members who responded to the survey on industrial action on the 2013 pay offer.  The results can be found at:

Results of the May 2014 Survey on strike action (for publication)

The results will be discussed at a forthcoming branch committee meeting and any actions resulting from it will be fed back to members.

Best wishes