Environment Agency staff set for out-of-hours ban
Thousands of Environment Agency (EA) workers in England will stop out-of-hours attendance at incidents such as floods, water pollution, spills, waste fires and fly-tipping this weekend, in their ongoing pay dispute.
The industrial action, which starts at 9am tomorrow (Saturday), is set to continue for a month, with workers refusing to volunteer for on-call cover outside of contracted hours until 19 September.
Officers will step in where there is a threat to life, from incidents such as a major flood, as emergency life and limb cover has been agreed by the union.
This new wave of industrial action follows months of industri...
Source: UNISON Health care news - August 18, 2023 Category: UK Health Authors: Amanda Kendal Tags: Article News environment agency Industrial action Source Type: news
UNISON urges pensions regulator to press for stronger data safety
UNISON has written to the pensions regulator to press for stronger protections to ensure that members’ pensions are safe, after outsourcing firm Capita experienced hacking attacks in March and May this year.
Among the data that has been compromised is information entrusted to Capita by some 450 pension schemes.
UNISON members are in some of the schemes and funds affected, including the Environment Agency Pension Fund (EAPF), Natural Resources Wales, the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) and some local government pension funds. Capita has stated that its own pension scheme data has also been compromised, affecting...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - July 19, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Amanda Kendal Tags: Article News capita data protection pensions Source Type: news
Public services can help create a kinder, fairer society, says UNISON
Addressing the union’s annual conference in Liverpool today (Wednesday), UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said:
“This year thousands of public sector workers in UNISON have voted for strike action. Environment Agency, CQC and university staff are still in dispute.
“Local government workers in England and Wales are currently voting for strike action, with others to follow in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
“Council services are too often overlooked. It’s only when there’s no one to fill the potholes or empty the bins that anyone notices. When there are no urgent care packages available or no support for ...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - June 14, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Anthony Barnes Tags: News Press release 2023 National Delegate Conference Christina McAnea Source Type: news
‘ We remain strong and defiant ’
UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea today praised the thousands of members and activists who have “risen up and grabbed the opportunities of our campaigns and action.”
Ms McAnea opened a wide-ranging and quietly passionate speech to national delegate conference with a simple observation – “What a year we’ve had” – before presenting a list of achievements that were “changing history” and the lives of members throughout the UK.
These were “the picket lines, demos, rallies and campaigns that UNISON has either led, or supported, across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, all through the...
Source: UNISON Health care news - June 14, 2023 Category: UK Health Authors: Demetrios Matheou Tags: Article News 2023 National Delegate Conference 2023 year of Black Workers Christina McAnea general secretary Source Type: news
Water, energy and transport conference held in Liverpool
UNISON’s annual water, environment and transport (WET) conference met yesterday in Liverpool and opened with a speech from UNISON assistant general secretary Jon Richards (pictured above).
Environment agency pay
He opened by highlighting the situation that the country faced when conference last convened a year ago: “Inflation was ramping up and by the end of the year was at levels we haven’t seen for 40 years. Government borrowing soared and interest rates have climbed since.
“More people pushed into poverty, more hardworking people faced with the choice between eating, paying their mortgages, buying school uniform...
Source: UNISON meat hygiene - June 12, 2023 Category: Food Science Authors: Simon Jackson Tags: Article News 2023 National WET Conference environment agency Environment agency strike Source Type: news
Water, environment and transport conference held in Liverpool
UNISON’s annual water, environment and transport (WET) conference met yesterday in Liverpool and opened with a speech from UNISON assistant general secretary Jon Richards (pictured above).
Environment agency pay
He opened by highlighting the situation that the country faced when conference last convened a year ago: “Inflation was ramping up and by the end of the year was at levels we haven’t seen for 40 years. Government borrowing soared and interest rates have climbed since.
“More people pushed into poverty, more hardworking people faced with the choice between eating, paying their mortgages, buying school uniform...
Source: UNISON Health care news - June 12, 2023 Category: UK Health Authors: Simon Jackson Tags: Article News 2023 National WET Conference environment agency Environment agency strike Source Type: news
High levels of drugs found in sea off south England coast
Study says marine life being harmed by prescription and recreational drugs in wastewaterA study looking at water pollution on the south coast of England has revealed high levels of potentially harmful chemicals including recreational drugs and antidepressants.Scientists involved in the research say marine life is being harmed by human drugs, pointing to evidence that oestrogen in water can feminise male fish through biological changes.Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - June 9, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Harriet Grant Tags: Water Pollution Utilities Environment Drugs Science Environment Agency Waste England UK news Marine life Oceans Source Type: news
UNISON writes to civil service boss for clarity over pay offer
UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea has written to cabinet secretary Simon Case, the head of the home civil service, to raise the question of pay.
The union has members working for the civil service itself and for various agencies and regulatory bodies, including Ofsted, the Environment Agency and the Probation Service.
The letter makes reference to a recent offer of an unconsolidated payment of £1,500 in recognition of how the cost of living crisis is affecting employees.
This, says UNISON, is welcome, but it seeks clarity on a number of points, including:
that the offer is in respect of the 2022/23 pay year;
how ...
Source: UNISON Health care news - June 9, 2023 Category: UK Health Authors: Amanda Kendal Tags: Article News Christina McAnea civil service environment agency LGPS Ofsted Source Type: news
EA workers renew strike mandate
UNISON has announced that Environment Agency members have secured a mandate for strike action over the next six months after the recent industrial action ballot.
The new mandate marks a continuation of the dispute, begun last year, where EA members voted for strike action over pay for the first time in the agency’s history.
Donna Rowe-Merriman, national secretary for the sector, said: “Workers have endured over a decade of pay erosion where the value of their pay has reduced by over 20%, and have said enough is enough.
“The result demonstrates that EA members have not been disheartened by lack of action from the gove...
Source: UNISON Health care news - May 31, 2023 Category: UK Health Authors: Simon Jackson Tags: Article News environment agency Environment agency strike Source Type: news
Flooding: Toilet bungs and other prevention measures to save homes
The Environment Agency and others say millions of UK homes are at risk, and families can be forced out of a flood-hit home for a year for it to dry out. Nick Lupton, who lives next to the River Severn in Worcestershire, said he and his wife Annie had never had to claim on insurance, having kept…#environmentagency #nicklupton #riversevern #worcestershire #andybord #floodre (Source: Reuters: Health)
Source: Reuters: Health - May 19, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
NEC backs the right to strike emergency protest
UNISON’s national executive council (NEC) has encouraged as many members as possible to attend the TUC-organised emergency protest in Westminster at 6pm on Monday (22 May) and defend the right to strike.
The strike-busting legislation is returning to parliament on Monday and UNISON, along with other unions, believes that the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill, is a full-frontal attack on working people and the trade unions they organise within.
Details of the demonstration can be found here.
Separately, at its meeting this week, the NEC also heard that the union is in the midst of taking the government to the High Cou...
Source: UNISON Health care news - May 19, 2023 Category: UK Health Authors: Martin Cullen Tags: Article anti-strike bill Industrial action NEC Source Type: news
Oil project near Amazon River mouth blocked by Brazil ’s environment agency
Brazil’s environmental regulator has refused to grant a license for a controversial offshore oil drilling project near the mouth of the Amazon River, prompting celebration from environmentalists who had warned of its potential impact.#brazil #amazonriver (Source: Reuters: Health)
Source: Reuters: Health - May 18, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Oil project near Amazon River mouth blocked by Brazil's environment agency
RIO DE JANEIRO -- Brazil’s environmental regulator refused on Wednesday to grant a license for a controversial offshore oil drilling project near the mouth of the Amazon River, prompting celebration from environmentalists who had warned of its potential impact. The decision to reject the state-run…#riode #brazil #amazonriver #petrobras #fza #rodrigoagostinho #jeanpaulprates #wwfbrasil #greenpeace #agostinho (Source: Reuters: Health)
Source: Reuters: Health - May 18, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Air Pollution Is a Fatal Threat to Children in Europe Air Pollution Is a Fatal Threat to Children in Europe
The European Environment Agency recently reviewed the effects of air pollution on children ' s health and outlined measures for reducing their exposure to it.Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Allergy Headlines)
Source: Medscape Allergy Headlines - May 16, 2023 Category: Allergy & Immunology Tags: Pediatrics News Source Type: news
The government must intervene on Environment Agency pay to prevent permanent damage
Staff at the Environment Agency will today (Friday) begin a third block of strike action in the ongoing dispute over their “woeful” pay rise, says UNISON.
Workers providing crucial services to ensure communities are kept safe, pollution-free and protected will walk out over the space of four days spanning this weekend.
It marks a significant escalation of the industrial action that began late last year to win a wage rise that would enable the Agency workforce to better weather the ongoing financial storm, says UNISON.
Staff have had a terrible deal, which amounts to one of the worst wage rises paid to public sector w...
Source: UNISON Health care news - April 13, 2023 Category: UK Health Authors: Anthony Barnes Tags: News Press release Environment agency strike Source Type: news
